The King of Fighters XV/Kyo Kusanagi/Strategy
General Gameplan
Neutral
Far B is a quick low commitment poke. It doesn't do damage but it stops people from running at you and hits hops sometimes. It's useful for a few punishes like Iori 214A and you can make those count with quick max if need be.
236A covers a lot of space. So much so it commonly tags backdashes by accident. It also tends to cover the hop space but it won't catch people who hop higher than normal like Benimaru. If it hits you can confirm into 236A 236P K for a soft knockdown. This won't work at further ranges so make sure you get accustomed to when you can and can't. Kyo steps forward during 236A so if someone jumps behind you then you move away from them and probably recover safely. If someone rolls through it you're usually safe for the same reason. By this same token Kyo often steps into lows during rekka startup.
Sweep is useful as a whiff punish because of its speed and reach. You might find people pressing 2Bs preemptively to beat 236A. You can use sweep to discourage this. Whiff canceling sweep into 236A will make it more difficult to punish if you miss. However if you're fighting characters where 236A won't them for hopping over your sweep, you should probably be more conservative with your sweeps.
Far D is a decent substitute mid height poke vs characters who punish 236A consistently like Nakoruru.
Neutral hop D is great for walling off space with little commitment.
3D goes under a lot of attacks. It's great for a lot of punishes. You want to make contact with the first hit because only that one is special cancelable. This makes it really rewarding. This goes really far for a low so it can hit people for walking sometimes. If the opponent jumps you are likely getting punished.
Pressure
Mixups
Defense
Okizeme
Safe jumps
All safe jumps listed here work vs 4f reversals unless noted otherwise
- 624K > super jump
