...in collaboration with Laucorn and Don Vecta
In the order they're organised in SoRMaker.
This is based on Mania behaviour.
Row 1
Spoiler: show
SoR2 Galsia
This little punching bag is considered the least threatening enemy.
However, when mixed with more powerful enemies he has an annoying habit of appearing behind you and smacking you just when you're about to lay down the law on a more important target, who'll then sieze the opportunity to kick your arse. So don't ignore him.
In swarms of low-levels, Galsia2s are only any real threat if your character has a short reach, since they're quick-jabbers and love to surround you so they can all show off how fast their punches fly.
Galsia2 can appear with a knife and shuffle around the screen in straight lines, but if you knock it out of his hands he'll never pick it back up.
Galsia2 will not attack you if you are in the air! He always waits for you to land before trying to punch.
SoR2 Donovan
Basically Galsia2 with his shirt off, some unnecessary sunglasses (the games are all over night, lol), and a bit of muscle tone. Also a shaved head.
Unlike Galsia2, Donnie2 has more than just a quick jab for his attacks.
If you let him jab you twice, he'll finish with his signature uppercut.
His uppercut comes out very quickly, and he uses it any time you jump, making him one of the most annoying anti-air enemies.
Characters with jump attacks that can hit him quickly before his uppercut can be executed, or from far away, should use this to their advantage, as Donnie2 rarely tries to evade jump attacks, but will instead gladly walk in to them believing he can uppercut them away.
Donovan2 can appear with a pipe in hand, but if you knock it from his hands he'll never bother picking it back up again.
While he's actually holding a pipe... he has a very slow swing speed.
SoR2 Fog
The default name is actually supposed to be Fog... Storm wears pink (less common) in the original.
Fog (and Gale) are the yellow ones.
The Fog bikers are more dangerous, since their bikes have a seemingly larger hitbox than their SoR3 counterparts, and are more prone to just speeding through the screen without any intro.
Fog bikers also fight on foot, and are pretty annoying.
Their combo is fast with no delay for interruptions, so your only option when punched is usually to use your special.
Turn your back on one and he'll swoosh up to you and land a sucker punch right to the spine.
Walk straight at him and he sometimes does the sucker punch in your face, too... generally an extremely annoying attack.
On higher difficulties, these bikers can move surprisingly fast, and will resort to their sucker punch a lot more.
Sometimes these bikers will appear holding pipes.
They have a moderate swing speed, so disarming them is of fairly high priority.
Note that unarmed bikers will grab any pipe or bat they see on the floor, so make sure you get those weapons first.
When a biker is knocked down, he gets back up quickly. Grappler characters enjoy.
One last thing is that the Fog bikers will sometimes grab you from behind... just flip'em off.
Vice
A speedy little guy who has a combo of 2 fast punches then one slow punch (with twice the damage).
The final punch is extremely easy to interrupt, so there's usually never any need to bother with your special if you take the first 2 hits.
Sometimes Vice will try to catch you with his slow knockdown punch. This is usually when your back is turned, or when you grab one of his mates. Even if you're knee-slamming the crap out of his mate, the range on this punch is usually long enough so he isn't caught in your attacks. So be careful.
Like the bikers above, Vice will try grabbing you from behind. So flip him for a free throw and 200 points.
Unlike the bikers, he'll also grab you from the front and start headbutting you.
Whenever Vice is about to grab, he'll usually start circling or rush you from an angle. Using a jump attack is pretty safe since he can't grab you while you're airborne. Back attacks are also good, since if you're too slow he'll just get you from behind so you get a free throw.
SoR2 Signal
Bounces around thinking he's a tough guy, but is actually pretty weak.
He does usually have a lot more HP than his buddies, though.
Signal likes to slide and trip you up. Jump, and catch him with a down-air stun if he tries it.
He also likes to throw you around. Holding Up+C will get you to land on your feet.
If he turns his back on you, he's preparing a backhand fist smash. It's not a very fast attack, so it's easy to interrupt. Signals use this attack as an anti-air move, by the way, if you think jumping around to avoid the slides will make you safe... think again.
When knocked down, a Signal gets up fairly quickly, and is very vulnerable to grabs like this.
Last point... Signals like attention, so if you're dealing with other enemies, a Signal will usually either rush you and toss you across the screen, or sneak up and smash his fist in to your skull.
Slum
Similar to Vice, but unable to grab.
Slums have one annoying trait... they will block. They will block everything (he'll even try to block bullets on Mania!).
Characters who can rush and grab won't be able to just run up to him to ignore this... attempting to charge at a Slum will result in running right in to his foot as he holds it out at you.
Slums are a surprisingly formidable enemy, even though they're just common mook tier.
Note that the kick almost never seems to happen if you're in Stage 1. But becomes more likely in later stages.
By Stage 5 the kick is almost guaranteed if you charge one.
SoR2 Electra
A formidable sub-boss, with electrifying long range and a leg that hits like a steel pipe.
At range, she will try to line up and extend her whip to shock you. Dodge roll or something... just don't get caught!
Characters with a good air game can do a running leap with a down-air to interrupt her. It may require a bit of timing but is a great counter-attack when successful.
Close up, Electra will wander around above or below you in a slow, careful, and surprisingly unpredictable path.
Trying to move up/down to her level and not catching her immediately with an attack or grab will trigger her to kick you in the face, and it will hurt.
Electra also has an anti-air upward whip-flail. It looks a bit odd but has high priority.
When knocked down, Electra gains the power of invincibility!
If you stand over her, she will use this invincibility to launch a flying kick.
A jump attack with the right timing and positioning, for certain characters, will catch her first and knock her back down. However, if you try this from the wrong distance, she will use her anti-air attack (while invincible, of course) and knock you down instead.
Barbon
A boss who is fairly simple in Stage 1, but becomes increasingly formidable in later stages.
By Stage 8, he will gladly block every damn attempt at attacking him.
By Stage 8, you may as well call him 'Blockbon'.
Barbon's main attacks are the stomach punch, the up-kick, and the roundhouse kick.
The stomach punch is his bread and butter. He will approach you, slide close and then PAWNCH.
If you don't stop him... PAWNCH again. It looks painful, and you should probably stop him before he hits you again.
Having two Barbons on either side is a painful scenario if they both start doing this. So use your special so they GTFO!
Jumping at Barbon will result in his up-kick. It's extremely fast and counters various air attacks. Characters who can run and leap at high speed have better luck at catching him first but can still get unlucky.
Note that the up-kick is also his defensive special if you grab him from the front. So if you get a hold of him, do something quickly before he uses this attack!
Trying anything else... even breathing... around Barbon, will result in a roundhouse kick.
It's quick, it's painful, and most of all... it's annoying.
This is also used if you grab him from behind.
Approaching Barbon from an oblique is the best way to avoid the roundhouse, but when you get closer watch out for that stomach punch.
Alternatively, some characters have luck approaching with their blitzes.
Note that Barbon will throw you if he gets a hold of you... but this is no threat, since he'll usually bowl down his back-up when this happens.
Last thing about Barbon... he is invincible while getting up. Stand too close and you will trigger one of his attacks.
This little punching bag is considered the least threatening enemy.
However, when mixed with more powerful enemies he has an annoying habit of appearing behind you and smacking you just when you're about to lay down the law on a more important target, who'll then sieze the opportunity to kick your arse. So don't ignore him.
In swarms of low-levels, Galsia2s are only any real threat if your character has a short reach, since they're quick-jabbers and love to surround you so they can all show off how fast their punches fly.
Galsia2 can appear with a knife and shuffle around the screen in straight lines, but if you knock it out of his hands he'll never pick it back up.
Galsia2 will not attack you if you are in the air! He always waits for you to land before trying to punch.
SoR2 Donovan
Basically Galsia2 with his shirt off, some unnecessary sunglasses (the games are all over night, lol), and a bit of muscle tone. Also a shaved head.
Unlike Galsia2, Donnie2 has more than just a quick jab for his attacks.
If you let him jab you twice, he'll finish with his signature uppercut.
His uppercut comes out very quickly, and he uses it any time you jump, making him one of the most annoying anti-air enemies.
Characters with jump attacks that can hit him quickly before his uppercut can be executed, or from far away, should use this to their advantage, as Donnie2 rarely tries to evade jump attacks, but will instead gladly walk in to them believing he can uppercut them away.
Donovan2 can appear with a pipe in hand, but if you knock it from his hands he'll never bother picking it back up again.
While he's actually holding a pipe... he has a very slow swing speed.
SoR2 Fog
The default name is actually supposed to be Fog... Storm wears pink (less common) in the original.
Fog (and Gale) are the yellow ones.
The Fog bikers are more dangerous, since their bikes have a seemingly larger hitbox than their SoR3 counterparts, and are more prone to just speeding through the screen without any intro.
Fog bikers also fight on foot, and are pretty annoying.
Their combo is fast with no delay for interruptions, so your only option when punched is usually to use your special.
Turn your back on one and he'll swoosh up to you and land a sucker punch right to the spine.
Walk straight at him and he sometimes does the sucker punch in your face, too... generally an extremely annoying attack.
On higher difficulties, these bikers can move surprisingly fast, and will resort to their sucker punch a lot more.
Sometimes these bikers will appear holding pipes.
They have a moderate swing speed, so disarming them is of fairly high priority.
Note that unarmed bikers will grab any pipe or bat they see on the floor, so make sure you get those weapons first.
When a biker is knocked down, he gets back up quickly. Grappler characters enjoy.
One last thing is that the Fog bikers will sometimes grab you from behind... just flip'em off.
Vice
A speedy little guy who has a combo of 2 fast punches then one slow punch (with twice the damage).
The final punch is extremely easy to interrupt, so there's usually never any need to bother with your special if you take the first 2 hits.
Sometimes Vice will try to catch you with his slow knockdown punch. This is usually when your back is turned, or when you grab one of his mates. Even if you're knee-slamming the crap out of his mate, the range on this punch is usually long enough so he isn't caught in your attacks. So be careful.
Like the bikers above, Vice will try grabbing you from behind. So flip him for a free throw and 200 points.
Unlike the bikers, he'll also grab you from the front and start headbutting you.
Whenever Vice is about to grab, he'll usually start circling or rush you from an angle. Using a jump attack is pretty safe since he can't grab you while you're airborne. Back attacks are also good, since if you're too slow he'll just get you from behind so you get a free throw.
SoR2 Signal
Bounces around thinking he's a tough guy, but is actually pretty weak.
He does usually have a lot more HP than his buddies, though.
Signal likes to slide and trip you up. Jump, and catch him with a down-air stun if he tries it.
He also likes to throw you around. Holding Up+C will get you to land on your feet.
If he turns his back on you, he's preparing a backhand fist smash. It's not a very fast attack, so it's easy to interrupt. Signals use this attack as an anti-air move, by the way, if you think jumping around to avoid the slides will make you safe... think again.
When knocked down, a Signal gets up fairly quickly, and is very vulnerable to grabs like this.
Last point... Signals like attention, so if you're dealing with other enemies, a Signal will usually either rush you and toss you across the screen, or sneak up and smash his fist in to your skull.
Slum
Similar to Vice, but unable to grab.
Slums have one annoying trait... they will block. They will block everything (he'll even try to block bullets on Mania!).
Characters who can rush and grab won't be able to just run up to him to ignore this... attempting to charge at a Slum will result in running right in to his foot as he holds it out at you.
Slums are a surprisingly formidable enemy, even though they're just common mook tier.
Note that the kick almost never seems to happen if you're in Stage 1. But becomes more likely in later stages.
By Stage 5 the kick is almost guaranteed if you charge one.
SoR2 Electra
A formidable sub-boss, with electrifying long range and a leg that hits like a steel pipe.
At range, she will try to line up and extend her whip to shock you. Dodge roll or something... just don't get caught!
Characters with a good air game can do a running leap with a down-air to interrupt her. It may require a bit of timing but is a great counter-attack when successful.
Close up, Electra will wander around above or below you in a slow, careful, and surprisingly unpredictable path.
Trying to move up/down to her level and not catching her immediately with an attack or grab will trigger her to kick you in the face, and it will hurt.
Electra also has an anti-air upward whip-flail. It looks a bit odd but has high priority.
When knocked down, Electra gains the power of invincibility!
If you stand over her, she will use this invincibility to launch a flying kick.
A jump attack with the right timing and positioning, for certain characters, will catch her first and knock her back down. However, if you try this from the wrong distance, she will use her anti-air attack (while invincible, of course) and knock you down instead.
Barbon
A boss who is fairly simple in Stage 1, but becomes increasingly formidable in later stages.
By Stage 8, he will gladly block every damn attempt at attacking him.
By Stage 8, you may as well call him 'Blockbon'.
Barbon's main attacks are the stomach punch, the up-kick, and the roundhouse kick.
The stomach punch is his bread and butter. He will approach you, slide close and then PAWNCH.
If you don't stop him... PAWNCH again. It looks painful, and you should probably stop him before he hits you again.
Having two Barbons on either side is a painful scenario if they both start doing this. So use your special so they GTFO!
Jumping at Barbon will result in his up-kick. It's extremely fast and counters various air attacks. Characters who can run and leap at high speed have better luck at catching him first but can still get unlucky.
Note that the up-kick is also his defensive special if you grab him from the front. So if you get a hold of him, do something quickly before he uses this attack!
Trying anything else... even breathing... around Barbon, will result in a roundhouse kick.
It's quick, it's painful, and most of all... it's annoying.
This is also used if you grab him from behind.
Approaching Barbon from an oblique is the best way to avoid the roundhouse, but when you get closer watch out for that stomach punch.
Alternatively, some characters have luck approaching with their blitzes.
Note that Barbon will throw you if he gets a hold of you... but this is no threat, since he'll usually bowl down his back-up when this happens.
Last thing about Barbon... he is invincible while getting up. Stand too close and you will trigger one of his attacks.
Row 2
Spoiler: show
Jack
A speedy sub-boss who likes to trip on crack.
He runs around the screen at super speed, and either grabs a knife from the floor, or whips one out of the many pockets in his jacket.
With the knife, he has a two-stage slashing attack. Which, as well as being very high priority, has anti-air properties.
If he can't get in close for his slash, he will line up and throw his knife at you. This makes him deadly in swarms, since while you're dealing with the others, he'll stand outside the crowd and precision-strike you with his knife.
Without his knife, he has a 3 hit combo, which is fast at first, but has a small delay on the final hit. If caught in the first two, most characters can interrupt him before the third so they won't need to use a special.
With or without the knife, Jack has a very quick sucker punch/stab attack. Combined with his super crack-powered speed this can be very problematic, as he'll be punching/stabbing you to the ground every few seconds if you're not careful.
If knocked down, Jack is invincible as he stands up. If there's a knife on the floor at his feet, though, he'll waste his invincibility grabbing it most of the time. So one key to fighting Jack is to leave his knives laying on the ground to give the highest chance of him landing by one when you knock him down. He sees that shiny blade and ooooh he has to grab it. Seize the opportunity when he does this.
Nora
Despite wearing high heels, this lady can walk fast. Always keep an eye on her as she wanders around trying to get an opening.
Nora will try to keep her distance at all times. Approaching her directly will result in her jumping up and kicking you right in the face, so always approach her from an angle! Always! Being too cautious with her will cause her to take aggression, where she moves closer in a heartbeat and whips you down. Since her attacks all have long reach, she has no need to get close, and will backpedal with unbelievable speed if you try to chase her down.
If knocked down, Nora will take a long time getting back up. If a player is standing close when she finally gets to her feet... she'll crack that whip for an instant hit. However, she has no invincibility frames while doing this, so if you learn the timing it's possible to catch her with a down-air or some other attack.
If you attack Nora but can't keep up the assault, she'll scream and duck. She'll stay down for about as long as she takes to get up after a knockdown, with her usual whip-crack getup behaviour.
However, with this scream and duck tactic, she'll get up sooner if you turn your back.
This actually also includes walking past her and turning around, so when Nora ducks, just walk past her and do a 180... this will provide a free grab at her arse. Characters like Max, Blaze, and Rudra turn Nora's duck and scream in to a joke.
One last thing... when she first appears, if a player is right in front of her she'll commonly swoop right up to them and whip'em to the floor like a boss.
SoR2 Jet
A boss who is 'airborne' at almost all times.
This means that if you sneeze he'll fall over. Poke him with your little finger and he'll fall over. This means you need to make use of attacks that do the most damage in one hit, or you'll take forever to fight him.
Jet almost never hits the ground, by the way... his boosters will keep him afloat. This also means he'll recover from throws (IIRC... haven't grabbed one in ages).
If he's across the screen, he'll go all Superman on you with a rocket punch. He prepares this by suddenly droppping to the ground. When he drops... he's gonna punch.
The punch is a two-hit attack... first a weak hit, then PAIN.
If you're in the air, the weak hit will usually get you, doing almost no damage.
At mid-range, usually after recovering from being kicked over he'll rise up and then swoop down with a kick.
This has a very slow build-up... he floats up with a very slow and deliberate speed. But once he swoops it's fast as lightning.
Step too close and he'll grab you, take you for a ride in the clouds, then crash you down... and it'll hurt.
This grab has extremely high priority, so don't try the rush and grab game.
Tip with using Helicopter Police special...
If Jet's feet aren't touching the ground, this will do almost no damage to him... he'll get hit a couple of times and fly above the screen is all.
To make sure you catch him, call in the chopper as he does his kick, which grounds him for a few moments, or if you're quick you can do it when he Supermans.
For a brief moment after the Superman punch, he's grounded. By the time the punch ends the chopper will start shooting.
Final note... if you knock Jet off screen and push yourself up to the screen edge, he'll hide. This is useful for dealing with other enemies first. As long as you don't leave the screen edge you won't have to deal with Jet.
Raven
Eagle only showed up in Hard or Above... Raven is the default one you always encountered.
Kickboxers... they are easily the most formidable sub-boss. They have passive-aggressive issues... they'll keep their distance and watch you carefully... from here it can go two ways...
You attack.
Or they attack.
If you attack, 99% of the time the bastard will block. The moment your attack is over or has a break, the kickboxer will hit you with his lightning-speed mid-kick combo-breaker.
If he attacks, he'll gain a sudden burst of speed, and either...
...approach from an angle and begin his lightning fast multi-kick attack.
...approach directly, and jump with his tiger knee. It serves as his 'down air', which he uses to grapple you and begin smashing his knees repeatedly in to your skull.
Kickboxers have an anti-air kick if you try to approach from above. It's quick as lightning like with all their attacks.
A kickboxer's only weaknesses are...
...Rudra's blitzes
...Max's Hug Attack
...bullets or thrown weapons
...grabs
...certain neutral jump kicks*
Fast characters, and with good control even some slow characters, can rush in from an angle and grab a kickboxer. You need to be very careful and watch their movements. This can fail very easily and lead to a painful assault of kicks as punishment, but if successful the kickboxer is finally caught.
He cannot break free once held, but if there are other enemies, don't let them help him... if anyone interrupts you, then the now freed kickboxer will kick the crap out of you in a wild rage.
While standing up, a kickboxer is weak to a re-grab. The hitbox for this grab is extremely tight, though. If you're off by a couple of pixels you'll get a kick in the kidney. If it's too dangerous to regrab (eg: other kickboxers approaching), unload your highest damage attack at them just as they stand up... as long as you can hit the instant they're on their feet, they won't block it 99% of the time.
*Characters with a good air game, like Blaze and Shiva, can stand still and lure in a kickboxer for his tiger knee.
When he does this, jump and kick him in the face. Then just run over and prepare to grab him as he stands up.
Other characters need to resort to special attacks or other methods, but the lure tactic is still an option... just not as simple.
Bear
A boss with a very well-rounded moveset. He's very good at both offense and defense.
He starts out by keeping his distance looking for an opening, and then moves in for the kill the moment he sees his chance.
His basic 3 hit combo is extremely fast, has long range, and can hit you if you're standing above or below him.
That's to say... if you're too high/low for your hits to land... Bear can still hit you. This usually means using a defensive special rarely hits... he'll just back off, wait for your special to end, then move closer and punch you some more.
Approaching Bear directly... that is if he hasn't decided to dodge to the side, will trigger his charging knock-out punch. Attacks that duck (eg: Max's Powerslide, Shiva's Final Crash) will go under the punch.
Narrow stages make Bear considerably easier for characters who can catch him during this attack.
Jumping at Bear is asking for an uppercut in the arse. His uppercut has very high priority and reaches for the stars.
If Bear is keeping his distance, he's probably thinking about using the Ugly Ass jump attack. Lower difficulties will see this coming more easily, but on Mania he'll fly in to the air in an instant and home in.
And I mean that literally, his butt has homing properties. If you dodge roll he actually changes direction to follow you.
When he uses the Ugly Ass, try to move to the left or right of it, turn around, and unleash whatever attack you want. If you can't make it in time... defensive special... immediately.
Regarding grabs... approaching from the front without getting decked in the face by his punches will almost always result in him grappling you for some headbutts. If you catch him from behind, he can elbow you right in the gut to break free.
Last note... Bear is invincible when standing up from the ground. Keep your distance or you're in for some pain.
Abadede
Arguably the toughest boss in the game.
If you stand in front of him, you'll get his simple but painful combo. He pokes you twice, then after a delay (interrupt him now!) he'll smash your skull in.
If you're mid-range in front, he'll dive on top of you with his body slam... if this hits you're gonna lose 1/4 of your HP, and it won't knock you down... it sets you up for one of his grabs.
Abadede can and will spin a player around when grabbing. He's most notorious for grabbing you from behind for a german suplex... from the front. It makes no sense, but it's what he does.
When he grabs you from the front from the front... he'll beat your skull in with a spoon.
When he grabs you from the front from behind or... I dunno, Abadede's grab triggers make no sense... he'll throw you across the screen (land on your feet with Up+C).
Just expect him to suplex you if he gets you, so keep away.
The lower the difficulty, and the faster the character, the less Abadede's success rate becomes, though... so more courageous/foolhardy players can make a game out of Rush & Grab Russian Roulette.
At long range, he'll CHAAAAAAAARGE you across the screen (lightning fast on Mania) and clothesline your face with such force that your head is forced back until it pops out of your arse.
The charge itself is considered a high-priority attack, but does minimal damage. Abadede isn't actually invincible... he just has ridiculous priority and a tiny hitbox for taking your attacks.
The punch itself is seemingly invincible, and does bone-shattering damage. If Abadede charges you and there's no way to dodge, and your gauge is empty... jump and you'll only take the minor charge damage, avoiding the clothesline pwnage.
Contrary to popular belief, it is actually possible to flying kick Abadede while he charges you on Mania.
The hitbox for it is extremely tiny, and it only works with certain characters (Blaze3, Shiva, almost certainly Ash, and maybe Elle). The success rate isn't very reliable, sadly... you need to land the kick at an exact height... which is different for each character, since they all aim different ways with their flying kicks.
About jump kicks... try one and Abadede will uppercut you. The animation looks delayed, but it has ridiculous priority so it'll always win. To catch Abadede in a jump kick, stand above or below him, to bait him in to approaching for a grab or poke combo. Watch his movements very carefully and time a flying kick just as he moves in for the kill. He can't uppercut your jump kick like that.
Abadede's most frustrating, most annoying move of all... when you try anything that doesn't knock him down... even if you try giving him chocolates to cheer him u-
GRAAAWRRRGH!!!
That combo breaker will interrupt anything and everything.
It's a true defensive special, so it's invincible, and hits all around him.
It lasts longer than it looks like it should, and has a huge hitbox around Abadede, so keep your distance and don't touch until he's finished with his pose.
Characters with long reach can bait Abadede in to grawring over and over. Just keep poking him and watch him throw a tantrum.
SoR1 Garcia
This little bastard has a 3 hit combo almost identical to the one used by Fog bikers, even using the same sound effects and damage. He can also get you from behind like the Fog bikers.
Like the bikers, he can also carry pipes or bats... but is much deadlier with them due to his swing speed (very fast) and range (very long).
Unlike the Fog bikers, it should be noted that this guy moves extremely fast!
Garcia with a bat/pipe will keep his distance so you can't touch him, but he'll definitely be able to catch you, and it's gonna hurt. Disarm him ASAP with a blitz or flying kick. Then take the weapon as your own so he can't get it back (he'll pick it off the floor).
He can also wield knives in SoR2 Galsia's fashion, where he happily shuffles in straight lines through the screen almost comically. When he picks a knife off the floor, this is the behaviour he'll use.
Note that Garcia1 has a seemingly larger hitbox than other variants when he uses his knife shuffle.
Sometimes a G-Man will carry some army knives in his pocket. When he whips it out, he'll hold it as his side and back off playing evasive. Get close and he'll stab you with mid-long range.
At range he'll line up and throw it at you, only to get it magically replaced in an instant with another (lol).
When you see a G-Man whip out a knife, he's takes high priority! Go after him and show no mercy!
Note that the Army Knife is quite durable, so knife-loving characters like Blaze can get slash happy.
When knocked to the floor, G-Men take a little more time to get up than most enemies, and their laying down pose makes it a bit awkward to figure out where to be for a regrab, but it doesn't take much practice to get the hang of it.
SoR1 Garcia comes in 3 AI variants...
Normal: Keeps moderate distance and dodges around a bit. Won't overwhelm you, but has no problem moving in for his combo every so often. This Garcia is easiest to deal with, since he isn't constantly trying to beat your face in, and isn't running away like a scared little kid all the time when you go after him.
Some chance of whipping out an army knife when left alone.
Aggressive: He's never gonna give you up. This Garcia will hunt you down and connect fist to face. In swarms they are deadly and formidable.
Coward: Constantly running away to the sides of the screen. A pain to hit. Sometimes will try for a lucky shot if you're distracted by another enemy, but can generally be ignored for later. Most likely to grab you from behind, and most likely to whip out an army knife.
SoR3 Jet
Arguably one of the most frustrating bosses for certain characters.
An extreme upgrade of SoR2 Jet. He has the same attacks, but better... and then some more attacks.
For attacks that are the same as SoR2 Jet, Jet3 moves faster, and has insane priority. Do not expect the same bait and jump kick tactics to work because Jet3 will win every time.
If Jet3 misses, he can turn around and go in for another shot. If this somehow misses and you're still in the same plane afterwards, he can turn around AGAIN and keep trying.
Jet3's only downgrades are...
-Superman Punch does less total damage (but since it's one hard hit you can't jump to minimise damage... kind of an upgrade and a downgrade)
-Puts his feet on the ground a little more often
-Cannot flip himself upright if thrown
Regarding upgrades... Jet3 has some new attacks...
He has a sort of 'down-air' thing if you're at a certain range. He curls up in to a ball and spins down at you, crashing in to you for a few hits that don't knock you down. He'll usually try following this up with another attack if you don't interrupt it.
Sometimes he will burn off his jet pack fuel in a stream of fire in front of him if you stand underneath him. He'll drop down all of a sudden to his feet before releasing the fire. He is vulnerable to grabs from behind like this!
Every so often, in longer fights with Jet3, he'll fire off 3 proximity mines that hover in three positions in the scroller. One is in the bottom corner, one in the opposite top corner, and one in the middle (all forming a diagonal line). They will explode if you touch them, throw something in to them, or if you wait long enough.
Final note... Jet3 is invincible while getting up, so he can get right in to airborne status before any attempts at attacking him can land.
A speedy sub-boss who likes to trip on crack.
He runs around the screen at super speed, and either grabs a knife from the floor, or whips one out of the many pockets in his jacket.
With the knife, he has a two-stage slashing attack. Which, as well as being very high priority, has anti-air properties.
If he can't get in close for his slash, he will line up and throw his knife at you. This makes him deadly in swarms, since while you're dealing with the others, he'll stand outside the crowd and precision-strike you with his knife.
Without his knife, he has a 3 hit combo, which is fast at first, but has a small delay on the final hit. If caught in the first two, most characters can interrupt him before the third so they won't need to use a special.
With or without the knife, Jack has a very quick sucker punch/stab attack. Combined with his super crack-powered speed this can be very problematic, as he'll be punching/stabbing you to the ground every few seconds if you're not careful.
If knocked down, Jack is invincible as he stands up. If there's a knife on the floor at his feet, though, he'll waste his invincibility grabbing it most of the time. So one key to fighting Jack is to leave his knives laying on the ground to give the highest chance of him landing by one when you knock him down. He sees that shiny blade and ooooh he has to grab it. Seize the opportunity when he does this.
Nora
Despite wearing high heels, this lady can walk fast. Always keep an eye on her as she wanders around trying to get an opening.
Nora will try to keep her distance at all times. Approaching her directly will result in her jumping up and kicking you right in the face, so always approach her from an angle! Always! Being too cautious with her will cause her to take aggression, where she moves closer in a heartbeat and whips you down. Since her attacks all have long reach, she has no need to get close, and will backpedal with unbelievable speed if you try to chase her down.
If knocked down, Nora will take a long time getting back up. If a player is standing close when she finally gets to her feet... she'll crack that whip for an instant hit. However, she has no invincibility frames while doing this, so if you learn the timing it's possible to catch her with a down-air or some other attack.
If you attack Nora but can't keep up the assault, she'll scream and duck. She'll stay down for about as long as she takes to get up after a knockdown, with her usual whip-crack getup behaviour.
However, with this scream and duck tactic, she'll get up sooner if you turn your back.
This actually also includes walking past her and turning around, so when Nora ducks, just walk past her and do a 180... this will provide a free grab at her arse. Characters like Max, Blaze, and Rudra turn Nora's duck and scream in to a joke.
One last thing... when she first appears, if a player is right in front of her she'll commonly swoop right up to them and whip'em to the floor like a boss.
SoR2 Jet
A boss who is 'airborne' at almost all times.
This means that if you sneeze he'll fall over. Poke him with your little finger and he'll fall over. This means you need to make use of attacks that do the most damage in one hit, or you'll take forever to fight him.
Jet almost never hits the ground, by the way... his boosters will keep him afloat. This also means he'll recover from throws (IIRC... haven't grabbed one in ages).
If he's across the screen, he'll go all Superman on you with a rocket punch. He prepares this by suddenly droppping to the ground. When he drops... he's gonna punch.
The punch is a two-hit attack... first a weak hit, then PAIN.
If you're in the air, the weak hit will usually get you, doing almost no damage.
At mid-range, usually after recovering from being kicked over he'll rise up and then swoop down with a kick.
This has a very slow build-up... he floats up with a very slow and deliberate speed. But once he swoops it's fast as lightning.
Step too close and he'll grab you, take you for a ride in the clouds, then crash you down... and it'll hurt.
This grab has extremely high priority, so don't try the rush and grab game.
Tip with using Helicopter Police special...
If Jet's feet aren't touching the ground, this will do almost no damage to him... he'll get hit a couple of times and fly above the screen is all.
To make sure you catch him, call in the chopper as he does his kick, which grounds him for a few moments, or if you're quick you can do it when he Supermans.
For a brief moment after the Superman punch, he's grounded. By the time the punch ends the chopper will start shooting.
Final note... if you knock Jet off screen and push yourself up to the screen edge, he'll hide. This is useful for dealing with other enemies first. As long as you don't leave the screen edge you won't have to deal with Jet.
Raven
Eagle only showed up in Hard or Above... Raven is the default one you always encountered.
Kickboxers... they are easily the most formidable sub-boss. They have passive-aggressive issues... they'll keep their distance and watch you carefully... from here it can go two ways...
You attack.
Or they attack.
If you attack, 99% of the time the bastard will block. The moment your attack is over or has a break, the kickboxer will hit you with his lightning-speed mid-kick combo-breaker.
If he attacks, he'll gain a sudden burst of speed, and either...
...approach from an angle and begin his lightning fast multi-kick attack.
...approach directly, and jump with his tiger knee. It serves as his 'down air', which he uses to grapple you and begin smashing his knees repeatedly in to your skull.
Kickboxers have an anti-air kick if you try to approach from above. It's quick as lightning like with all their attacks.
A kickboxer's only weaknesses are...
...Rudra's blitzes
...Max's Hug Attack
...bullets or thrown weapons
...grabs
...certain neutral jump kicks*
Fast characters, and with good control even some slow characters, can rush in from an angle and grab a kickboxer. You need to be very careful and watch their movements. This can fail very easily and lead to a painful assault of kicks as punishment, but if successful the kickboxer is finally caught.
He cannot break free once held, but if there are other enemies, don't let them help him... if anyone interrupts you, then the now freed kickboxer will kick the crap out of you in a wild rage.
While standing up, a kickboxer is weak to a re-grab. The hitbox for this grab is extremely tight, though. If you're off by a couple of pixels you'll get a kick in the kidney. If it's too dangerous to regrab (eg: other kickboxers approaching), unload your highest damage attack at them just as they stand up... as long as you can hit the instant they're on their feet, they won't block it 99% of the time.
*Characters with a good air game, like Blaze and Shiva, can stand still and lure in a kickboxer for his tiger knee.
When he does this, jump and kick him in the face. Then just run over and prepare to grab him as he stands up.
Other characters need to resort to special attacks or other methods, but the lure tactic is still an option... just not as simple.
Bear
A boss with a very well-rounded moveset. He's very good at both offense and defense.
He starts out by keeping his distance looking for an opening, and then moves in for the kill the moment he sees his chance.
His basic 3 hit combo is extremely fast, has long range, and can hit you if you're standing above or below him.
That's to say... if you're too high/low for your hits to land... Bear can still hit you. This usually means using a defensive special rarely hits... he'll just back off, wait for your special to end, then move closer and punch you some more.
Approaching Bear directly... that is if he hasn't decided to dodge to the side, will trigger his charging knock-out punch. Attacks that duck (eg: Max's Powerslide, Shiva's Final Crash) will go under the punch.
Narrow stages make Bear considerably easier for characters who can catch him during this attack.
Jumping at Bear is asking for an uppercut in the arse. His uppercut has very high priority and reaches for the stars.
If Bear is keeping his distance, he's probably thinking about using the Ugly Ass jump attack. Lower difficulties will see this coming more easily, but on Mania he'll fly in to the air in an instant and home in.
And I mean that literally, his butt has homing properties. If you dodge roll he actually changes direction to follow you.
When he uses the Ugly Ass, try to move to the left or right of it, turn around, and unleash whatever attack you want. If you can't make it in time... defensive special... immediately.
Regarding grabs... approaching from the front without getting decked in the face by his punches will almost always result in him grappling you for some headbutts. If you catch him from behind, he can elbow you right in the gut to break free.
Last note... Bear is invincible when standing up from the ground. Keep your distance or you're in for some pain.
Abadede
Arguably the toughest boss in the game.
If you stand in front of him, you'll get his simple but painful combo. He pokes you twice, then after a delay (interrupt him now!) he'll smash your skull in.
If you're mid-range in front, he'll dive on top of you with his body slam... if this hits you're gonna lose 1/4 of your HP, and it won't knock you down... it sets you up for one of his grabs.
Abadede can and will spin a player around when grabbing. He's most notorious for grabbing you from behind for a german suplex... from the front. It makes no sense, but it's what he does.
When he grabs you from the front from the front... he'll beat your skull in with a spoon.
When he grabs you from the front from behind or... I dunno, Abadede's grab triggers make no sense... he'll throw you across the screen (land on your feet with Up+C).
Just expect him to suplex you if he gets you, so keep away.
The lower the difficulty, and the faster the character, the less Abadede's success rate becomes, though... so more courageous/foolhardy players can make a game out of Rush & Grab Russian Roulette.
At long range, he'll CHAAAAAAAARGE you across the screen (lightning fast on Mania) and clothesline your face with such force that your head is forced back until it pops out of your arse.
The charge itself is considered a high-priority attack, but does minimal damage. Abadede isn't actually invincible... he just has ridiculous priority and a tiny hitbox for taking your attacks.
The punch itself is seemingly invincible, and does bone-shattering damage. If Abadede charges you and there's no way to dodge, and your gauge is empty... jump and you'll only take the minor charge damage, avoiding the clothesline pwnage.
Contrary to popular belief, it is actually possible to flying kick Abadede while he charges you on Mania.
The hitbox for it is extremely tiny, and it only works with certain characters (Blaze3, Shiva, almost certainly Ash, and maybe Elle). The success rate isn't very reliable, sadly... you need to land the kick at an exact height... which is different for each character, since they all aim different ways with their flying kicks.
About jump kicks... try one and Abadede will uppercut you. The animation looks delayed, but it has ridiculous priority so it'll always win. To catch Abadede in a jump kick, stand above or below him, to bait him in to approaching for a grab or poke combo. Watch his movements very carefully and time a flying kick just as he moves in for the kill. He can't uppercut your jump kick like that.
Abadede's most frustrating, most annoying move of all... when you try anything that doesn't knock him down... even if you try giving him chocolates to cheer him u-
GRAAAWRRRGH!!!
That combo breaker will interrupt anything and everything.
It's a true defensive special, so it's invincible, and hits all around him.
It lasts longer than it looks like it should, and has a huge hitbox around Abadede, so keep your distance and don't touch until he's finished with his pose.
Characters with long reach can bait Abadede in to grawring over and over. Just keep poking him and watch him throw a tantrum.
SoR1 Garcia
This little bastard has a 3 hit combo almost identical to the one used by Fog bikers, even using the same sound effects and damage. He can also get you from behind like the Fog bikers.
Like the bikers, he can also carry pipes or bats... but is much deadlier with them due to his swing speed (very fast) and range (very long).
Unlike the Fog bikers, it should be noted that this guy moves extremely fast!
Garcia with a bat/pipe will keep his distance so you can't touch him, but he'll definitely be able to catch you, and it's gonna hurt. Disarm him ASAP with a blitz or flying kick. Then take the weapon as your own so he can't get it back (he'll pick it off the floor).
He can also wield knives in SoR2 Galsia's fashion, where he happily shuffles in straight lines through the screen almost comically. When he picks a knife off the floor, this is the behaviour he'll use.
Note that Garcia1 has a seemingly larger hitbox than other variants when he uses his knife shuffle.
Sometimes a G-Man will carry some army knives in his pocket. When he whips it out, he'll hold it as his side and back off playing evasive. Get close and he'll stab you with mid-long range.
At range he'll line up and throw it at you, only to get it magically replaced in an instant with another (lol).
When you see a G-Man whip out a knife, he's takes high priority! Go after him and show no mercy!
Note that the Army Knife is quite durable, so knife-loving characters like Blaze can get slash happy.
When knocked to the floor, G-Men take a little more time to get up than most enemies, and their laying down pose makes it a bit awkward to figure out where to be for a regrab, but it doesn't take much practice to get the hang of it.
SoR1 Garcia comes in 3 AI variants...
Normal: Keeps moderate distance and dodges around a bit. Won't overwhelm you, but has no problem moving in for his combo every so often. This Garcia is easiest to deal with, since he isn't constantly trying to beat your face in, and isn't running away like a scared little kid all the time when you go after him.
Some chance of whipping out an army knife when left alone.
Aggressive: He's never gonna give you up. This Garcia will hunt you down and connect fist to face. In swarms they are deadly and formidable.
Coward: Constantly running away to the sides of the screen. A pain to hit. Sometimes will try for a lucky shot if you're distracted by another enemy, but can generally be ignored for later. Most likely to grab you from behind, and most likely to whip out an army knife.
SoR3 Jet
Arguably one of the most frustrating bosses for certain characters.
An extreme upgrade of SoR2 Jet. He has the same attacks, but better... and then some more attacks.
For attacks that are the same as SoR2 Jet, Jet3 moves faster, and has insane priority. Do not expect the same bait and jump kick tactics to work because Jet3 will win every time.
If Jet3 misses, he can turn around and go in for another shot. If this somehow misses and you're still in the same plane afterwards, he can turn around AGAIN and keep trying.
Jet3's only downgrades are...
-Superman Punch does less total damage (but since it's one hard hit you can't jump to minimise damage... kind of an upgrade and a downgrade)
-Puts his feet on the ground a little more often
-Cannot flip himself upright if thrown
Regarding upgrades... Jet3 has some new attacks...
He has a sort of 'down-air' thing if you're at a certain range. He curls up in to a ball and spins down at you, crashing in to you for a few hits that don't knock you down. He'll usually try following this up with another attack if you don't interrupt it.
Sometimes he will burn off his jet pack fuel in a stream of fire in front of him if you stand underneath him. He'll drop down all of a sudden to his feet before releasing the fire. He is vulnerable to grabs from behind like this!
Every so often, in longer fights with Jet3, he'll fire off 3 proximity mines that hover in three positions in the scroller. One is in the bottom corner, one in the opposite top corner, and one in the middle (all forming a diagonal line). They will explode if you touch them, throw something in to them, or if you wait long enough.
Final note... Jet3 is invincible while getting up, so he can get right in to airborne status before any attempts at attacking him can land.
Row 3
Spoiler: show
Ninjo
Many people who play lower difficulties overlook just how frustrating this cheap cowardly bastard can be sometimes.
Ninjo likes to block just about everything... using his shoulder...?
Similar to the way a kickboxer does things, once your attacks have an opening, he'll attack, but while a kickboxer does a nice interruptable kick of low damage, Ninjo just slashes away around 1/5~1/4 of HP out of nowhere with a quick, long range, slide'n'slash.
Note that once he begins a slide'n'slash attack, he can still block, and after the block he WILL retry. He can and will keep blocking and retrying until he's cut you open.
If you leave Ninjo be, he'll play evasive. He's a defensive enemy, and he knows it, so he plays to his strengths.
A lot of the time he'll wander off screen and wait for the right moment. When you're in a good position, he'll quickly re-appear, hop, and slash you.
If you run away, it can sometimes trigger what can be described as a 'what would happen if Fog had a sword' behaviour. He'll slice your back open like the cowardly fuck he is.
The hop'n'slash has high priority and range - if you want to intercept him you need to catch him right at the start of the hop. Too soon and he'll not even begin so he'll block. Too late and he'll already be slashing you in the face.
Luring Ninjo works best if he's above or below you, but if he's approaching head-on for the hop, he'll hop from just the right distance that he'll be out of range until his high priority slashing frame begins.
When up close, Ninjo likes to smack you. He'll either keep smacking you a-la smack smack infinite, or he'll do two slaps, then an uppercut.
Ninjo has a huge weakness.
The first standing frame after getting up is completely vulnerable.
Unlike other blocking enemies, a quick attack on get-up can sometimes be blocked, but Ninjo never blocks anything until he's had at least a frame.
Use a down-air on him as he recovers (unless your down-air is shit... looking at you, Rudra), then grab him.
Robo X
A very speedy boss, who is always on the move.
Likes to gun you from a distance, or use a stronger version of Zan's jab jab springpunch combo.
Occasionally pops a homing rocket out of its arm at you... when this happens he'll stand completely still, and is ONLY vulnerable to grabs, and the rocket. If the rocket explodes, and the robot is not hit by the blast, then it blows steam from its nose... during this animation, the 'grabs only' situation remains.
Once the nose-steam is done, full vulnerability returns.
Note that even if you're invincible (eg: special/roll/etc), the rocket will still explode when it touches you (it just won't hurt you).
Robots have no invincibility while getting up, but will begin a jab combo immediately if you are near. The jabs have no swing frames so they will hit you instantly, unless you're able to use an attack with higher priority (eg: jump attack or blitz).
If you grab one of these things, you need to act fast, and leave no gaps between your attacks.
The amount of time you need to waste varies, but after just enough frames, you'll get hit by an Electric Body attack. Vaulting often increases your chances of getting hit by this, as you need to be extremely precise with your timing.
When all players are knocked down, a Robot will begin laughing. Act fast when you recover to seize the opportunity, because these things spend a little too long laughing for their own good.
Final note. When killing one of these, stay clear while it explodes.
Antonio
Very simple, but very annoying...
If he's playing evasive, he'll back away, even if it means going completely off screen, and while backed away (I repeat: EVEN OFF SCREEN), he'll toss his boomerang at you.
Once he's thrown the boomerang, he'll do his upward shuffle ready to catch it. If it gets deflected he'll immediately quit and whip out a new one. If you approach him he'll immediately quit, whip out a new one, and switch to kick mode...
That fucking kick.
Antonio tends to keep just enough distance so any attack you try will miss, and the first frame afterwards he'll be right in front of you kicking you like a real douche.
When Antonio is knocked down, he gains invincibility as he gets up. Immediately he'll whip out a kick, but with a strange hitframe duration.
Though he can be spammed with a downair as he gets up, you need to learn just the right timing, or you'll be cheaped by what's probably an oversight/bug. Either that or the kick was intentionally given nonsensical priority & duration.
Once you learn the timing for dealing with his get-up kick, Antonio will go down easy from then on.
If he's in a swarm, though, you're in for a world of hurt trying to deal with him and the mooks at the same time.
Galsia3
The fairest of all G-Men, but surprisingly competent for a low-tier mook.
Unlike Galsia2, he won't teleport next to you and instantly connect his fist to your face, no... he'll walk up to you. He may walk fast, but he still walks. He gets to just the right distance, then gives a little grunt warning, and punches. If you don't interrupt him... he'll punch again.
Then there will be a longer delay while he waits to see what you'll do... before two more punches in the same manner as the first two, and it goes on like this until you stop him.
If Galsia3 approaches you head-on from a distance, he'll often crouch, jump, yell in a funny way, and do an elbow-drop.
This has low-moderate priority, so it's easy to interrupt, and isn't going to hurt much, but if you're unprepared it might get annoying.
Note that he uses the elbow-drop when falling in from above, if anyone's unlucky enough to be underneath him. He'll signal with his funny yell, though, for warning.
G3s have a new attack in V5. While getting up (which takes only a split second), if you're close, he'll do an instant punch in the shin/calf/kneecap, for a quick and annoying knockdown. He's 100% vulnerable, though. You can air him, grab him, or just stand behind him and attack, since he won't turn around. If you have the timing right, you can even hit him from the front safely. Just as long as you have a hit frame active the moment he gets up.
With a knife, Galsia3 will shuffle across the screen through the current location of any player.
The shuffle will generally go until he's off screen or hits map/horizon collision, but will take roughly the same amount of time regardless of distance (i.e. for a short distance he shuffles slowly, but to cross the screen corner-to-corner he shuffles at full speed).
Last note... this guy will pick up knives from the ground.
Bronz/Silver/Gold
There don't seem to be any differences between the three of these.
Bronz may typically appear with less HP, and Gold with more HP, but that's it...
As if it wasn't obvious, suits like to stay back and pop their pistols at you. The bullets have some z-axis range, so moving a bit up or down won't save you.
Closer up, they can do a slow and weak punch... nothing special.
Closest, they'll crouch and punch you in the crotch or leg or gut something, stunning you for a throw.
The low-blow is particularly triggered by standing over them as they get up, or grabbing from the front and wasting your time.
Grabbing from behind will also trigger a break-free attack where he smacks you in the face with his fist... followed by the same throw.
The time you need to hold a suit for before they break free appears to vary by how much HP they start with. Weak suits struggle to break free, while suits who begin with blue HP can break free extremely quickly. Trying to restrain them from behind seems to be more difficult, and even impossible for the (initially) tough ones.
Warning: A suit's throw is glitched to hell. If you're hit by the stun attack right before their throw, but then hit by something else... weird things will happen.
Most notorious for Shiva players is trying to hit someone while a suit is doing his throw animation. You will be locked in your skullsmack animation... potentially causing a game breaker if you locked yourself skullsmacking the suit that tried to throw you.
Last points... suits tend to increase aggression over time. Dodging their bullets and staying out of line for them to try shooting again, or simply getting in close for a few hits on one, seems to increase their willingness to close in for melee.
Suits take a long time getting up. Don't bother waiting for a regrab in a swarm... anyone else nearby will make you pay for getting distracted.
Tiger
These barechested martial artists with weird hair fight using nothing but kicks.
Tiger is a fairly defensive character, but is very competent in offense. You shouldn't overlook a Tiger's presence in a swarm, as they're always looking for ways to connect their feet to your face.
Combined with his high rate of blocking, and his extremely swift multi-hitting kicks, Tiger can win out in most head-to-head struggles. Trying for a more sneaky approach, particularly rush and grab, won't always work out. He often pays attention to what you're doing, and moves accordingly so he can set up a counter attack.
Tiger doesn't use chi to fight... it's all kicks, kicks, and more kicks, so unlike Hakuyo2, this leaves him with an exploitable and predictable lure.
Keep your distance and stand in front of a Tiger. He'll jump at you; he can't resist.
Prepare to use an anti-air attack, and take him down. When he gets up, grab him!
Note that Tiger has two types of jump.
When he yells 'WUATT' he's going for a regular-speed high jump, like Hakuyo2.
When he yells 'WATAA' he's going for a speedy low jump.
Last note, Tiger has an anti-air kick.
He doesn't use it as often as Hakuyo2, and it's a lot less annoying since it does less damage and has a weak hit sound, but it can still take you by surprise.
Many people who play lower difficulties overlook just how frustrating this cheap cowardly bastard can be sometimes.
Ninjo likes to block just about everything... using his shoulder...?
Similar to the way a kickboxer does things, once your attacks have an opening, he'll attack, but while a kickboxer does a nice interruptable kick of low damage, Ninjo just slashes away around 1/5~1/4 of HP out of nowhere with a quick, long range, slide'n'slash.
Note that once he begins a slide'n'slash attack, he can still block, and after the block he WILL retry. He can and will keep blocking and retrying until he's cut you open.
If you leave Ninjo be, he'll play evasive. He's a defensive enemy, and he knows it, so he plays to his strengths.
A lot of the time he'll wander off screen and wait for the right moment. When you're in a good position, he'll quickly re-appear, hop, and slash you.
If you run away, it can sometimes trigger what can be described as a 'what would happen if Fog had a sword' behaviour. He'll slice your back open like the cowardly fuck he is.
The hop'n'slash has high priority and range - if you want to intercept him you need to catch him right at the start of the hop. Too soon and he'll not even begin so he'll block. Too late and he'll already be slashing you in the face.
Luring Ninjo works best if he's above or below you, but if he's approaching head-on for the hop, he'll hop from just the right distance that he'll be out of range until his high priority slashing frame begins.
When up close, Ninjo likes to smack you. He'll either keep smacking you a-la smack smack infinite, or he'll do two slaps, then an uppercut.
Ninjo has a huge weakness.
The first standing frame after getting up is completely vulnerable.
Unlike other blocking enemies, a quick attack on get-up can sometimes be blocked, but Ninjo never blocks anything until he's had at least a frame.
Use a down-air on him as he recovers (unless your down-air is shit... looking at you, Rudra), then grab him.
Robo X
A very speedy boss, who is always on the move.
Likes to gun you from a distance, or use a stronger version of Zan's jab jab springpunch combo.
Occasionally pops a homing rocket out of its arm at you... when this happens he'll stand completely still, and is ONLY vulnerable to grabs, and the rocket. If the rocket explodes, and the robot is not hit by the blast, then it blows steam from its nose... during this animation, the 'grabs only' situation remains.
Once the nose-steam is done, full vulnerability returns.
Note that even if you're invincible (eg: special/roll/etc), the rocket will still explode when it touches you (it just won't hurt you).
Robots have no invincibility while getting up, but will begin a jab combo immediately if you are near. The jabs have no swing frames so they will hit you instantly, unless you're able to use an attack with higher priority (eg: jump attack or blitz).
If you grab one of these things, you need to act fast, and leave no gaps between your attacks.
The amount of time you need to waste varies, but after just enough frames, you'll get hit by an Electric Body attack. Vaulting often increases your chances of getting hit by this, as you need to be extremely precise with your timing.
When all players are knocked down, a Robot will begin laughing. Act fast when you recover to seize the opportunity, because these things spend a little too long laughing for their own good.
Final note. When killing one of these, stay clear while it explodes.
Antonio
Very simple, but very annoying...
If he's playing evasive, he'll back away, even if it means going completely off screen, and while backed away (I repeat: EVEN OFF SCREEN), he'll toss his boomerang at you.
Once he's thrown the boomerang, he'll do his upward shuffle ready to catch it. If it gets deflected he'll immediately quit and whip out a new one. If you approach him he'll immediately quit, whip out a new one, and switch to kick mode...
That fucking kick.
Antonio tends to keep just enough distance so any attack you try will miss, and the first frame afterwards he'll be right in front of you kicking you like a real douche.
When Antonio is knocked down, he gains invincibility as he gets up. Immediately he'll whip out a kick, but with a strange hitframe duration.
Though he can be spammed with a downair as he gets up, you need to learn just the right timing, or you'll be cheaped by what's probably an oversight/bug. Either that or the kick was intentionally given nonsensical priority & duration.
Once you learn the timing for dealing with his get-up kick, Antonio will go down easy from then on.
If he's in a swarm, though, you're in for a world of hurt trying to deal with him and the mooks at the same time.
Galsia3
The fairest of all G-Men, but surprisingly competent for a low-tier mook.
Unlike Galsia2, he won't teleport next to you and instantly connect his fist to your face, no... he'll walk up to you. He may walk fast, but he still walks. He gets to just the right distance, then gives a little grunt warning, and punches. If you don't interrupt him... he'll punch again.
Then there will be a longer delay while he waits to see what you'll do... before two more punches in the same manner as the first two, and it goes on like this until you stop him.
If Galsia3 approaches you head-on from a distance, he'll often crouch, jump, yell in a funny way, and do an elbow-drop.
This has low-moderate priority, so it's easy to interrupt, and isn't going to hurt much, but if you're unprepared it might get annoying.
Note that he uses the elbow-drop when falling in from above, if anyone's unlucky enough to be underneath him. He'll signal with his funny yell, though, for warning.
G3s have a new attack in V5. While getting up (which takes only a split second), if you're close, he'll do an instant punch in the shin/calf/kneecap, for a quick and annoying knockdown. He's 100% vulnerable, though. You can air him, grab him, or just stand behind him and attack, since he won't turn around. If you have the timing right, you can even hit him from the front safely. Just as long as you have a hit frame active the moment he gets up.
With a knife, Galsia3 will shuffle across the screen through the current location of any player.
The shuffle will generally go until he's off screen or hits map/horizon collision, but will take roughly the same amount of time regardless of distance (i.e. for a short distance he shuffles slowly, but to cross the screen corner-to-corner he shuffles at full speed).
Last note... this guy will pick up knives from the ground.
Bronz/Silver/Gold
There don't seem to be any differences between the three of these.
Bronz may typically appear with less HP, and Gold with more HP, but that's it...
As if it wasn't obvious, suits like to stay back and pop their pistols at you. The bullets have some z-axis range, so moving a bit up or down won't save you.
Closer up, they can do a slow and weak punch... nothing special.
Closest, they'll crouch and punch you in the crotch or leg or gut something, stunning you for a throw.
The low-blow is particularly triggered by standing over them as they get up, or grabbing from the front and wasting your time.
Grabbing from behind will also trigger a break-free attack where he smacks you in the face with his fist... followed by the same throw.
The time you need to hold a suit for before they break free appears to vary by how much HP they start with. Weak suits struggle to break free, while suits who begin with blue HP can break free extremely quickly. Trying to restrain them from behind seems to be more difficult, and even impossible for the (initially) tough ones.
Warning: A suit's throw is glitched to hell. If you're hit by the stun attack right before their throw, but then hit by something else... weird things will happen.
Most notorious for Shiva players is trying to hit someone while a suit is doing his throw animation. You will be locked in your skullsmack animation... potentially causing a game breaker if you locked yourself skullsmacking the suit that tried to throw you.
Last points... suits tend to increase aggression over time. Dodging their bullets and staying out of line for them to try shooting again, or simply getting in close for a few hits on one, seems to increase their willingness to close in for melee.
Suits take a long time getting up. Don't bother waiting for a regrab in a swarm... anyone else nearby will make you pay for getting distracted.
Tiger
These barechested martial artists with weird hair fight using nothing but kicks.
Tiger is a fairly defensive character, but is very competent in offense. You shouldn't overlook a Tiger's presence in a swarm, as they're always looking for ways to connect their feet to your face.
Combined with his high rate of blocking, and his extremely swift multi-hitting kicks, Tiger can win out in most head-to-head struggles. Trying for a more sneaky approach, particularly rush and grab, won't always work out. He often pays attention to what you're doing, and moves accordingly so he can set up a counter attack.
Tiger doesn't use chi to fight... it's all kicks, kicks, and more kicks, so unlike Hakuyo2, this leaves him with an exploitable and predictable lure.
Keep your distance and stand in front of a Tiger. He'll jump at you; he can't resist.
Prepare to use an anti-air attack, and take him down. When he gets up, grab him!
Note that Tiger has two types of jump.
When he yells 'WUATT' he's going for a regular-speed high jump, like Hakuyo2.
When he yells 'WATAA' he's going for a speedy low jump.
Last note, Tiger has an anti-air kick.
He doesn't use it as often as Hakuyo2, and it's a lot less annoying since it does less damage and has a weak hit sound, but it can still take you by surprise.
Row 4
Later
Spoiler: show
Hakuyo2
Galvice
Trucker
Vehelits
Bongo3
Donovan3
Mr. X
Shiva2
Galvice
Trucker
Vehelits
Bongo3
Donovan3
Mr. X
Shiva2
