Dragonball Z: Budokai 3
Bardock FAQ and Strategy Guide

By: Fabian Ahmed

Version 1.1

Did I miss anything? Did I make any prominent mistakes?
Is something not clear?
Do you need further explanations? Do you have questions,
comments or anything do you want to point out? Talk to me on AIM at
NachoandCheese07 or email me at [email protected].
I don't check
my email often but I'm on AIM frequently.


Table of Contents:

I. Why Did I make this FAQ?
II. Introduction
III. Combo List
IV. Special Moves
V. Capsules
VI. Cancel/Stun/Juggle Combos to try out and use
VII: Bardock�s Final Evaluation
VIII: Credits & Legal Stuff


I. Why did I make this FAQ?

First of all, not all of the character guides are made by Budokai
veterans who know the fighting engine inside and out. I am a Budokai
veteran, as I�ve been playing the games since they were first released,
and never gave up hope in them. My efforts were not in vain, as I saw
computers charging hits in a combo, breaking my guard. I also saw them
charge an attack in a combo, cancel the charge, and immediately do
another combo. I figured out how to do it afterward, and thus, this
maneuver is called combo canceling. The ability to do combos might not
add much depth, but the fact that hits in a combo can be charged can
play some very tricky mind games.
Bardock is one of the most loved characters of Budokai 3. He is also
one of my favourites. Because of this, I decided to make a thread on
the boards on Bardock, which was praised by many. I then worked to get
100% capsules, and since I got 100%, I made this FAQ.


II. Introduction:

Bardock, what kind of a character is he?

Bardock is the kind of character that works best with many support
capsules. He also has a good list of cancel combos. He doesn't even
have to cancel some of his combos, as some stun long enough. His range
is limited on the offence, which is what makes him a get-in-your-face
attack character. His PP<-P is an excellent stun combo to use at very
close range.
Bardock is incredibly skillful at one category, juggles. In fact, I�d
say he is the juggling king of the game. His juggle starters include
combos that send people a good distance up in the air, along with his
heat phalanx and his throw.
Bardock should stick to fighting on the ground instead of the air.

=======================================================================

III. Combo List

Reverse Kick (<-K Attacks)

The one thing you should pay attention about the <-K is how it negates
weaker attacks. This gives Bardock a stronger end on the defence.

<-KKK-This is an axe kick followed by a low sweep, uppercut kick then a
drop kick. The axe kick has the ability to cancel out other weaker
hits. The final kick (drop kick) can be cancelled. One of the best
combo starters in the game. Keep this in mind: If it is the following
part of a string of cancel combos, then the enemy can block the sweep.
This has to be the starter. Also, just tapping K after <-K still gives
the enemy an opportunity to block. Press K right after the <-K
finishes.

<-K->K-Axe kick followed by a flying uppercut kick. Useful for sending
people in the air, although Bardock should keep fights on the ground.
Use this attack if you need to quickly power up.

<-K<-K- Axe kick followed by a jumping knee. Great juggle starter. Less
priority in the air.

<-K<-KKK- Axe kick followed by a jumping knee with a rising back kick
finishing with a flying uppercut kick. A much better version of the <-
K->K.

<-KP- Axe kick with a quick uppercut. Useful for starting juggles.

Here ends the axe kick starters.

Spinning Reverse Backfist Slap Attacks (SRBS) (<-P)

Unlike Gokou and others, this attack cannot be charged.

<-PK- Spinning Reverse Backfist Slap followed by a sweep. Useful if you
need a quick breather. Works best on the ground, and can piss the enemy
off when done in air.

<-P<-K- SRBS followed by a spinning 360 degree sidekick drag. Sends
enemies flying. Good fo� sho�.

<-P->K- SRBS connecting to a huge thrusting front kick. Nice when done
on the ground, giving you ample time to power up.

<-P<-P- SRBS followed with an elbow slam. Not a combo worth doing. The
elbow slam can be charged though.

<-PP- SRBS with a short uppercut. Good juggle starter.

<-P->P- SRBS with a spinning elbow. Sends enemies sliding on the
ground, giving ample time to power up.

Here ends Reverse Spinning Backfist Slap Attacks

Jab (P) Attacks

Your basic jab attack.

PPPP- Jab, Jab, Counter Hook Punch, short uppercut. Best done when
going into riot javelin. The last jab gives the enemy a small amount of
time in the air.

PP->PP- Jab, Jab, Double Hand Pound, Double Hand Scoop (when on the
ground). Sends enemies flying. Last two punches can be cancelled. It�s
good, but not as good as the one up next. When in the air, the last P
becomes an uppercut. Hard to juggle from this.

PP<-PPP- Jab, Jab, Headbutt, counter hooking scoop punch, stepping
power punch. A must use in any string. It�s possible to cancel the last
punch and do another combo, but it takes way too much timing. Let the
<-P stun the enemy, then follow up with the rest of your strings. The
headbutt is recovered from fast, and the enemy is stunned for a long
length of time.

PPKK- Jab, Jab, Knee, Spinning Side Kick. Two quick jabs make the knee
knock the enemy into the air, while the spinning side kick sends them
flying afterward. This is an effective teleport counter baiting attack.

PP->K- Jab, Jab, Powerful Thrusting Front Kick. This move makes the
enemy slide quite a far distance if you do this on the ground.
Following this up with a taunt is perfect. In fact, by the time Bardock
finishes his taunt, he will have his guard up when the enemy will have
gotten up. Or, you could use the time you have instead of taunting to
power up. This attack is useless when fighting in the air. It can be
done as a juggle when fighting on the ground, but it takes very precise
timing.

Here ends the Jabbing section.

Drop Punch Attacks (->P)

Although short on range, Bardock moves a fair distance. This attack can
also be charged, which can start plenty of mind games and tricks.

->PPPPP- Drop punch, short uppercut, counter hook punch, uppercut,
double hand scoop (replaces to double hand pound in the air). This
combo is useless. The enemy can block the counter hook punch. Keep this
combo away from your system.

->P->PPP- Drop punch, low hook punch, double hand pound, stepping
punch. Not a bad combo. I recommend canceling the stepping punch for
best results.

->P->PP->PP- Drop punch, low hook punch, double hand pound, double hand
scoop (changes to uppercut in the air), clumsy step in with full body
punch. Unless you want to do the full combo, this is pretty much the
same as what you would be doing for the combo above. The
uppercut/double hand scoop cannot be used to juggle.

Here ends the drop punching section.

Knee Attacks (->K)

Your standard knee to the face attack. Best used as a starter when
already in the middle of a cancel combo/stun. If this is your starting
combo, using it as someone recovers from an attack they do will only
juggle them.

->KPPP->P- Knee, rising low hook punch, rising low hook punch, slamming
fist, fly in slice. Useless combo. Not only can the enemy recover fast,
the P attacks can be blocked.

->KKKKK- Knee, Sidekick, knee breaker, roundhouse kick, spinning
sidekick. Not a bad combo. Can not be cancelled, however.

->KKK->K- Knee, Sidekick, knee breaker, uppercut kick + drop kick. A
great combo. The last move can be cancelled.

->KK<-KK- Knee, sidekick, sweep, uppercut kick + dropkick. A great
combo. The last kick can be cancelled.

Here ends the knee starters.

High Side Kick Attacks (K)
Basic, long range high sidekick.

KKKK- Sidekick, Sidekick, Sidekick, Roundhouse Kick, Spinning Side
Kick. Very basic combo. Use it when you feel like it.

KK<-K- Sidekick, Sidekick, jumping knee. Excellent juggler.

K->KK- Sidekick, Roundhouse Kick, Spinning uppercut back kick- Only
useful for heat phalanx. Otherwise, it is not good.

KK->KK- Sidekick, Sidekick, Roundhouse kick, spinning flying uppercut
front kick. Good to send enemies flying into the air.

K<-K- Sidekick, uppercut kick + drop kick. Final K can be cancelled. If
you ever do a string of cancel combos, this is the attack to do. Not a
bad starter, either.

K->K- Sidekick, Roundkick. A simple two hit combo used to send people
flying. There are better ones, though.

That covers all of his combo attacks. Know the ones that will be
useful. I made note of which ones should be used.

Now, here are his other attacks:

On the Ground:

->P + K = Stepping Punch. Useful in the ground for its ability to send
people rolling back. A somewhat effective way to greet enemies in hyper
mode flying at you.

P + K = Double scooping uppercut. Good for sending enemies flying into
the air.

P + G = Throw. 3 hit combo doing standardly 200 damage, and is a
juggler. Make good use of it.

K + P = Mid level roundhouse kick followed by a spinning sidekick. Good
substitute for the ->P+K.

<-P + K = Uppercut. Good for starting a juggle.


===============================================================

IV: Special Moves

Riot Javelin 8/10. Basic death move. This does not get into any super
ki blast struggles. This move is best used as a finisher, especially
for the heat phalanx juggler.

Heat Phalanx 9/10. Melee death move. Sure, it is slow to start, but can
be used in a cancel combo. Not only that, it does a strong amount of
damage, especially when used with moon light and power of friends, and
can start a juggle. It is the key element for Bardock to be dealing a
crapload of damage. Heat Phalanx + PPPPE(Riot Javelin x2) = 1019
damage, assuming baseline ki starts at 3. Imagine using this as a
juggle in a cancel combo.

Spirit of Saiyans 9/10. A very cool looking move. However though, this
ultimate can be cancelled into using the <-KKK (thanks
WiseTheifLegault) K<-K, ->KKK->K which makes this automatically one of
the best in the game. The launcher can also be hard to sidestep.



What capsules work best with Bardock?

Bardock should stick with one death capsule, the rest being support
ones. He has a great list: Power of Friends, MOON LIGHT, and Warrior's
Career (only takes 2 capsule spaces!).

These are must have capsules for Bardock before he enters battle:

Power of Friends
Moonlight
Riot Javelin

With Power of Friends, Bardock automatically gets a 10% bonus in
attack. Moonlight adds another 5% at the beginning, and improves his
attack by 5% three times at 15-20 second intervals. Soon, his base
attack power will be 130%. Full power is 140%. You're just as powerful
as SSJ4 Gokou now (when his ki is not full). Good job. It only took you
two capsule spaces and a little bit of time and powering up.
Riot Javelin is a basic deathmove that works well.

Here are his unique Equipment capsules:

Moon Light: Increases Attack power by 5% at 3 20 second intervals, and
immediately gives a 5% increase in power at the start of the battle. (1
slot)

Power of Friends: Increases attack power by 10% (1 slot)

Lower-class Saiyan Guard: Increases defence by 10% (1 slot)

Kanassan-made Guard: Increases defence by 20% (2 slots)

Battle-Jacket(prototype): Increases defence by 30% (3 slots)

Patched-up battle jacket: Increases defence by 40% (4 slots)

Warrior Race�s Awakening: Attack and Defence increases by regular
intervals (don�t bother with this one). (3 slots)

Warrior�s Career: Lowers ki usage (Not as much as meditation). (2
slots).

Thoughts of Friends: Reduces ki consumption in hyper mode. (2 slots)

Here are two capsule set ups I usually use:

Riot Javelin x2
Heat Phalanx x2
Spirit of Saiyans
Power of Friends
Moon Light

Riot Javelin
Heat Phalanx x2
Moon Light
Power of Friends
Warrior�s Career

=======================================================================

VI. Cancel/Stun/Juggle Combos to try out and use

Note that the <-KKK starter may not work in the air, as the second K
might not reach the opponent if the first K lands. That is why it is
imperative to keep fights on the ground with Bardock.

ALL combos assume you have a breakthrough.

Here are some sample combos for you to try out. I will not list all of
the possible combinations, as you should think of the rest on your own.
Remember, you have a fighting style: use combos that satisfy it.

Beginner Combos:

Beginner combos do not have any strings of cancel combos. They are
merely juggles that lead into death moves.

KK<-K, PPPPE
<-PP, PPPPE
<-E, PPPPE OR ->E
<-K<-K, PPPPE

With these combos, you should have a basic concept of Bardock�s useful
ability to juggle. These are also good, damaging combos to do if the
enemy can teleport counter more times than you.

Intermediate Combos:

Intermediate Combos introduce a little bit of combo canceling, combined
with juggles. Stunning is a concept that is used a little bit here.

<-KKK(Cancel), KK<-K, PPPPE
K<-K(cancel), ->KKKK->K(cancel), KK<-K, PPPPE
PP<-P,(cancel) ->KKK->K,(cancel) <-E, PPPPE

Advanced Combos:

Advanced combos include long strings of cancel combos that lead into a
death move finisher, an ultimate if possible, or a successful taunt.
Many of the advanced combos usually deal at least 1,000 damage, due to
the heat phalanx juggle starter followed by the deadly riot javelin.

<-KKK(cancel), PP<-E(stun), ->P->PPP(cancel), K<-K(cancel), <-E, PPPPE

Master Combos:

With a mix of perfect timing, right combo canceling, right juggling and
right stunning, master combos can reflect the best of Bardock.
Note that the meat of the long combos (the starters P, K, ->K and ->P)
can be mixed up in order. The <-K must always come first. If needs be,
don�t do it, but you�re cutting about 170 damage.

Combo Name: Phalanx Formation

Difficulty to Exectute: Moderately Hard
<-KKK(cancel), PP<-P(stun), ->KKK->K(cancel), ->P->PPP(cancel), K<-K,
<-E, <-E, PPPPE = 2,132 damage.
Comments: This combo is the ultimate damaging combo to do with Bardock.
Starting from 3 bars of baseline ki with no attack power ups with a
breakthrough, this combo deals 2,132 damage against a 100% defence
opponent, and you end up with about 3 5/6 bars of ki left. The combo
done before the heat phalanxes build up your ki to seven, so teleport
countering Bardock isn�t the right thing to do, unless you�re going to
run away. If you have warrior�s career, the two death moves double
stacked and a moon light, you�ll be dealing some huge damage while
retaining plenty of your ki. If Warrior�s Career isn�t there and there
is a power of friends instead, expect to be dealing some insane amounts
of damage.
However, this combo will not work in hyper mode, even if you start with
max ki. It might with Warrior�s Carrer, but do not count on it.

Combo Name: Burn baby, BURN!

Difficulty to Execute: Hard
<-KKK(cancel), PP<-P(stun), ->KKK->K(cancel), ->P->PPP(cancel), <-E, <-E,
PP->K, G +
down + down


What makes this combo hard to do right is that you must do it on the
ground, and time it right so that the last hit in the last combo sends
the enemy sliding on the ground. You should have at least 5 bars of ki
if you started with that much, and the enemy should have one less ki.
Of course, if you don�t want to lose 2 bars of ki with the heat
phalanx, either connect straight into a PP->K rather than doing the
heat phalanxes. The enemy will rise just enough so that when doing this
combo at max speed, it will work perfectly. You should end up with very
high ki after this, with the enemy�s ki lowered.

Combo Name: Improved Phalanx Formation
Difficulty to Execute: Hard
<-KKK(cancel), PP<-P , ->KKK->K(cancel), ->P->PPP(cancel), <-E, K<-K(cancel),
K->KKE, PPPPE = 2223 damage, 5.8 ki bars

Combo Name: Phalanx Formation. . .Up the ass!

<-KKK(cancel), ->KKK->K(cancel sidestep), PP<-P, ->P->PPP(cancel),
K<-K(cancel), K->KKE, PPPPE = 2523 damage, 2.8 ki bars
1st Teleport Tornado = 2556 damage
2nd teleport tornado = 2593 damage

Extreme damage if you can risk losing ki.

You end up grabbing the opponent. Here are some options.

PPPPE = 698 damage, 3.01 ki
K->KKE, ->KKK->K(cancel), ->KKK->K(cancel), PPPPE = 1670 damage
->KKK->K(cancel), ->KKK->K(cancel), PPPPE = 1035 damage, 5.8 ki bars. (its
possible to do another ->KKK->K cancel, but that requires extreme timing. If
you want full ki, just don�t cancel it).


That�s enough for sample combos. The rest you should do on your own.


VIII:
=======================================================================
Bardock�s Final Evaluation:

Range: 6/10
Juggle Ability: 9.5/10
Damage Potential: 9.5/10
Cancel Ability: 7/10
Stun Ability: 7/10
Offence: 7/10
Defence: 8/10
Coolness: 10/10

Evaluation: Bardock isn�t a top tier character, but that does not mean
he will suck completely when fighting top tier characters. When
fighting characters with 3-4 baseline ki, keep the fight at a decent
range. Make use of his ability to start a combo off of his <-KKK. Avoid
combat in the air at all times, because Bardock loses every last bit of
his defencive ability. Try catching your enemies off guard with a PP<-P
stun. Then do the whole combo cancels you can do. Or, you can go right
into his PP->K stun, taunt, and then beat the crap out of them.
When fighting top tier characters, keep your distance. If they charge
at you, catch them with the <-KKK starter. Also, block attacks instead
of dodging. Sure, you�ll take a little damage, but getting the ki is
worth it.
In the end, Bardock is a strong character with amazing potential. His
ability to do a combo that can lead straight into a taunt, the ability
to cancel combo easily into his ultimate, his very fast PP<-P starter,
his defencive <-KKK starter and finally, his INCREDIBLE damage
potential makes him a character to not be underestimated.

General Bardock Strategy:

The characters that you should be concerned about when being outreached are
Piccolo and Dabura. Don�t be afraid to use Bardock�s <-KKK starter when enemies
are trying to strike from a distance. Occasionally, try doing a ->P+K cancel as
you see an attack coming, and you�ll instantly close the space game.
Immediately do the PP<-P stun. Landing the first two Ps should never be a
problem, but it�s the <-P that deserves attention. With this, you can be out of
reach for shorter starters and grabs, and it�s a stun, so you can easily combo
cancel after that.

Be happy when you fight characters who have ->PKK cancels. Simply dodge the
first P, and if you see that sweep coming, sidestep then strike, or just
strike. Make sure you use PP<-P. Give them some heat phalanx and riot javelin
torture.
Occasionally throw out Bardock�s <-KKK starter to completely throw off your
opponents. Don�t do this in the air, because it doesn�t connect with some of
the fast recovering characters.


V: Credits

CJayC: Making the site
Dimps: Making the game
Atari: Publishing the game
People of GameFAQs: Giving me a reason to make the guide
WiseTheifLegault: For giving me one way to cancel into an ultimate.

Legal Stuff:

This FAQ is only been posted here in www.gamefaqs.com. If you see this
FAQ anywhere else and it is not posted by me, it is plagiarism. Feel free to
distribute this FAQ
as long as:
I: You do not change my name
II: Ask for permission
III: You do not change the contents to make it look like your own
IV: You do not make any money in any way off this FAQ
V: If you got any info from this FAQ, to give me credit.
VI: Tell me if I made something wrong in this FAQ. I will gladly
change it. This document is Copyright 2004 Fabian Ahmed. All trademarks
and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective, trademarks and
copyright holders.