Basic Info: How to play Kimberly

Kimberly excels at keeping her opponents confused, using a combination of agile martial arts and ninja tools to mount a diverse and unpredictable offense.

Use Kimberly's movement speed and versatile arsenal of disconcerting moves to foil your opponent's attempts at predicting your plans, and then take the fight to them.

Once you've closed in, overwhelm your opponent with relentless offense, using a variety of attack sequences to break through their guard and keep your pressure going.

Shuriken Bomb can be used to create offensive openings while far away from your opponent.

Special Move: Bushin Senpukyaku (+)

Unleash a series of spinning kicks while leaping into the air. Useful in combos and as an anti-air attack.

This right here's the most famous kick technique in Bushinryu's lineup. "Is it a worthwhile anti-air technique to beat an opponent's jumping attacks"? You'd better believe it is!

But it's also killer out of normal moves, or as a way to score a combo on a launched opponent. If you make contact and knock somebody into the air with it, you'll go soaring along with 'em.

(Overdrive)

Holy smokes! Make it Overdrive to amp up its speed and damage output. Optimize your combo damage output by tacking this on at the end of your combos.

Special Move: Aerial Bushin Senpukyaku (+ during a forward jump)

A Bushin Senpukyaku performed while jumping. Effective when used to combo opponents being juggled in the air.

This Senpukyaku's particularly sweet in aerial combos. If you land a jumping medium punch on an airborne opponent and then immediately perform this move, it'll link up real nice and net you some extra damage.

Oh! And another fun thing you can do with it is toss it out right before you land. It'll totally mix up your timing and change when your attack connects.

(Overdrive)

Even in Overdrive, its basic usage stays the same. But! It does more damage, and it's easier to keep your offense going after it hits.

Special Move: Sprint (+)

Swiftly dash forward to close the distance with your opponent, during which a variety of moves can be performed.

Now THIS is Bushinryu! This slick dash is both the essence and very foundation of the martial art. The moves it opens the door to give you access to an ever-changing offensive arsenal. Using it well is the first step to Ninjastardom!

Let's cover Emergency Stop () first. As the name suggests, this move will kill your dash and stop you in your tracks. It lets you move again right away, so it's great for adjusting your spacing or adding some spice to your offensive routine.

Our second choice is Torso Cleaver (), a powerful upward kick. When your opponent gets spooked by Sprint and tries to jump away, nail 'em with this. You'll be able to act first even if it gets blocked, letting you keep the pressure going.

Third, we've got Shadow Slide (), a quick slide that hits low. You can use it in combos or as a way to sneak in a surprise attack from far away. Be careful, though—if somebody blocks it up close, you're gonna get counter-smacked hard.

Fourth up is Neck Hunter (). This little number's the perfect tool against someone who's crouch blocking. You won't be left open if it gets blocked, so try tossing it out while making your approach or in your offensive sequences.

The hits keep comin'! Our fifth choice is Arc Step (Auto), which actually has follow-up moves of its own! Anyway, Arc Step itself is handy for making your approach from a distance.

From there, you can Bushin Hojin Kick () to score another hit after Arc Step connects, or you could throw

it out against someone who blocked Arc Step if you think they're going to try to move afterward.

Your other choice after Arc Step is the Bushin Izuna Otoshi (), which is a move you can use to snatch opponents who tighten their guard after Arc Step. It deals big damage, so if you think you've got the read, by all means, see if you can land it.

(Overdrive)

The Overdrive version will make all the moves that can be done out of it even better.

Some will do more hits, others more damage, or recover quicker. Slipping through someone's defenses is way easier when you're tossing these in every now and then. Juices up your offensive pressure too!

And don't worry—it'll power up the moves that follow Arc Step to boot. Bushin Hojin Kick does more hits than usual, and you can even combo afterward provided you're in the corner.

Landing a Bushin Izuna Otoshi will launch your opponent into the air on completion. If you're looking to cook up a combo or mess up someone's defense, you gotta give Arc Step's follow-ups a try.

Special Move: Vagabond Edge (+)

Lunge forward while unleashing a powerful chop. Useful when canceled into from normal moves to create combos. The heavy and Overdrive versions can be canceled with a jump.

This move changes a bit depending on what button you use for it. Do the light version and you'll send your opponent reeling with a sick chop. It's nice for starting combos from light attacks, and you'll be able to keep your offense going.

The medium version has you follow your chop with a kick that knocks your opponent down. This one's good in combos from medium attacks or as a follow-up on opponents you've launched into the air.

The heavy one chops your opponent and then launches them off the ground with a kick. If the kick connects, you can cancel it straight away with a jump, which means you can sneak in a jumping attack for even more damage.

One thing you've gotta keep in mind—every version will leave you wide open, so you'd better be real sure it's gonna hit.

(Overdrive)

This is kind of like the heavy version of the move in that you're gonna kick your opponent into the air after you chop them, right?

But the Overdrive version executes fast, meaning you can combo into it from medium attacks. If your opponent gives you even the smallest opening, sneak this in there and make 'em regret it with an aerial combo.

Special Move: Hidden Variable (+)

Conceal yourself with smoke and instantly appear before your opponent. Useful as a way to close the distance with your opponent or as a way to launch a surprise offensive.

This move's a little something invented by yours truly. It's a ninja technique that uses smoke bombs! Rad, right? No matter where you are when you use it, you'll appear right in front of your opponent in a flash.

Immediately after you pop out of the smoke, use that momentum to throw out an attack. This'll let you approach and attack at the same time, which is pretty sick if you ask me. Go ninja go, you feel me?

(Overdrive)

Pop your Overdrive and you'll appear in mid-air. Which means—you guessed it—you can come down with a jumping attack. This makes it harder for your opponent to deal with, which makes applying pressure easier for you.

Special Move: Genius at Play (+)

Tamper with a spray can to get an additional stock. Once stocked, input the same command again to activate a Shuriken Bomb (+).

Consider this bit of prep work the broccoli you've gotta eat before the sweet, sweet, Shuriken Bomb dessert. You'll be left completely defenseless during the move, so stick to using it after a knockdown, or when they're far away.

(Overdrive)

This'll let you stock two Shuriken Bombs at once. But you know what's more fun than making these things? That's right—using them!

Special Move: Shuriken Bomb (+)

Toss out and set a spray can that will explode after a period of time. Best used to apply pressure that capitalizes on the duration between when the bomb is placed and its detonation.

There's a bit of a delay between a shuriken being set up and it going kaboom. Make the most of that time by closing the distance between you and your opponent, or by limiting their ability to move around.

Your best option is to find a way to create a sequence that links up your attacks with the shuriken's explosion. Its placement will change depending on what button you use, so keep that in mind as well.

Special Move: Shuriken Bomb Spread (+)

Toss out and set two spray cans that will explode after a period of time. Can be used following an OD Genius at Play.

This move lets you place two Shuriken Bombs at once, making it way tougher for your opponent to move around, which is...well, a hella powerful option. The placements depend on which two buttons you press to do the move.

Special Move: Nue Twister (+ during a jump)

Grab an airborne opponent and smash them into the ground below. Its high damage makes it an effective anti-air or mid-air combo option.

This mid-air grab is one of the sickest techniques that Bushinryu has to offer. If an opponent comes at you looking to land a jumping attack, try snatching them out of the air with this beast of a move.

If you get an opponent into the air with a Shuriken Bomb or a heavy or Overdrive Vagabond Edge, you could use this to bring that combo to a painful close.

(Overdrive)

After slamming your opponent into the ground, they'll pop back into the air and be left open again.

You'll score massive damage if you manage to land a follow-up, so I can get wanting to use it all the time, but there aren't many ways to use it in combos. It's perfect as an anti-air or against people trying to jump away from you, though.

Super Art: Bushin Beats (+)

Rush forward and knock down an opponent, then follow up with a flurry of attacks. Use this as a part of a combo while on the ground, or as a follow-up attack if they're airborne.

This move's nice to work into combos to squeeze out some extra juicy damage.

Plus, you dash forward fairly far when you use it, so you can connect with it in more situations than you might think!

Super Art: Bushin Thunderous Beats (+)

Adds a Shuriken Bomb follow-up attack after using Bushin Beats. Damage increases but requires one stock of Shuriken Bombs to activate. The usage of this move is basically the same as what you'd do

with Bushin Beats, but it gets you a little bit of extra damage by including a Shuriken Bomb at the end. Oh, but don't forget that it'll use up one of your Shuriken Bomb stocks.

Super Art: Bushin Scramble (+)

Ensnare the opponent with a dive bomb-like attack from the air, and then pelt them relentlessly with mid-air attacks. An excellent choice against projectiles or airborne opponents.

Okay, so, this one's amazing for dealing with projectiles. Try using it from around the distance you'd be at when the round starts. You can use it in combos, and it's pretty easy to keep your offense going afterward.

Super Art: Soarin Bushin Scramble (+ during a forward jump)

Activate Bushin Scramble in mid-air to dive bomb the opponent and attack them relentlessly. Easy to use in a combo from a mid-air special move.

You'll mostly be using this move in aerial combos. You can cancel into it from Overdrive special moves, so throw everything you've got against the wall in the name of dishing out some baller damage!

Super Art: Bushin Ninjastar Cypher (+)

Launch the opponent into the air, and attack them while detonating numerous spray cans. After the attack, Kimberly's walk speed and attack power will be boosted.

This ultimate Ninjastar technique has you bop to the music while chucking out a barrage of smoke bombs! After it lands, both your walk speed and attack power receive a boost!

And you keep those boosts until the end of the match! Sweet deal, right? If you've got the SA Gauge to spare, I suggest working it into combos as often as you can.

Strategy: Fundamentals 1

The path of the Ninjastar begins with a single step, so let's start by drilling some Bushinryu fundamentals! To get things rolling, let's cover the attacks you'll use to keep your opponents in check.

One of your best bets is going to be your standing medium kick. It reaches pretty far, and you can get your offense going by hitting with the tip of your foot and then canceling into Sprint.

If your opponent's making it tough for you to approach, use your crouching medium punch or standing heavy punch to beat out their attacks.

From there, use Sprint to break into a dash, and then close in by using Emergency Stop, Torso Cleaver, or Arc Step.

You could also try mixing in Water Slicer Slide (+) or Hisen Kick (+) to catch your opponent off guard. Hisen Kick into Step Up (||) is always a rad maneuver as well.

Strategy: Fundamentals 2

It takes two to dance, which means your opponent's gonna come swinging at you too. Luckily, Bushinryu has no shortage of ways to deal with people who come jumping in at you.

Your best choice, hands down, is Bushin Senpukyaku. That said, if you feel like you won't be able to perform it in time, crouching heavy punch will do the trick too.

If you know they're going to jump, you could meet them in the air with a jumping medium punch, or go for a Nue Twister to score some big damage. But if things are looking dicey, use a Drive Parry instead.

Strategy: Advanced 1

Once you've got the basics locked down, focus on offense. Keeping things swift and ruthless up close is what Bushinryu's all about, so let's go over how you can go about breaking through someone's defenses.

When you're real close to your opponent, first thing you wanna do is get them to stop moving around. Light attacks are quick, so use those to make 'em stay put.

One option is a sequence of crouching light kick, crouching light punch, standing light punch, then see if you can land Bushin Prism Strikes (,,,), or maybe toss in a throw here and there

to see if you can slip through your opponent's guard.

Once you've made it tougher for them to move around, mix in standing or crouching medium punches. Cancel one into Sprint, then do Emergency Stop and keep applying pressure! If they keep crouch blocking, bust out Neck Hunter on them.

You've also got standing heavy kick, which will let you act first even if it gets blocked... Oh, or Elbow Drop (+)! Cling to them like white on rice and keep your offense going no matter what. Don't let up!

Strategy: Advanced 2

Shuriken Bomb is a ninja technique I cooked up, and you're going to have to master it if you want to make it as a Ninjastar. I'll teach you how to get the most out of it, so listen and learn!

Shuriken Bombs are often used from far away, but you can also place them after knocking down your opponent if you wanna use them offensively. Try throwing one out after completing a combo.

After it's been placed, use Sprint or Hidden Variable to close in on your opponent while buying time until the Shuriken Bomb explodes. That's how you go about using its explosion to open up offensive possibilities.