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E.Honda FAQ

by Rocky Valkryie

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||                            Honda In-Depth Guide                           ||
||                             Street Fighter IV                             ||
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Written by: RockytheHercules
Last updated: 2009-08-29 13:01:28

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                               Table of Contents                               
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- Introduction
- Key Terms
- The Moves
- Strategies
- Links
- Contact Me


===============================================================================
                                  Introduction                                 
===============================================================================

As you can probably tell, having clicked on this guide, this is a guide to
playing Edmond Honda in Street Fighter 4. If you've already chosen to play
Honda, then great, welcome to the team. If you're looking around for a
character to play, ask yourself first why you want to play him. 

Tier-wise, Honda is about mid-tier. He has a couple of relevant favorable
matchups, but is generally not favored against especially fireball-heavy
characters. His strengths are his big damage and high stamina. However, these
qualities are present in other characters who are easier to play, such as Sagat
and Zangief. In addition to this and his fireball weakness, he is slow, has a
large hitbox, doesn't have a very good close anti-air move aside from EX
Headbutt(making him susceptible to cross-ups), and just generally has a hard
time putting pressure on opponents. If you're looking for an easy character to
pick up and play, look elsewhere. But, Honda can be a precision tool in the
right hands, and I'm here to tell you what your options are.

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                                   Key Terms                                   
===============================================================================

The first thing you should know are what to call things, meaning what things
are referred to in the community. Most of these are either common sense or at
least very common knowledge, so feel free to skip past all these if you're
already familiar.

First, the directions and buttons:
u - Up
d - Down
f - Forward, or toward the opponent
b - Back, or away from the opponent

P - Punch. In this guide, a capital P will refer to "any punch."
LP - Light punch. Also referred to as jab. It's the default function of the
square button on the PS3. 
MP - Medium punch. Also referred to as strong(STR). It's the default function
of the triangle button on the PS3.
HP - Hard punch. Also referred to as fierce(FR). It's the default function of
the R1 button on the PS3.
PPP - All punches simultaneously. Normally mapped to L1.
K - Kick. In this guide, a capital K will refer to "any kick."
LK - Light kick. Also referred to as short(SH). It's the default function of
the X button on the PS3.
MK - Medium kick. Also referred to as forward(FWR). It's the default function
of the O button on the PS3.
HK - Hard kick. Also referred to as roundhouse(RH). It's the default function
of the R2 button on the PS3.
KKK - All three kicks simultaneously. Normally mapped to L2.

st. - Standing. Meaning do this action on the ground, while not pressing down.
cr. - Crouching. Do this action on the ground, while pressing down.
j. - Jumping. Do this action while jumping, which is done by pressing up.

Throw - An unblockable attack which is done in a very close range. It can be
done by pressing LP+LK with any character. Honda, however, has a command throw,
which is performed with a different input.
Focus Attack - A new type of attack introduced in SF4. It "absorbs" one hit
from an opponent, and depending on the length of time the input is held, it has
varying effects. Performed by pressing and/or holding MP+MK.
EX - Similar to a special move, but performed with the use of any two versions
of the buttons instead, for example, LP+MP or MP+HP for a move requiring use of
any punch.

qcf - Also known as the "hadouken" or fireball motion. Performed by quickly
pressing down, down-foward, forward (d, df, f) on the joystick.
qcb - Similar to the qcf motion, but down, down-back, back (d, db, b) instead.
hcf - Similar to the qcf motion, but back, down-back, down, down-forward,
forward instead.
hcb - Similar to the qcf motion, but forward, down-forward, down, down-back,
back instead.
(charge) - Referring to the need to hold a direction for a short period in one
direction in order to trigger a move. For example, Honda's Headbutt move is
performed by holding back for a couple of seconds and then pressing forward and
any punch. Thus, it would be noted as b,(charge),f+P. 
DP - "Dragon Punch," referring to the motion for "shoryuken," performed
forward, down, down-forward (f, d, df) on the joystick. Also used to refer to
moves with similar properties, even though the motion may be different, such as
Fei-Long's Flame Kick or Balrog's(Boxer's) Headbutt.
FADC - Focus Attack Dash Cancel. To do this, first start a Focus Attack(MP+MK),
then quickly cancel out of it by dashing forward(f,f) or dashing backward(b,b).

These are some common slang words used by Street Fighter players:
Poke - Usually, an attack with good range and priority which is done at about a
medium distance.
Priority - Based on the properties of the moves, if two moves are used at
roughly the same time, the likelyhood that one move will come out and the other
player will be hit.
Footsies - Carefully gauging distance based on the range of pokes, usually done
on the ground by walking back and forth to reach optimal poking distance.
Stuff - Used as a verb, this means for a move of higher priority to hit the
other player, causing their attack animation to be skipped. For example, if a
player tries to use a normal attack against a player using a shoryuken, the
normal attack will not be shown, and that player will get hit instead.
Tech Jump - Certain moves, such as throws and some lows, have the property that
if the opponent is off the ground, such as due to jumping or being juggled in
the air, they will miss unconditionally. A tech jump is a move that invalidates
those moves without having to jump first.
Tech Crouch - A move which tech crouches evades moves that do not normally hit
crouching opponents, without necessarily being done from a crouch.
Tick Throw - As I understand it, it is the combination of a quick move which is
supposed to hit or be blocked, and a throw which is performed right as the
opponent is coming out of hitstun or blockstun, so there is no opportunity to
counterattack in the interim.

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                                   The Moves                                   
===============================================================================

Alright, so here we go. The meat of the guide is here. Obviously, I'm not the
be-all, end-all expert on the subject, but I can comment on what I know, so
I'll try to give you the best opinion I can on each move.

Let's start off with the normal moves.

st.LP - A very quick move, can be used to interrupt. Obviously doesn't do very
much damage, but if you end up close, you can use it to start an offense. Gives
you a little advantage on hit and block.

cr.LP - A very quick poke. Its range is very useful, and you can pretty much
stick it out at footsie range with little concern, as it's very fast. You can
also combo into HHS.

jump up LP - Not really all that useful. You can use it if you jumped up
anticipating a jump at you, but they just move forward on the ground instead.

j.LP - Against taller opponents, like Sagat or Gief, you can use it to escape
by jumping back and hitting LP early. You'll catch them if they're just
standing there, and if they jump at you. Careful with it, though, as you might
catch a punish if they're ready for it.

st.MP - Not great, but has decent range. In close, it does two hits and you can
combo after it, which is handy. A little slow to start, though.

cr. MP - A bit slow. You can combo HHS off of it, but cr.LP is so much safer,
and the difference in range is negligible. I don't use it very often.

jump up MP - If you jump up early enough against an oncoming jump-in, it will
stuff a lot. It's slightly slow, but when it comes out, it's got pretty good
priority. I have to emphasize that you have to have jumped up before your
opponent, though, or you'll eat the hit. Its main disadvantage compared to jump
up HP is you can't change the angle of the jump like you can with HP.

j.MP - A good air-to-air move if your opponent is higher or about the same
level as you. It'll hit grounded opponents from a sort of weird angle as well,
and has decent range, so use it if you think your opponent might jump at you,
but not from too close.

st.HP - It has respectable range, good priority and excellent damage. It stuffs
a lot of moves and is a passable anti-air against some. I mainly use it against
opponents who use moves that tend to tech jump st.RH. The close version is a
reasonable anti-air, but I haven't had much success with it against cross-ups.

cr.HP - It does considerable damage, but the range isn't great, and it's quite
slow. It does kind of tech crouch, though.

jump up HP - Also known as the "floating fierce," it's a very good move which
has a lot of applications. You can wiggle slightly forward and backward after
hitting the fierce button, and because of that, you can slightly alter your
trajectory. This is useful in getting past fireballs(float forward) relatively
safely, as an air-to-air against high jump-ins(float backward), and even
against grounded opponents(float forward). The weakness is that the distance
you can travel is very little, so your mobility is hindered. After landing,
sticking out st.HK if you're mid-range or so is usually a good follow-up, as it
creates a block high->block low condition, and if you hit with the floating
fierce, st.HK combos.

j.HP - Not a bad jump-in, but somewhat lacking in range. The angle is a lot
more vertical than his other jump-ins, and you can combo st.HK or HHS after.
Basically, if you're coming down a bit deep, j.HP is your best choice. If
you're coming down from far, probably go with j.HK.

st.LK - A quick move, not really that great. In close, it hits low and is
decent for a tick throw.

cr.LK - A quick low, good for mixups and to start a HHS or Ochio tick throw.
Fast enough to use to interrupt as well.

jump up LK - Kind of an awkward knee kick thing. I'd imagine if you jumped up
and they came up real close, you could hit with this.

j.LK - It's a decent move to use to jump away from someone by hitting LK early,
it can stuff poorly-timed jumps at you. 

st.MK - Kind of awkward, doesn't really have enough range to use over your
other options.

cr.MK - A reasonable low. After a jump-in, you can combo into this into
headbutt for more damage than cr.LK. It doesn't generally have enough
reliability to use�  over cr.LK, though.

jump up MK - It's very awkward, as it's angled upward. Possibly, you could use
it as an alternative to jump up MP if your opponent jumps earlier.

j.MK - It's your go-to cross up jump-in. You can do it high in the jump as an
air-to-air, and it's pretty decent unless they're doing something with better
range, but it's best done a bit later for the cross-up. If you're aiming to
jump over, you can often catch opponents trying to jump away, as well. Follow
up with cr.LK->HHS or headbutt.

st.HK - An excellent poke. Great range, fast, good damage, and it's a low. It
combos after some mid-range jump-ins like j.FR and after fierce HHS as well.
Basically, when trying to do footsies, this and cr.LP are your best options.
Some characters tend to tech jump it, though, and in those cases, use st.HP
instead.

cr.HK - I'm not a huge fan, but it is a reasonable sweep with good range. It's
quite slow though. I guess it'd be a reasonable mixup considering the range,
but I feel like there are better options.

jump up HK - It's a decent air-to-air against oncoming attacks, seems to have
pretty good priority, but the range is pretty small.

j.HK - Has probably the best range of your jump-in options, and it's one I use
often. It's also actually a good air-to-air option, if your opponent is lower
to the ground than you. Still, good damage and range, so a good move overall.
Also, you can jump away with it to catch overeager opponents jumping in on you
after a knockdown.

df+HK - Honda's overhead. It's not really great for much, because it's super
slow. The only use it has so far is to threaten an overhead and cancel into
something else.

Focus Attack (MP+MK)
Honda's focus isn't really that great. The range is a bit short, and the hit
comes out a bit slow. Honda does sort of crouch when he does it, but aside from
that, I can't say much good about it.

Hundred Hand Slap (Press P rapidly)
The hundred hand slap, abbreviated HHS, is one of Honda's signature moves. It's
also very good, and therefore you should learn to do it without fail. You can
easily go into HHS from cr.LK or cr.LP, so it's easy to set up. The actual
input requires you to input any punch 5 times within 3 frames, with the last
input hit determining which version comes out. The LP version has the longest
recovery and doesn't move you forward, and the MP version is only slightly less
recovery than that, but inches you forward. For all intents and purposes, you
should just learn the HP version, as it has the least recovery and does the
most damage. The EX version is actually slower than the LP version, and it can
actually move you backwards, so when players do it by accident, they tend to
move backwards, because most Honda players will maintain a down-back charge
while doing HHS. So, that out of the way, what's so good about HHS? Well, first
of all, it does good damage and if blocked, good chip damage. It also builds
meter very well. In addition, you can maintain a charge while performing HHS.
Best of all, though, are the follow-ups. If you hit close, you can go fierce
HHS, inch forward, then fierce HHS again. Or, fierce HHS->cr.LP->fierce HHS.
You can cancel HHS into super, as well, so that gives you a good way to get big
super damage. Another good trick is on hit or block, you can FADC into Ochio
for even more damage.

Headbutt (b,(charge),f+P)
A very good move. The punch button pressed determines the speed, power and
distance Honda travels when performing the move. The EX version is of note
because its speed and priority are very high, beating out moves the normal
versions would not. It deals good chip damage, but be careful especially when
the stronger versions are blocked, because it can leave you open to
counterattacks. EX headbutt is also your best option against crossups. Just
hold back, and when the opponent goes over, hit the punch buttons, and it'll
come out. Also, be careful against opponents with DPs, because you'll lose out
against those. For the most part, other characters with torpedo-like moves,
such as Blanka's roll or Bison's(Dictator's) psycho crusher, will be beaten if
you start at about the same time. Headbutt also breaks armor.

Splash (d,(charge)u+K)
A decent move. The kick button determines the distance you travel, the angle of
the move and the damage. This move only hits on the way down, and it seems to
have fairly low priority, so it's not really an ideal anti-air. It is useful to
do things like tech jump against a throw or low, cross someone up, and other
tricks. If you're expecting your opponent to throw out a low poke, the LK or MK
versions could be used as a kind of overhead. The MK version is generally the
most useful to cross up. The EX version does seem to have higher priority, and
seems to have hit on the way up, so it's a decent move to throw out if you're
knocked down and being pressured, but like the other versions, it's got
terrible recovery, so be careful with it.

Ochio (f, df, d, db, b+P)
A very good move. It does a very good amount of damage and it leaves you right
on top of them for wakeup shenanigans. You can tick into it, basically with LK
or LP, standing or crouching, and it has pretty good range. It is just a smidge
slower than a normal throw, so keep that in mind. The EX version has longer
range. Also, keep in mind that you can whiff it to build meter, such as when
fullscreen and idling against a non-fireball character, or immediately after
hitting an EX headbutt.

Super (b,(charge),f,b,f+P)
It's really a shame that this isn't Honda's ultra instead. It does very good
damage, goes through fireballs, has two opportunities to hit, and can be
combo'd into from HHS. However, Honda relies relatively heavily on EX headbutt
and EX splash, so it's hard to get the balance between those and the super.
There are some character matchups where the super is much more useful, though.

Ultra (b,(charge),f,b,f+PPP)
Honda's ultra isn't really that great. Sure, it does an absolutely absurd
amount of damage, especially with a full bar, but it's quite hard to stick.
It's a good anti-air, in the same vein as EX headbutt is, but it is
considerably more punishable. The beginning of the move has some frames that go
through fireballs, but it's very limited, so you have to use it at a very
strict range or you'll get hit. Also, since the motion requires you to break
the charge to do, you're sort of committed to it as soon as you start, so it's
somewhat hard to time.

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                                   Strategies                                  
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Footsies
First off, Honda is not really a footsie character. He's got some pretty good
pokes, from st.HK and cr.LP to st.HP. But, being a charge character, you often
have to maintain a back charge for the Headbutt. His foot speed isn't very
impressive, either, however his floating fierce can be somewhat unpredictable.
Basically, as far as footsies go, it's hard for Honda to outmaneuver, but you
can get some unexpected hits in, especially with floating fierce and st.HK. 

Approaching
Since his footsie game isn't really that great, you have to focus on other ways
of getting in with Honda. Splash is an option, but if you whiff, you'll almost
definitely eat punishment. On block, it's not so bad, but if you get the
distance wrong, it's pretty unforgiving. LP and MP headbutts can be useful
against non-fireball characters. If you're careful, jumping in is feasible
against some opponents, and you can bait out anti-airs with his floating
fierce. Speaking of his floating fierce, it is a very good way to get in
against fireball characters. At poke range, you can space with st.HK and cr.LP,
then possibly MK splash or dash up throw, or maybe move in for cr.LP->fierce
HHS. 

Escaping
Getting out of the corner or from a knockdown setup is pretty important. If you
have room to get away, you can use j.LK or j.HK while jumping away to get away
from many opponents if they're trying to pressure you with a hit after the
knockdown. These are relatively safe, but if you guess wrong, you could eat
another hit into another knockdown. You could try blocking, but then you're
susceptible to a throw mixup and then another knockdown. Backdash is another
good option. If facing an aggressive opponent without a DP(or who doesn't tend
to DP you on wakeup), EX headbutt or EX splash are really good options because
of their high priority. If you're in the corner, though, things get a little
tougher. First off, you're pretty susceptible to cross-ups. EX headbutt is
pretty much your only good option against those. The bigger issue is against
50/50 mixups like Zangief. If he gets you in the corner, most of your choices
to get out are invalidated by either his SPD or his lariat. So, you can't jump
out, and you can't really afford to block, either. Your best option in this
case is to reversal EX splash out of there to escape, which will beat either of
those options, though it will go too far and whiff if he stands there and
blocks, but at least you'll be out of the corner by that point.

Jump-ins
Honda's jump-ins lead to a lot of damage, and they can be put to good use. His
j.HP and j.HK have good range, pretty good priority, good damage, and can lead
to more damage. His j.MK can be used to cross-up, and sets him up nicely to
combo for more damage. However, he can be anti-aired fairly easily because of
his jump arc and his large hitbox, so the trick is to time them correctly, mix
in neutral jumps, floating fierces and empty jumps to bait out your opponents'
anti-airs and get the damage in when you know you can.

Knockdowns
This is certainly a big part of Honda's game. Getting a knockdown, usually with
a splash or an Ochio, can lead to a great deal more damage. At base, after an
Ochio or splash(basically, standing over your opponent, who is knocked down),
you have a few options. You can cr.LK into a HHS or headbutt, you can Ochio,
you can tick throw or you can cross up. In addition, your opponent could
reversal or attempt to jump away. If your opponent tries to jump away, you
could splash or j.HP them out of the air. If they reversal, you have to block
and punish. Basically, you have a lot of options, and if you guess correctly,
it should lead to another knockdown mixup, for more shenanigans, and especially
against opponents without DPs(and, I suppose, teleports) you can really deal a
lot of damage even from just one knockdown. 

Block Strings
Honda doesn't really have great block strings. cr.LK->cr.LK->cr.LP is pretty
much the only effective one I know of.

Combos
Honda isn't a very combo-reliant character, and if you're curious about combos,
just try the Trial mode. Basically, his combos can mostly be summed up as
jump-in->LP or LK->headbutt or HHS. It's not all that interesting.

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                                     Links                                     
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>   * www.Shoryuken.com - The foremost website, at least for 2D fighting games
like Street Fighter.
>   * http://www.youtube.com/user/lordaborigine - Lots of videos of Japanese
players, search for Akimo specifically for a good Honda, and look for other
great Japanese players as well.

>   * http://www.youtube.com/user/ArcadeInfinity - You can watch the SoCal
players here, specifically Mike Ross's Honda, but there are plenty of other
good players as well.

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                                   Contact Me                                  
===============================================================================

If you have questions, comments, corrections or suggestions, you can contact me
at [email protected] and I'll try my best to address them. That's it
for now, but if I come up with anything else, I'll try and update this guide.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
This guide was created at http://www.playhaven.com/
For a complete version, go here:
http://www.playhaven.com/guides/ps3/street-fighter-iv/honda-indepth-guide/s0tXa
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