Shikamaru (SCON4)

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Shikamaru Nara
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HP	210
Guard Gauge	1520
Jab Speed
Jab Height
Backdash Type

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Summary

One of the most improved characters in the jump from Vanilla to Super, Shikamaru now augments his rangy normals and high damage with a variety of quality-of-life improvements, improved supers, and a more versatile and effective wisdom stance (). Shikamaru utilizes his shadow jutsu for one of the strongest oki tools in the game, the unblockable .

Press at Character Select.

Press at Character Select.

Gameplay

Moveset

Basic Moves	Notes
	Furthest reaching in the game and hits mid
	Fast high crush (frame 8), causes the spinning launch effect and combos into and
	High crushes
	Mediocre guard frames but high crushes and leads to stance
	Sliding kick which high crushes and sweeps. Good combo starter and can also be used defensively to escape from attackers behind Shikamaru
	Leads to stance
	Slow but damaging divekick
Special Moves
	Throw shuriken. When charged, throws shurikens to the side potentially catching sidesteps
	Standard up-shuriken
	High crushes and sweeps but inferior to , and in almost every way
	Enters stance (see more below)
	Groundbounces. Too slow to use in most scenarios
	Leads to stance
	Air shuriken (standard air shanks)
Super Moves
	Can be done during stance
	Unblockable, resets the combo counter and is unsubbable until the victim lands or is hit

Strategy

Shikamaru is known for his wisdom stance which gives him several options. From stance:

• teleports behind the enemy with a descending aerial dive
• teleports behind the enemy on the ground with a running kunai slash
• can be held to reverse the direction of ateleport attack
• teleports in front of the enemy with no attack
• teleports behind the enemy with no attack
• is super-cancellable with or , allowing Shikamaru to combo into supers
• cancels the stance

Shikamaru's teleport attacks are powerful as they lead to combos, though he can be punished if the opponent avoids the attack by sidestepping or otherwise moving out of the way.

Shikamaru has some of the longest ranging normal attacks in the game. Combined with numerous high crushes and his mid jab, he can be difficult to approach and a good footsies character. He lacks good block strings, with almost no viable options outside of . However, once he scores an opening, he hits hard. Stance teleports, most often , can be used to punish substitutions. Grounded and can also "checkmate" some characters, catching them even if they ground sub.

is a devastating oki option. While it does lose to wake-up-kick (WUK), when properly spaced and timed it is unavoidable and leads to a combo. The most common ways to land are to react to a tech roll near the wall or to backdash at the end of a combo to space outside of WUK. Landing a leads to a punish mix as the opponent will need to sub if Shikamaru commits to a combo. At the very least, , , , and are strong attacks which threaten a combo. is also a reliable and flexible follow-up.

Shikamaru has a unique mechanic when blocking. He will dodge physical attacks when on the ground and not next to the wall, and not take guard damage, though he still takes chip damage. Shikamaru can even dodge auto-guard breaks such as Gai , CS2 , and Zabuza .

Combos

Combos	Notes
	Normally best used to end rounds
	A reliable super confirm for combos up to ~8 hits
>	An alternative for ending rounds as it can leave Shikamaru with >25% meter.
＞ ＞	High damage and ends with a sweep which positions Shikamaru favorably for okizeme
> >	Conversion off of ending with a low-lag option
> >	Super confirm off of
> > >	The "qbtod" off of a throw

Changes from Vanilla

• now teleports Shikamaru behind the enemy, instead of in front
• can be held to reverse teleport attack directions
• added
• added
• sped up
• Teleport strings are now true combos, instead of being side-steppable with a fast mash on hit (due to the stagger effect)
• Some teleport attacks have been replaced with moves that combo reliably
• replaced with modified from Vanilla
• sweeps instead of a grounded hit
• sped up
• start up sped up and recovery decreased
• is now possible
• is now subbable after the enemy hits the ground or is hit

Resources

Guides and Info

Boocock's Shikamaru fundies introduction
Clemente's written Shikamaru guide
Shikamaru defensive tech in SCON4

Gameplay footage

Clemente vs FlareHazard (2x), CopyCatNinja, & Paradise 12/28/20‎
Clemente vs HebrewHammer (Bi-weekly 6 GF) (Ino)‎
Clemente vs HebrewHammer 4/27/21 (Casuals; Neji, Anko, Ino)‎
Clemente vs Hebrew Hammer 5/15/21 (Casuals; Tsunade, Ino, Neji)‎
Clemente vs Underscore 6/17/21 (Casuals; Tenten)‎
Kyuubi vs Cozy (OTK/Haku) Biweekly 26‎