* * *** * * * ***** * * * * !! **** * **** * * * * **** * * * * **** * * * * !! * * * ** *** * * * * * * * * * * * * !! * * * * * *** **** *** ****** * * * ** * * * !! * * * * ***** * * * * * *** **** * * *** * !! ***** ***** * * **** * * * * * * * * * * * !! * * * * * * , * * * * * * * * * * * ***** ***** ******* ,, * * ******** ****** * * !! (The above is an ASCII representation of the Korean 'hangul' for: "Kim Kapwhan, Tae Kwon Man Seh!", or "Long Live Taekwondo [and] Kim Kapwhan!" -- taken from the banner in Kim's KoF '96 stage.) KOF '97 KIM KAPWHAN PLAYER'S GUIDE v.0.00 ---------------------------------------------------------- "If God is a fighter... it would be Kim!!!" -takuma@pacific.net.sg This Guide is designed to help players become competitive with the character Kim Kapwhan in The King of Fighters '97. (*) Contents: (I.): Who is Kim Kapwhan and Why Should I Play Him? (II.): Basic Info, And Where To Get More Info (III.): Kim's Moves: Normal Moves, Command Attacks, and Throws (IV.): Kim's Special Moves and DM's (V.): Kim's Combos (VI.): Kim's General Strategy (VII.): Character-Specific Matchups (VIII.): Version History (IX): Credits ------------------------------------------------------------------------- (I.) Who is Kim Kapwhan, and Why Should I Play Him? "Kim," as he is commonly known, is a master of Taekwondo, and has been the Korean national champion in this martial art since his first appearance in Fatal Fury 2, 5 years ago (when he was 26 years old). Now something of a martial arts veteran at age 30, Kim is still in fantastic shape, and continues to take both his martial arts discipline and his beloved family very seriously -- he has been happily married for a number of years, and his two young sons are his pride and joy. The pure-hearted Kim is still the 'captain' of Team Korea, and continues to fight alongside the two vile ex-convicts he has recruited as his teammates: Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge -- in an attempt to reform them from their dastardly criminal ways. As a character, Kim is equipped with 5 special moves--3 of which require a 'charge' to perform; 2 "DM's" (Desperation, or "Super" Moves), both of which can be performed both in the air AND on the ground; and two normal move 'command attacks,' with various uses. Playing him competitively requires players to master the use of Kim's 'manual' (i.e. non-charge) moves while 'holding a charge' for use at opportune moments, as well as mastering his unusual normal moves and command attacks -- a tough Kim player will focus half his attention on putting up a blistering offense and the other half on any openings or mistakes the opponent might make. Doing either of these successfully takes a bit of learning, much more so than a more shallow, easier-to-use character. In fact, at higher levels of play, Kim really is a 'skill character.' If you find any of the above to be appealing, perhaps you might consider trying him out on your next few teams. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- (II.) BASIC INFO: Character Name: Kim Kapwhan Nationality: Korean Martial Art: Taekwondo Birthdate: December 21, 1967 Age: 30 Height: 176 cm Weight: 78 kg Blood Type: A ===Special Moves:=== -Hangetsuzan (qcb + K) -Hienzan (charge dwn, up + K) -Kusaijin (charge dwn, up + P) -Comet Cruncher (charge bk, fwd + K) -Hishokyaku (jump, qcf + K) ===Command Attacks:=== -Taekwondo Dora Yup Chagi (fwd + A) [Korean: "Turning Side-Kick"] -Taekwondo Neri Chagi (fwd + B) (overhead) [Korean: "Descending Kick"] ===DM's:=== -Hououkyaku (qcb, hcf + K): Note: can be performed in the air and on the ground. -Houou Tenbukyaku (jump, qcf, hcb + K) Note: can be performed in the air and also buffered "off the ground" by: qcf, up-fwd, hcb + K. ===Palatte-Swaps:=== Extra: A-button (Default): Off-white with red fringes D-button (Alternate): Black with red fringes Advanced: A-button (Default): White with blue fringes D-button (Alternate): Yellow with green fringes (Note: The Advanced default palatte-swap is his old Fatal Fury 2 default color; the Extra alternate palatte-swap is his Real Bout Fatal Fury alternate palatte-swap; perhaps the Advanced alternate colors are a reference to the national flag of Brazil, where SNK of South America is located.) ===Special Round Introductions:=== Against certain "evil" characters (Yamazaki, Iori, Billy, Orochi Iori, Orochi Leona and Orochi himself) Kim has a special round introduction: Kim stands with his back turned and arms crossed; then his eye glints, and he turns to his "evil" opponent and shouts "Aku wa yurusan!" (Japanese: "Evil is unforgiveable!") ===Kim's Taunt:=== Kim grins amiably and shrugs.: "Kakatte koi yo!" (Japanese: "Come and fight [already]!") You Might Taunt When: -Your opponent is turtling (in which case you are inciting him/her to try fighting "for a change"). -You are hammering your opponent (in which case you are snidely implying that you are "doing all of the fighting"). -Time is running out and your opponent is successfully attempting to run out the clock (in which case you are expressing frustration or an honest plea). ===Kim's Win Poses:=== A-button: Kim wipes the sweat from his brow, nods: "Nakanaka ote maede." (Japanese: "Such formidable skills!") You Might Use When: -You had a good fight, and you want to show your opponent a little respect. -You barely won, but you still won it, fair and square. -Your opponent was a complete turtle / pushover and the round was very boring overall, but you have this thing for sarcasm. B-button: Kim turns towards the player and takes his "junbi" stance. You Might Use When: -You gave your opponent a severe beating. -You had a good fight [also]. -You don't think the A- or C-win pose is quite appropriate. -You find the A- and C- win poses too embarrassing to use. C-button: Kim clenches his fist, turns towards the player, and grins. His teeth glint loudly. You Might Use When: -You barely won, but only because you got lucky. -You have been winning quite a bit, without taking much damage yourself (in which case you might mean: "Even after all this fighting, I haven't broken a sweat. In fact, I'm enjoying myself!"). -You enjoy the 'audible' glint of Kim's teeth. ===Loss to Time-Out:=== Kim kneels and pounds his fist on the ground. A single glittering tear falls from his eye. ===Preferred Mode: ADVANCED=== Kim needs the ability to dash and roll in order to maneuver himself closer to his opponent. Though his short hop jump in Advanced Mode is quite high (higher than it was in '96), it's still quite useful in many situations. The ability to store up POW stocks is augmented by his ability to perform the 'empty Hishokyaku' to build up his meter, and helps him during play as it gives him more frequent access to SDM's; since Kim's DM's are readily combo-able, this gives him more of a competitive edge than in Extra Mode. NOTE: This guide assumes general knowledge and familiarity with KoF '97. The KoF '97 Beginner's Reference contains a more in-depth description of the basics, and can be found at: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/4810/BEGIN.TXT ------------------------------------------------------------------------- (III.) Kim's Normal Moves, Command Attacks and Throws ===Normal Moves:=== Kim's Bufferable Normal Moves: (An "X" indicates that the move is bufferable.) Button: Standing Far Standing Close Low Jumping A - X X - B - X - - C - X (1) X - D - - - - CD X X N.A. X Note: -Only the first hit of Kim's 2-hit close standing C is bufferable. Normal moves are listed as follows: