Bang Shishigami: The Manliness has Begun.

This forum is to help you learn the many basic strategies for the Manly ninja. Second post will provide you with information.

Welcome to the 5a5k team, my fellow users. If you need help on Bang Shishigami, this is the place.

Who is Bang Shishigami?
Taken from the official site
"Profile:Height: 192 cm
Weight: 105 kg
Birthday: January 1
Blood Type: B
Race: Human
Hobbies: Training, thinking of names for his special moves
Values: The 6-foot nail (memento of his master)
Likes: Justice
Dislikes: Evil

Personality:A real man, who never compromises in either his duty or his desires. He’s very impulsive, although whether that’s a good trait or a bad one is open to interpretation. As he a ninja, he takes good care of his henchmen and subordinates.

Backstory:After losing their home in the Ikaruga Civil War, Bang and his clan of ninjas fled to Kagutsuchi to regroup and wait for a chance to restore their homeland to its former glory. While in Kagutsuchi, Bang decides to make his debut as a “Vigilante of Justice”. When he learns that Ragna the Bloodedge has come to Kagutsuchi, he decides to bring the legendary criminal to justice!"

For this learning experience, we will use this as a basic guide.
Movement:
789
456
123
j.: jump
Sj.: Super jump (duck, then jump anywhere)
ad: airdash, Iad: Instant airdash (press 9 or 7 then press 6 or 4, respectively)
RC: Rapid cancel (50% heat and press ABC)
A: weak attack (Square)
B: medium attack (Triangle)
C: strong attack (Circle)
D: drive (X)

Bang has the same life as Jin (11500) so he is a glutton for punishment. He also has an autoguard in his drive that allows him to teleport by pressing either A, B, or C, with A being the closest and C being the farthest.
Pros:
Great mobility, with bumpers and 2 airdashes.
Strong mix-up game with highs, lows, throws, cross-ups, and feints that get to ungodly levels in FU-RIN-KA-ZAN!!
Has solid pressure.
3rd highest life, tied with Jin.
Manly as all hell.

Cons:
Has questionable damage output.
Short range attacks/pokes.
Most moves lack priority.
Long pressure strings rely on nails.
Only 12 nails per round.

Long hiatus is long, ok time for normalz n' specialz.

Normals:
5a – Bang throws a quick left jab.
No longer the god it is. But a decent move in it's on right still. Slightly slower (6 frames compared to 5), but recovers faster. Also neutral on block, making it 95% safe on instant block. Alright anti-air as well. Jump cancellable on block as well, but less important given it's your poke and combo starter. Prorates pretty badly compared to...

5b – Bang throws a right straight.
Has range and damage over 5a, but starts up slower. 10 frames compared to 8 to be precise. Also now -2 instead of -1, but still fairly safe and decent priority compared to most of Bang's normals. Oddly enough will combo into 5c on counterhit. New air unblockable property makes it a moderate anti-air, better against turtlers holding up back nearby though

5c – Bang slams his hands on top of his opponent.
Overhead. Part of the mixup game. Doesn't lead to much damage unless you're in the corner. Starts up in 18 frames but doesn't actually hit crouchers until frame 24....Fatal counters. Jump cancellable on block

5d – Bang’s gauntlets glow, then he lunges with an uppercut.
Only autoguards mids and highs from frames 3-11. Major change to the properties of this move - hitting with it no longer launches but leaves them in place (can only followup with 623b). On counter hit, launches on wall bounces. Try to confirm the ch into a decent combo. When autoguard with this or Bang's other D moves, pressing a,b, or c will teleport him forward, usually behind the opponent. Heavier button - longer distance. D moves are also now special cancellable!

All D normals grant a seal on hit. 4 Seals allow you to unleash the incredible FuuRinKaZan!

6a – Bang lifts his leg up then thrusts it low.
Hits low, but kinda slow. Doesn’t connect much outside of combos. This is jump cancellable on block. 5c can gatling into this for safer high->low than 5c, 2c (6a is +1, and good for frame traps). But 2c is unreactable and forces a guess. 6a grants a slightly better reward now with 2c being forced tech (more on that in it's writeup).

6b – Bang does a flip forward connecting with his leg.
Overhead. Only -1 on block too! Airborne properties give it an edge vs. low moves and stop you from getting thrown. Even more useful overall. 5c, 6b is a double overhead gatling! I need to find the combo possiblities from this move though.

6c – Bang leaps forward with a high kick.
Doesn’t hit crouching. A combo filler move. Takes off a guard primer. For the 3rd game in a row, we are cursed with this move that doesn't hit crouching characters

6d – Bang turns around and delivers a low kick.
Buffed. Starts up way faster (24 compared to 30 frames). Autoguards mids and lows from frames 1-14. Hits low, and speciall cancellable adds safety to this move getting blocked. Sadly no longer takes a primer off. But is useful in combos and as an occasional defensive maneuver now!

2a – Bang crouches down and gives a quick chop to a feet.
The same as CS. Fast and hits low. Horrible proration though so try not to start a combo with it very often. Note for new players - can only use twice in succession.

2b – Bang thrusts his elbow forward.
An important move, because it is jump cancellable on block, yet is fast enough not to be reacted against in pressure, with some possible extreme exceptions . This will let us reset our pressure game as you’ll find out later. Also important because it is used for a variety of reasons in many combos, and it has a long reach for Bang. Slightly buffed with it's new gatling into 5b, which gives it a better use in neutral situations. We'll see just how far it takes this move.

2c – Bang does a sweep kick.
Hits low. Frames are nerfed to -4 on block. Now your opponent can tech right when they hit they ground, making this move near useless. This negative property is removed in FRKZ, where you'll be using this move in combos.

2d – Bang’s gauntlets glow as he crouches, then he uppercuts.
AKA Fist Pump. Decent move but lacks range. Unlike other D moves, you CAN cancel this on block with a jump. Combo timing for j.d without counter hit varies by character, as does the need for a super jump or regular jump. Autoguards highs and mids.

3c – Bang does a slide kick ala Dictator, Claw, Dhalsim, etc.
Unsafe on block. On hit, can combo 2a to pop em up depending on distance. Takes a primer, and fatal counters. Use 2b to combo in such a case. Also used outside the corner for a free extra hit after an air throw (in the corner you can do oh so much more...).

j.a – Bang throws a quick air punch. Can be repeated for a couple of punches switching hands.
Fast short range air poke, a way to potentially anti-air even. You can use air and ground command grabs as well as air unblockable ground normals to trap after this move.

j.b – Bang kicks horizontally in the air.
Longer range air to air, used in air combos and a potential poke. Can go into an ground bread and butter if hitting a grounded opponent.

j.c – Bang kicks downward.
Air to ground. Occasional air to air too. Will send an aerial opponent to the ground. Can go into an ground bread and butter if hitting a grounded opponent. Can crossup, but harder to do. Easier on fatties like Tager.

j.d – Bang gathers energy into his hands and slams downward.
Autoguard 4-15 properties, against mid and high attacks. Used in some air combos as well. Downs opponent no matter where you hit them (air or ground). Halts aerial momentum. Horrible proration now. On counterhit, this move ground bounces.

j.4b – Bang kicks behind him.
Bang’s old j.4c, basically j.c in the other direction. Crossup tool. Hits pull them towards you.

j. 4c – Bang performs what looks like a 6c in the air.
Air to air and combo filler mainly. Jump cancellable on hit.

Throw (bc) - Bang grabs his opponent, disappearing before coming out with a drop kick.
Wallbounces. Combo afterward in the corner with a dashing 6d.

Air throw (j.bc) – Bang grabs his opponent, then disappears before teleporting behind (infront if you input 4bc) with a kick.
Causes groundslide. Followups are now possible, though simple midscreen, you can do some of Bang's strongest combos in the corner.

Special moves:

Guardpoint A/B/C – When your D move autoguards an attack, pressing A, B, or C will have Bang teleport, then finish the attack.
Button pressed determines distance teleported, A being the shortest, C being the longest. Learn to know which to use, or even to teleport at all, depending on the situation.

623c – Bang grabs the opponent, sending them upward delivering a few hits before kicking them downward.
Command throw, though pretty slow and doesn't have great range...Part of your mixup game, as it cannot be broken outside of hit or blockstun. You retain aerial options (such as jumping, dashing, etc.). Rapid the last launching kick to get some combo follow ups. In the corner, 623c RC combos can give Bang up to 6k damage!

j. 623c – Bang grabs his opponent, kicking them up once, then downwards, followed by launching them in the air.
Aerial command grab. Catch predictable techs or jumps for some solid damage. Halts momentum if whiffed. Rapid before the launch (but after Bang gets to the ground) to go for combo follow ups.

623b – Bang throws a punch with both arms engulfed in flame.
No longer wallbounces midscreen. Gives a small wallbounce in corner, which is essential for damage output. -7 on block now means it's not so great a poke. Fatal counter lets it wall bounce midscreen. Takes a primer off.

j.623b – Bang lunges forward once again throwing a punch with both arms engulfed in flame.
Similar to 623b. Game counts it as a different move for damage scaling purposes. Better recovery time. An opponent bouncing off the wall from outside the corner can possibly get hit with 5c or 6d to add plenty of the combo, makes this essential to learn.

j.236a/b/c/d – Bang throws a nail from his supply of 12. The button pressed determines the nail.

A nails are thrown at a 30 degree angle and Bang retains his momentum. These nails poison on hit. The poison is pretty solid and can be worth using after a j.c depending on preference. Can be used to maintain distance from afar or approach by cancelling your airdash with one (Bang retains the momentum).

B nails are thrown at a 45 degree angle, and Bang retains his momentum. These nails will bounce off the ground or whatever they hit and then make a small explosion. Covers some space, though not as effective as d nails.

C nails are thrown at a 60 degree angle and Bang stays in place. These nails upon hit will ensnare the opponent in a net. Useful for getting some extra damage midscreen and with the nerf to d nails, may be used to reset pressure...

D nails are 3 nails thrown at a time at all 30, 45, and 60 degree angles. They halt Bang in the air, and bounce off the ground. They are also fast to come out and recover. D nails have a ton of versatile uses, such as controlling space, keeping distance, providing cover, and even resetting pressure. As expected, they consume 3 nails from your stock instead of 12 unfortunately.

Although still very useful, D nails are nerfed from CS1 in terms of frame advantage (+6 compared to +. Interesting is that they knock down when hitting an airborne opponent. If BB had GG's oki system, that would be a godlike property

214a/b/c/d – Bang lifts his arm up and places a bumper on screen.
A and B versions set bumper in front of you, C above you, D behind you. Jumping into a bumper then pressing a direction will cause you dash in that direction. Only one bumper of each version will be set at a time, setting a second say, A bumper will get rid of the old one, but setting a C bumper while an A bumper is out, will have both of them on screen. With the need for innovation and hard work, Bang's bumpers could have had some life breathe'd into them. Experiment and create your own setups! Remember you can also cancel normals into this, though you will probably be at disadvantage.

Can be done in the air. I'll get the locations for those up soon.

Distortion Drives:

2363214c:Daifunka – Bang dashes forward, if he connects, will perform a damaging autocombo.
Carries opponent to the corner. Has invincibility on dash (frames 1-24 after dash). Not as easy to combo into now and may not be with it (unless you will win of course). Unsafe on block. Can no longer follow up. Takes a primer off.

632146b:Steel Rain – Bang throws an umbrella above his opponent, causing many nails to rain from it.
Consumes all nails, with more damage/hits depending on remaining nails. Slightly invincible. Generally Bang’s other supers are more viable, but this has uses too. Try using it up close to bait DPs, even if it means a trade, you’ll get the free damage in that case or a chance to start pressure.

236236a: Ashura – Bang goes into a powerup stance releasing tons of energy around him. On hit, the opponent will get sent up and 2 Bang’s will appear, attacking in an X formation, as the opponent drops down, Bang will pose like a Kamen Rider.
Unlike Daifunka, covers above him. This plus the invincibility can make this a reversal of choice. Forces opponents to respect you when pressuring or getting up or get hit. Not as safe overall as CS, but not too bad. On the other hand, you can RC this move and no longer get put at frame disadvantage on hit. Also does 2500 damage vs 2200 in CS1. And the extra startup is after the flash, where Bang is invincible. Bang's best direct damage super now imo.

632146d:FRKZ – The game will pause, Bang’s special theme will play, and Bang will pose, powering up into FuuRinKaZan.
Bang becomes extremely fast, with his normal movement being changed into a special 8 way dash that can go through opponents. Most normals (I believe the exceptions are 6b and 3c) become cancellable into this dash, and you can cancel the dash at certain points with a throw or attack. In the air, you can dash 3 times at most before you fall to the ground. You cannot throw nails while dashing. Activating this move will create slight frame advantage. Due to the fact that teachable time is determined by attacks, not time (you still didn’t read the mechanics guide?), you can activate mid combo and finish it with FuuRinKaZan. Cannot block due to dashing, but you CAN barrier block. Attacks do 120% damage.

Backdash distance is cut in half compared to CS1, get used to it, it greatly nerfs FRKZ runaway. Allows Bang to do strong midscreen damage and great mixup at the cost of some defense.

Astral Heat:

j.6321463214d:The Ultimate Bang – Bang will get the giant nail off of his back and stab. Connecting will cause Bang to go through many random old Japanese styled doorways on his way to drive the nail into his victim. Bang will then do his FuuRinKaZan victory pose (crossed arms posed with the letters on the side)…without wearing anything but a scarf and underwear.
No minimum height requirement allow this to be tk’d! Has lots of autoguard everywhere. Oh and it's unblockable too . If you have the heat at the end of the match, go for it! You’ll be the hero at your arcade/tournament/gathering for sure. X3

We will finally get to the best part about Bang next post, the pressure strings.

Now we got the moves out of the way, time to get to the pressure strings and tips.

Pressure and Mixup:
This is Bang’s specialty! First a list of moves with special hit properties to get you an idea.
5a - jump cancellable on block, neutral on block.
2a – low
6a – low, jump cancellable on block, +1 on block.
2c – low
6d - low
5c – high, jump cancellable on block.
6b – high
2b – jump cancellable on block.
2d - jump cancellable on block.
6c - jump cancellable on block. Doesn't hit crouching.
623c – grab – untechable.
4/5/6bc – grab – techable.
2369c or d - nails close to the ground. Use after a jumpcancellable move for advantage and reset/trap your mixup!

However, despite these options, let's go over some of the shortcomings.
Bang's normals and command grab lack range - this will either force the need to try reset or end your pressure, and make you more predictable.
Bang gets pushed back far from barrier guard - With problem number 1, this can cause you to whiff moves in unexpected situations. However, take advantage of barrier - they need to drop it to jump. and causes longer blockstun. It may be a good time to break out a throw if you're opponent barriers often.
Lesser advantage - 5b, 2c, and 2369d all lost some frame advantage. There's no way to change this - Bang is weaker in this game.

Bumpers:
Although these are somewhat of a gimmick to begin with, and take from the important nail supply a well placed bumper can still lead to damage and open opponents up. Generally you’ll be placing them above your head or infront. Try to use your dash similar to a FuuRinKaZan dash to catch your opponent off guard with a mixup. You can go for a crossup j.c, a 2 or 3 or dash into a mixup or pressure, or a grab. A simple example of placement is to try after a 6d that won't lead to a corner wall bounce.

The key to utilizing Bang's mixup is to both be innovative and diverse and potentially be repetitive at the same time. How so? Well naturally you'll need mixup and creativity to open people up. But if you find something that works, USE IT!

FuuRinKaZan:
A tool unique to Bang (don't accept cheap substitutes cough Jill MvC3 cough) in any fighting game. Lost it's ability to run away with backwards dash distance getting cut in half. Sacrificing your ability to block, FRKZ is about total offense now. And what an offense it is! Going with the example of an unreactable j.c, if your opponent guesses right, you can dash cancel into the following options:
6 dash to another j.c or j.b - a crossup and another overhead.
2 dash to the ground and a move with great frame advantage that the dashes exploit more (5a, 5b, 6a)
2 dash to the ground and a high low mixup.
2 dash to the ground and throw. Generally once you have people in range of Bang, they'll be scared and block. Beware of invincible dragon punch moves though!
Change a 2 dash to a 3 dash to retain those options and cross up your opponent.

And every one of those options with the exception of the throw can reset into another one (8 or 9 dash from the ground for jumping options. Experiment to create your own shenanigans!

Not only is it easy to open up opportunities, but you'll be doing tons of damage off a hit confirm with any dash cancellable move! Our combo thread already has some great FRKZ combos (and the first post will be updated with an easier way to reference them).

The activation of FRKZ is a powerful tool as well. +1 frame advantage for no reason! There's generally 3 times to activate:
When you are or know you can get in: After a knockdown or sending an opponent flying or cancelling from a normal to build more frame advantage.
To continue a combo: Start a combo, activate, and continue it with the FRKZ movement properties and damage boost.
Punish!: Instant block a move, activate FRKZ and throw out a 5a like it's CS1 all over again! Just be aware of what you can and can't do.

FRKZ can be a great asset to any Bang, and should be learned by all to always have the option.

Next time we go to combos and misc. tips.