The King of Fighters '98 UMFE/Yuri Sakazaki

Introduction

Yuri is a poking- and rushdown-focused character with a large bag of tools to deal with every situation. In neutral, she has access to a lot of strong options: on the ground she has some great normal pokes, a dash punch, a stationary projectile, and a projectile DM, and in the air she has access to more good normals, an air throw, and an air projectile. On offense, Yuri has access to an overhead, a good low confirm, and multiple crossup options. On defense, she has access to a good DP and some fast long-range light normals for mashing out of pressure.

Changes from Previous Versions

98 to 98UM

• st.C is now cancelable

• st.D now has fewer startup frames

• j.C now has a smaller hitbox vertically

• nj.C's hitbox has been moved up to align with the hurtbox

• j.A is now cancelable

Specials:

• j.qcf+K has been added

• qcb+P now has a bigger hitbox vertically, and no longer whiffs on small or tiny crouchers

Supers:

• qcf,hcb+BD now has the same startup as the regular version

• dp+C now launches on the first hit, so it won't drop mid-combo

• f,hcf+A now has faster startup, and can now combo from heavies

• f,hcf+C now travels faster

98UM to 98UMFE

Specials:

• qcf+K now has less recovery on landing, and less frame advantage on block (patch notes do not specify whether it's the air or ground version)

• qcb+D now does less damage, but also has less recovery; you can link a st.A or cr.A on hit afterward

Normal Moves

Close

• cl.A: Same as st.A.

• cl.B: A cancelable standing low. Has a very short activation range, so if the spacing isn't correct, st.B might come out.

• cl.C: Kinda funny-looking uppercut. Hits quite high, so it can be good to stop jump-outs. Has a notable dead zone where it activates but whiffs. Unsafe on block. Cancelable.

• cl.D: Knee to the midsection. Safer and more useful than cl.C. Cancelable.

Standing

• st.A: A decent-ranged quick jab. Good for poking, mashing out of pressure, and stopping hops. Safe on block. Chainable and cancelable.

• st.B: A quick high kick that's good for stopping hops and controlling space.

• st.C: A fast hook punch. Good for ending blockstrings with because of the pushback, or to catch mashers in the corner. Cancelable, but hard to combo out of due to pushback.

• st.D: Good for zoning and anti-airing, but has bad recovery. Has a lot of pushback on block, but can still be punished by moves that go very far very fast.

Crouching

• cr.A: Fast, safe on block, and overall very similar to st.A. Chainable and cancelable.

• cr.B: Standard low combo starter. Has good recovery. Chainable.

• cr.C: An uppercut with fast startup that's good for anti-airing normal jumps. Cancelable.

• cr.D: Sweep with bad recovery but decent range. Cancelable.

Jumping

• j.A: Good for jump-ins, but has poor damage.

• nj.A: Short-ranged elbow hook.

• j.B: Good for jump-ins, and also has a big enough hitbox to be used as an instant overhead from a backward jump.

• nj.B: A low, close-ranged kick.

• j.C: A strong hammerfist. It can be performed fairly deep and is good for jumping in and starting combos with.

• nj.C: A double-palmed attack that has limited range.

• j.D: It can crossup, it hits deep, and it has a decent-sized hitbox.

• nj.D: A great jumping side kick that is active for a while, which is great to be used defensively.

CD Normals

• st.CD: Cancelable on hit, block, and whiff.

• j.CD: Good for hop pressure due to its long blockstun.

Throws

Oni Harite: b/f+C (close)

• Regular throw, techable. Yuri grabs the opponent and slaps them, sending them fullscreen with a soft knockdown.

Silent Nage: b/f+D (close)

• Regular throw, techable. Yuri grabs the opponent, throws herself backward, and kicks them to the other side of the screen with a soft knockdown. Switches sides.

Tsubame Otoshi: b/d/f+C/D (close, in air)

• Air throw, not techable. Yuri grabs the opponent in the air and dives with them into the ground, causing them to slide to the other end of the screen with a hard knockdown.

Command Moves

En Yoku: f+B

• When done raw, it's a good overhead. When canceled into, it's a mid-hitting move that cannot be canceled out of (doesn't work as combo filler).

• When late-canceled into, however, it maintains the overhead property, letting you surprise your opponent with an overhead in pressure.

Special Moves

Ko'oh Ken: qcf+A/C

• Yuri throws out a projectile that barely leaves her hand.

• The A version goes about half screen and the C version about 3/4s of the screen, mostly from Yuri sliding forward.

• A good long-distance poke that recovers quicker than regular projectiles; still has enough recovery to be easily whiff-punished/jumped over/rolled through if done at the wrong time.

• Can also be used to counter the opponent's projectiles, since it has a very active projectile hitbox.

Yuri Chou Upper: dp+A/C

• Yuri's DP move.

• The A version is an invincible reversal that hits once.

• The C version is not a reversal, but it hits more times and deals more damage, moves forward significantly before hitting, and also has a followup.

• The C version is one of Yuri's staple combo tools, as it will combo from both lights and heavies due to it travelling forwards a lot and coming out fairly quickly.

• Both versions are very punishable on block.

Double Yuri Chou Upper: dp+C (during dp+C)

• A followup to Yuri's dp+C, where she does a second one. Basically just adds more combo damage.

• Unlike followups to a lot of other moves, this one will come out even on whiff.

• Does two hits, just like dp+C, but on a successful hit only one will connect.

• If the opponent blocks your dp+C, this move may make them mess up their punish, and the threat of it might make them hold off on punishing the first DP as well.

Yuri Chou Knuckle: qcb+A/C

• Yuri does a dash punch with lots of startup, similar to Terry's Burn Knuckle.

• Can be used as a longer poke that also lets Yuri get closer to the opponent.

• The A version is very safe on block even at close ranges; the opponent needs a 1f command grab to consistently punish it point-blank, so outside of that range it is very safe.

• Does have a fair amount of startup, so it can be hit before the punch comes out.

• The C version is slightly less safe, but travels a larger distance.

Rai'oh Ken: qcf+B/D (can be performed in the air)

• Yuri jumps up into the air and comes down with a close-ranged mid-hitting projectile.

• Both versions are plus on block, making this a good tool to use in a blockstring to reset pressure with. This frame advantage also makes the D version a good approach tool.

• The move does have long startup, so can be hit before the hitbox comes out.

• The air version just does the projectile without the leap, and does not change Yuri's aerial trajectory at all. It hits mid and does a hard knockdown.

• Both air versions are also significantly less safe than the grounded versions, although their frame advantage varies.

• The best trick about the air version is that if you do it while jumping over the opponent, Yuri will turn around midair and hit it as a crossup. This can lead to looping crossup oki.

• Air version cannot be done during backdash or a step dash.

Yuri Chou Mawashi Geri: qcb+B/D

• Yuri does a spinning kick that makes her travel forward. Both versions don't connect fully on crouchers, making them punishable.

• B version travels a shorter distance and has more recovery, making it mostly worse than the D version.

• D version is good to use in combos when the opponent is standing, as it's plus enough on hit that it lets her link a normal and combo afterwards. This puts her meterless damage through the roof.

• D version is fairly safe on block if blocked standing.

• This is a move best used for combos or blockstrings only, as she has better tools for moving forward in neutral.

Desperation Moves

Haoh Shokou Ken: f,hcf+A/C

• Standard Kyokugen projectile DM. Great for controlling neutral, as it does a lot of damage, has a lot of speed variance between the two versions, and blows through normal projectiles.

• A version is slower than the C version, but it can be combo-ed into (though the timing is a little tricky).

• MAX version is basically the same as the C version, but with more hits and damage.

Hien Rekkou: qcfx2+A/C

• DP DM. Has invincibility frames, so it can be used as a reversal.

• A version consistently combos from 2 lights or heavies, making it a good option for metered combos.

• C version only connects from heavies, limiting its use.

• MAX version functions the same as the C version, just with more hits and damage, so it's also pretty limited.

Hien Hou'ou Kyaku: qcf,hcb+B/D

• A ranbu DM.

• Can combo from lights, so this DM gives her some 3-hit confirms into DM.

• Can also be used as a kinda fast, longer-range punish.

Combos

General Notes:

• In any metered combo, replace qcf,hcb+K with qcf,hcb+BD or f,hcf+P with f,hcf+AC for more damage if you have the resources.

Meterless

Low

cr.Bx1-2, cr.A/st.A, dp+C > dp+C

Mid/Jump-In

(j.X), cl.C/cl.D, qcf+P

(j.X), cl.C/cl.D, dp+C > dp+C

cl.C/cl.D, qcb+D, st.A, dp+C > dp+C

Does great damage, but cannot be done out of a jump-in, and only works on standing opponents.

With Meter

Low

cr.Bx1-2, cr.A/st.A, qcf,hcb+K

This can be done as cr.Bx1-2, qcf+A, hcb+K for an easier cancel.

Mid/Jump-In

(j.X), cl.C/cr.C, qcf,hcb+K

With Quick MAX

Low

cr.Bx2, ABC, cl.D, f,hcf+P

Requires a microwalk after the Quick MAX to ensure you're close enough for cl.D

cr.B, st.A, ABC, st.C, qcf,hcb+K

Overhead

f+B, ABC, st.A, dp+C > dp+C

Mid

cl.C/cl.D, qcb+D, st.A, ABC, st.C, qcf,hcb+K

This cannot be done from a normal jump-in, but it does work from a crossup jump-in. It only works on standing opponents.

Videos

King of Fighters 98 UM FE: Yuri Guide by Mash It Out