Bang Shishigami/Move List

Bang Shishigami unlike most “speedster/ninja”-type characters, has both the modest amount of HP and moderate damage on his moves to subvert his archetype, making sure he can at least make a few more mistakes than others and allowing him to output solid damage in combos. Furthermore, many of his attacks tend to work as great pokes which give him solid control in the neutral, along with having the stereotypical ninja-esque mobility tools such as double air dashes and other moves such as a float that save his air options (as of Chronophantasma).

On top of having decent mixups (such as his 5C being one of the few non-command normals to be an overhead, along with a low in the form of 6A and another overhead with 6B) and even a cross-up tool in the form of j.4B, he also possesses the most jump-cancelable moves in the game, both on hit and on block to add more to his mobility gimmicks. Much of Bang's basic-bread-and-butters also possess great corner carry potential when converted into full combos, and to further his mixup game, he even possesses solid tick throws (counting a grounded and midair command throw).

His nails are also a viable tool in controlling the match, though they need to be used very wisely in terms of usage as only 12 can be used per round, giving him a limited keep away game. He can also set up bumpers to use as vantage points to boost around the arena to control the match in his favor if he ever needs to be defensive. His Drive, Burning Heart (バーニングハート), is a two-part move: Bang first defends with his gauntlet, which has autoguard/guard point properties. He then attacks with a fiery punch (or kick), which will add one seal to his FRKZ count on hit. When all four seals have been obtained, Bang can activate his Fū-Rin-Ka-Zan super. Bang’s Drives will still function as normal once he has obtained all four seals, although he derives no special benefit for doing so.

Regardless, his weaknesses lie in the fact that he barely has any-viable anti-airs (his 6C comes out too slow and his 5D and 2D also are hampered by slow startup) with no meterless reversals or any head-level-invulnerability attacks. His combos are also rather execution heavy while also lacking further damage potential without meter to expend if landed midscreen, and his Fū-Rin-Ka-Zan mode + bumper dashes can cause control issues due to mobility increases. Added with his rather committal attacks, some of his blockstring pressure can be quite easy to reverse out of if one isn't creative enough with it due to how linear some of his actual mixup routes tend to be.

He is also probably the most changed character in BlazBlue: Continuum Shift. While he retains the same emphasis on rushdown and mobility, he now actually has the tools to maintain this rushdown effectively. His moves are safer and have more priority across the board, his combos hit harder and set up for better okizeme, and he is able to acquire all the seals needed for his Fū-Rin-Ka-Zan super almost immediately if necessary. In a complete tier reversal, Bang has moved from bottom tier in Calamity Trigger to top tier in Continuum Shift, and is much more accessible to beginner players all around.

In BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II Bang received many significant nerfs to go with the new system. His wallbounce combos are gone, and much of the priorities on many of his moves were horrifically reduced. In addition, Fū-Rin-Ka-Zan received several nerfs, including a reduced range on his backdash, and significant combo reworking. Bang must now rely heavily on nails and bumpers, as well as getting seals in order to be effective in battle.

As of Extend, Bang was buffed once again. Now he has become a perfect balance of his BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger and BlazBlue: Continuum Shift selves. His 5A gained its priority back, and his overall damage has been buffed to somewhere in the middle of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift and II values. Thanks to these, Bang is now a decent character once again.

In BlazBlue: Chronophantasma, Bang has once again received significant changes to go with the new Overdrive system, while still maintaining a focus on rushdown and mixups. By far his biggest change is that Fū-Rin-Ka-Zan is no longer a Distortion Drive, but now his Overdrive, meaning he can only remain in that state for a limited time. To compensate, he has been given new tools which allow him to function better without the use of Fū-Rin-Ka-Zan. In place of Fū-Rin-Ka-Zan, he now has a brand-new command grab super which requires the four seals to be open. His Steel Rain Distortion Drive is now a special move which uses up half of your current nail count. Finally, he has been given a new move similar to Platinum’s Swallow Moon, which allows him to extend air combos, avoid certain attacks, and keep the opponent guessing. In short, Bang has once again been improved while still maintaining balance.