Shooting Dancer

Shooting Dancer is one of Chris's Special Moves in The King of Fighters series.

Description
Shooting Dancer has two variants; Shooting Dancer Thrust done with / and Shooting Dancer Step  done with /. All variations start with a dashing elbow strike, though before The King of Fighters '98, Chris instead dashed forward with a low-bending rush that did no damage.

Thrust
Shooting Dancer Thrust ends with a low kick (his crouching  animation), which hits low. This version so far only knocks down in 98 Ultimate Match.

Shooting Dancer Thrust while going a bit further, instead ends in a punch similar to his Slide Touch. This version can be blocked high or low.

As of XV however, the new ends in a forward side kick with Chris' leading leg that knocks down as his new main combo finisher (old  version no longer knocks down like in most of the other games).

The new Shooting Dancer Thrust version ends into a sliding-sweep-kick with his following leg towards the background that hits low, which combos from light attacks like the  version and also has inflicts a hard knockdown.

Step
Shooting Dancer Step instead for all versions has Chris follow right into a leaping overhead jump-stomp that hits overhead and causes him to bounce off his foe either on-hit or block. However, each button version determines where Chris leaps: makes him bounce over the foe forwards while  makes him bounce away backwards. Both bounces also have a landing animation.

On-hit, the overhead stomp inflicts a hard knockdown. The bouncing period on either hit or block can also be followed into a Glider Stomp. Even then, the period between the elbow and stomp is too wide to even combo properly.

In XV, the new version functions akin to the  where it bounces him backwards, but instead the elbow lunge itself launches and the stomp itself no longer hits overhead. This version has both hits combo-fluidly into one another while also having the stomp inflict a hard knockdown.

Strategy
Initially back in KOF '97, the move was rather weak due to having a telegraphed startup and being easy to stuff Chris during it, given he had no strong ways to force any defender to respect such options. But ever since the move was buffed with elbow lunge hitbox in 98, it has since then become a strong combo tool and better at enforcing Chris' desired high-low mixup game.

The version is often used to prod against standing guard often due to hitting low (with only knocking down so far in 98 Ultimate Match which makes it work as a definitive combo finisher). However, later games have it go back to only leaving the victim standing, which makes it work for setting-up pressure resets or a frame trap.

Both the old and new versions are blockable at any attack height. However, the older version is plus on both hit and block as it leaves the foe standing; this can be used to either reset pressure or set-up a frame trap more effectively than the version. However, the new ends up being Chris' knockdown tool with a bit more commitment and now with less advantage than the  version.

Shooting Dancer Step with and  however, work more as gimmicky frame traps at best, given the period between the elbow lunge and the overhead stomps are too wide to combo-into-each-other effectively unless using the. While the button versions give a sense of possible confusion of where Chris will bounce too along with the chance of needing to watch-out for the Glider Stomp followup as a means to bait his foe, it's still rather gimmicky at best given that the hard knockdown from both and  don't guarantee an okizeme setup due to Chris recovering too late from the bounces. Deft foes can easily mash against Shooting Dancer Step with ease with plenty of abare.