Job #95: Raidou Kuzunoha Moveset
General Playstyle: Raidou’s greatest strength is his spacing capabilities. Thanks to his sword’s disjointed hitbox and projectile attacks, he’s able to maintain distance between himself and his opponent. While his aerial mobility is pretty mediocre (he’s not Little Mac or Toph levels of bad in the air, but it’s not his strongest suit), his run speed is really good and helps him play more offensively. Basically, his play style is very reminiscent of Marth but with more crazy demon **** at his disposal.
Main Gimmick: Demon Summoning/Loyalty Meter - Okay, this one’s gonna take a bit of explaining, so bare with me. Using his Down Special, Raidou can switch between four of his demon companions and have them fight alongside him. Each demon specializes in different elemental skills and might alter certain specials. Much like Pokemon Trainer, you can also choose which demon you want to start the fight with in the character select screen. Here’s the four demons that will be tagging alongside Raidou for the fight:
- Ukobach - The first demon you recruit in Raidou Kuzunoha vs The Soulless Army. He’s a lower-ranking demon of Hell whose job is to maintain the oil in the infernal boilers. He’s said to have invented fried food and fireworks. Specializes in Fire skills.
- Raiho - A Jack Frost that fused himself with a bancho uniform and idolizes Raidou. He can be recruited after you beat him in an optional boss fight. Specializes in Ice skills.
- Parvati - A demon based on the mother goddess of Hinduism. She’s the wife of Shiva and the reincarnation of Sati, the first wife of Shiva. Specializes in Electric skills.
- Anzu - A demon based on a figure in ancient Mesopotamian religions. In Sumerian and Akkadian mythology, it’s the personification of the southern wind and thunder clouds. Specializes in Wind skills.
The first two I chose because of their close association with Raidou, but pinning down the electric and wind demons was a bit trickier. I wanted demons that appeared in the Raidou games, represented a wide range of mythological backgrounds, and were distinct from each other in design. Ultimately I settled on Parvati and Anzu to fill the other half because they happened to fit my criteria.
Each demon has their own loyalty meter that builds up over the course of the battle. The meter will naturally fill up on its own, but attacking an opponent will help the gauge fill faster. Whenever the meter is full, Raidou can perform a combo attack with whichever demon he has out. These are usually more powerful versions of Raidou’s specials with added attributes that match with the demon’s specialties. Using up one demon’s combo attack causes the other demons’ loyalty meters to reset, so don’t think you can stockpile four different combo moves to unleash one after the other.
Notable normals: Most of Raidou’s normal attacks involve him using his katana. His neutral attack is a three-hit “jab” where he swings to the left with his sword, then right, then down. Raidou’s dash has him thrust forward with his sword. His up tilt is him swinging his sword above him, while his down tilt is a sliding kick. His forward smash has him spin around with his katana. Raidou swings his sword in front of him for his Nair, and upwards for his up air. His down air has him slam into the ground with his katana. For his grab, he calls forward whichever demon he has out to grab the opponent. For pummels, Ukobach will hit the opponent with his spoon, Raiho will headbutt, Parvati will zap the opponent, and Anzu will squeeze down on them with his talons.
Neutral Special: Gunshot - Raidou takes out his revolver and starts shooting. You can mash up to three times to have multiple consecutive shots come out.
Ukobach Combo: Fire Shot - A flame-engulfed gunshot that inflicts burn, causing the opponent to deal slight damage overtime for a few seconds.
Raiho Combo: Freeze Shot - An ice-covered gunshot that freezes the opponent on impact.
Parvati Combo: Volt Shot - An electric-charged gunshot that stuns the opponent for a short period of time.
Anzu Combo: Wind Shot - A wind-powered gunshot that deals major knockback and launches the opponent far.
Side Special: Demon Spell/Elemental Slash
Ukobach: Agi - Ukoback throws out a fireball with his spoon that flies at an arc.
Ukobach Combo: Scorch Slash - Raidou’s katana becomes engulfed in flames as he rapidly slashes it in front of him a few times.
Raiho: Bufu - Raiho shoots a small, ice-cold projectile from his hands that goes straight forward.
Raiho Combo: Freeze Slash - Raidou’s sword becomes covered in ice as he rapidly slashes it in front of him a few times.
Parvati: Zio - A small bolt of lightning strikes down in front of Parvati.
Parvati Combo: Electric Crush - Raidou’s katana is covered in electric energy and takes on an axe shape. He swings his weapon twice before jumping and slamming his sword down on his opponent.
Anzu: Garu - Anzu summons a small, fast twister that goes straight forward before dissipating.
Anzu Combo: Gale Stab - Raidou repeatedly and rapidly stabs his sword forward before dealing a finishing blow that sends the opponent flying far.
Up Special: Rising Slash - Raidou slashes upward with his sword and launches himself in the air. Using up special again immediately after has Raidou slam down to the ground with his sword pointing in front of him.
All-Star Move: Megidolan - When activated, Raidou summons the incredible power of the demon Metatron. A large summoning circle is created on the stage that results in a huge explosion of Almighty energy.
Taunts:
- Taunt 1: Raidou unsheathes his sword and swings it in front of him.
- Taunt 2: Raidou turns away from the camera and swings his sword
- Taunt 3: Gouto-Douji appears on Raidou’s shoulder and hisses at the opponent
Victory Theme: Level Up (Devil Summoner: RKvTSA)
Victory animations:
- Raidou calls back one of his demons and poses with the summoning tube in his hand
- Gouto-Douji climbs up on Raidou’s shoulder and says “you’ve brought respect to the Raidou Kuzunoha name” as he turns around and walks into the distance
- Raidou sheaths his sword as Gouto sits on his shoulder and says “Our investigation is complete”
Alts
- Default skin
- Nemissa (Silver hair and black uniform)
- Soul Hackers Protag (Brown hair and green uniform)
- Serph (Silver hair and grey uniform)
- Kyouji Kuzunoha (Black hair and beige uniform)
- Flynn (Brown hair and blue uniform)
- Nahabino (Purple hair and black uniform)
- Dante from the Devil May Cry series (White hair and red uniform)
Normally I don’t like doing out-of-series references with alts, but the Dante idea was too good to pass up considering how Raidou was his replacement in Nocturne.
