After leading the Sacred Order of Holy Knights to victory against Justice and ending the crusades that ravaged the planet, Ky was haunted by the commander gear's last words that challenged his rigid ideals. His former conviction in his concept of justice and morality shaken, Ky contemplated the true meaning of justice during his search for the new commander gear, and his many clashes with his lifelong rival Sol Badguy. After fostering a forbidden relationship with Dizzy and giving birth to a son, Sin, Ky was pressured into becoming the puppet leader of Illyria by the United Nations under veiled threats to his family. Charismatic, skilled, and possessing a deep belief in hope, Ky takes the throne as High King reigning over the land of Illyria. The weight of his position has broadened his view significantly, and he has lost some of his youthful zeal in his ruling years. He feels regret for his failures as a father and husband, having sent Sin to be raised by his old rival, Sol, for his son's safety in a world hostile to gears, and to focus on his duties to his people as king. Despite his kind heart and collected royal demeanor, he still possesses an unwavering sense of justice, and is prone to outbursts of anger and emotion when pushed too far. Some doubt his abilities and think him unfit to rule, but many others adore him for displaying such human behavior. Having used the Thunderseal to save Dizzy's life, Ky takes up his imitation blade, Magnolia Eclair, in GGXRD.
Ky Kiske fulfills the role of a simple and well rounded character. Ky performs best at midrange with a variety of useful pokes at his disposal, but he has tools at every range thanks to his Stun Edge projectiles. He uses his fast and long reaching f.S to tame opponents and threaten them with high damage counter hit combos, and rounds out his spacing game with 2S, 5HS, 2K, and 2D. From well spaced pokes, experienced Ky players can cancel into Stun Dipper to secure knockdowns from afar. Frustrated opponents that jump at him will find themselves dealing with his upper body invulnerable 6P and fast, long reaching 2HS. When he finds himself further away from the opponent he can use his Stun Edge projectiles to harass them, either covering his approach or playing keep away. After securing a knockdown, Ky can safely set up okizeme using 6HS and Charged Stun Edge, then apply his strong pressure game by lacing in low attacks, frame traps, and throws to wear the enemy down. To turn the tide, Ky can use his exceptional Stun Dipper to slide under pokes and projectiles and score knockdowns, utilize his overhead Greed Sever to attempt to catch the opponent slacking on defense, or spend Tension to use his fully invulnerable reversal, Ride The Lightning. He is a character that can rapidly switch between keeping the opponent away and turning on the offensive. His balanced movepool has a tool for every situation, though he lacks specialization in any one role. While some are quick to assume Ky is a painfully basic character, he has many tricks and tools in his arsenal that round out his game plan. In Xrd Ky was given the addition of "Grinders" (see Durandal Call below) which further augment his abilities. Using Grinders, Ky can create projectiles to augment his zoning game, okizeme, and combos. In short, Ky excels at playing the neutral game, knocking opponents down from grounded hits, setting up safe okizeme, and creating strong pressure.
Strengths
- Strong neutral game with fast and far-reaching normals that reward hits with knockdown and damage, and long range projectiles useful for zoning and anti-zoning.
- Multiple safe ways to setup okizeme.
- Pressure that utilizes many lows, rewarding frame traps, and opportunities to reset pressure.
- Has a tool for every situation, including two strong anti-airs, and two reversal attacks.
- Grinders augment both his neutral and okizeme potential.
- Ease of use and focus on fundamentals make him a great choice for beginners.
Weaknesses
- Unremarkable damage from normal hits or throws with no easy ways to convert to high damage without using Tension.
- Basic throw/frame trap focused mixup, requiring reads and conditioning to successfully break an opponent's defense.
- While he has a tool for every situation, he can be outclassed by specialists.
Durandal Call and Fortified Projectiles
Ky can use specific attacks (5D, j.D, 236D) to summon small floating portals called Grinders that last for 3 - 4 seconds. Shoot a projectile through a Grinder and it will power up into a Fortified state. Fortified projectiles give Ky more versatility in his gameplay. Stun Edges become full screen sword-beams for zoning, Charged Stun Edges become a large, long lasting sword projectile for okizeme, and Sacred Edge becomes a massive full screen blade, slamming the opponent to the wall for combos.