Shikamaru (SCON4)

	Shikamaru Nara
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HP	210
Guard Gauge	1520
Jab Speed	Frame 14
Jab Height	Mid
Backdash Type	Normal

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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 .

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. Can be used defensively to escape from attackers behind Shikamaru
	Leads to stance
	Slow but damaging divekick
Special Moves
	Throw shuriken. Charge throws shurikens spread horizontally, 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. Average damage among cinematic supers.
	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 a teleport 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. If the enemy is avoiding teleport attacks, Shikamaru can mix them up by using his "empty" teleport, . If he has his back to the enemy, he can use instead.

Tierlist of who can substitution jutsu out of Shikamaru's 5BB2X assuming their sub starts after 2X starts

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 as listed in the image to the right.

is a powerful 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. After capturing the enemy, , , , and are strong attacks which threaten an extended combo. is also a reliable and flexible follow-up.
is one of the best high crushes in the game, being active frame 8 and linking primarily with and . It can also cross-up if Shikamaru manages to get under a jumping opponent.

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
	Basic super confirm using wisdom stance
	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

HP increased from 200 to 210
Grabbable Moves: 8A, JA
5BB(A): launches with more lift, one frame less on the hitbox
has faster action and high crushes at frame 6; can super cancel into 5X and 2X
now teleports Shikamaru behind the enemy, instead of in front
SB(B) more lift on hit
SBB(B) replaced with SABB(B)
SABB(B) deals more damage
SA(A) now staggers
SAA(A) replaced with 8A
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; 8BA follow up after landing
sweeps instead of a grounded hit; less lift
6B(B) has more lift
2BBB(B) ends sooner and has more lift
RB: starts up three frames later
sped up by four frames
has less super freeze and comes out faster, can move faster when hitting from further away than right next to the opponent, opponent falls slower, opponent cannot sub until they hit the ground or are hit; resets combo counter
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