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- Strong Offense and Mix-up: Sho has good pressure options such as many moves that keep him close to the opponent, tricky cross-ups, and numerous overhead points in pressure.
- Per-Sho-na-less: Sho and his moveset do not use a Persona at all, and thus he is unable to enter Persona Break where other characters' options would be severely limited. Similarly, Silence only locks Sho out of using his Burst.
- Normals: Tying into the first point and even with the implications of the second, he also keeps a good number of potent normals (5A / 2B / j.B) that make him difficult to challenge or escape in certain situations, and allow some easily reliable hit-confirmability and combo-ability.
- Reversal Game: Even on defense, Sho can still fight back well; he has many good and even some unique reversal options to choose from, both meterless and with meter.
- No Persona Sho-nanigans: On the flip-side, no Persona also means no Persona-displaced attacks or longer-range pressure extension, and less burst-safe combo route potential.
- Low Health: Sho's health is in the lesser health bracket, limiting the number of touches he can survive in an already volatile game.
- Lacking Neutral: While his buttons are nice and his pressure is oppressive once he gets in, Sho lacks safer or full-screen neutral tools outside of his knives and must play directly around what the opponent has to offer.
Due to the nature of Sho's weapons, many of Sho's normals are multi-hit attacks. This grants him a unique damage property: for multi-hitting normal attacks, even if the first hit whiffs, the higher damage value for the first hit will be applied to the first hit that connects with an opponent, even if it's the second hit of the attack. For example, 2B has three possible hits, so if 2B's second and third hits connect, the damage will be 450 (300 + 150) rather than 300 (150 + 150) -- the damage for 2B's first hit (300) is applied to its second hit, as it was the first to strike the opponent.
- The following attacks are granted this property:
- 5B.
- 2B.
- j.B.
- j.C.
Health | |
8,500 | |
Backdash | |
21F (1~6F Inv All) | |
Persona Cards | |
- | |
Combo Rate | |
65% | |
Unique Movement Options | |
High-Speed Movement | |
Fastest Attack | |
Reversal Type | |
Fatal Starters | |
Fatal RecoveryAny moves that put this character in a state where any Counter Hit will force a Fatal Counter. | |
Normal Moves
5A
- Can chain into itself up to two times
- Jump cancellable on hit or block
- Backdash cancellable on hit or block, is -6 on block
Large slash. Has more start-up than a typical 5A at 10F, but it has a much larger range than a typical 5A. Very good for stagger pressure as its range allows Sho to space himself so that the opponent's abare and some reversals will whiff. Has a good vertical hitbox, making it a situational anti-air and good for preventing jump-outs. Your best grounded poke, and a move that should see a lot of use. 5A can be cancelled into itself up to three times by inputting the move as 4A.
Interestingly, the jump cancel can also allow Sho to set up a 50/50 between either his SB Destructive Fang and his sweep (as detailed on the Strategy page).
5AA is -1 on block and fast start-up (faster than Minazuki's 5AA), making it good for pressure. Also a useful combo move as it moves Sho in for other normals such as 2B and 2A+B to connect properly.
- Can be cancelled into All Out Attack upon landing
- Can go over certain opponents on block at close range
5AAA is head attribute but not an overhead. Ye olde autocombo filler, but another good use for this normal is that it takes Sho airborne quickly which allows him some more mix-up options mid pressure, while the opponent also has to watch for Sho just resetting pressure on 5AA instead. Can sometimes crossup, but is inconsistent, so don't rely on it.
Sho's auto-combo continues with A Flash > A Soaring > A Destructive, with A Flash Fang in the chain giving him ~13 SP and 1/8th of the Burst gauge on hit. With 50 meter, A Flash will instead Super Cancel into Blazing Moon Barrage.
5B
- Second hit keeps opponents in the air
- Can be canceled on either hit
Two-part slash move that, unlike Minazuki's 5B, keeps them in the air if the second slash hits. Low damage for a typical 5B move. Useful to close the gap between Sho and the opponent while putting out hitboxes at the same time. The long, two-hit nature of this move makes it much easier to hit-confirm into a combo off of stray hits.
5C
- As the animation suggests, hitbox extends to hit behind Sho
- Unlike most other characters, be normal cancelled backwards into B normals without 5C being used before them (some rules apply, read below)
Wide slash. Same motion as Minazuki's 5AA, and in a similar way is mostly used for combo/blockstring filler. Its uniquely lesser-restricted reverse cancel rule makes it very useful for combos and pressure, as it can help Sho chain into vital B normals for certain optimized combos, and especially now that Sho can Hop-cancel his B normals later on block for extra pressure.
A rare use of 5C is its large hitbox's ability to stop some cross-up attempts such as Akihiko's SB Ducking, or Sho's own High-Speed Movement cross-ups. It's a possible, but not recommended defensive abare option in these instances.
Also combos into 2C on crouching CH, for minor optimization.
Notes about the cancel rules: You cannot cancel back into a normal that was previously canceled from. This means that the string 2B > 5C > 5B is still valid, but 5B > 5C > 5B as seen in BNBs in P4U2 v1.1 is no longer possible.
5D / 2D
- Can be cancelled into from certain special moves, in addition to normals when they connect.
- Can cancel into a follow-up attack with C or D after 21F, regardless of if an attack was dodged or not
Sho turns his back and taunts the opponent. This is a spotdodge used for avoiding the opponent's attacks; it will dodge every move they may throw at you, except for throw-type moves.
Thanks to the frame 1 invincibility, Sho can use his spotdodge as an option to escape some pressure, even on wake-up by making the opponent's attack whiff, and then waiting to recover to punish, or using the manual counter-attack. Sho can also use his spotdodges during his own pressure, to bait out and i-frame through some attempts to escape such as mashing, reversals, and even Guard Cancels and Bursts. He has to be careful with it though, as he can be immediately punished if the opponent's attack remains active past the invulnerability frames, or in some cases the opponent can recover from the whiff in time to punish.
A side note: Sho can still collide with the opponent while invincible, so advancing moves like Narukami's Swift Strikes- Follow-up attack
- Can cancel into specials on connect (hit or block)
- Has extremely poor P1 (starter) proration
The follow-up attack uses 5C's animation, so yes, it can still hit well behind Sho. The attack is also not invulnerable, so this does not make his dodge an alternative true reversal, and thus it should not exactly be used as if it is one.
Can go into specials on hit for a combo, or on block to start an offense, but the ensuing combo will have high hitstun scaling.
2A
- Can chain into itself up to two times in a row.
Crouching kick with great range for a 2A. Hits low, and is Sho's fastest normal at 7f, making it his button of choice for mashing out of pressure and links in combos, and also his low of choice after jump-ins/in mix-ups. Gatlings to 5A, but 5A does not gatling to 2A, so 2A > 2A > 5A is a valid chain but not 5A > 2A. Being -1 on block also makes it good for pressure and tick throw set-ups.
2B
- Universal anti-air
- Both hits are air unblockable.
Two-part slash move that hits three times. Just like 5B, this one can also be canceled after the first hit. When it connects with a midair opponent, the first slash launches the opponent into air and the second slash slams them down. Both Sho's upward and downward swings possess the AUB trait, making it a surprisingly dangerous 2B under the right conditions.
On grounded portions of combos, the multi-hit nature helps make hit-confirming very easy with Sho. On an airborne opponent, you can go into 2A+B before going into specials to optimize the combo.
2C
- Sho goes airborne after 10F.
- Forces Fatal Counter on Counter Hit.
Sho jumps into the air and strikes with a downwards slash. Can be used to go over certain moves and throw attempts. Very strong pressure tool used to reset a string into an advantageous situation, but is slow enough to be punished on reaction if used predictably. Because 2C Fatal Counters, it is Sho's best damage punish on moves that recover slowly.
Can be cancelled into air D/SB teleport for tricky surprise cross-ups, as well as cancelled later to perform grounded specials. On air hit, the opponent can be picked up from the ground with 2A or 5A for a combo. 2C can also be kara-cancelled into SB Destructive Fang to allow an overhead for even deadlier mix-up options.
j.A
Extends his leg for a long kick. Works as an air-to-air. Great horizontal range and a huge number of active frames, but doesn't have much vertical range. Very good for punishing aerial persona attacks and air-to-air battles, but not for air-to-ground combat.
j.B
Two slashes, but can be cancelled after the first hit. One of Sho's best normals thanks to its two-hit nature with good horizontal and vertical range on both, making it difficult for some opponents to anti-air / air-to-air your jumps, and also making it surprisingly useful for mix-ups. The first hitbox extends to hit slightly behind Sho as the animation suggests, meaning he can use it as a cross-up normal if close enough. An all-around good normal, this is generally your air button of choice. Go crazy.
j.C
Two horizontal slashes. Can be cancelled after the first hit. Works as an air-to-air, though slower than j.A. Typically reserved for combos.
j.2C
- As the animation suggests, has a large hitbox surrounding Sho on most sides
- Landing recovery is reduced if he lands before the attack goes active
Sho performs a short hop forward in midair and then slashes downwards. Long startup, but large hitbox. At close range you can cross up the opponent with the initial leap, and with certain spacing you can make the move not cross up as well. It can be used to alter Sho's air movement in neutral to dodge attacks, bait 2Bs to hit the opponent after their head invuln, or as a mix-up tool of either an extra overhead or a cross-up after jump-ins. Be wary of the startup though, as it makes the move prone to getting beaten by air-to-airs or Furious Actions.
If j.2C used very close to the ground after a jump, Sho may land before the attack comes out, reducing the landing recovery greatly and basically allowing him to fake the move into a low or throw for more mix.
Whether or not you can combo off of the hit generally depends on the spacing and how high Sho hits the opponent from, with closer and lower being better. In ideal situations, Sho can link a 5A for a nice combo.
j.D
- Can cancel into a follow-up attack with C or D, regardless of if an attack was dodged or not.
Sho turns around and shows his back to the opponent, avoiding attacks. Midair version of his 5D/2D Dodge, but no frame 1 invincibility, so it's not as effective as a reversal. Has landing recovery in addition to the recovery on Dodge itself, so use it wisely.
Follow-up attack uses j.2C's animation, but does not have as much horizontal movement; it is also not invulnerable just like 5D's follow-up, so you still must be careful when using it to punish whiffed moves.
Sweep
2A+B
- Knocks down opponents on hit.
Two low kicks with both legs. Used in blockstrings for low hits late into a string, and in combos to float the opponent. Unlike Minazuki's sweep, Sho's is gapless even if the opponent Instant Blocks the first hit. Low profiles Chest attribute attacks. While the start-up is good, it's a two-hit attack, so it has more active frames than most other sweeps, leaving Sho very punishable on whiff.
All Out Attack
5A+B
- Universal overhead
- Can pass through the opponent on start-up
- Hold [A] or [B] on hit to follow up with an attack rush to increase damage
- Attack rush can be followed up with C or D finishers at any time
Sho dashes toward the opponent and strikes with two wide slashes with his swords. Universal overhead. It has a slow start-up, but it covers a large distance and can even blow through the opponent's mashing with its autoguard in the later frames. If done close enough to the opponent, Sho will pass through and cross them up, and the start-up will increase to 40F. Typically not used often due to being very reactable and unsafe on block, and Sho having better mix options, but still worth keeping to catch an opponent by surprise.
Universal Mechanics
Ground Throw
C+D
Sho grabs the opponent, slices their stomach and the opponent is left right next to you, standing. Can be canceled on hit with SP Skill Attacks, One More! Cancel, or One More! Burst. If cancelling with One More! Burst, the timing is a bit tighter.
Air Throw
j.C+D
Sho grabs the opponent, slashes them and then slashes them away. Can be followed up in the corner with a falling j.B.
Izayoi
B+D
- Universal Reversal
A very good attack reversal as it has invincibility through both hits, and on hit can be followed up with Ura Izayoi. Highly untechable on Counter Hit, allowing a late Ura Izayoi to let you combo into Blazing Moon Barrage when near the corner. Izayoi can also be cancelled into from Flash Fang and B or SB Soaring Fang to help combo into Barrage or Moon Smasher anywhere.
Ura Izayoi
j.B+D
- Ground slides the opponent a short distance on hit.
A downwards slash that knocks the opponent away, that can also be cancelled into from Izayoi and Soaring Fang. Unlike Minazuki's, it is an overhead. Having an air DP is useful as it allows Sho to reversal out in bad situations in the air where other characters normally would not be able to, such as against air resets/tech traps. Be careful using this follow up with Izayoi though, since it can result in a large amount of blue health, adding extra damage to an opponent's punish.
Ura Izayoi can also be used in combos, with its primary use being to connect a low air combo into Blazing Moon Barrage or Moon Smasher in the corner by cancelling the landing recovery with the SP Skill.
Guard Cancel Attack
6A+B while blocking
- Inputted as 6A+B while blocking at the cost of 50SP.
Has the same animation as Sho's 5C, giving it a good hitbox that even hits behind himself. Like all Guard Cancel Assaults, it's slow, blasts the opponent away on hit, does zero damage, has autoguard to all attacks for the duration, and a One More! Cancel or One More! Burst can be used to cancel the lengthy recovery.
Skill Attacks
Survival Knife
[4]6A/B/C/D
- Has two different SB versions, performed with A+B or C+D
- Projectile will disappear if Sho is hit while it is out
Sho throws out a combat knife at the opponent. Speed and height of the knife depend on the button used. Generally his dedicated neutral tool, and a situational pressure tool that can bait mashing.
A: Aims near the chest, slow. Whiffs on crouching opponents.
B: Aims near the legs, slow. Hits low as well.
C: Aims near the chest, fast. Whiffs on crouching opponents.
D: Aims near the legs, fast. Hits low as well.
SB ver A+B: Throws two knives. High knife travels slow, low knife travels fast and still hits low.
SB ver C+D: Throws two knives. High knife travels fast, low knife travels slow and still hits low.
A little awkward-to-use projectile that carries a lot of utility in Sho's neutral. He can run behind a slow knife to approach the opponent, or use a fast knife to hinder the opponent's movement and setups in neutral. Knives can also be used to harass opponents at range without committing, or to punish their Personas. SB Knives can set up or cover both situations at the same time at the cost of meter, with [4]6A+B generally being the go-to. If an opponent blocks a slow knife, that can give Sho all he needs to get in, and even when stronger opponents try to dodge it, their attempts can be baited and punished.
Beware using this move too close to the opponent though, as it's *punishable on hit* at close ranges. With some proper spacing and a Counter Hit, Sho can link into a full combo, albeit a bit difficult.
Apparently, you can also cancel into this special from Hougetsuzan moves (236A/B and 214A/B series), but it appears the only practical way is off of a B Soaring Fang in the middle of a Hougetsuzan rekka chain, via 236X~[4]~dl.B~6X.
Note that charging can be performed on diagonal inputs too, so [1] can be used to charge as well as [4]. This is importantly to note for pressure, as you can retain your charge while doing both standing and crouching moves.
Hougetsuzan: Flash Fang
236A/B
Sho rushes forward and slashes, starting his rekka chain. Can be canceled into Soaring Fang by pressing A or B on hit or block, and can also be canceled into Izayoi. B version has slightly longer startup, but travels further.
The SB version is the fastest of the three, has the range of the B version, and is also plus on block, allowing you to start or reset pressure. SB version also links into 2A on crouching hit for optimized combos.
Hougetsuzan: Soaring Fang
214A/B (air OK) A/B after Flash Fang
- Jump cancellable on hit
Sho does a heavy slash and launches himself and the opponent to the air. The A version hits once and launches upwards right away, while the B version covers more distance first and hits three times, and finally the SB version starts up the fastest and hits seven times.
Can be canceled into Destructive Fang by pressing A or B on hit or block, or High Speed Movement by pressing C or D on hit or block. It can also be cancelled into either Izayoi or Ura Izayoi, depending on the timing. Unlike Minazuki, Sho can perform this move as a follow-up to Flash Fang, or by itself. All of this makes it a staple move in Sho's pressure and combo game, as he can both run mix-ups and extend combos with the cancellability. This move can also be used in the air and keeps all applicable cancels in the air, giving Sho a nice ender to his air combos with j.214X~X. When the SB version is done in the air it has two hits, both of which are cancelable allowing for more mixup potential.
Hougetsuzan: Destructive Fang
j.236A/B A/B after Soaring Fang
- Forces Fatal Counter on counter hit.
Sho slashes downwards, falling back to the ground. All versions are overhead strikes, typically used to end combos or pressure. Unlike Minazuki, Sho can perform this move by itself while airborne in addition to as a follow-up to Soaring Fang.
The A version goes down at a steep angle, while the B version takes more of a 45 degree angle after a slight delay. Due to the angle, the B version may also side swap when used as a combo ender with the opponent at a specific height.
The SB version is the fastest, with zero landing recovery at all, making it decently plus on block as a result. If it's performed by kara-cancelling Sho's teleport (High Speed Movement), it can become a swiss army knife of a move as either an instant overhead, quick Fatal punish starter, or combo tool in optimized combos.
On block, cancelling into the A or B versions from Soaring Fang leaves a gap in the string that opponents can easily Furious Action through, so you must use the SB version to keep the string gapless.
High-Speed Movement
236C/D (air OK) C/D after Flash Fang or Soaring Fang
- Often referred to as "Teleport".
Sho's teleport/flash step. Can cross up through the opponent. The D version travels much farther than the C version, covering roughly 3/4ths of the screen. Can use Flash Fang or Soaring Fang right after the teleport, otherwise there's a noticeable recovery. SB version reduces this recovery and can cross up in the corner. Can help Sho get closer to the opponent but it should be used with caution.
The midair version has Sho teleport diagonally onto the ground. D version aims at a slightly wider angle but has more startup. SB version is similar to the D version, only it recovers significantly faster and can cross the opponent up in the corner.
In addition to cancelling the recovery of the teleport itself into Flash Fang or Soaring Fang, you can also cancel the recovery of Flash Fang and Soaring Fang into High-Speed Movement. Sho can only use each version of Flash Fang and Soaring Fang once this way in a single string.
SP Skill Attacks
Blazing Moon Barrage
236236A/B
- All versions have Fatal Recovery
- Side switches on hit, unless opponent is completely cornered
- Automatic combo only triggers upon hitting the opponent directly, thus ignoring the opponent's Persona
Sho's rushing combo super. After lurching backward, he then rushes at the enemy, and then performs an automatic combo ending with a slash that knocks the opponent down and away. All versions are extremely unsafe if blocked, and Sho will remain right in front of the enemy and vulnerable to a massive punish.
The A version is typically used as a combo ender for additional damage, though it can also be used as a reversal and punish tool due to it being the fastest version. On the other hand, it travels the shortest distance and deals the least amount of damage. An additional quirk about A Barrage is that if the combo is a Fatal Counter combo, the additional hitstun allows Sho to link this super into itself multiple times in the corner, or can combo into Moon smasher for more damage at the cost of no knockdown.
The B version has a much slower startup, but at the same time travels further than the A version and the invincibility extends through all of the active frames. This makes the B version more of a tool up Sho's sleeve to punish zoning as he can blow through practically anything with the invincibility frames and reach opponents through what they're doing from far away. This is not foolproof though, because if the opponent hasn't used a very committal move or is at very long ranges they will likely have time to block or avoid the super. Can still be combo'd into via canceling the first hit of Izayoi on an airborne opponent. Has the ability to link into more supers in Fatal Counter combos as well
The SB version carries the start-up speed of the A version and even better range that the B version and is active for a little bit longer than both, while also dealing more damage and knocking the opponent upwards at the end. Not quite as useful for cutting through zoning due to lack of B version's high invincibility, but can still work for a higher damage reversal to cash out.
While super-canceling causes Blue Health, the animation for Blazing Moon Barrage is lengthy enough to allow Sho to recover most of the Blue Health incurred from the super-cancel.
Awakened SP Skill Attacks
Moon Smasher
214214A/B
- AUB for 8F while rising.
- Minimum damage: 50%
Sho's Awakening super and best reversal. He rises up diagonally with his blades and then slams them straight down. If both hits connect, Moon Smasher deals a nice amount of damage. All versions are air-unblockable on the early active frames, and can be followed up into One More! Burst on either hit into a combo.
Unlike Minazuki's Moon Smasher, Sho's does not launch the opponent on counter-hit for a follow-up combo. Moon Smasher may also not fully connect at the end of longer combos due to proration, limiting its use as a combo finisher to mostly shorter combos.
The A version is the fastest, being notably faster than a lot of Furious Actions, but dealing the least amount of damage. This is the version that you will be using most often as its speed can beat out certain safe-jump setups that Sho normally would not be able to challenge, and also allow it to connect in a combo.
The B version is slower, but is invincible for longer and rises up higher on the first hit. You could try to use this to snipe the opponent out of the air from further ranges, but is expensive and risky to do so as it can easily be dodged on reaction. Interestingly, the second downward hit can now force the opponent to properly block it as a cross-up for some shenanigans.
Finally, the SB version is the best of both worlds, having the speed of the A version but the range of the B version, while also dealing the most raw damage and retaining the cross-up properties of the B version. You will need to use this version at the end of longer combos where an A Moon Smasher will not combo both of its hits due to hitstun scaling. Like many SB SP Skills, it's not really the best use of meter, but still worth keeping in your back pocket to cover multiple situations or fully cashing out if need be.
Instant Kill
External References
- Japanese Name: 皆月 翔 (みなづき しょう)
- Japanese Wiki
- Japanese BBS
- Arcade Profile Dan Rankings
- Character Video Thread
- Aigis[★]
- Akihiko Sanada[★]
- Chie Satonaka[★]
- Elizabeth[★]
- Junpei Iori[★]
- Kanji Tatsumi[★]
- Ken Amada[★]
- Labrys[★]
- Margaret[★]
- Marie[★]
- Minazuki[★]
- Mitsuru Kirijo[★]
- Naoto Shirogane[★]
- Rise Kujikawa[★]
- Shadow Labrys[★]
- Sho[★]
- Teddie[★]
- Tohru Adachi[★]
- Yosuke Hanamura[★]
- Yu Narukami[★]
- Yukari Takeba[★]
- Yukiko Amagi[★]
Click [★] for character's full frame data