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Kenshiro overview & gameplay guide

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Character specification

Kenshiro icon
cloud_download DLC Character
Season 2

Character Trivia

Post-apocalyptic savior with seven distinctive scars carved onto his chest.
As sole successor to the ultimate assassination art, Hokuto Shinken, he treads a perilous path; indeed, a dangerous yearning for Hokuto Shinken by forces unknown is what calls him to the forsaken City of the Wolves in the first place. Though worlds collide and divide, Kenshiro's crusade against evil never wavers. To the weak, lost, and broken, he extends a helping hand; to those who prey on them, he metes out merciless justice.

Difficulty

MEDIUM star star

Fighting Style

Hokuto Shinken

Kenshiro Gameplay Trailer

PDF Command List

Kenshiro

Arcade Style + Smart Style
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Gameplay Overview

An iconic manga and anime hero who arguably doesn’t need an introduction, CotW has managed to recreate Kenshiro’s ruthless, brutal fighting style perfectly. In this game, he’s a powerful infighter who can pressure and dish out punishment like no one else in the roster, provided he can get up close where he’s most potent.

It’s the close-range prowess that makes Kenshiro really stand out. He’s second to none when it comes to confirming, pressuring, pushing strike-throw, high-low or even left-right mix, just about anything that involves erasing the opponent’s health bar and doing it quickly. He accomplishes such high damage by activating his opponents’ channeling points with his REV moves, removing their ability to Just Defend and enhancing the next REV move or super that lands on them. With the debuff enabling such crazy offensive potential, by the time opponents know what hit them, odds are that they’re already dead.

Unfortunately, with most of his moveset dedicated to close-range combat, Kenshiro really can’t do much until he’s up close. While he has multiple tools to answer to projectiles, they don’t help him move in at all, only buy him time to find an opening. As a result, getting in on keen, passive opponents as Kenshiro can be quite the hassle, and in many cases, a strenuous test of patience.

As many will flock to Kenshiro just because of his iconic status, he’ll shine the brightest in the hands of players who patiently wait for their chance to move in and unleash an unpredictable beatdown. Whether you’re a Fist of the North Star fan, or a fighting game veteran, chances are you’ll enjoy playing Kenshiro and piloting the devastating power of Hokuto Shinken.

Kenshiro is a high-pressure infighter centered around close-range offense and a myriad of striking moves.

Pros & Cons

thumb_up PROS

  • Close-Range Powerhouse: No one is scarier when they have the advantage than Kenshiro. He’s damn near got it all; a comboable overhead that he can fake, good lows, left-right mix, frame traps, stagger pressure, super strong hit confirms, and more. Better yet, all of the above leads to combos or plus frames, letting Kenshiro keep going crazy for as long as his REV meter will allow.
  • Debuff: Kenshiro’s REV attacks apply a debuff that takes away his opponent’s ability to Just Defend and enhances the next REV move or super that hits. With Just Defending off the table whenever opponents are debuffed, Kenshiro can safely pour on the pressure with no fear of a rebuttal via Guard Cancel.
  • Super High Damage: Kenshiro’s combo damage is absurdly high, off of any hit. On top of the debuff’s repeated application in combos letting Kenshiro put together ridiculous, high-damage punishment, he has links from lights to 5AC that let him seamlessly move into stronger sequences, turning lower-commitment buttons into potentially round-winning damage.
  • Offensive Variation: Kenshiro’s offense is not just about what he hits with, but what he doesn’t, as well. The feint on his overhead and the brake on his Finger Snap of Emptiness can turn opponents into sitting ducks blocking the wrong way amd taking big damage as punishment.
  • Side-Switching DP: It’s not enough that Kenshiro has an invincible DP; it switches sides on hit, too. Landing it when he’s cornered can instantly swing the tide of battle in his favor, escaping the corner while leaving his opponent with little breathing room.

thumb_down CONS

  • Limited From a Distance: With most of his special moves focused on raw offense and enforcing guessing games, Kenshiro is largely ineffective from outside the range of his normals. While he has answers to fireballs, they don’t advance him forward at all, meaning he still has to work his way in to be a threat.
  • Easily REV Guarded: Kenshiro is exceedingly weak against REV Guard, which denies his left-right mixup and causes blocked moves to push the opponent back out of his range. Even REV Accel isn’t guaranteed pressure, as REV Hundred-Kick Rush is easily Hyper Defended.
  • Subpar Midscreen Okizeme: The constant side switching on Kenshiro’s REV Accel combos and his DPs means he may struggle to corner opponents unless he leaves damage on the table or stuns his opponent. Combined with his lack of hard knockdowns without super or REV Blow, Kenshiro’s okizeme can be quite lacking without resources.
  • Loses Even More in Overheat: Just like Mr. Karate, Kenshiro loses more than the average character when Overheated. On top of his DP losing invincibility, being Overheated stops Kenshiro from applying or triggering the debuff without spending meter. This also makes his reversal supers much less threatening.

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