Ura 1207 Shiki Yami Sogi (
A later version of this attack, known as the Ura 316 Shiki Saika (
 +  or 
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| + during Kin 1211 Shiki Ya Otome (KOF 2001 - 2003, SVC Chaos, KOF MI series, KOF XIII [As Flames Iori])
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| + (standalone in KOF XI, KOF MI series or during Kin 1211 Shiki Ya Otome in KOF XIV onwards)
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Description[]
Yami Sogi[]
Iori rears his following arm back as if to perform a 108 Shiki Yami Barai, but slings out two consecutive curving flame swipes (first with his following arm, then leading arm). Both of them vertically launch the victim upon connecting after a brief bit of initial hitstun.
Should the first one connect however, after the second sling connects upon the victim and launches them, Iori rears upwards and back as darkness shrouds him into a silhouette, then he bends over to swing his arms outwards to emit a slanted pillar of flame (with a single flame coiling around it) that blasts away the victim with a forward spin-out launch.
In KOF XIII, the Yami Sogi used by Flames/EX Iori instead has its first flame curve/swipe paralyze the victim in place with flame stasis akin to the Ura 108 Shiki Ya Sakazuki and EX version Yami Barai, with the second one launching them into the air before the flame pillar.
Saika[]
Done as a followup to mainly the level 1/base versions of the Kin 1211 Shiki Ya Otome, Iori brings his arms up in a pose during the startup flash (upon the Hikirigine explosion finisher), then claw-reaps downwards at the victim, following-up with an upwards hooking slash with his other arm (which inflicts multiple upwards hits with fire effects, ending in a vertical launch). Iori then follows-up with the aforementioned flame-pillar gesture straight from the Yami Sogi.
In KOF XI however, it became a standalone super where Iori only performs the flame-pillar portion of the Saika.
This very standalone version also appears in the Maximum Impact games, but it can also once more be followed-up from the Ya Otome where Iori's initial claw slash is instead a slanted-inward-hook slash; both arm slashes also instead emit flame trails that appear in midair targeting the victim, and both inflict singular hits.
Solely in KOF XIII, the Yami Sogi as a solo-variant exists alongside the Saika (regulated only as the classic followup to base version Ya Otome) for Flames/EX Iori.
In KOF XIII, KOF XIV and KOF XV, the Saika's second launching claw slash animates faster as well as having less hits on top of the move akin to the Maximum Impact version,
Strategy[]
While the Yami Sogi can be a bit more damaging than his base level Ya Otome and controls a bit of space in front of Iori, it's still easy to punish by stuffing him in-between both the first and second flame swipes. If spaced however and/or his offense is respected, then the second swipe can serve to push the defender back to generate neutral space, especially for the KOF XIII version. Even then, Yami Sogi is a short-ranged attack that can't connect if landed during combos that give too much pushback.
For the Saika when done as a Ya Otome followup, this can hit OTG, and adds more hits to the Ya Otome at the cost of extra meter. However, the input has a period where it can be done late; this can cause either the initial claw-reap to whiff out in the open, or cause the second slash to launch away too far for the finishing pillar to connect. Later games seem to lessen this timing by allowing the entire Saika input to be buffered before the Ya Otome's Hikirigine finisher, even by inputting the button ender just before it happens.
Whenever the Saika is done too late, the corner is often required to ensure the whole sequence properly connects.
In SVC Chaos so far however, the Saika doesn't cost meter to execute, but requires more strict timing to execute as missing the frame window for the button input after the x4 quarter-circle motion will cause the Saika to not execute at all.
In KOF XI and the Maximum Impact games, the standalone version of Saika is rather effective as an invincible anti-air reversal, though the latter series nerfs the startup of the attack to occur later after the startup flash.
Trivia[]
- The second flame-slinging motion for the Yami Sogi was later reused for the 109 Shiki Yomi Barai, Iori's alternate variant of the 108 Shiki Yami Barai in the Maximum Impact games.
- In the Maximum Impact games, Iori when he bends over upon calling the flame pillar for either variant of the Saika, faces towards a diagonal-off-side direction instead of directly towards his victim.
- Ura 316 Shiki Saika and Mitsubachi are currently the only moves with Quadruple Quarter Circle Inputs (
).