Nakoruru

Another fighting game character, Nakoruru, flies in to battle!

The Mii
Nakoruru uses the Nakoruru Wig and Nakoruru Outfit, and the Mii I created was made to be as close to Nintendo’s official Mii as possible.Here is a guide on how to make my Mii, if you would like to copy it; I made her color Red to match her ribbon and general color scheme, but it doesn’t make a difference. Her voice was a bit of a hotly debated topic for a while. Nakoruru is young, but speaks with a very soft voice. This leaves most of the female voices feeling either too loud and squeaky, or too deep and “old” sounding. I ultimately settled on Type 2 High, but Type 4 Normal is another good alternative if you feel that Type 2 sounds a bit too old for her.

The Moves
For her specials, I tried to base them as closely as possible to her command moves in her home series. Blurring Blade doesn’t have a precise reference, but it was the best option available since Nakoruru has never had a projectile, and is one of the few characters in her series who doesn’t. Reverse Slash represents her Kamui Rimuse, where she uses her cape to deflect projectiles. This makes up for her lack of projectiles in her home series, and is one of the unique things about her. Skyward Slash Dash represents many different attacks, depending on how you use it. When used on the ground to move across the ground, it is the Annu Mutsube. When used on the ground to attack into the air, it is the Rera Mutsube. And when used in the air, it is the Kamui Mutsube. Her Gale Stab is representative of her Super Special Move from the newest Samurai Shodown, Ar Retar Kamuyhum Makiri. In her home series, she would fly in on her hawk companion to build speed, then hold her sword in front of her as she is flung towards her opponent. The process in Smash is a bit more simplified, but it achieves the same look.

The Style
For spirits, Nakoruru uses the Equipment Style with three Killing Edge spirits. This represents a unique aspect of the Samurai Shodown games, where your weapon can be knocked out of your hand and onto the ground, leaving you with a weaker moveset as you tried to pick it back up. You could also drop or throw your weapon yourself.

The Spirits
Nakoruru starts each stock for her first three stocks with a Killing Edge, giving her extended range and increased power due to her Equipment Style. However, if the sword is knocked out of her hand, she’s forced to rely on her weakened normals, which can be quite difficult. When the sword glows, you might be tempted to throw it at your opponent, making it a very powerful projectile, but keep in mind that this will also leave you weakened unless you can get the sword back.

Analysis
Interestingly, in my testing, a Killing Edge gotten from a spirit actually seems to stay forever as long as it isn’t left on the ground for too long. This greatly increases the utility and longevity of the item, but also means your opponents can get their hands on it when they take your stock. While not very competitive, I found this spirit set for Nakoruru to be a lot of fun. Especially when playing on an enclosed stage like KoF Stadium, you’ll eventually reach a point where almost everyone in the match has a sword. You might even be able to juggle using two swords at once, throwing one then quickly retrieving the other one to cover all your options.

Summary:
The Ray MK II with Equipment Style: 3 Support Spirits with Killing Edge Equipped



Credits: Uielicious Mii