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ROSEFirst appearance: Street Fighter Alpha (1995)

Data

Standing

Costume 1 Costume 2 Costume 3 Costume 4

Crouching Jump Arc

STAT VALUE RANKVitality 950 C

Stun Threshold 1000 B

Forward Walk Distance per Frame 0.045 B

Backward Walk Distance per Frame 0.035 B

Dash Duration in Frames 19 frames B

Dash Distance 1.6642 A+

Backdash Duration in Frames8 invincible, 10 airborne, 4 grounded (22 total)

S

Backdash Distance 1.23492 B+

Pre-jump Frames 4 frames A

Jump Duration in Frames 39 frames C

Diagonal Jump Distance 1.73001 C-

W Ultra Damage: 60%

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CLOSE STANDING (CL.) NORMAL MOVESl near opponent

l

Crouching l

Crouching L

L near opponent

L

m near opponent

m

Crouching m

Crouching M

M near opponent

M

h near opponent

h

Crouching h

Crouching H

H near opponent

H

STANDING (ST.) NORMAL MOVES

CROUCHING (CR.) NORMAL MOVES

HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL HL

DAMAGE 20STUN 50

STARTUP 4ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 10ON HIT +2

ON BLOCK -1CANCEL CH, SP, SU


DAMAGE 20STUN 50

STARTUP 4ACTIVE 2


ON BLOCK -2CANCEL CH, SP, SU


DAMAGE 30STUN 50

STARTUP 3ACTIVE 3

RECOVERY 8ON HIT +3

ON BLOCK +0CANCEL CH, SP, SU

HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL L

DAMAGE 40STUN 50

STARTUP 4ACTIVE 4

RECOVERY 6ON HIT +4

ON BLOCK +1CANCEL —


DAMAGE 40STUN 50

STARTUP 4ACTIVE 2


ON BLOCK -1CANCEL SP, SU


DAMAGE 30STUN 50

STARTUP 4ACTIVE 2


ON BLOCK -1CANCEL —


DAMAGE 70STUN 100

STARTUP 6ACTIVE 2


ON BLOCK +1CANCEL SP, SU


DAMAGE 70STUN 100

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 2




DAMAGE 70STUN 100

STARTUP 4ACTIVE 3



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL L

DAMAGE 60STUN 100

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 2




DAMAGE 70STUN 100

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 3




DAMAGE 70STUN 100

STARTUP 6ACTIVE 2




DAMAGE 90STUN 200

STARTUP 6ACTIVE 2




DAMAGE 100STUN 200

STARTUP 11ACTIVE 5

RECOVERY 18ON HIT -1



DAMAGE 100STUN 150

STARTUP 5ACTIVE 5



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL L

DAMAGE 90STUN 200

STARTUP 9ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 26ON HIT —



DAMAGE 100STUN 200

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 2




DAMAGE 100STUN 200

STARTUP 9ACTIVE 2



NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

1~9f invincible to throws, low crush

4~18f low crush

—

—

Forces standing

Hard knockdown

Forces standing

7~16f low crush

RO

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VERTICAL JUMP NORMAL MOVES

DIAGONAL JUMP NORMAL MOVES

Upward jumping l

Angled jumping l

Angled jumping L

Upward jumping L

Upward jumping m

Angled jumping m

Angled jumping M

Upward jumping M

Upward jumping h

Angled jumping h

Angled jumping H

Upward jumping H

HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 40STUN 50

STARTUP 4ACTIVE 6

RECOVERY —ON HIT —

ON BLOCK —CANCEL —

HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 40STUN 50

STARTUP 4ACTIVE 6



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 50STUN 50

STARTUP 4ACTIVE 7



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 50STUN 50

STARTUP 4ACTIVE 7



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 70STUN 100

STARTUP 6ACTIVE 6



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 70STUN 100

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 3



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 80STUN 100

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 5



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 80STUN 100

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 6



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 90STUN 150

STARTUP 9ACTIVE 6



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 90STUN 150

STARTUP 9ACTIVE 6



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 90STUN 200

STARTUP 6ACTIVE 5



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 90STUN 200

STARTUP 11ACTIVE 5



NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

1~9f lower body projectile invincibility








1~14f lower body invincibility




Grab Throw l + L DAMAGE 140

STUN 100

STARTUP 3

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 20

NOTES Range 1.004

Shoulder Throw 7 + l + L DAMAGE 140

STUN 200

STARTUP 3

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 20

NOTES Range 1.004

NORMAL THROWSRose’s throws are very good, reaching farther than the normal throws of most other characters. Rose’s throw complements her offensive close standing M pressure very well (this is described in

more depth in the Close Range strategy section). If you can land a backwards throw, you can safe jump 4-frame reversals by waiting a beat, then jumping forward with M. A good visual cue for

this is to hold down after the back throw, and to wait until you see Rose enter a crouching animation before you jump. Off of a forward throw, you can time an ambiguous forward jumping M to

cross-up or land in front.

Rose’s game off of a throw gets far more interesting when you have a Soul Satellite Ultra stocked. Off of a back throw, you can activate Soul Satellite, then use either HP Soul Throw or MP Soul

Throw to leap over the opponent’s head and have the orbs hit either as a cross-up or in front. The timing varies for different characters so this does require practice, but it’s a useful tool that can net

Rose some big damage.

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HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL L

DAMAGE 60STUN 100

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 8




DAMAGE 100STUN 200

STARTUP 11ACTIVE 2



UNIQUE ATTACKS

FOCUS ATTACKS

Rose’s Focus Attack is pretty standard, and on offense her EX Red Focus cancels have limited uses, since she gets decent damage off of her standard FADC combos (Combo X and Combo XI). You can

use her Focus Attack when you have Soul Satellite orbs active to create a scary situation for the opponent (described in more depth in Combo VIII). Should the opponent try to jump away from Rose

charging a Focus Attack, cancel Focus charge by dashing forward and you’ll juggle them with the orbs. Follow with Soul Throw in the corner or Soul Spiral mid-screen (details in Combo VI).

While Rose does not gain much offensively through the use of Red Focus, Red Focus does have uses defensively. Charge Red Focus to punish obvious normals canceled into non-armor breaking

special moves, such as shoto crouching M > a + PP.

Slide 4 + M Soul Piede 3 + H

NOTES NOTES— Puts airborne opponent in limited juggle state

Focus Attack lv.1 m + M HITS 1

BLOCK LEVEL HL

DAMAGE 60

STUN 100

STARTUP 10 + 11

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 35

ON HIT -21 (-4)

ON BLOCK -21 (-4)

NOTES Crumple on counter hit, hyper armor for 1 hit before release

Red Focus Attack lv.1l + m + M

HITS 1

BLOCK LEVEL HL

DAMAGE 90

STUN 100

STARTUP 10 + 11

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 35

ON HIT -21 (-4)

ON BLOCK -21 (-4)

NOTES Crumple state on counter hit or if used in combos, infinite hyper armor before release


BLOCK LEVEL HL

DAMAGE 80

STUN 150

STARTUP 18 + 13

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 35

ON HIT —

ON BLOCK -15 (+2)

NOTES Crumple state on hit, hyper armor for 1 hit before release


HITS 1

BLOCK LEVEL HL

DAMAGE 120

STUN 150

STARTUP 18 + 13

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 35

ON HIT —

ON BLOCK -15 (+2)

NOTES Crumple state on hit, infinite hyper armor before release


BLOCK LEVEL —

DAMAGE 120

STUN 200

STARTUP 65

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 35

ON HIT —

ON BLOCK —

NOTES Unblockable, crumple state on hit, hyper armor for 1 hit before release


HITS 1

BLOCK LEVEL —

DAMAGE 180

STUN 200

STARTUP 65

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 35

ON HIT —

ON BLOCK —

NOTES Unblockable, crumple state on hit, infinite hyper armor

Slide: Rose slides across the ground kicking her opponent’s

feet. Rose’s body is very low to the ground during Slide, so

you can use this move to go under fireballs or against jump-

in attacks (and other airborne moves, such as C. Viper’s

Burning Kick). With proper spacing, the slide can hit later

in its active frames, leaving Rose safe and inside a range

where she excels.

Soul Piede: Rose leans forward, placing one hand on the ground for balance, as she kicks above and in front of her. This long-range attack will put a jumping opponent in a limited juggle state.

This move has amazing horizontal range and also has a hitbox that extends very high up in the air, making it a good move to throw out preemptively to snag your opponent in the air. An anti-air

Soul Piede can convert into further damage, which is described in Combo V.

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SPECIAL MOVESLP Soul Sparkc + l


DAMAGE 80STUN 50

STARTUP 14ACTIVE —


ON BLOCK -12CANCEL SU

NOTES 14~17f cancelable

MP Soul Sparkc + m


DAMAGE 80STUN 50


RECOVERY 30ON HIT 0



HP Soul Sparkc + h


DAMAGE 80STUN 50



ON BLOCK +2CANCEL SU


NOTES 14~17f cancelable, both hits juggle potential 1

EX Soul Spark c + PPHITS 2

BLOCK LEVEL HLDAMAGE 30,70

STUN 50,50STARTUP 14ACTIVE —



Soul Spark: Rose’s fireball has extremely long recovery. The HP version is so slow to recover that a player who is looking for it can easily jump

over Soul Spark on reaction and punish Rose with a full combo. Soul Spark’s startup is lengthy as well, making it risky to cancel into off of normals

on block. More than any other character, you must be careful when choosing to throw a projectile with Rose. It’s definitely still worth doing, since

Rose’s projectile isn’t bad; it’s just slow to fire. Once it’s out, it’s actually one of the meatiest projectiles, with a large hitbox (compared to most projectiles) and above-average damage and meter

gain. If the opponent is a zoner, it can be worth engaging in a fireball battle you can’t win simply because of the meter you’ll gain by nullifying the opponent’s projectiles with repeated LP Soul

Sparks. (When you’re behind in the fireball war, either just neutral jump over a fireball, or absorb/reflect it with Soul Reflect.)

In combos, LP Soul Spark has a purpose in

FADC combos because it keeps the opponent

in standing hitstun. EX Soul Spark adds

sizeable frame advantage and lets you

link into Ultra for respectable damage (see

Combo X). Outside of combos, only use

Soul Spark when you know that it’s safe or

you’re sure that your opponent is looking for

something else. LP Soul Sparks (thrown from

a distance) travel slowly and are hard to neutral jump over. Like Guile or Dee Jay, you can walk forward with Rose after an LP projectile to close distance and to punish various options that your

opponent may use to evade the Soul Spark.MK Soul Spiral a + M


DAMAGE 110STUN 100

STARTUP 15ACTIVE 6



NOTES Armor break, soft knockdown, juggle potential 1

LK Soul Spiral a + L HITS 1

BLOCK LEVEL HLDAMAGE 110

STUN 100STARTUP 12ACTIVE 6




HK Soul Spiral a + H HITS 1






Soul Spiral: Rose glides forward, drilling her opponent with her scarf as it glows with soul energy. The version used determines

startup speed and disadvantage on block. As all versions of Soul Spiral move forward during their active frames, they can be

spaced appropriately to be safe or potentially advantageous on block. Soul Spiral knocks down on hit and breaks armor. An

opponent may choose to Focus Attack against Rose’s Slide or normals, and Soul Spiral is a great tool to dissuade this. Learn the

spacing on the various versions of Soul Spiral well, given that you should be canceling often into Spirals from normals such as

CR.m as a pressure tool.

In combos, LK Soul Spiral will connect off of CR.l, but heavier versions are too slow. The HK version will combo from heavy

attacks and from close-range medium attacks. EX Soul Spiral is almost as fast as the LK version, and will combo from situations

like max-range CR.l (like after linking from CL.M). EX Soul Spiral is also useful as a reversal, since it begins with a period

of strike invulnerability. It can be EX Focus backdash canceled for extra security, though this requires three total bars. Opponents

can also simply throw Rose out of EX Soul Spiral.

EX Soul Spiral a + KK


DAMAGE 130STUN 200

STARTUP 13ACTIVE 2



NOTES 1~13f invincible to strikes, armor break, soft knockdown, juggle potential 1

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LP Soul Reflect b + l

HP Soul Reflect b + h

MP Soul Reflect b + m

EX Soul Reflect b + PP


DAMAGE 50STUN 100

STARTUP 13ACTIVE 2




DAMAGE 50STUN 100

STARTUP 12ACTIVE 2




DAMAGE 50STUN 100

STARTUP 13ACTIVE 3




DAMAGE 50STUN 100

STARTUP 8ACTIVE 2



NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

12~27f absorbs projectiles and gains 100 meter, soft knockdown, puts opponent in limited juggle state

11~21f reflects projectile upward, soft knockdown, puts opponent in limited juggle state

10~23f reflects projectile, soft knockdown, puts opponent in limited juggle state

5~16f reflects EX projectile, soft knockdown, 1~7f projectile invincible, puts opponent in limited juggle state

Soul Reflect: Rose spins her glowing scarf in a circle. If you

strike a projectile with this attack, depending on the version,

Rose will either nullify the fireball and gain meter or reflect it

back at her opponent.

The LP version nullifies the projectile and gains Rose a solid

chunk of meter. If LP Reflect makes contact with the opponent,

it will simply knock them back. The MP version reflects normal

fireballs back towards the opponent horizontally at the same

speed of the initial fireball thrown at Rose. If the scarf itself

hits, the opponent is knocked back on hit in the same way as

LP Soul Reflect. The HP version reflects the fireball upwards at

roughly a 45-degree angle. Unlike the other versions of Soul

Spiral, the HP version knocks the opponent upwards and puts

them in a state where you can juggle afterwards for more

damage. See Combo VII and Combo XI. While a projectile that

Rose has reflected is on the screen, you cannot use either Soul

Spark or Aura Soul Spark.

You must use the EX version against your opponent’s EX

projectiles; however, against normal fireballs that have

multiple hits (for example, Akuma’s Shakunetsu Hadoken) the

non-EX version works fine.

MP Soul Throw e + m HITS 1

BLOCK LEVEL —DAMAGE 160


RECOVERY 27+8 GROUNDEDON HIT —


NOTES 6~43f airborne, juggle potential 1

LP Soul Throw e + l HITS 1






HP Soul Throw e + h HITS 1






EX Soul Throw e + PP HITS 1





NOTES 1~7f invincible, 6~31f airborne, juggle potential 1

Soul Throw: Rose jumps towards her

opponent and on contact snatches them out

of the air and slams them to the ground

behind her. The normal versions of Soul

Throw work as anti-air, provided they are

activated early. EX Soul Throw is invincible

for 2 active frames and works well as an

anti-air against most of an opponent’s jump-

ins that would land in front of Rose. Soul

Throw will hit an opponent in a juggle state.

For an easy safe jump after a Soul Throw, if the opponent does not use delayed wakeup, you can whiff ST.m then immediately jump forward.

If you have a Soul Satellite Ultra stocked, you can try to time a Soul Throw’s descent to have the orbs hit the opponent during wakeup either in

the front or as a cross-up by mixing up the MP or HP versions of Soul Throw respectively.

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SUPER & ULTRA COMBOS

NOTES 1~8f invincible, hard knockdown, super hit number = juggle potential, e.g., 4th hit of super has potential 4

Aura Soul Sparka a + P


DAMAGE 50X4, 100STUN 0

STARTUP 1+8ACTIVE —


ON BLOCK +16

Super Combo: Aura Soul Spark: Rose’s Super Combo is a 5-hit version of her Soul Spark. Aura Soul Spark will hit a juggled opponent and is highly advantageous on block, allowing for high-

damage blockstrings to chip out an opponent toward the end of a round. You should be on the lookout to combo into Soul Spiral, as this is an easy way to confirm into Aura Soul Spark for sizable

damage. If you can anti-air with an Aura Soul Spark, you can activate Soul Satellite and potentially get more damage depending on the distance from the opponent. This is one of Rose’s main ways

to really deal damage, so building meter should be a priority. See the Combo Index for specific ways to combo into Aura Soul Spark.

When used at a distance, the button used to execute the Super determines the travel speed of Aura Soul Spark. If you’re punishing something at long range (or anticipating the foe’s fireball, using Aura

Soul Spark just as they start their fireball animation), use the HP version. If you’re canceling into Aura Soul Spark from Soul Spiral for a hard-hitting combo, it doesn’t matter which version you use.

NOTES 1~10f invincible, armor break, hard knockdown

Illusion Spark a a + PPPHITS 6

BLOCK LEVEL HLDAMAGE 83 X6

STUN 0STARTUP 0+10ACTIVE 14


ON BLOCK -35

Soul Satellite b b + KKK


DAMAGE 120X2STUN 0

STARTUP 4ACTIVE —


ON BLOCK(25F

BLOCKSTUN)NOTES Puts airborne opponent in limited juggle state, hard knockdown against airborne opponent, full juggle potential, juggle hits don’t count against juggle potential, active for 600f

UCI: Illusion Spark: Rose whips her scarf

toward her opponent. If Illusion Spark makes

contact, Rose will grasp her opponent’s wrist

with her scarf as she shocks them with her

Soul Power. Illusion Spark breaks armor,

is slow on startup, and cannot be used in a

combo unless you spend three bars to EX

Focus cancel after EX Soul Spark (See Combo

IX). The most reliable way you can land

Illusion Spark, outside of a successful Focus

crumple, is by using it as an anti-air.

UCII: Soul Satellite: Rose summons two orbs made out of soul power to orbit her, which allows for many enhanced offensive

capabilities. Soul Satellite breaks armor, and will hit opponents recoiling in a juggle state. As Soul Satellite orbs count as

projectiles, attacks like Juri’s EX Senpusha, Cammy’s EX Spiral Arrow, and Vega’s EX Rolling Crystal Flash will allow characters to

attack Rose while ignoring the orbs altogether.

You can thread the needle to walk up and throw the opposing character if the opposing player isn’t pressing buttons due to fear of

the orbs. If either orb hits or is blocked, your opponent will be in an unthrowable state (lasting through the second frame after their

blockstun/hitstun ends), so this is easier to do when you’ve already “spent” one orb. See the strategy section for more information.

If you activate Soul Satellite after knocking down the opponent, you can use HP Soul Throw or MP Soul Throw to safely mix them up. Your goal is to be directly above your opponent during their

reversal frames, causing wakeup reversals to go in the wrong direction. When this happens, oftentimes you’ll be able to get an anti-air hit, follow it up with the second orb, then finish with another

Soul Throw. If your opponent blocks the orbs, Rose will be left with loads of frame advantage. Since the locations of the orbs are ever changing, Soul Satellite setups require a great deal of work,

fine tuning, and depend largely on the specific opposing character. The time learning these setups will be well spent, because you can strike fear into a floored opponent and open an avenue for

heavy damage.

Rose’s Focus Attack has slightly more range than orbs, so in a corner, you can get close to your opponent and start winding up a level 3 Focus Attack. If your opponent jumps, you can dash in either

direction for an anti-air hit. If your opponent does nothing, however, Rose’s Focus Attack will hit the opponent for an unblockable combo starter. Be wary that the orbs do not hit at the same time as

the Focus Attack, since this will not result in a crumple. See the combo and strategy sections for more specific applications.

Recommended Ultra Choice: Double UltraDouble Ultra is a great choice for Rose in most matchups. Given that some of the primary uses of Soul Satellite are to facilitate setups and extend combos, the damage penalty doesn’t really hurt Rose. The other main use of Soul Satellite is to use it as a tool to gain advantageous spacing on the opponent. You can create space to get away from a more offensive character, or you can simply walk forward with the orbs active to close space and get to a range where she can better apply pressure. Regardless of what a Rose player is trying to do, this Ultra can help accomplish it to greater effect, and the threat to an opponent doesn’t come from the individual orb’s damage.

Illusion Spark has been sped up in Ultra Street Fighter IV and thus serves well as an anti-air at far distances Rose can’t otherwise cover. If you can get a LP Soul Spark onscreen, certain characters will have problems jumping over it without being snagged by Ultra I. This lets you safely follow the Soul Spark to get into a more optimal range.

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Rose is an extremely versatile character with a play style that adapts well to various needs and situations as they arise. If a character is trying to keep Rose out with projectiles, you can counter-

zone with Soul Reflect. If an opposing character’s objective is to play a mid-range footsie game, you can contend with that thanks to Rose’s effective ground normals. If you’re overwhelmed by a

character whose objective is to be in your face with offense, Rose has a decent defense based around her hard-to-punish backdash. Given that Rose has the tools to shut down a variety of game

plans, this allows you to assert her own strengths: pressuring the opponent with a strong frame trap game, her far-reaching normal throw, and tricky Soul Satellite setups. Close standing M in

particular deserves highlighting, given that it has throw invulnerability, crushes lows, and leads to a combo.

Your objective playing Rose is to get to close range and pressure the opponent with her throw and strong frame-trap-based offense. Achieve this by:

ROSE’S TUNING HISTORY

• Using her strong anti-zoning game to dissuade fireballs and close distance

• Using her more-than-adequate mid-range normals to hang with more footsie-based characters, and look for an opportunity to approach by whiff punishing

with sweep or other attacks that grant a knockdown

• Using her slide to safely get in; this is particularly effective when you’ve made the opponent hesitant to Focus Attack by using “safe” Soul Spirals spaced to hit

at the tip

• Sneaking in her fast dash when the opponent is hesitant to hit buttons; best used when you’ve established the threat of crouching m, standing M, and

standing H

• Using Soul Satellite to safely setup an approach

Street Fighter IV to Super Street Fighter IVCHANGE EFFECT

Ultra II added —

ST.h active frames increased from 3 to 5, advantage on block reduced from -3 to -5, advantage on hit

reduced from +1 to -1More likely to hit opponent but less safe on hit and on block

CR. l damage lowered from 40 to 20 —

CR. h damage increased from 90 to 100 —

EX Soul Spark damage reduced from 75, 75 to 30, 70, recovery reduced from 41 frames to 35 Less punishable

All versions of Soul Throw damage increased from 140 to 160, juggle potential increased to 1 Can now be used as a combo ender

LP Soul Reflect reflection frames increased from 11~22 to 11~26 More reliable at reflecting projectiles

MP Soul Reflect reflection frames increased from 10~19 to 10~23 More reliable at reflecting projectiles

HP Soul Reflect reflection frames increased from 10~18 to 10~20 More reliable at reflecting projectiles

EX Soul Reflect reflection frames increased from 7~14 to 7~16 More reliable at reflecting projectiles

OverviewPROS:

• Great set of normal moves

• One of the best backdashes in the game

• Threatening up-close pressure through intelligent use of close standing M and her far-reaching normal throw

• Good anti-zoning game thanks to Soul Reflect

• Soul Satellite is a very versatile Ultra with both offensive and

defensive uses

CONS:

• Has trouble converting into high damage off of most situations without using Aura Soul Spark or cornering the opponent

• Has limited defensive options, especially when in the corner where her backdash is far less effective

• Not a very effective fireball for actual zoning game engagements; can be weak against grapplers

• Can have issues with rushdown characters who approach via strong dive kick pressure

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Super Street Fighter IV to Super Street Fighter IV Arcade EditionCHANGE EFFECT

Super can no longer be activated when Soul Spark is on screen Can no longer set a trap by throwing a Soul Spark then seeing if opponent jumps before using super as anti-air

Ultra II startup increased from 1+4 to 0+7, invincibility removed No safe to activate at any point regardless of what opponent is doing

Arcade Edition to 2012 UpdateCHANGE EFFECT

CL.M advantage on hit increased from +3 to +4 Enough advantage to link attacks afterward, allows Rose to punish throw attempts for strong damage

3 + H recovery reduced from 21 frames to 17, advantage on block increased from -5 to -1,

advantage on hit increased from -1 to +3Less likely to be whiff punished, safer on block and advantageous on hit

EX Soul Spiral damage increased from 100 to 120 —

EX Soul Reflect now projectile invincible on frames 1~7, reflection active frames changed from frames 7~16

to 5~16More reliable at reflecting projectiles

Ultra II startup decreased from 0+7 to 0+5 Faster startup, gives opponent less time to react and counter

2012 Update to Ultra Street Fighter IVCHANGE EFFECT

Forward dash total frames reduced from 21 to 20 Makes approach safer

CL.M hitbox expanded downward More likely to crush low attacks

CR.l damage increased from 20 to 30 —

CR.L damage increased from 30 to 40 —

CR.m damage increased from 60 to 70 —

LK Soul Spiral forward movement distance increased Less likely to be too far away for use in combos

LK, MK, HK Soul Spiral damage increased from 100 to 110 —

EX Soul Spiral invincibility increased from frames 1~11 to 1~13 is now only invincible to strikes, FADC forward

advantage on block changed from -8 to -7Now has an active invincible frame, but can now be thrown

All versions of Soul Spiral gain juggle potential 1 Can now be used to cancel into super after launching opponent

MP Soul Spark startup reduced from 22 frames to 20 Faster to activate, less punishable

HP Soul Spark startup reduced from 29 frames to 27 Faster to activate, less punishable

Ultra I startup reduced from 12 frames to 10 Less likely for opponent to safely recovery attack before getting hit

Ultra II command changed to b b + KKK, recovery increased from 2 frames to 4 No longer overlaps with Reflect

LONG RANGEDue to Rose’s lackluster fireballs, long range is not optimal. Rose does have some tools here, but they are mainly to facilitate getting into a more comfortable, up-close position. At long

distance, where the opponent may have a hard time jumping over and punishing Rose’s Soul Spark, you can throw out LP Soul Spark and walk in behind it with the mindset of reacting to

what your opponent does. Against some grapplers, you might want to use this strategy to keep them out. If your foe jumps forward over the Soul Spark, you can anti-air with CR.h,

ST.h, or Soul Throw. If the opponent neutral jumps here, you can try to snag them with Rose’s now-faster Ultra I. A good trick is to throw Rose’s slower fireball at a place where the

opponent thinks they can jump forward to punish, then EX Focus cancel Soul Spark’s recovery, dash forward, then shoot them down with a Soul Throw. While this requires meter (especially

if you opt for the more reliable EX Soul Throw), this can be a sneaky way to close out a round or to get in quickly against an opponent you’re otherwise having a hard time approaching.

Another long-distance option is to poke with Rose’s Soul Piede (3 + H). Not only is this a very long-distance poke, but if it hits an enemy in the air, you can juggle with Soul Spiral.

With four bars of meter, you can cancel Soul Spiral into Aura Soul Spark for heavy damage. See Combo V. This is particularly useful against characters with a dive kick.

For the most part, characters that prefer to be at a far distance have the game plan of zoning with projectiles. If the opponent is willing to bombard Rose with projectiles from full screen,

you can simply use LP Soul Reflect to gain meter, completely safe to jump-in attacks or potential punishes. Crucially, you’ll be able to work on building up a full Super Gauge so you’ll have

Aura Soul Spark at your disposal, giving Rose damage potential she doesn’t otherwise have. A smart opponent is at least going to walk into a range where they can jump-in at Rose at this

point. You should be prudent in slightly altering your distance so that you can reflect a fireball, and also anti-air a jump-in attack should the opponent jump over the reflected fireball.

Crouching h is optimal here, but EX Soul Throw and Ultra I allow you to shut down jump attacks from a greater distance.

The beauty of Rose as a character is that even though she has difficulty dealing damage at far distances, she can make playing a long-distance game against her an unattractive prospect,

thus forcing an opponent into doing half of the work of approaching. Unless the zoning opponent has a significant life lead, they must play a fireball game closer in at a point where it is

difficult to reflect fireballs. A Rose player should be happy about this, since Rose is now at a distance where she can slide or dash in to great effect.

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CLOSE RANGEAt close range is where you will likely get the bulk of your damage. At the crux of Rose’s up-close offense are her throw and close standing M, which complement each other beautifully.

The distance on her normal throw is quite incredible, and you can either setup an ambiguous jump-in M attempt, or go into a Soul Satellite mix-up. Once the opponent respects your

throw, this opens up Rose’s close standing M. CL. M is not only throw invulnerable, but it also goes over many low attacks. This is powerful because it stops two of the primary ways

that an opponent might try to combat a throw attempt, which are the standard throw tech (l + L), and the crouch tech (CR. l + CR. L). On hit, CL. M converts into

Combo III. Crouch teching is popular since it can result in either a throw break or a crouching L, which, for many characters, can lead directly into a bread-and-butter combo. Being able

to defeat both of these options with one maneuver forces the opponent to work with a much more limited set of defensive options. If you establish the threat of CL. M, an opponent will

either rely on backdashing, Focus backdashing (which a throw will beat), using an invincible attack (which is likely punishable), or simply blocking (which will set them up to eat many of

your throw attempts). By walking forward then blocking, you can both block any risky reversal done by the opponent, and also react to a backdash. Since CL. M leaves Rose at even

frames on block, you can also maintain pressure here by threatening with another throw, or CL. M again. Since the throw/low invulnerability of CL. M lasts so long, you can stick out

this move to tackle a wide variety of throw tech and crouch tech timings, which normally require great precision when going for a counter-hit. It’s also worth noting that just after Rose’s

fast dash, used to approach from mid-range, is a great opportunity to either go for a throw or stick out CL. M to catch a twitchy opponent trying to react to the dash.

While the throw or CL.M game is very threatening on its own, Rose has many other strong offensive tools at her disposal. You can use Rose’s standing m in a similar fashion to

CL. M, converting into the same combo as Combo III. The advantage of CL. m is that it is +1 on block and comes out a frame faster, making it useful for slightly tighter frame

traps. That can come in handy if the opponent is crouch teching with slower normals with great vertical hitboxes that CL.M can’t avoid. Being +1 on block also allows you to stick out

Rose’s crouching l, which would beat all other normal moves the opponent could throw out, and converts into Combo I or Combo II. On block, CR. l can be chained into CR. L,

maintaining Rose’s frame advantage. Given Rose’s strong offensive options here, an opponent may rely heavily on backdashing as a defensive option. Rose’s secondary objective, after

getting close to the opponent, is to push the opponent into the corner. In the corner, the use of backdash as a defensive option is limited (with the wall behind them, there’s no place to

backdash to) and thus you can freely impose your will, while having access to more damaging corner combos (see Combo VIII and Combo XI). Rose’s anti-air options truly shine in the

corner, as the opponent cannot jump back, and an anti-air Ultra II or Soul Throw on reaction is more plausible. Be very careful of an opponent trying to jump over you, out of the corner.

In the corner is where Rose has the hardest time defensively, and she also has a difficult time anti-airing cross-ups. Be on high alert to anti-air. Even a successful blocked cross-up while

leaving the corner is very high reward for the opponent.

MID-RANGEThis is a distance that a Rose player is perfectly capable of fighting at, but still not where she achieves her optimal damage. A smart opponent will be mindful that a Rose player typically

wants to transition into a closer range. Much of your mid-range game will be predicated on beating out and discouraging the opponent’s keep-away strategy.

Rose’s primary threat to close distance here is her Slide (4 + M). If your opponent cannot deal with Slide, you can freely impose your will sliding in; you’ll likely have little

challenge succeeding in the match if your up-close game is on point. If spaced correctly, Slide is completely safe, and on counter hit you can even convert into a combo by linking into

CR. l. To stop a Slide, your opponent is primarily going to go to one of three options: they will Focus absorb the slide to crumple Rose, they will dance in and out of the range that the

tip of the slide will hit in hopes of either whiff punishing Rose or inducing a slide at an unsafe distance, or they will simply stick out an attack in order to beat the slide.

The best way to discourage an opponent from using a Focus attack is to poke with Rose’s Soul Spiral at a safe range. You can also opt to use Rose’s EX Soul Spark here to punish a Focus

Attack from a greater distance and to also catch a potential backdash cancel, which the opponent may attempt to make Soul Spiral pokes whiff. At the point where Rose’s CR.m would

connect, you can pretty freely cancel that poke into Soul Spiral to beat Focus Attacks and also apply safe pressure. With an Aura Soul Spark Super locked and loaded, poking with Soul

Spiral is even more advisable since you can confirm into Aura Soul Spark for huge damage.

If the opponent is actively pressing buttons at mid-range, Rose has an array of unique normals to dissuade the opponent from doing so. After all, remember that your primary goal against

most characters is to create a moment of hesitation which lets you sneak in. Standing H and Soul Piede (3 + H) are Rose’s attacks that have the most range. Given that most

characters don’t have normals that rival the range on these attacks, you can make an opponent hesitant to press buttons or walk in, which lets you simply walk forward yourself. Standing

H also has the unique property of going over low attacks on frames 7 to 14. If Rose is outside of her sweep range, ST.H should be your whiff punishment option of choice. Inside of

Rose’s ST.H range is where the opponent has to start worrying about Slide. An opponent may choose to stick out a high-priority low normal move here, such as Ryu’s low-profile, tried-

and-true crouching M. Here you can use Rose’s far standing M, which goes over low attacks. Once an opponent respects these options, you can now walk forward more freely and

begin pressuring with CR. m > a + L. However, be wary of the ranges where the LK Soul Spiral will whiff, and substitute MK Soul Spiral accordingly. Intelligent use of all these

mid-range strategies should make an opponent hesitant to engage in a footsie battle with Rose; and once this is accomplished, you should mix up sliding, dashing forward, and walking

forward as methods of approach.

Your opponent might choose to jump in at Rose here, and Rose’s CR.h is a great anti-air at most angles. If you do not have time to stick out CR.h, or if the jump-in is performed at

a range/angle that is not optimal to stop with CR.h, you can EX Soul Throw for a hard knockdown and potential setup. If neither of these options is sufficient, you can also absorb the

jumping attack with a Focus Attack charge and then cancel into Rose’s great backdash to reset the situation. Given that Rose’s backdash is so fast and backpedals so far away from the

opponent, many opposing characters will have a difficult time punishing this. If an opponent is trying to walk forward at Rose to initiate their own offensive pressure, CR. m is a great

normal move to stick out. If you have a particularly good read on an advancing mid-range tool such as Fei Long’s Rekkaken, or a normal canceled into a special with a gap such as Ryu’s

CR. M > Hadoken, you also use the (now, in USFIV, even more) strike-invincible EX Soul Spiral as a defensive option. Try to use this move only when you are fairly sure it will hit,

since it is unsafe on block. If a fireball character is throwing projectiles at a mid-range distance, where it is hard to react with Soul Reflect, you can preemptively Slide under the fireball, or

react with an Aura Soul Spark. EX Soul Spark is also quite fast and can be used here to blast through single-hit fireballs.

RO

SE

461


Rose with Soul Satellite orbs active gives you additional offensive threats. Since the opponent will be hesitant to stick out moves for fear of getting hit by the orbs revolving around Rose,

you can walk forward and try to time a throw to make contact at the moment that the orbs are directly above and below her. This is effective since it is very difficult for your opponent to

safely guess when you will go for a throw; should they guess incorrectly and get hit by an orb, you can convert into your combo of choice. Should you knock down your opponent with orbs

active, you can try to time a Soul Throw on the opponent’s wakeup so that the orbs will hit ambiguously on the way down, or continue your throw-based pressure.

Against an opponent in your face, CL. M has defensive utility too. CL. M will beat throw attempts, and also go over some low combo starters. While the startup on CL. M is 7 frames,

you can make your opponent more prone to put gaps in their attack strings by crouch teching later, so the opponent will walk forward more before attempting to throw or fishing for a

counter hit. Using Rose’s backdash can also make your opponent more prone to read that maneuver specifically and walk forward in order to punish. If you know the opponent is willing to

commit to such gaps of inactivity, you can treat this as an opportunity to essentially “steal a turn” and go for throw or CL. M, which turn an advantageous situation for the opponent into

one for you. Using EX Soul Spiral on defense (especially now that invincibility lasts until active frames) can also make an opponent hesitant to hit buttons, but this should be used sparingly

unless you have spare meter to FADC it.

Opponents that jump at Rose up close with a dive kick or try to cross her up can give you problems. Against dive kick characters, crouch tech with CR.h (CR. l + L + h).

In order to counter this, the dive kicking opponent must do higher-altitude dive kicks, or try to frame trap you out of the CR.h with a grounded normal move. Once the opponent is

jumping up higher before dive kicks, you can jump backwards with h, or simply EX Soul Throw. If the opponent jumps at close range to cross you up, the solution is to jump back and

air-to-air with h, or to walk under the opponent and EX Soul Throw them on the other side. A useful shortcut for a walk-under uppercut is to hold 3 until you are on the other side

of the opponent, and then to c towards the opponent on the other side. Another particularly problematic defensive situation for Rose is when she is cornered. The effectiveness of her

backdash is pretty moot here, so you must rely on either the risky EX Soul Spiral, or simply fight your way out of the corner. Ideally, you should focus on avoiding the situation of being in

the corner entirely by playing actively and trying to get in close. A common pitfall that causes Rose to end up in the corner is an overreliance on her great backdash, so be wary of your

position on the stage and mix up your defensive options.

CombosI. CR. l > CR. L, CR. m > a + L203 damage, 250 stun

Rose’s bread and butter combo off of a crouching l. Crouching L can be substituted for a low starter, however CR. l is one frame faster, and Rose doesn’t have an overhead threat to

discourage blocking low. Still, CR. L can be preferable for such things as an empty jump into low attack, and for catching an enemy walking back.

II. CR. l > CR. l > CR. L, CR. m > a + KK

219 damage, 230 stun

Rose’s combo if you add another crouching l. Due to the extra pushback of the additional attack, you must use the EX version of Soul Spiral unless in the corner or against a wider opponent. Be

aware of this distance even when not using two jabs, since if you are this far away from the opponent during any combo, you’ll need EX Soul Spiral upon hitting with CR.m, since LK Soul Spiral

will whiff.

III. CL. M, CR. m > a + L228 damage, 280 stun

As close M is airborne as well as a low crush, so it makes for an excellent frame trap tool. Close m can be used if you wish to have a slightly tighter frame trap, or if you want the +1 on block

that CL. m provides. This link combo does slightly more damage than crouching h > a + L, so it can be used as a good meterless punish as well.

IV. CR. h > a + H > a a + h440 damage, 200 stun

Rose’s punish combo with a Super. It’s easier to get Aura Soul Spark to come out without relying on the buffered first a motion from Soul Spiral, and instead just doing 2 more a motions.

V. Opponent in the air, 3 + H, a + H > a a + P410 damage, 300 stun

A good combo if you catch the opponent jumping with Soul Piede. If the opponent is too low to the ground, you may need to sub in LK Soul Spiral instead of the HK version. Be sure to stick with HK

Soul Spiral if the opponent is anti-aired from relatively far away, as it travels farthest.

VI. Opponent in the air, b b + KKK and then combo either:

e + h368 damage, 80 stun

a + L > a a + P503 damage, 80 stun

You have plenty of time to react to a jump and activate Soul Satellites for an anti-air. As your opponent is about to land, the best option is to merely block any potential attack and let the orbs hit. After

both orbs connect, juggle them with a Soul Throw. You can also try to Soul Throw before both orbs hit, scoring slightly less damage but saving a single orb for wakeup pressure as your opponent rises. If

you know that an opponent is about to jump into a fireball, you can use this combo to similar effect by activating Soul Satellite, dashing forward, then juggling after the fireball connects.

462


VII. Requires opponent near corner, CR.h > b + h, b b + KKK, e + h414 damage, 310 stun

A corner combo using Soul Reflect. Any attack other than Rose’s crouching h will push her too far away to combo into Reflect. If Rose is mid-screen, she is too far from her opponent to land a

juggle combo with Soul Satellite or Soul Throw without an FADC; however EX Soul Spiral now works as a mid-screen juggle after HP Soul Reflect.

VIII. With Soul Satellite active, Lvl.3 Focus attack, orb hits, forward dash, orb hits, CR.h > a + H398 damage, 340 stun

You can take advantage of times when your opponent is afraid to press their luck against the orbs and attempt an unblockable level 3 Focus Attack. In a corner, you can use HP Soul Reflect instead

of Soul Spiral to go for a slightly more damaging juggle combo. Be careful that the Focus Attack does not hit at the same time as the orb, since that will negate the crumple and the opponent can

simply block.

IX. CR.h > a + PP > FADC, a a + PPP


You don’t have many options to land Ultra I during a combo. You can either FADC from EX Soul Spark, or simply cancel EX Aura Spark into a level 2 Focus Attack (though, because of damage

scaling, you’ll actually score more damage if you forgo actually hitting with the EX Focus Attack).

X. CR.h > a + l > FADC forward, CR.h > a + H337 damage, 390 stun

Rose’s optimal FADC punishment combo for 2 bars of meter. Given that Rose’s dash is faster in Ultra Street Fighter IV, the link into CR.h is now a much more forgiving 2-frame link. This is very

good damage for Rose, and should you land a jump-in punish or a Focus Attack, this is a very good use of two bars.

XI. Against cornered foe, CR.h > a + l > FADC forward, CR.h > b + h, e + h391 damage, 450 stun

A standard combo should you land CR.h against a cornered adversary. Of note here is that even though the opponent may not start in the corner, you should pay attention to how far the initial

combo pushes them. Be ready to use this ender instead of the mid-screen Soul Spiral ender if they end up near the corner.

487


SAGATFirst appearance: Street Fighter (1987)

Data

Standing

Costume 1 Costume 2 Costume 3 Costume 4

Crouching Jump Arc

STAT VALUE RANKVitality 1050 A

Stun Threshold 1000 B

Forward Walk Distance per Frame 0.024 D

Backward Walk Distance per Frame 0.02 D

Dash Duration in Frames 18 B

Dash Distance 1.1047 C

Backdash Duration in Frames8 invincible, 15 airborne, 6 recovery (29 total)

D-

Backdash Distance 0.98341 C

Pre-jump Frames 4 A

Jump Duration in Frames 36 B

Diagonal Jump Distance 1.925 B

Wakeup 1 —

W Ultra Damage: 75%

488


CLOSE STANDING (CL.) NORMAL MOVESl near opponent

l

Crouching l

Crouching L

L near opponent

L

m near opponent

m

Crouching m

Crouching M

M near opponent

M

h near opponent

h

Crouching h

Crouching H

H near opponent

H

STANDING (ST.) NORMAL MOVES

CROUCHING (CR.) NORMAL MOVES


DAMAGE 40STUN 50

STARTUP 6ACTIVE 3

RECOVERY 4ON HIT +7

ON BLOCK +4CANCEL SU, SP


DAMAGE 40STUN 50

STARTUP 5ACTIVE 3

RECOVERY 5ON HIT +6



DAMAGE 30STUN 50

STARTUP 3ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 9ON HIT +3


HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL L

DAMAGE 30STUN 50

STARTUP 5ACTIVE 3

RECOVERY 5ON HIT +6



DAMAGE 20, 30STUN 30, 20

STARTUP 4ACTIVE 1, 3

RECOVERY 9ON HIT +2

ON BLOCK -1CANCEL SU, SP




RECOVERY 9ON HIT +2



DAMAGE 85STUN 100

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 4




DAMAGE 90STUN 100

STARTUP 10ACTIVE 4

RECOVERY 9ON HIT +4



DAMAGE 70STUN 100

STARTUP 5ACTIVE 3



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL L

DAMAGE 65STUN 100

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 3







ON BLOCK +0CANCEL SU, SP


DAMAGE 80STUN 100

STARTUP 9ACTIVE 3




DAMAGE 110STUN 200

STARTUP 10ACTIVE 3




DAMAGE 120STUN 200

STARTUP 10ACTIVE 3




DAMAGE 110STUN 200

STARTUP 8ACTIVE 3



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL L

DAMAGE 100STUN 100

STARTUP 8ACTIVE 3




DAMAGE 80, 40STUN 100, 100





DAMAGE 80, 40STUN 100, 100




NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

—

—

—

—

Both hits are cancelable

Only 1st hit is cancelable

—

—

—

—

Only 1st hit is cancelable

—

—

—

—

Hard knockdown

Forces standing, only 1st hit is cancelable

Forces standing , only 1st hit is cancelable

SAG

AT

489


VERTICAL JUMP NORMAL MOVES

DIAGONAL JUMP NORMAL MOVES

Neutral jumping l

Angled jumping l

Angled jumping L

Neutral jumping L

Neutral jumping m

Angled jumping m

Angled jumping M

Neutral jumping M

Neutral jumping h

Angled jumping h

Angled jumping H

Neutral jumping H

HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 50STUN 50

STARTUP 5ACTIVE 12



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 50STUN 50

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 7



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 50STUN 50

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 7



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 140STUN 200

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 7



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 90STUN 100

STARTUP 6ACTIVE 4



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 90STUN 100

STARTUP 11ACTIVE 10



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 90STUN 100

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 11



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 90STUN 100

STARTUP 5ACTIVE 6



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 50STUN 50

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 5



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 120STUN 200

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 5



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 120STUN 200

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 4



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 130STUN 200

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 6



NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES













Tiger Rage l + L DAMAGE 140

STUN 160

STARTUP 3

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 20

NOTES Range 0.946

Tiger Carry 7 + l + L DAMAGE 140

STUN 120

STARTUP 3

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 20

NOTES Range 0.946

NORMAL THROWSWith a slightly-below-average range, Sagat’s throws aren’t particularly impressive, but they are an important part of his defense. His forward throw can be used to set up a little bit of offense,

while his back throw is mainly used to chuck the opponent full screen to continue a full-screen zoning game. Both throws are effective whether you want to engage into mid-range or if you want

to chip at your enemy from farther away. Forward throw gives you more advantage, allowing you to dash or kara-Tiger Knee into mid-range before tossing out a meaty LK or LP Tiger Shot. Back

throw only gives you enough advantage to perform a single dash into a force-blocked Tiger Shot.

While not the most impressive offensive

maneuver, Sagat can set up a safe jump

in the corner off of forward throw: input

3 3, 7 7, then perform jumping

H on your downed opponent. This is safe

against 5-frame reversal characters. Note

that this setup will cause you to cross-up

some characters, so use jumping L instead

against these characters.

490


HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL H

DAMAGE 100STUN 150

STARTUP 20ACTIVE 5

RECOVERY 16ON HIT +2 (+1)



DAMAGE 80STUN 200

STARTUP 13ACTIVE 3



HITS 1BLOCK LEVEL L

DAMAGE 50STUN 50

STARTUP 16ACTIVE 3



HITS —BLOCK LEVEL —

DAMAGE —STUN —

STARTUP —ACTIVE —



UNIQUE ATTACKS

FOCUS ATTACKSSagat’s Focus Attack is a close-to-mid range knee strike with some unique properties. On release, Sagat raises his forward leg to strike around the opponent’s mid-section, making it less vulnerable

to long-range low attacks. At the same time, however, the hitbox of the strike is relatively high for a Focus Attack, so it has the possibility of whiffing over low hurtboxes, like Elena’s. Because of

this, timing of the release is more important with Sagat’s Focus Attack than for most other characters. You want to release it to punish the recovery of an opponent’s attack, but you also want to

make sure that there’s a tall enough hurtbox there to punish.

Although the release itself is awkward to use, Sagat’s forward dash is quick, allowing you opportunities to Focus absorb and dash through attacks into a crouching l punish.

His Red Focus Attack doesn’t have many uses. Although not too useful, you can use it after a close CR.M > a + K hit-check to combo into a full Ultra I or II. Otherwise, it’s recommended

you save your Super Gauge stocks for normal FADC combos.

Heavy Tiger Elbow 3 + h

High Step Kick 3 + H

Low Step Kick 3 + L

Fake Kick During H startup, H

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

NOTES

Less frame advantage on crouching opponent

Puts airborne opponent in limited juggle state, juggle potential 1, whiffs on crouching opponents, 2~9f kara cancel to specials and Supers

Forces standing, 15~16f kara cancel to specials and Supers

Must press H during startup frames 3~5

Heavy Tiger Elbow: This ground-based overhead elbow

attack is one of the slower overheads in the game. What

it lacks in speed, it makes up for with surprising range. It

conveniently reaches as far as Sagat’s crouching M, making

it a powerful tool in his close-to-mid range pressure game.

The best situation to use this attack is a follow-up after a

knockdown, such as after landing a Tiger Uppercut anti-air or

after a throw.

Low Step Kick: Sagat lunges forward, delivering a Muay

Thai leg kick. This attack serves two functions. Most directly,

as a surprise attack leaving you next to your opponent.

It’s +3 on hit and -1 on block, making it safe on block and

comboable into crouching l on hit (see Combo X). Use this

at just a little bit past crouching M range to open up an

opponent who’s playing footsies and not blocking low.

The other purpose of this move is to enhance your special

moves with a range boost using the kara cancel technique.

Although you can kara cancel Low Step Kick into Tiger

Uppercut, kara Tiger Uppercuts are best preceded with High

Step Kick due to its speed.

There are a couple of ways you can go about kara canceling Low Step Kick into a Tiger Shot. You can input the motions separately: 3 + L, a + P/K, which can lead to accidentally

kara canceling the step kick into Tiger Uppercut or Tiger Knee Crush. Or, you can use the input of a + L~delayed P/K. The former method lets you kara your Tiger Shots any time

while the latter method only works if there’s already a Tiger Shot present on the screen the moment you input a + L. Basically, you want to input a + L right before the Tiger Shot

you previously threw is about to connect with an opponent or is about to leave the screen, then simply follow it with another P or K input, which will automatically give you your next Tiger

Shot. While playing Sagat, you’ll need to master these kara techniques to maximize your zoning and fireball pressure potential.

High Step Kick: Sagat takes a large step forward and delivers a devastating anti-air high kick. Use this to add damage to your juggle combos and as a preemptive, distanced anti-air. It can also

be used as a ground-based movement tool as a way to get next to your opponent from around crouching M range. Since it whiffs on most grounded characters, High Step Kick can be used to bait

out your opponent’s attacks. Some players will react by trying to punish Sagat’s High Step Kick as he is recovering right next to their character, so you can use this as an opportunity to counter-hit

them with crouching l, or even an invulnerable Tiger Uppercut if you make a good read.


BLOCK LEVEL HL

DAMAGE 60

STUN 100

STARTUP 10+11

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 35

ON HIT -21 (-2)

ON BLOCK -21 (-2)

NOTES Crumple on counter hit, hyper armor for 1 hit before release


HITS 1

BLOCK LEVEL HL

DAMAGE 90

STUN 100

STARTUP 10+11

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 35

ON HIT -21 (-2)

ON BLOCK -21 (-2)

NOTES Crumple state on counter hit or if used in combos, infinite hyper armor before release


BLOCK LEVEL HL

DAMAGE 90

STUN 150

STARTUP 18+11

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 35

ON HIT —

ON BLOCK -15 (+4)

NOTES Crumple state on hit, hyper armor for 1 hit before release


HITS 1

BLOCK LEVEL HL

DAMAGE 135

STUN 150

STARTUP 18+11

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 35

ON HIT —

ON BLOCK -15 (+4)

NOTES Crumple state on hit, infinite hyper armor before release


BLOCK LEVEL —

DAMAGE 150

STUN 200

STARTUP 65

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 35

ON HIT —

ON BLOCK —

NOTES Unblockable, crumple state on hit, hyper armor for 1 hit before release


HITS 1

BLOCK LEVEL —

DAMAGE 225

STUN 200

STARTUP 65

ACTIVE 2

RECOVERY 35

ON HIT —

ON BLOCK —

NOTES Unblockable, crumple state on hit, infinite hyper armor

SAG

AT

491


SPECIAL MOVES

Like Low Step Kick, High Step Kick can be kara-canceled into Tiger Shots to give you some ground coverage while you throw out your fireballs. However, since High Step Kick must be kara-canceled

much faster than Low Step Kick, it’s almost impossible and not recommended to try to kara cancel this move by itself. As explained in the Low Step Kick section, kara-canceling a raw 3 + H

motion into a + P/K will almost always cause you to perform an unwanted e move. It’s best to use the second kara-canceling method—at the moment right before a Tiger Shot

leaves the screen or connects with the opponent, input a + H~P/K.

One of the most important facets of the High Step Kick is its use in kara-canceling Tiger Uppercuts. You gain a large distance boost in a short amount of time, making this technique powerful in

many situations. You can use High Step Kick kara-canceled into Tiger Uppercut to punish jump-ins that are just beyond your normal Tiger Uppercut range, or as a quick anti-projectile punisher. For

instance, against a Ryu player whose fireball patterns you’ve recognized and have a good read on, you could go for a preemptive High Step Kick ~ Tiger Uppercut to blow through the Hadoken.

You can punish and surprise many of your opponents this way thanks to the sudden range increase and the large amount of invulnerability frames of your Tiger Uppercut. The kara input for this is

simply 3 + H quickly followed by e + h.

Fake Kick: Sagat performs half of his standing H, faking out his opponent. This move doesn’t serve much of a purpose, since there are much more effective fake-out moves. For the most part,

you want to use moves that look like Tiger Shots, so using whiffed standing l and crouching l will suit you better for jump-baiting purposes.

High Tiger Shot a + PHITS 1


STUN 100STARTUP 11ACTIVE —



NOTES Whiffs on crouching opponent

EX High Tiger Shot a + PPHITS 2

BLOCK LEVEL HLDAMAGE 70, 50

STUN 50, 50STARTUP 11ACTIVE —



NOTES Puts opponent in limited juggle state, 1st hit juggle potential 1, 2nd hit juggle potential 2

Low Tiger Shot a + KHITS 1


STUN 100STARTUP 12ACTIVE —



NOTES —

EX Low Tiger Shot a + KKHITS 2

BLOCK LEVEL HLDAMAGE 70, 50

STUN 50, 50STARTUP 12ACTIVE —



NOTES Puts opponent in limited juggle state, 1st hit juggle potential 1, 2nd hit juggle potential 2

High Tiger Shot: Sagat fires a high-altitude projectile from his fists, which travels across

the screen, covering the opponent’s jump space. High Tiger Shot is an invaluable piece of

Sagat’s complex zoning game, giving him the unique trait of being able to limit his enemy’s

air movements from full screen. It’s used to slow down the opponent from gaining ground on

Sagat, since it forces characters to either crouch under the high fireball or risk jumping into it

and getting hit out of the air.

While Low Tiger Shots are your primary source of chip damage, it’s important to mix High

Tiger Shots into your long-range zoning. Combined with Low Tiger Shots, usage of High Tiger

Shots gives you match tempo by keeping your opponent moving and guessing while giving you

important information about their habits. Additionally, High Tiger Shot recovers a little bit faster

than Low Tiger Shot, giving you extra frame advantage. Generally speaking, High Tiger Shots

are best used at 75-100% screen distance, to cover both the enemy’s jump ascent and descent.

The different punch versions vary in the projectile’s travel speed, with LP being the slowest

and HP the fastest. Use LP High Tiger Shot as a preemptive read to a full-screen jump, or as a

slow-moving threat, to give you room to move in closer. Use HP High Tiger Shot to keep your

opponent’s reactions in check. HP High Tiger Shots are great for nailing badly timed jumps. EX

High Tiger Shot is a two-hit fast-moving projectile that causes knockdown. It won’t see much use

over EX Low Tiger Shot, since EX Low Tiger Shot does everything the high one does, but better.

High Tiger Shots are vital in certain match-ups. Some characters have abilities they rely on

which are meant to bypass mid- and low-altitude projectiles (such as E. Honda’s Head Butt and

Ryu’s Hurricane Kick); High Tiger Shots straight up beat these moves.

Full-screen anti-air High Tiger Shots that you can get your opponents to land on also lead to

high damage (for low risk) juggle combos. See Combo V for details.

Low Tiger Shot: Sagat crouches down to a low profile and shoots a low-altitude fireball across

the screen. This will be your main weapon of choice for most mid-screen, hit-check, and combo

situations. Use this as you would any other projectile, to chip away at your opponent and to

force out mistakes.

As with High Tiger Shot, the three normal versions of the fireball determine the projectile speed.

Use the LK version for frame and screen presence advantage and the HK version to keep the

opponent on their toes.

At long range, mix up and use all three versions of this move liberally, while mixing in a High

Tiger Shot here and there. At mid-range, use max distance CR. M > a + K to push

back and keep your opponent at bay. Past crouching MK range, use HK Low Tiger Shot as a fast

and long-range footsie poke. At closer distances, you’ll want to use Low Tiger Shot at the end of

your defensive block strings and as a safe crouching l cancel tool. CR. l > a + K

is an excellent 3-frame sequence that combos and pushes your opponent back out to mid-range.

The EX version hits twice and has juggle and soft knockdown properties. It’s also the fastest

version, in both start-up and recovery. Use EX Low Tiger Shot as a juggle off of your anti-air LP

High Tiger Shot, as an initiator for your Ultra combos, and to gain momentum in projectile wars.

492


LP Tiger Uppercute + l


DAMAGE 120 (130)STUN 200 (100)

STARTUP 5ACTIVE 8

RECOVERY 28+16 ON GROUNDON HIT —


NOTES 1~5f invincible, 6~7f unthrowable, damage and stun changes on 3rd active frame, 8~40f airborne, puts opponent in limited juggle state, on counter hit puts opponent in free juggle state

MP Tiger Uppercute + m


DAMAGE 120 (140)STUN 200 (100)

STARTUP 5ACTIVE 10




HP Tiger Uppercute + h


DAMAGE 120 (160)STUN 200 (100)

STARTUP 5ACTIVE 12




Tiger Uppercut: Tiger Uppercut is Sagat’s

classic reversal anti-air. It possesses

everything you’d expect from an anti-air,

with invulnerability, quick startup, and

vertical range. The twist is that its damage is

directly correlated to the height of its impact.

On a deep hit, where Sagat’s fist is close to

the ground, all versions of Tiger Uppercut do

120 damage. If the uppercut connects any

higher than that (where Sagat’s fist is about shoulder level), Tiger Uppercut does bonus damage, with LP version at 130, MP version at 140, and HP version at 160.

The three normal Tiger Uppercut variants possess the same amount of invulnerability. The key differences between them are their horizontal and vertical range. This plays an important part in

choosing which version to use in situations. Generally, you’ll use LP Tiger Uppercut to cover jump-in attacks that are close to Sagat’s head area or are about to cross you up. You’ll use HP Tiger

Uppercut for jump-in attacks that are a little further away. HP Tiger Uppercut is also what you’ll use in ground combos, thanks to its extended horizontal reach.

If a jumping attack trades with Tiger Uppercut, Sagat flips out of the air but recovers in time to follow up with 3 + H. If you can afford the life trade, you can purposely execute an earlier-

than-usual Tiger Uppercut against a jump-in attack, giving you the bonus height damage while also giving you an opening for a meterless combo of High Step Kick into Ultra!

EX Tiger Uppercut is a multi-hitting anti-air that launches the opponent high into the sky. It boasts a massive amount of invulnerability frames, making it the anti-air of choice for beating out highly

active air attacks (like Akuma’s air Hadoken and Rufus’s EX Messiah Kick). It also allows juggles into Ultra combos, due to how high it launches the opponent (see Combo IX).

NOTES NOTES 1~11f invincible, 9~47f airborne, puts opponent into limited juggle state, hits 2~4 have sequential juggle potential: 2nd hit juggle potential 1, 3rd hit juggle potential 2, etc.

EX Tiger Uppercut e + PPHITS 5

BLOCK LEVEL HLDAMAGE 120, 20X4

STUN 150, 20X4STARTUP 5ACTIVE 5, 2, 2, 2, 2



LK Tiger Knee Crushe + L


DAMAGE 90, 30STUN 100, 100

STARTUP 7ACTIVE 12



NOTES Soft knockdown, 10~21f airborne, 2nd hit juggle potential 1

MK Tiger Knee Crushe + M


DAMAGE 100, 40STUN 100, 100





HK Tiger Knee Crushe + H


DAMAGE 110, 50STUN 100, 100





Tiger Knee Crush: Typically shortened to “Tiger Knee,” and the namesake for the motion

behind moves like Cammy’s Hooligan Combination and Fei Long’s Rekkukyaku, this special

move is ironically performed with a e motion now. Sagat launches himself forward, landing

on his opponent with a knee strike. Tiger Knee Crush is a two-hit attack; the first hit is grounded

and early, while the second hit lands while Sagat’s airborne. It’s possible, but not meter-efficient

at all, to cancel the grounded first hit into a Red Focus Attack for a crumple.

In combos, Tiger Knee Crush is the most damaging and efficient ender barring use of meter. HK

Tiger Knee Crush does a whopping 160 damage, carries the opponent a good distance towards

the corner, and leaves Sagat at enough of an advantage to set up either a 3 + h

overhead or CR. M attack string. Additionally, the second hit of Tiger Knee Crush has juggle

potential, allowing you some extra damage off of High Step Kick or Tiger Uppercut hits.

Tiger Knees are very unsafe when blocked up close. Use Tiger Knees in guaranteed combos, such

as a whiffed anti-air punish of CR. m > e + H, or as a mid-range pressure tool.

In certain situations, the LK and MK versions can leave Sagat at neutral or even with a 1-frame

advantage. To position yourself for this, learn to use LK/MK Tiger Knees at a distance against

crouching opponents. The objective is to get the Tiger Knee to make contact as late as possible

during Sagat’s descent. At a distance, you can use well-timed CR. M > e + M as a

mid-range engagement tool. Up close, the best way to time these Tiger Knees is by using set

block strings that automatically put you at a good distance, such as CR. L, CR. L, CR. l,

ST. L (one hit) > e + L. Note that characters with large crouching hurtboxes will

reduce your Tiger Knee advantage and be able to punish you, such as Zangief (who can punish

with LP Spinning Pile Driver).

The EX version of Tiger Knee launches Sagat forward a half screen’s distance while hitting

multiple times. It leaves Sagat at +/-0 on block, making it his best engagement move. EX Tiger

Knee is an excellent move to throw out for its surprise factor against an impatient opponent

who’s walking towards you aggressively. For example, as you’re getting cornered versus an

oppressive enemy, throwing out EX Tiger Knee at the cost of only one stock of meter rewards

you some breathing room while leaving you safe.

SAG

AT

493


SUPER & ULTRA COMBOS

EX Tiger Knee Crush e + KK HITS 3

BLOCK LEVEL HLDAMAGE 100, 40, 40

STUN 100, 50, 50STARTUP 7ACTIVE 3, 6, 6



NOTES Soft knockdown, 10~24f airborne, 2nd and 3rd hit juggle potential 1, puts opponent in limited juggle state

Angry Charge b b + K

HITS —BLOCK LEVEL —

DAMAGE —STUN —




NOTES Makes next Tiger Uppercut armor break, have juggle potential 1, and deal additional damage. LP version gains 30, MP gains 50, HP gains 60, and EX gains 50

Angry Charge: At the cost of one stock of meter, Angry Charge is a unique

special move in that its only effect is powering up Sagat’s next Tiger Uppercut.

The next Tiger Uppercut performed will have juggle potential (on the “second” hit, the rising portion), armor-breaking properties,

and a significant damage boost.

This move isn’t the easiest to implement into your strategy, but it does have a place in it. The best time to charge up your Tiger

Uppercut is at long to full-screen range, while you’re at a life and meter advantage. This will deter opponents from jumping in, in

fear of your potential instant 180 anti-air damage, giving you a large edge in your zoning game.

Another interesting property with Angry Charge is its screen freeze effect. For the cost of just one stock of meter, you can freeze

time for a split second, allowing you to assess a situation on demand. For example, you can whiff standing l (as a Tiger Shot

fakeout), then go into Angry Charge freeze. This will give you plenty of time to decide what to do next. If the opponent jumped toward you on reaction to your standing l fake, you can easily

recognize it and land a 180-damage Tiger Uppercut thanks to the extra time from the screen freeze. Just don’t use Angry Charge up close, since it’s easily punishable on recovery. As a juggle, you

can use an empowered Tiger Uppercut to follow up an anti-air 3 + H for heavy bonus damage.

LK Tiger Genocidea a + L


DAMAGE 50X7STUN 0

STARTUP 1+0ACTIVE 3 (1) 3 (2) 3 (16) 2 (1) 3 (1) 2 (1) 2


ON BLOCK -38

NOTES 1~2f invincible, hard knockdown, full juggle potential

MK Tiger Genocidea a + M


DAMAGE 50X7STUN 0

STARTUP 1+1ACTIVE 3 (1) 3 (2) 3 (16) 2 (1) 3 (1) 2 (1) 2


ON BLOCK -38

NOTES 1f invincible, hard knockdown, full juggle potential

HK Tiger Genocidea a + H


DAMAGE 50X7STUN 0

STARTUP 1+2ACTIVE 3 (1) 3 (2) 3 (16) 2 (1) 3 (1) 2 (1) 2


ON BLOCK -38


Tiger Destructiona a + KKK


DAMAGE 35X7, 42X5, 45STUN 0

STARTUP 0+10ACTIVE 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 (12) 3 (2) 3 (2) 8


ON BLOCK


Tiger Cannona a + PPP


DAMAGE 39X3, 48X4STUN 0



ON BLOCK -25

NOTES 1~10f invincible, full juggle potential

Super Combo: Tiger Genocide: Sagat performs a combination of a Tiger Knee Crush

followed by a Tiger Uppercut. Tiger Genocide is one of the worst Supers in the game, so its use

is never recommended. With only two frames of invulnerability, no projectile invulnerability,

and lackluster damage, your meter is best used for EX moves and FADCs. At best, you can

use this for fancy juggle combos like jumping H, ST.m > e + h >

a a + L, a a + PPP or KKK. At worst, this move will come

out accidentally in a combo while you’re trying to perform a Tiger Knee Crush ender.

UCI: Tiger Destruction: Tiger Destruction is aptly named; Sagat launches forward with a

largely invulnerable Tiger Knee, followed by two multi-hitting uppercuts. Its main use is as a

juggle combo finisher (see Combo Index). It can also be used standalone as a heavy punish for

whiffed reversals, as a reactionary mid-range projectile counter, or as long-distance anti-air.

New in Ultra Street Fighter IV, Tiger Destruction will always fully connect in juggles against

cornered opponents.

UCII: Tiger Cannon: Sagat unleashes a large eight-hit Tiger Shot. Unlike High Tiger Shot,

Tiger Cannon has a large enough hitbox to hit crouching opponents. It’s also surprisingly safe

on block from mid to long range. Like Ryu’s Metsu Hadoken, Tiger Cannon is primarily used in

juggle combos and as a reactionary mid- to long-range projectile counter. Additionally, Sagat

can easily juggle into Tiger Cannon off of almost any soft knockdown move, including full

screen EX Low Tiger Shots. See Combo Index for various Tiger Cannon setups. Tiger Cannon was

slightly adjusted for Ultra Street Fighter IV, allowing it to always hit eight times in juggle combos

and against airborne opponents.

494


Recommended Ultra Choice: Matchup/Preference DependentInterestingly, both Ultras almost serve the same purpose, and that is to deal additional damage off of juggle opportunities. Ultra I deals more damage, but Ultra II is more flexible in its combo potential. It’s recommended to choose Ultra II against other projectile-based characters, while Ultra I is more effective in making full Revenge Gauge comebacks. Choosing Ultra Double Combo is not recommended; the damage reduction doesn’t outweigh the benefit of having access to both, since the functionalities of the Ultras are so similar.

OverviewPROS:

• Has one of the strongest long-range zoning games, rivaling even Dhalsim

• Can capitalize on long-range Tiger Shot hits with High Step Kick, Ultra II, and EX Tiger Shot

• Mid-range tools are adequate for keeping opponents out and pushing back into long range

• 3-frame crouching LP > Low Tiger Shot as a close range deterrent is a large annoyance for aggressive opponents

CONS:

• Does not capitalize too much off of knockdowns, making it difficult to stage large comebacks

• Does not have particularly tricky mix-ups; damage comes largely from forcing mistakes from opponents

• Slow walk speed makes him extremely immobile

• Large vertical hurtbox leaves him vulnerable to fuzzy guard attacks and combos

Sagat is a master of long-range control and zoning. Thus, optimal play style revolves around chipping away at opponents from a safe distance while baiting out mistakes. Using his Tiger Shots

effectively while limiting the damage taken is vital to success while playing Sagat.

Your objective playing Sagat is to deal damage at a distance while retaining a life lead. You can achieve this by:

• Conditioning the opponent into committing to bad jump-in reads by using his large variety of Tiger Shots

• At mid-range, pushing out the opponent with his far-reaching crouching M into Low Tiger Shot pokes

• Keep from getting cornered through appropriate use of Sagat’s multiple anti-airs and smart use of EX Tiger Knee Crush

SAG

AT

495


SAGAT’S TUNING HISTORYStreet Fighter IV to Super Street Fighter IV

CHANGE EFFECT

Ultra II added —

Vitality changed from 1100 to 1050 —

CL. m damage reduced from 100 to 85 —

CL. L became a 2-hit move, damage changed from 40 to 30, 10, only cancelable on 1st hit Removal of late hitting CL.L > Tiger Knee reduces the effectiveness of Sagat’s close standing pressure

CL. H damage reduced from 40, 110 to 80, 40 —

ST. m damage reduced from 100 to 90 —

ST. h damage reduced from 140 to 120 —

ST. L became a 2-hit move, damage changed from 40 to 30, 10, only cancelable on 1st hit Removal of late hitting ST.L > Tiger Knee drastically reduces the effectiveness of Sagat’s close standing

pressure

CR. m damage reduced from 90 to 70 —

CR. h damage reduced from 130 to 110 —

CR. M damage reduced from 90 to 65 —

Diagonal jumping h damage reduced from 140 to 120 —

3 + H damage reduced from 140 to 100 —

High Tiger Shot damage reduced from 70 to 65 —

Low Tiger Shot damage reduced from 70 to 60 —

EX High and Low Tiger Shot and EX damage reduced from 80, 70 to 70, 50, stun reduced from 100, 100 to

50, 50

—

LP Tiger Uppercut damage reduced from 140 to 100, uppercut trade now air recovers Combos such as Tiger Uppercut trade Ultra I no longer work

MP Tiger Uppercut damage reduced from 150 to 100, uppercut trade now air recovers Combos such as Tiger Uppercut trade Ultra I no longer work

HP Tiger Uppercut damage reduced from 170 to 100, uppercut trade now air recovers Combos such as Tiger Uppercut trade Ultra I no longer work

LK Tiger Knee damage redistributed from 30, 90 to 90, 30, advantage on block changed from -7 to -10 As the 2nd hit connects more frequently than the 1st this lowers the damage of Tiger Knee, also less safe on

block

MK Tiger Knee Tiger Knee damage redistributed from 40, 100 to 100, 40, advantage on block changed from

-9 to -13

As the 2nd hit connects more frequently than the 1st this lowers the damage of Tiger Knee, also less safe on

block

HK Tiger Knee damage redistributed from 50, 100 to 100, 50, advantage on block changed from -12 to -18 As the 2nd hit connects more frequently than the 1st this lowers the damage of Tiger Knee, also less safe on

block

Angry Charge added Sagat can now spend meter to powerup his next Tiger Uppercuts

Ultra I damage reduced from 585 to 500 —

Super Street Fighter IV to Super Street Fighter IV Arcade EditionCHANGE EFFECT

CL. L damage changed from 30, 10 to 20, 30 —

ST. L damage changed from 30, 10 to 20, 30 —

LP Tiger Uppercut damage reduced from 100 to 120 —

MP Tiger Uppercut damage reduced from 100 to 120 —

HP Tiger Uppercut damage reduced from 100 to 120 —

Angry Charge command changed to b b + K —

Arcade Edition to 2012 UpdateCHANGE EFFECT

CR. m hitbox extended backward from elbow to shoulder Hits opponents who are closer to Sagat

Angry Charge gives additional 10 damage to LP, MP, and EX Tiger Uppercuts —

496


LONG RANGESagat is a slow-moving cannon, so his strength lies in his long-range zoning game. Your overall goal is to establish and keep your ground, not allowing yourself to be walked back to the corner.

To accomplish this, keep your opponent in check with the variety of Tiger Shots you have available, while keeping your opponent’s reactions to your fireballs in mind.

In a neutral state where both characters aren’t committing to moves, Sagat usually has the upper hand. Essentially, it’s his “turn” to act, leaving the onus of reacting on the opponent. Take

advantage of this by throwing out Low and High Tiger Shots at varying speeds, creating a sort of obstacle course for your enemy to weave through. Use High Tiger Shot to force a crouch

from your opponent, making it difficult for them to advance on the ground. It’s usually best to use the HP version at full screen, since it leaves the screen earlier allowing you to throw

out another Tiger Shot. Use Low Tiger Shot to push the opponent back while dealing a little bit of chip damage. As with all projectiles, use slow ones to give yourself more movement and

frame advantage and fast ones to limit your opponent’s reaction time. Be sure to make use of kara-cancel Tiger Shots when opportune, using a sequence like LK Low Tiger Shot (blocked),

into Low Step Kick kara-cancel HK Low Tiger Shot. This will apply extra pressure by moving you significantly forward before launching your second, fast-moving Tiger Shot. In meaty LK

Low Tiger Shot situations, this technique will almost always guarantee the HK Low Tiger Shot connects.

Once you feel you’ve annoyed your opponent enough to make them jump at you, you can start to be more conservative with your Tiger Shots. At 75-100% screen distance, you can punish

ground-covering jump-ins with LP or LK Tiger Shots by timing them so your opponent lands on the projectile. Otherwise, if your opponent manages to jump in closer to you unpunished,

you can push them out with Low Tiger Shots or CR.M > a + K or KK.

If you’re being pressured and your back is close to the corner, you can opt to use EX Tiger Knee Crush against oppressive opponents to give yourself room behind you. On hit, the EX Tiger

Knee will cause the opposing character to fly across the stage, putting you at a distinct full-screen advantage again. On block, you’re safe from all attacks, giving you an opportunity for

either a throw attempt or an attack sequence to push them out. EX Low Tiger Shot can be used the same way, as it has a large pushback on block and on hit flings the enemy away. At

about half-screen distance, if your opponent jumps at you and you’re not already committed to a move, you can easily anti-air their misguided attempt using ST.H, 3 + H, or

kara 3 + H~e + h.

One way your opponent may choose to deal with your long-range projectiles is by Focus absorbing and dashing through them, at the risk of taking bonus gray damage. While this is an

effective technique for getting in on you, you can use this to your advantage by pressuring them with more mid-ranged Low Tiger Shots. Or, if you’re in range after their Focus dash, you

can push them out with crouching M or standing L (first hit only) canceled into Low Tiger Shot. Be careful of a Focus absorb dash into jump sequence on you, since a clean jump-in

punish on one of your Tiger Shots can be devastating.

Against non-projectile characters with low air mobility (like Balrog, E. Honda, Hugo, and Zangief), you can use your Tiger Shots very liberally with little repercussion. Since they don’t have

very effective ways to get through your projectiles, players using these characters tend to jump at you more often than others. Take note of how impatient your opponent is and punish

them with anti-airs accordingly.

Against characters with anti-projectile abilities (like Blanka’s EX Blanka Ball, Abel’s roll, and Chun-Li’s Hazanshu), you’ll have to take these moves into consideration and bait them out as

you would a jump-in. Use fake Tiger Shot moves like standing l and crouching l to keep your opponent guessing, since these moves look a little bit like High Tiger Shot and Low

Tiger Shot, respectively.

Against other projectile characters (like Ryu, Ken, Guile, etc.), Sagat is almost always at an advantage when full screen, thanks to his projectile speed and advantage. These characters

will tend to give up the long distance projectile war and are prone to play a more advancing strategy. But, since these characters are usually stronger than Sagat in mid- and close-range

situations, you’ll have to be adamant about keeping them out. You can also opt to jump over and punish their projectiles if you make a good read and need to relieve corner pressure, but

do this sparingly; you want to be the one forcing out jump-ins. You can also use EX Low Tiger Shot against their projectiles for extra full-screen pressure.

Against highly mobile aerial characters (like Yun, Yang, Rufus, and Cammy), your long-range game becomes slightly less effective. You’ll have to make good reads on how the player

chooses to approach and you’ll ultimately have to play out much of the fight in close and mid-range, since dive kicks over your full-screen Low Tiger Shots give them a large positional

advantage. For these situations, you can use High Tiger Shots to deter dive kicks.

2012 Update to Ultra Street Fighter IVCHANGE EFFECT

CL. L 2nd hit special and Super cancelable Increases effectiveness of Sagat’s close-range pressure

3 + L pushback on block reduced Leaves Sagat closer to his opponent while at advantage

3 + H damage reduced from 100 to 80 —

Tiger Shot recovery increased from 39 frames to 42 More easily punishable, less frame advantage

LK, MK, HK Tiger Knee 1st hit forces standing Opponents no longer go under the 2nd hit when the first connects

LP, MP, HP Tiger Uppercut FADC forward is now -5 on block No longer safe after confirming a block and then Focus dash canceling

All Tiger Uppercuts with Angry Charge FADC forward is now -5 on block No longer safe after confirming a block and then Focus dash canceling

Ultra I damage reduced on airborne opponent from 395 to 340, now hits completely in corner —

High Tiger Shots can no longer hit crouching opponentsUSFIV Sagat can’t hit crouching Hugo with High Tiger Shot. Meaty High Tiger Shot won’t hit characters on their wakeup in certain situations.

Tiger Cannon (Ultra II) juggle potential increased; air hit damage reduced from 384 to 255; damage on

grounded opponents reduced from 384 to 357Now every hit juggles, but it overall inflicts less damage in combos

SAG

AT

497


CLOSE RANGEMost likely, close range isn’t a position you’re putting yourself in on purpose. If you’re in close range, it’s either because you’re far behind in life or because you’ve let the opponent

breach your long- and mid-range defenses. While this is Sagat’s weakest area, he has a couple of tools to defend himself with.

With a startup of 3 frames, crouching l will be your main point-blank defensive button of choice. For a character of Sagat’s size and nature, having a 3-frame attack is an extremely

powerful tool. Use this to annoy your aggressive opponents and to beat out late counter-hit setups they may be attempting on you. Sagat’s option select throw tech of CR.l + L is

rather slow (crouching L is a 5-frame move), so in many situations, it’s better to use crouching l to fend off attackers. You can even use an option select throw tech consisting of a

plink input of CR.l~L, giving you a result of crouching l with some safety against throws. On crouching l hits, follow through with Combo VIII.

If you’ve been saving meter in the match, you can always use reversal Tiger Uppercut FADC backdash as a defensive tool. You’ll usually want to save your meter for these high-pressure

up-close situations against highly mobile offensive characters. The best thing about Sagat’s Tiger Uppercut FADC backdash is that you can still combo into either Ultra, granting a safe

option while still having heavy damage potential. Most other characters don’t have this benefit. Additionally, Sagat’s Tiger Uppercut causes a high-altitude spinning state on counter-hit,

netting you even more damage off of this sequence.

On offense, Sagat has few tools. You can use a basic mix-up of CR.L into either counter-hit crouching h (see Combo VII) or forward throw. On CR.L hits, follow up with Combo I.

Sagat does have a cross-up jumping attack with his jumping L, but this isn’t particularly tricky and usually isn’t ambiguous enough to warrant using unless you need to switch sides with

the opponent. At best, it can be used to set up a throw or a counter-hit setup. You’ll usually want to stay away from using 3 + h as an up-close offensive tool, but it can be useful

to finish off an unsuspecting opponent. Although Tiger Uppercut FADC backdash is mainly used defensively, you can use it offensively as well. For instance, if you’ve recognized that your

opponent leans towards using late option select techs or backdashes during their wakeup or blockstun, you can go for the following sequence: 3 + H~e + h > FADC

backdash, then follow with Ultra on hit. This will hit backdashes, as well as blow through late option selects, scoring you a large chunk of damage.

If you successfully land a forward throw, you have a couple of follow-up options. You can set up a meaty LK Low Tiger Shot into kara-cancel HK Low Tiger Shot by using this sequence:

3 3, 3 3, a + L, 3 + H~H. Or, you can advance into mid-range by following up the throw with e + H, 3 3, into either 3 + h overhead

or an attack string. Off of a back throw, you can use 3 3, a + L, a + H, or 3 3, 2, into 3 + h overhead or attack string.

MID-RANGEUnfortunately, Sagat’s slow walk speed gives him a weak footsie game, forcing you to rely on

using the correct pokes for most pressure situations. Fortunately, he has plenty of deterring

mid-range tools that you can use to gain distance advantage. He has the option of using

either CR. M > a + K, ST. M, ST. H, or ST. L to keep the enemy at bay.

LK and MK versions of his Tiger Knee are also imperative to his success at mid-range.

Against large characters like Zangief who can’t simply crouch underneath it, ST.H will

be one of your best mid-range pokes. It’s relatively fast and has a high amount of active

frames, making it an excellent move to push these tall characters back.

Standing M is used as a mid-range poke over low-profile attacks, like Ken’s crouching

M. It boasts a decent amount of range while decreasing his lower-body hurtbox. Use this

preemptively just outside of its maximum hitbox range to zone out advancing opponents.

Standing L is a quick far-range light attack used primarily as a whiff punish and to keep

opponents in block stun. Use this at range to hit retracting limbs or as a fast attack to keep the

enemy in check. At closer distances, you can cancel the first hit (the knee part) into a special

move. ST. L (first hit) canceled into either a + K, e + L, or e + M

is a good way to apply pressure and to deal some chip damage at closer-than-mid range.

Crouching M is used when you have enough frame advantage or if you have the

opponent on the defensive, such as after close-range block strings. While not as effective as

Ryu’s, Sagat’s crouching M is a decent attack to catch standing opponents with. If you’re

just outside of mid-range, you can use Sagat’s quick forward dash into crouching M to

catch opponents off guard with a hit-check FADC combo (see Combo XI). Alternatively, you

can use Low Step Kick to serve the same purpose (see Combo X).

Sagat’s Focus Attack charge and release can be used sparingly as a mid-range counter-poke

tool, but this is not highly recommended unless you’re certain you can either get a Level

2 charge off or if you want to absorb a poke and back off. Sagat’s backdash is one of

the slower and shorter ones in the game, so Focus backdashing too often may get you

punished. However, Focus absorbing and forward dashing into crouching l is a great

way to punish long-recovery pokes like fireballs and sweeps.

Don’t forget that your Low Tiger Shots make for effective mid-range pokes as well. Use

them as an extension of your pokes past standing M range, forcing your opponents to

take chip damage and pushing them back a little.

CombosI. CR. L, CR. L, CR. l, then cancel into either:


e + H196 damage, 280 stun

a + KK168 damage, 258 stun

Sagat’s standard, up-close bread-and-butter combo. For the ender, use HK Tiger Knee Crush at close range, HP Tiger Uppercut for close-to-mid range, and Low Tiger Shot for max range.

This sequence also doubles as a frame trap between light attack links. After a blocked CR. L, you can choose to go for counter-hit CR. m or a throw mix-up, since you’re at +3.

498


VII. Counter-hit CR. h, then either:

CR. M > a + KK299 damage, 430 stun

e + h FADC, 3 + H, and then finish with either:

a a + KKK529 damage, 610 stun

a a + PPP475 damage, 610 stun

Counter-hit crouching h gives you a ton of frame advantage, letting you link either HP Tiger

Uppercut or a crouching M combo afterwards. Use crouching HP as a throw tech frame trap.

This is one of Sagat’s best ways to stage a comeback with a full Ultra meter.

VIII. CR. l, CR. l, CR. l > a + KK


This sequence is mainly used defensively since crouching l is a quick 3-frame attack (a

whole 2 frames faster than crouching L). Unfortunately, CR. l into CR. l is a 1-frame

link, so using a safe ender such as EX Low Tiger Shot is recommended.

IX. e + PP, then finish with either:



If you have at least 1 stock of meter, you can always combo into Ultra I after EX Tiger Uppercut.

Ultra II will only connect if EX Tiger Uppercut is used as anti-air. The higher the opponent is, the

easier it is to juggle them.

X. 3 + L, CR. l, then cancel into either



e + H208 damage, 260 stun

This will be your usual follow-up to a successful Low Step Kick hit. Crouching l after Low Step

Kick is a 1-frame link, so you may opt to follow up with EX Low Tiger Shot to ensure safety.

XI. CR. M > a + H > FADC, CR. M > e + h261 damage, 420 stun

At the cost of two stocks of meter, you can hit-check into this FADC combo off of your ranged

crouching M > Low Tiger Shot pokes.

XII. Near corner, CR. M > a + KK, then either:



Against a cornered opponent, you can combo into either of your Ultras off of a max range

CR. M > a + KK hit-check, or off of a + KK by itself.

II. CR. L, CR. m, CR. l > e + h > FADC, 3 + H, a a + KKK


This combo showcases most of Sagat’s important links, all in one combo. Always use a plink

input of CR.m~l after CR.L.

Then, for crouching attacks canceled into Tiger Uppercut two-in-one motions like CR.l >

e + h, use the following input shortcut: 4 + l, 5, 4 + h. This will

make the combo easier to execute as you don’t have to use any neutral 3 inputs. The first

4 + l will give you the CR.l and the second 4 + h will cancel the jab into

Tiger Uppercut.

III. Jumping H, ST. m > e + h > FADC, 3 + H, then either:



This is one of Sagat’s most devastating combos off of a clean jumping H, for the cost of

two stocks of meter and your Ultra. Use this if you land a good jump-in read over a

projectile or poke.

IV. Full screen a + KK, a a + PPP


Use this full-screen hit-check of EX Low Tiger Shot into Ultra II in projectile wars. The hit-

check is actually more of a recognition that the opponent has overextended with a one-hit

projectile, rather than the actual EX Low Tiger Shot connecting. For instance, Ryu throws

out HP Hadoken at the same time as your EX Low Tiger Shot, you then pump 5, 4,

finishing with a + PPP when you’ve confirmed your target’s going to get hit.

V. Against a full-screen opponent jumping forward, a + l, then follow up with either:

3 3, 3 + H, a a + PPP324 damage, 300 stun



When you’ve baited an opponent to jump onto one of your slow-moving LP High Tiger Shots,

you can follow it up with Ultra II using this sequence. The forward dash puts you in range to

follow up with a Step High Kick, but may be difficult to execute. You can forego this and go

straight into Ultra II instead.

Alternatively, you can conserve your Ultra by juggling with EX Low Tiger Shot instead.

VI. Against a jumping opponent, 3 + H, 3 + H, then finish with either:



Similar to Combo V, this combo is primarily used after baiting an opponent to jump at you while

you haven’t committed to a high-recovery move. Use High Step Kick against jumping opponents

who are about three to four character distances away.

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