Jun Kazama: More than just Kazuya's Ho Version 1.0 By DatBastardSho (Phuong N. Le) Email: shokotobuki@hotmail.com ***************** * Legal Things: * ***************** Tekken and all the characters in Tekken are copyrighted by Namco. This guide is written by me, but if you want to distribute it or print it or whatever, feel free to do so as long as you don't alter the content. If you have to alter the content, to be included in your web site, or publication, or whatever because my grammar sucks and I can't spell, just e-mail me. If you want to make a profit out of this FAQ... e-mail me for my written consent, but if you don't, I probably will not find out about it, but if I find out, I don't know, we'll find out when that happens. But if I see a crappy version of my guide being passed around web (because you have some lame comments or technique, and you want to add it to my work) I will not be very happy about it. (P.S. I stole this disclaimer from Reverend C. because I was too lazy to write one myself. I'll ask permission from you later Rev, haha.) Table of Contents: 1. Intro 2. Why the hell would you use Jun A. Positves B. Negatives 3. Move List 4. Usefulness of each move 5. Strings 5. Strategies a. Custom strings b. defense c. offense d. okizime 6. Conclusion 7. Author's Rant and places to play 8. Thanks and acknowledgements 9. Credits 1. Intro First of all, this is my first attempt at writing a FAQ, so that's why it doesn't look all fancy or anything (besides, how the hell can a FAQ be all fancy and ish?). I probably should've written this thing ages ago, but I was just too damn lazy. Plus, I wasn't that good with her back than anyways. Second of all, I'm aiming this towards people who have SOME knowledge of Tekken. They've experimented with characters and have decided to choose Jun for whatever reason. This faq is for them. That means you understand the conventions and terms that I'm using. You also understand such intermediate things such as chickens and the like. I hesitate to use such words as intermediate because they're pretty ambiguous. And also, if you want a fancy character, this isn't the one. I don't know how the heck you can be "fancy" with a character like Jun, but you really have to play her extremely safe. I admittedly only use about 3 or 4 different juggles when I play as her because just juggling your opponent is going to be difficult enough, so you better go for the max damage possible. Finally, I confess that as I was writing this faq, I haven't played TTT for about a month and a half or so, so if anyone has any corrections or whatnot, feel free to email me. 2. Why the hell would you use Jun? With so many powerful characters in Tekken, why would you use Jun? Hell, you could've picked a Mishima, Chang, or even Kuma, and you would have a better chance of winning. Let me tell you something right away, Jun is definitely in one of the lower tiers if not the lowest. Be prepared to lose A LOT when you are first playing as her. But, she is a character that is hardly ever used (unless by scrubs who think her infinites are cool). A. Positives Her standing 2 will juggle ANYONE. She has probably the easiest 2 button break throw there is. If you use Jin, than you can pair him with her because they have 4 hit netsu. Her White Heron Juggles aren't really that easy to tech roll. She has 3 (WOW!) costumes! She looks a helluva lot better than Alex or True Ogre. Yes, I'm desperately trying to come up with some positives now... B. Negatives Sigh, I can go on and on about this category. VERY limited juggle possibilities. Low stamina, moves at the speed of molasses, her infinites are USELESS, she's a weak character period. Move List: GRAPPLING TECHNIQUES (Front) 1+3 Arm Bar {1} 2+4 Serpent Twist {2} d/f+2+3 Striking Shiho-Nage b+1+2 [~5] WHIP ~5 HEADBUTT *Need Jin, Kazuya or Heihachi on Team* (Left) (1+3)_(2+4)_(2+5) CLOUD TASTE {1} (Right) (1+3)_(2+4)_(2+5) WIND WHEEL {2} (Back) (1+3)_(2+4)_(2+5) German Suplex SPECIAL TECHNIQUES (b_SS)+1 SPARROW TRAP *Throws on CH* WS+1 SPARROW GUT PUNCH 1+2 DOUBLE PALM (f+2)_(d/f+1+2)~d/b DASH FORWARD (f+2)_(d/f+1+2) [~5] Dashing Uppercut [Tag] *Juggles* f,f+2 DEMON'S PAW d/b+2 [~5] ROCK SHOOTER [Tag] *Juggles* (FC_d/f_D/F)+2 SWEEPING SPARROW 2+3 SPARROW PIROUETTE b_SS+2 DIVING ARROW >1+2 SPINNING NEST 4 Leg Cutter *Leg Cutter strings* 1 Screw Punch 3 Front Kick *Front Kick strings* 4 Can-Can Kicks *Juggles* 1,2 2 Punches 1,3 Punch, Lowkick f+1,3 Screw Punch, Midkick *White Heron strings* f+1,4 Screw Punch, Can-Can Kicks *Juggles* 1,1,3 Punch, Screw Punch, Frontkick *Front Kick strings* 1,1,4 Punch, Screw Punch, Can-Can *Juggles* 1,4 Punch, Leg Cutter *Leg Cutter strings* f+4 Lightning Crescent 3+4 Cartwheel Kick FC_WS+3+4,3+4 CARTWHEEL HELICOPTER WS+3 SPARROW FLIP d+3+4 Can-Can Kicks *Juggles* b+3 [~5] Backflip Kick [Tag] *Juggles* 2 [~5] Dashing Uppercut [Tag] *Juggles* 4 Leg Cutter *Leg Cutter strings* SS+4 BOOMERANG STOMP u~u/b BACKFLIP (d/b+4)_(3~4) Leg Cutter String 3 Cartwheel Kick 1+4 White Heron *White Heron strings* 4 Double Leg Cutter 3 Cartwheel Kick 1+4 White Heron *White Heron strings* 4 Triple Leg Cutter 3 Cartwheel Kick 1+4 White Heron *White Heron strings* f+1,3 Front Kick String 1+4,2 White Heron *White Heron strings* 1 High Punch 2 Twin Punch 4 Leg Cutter *Leg Cutter strings* 1,3 Screw Punch, Front Kick *Front Kick strings* 1,4 Screw Punch, Can-Can Kicks *Juggles* 1+4,2 White Heron String (4_D+4) (Lightning Crescent_Sweep Kick) 1 Punch 1,3 Punch, Frontkick *Frontkick strings* 1,4 Punch, Can-Can Kicks *Juggles* 4,[4],[4],3 Punch, Sweep Kick[s], Cartwheel Kick b+(1+3)_(2+4) Reversal (F+3)# [D_B to cancel] Spinning Heel Drop *Unblockable* NOTE: Release Forward to stop spinning and execute kick. (WS)+2:1:1:1::2:1::4:3::3+4 Tenstring (WS)+2:1:1:1::2::1+4::1:3+4 Tenstring (WS)+2:1:1:3 Fourstring Move strategies and usefulness: Just about all her moves have some use to them. Some have VERY specialized roles, while others can be abused. Read on to find out my opinions. If yours differ, feel free to email me or tell me on Tekkenzaibatsu.com, which I frequent. Jab 1 : *** As with all characters, to win, you must learn how to poke and create space for your character to attack. Jun has a slight disadvantage in this area with her jab. Most female characters and "small" characters have an 8 frame jab, which is the fastest move in the game (aside from yoshi's B+1+4 sword reversal). However, Jun has a 10 FRAME jab. This is comparable to a Mishima jab or a Gunjack jab, except they have power behind their jabs. Jun doesn't have this luxury. This makes her jab less effective then it could have been. Plus, add to the fact that if you press 1 twice in succession, you'll get her screw punch by accident, which will leave you very vulnerable if blocked. So be very careful when you use her jab, because if you do get the screw punch by accident, you're going to get launched unless it connected (which is highly unlikely). Still, you must learn when to utilize it, such as throwing a jab to create some distance between you and your opponent, or when to use it as a quick interrupt. Standing Kick 4 : ***** This isn't an official move of course, but it's going to be one of your most important moves. Jun's standing 4 is actually as fast as her standard jab!! Plus, add to the fact that if you get it to Counter hit, you can dash in and get a white heron juggle (1+4,2,4). It'll be one of the main pokes you'll use. This should be used as a defensive and offensive maneuver. Example, use this to counter people who continually use the EWGF. Yes, the EWGF has insane priority and is incredibly fast…BUT, this is faster. If you time it right, you can counter it at the very apex of its execution. You'll find yourself substituting this in place of your jab many times. It should be used in the same way as Julia or Nina's standing 4. Yes, it's not as effective as theirs because she doesn't have the kind of damage that they can follow up with, but it's extremely important that you know how to use this and use it often. Demon's Paw f,f+2: **** This is her "power move". It can be used to counter your opponent because it causes good damage. And it's fast enough so that you can interrupt people's attacks fairly often. She does take a small sidestep before executing this move, which might explain why it's fairly easy to land. The f,f motion also makes it easy to buffer in a chicken. You can also tack this on to her white heron as part of a juggle (ex. 2(juggles), 1+4,2,ff+2). I've only tried it on big characters so far, but I'll see if it works on normal characters as well. Leg Cutters (d/b+4)_(3~4): *** Though you will probably find yourself using this move a lot, keep in mind that it is low parry fodder. Use this for okizeme, tick damage, etc. In fact, it'll probably be your main okizeme move. You can also use in when tagging in to hit your opponent and avoid their attack, similar to how Lei can tag in playing dead. Also, remember that if your opponent blocks this, they are given an opportunity to juggle you. So use it only when you know it'll CH or for okizeme purposes. Rock Shooter d/b+2 [~5]: * Oh sweet Jeezus!!! I hate this freaking move so much!! This has got to be one of the most useless moves that I have EVER seen. SLOOOWWWW start up time (she's practically screaming "juggle me"), damn near zero hit range, and low damage. Somewhat similar to Ganryu's b+2, except his is actually a good move. Why would you use this when you have her standing 2 to juggle or even her 1+2? In fact, the only reason why I gave this move a star is because I'm hoping Cphame will give me some strats for this, because he's the only one I know who uses this. The only possible use I see for this move is if you want to interrupt someone's string, and that's only if you start it waaayy in advance. Standing Uppercut 2: ***** This is one of the few pluses about Jun. Her standing 2 will juggle anyone. That means that it will juggle even the big characters such as Ganryu or Ogre. It comes out just fast enough so that you can knock some people out of their strings (such as Bruce's 321). And unlike her other launcher f+2, this doesn't have a huge lag time that will get you punished if it's blocked. If you want to use it out of a sidestep, be sure to cancel your SS first, or else you'll just get the diving arrow instead. Almost as useful as Yoshi's IMO. Dashing Uppercut f+2 [~5] (can be cancelled by holding down): **** When I was starting out with Jun, I used to use this move a lot…and I also died a lot. I know why now. First of all, even though this move is obviously designed as a juggle launcher, it doesn't have great speed or power. Furthermore, if it's blocked, prepare to get launched. It's best used sparingly. Only use it if you know for sure that it'll land. If, it's blocked, you're going to lose a nice chunk of your life. But if you cancel it a lot, it becomes a lot more useful. You can use it and then cancel it so that you stop right in front of your opponent. Now, you can go into her Sweeping Sparrow, her WS moves, or whatever you feel like. But, you must do the move quickly, or else you'll get launched and whatever little mix up game you were trying to attempt becomes futile. Also, it can be used as part of your okizeme plan. This move can catch opponents who roll backwards or forwards. It'll knock them back down and you can follow up with the move with your choice to add some more damage. Sparrow Trap (b_SS)+1: *** This is one of those moves with a specific purpose that I mentioned. If it CH, Jun will grab the person's leg and break it. If it doesn't, she'll just swipe at their leg for a little damage. You should never just throw this move out just because you haven't thought of anything else to do. There are 3 main circumstances where this move is useful. One, if you see someone go into a string (such as Law's b+1,2,1) throw this move out immediately. It'll CH and you'll have a free okizeme opportunity. Two, you can start it as the opponent is trying to tag in so that if they try anything, it'll CH as well. Of course, you should judge your competition before doing this. If you're playing at a place where everybody tag cancels (such as SHGL), then this tactic is useless of course. If you find out that they never tag cancel, then this move is relatively safe to use. And finally, it has an okizeme purpose. Again, judge your opponent. Do they techroll? If they don't, and they merely try for a rising kick, then throw this out and it'll CH them and you can start the okizeme fun again. Also, it's handy against those people who love to play dead (such as Lei players). Stay a little bit out of their attack range and as soon as they start to move towards you, throw this out and it'll catch them. Sparrow Gut Punch WS+1: ***1/2 Nothing spectacular, but fairly useful. From the crouching position, alternate this move with her ws+3 to mix up your game a bit. I believe this move comes out faster than the ws+3 but I find myself using ws+3 much more. I just find that I tend to use ws+3 in place of this move. Yes, this move will "stun" your opponent, but nothing's really guaranteed, maybe a quick d+4 at the most because they're pushed away from you. Use it for a quick interrupt or to push the opponent away. It's more useful in custom strings, because it pushes them back just enough so that you can continue to pressure them. Double Palm 1+2: **** Some people hardly ever use this move because it's really slow, but it is actually in the upper echelon of her moves. I think most people don't like it because they are using it at the wrong moments. And remember, in TTT it is possible to break out of certain stuns, such as Kazuya's Demon Gut Punch. BUT, you can't break out of this stun, which is one reason why I abuse this so much. To win with Jun, you'll better hope that this connects quite often. NEVER throw this move out for the hell of it. If you do, at least make sure it connects, or else you're going to be juggled. Rather, use this move as soon as you see your opponent whiff. Or, sidestep the move and then go into the double palm. If you're playing a Paul player for example, constantly sidestep to your right (because the deathfist is a right punch), and then use the double palm when the deathfist whiffs. Also, not many people know this, but you can actually hit someone when they're in the middle of a cross chop with this move. I know this works on both the tag in and get up versions (ff+1+2 when you're on the ground). The only thing is that you have to start the move a little bit in advance for them to get hit by it, meaning you have to do a little bit of anticipation. Boomerang Stomp SS+4: ***** Ah, one of her best moves. It comes out fast and CH quite often. I've used it when my opponent decides to SS like a crazy little freak. It catches a lot of people, especially if you delay it. It's also a relatively safe move to throw out, plus it has great priority. The important thing to note here is if this thing does CH, you have a great okizeme opportunity. When it CH, it'll knock them on the ground, face first. You're pretty much guaranteed a CH 3+4 cartwheel which will cause MASSIVE damage (at least in Jun terms). If they try to get off the ground at all or try a rising attack, the cartwheel will CH for a whole mess of damage. Sparrow Spirroute 2+3: **1/2 Hmm… this is her punch parry counter. But… it isn't exactly the most useful thing in the world. Unlike Bryan's or Ganryu's, Jun's punch parry is sloooooooowwwwwwwwwww. The only time you will be able to catch someone with it is if you start it, and the opponent is idiotic enough to finish his punch string. Useful against Jin/Law scrubs, but damn near useless in high level play. I mean, why would you use it in the first place? The recovery time is absolutely horrible. As soon as you execute it, you'll be spinning around in a circle, making yourself vulnerable as a sitting duck (or a spinning duck for that matter, hahaha…ok, forgive me, stupid ass joke. You WILL get launched if you whiff this move. So only use it when you know your opponent has a tendency to abuse punch moves or if he jabs all day (ex: PKuma/Panda players). Author's Note: I've since played a little TTT the other day. This move is a little more useful to me now. It IS possible to connect with this often. BUT, you will have to anticipate and read your opponent like crazy. Even though you can catch them, if you whiff, you will get punished. So keep that in mind before you decide to add this move to your repertoire. Diving Arrow, Spinning Nest b_SS+2>1+2: **** This move is fast enough so that you can use it to poke. But as with a lot of her moves, don't blindly throw this move out, because she does have a lag time after it is blocked. The first part of it is actually kind of useful. Most people know this move consists of 2 parts already. So you can use the first part of it, and stop. While the person is wondering "what the hell" in that split second, walk up to them and throw them. If you really want to use this move, use it out of a sidestep. It comes out a little faster. Plus, it can be used as set up to win a match when you know they only have, say, that 2% of health left. Do the SS+2 and press 4 right after. This will cause her to do the first part (diving arrow) into one leg cutter. Unless your opponent has superhuman reflexes or you habitually abuse this set up, the leg cutter will connect. It'll do just enough damage to win that close match for you. Jab,uppercut/Jab,low kick 1,2 and 1,3 : *** Although these are two separate moves, I figure they both have more or less the same purpose. These are her canned pokes, and they aren't very useful, especially the second one, because the kick comes out SLOW. You can use the first move (1,2) to set up a throw or get closer. Or you can mix up the 2 moves to make your opponent eat either the uppercut or low kick. However, these are slow so I'd recommend against using them much. White Heron Combo 1+4,2,4~d+4: ***1/2 Jun's staple move, and her ONLY useful string. You'll use this a lot, whether you like it or not. It's used in combos, okizeme, and just about every other aspect of her game. Do not however, abuse this over and over. A good player will duck after the first part and nail you with a WS move. It does have some kind of weird guard block effect on big characters though. I believe it causes them to stand straight up or something. Use it with some common sense. DON'T use it as part of your attack strings, because then you will just be begging to be juggled or parried. Cartwheel Helicopter FC_WS+3+4,3+4: ** I have almost never done this move on purpose. Heh, every time this move has come out, I was just as surprised as my opponent. I see no real use for it. I mean, from the FC or WS positions, she has much better options then this, so why use it? It takes off trivial damage, and leaves you somewhat open if blocked, unlike say the ws+3 or ws+1. Sweeping Sparrow(FC_d/f_D/F)+2 : **** This is one of her best low moves. It comes out the fastest, and if it CH, a ws+3 is guaranteed. Some set ups for it are to cancel her f+2 uppercut (cancel it by pressing down) and going straight into this move. You can also use this a couple of times in a row because for some reason, a lot of people try to attack right after they get hit by it. If they try anything, you'll likely get a CH. Even if they block it, try again if they're still standing and you can probably CH them. Of course, don't always abuse it like this or you'll get parried. If this move EVER CH, go right into her ws+3. As for using it in okizime, it's actually pretty nice. You can try for the standard leg cutters OR, you can dash in next to your fallen opponent. If you anticipate that they'll try any type of rising attack against you, use this. It'll catch them before they can get the move out, whether it's a rising kick, cross chop, or whatever. Of course, remember that the best follow up to this move whenever it CH is the ws+3. Cartwheel Kick 3+4: ** This move has one real use, and that is okizeme. If your opponent doesn't techroll, they'll learn real soon when you do this to them over and over. The only other possible use for this is if your opponent constantly ducks or goes into low strings (i.e. Eddy scrubs). But even then, there are better options. The best use for this is to use it after her B+1+2 throw. Can Can Kicks d+3+4: *** This move has very specific uses. It's too slow to use in something like a custom string in my opinion. And unlike Jin's, the first hit of Jun's Can Can kicks hits low. The most obvious use of this move is if you have one of those opponents who use d+1 or d+4 like crazy. When you anticipate that they'll use it (i.e. right after they tag out), pop this move out for a free juggle. The other time you can use this is against characters who have built in crouch dash motions with their moves (Mishimas, Kings, Bryan, etc.). This will interrupt the crouch dash motion and enable you to juggle them. Some of you are probably thinking to yourself, "But, but, what if the Mishima player is using the awe inspiring wavedash/lightdash?". BWAHAHA!!!!! Please, outside of SHGL (namely Alex Valle and Thomas Kim), I have NEVER seen anyone utilize the wavedash/lightdash correctly in the US. Sure, there are people who may be able to do the move, but they can't cancel it at will and use it to its full potential. A lot of these people just do it for show, so don't hesitate to use it against a person who blindly wavedashes at you (and trust me, you're going to find a bunch of them). Backflip Kicks B+3 [~5]: ***1/2 This is another move that you can treat as your counter move. When you anticipate an attack, use this to hit them first. It's fast enough and has good enough priority for you to use in your custom strings or to hit an opponent after you've baited them to come closer to you. And if you're low on energy and want a relatively safe way to tag out, hit the opponent with this and tag out. Lightning Crescent F+4: ** Don't be fooled by the name, there's nothing "lightning" about it. Similar to Jin's standing 4, and with just as few uses. Use it when there is some distance between you and your opponent. The reason for this is that it is a somewhat slow move. If they try some string from about 2 characters away, this will allow enough time for the F+4 to connect. Or you can use it on a rolling opponent. Again, not very useful…. Sparrow Flip WS+3: ***1/2 This move has a couple of uses. First of all, it has really good priority, so it'll likely cancel your opponent's attack. It can be thrown into custom strings because it has good push away properties. One unorthodox way of using it is this: if you manage to catch your opponent when they are rolling on the ground (i.e. towards you) with a d+1, then you can go straight into the ws+3 a short "juggle". This also works if you manage to d+1 a person out of the air (ex: as they initially try to jump) then you can also use this to follow up for extra damage. You can also go into this move in 2 other ways. It is possible to do a ws move 3 ways: the standard crouch, and then get up and do the move. But there are other way to execute the move. One way is that you can jump up and land and just press the button. Any move executed as you land counts as a ws move, so it'll look like it popped out of nowhere. Also, by jumping and doing nothing, it'll look like you messed up when you're just luring them to come closer. Even though I only gave this move 3 & 1/2 stars, I find myself using this move a lot because it gives me some breathing space if blocked. Spinning Heel Drop(F+3)# [D_B to cancel](Unblockable) **: This is Jun's one and only unblockable, it is also one of her more useless moves. She spins in a circle for like 10 minutes and then throws out a kick. Why would you do this? I mean, sure you can make the kick come out early but even then, unless your opponent fell asleep because he got bored fighting Jun (she IS a boring character after all), I don't see how the hell you can connect this. Throws: Whip B+1+2: ***** Abuse this like hell. This is another one of her few pluses, an easy to execute 2 button break throw. The damage is standard, nothing amazing, but you're going have to use it a lot because it's one of the only ways you can inflict fast damage. The hell with being "cheap", you're using Jun, you deserve to play as dirty as you want! I don't see why you would use any of her other throws other then this, besides maybe df+2+3. Striking Shiho-Nage df+2+3: **** I was about to give this three stars like her other throws when I realized that, waitaminute, this is the best freaking looking throw that she has!! So, I gave it another star, hehe. She grabs them and slams them hard face first into the ground. A really cool way to finish a match. But, it is a one button break throw, so I'd use the Whip instead. Serpent Twist 2+4: *** HAHAHA, this move is freaking funny! Don't be fooled by the menacing name of the move, it's really amusing. Jun grabs the opponent and proceeds into some kind of funky barnyard square dance maneuver and flips her opponent over. No, it isn't some kind of martial arts thingy, it really is a square dance. What else can I say? It's a throw. The hell with this square dance crap, use the Whip instead. Arm Bar 1+3: *** She grabs her opponent and breaks their arm. Wow. The hell with this, do her Whip instead. Strings: You may have noticed that I omitted the infinite strings from the move list. I never talked in depth about her strings (such as 1+4,2,1,4 etc.) because they are USELESS. GET THAT STRAIGHT!!! YOU WILL DIE IF YOUR GAME REVOLVES AROUND USING HER STRINGS AND INFINITES. Custom strings are one thing, but an INFINITE IS YOU BEGGING TO LOSE YOUR GODDAMN FIDDY CENTS. If you try to argue with me that she has good strings, I will LAUGH IN YOUR FACE FOOL. So, yah, stay the hell away from her strings. If, for whatever reason, you do not want to take heed of my warnings (you stupid, STUPID dumbass), then there is another faq out there that discusses strings to some extent (I believe it's Lump's.). You can see what he says about them. But frankly, I think they're useless and I don't care much to write about them either. Strategies: Note: What follows here is basically more or less a summary of what I've written above. It's just that I've pieced together the information for you so that you have some understanding of when and how to use certain moves. So of course, I'll probably repeat myself quite a bit. Oh yah, and this is how I play Jun and these are my opinions of course. If you don't like them, you can email me your opinions at idon'tgiveadamn@zaibatsu.com. Custom Strings: This is one of the reasons why Jun is considered a weak character. She has no real poking ability. Aside from the basic d+1, ws+4, she doesn't have many setups to poke energy off of the opponent. Rather, you have to be VERY precise when you play with her. One wrong move or whiff and you WILL see your life disappear before your eyes. When you play as Jun, you MUST know EXACTLY when to throw out a jab, a d+1/d+4, when to use your juggle launchers and etc. You will have to be patient, because it is extremely hard to bulldog with Jun. In fact, because of her lack of good pokes, throws become essential to her play. Learn what is guaranteed and use it. Don't hesitate because you are trying to be fancy or whatnot. Your basic pokes will revolve around her standing 4 (probably her best poke overall), a jab here and there, the d+1/d+4, and b+1,1+2 to some extent. Her 1,2 or 1,3 can be thrown in once in a while, but be careful, because they are rather slow, especially 1,3. 1,2 is a little safer because the 2 comes out faster then the 3 does. Also make use of her ss+4, as it is extremely useful. It has very good priority and range, and it's even better when it CH, because you are guaranteed a cartwheel. Defense: First, MASTER THE UNIVERSAL LOW PARRY (D/F). Yeah, it feels kinda weird at first (like I dunno, drugs), but after all a while, it'll just seem natural to parry instead of block. Realize that parrying accomplishes 2 things: 1) you just threw the opponent out of his rhythm. He had a nice string going or was feeling confident and you just interrupted him. It's like being ahead in a marathon and running into a brick wall. 2) your opponent will now second guess himself. He will begin to wonder if he has developed a pattern. He'll start thinking things like, "am I really that predictable"? This will make the opponent hesitant to use moves he normally wouldn't think about, such as d+1. Two, master tag canceling (U,U/B,N). If done correctly, the camera will follow your character and just stop at the edge of the screen, instead of your character running into the middle of the screen. The benefits to this should be obvious. How many times have you tagged in only to needlessy eat a juggle. Probably quite a few. With tag-canceling, you can tag in anytime you want. It is one of the ONLY safe ways to tag in, and easier to do then the rest (such as tag throws). As for general defense tips, remember to space your character properly. Jun will have to basically play a "wait for your opponent to mess up game". Sure, the EWGF or deathfist are incredibly strong…BUT, it is not invincible. Can the aforementioned moves hit you if your half a screen away? Hell no. Learn to utilize your distance because it is essential to win. You can't play Jun up close like if she was Julia, because she doesn't have any moves to pressure the opponent. Nor does she have crazy reach like True Ogre (the cheesiest bastard in the game!!) or Panda. Play her about 2 character lengths from the opponent so that you can maximize off of or interrupt their mistakes. Sidestepping is crucial of course. You will have to constantly read your opponent and SS their move. Obvious advice? Not really, considering how many people ignore this crucial component. People bitch and moan about overpowered moves all the time, but there are ways to get around just about everything. One of these is sidestep. Example, if you are facing a Mishima, SS to your right, because most of their potent moves come from that side (wgf, hell sweeps, etc. are all right attacks). Sure, you can SS to your left which will give you a bigger advantage and possibly guarantee you a throw, but practice SS to your right first, because it's a little less risky. Adjust accordingly and study the other characters. Learn when to SS instead of SS for the hell of it. If you can make your opponent whiff, go for a 1+2 or a 2, and then juggle. Good players will break throws, but they can't break juggle starters. And use her standing 4!!!! This is one of her most important moves, even if it is really basic. Without it, she would be low tier period, no debate. With it, some people can argue that she's a little higher then that (but I won't, hehe). Offense: Jun's offense needs to revolve around moves that possess good priority, speed, and recovery (when they're blocked or whiffed). That said, some good moves to use would be her standing 2, standing 4, ff+2, d_df+2, and her basic pokes. Yes, this is a rather limited range of moves, but Jun has no real super move or string that gives her an advantage over everyone else (i.e 1,1,1 for the Changs). When you go on the attack, be smart. You can afford to make VERY little mistakes. Poke and use moves that will possibly interrupt their attacks (such as d_df+2). Attack when you KNOW you can attack. Don't ever try to take over the offense because Jun isn't that kind of character. You will HAVE to be patient in picking out your attack opportunities. One move that you can use often without having to worry much about is her standing 2. It's probably her most reliable juggle starter because it juggles ANYONE, even True Ogre (though I admit I have to check up on this, heh). Also, abuse the HELL out of her B+1+2 throw. Anytime you have an opportunity to throw, DO IT. You can not afford to pass up an opportunity for easy damage. Her B+1+2 throw provides you with a way to do fast damage AND it gives you a safe way to tag out. Remember to use her 1+2 move too. Some think this move isn't very good because of how slow it is. On the contrary, this move is an integral part of her offense. You just need to learn when to use this move. For example, are you throwing it out just hoping to catch someone with it? If you are, then you are using it wrong. 1+2 should be used when your opponent whiffs or when you successfully SS their attack. I find myself using this move more often then a throw when I SS a move because of two reasons: 1) throws can be broken 2) The stun induced by 1+2 can not be broken. Because I find myself playing against really good competition a lot, I hardly ever use the side throw, opting instead for 1+2. And as in the case of her defense, Jun's standing 4 should be a common staple in her offense. With its great priority and speed, it'll be one of your most reliable moves. As for the sidestep aspect of her game, her ss+4 and ss+2, 1+2 are good mixups. Both have good priority and speed, especially ss+4. Okizeme: Jun has somewhat limited options in this category, so you will have to learn how to maximize the damage she can inflict on a grounded opponent. First of all, even though it'll take off the most damage out of her okizeme moves on a single hit, Jun's 3+4 cartwheel shouldn't be used very much unless in certain instances (such as after a CH SS+4). Why? It's rather easy to techroll from this move, and if you whiff it, you'll likely eat a rising kick. Plus, the recovery time isn't that great either. The most obvious choice are her leg cutters (D/B+4,4,4). Most of the time, you'll probably hit them with one, unless they roll. In which case, all three are guaranteed. Another obvious choice against people is her white heron combo (1+4,2,4_d+4). If the person doesn't know how to techroll correctly, they'll get caught by this and be juggled on the ground. If they roll backwards or forwards, a ff+2 will knock them back down immediately so you can continue the okizeme damage. You can bait them to get hit by her ws+3 as well. Simply jump towards the opponent, if they try to roll at all or get up, immediately hit 3 as you land for the ws move. But one useful tactic I find that people don't use much is this. You can use fc_d/f+2 as an okizeme tactic. Read your opponent. Are they a constant techroller, or do they lay down on the ground. If they do the latter, df+2 is a good tactic. Rush in and start SS around your opponent, keeping close to them. When you sense that they will attack, you can use this, which will CH and allow you a free ws+3. Of course, the scenario I just described presumes that they will do a rising attack of some kind. Also, b+1 can be used as well. Stay a little bit out of their rising attack range and use this. If they try anything, this will CH and you can start the okizeme fun all over again. If you ever catch a rolling opponent with a d+1 and you see that they are juggled, go straight into a ws+3 for some quick, easy damage. Conclusion: After reading this faq, you would have no doubt realized that Jun is a weak character. But, are there ANY benefits to learning her? Actually, yes. Using Jun is like being handicapped during the entire match (haha, tis' true). Whether you like it or not, you will learn more about the abstract aspects of Tekken. You will come to learn how important things such as Sidestepping, anticipation, and etc. are. If you want character specific strats or crap like that, you can email me or post on zaibatsu because I damn near live there, heh. Oh yah, in future revisions, I will expand more on the strategy sections, because they are pretty sucky right now. I'll also add the throw set up section and test out some of the stuff that I've wrote (because remember, I haven't played for a while since writing this faq…) Author's Rant: I've played Tekken on and off since Tekken 2. That's when I first started using Jun. I really got into it when I began to play Tekken tag Tournament at UCI however. We have decent competition there to say the least. And I also was in close proximity to SHGL, which I greatly appreciated as well. If anyone is interested in playing me, I'd be happy to accept your challenge. I play up and down California depending on the time of year. During the school year, I'm down in the LA area, because I go to school at UC Irvine. In fact, if you live anywhere near Irvine, you can find me at UCI's arcade, because I'm there almost every day. If it's the summer or vacation time or holidays (such as winter break or what not), I'm usually back in San Jose and the bay area. If you can make it to the East Side of San Jose (provided you didn't get shot or whatever), you can play me and my friends at one of our houses or one of the many other places we frequent. I'll be the Vietnamese guy who has spiky hair (at least right now I do), and I'm kinda big, because I used to wrestle. I don't know if I have any other distinguishing characteristics other then that I'm almost always using a Jun/Ganryu team with their black outfits. Just go around going "sho? Sho?" or "phuong? Phuong?". If I answer, that's me, if not… too bad, haha. Places I play at (and recommend that you do as well): SHGL (Southern Hills Golf Land) I usually show up to SHGL on the weekends when I feel like getting the living crap beaten out of me. Heh, honestly though, anyone who wants to get better should go to SHGL. Even when you lose, you'll learn something. Plus, you can meet some of the best players in the world such as Alex Valle (calipower), Mike Nappi (MIC), Thomas Kim (tomhilfigr), Shauno, Mr. Wizard, The Chink, and so many more that I can't name them all. Plus, you can see some of the tekken "personalities" (for lack of a better word), such as the LEGENDARY KING OF THE IRON FIST: REVEREND C!!!! Yes, marvel at his infinite tekken knowledge and prowess. Haha, nah, he's a nice dude, just totally opposite of his online personality. Spman's also there a lot, and he'll give you a lesson or two in ass whooping. MGL (Milpitas Golf Land) SHGL is legendary in Southern California, but what if you're in Northern California? Unless you like driving 6 hours to SGHL, your best alternative would be MGL. Second only to SHGL as the arcade with the best competition in the entire US, top caliber players are here as well. Shafi, Joeking (who is just insanely good), Srayer, Chinaman, MattK, Ricky, The Frisco Crew all play here on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The only bad thing would have to be the wait, because sometimes there will be as many as 8 or 10 people in line to play. Thanks: I'd like to thank Mandy (aka Little Pony) first of all, because I jacked her movelist (with her permission of course). Be sure to check out her web site, it has some cool combo movies and ish over there. And thanks to Jit/KOFtekken for their advanced TTT techniques faq. That's where I learned that ws+3 was guaranteed after certain situations. I'd also like to thank Reverend C, because he's taught me a bunch of crap that I didn't know about Tekken (perhaps the most important one being Jun sucks, lol). Thanks to Spman for being a funny little bastard online, so I could talk to him about Tekken and stuff while I'm at work. The same can be said about J&H, Maikujin, 725, PsiSoldier, and the Phoenix Firebird. I'll also thank Valle, MIC, Tomhilfigir and the SHGL dudes that murder me everytime I go there so that I learn what I'm doing right and wrong. The Northern Cali Tekken Crew (Joeking, Shafi, Chinaman, Srayer, Ricky, Mattk, 725, Shockwave, the rest of the SF and SJ crew) for beating my ass and teaching me more about Tekken, even if I'm hardly there at MGL. They're all nice dudes and will help you out, especially Mattk. And I'm trying to copy Ganny strats from Srayer, so I should give him a shout out too, heh. Oh yah, he has a good Jun too, probably better than mine in fact. The other Jun players that I know, such as Cphame, Milk, and Xit_Vono, hope you guys enjoy this faq or at least discover something new. Thanks to the rest of the people who live at the UCI arcade with me: Chetan, Sammy, Larry, Justin, Paul, Tristan, and all those other fools. And I'd like to thank John, Johnny, and Brandon, for getting their asses kicked by me in Tekken constantly. Heh, just kidding dudes (or half kidding…), always nice to play you people when I'm back in San Jose. And no Melodie, I don't care if you think I play too damn much and have lost whatever semblance of a life that I once had, hehe. Thanks to all I've forgotten as well. Finally done with this damn FAQ, peace.