Kevin Rian overview & gameplay guide
Character specification
Character Trivia
SWAT officer and keeper of the peace stationed in South Town. With trusty companion Marky in tow, this hard-hitting lawman scours the city’s streets in pursuit of the sinister Freeman—the man who murdered his best friend in cold blood. Kevin’s moves are inherently explosive, wildly energetic, and supremely effective; indeed, no perp has ever been able to walk away from them scot-free.
Difficulty
ADVANCED star star star
Fighting Style
SWAT mercenary arts
Kevin Rian Gameplay Trailer
PDF Command List
Gameplay Overview
Kevin's game is not a hard one to grasp. He's loaded with big hitboxes, big damage and a character-defining super attack that turns every poke into a serious threat with a bit of practice on single-hit confirms.
Kevin comes with two primary objectives: First, hold midrange spacing with his beefy hitboxes. Second, close the gap on the opponent and take advantage of his powerful close-range mixup tools. In both cases, Kevin will be looking to cash out for big damage. Approaching the opponent will be difficult, but approaching Kevin will be equally difficult in return. The strengths that define Kevin are also his weaknesses: An opponent that is too passive will give Kevin a free pass to access his dangerous mix, while an impatient player will be blown up all the same for running into any of Kevin's pokes. All the same, approaching the opponent will be a test of patience balanced with a test of the player's ability to stay active on defense.
Play this character if you enjoy access to big hitboxes and can accept a patient flow of gameplay that requires surgical timing and decision-making. Single-hit confirming and whiff punishing are the most important skills to develop to capitalize on Kevin's stellar damage output, and it will be generously rewarded. Avoid this character if you want something a little more high-octane or struggle to make use of Fatal Fury's more advanced defensive techniques, such as guard canceling.
As a final note, hit-confirming normals into Gatling Freezer (236236B) is an absolutely critical skill for playing Kevin. This is a character-defining technique that heavily influence whether or not you enjoy playing the character.
Pros & Cons
thumb_up PROS
- Big hitboxes: Kevin comes loaded with huge hitboxes on nearly all of his attacks, allowing him to easily control space and threaten deadly whiff punishes.
- BINGO!: Kevin is able to achieve explosive returns on any hit thanks to a massive Close C activation range and the ability to hit-confirm any far normal into Gatling Freezer (236236K)
- Close-Range Mixups: Once Kevin has closed the gap on his opponent, he gains access to a lethal arsenal of high-damage mixups that include left/right mix with EX Roll (214BD), a command grab, a crawl that comes pre-packaged with high/low mix, and frametraps that complement his ability to shred Rev Meters better than most (possibly all) other characters in the game
thumb_down CONS
- Difficulty getting in: Kevin can struggle against good zoning, whether with projectiles or with normal attacks. His slow speed and lack of access to any reliable non-standard movement can make it difficult to close the gap between him and the opponent.
- Volatile Defense: Kevin's anti-air (2CR is all he has) is lacking in aerial coverage. While still reliable, it will require some good timing to make a 214P follow-up more consistent. Beyond the anti-airing issue, Kevin also lacks any sort of reversal outside of his Lucky Strike (236236P), Redline Gatling Freezer (236236D) or Hidden Gear super attacks, which require at least one full stock to use and are still not good against jumping opponents. This makes Kevin dependent on the game's advanced defensive techniques (Rev Guard, Guard Cancels), with the silver lining that Gatling Freezer (236236B) is an especially rewarding Zero Frame Super.