**************************************
        STREET FIGHTER ALPHA
 Frequently Asked Questions ver 1.5
**************************************

Written by Dan Wells (LaPlanta@aol.com)
Version 1.5 completed 7/24/95

Please send any corrections or comments to

        LaPlanta@aol.com

-------------------------------------------------

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 1) Introduction/Credits/What's New
 2) What's Capcom Doing with Alpha?
 3) Old/New SF Strategy
 4) Blocking Attacks
 5) Chain Combos
 6) The New Super Combo System
 7) Alpha Counters
 8) Air Blocking
 9) Rolling on the Ground
10) Overhead Hits
11) Throws/Throw Softening/Ticking
12) Jump-ins/Neck Kicks/Meaty Attacks
13) Taunts
14) The Characters
     -Ryu        -Charlie    -Sodom
     -Ken        -Birdie     -Rose
     -Sagat      -Adon       -Akuma
     -Chun Li    -Guy        -M. Bison
15) About the Characters
16) Endings
17) Those Little Symbols
18) Character Histories
19) Selecting Akuma/M. Bison
20) Special Endings
21) The Wish List
22) Credits and Thanks



**************
INTRODUCTION
**************

The wait is over, ladies and gentlemen!  SFA has been released
nationally.  Expect all of your major arcades to receive this game
shortly (if they haven't already).

Street Fighter Alpha is Capcom's latest installment in the Street
Fighting series.  For SFA the graphics style has been changed to a
more anime-esque look, and each character in the game comes from
another game from Capcom's past.  There is Charlie, Guile's friend
who was killed by M. Bison.  You can play Guy from Final Fight or
try your hand at Adon, the awesome Thai kickboxer from Street Fighter
1 who still retains his reverse Flash Kick move.  Or go the alternate
route and play Rose, a woman with magical hair and clothing who
comes from Darkstalkers 2.  SFA is truly a blast from the past which
brings back the magic of the SF series all over again.

Tom Cannon was the original FAQ writer, but, due to the fact that he
unfortunately was unable to update it, people still had many
questions, and that I love this game to death, I decided to write Tom
about composing an update to his FAQ.  And so here we are. :)

Tom Cannon and =P (Mr. Cheung) deserve a lot of credit for finding a
lot of the preliminary moves out.  They were the first to have the
game and were (and still are) much appreciated by those of us who
weren't fortunate enough to have beta versions at the time.

As always, feel free to E-mail me with your comments, corrections,
and complaints at

  Laplanta@aol.com


*****************************
WHAT'S NEW IN THIS REVISION
*****************************

A lot of people were very helpful in pointing out stuff that was
unclear, inaccurate, or omitted.  All of these people have been
given credit at the end of the FAQ.  I've also been shifting my
focus to the less-popular characters like Birdie, Sodom, and Rose,
trying to get better strategies for them.  Thus, here is roughly
what you can expect to find changed in version 1.5:

  * Explanations of the various operator-controlled options in SFA.
  * Better explainations of how to link SC's with chain combos.
  * Expanded uses of the Alpha Counter for specific characters.
  * Clarification of air-blocking multiple hits.
  * A Moves Legend added
  * Corrected/added moves for:
    -Ken
      Shoryureppa SC corrected
    -Chun Li
      Mega Kikoken SC corrected
    -Charlie
      Standing ROUNDHOUSE kick clarified
    -Birdie
      Chain Grab corrected
      Leaping Chain Grab SC corrected
      Overhead Hit added
    -Adon
      Offensive crouching FORWARD kick added
    -Guy
      Overhead Hit added
      "re-dizzy" fully explained
    -Sodom
      Sai Grab corrected
      Sai Crawl added (explained)
    -Akuma
      A couple moves corrected/updated
      Downward Air Kick added
    -Dan
      Total information added
  * Official Capcom names for moves added
  * Expanded and re-done character strategy sections.
  * Updated information on Super Combos, including # of hits and
      damage inflicted
  * Verbatum endings (some of them)
  * Information on the new hidden character, Dan.
  * My Top 10 Cheap Things in SFA List
  * An expanded Wish List of stuff that I want changed. :)


****************************
WHERE TO GET SFA RESOURCES
****************************

This FAQ has generously been put on a couple of FTP sites where you
can always download the latest version.

   * brawl.mindlink.net  /pub/sfa/sfafaq10.txt

  Brawl is an FTP site with a large directory dedicated to fighting
  game FAQs, pictures, sounds, guides, etc.  You can DL pictures of
  SFA digitized from the latest Gamest magazine at this location,
  and I may be uploading some .wav's of the BGM to SFA eventually.
  Thanks go to Shinkuu Hadoken for letting the FAQ on-line.

   * ftp.netcom.com  /pub/vi/vidgames/faqs/sfafaq10.txt

  Maintained by Andy Eddy, Senior Editor of GamePro magazine, this
  site carries tons of FAQs regarding both arcade stand-ups and home
  entertainment system games.  If there's a video game and there's a
  FAQ for it, it's here.

   * AOL Game Forum

  If you are an AOL member, just go to the keyword GAMES and check
  the game FAQ section for this file.


For pictures of SFA digitized from various magazines like Gamest and
DHGF, you can D/L these at brawl.mindlink.net in the same directory
listed above.  I will also eventually be digitizing the BGM from SFA
and making some .wav's out of it, and these will probably by U/L'd as
well to the same site.


**************************************
IS ALPHA STILL BETA-TESTING OR WHAT?
**************************************

Alpha is completely done beta-testing.  From all reports and
indications that I've gotten, the versions of SFA released nationally
are virtually identical to those beta-testing in Chicago, California,
and elsewhere.  The only difference may be in the computer AI
difficulty.

Items such as Guy's "re-dizzy" and the Birdie Magic Throw bug (which
I have yet to confirm myself) are in there for sure.  Capcom will
probably not release another version for a while, so these things are
in the game for the long-run.


*****************
SFA ROM OPTIONS
*****************

There are 4 main options that your operator has control over in the
SFA ROM Menu.  I have seen some parts of the menu myself, while other
bits of this info come from posters on the Net.

  * Speed Select
     The speed of the game can be set at 3 different speeds:  Normal,
     Turbo 1, and Turbo 2.  The operator also has the option of
     letting the players select their speed.  Unfortunately, when this
     option is active, players can only choose between the 2 slower
     speed settings.  Since the fastest speed is, by far, the nicest
     speed, I'd highly recommend to your arcade operator that he set
     it at the highest setting (Turbo 2).

  * Auto-Blocking
     Arcade operators have the option of turning Auto-blocking on or
     off, which determines whether players get the option of using
     it.  I have yet to see an arcade with Auto-blocking active, so I
     really can't comment on how players react to it.  There doesn't
     seem to be much harm in it, so go ahead and have your operator
     make it active.

  * Damage Level
     This is also configurable to several levels.  If you recall in
     the last FAQ revision, I mentioned that Akuma took less damage
     at one arcade than the other.  Well, I found out later that this
     was due to the operators fooling with this setting.  If it is
     set at anything less than normal, the only difference I've
     noticed is that you get considerably more time-out victories,
     which isn't too good (IMHO).

  * Computer AI Difficulty
     There are at least 6 or so settings for this.  I've played one
     of the harder ones, and the computer AI pulls NASTY combos on you
     with ease, almost to the point where it gets like SSF2T was.  It
     is still a fun challenge, but you really have to know what you
     are doing (as in: newbie's will be squashed!).


*********************
OLD/NEW SF STRATEGY
*********************

The first character you will pick when you first play SFA will
probably be Ryu, Sagat, Ken, or Chun Li.  Understandable indeed.  One
thing that needs to be stressed, however, is that while this game is
essentially based on the SF2 engine, there are a LOT of little nuances
and tricks, as well as some major alterations, which make SFA
dramaticly different from SSF2T.  If you play SFA exactly like you
play SSF2T, you're going to get your butt kicked once you run into
someone who's learned to adapt to the new engine.

Don't make the mistake of assuming that Charlie is Guile, Ken is Ken,
Ryu is Ryu, etc. and overlook the differences.  Definitely experiment
and fool around a bit.  Figure out what everyone has lost, what
they've gained, and what the new guys mean to the old SF2 strategies.
The first time you play Ryu and get grabbed by Birdie's Super Combo,
torn apart by a Guy player, or humiliated by Rose and her "magic
scarf", you'll know what I mean.


********
LEGEND
********

Throughout this guide I will be using symbols and notations for moves
that you may be unfamiliar with.  Here is what everything means:


  JOYSTICK POSITIONS

       O  O  O          Backwards Jump   Vertical Jump  Forward Jump
         \|/
      O --O-- O              Back            Center       Forward
         /|\
       O  O  O         Defensive Crouch       Down    Offensive Crouch


  BUTTONS

                   JAB   STRONG   FIERCE
                    O       O       O
                    O       O       O
                  SHORT  FORWARD  ROUNDHOUSE


     C. JAB translates as Crouching JAB
     S. FORWARD translates as Standing FORWARD
     F. ROUNDHOUSE translates as Flying ROUNDHOUSE (a jump kick)


Some Abbreviations:

You should be able to figure out most abbreviations from the context,
but just in case something stumps you, here are all of the potential
abbreviations I might use (Although I don't even come close to using
all of these).

  SC......Super Combo
  DP......Dragon Punch (usually referring to a DP-type motion) 
 RDP......Dragon Punch motion done on the opposite side of the
            opponent
  AC......Alpha Counter
  JB......JAB
  ST......STRONG
  FR......FIERCE
  SH......SHORT
  FW......FORWARD
  RH......ROUNDHOUSE
 QCF......Quarter Circle Forward
 QCB......Quarter Circle Back
 HCF......Half Circle Forward
 HCB......Half Circle Back
  FB......Fireball Motion (QCF)
  HK......Hurricane Kick
  FK......Flash Kick
 TBK......Thousand Burst Kick


************************************
BLOCKING ATTACKS AND AUTO-BLOCKING
************************************

One of the limitations of the old SF2 engine was that you could not
walk backwards if someone threw a projectile at you.  This has been
changed in SFA so that your opponent or their projectile must be very
close for you to block.  The obvious advantage is that you can back
away from projectiles and some close-range attacks.

Auto-Blocking is now in SFA (provided your arcade operator has it
turned on).  Since all of the SFA machines in my local area appear
to still be on loan from Capcom, nobody will change the settings
for me to see Autoblocking.  Reports indicate that Auto-blocking
allows you to only store 1 Level of energy in your Super Meter.
I believe that SFA also incorporates the NW system of Auto-blocking,
which is where you get only a certain amount of times you can rely
on the Auto-blocking before it stops working and you have to fend
for yourself.  Finally, you can supposedly perform your Super Combos
by pushing just punch + kick, exactly like the motions in X-Men: COTA
and NightWarriors.


**************
CHAIN COMBOS
**************

Like Darkstalkers, SFA now has chain combos.  Not only do you have
"normal" combos from SF2, but you now have certain combinations of
normal moves that are specificly designed to work together in a
"chain."  The only way you can recognize these chain combos is by the
way that they "flow" together.

These new combos open a whole new door to comboing.  If a chain combo
starts with a jab, you can do the jab 3-4 times and then do the chain
combo.  You can mix chain combos and Super Combos.  Jump-in/projectile
combos can now be widely varied.  The whole system is pretty flexible
now, allowing you to use which combo you need at the right time,
whether you are comboing in a Super Combo, going for maximum damage,
or trying to get a dizzy.


****************************
THE NEW SUPER COMBO SYSTEM
****************************

Every character has a Super Meter at the bottom of the screen that is
divided into 3 Levels of power.  You increase your Super Meter in 3
ways:

        1) Damaging Your Opponent.
             By far the quickest way of increasing your Super Meter.
        2) Performing Special Moves.
             Everytime you do any type of special move, whether it
             hits your opponent or not, your Meter goes up.
        3) Getting Hit by Your Opponent.
             Blocking and taking damage increase your Super Meter, but
             only by a very small amount.

Each character has two to four Super Combos which require energy (Chi)
from their Super Meter.  Each Super Combo can be performed at 3 levels
of power, corresponding to the 3 levels of the Super Meter.  To
perform a Level 1 SC, simply do the proper joystick motion and hit a
single punch or kick button (according to the SC).  To perform a Level
2 SC, press any 2 of the punch or kick buttons.  To perform a Level 3
SC, press all 3 punch or kick buttons.

When you actually execute the SC, the screen darkens, the game pauses
for a bit less than 1/2 a second, and Chi swirls around your
character, focusing on their fists or feet.  The SC is then executed
with blue trailing frames of animation.  The whole SC thing looks much
beter than it did in SSF2T.

Since you gather energy relatively quickly while fighting, you almost
always have a Level 1 SC at your disposal.  For this reason most Level
1 SC's have somewhat mediocre priority, invulnerability, and damage
potential.  Level 2 and 3 SC's are much better, epsecially Level 3
SC's where you can often get up to 50% or more damage with all hits.

Thus, you now have the option of attacking with many weaker SC's or
one big SC.  Which approach you use is totally dependant on the
character you are using, your opponent, and your individual style.
However, there are 2 things to be careful of.

First, if you use a SC, make sure that you are in a position to get
most or all of the hits.  Using Ken's Level 1 Shinryuken against a
jumper is stupid since you'll get a pitiful number of hits and damage.
Don't do Charlie's Level 3 Rushing Kick SC if your opponent is airborn
since you will only get 2 hits of the SC.  Don't use Ryu's Fireball SC
just to get 3 hits of blocked damage.  Pretty basic stuff.

Second, remember that you keep your Super Meter Chi between rounds,
like DS2.  Thus, you want to be careful about finishing off a weak
opponent with a SC.  That can be a big unnecessary waste of Chi.
Similarly, you want to be really careful about trying to use a full
Super Meter to catch-up to an opponent who is trashing you completely.
If you miss, you'll lose both the round and all of your Chi for the
next round.

If your opponent performs a SC while you are not blocking, you WILL
NOT be able to block for a very split-second after the Chi gathering
animation ends.  Thus, if your opponent is close and catches you with
a SC while not blocking, you simply cannot just block after the SC
animation begins.  This is very good, IMHO, since it doesn't allow the
Chi animation to be a sort of "flag," giving an opponent all-day to
block the oncoming SC.  Note that you have to be pretty close for this
property to affect you, so don't worry about people pegging you half
way across the screen with SC's while you are not blocking.

When you perform a Super Combo, the game progresses your opponent's
animation by one frame.  One partial reason for this may be to show
players who tap a button at the last second before a SC that they
actually did indeed push a button.

In terms of gameplay, though, you can make use of this and other
properties of the SFA engine in one particular instance.  When your
opponent jumps toward you, you can back off (since you can walk
backwards while being attacked).  This will cause your opponent's
jump attack to miss.  Then, just before your opponent lands, perform
a Super Combo.  The animation will progress so that your opponent will
land exactly as the Super Combo is performed.  Then, since your
opponent techically isn't blocking as he automaticly lands, he will
not be able to block the Super Combo.  Net result:  properly timed,
you can nail opponents jumping in with a ground-based Super Combo
(i.e. Charlie's Rushing Kick SC).  You can try using this method of
attack instead of doing a standard anti-air move.  The damage
potential is very good, especially if you have a Level 2 or 3 SC
ready.


****************
ALPHA COUNTERS
****************

There is now a guard-reversal system in SFA called Alpha Counters.  To
execute an Alpha Counter, you perform the following joystick motion
early in your block-stun animation:

  O-  / |  +  punch/kick
     O  O

The button depends on your character.  All individual buttons and the
type of AC done is listed with the individual characters in their
respective sections.

Basicly, when you do this, the animation stops for a very brief second.
Your character then does one of his moves over his opponent's move,
knocking them out of it(theoreticly).  When you hit your opponent with
an AC, they are knocked down spinning with blue energy swirling around
them.  This move requires 1 Level of Chi.

Unfortunately, Alpha Counters seem to be the most unpredictable moves
of the entire game.  Sometimes AC's will be blocked or will not hit.
Some characters' AC's just plain suck and can't hit jumpers.  To top
it off, AC's don't do a whole lot of damage to your opponent.  Why
would you use one, then?

  * Getting out of the corner.
      The corner is a BAD place to be in SFA, and you can sometimes
      use AC's to smack your way out of a corner/fireball trap.
  * Keeping an opponent in the corner.
      The corner is a very powerful tool in defeating your opponent.
      It is often much more critical to keep your opponent in the
      corner than to preserve one Level of Chi for a Super Combo.
  * Smacking those annoying kicks!
      For battling characters who use a lot of long-range kicks (i.e.
      Adon, Guy, Ken, Charlie, etc), you can break through their kicks
      and try to make your opponent a bit more weary by Alpha
      Countering.
  * Alpha Countering a Super Combo
      Sometimes an opponent will try and use a SC to finish you off by
      making you eat tons of block-damage.  You can _usually_ AC a
      Super Combo without any difficulty.
  * Getting Out of a Tick Attempt
      When your opponent is mad and cheap and you can't deal with
      it, just Alpha Counter the jump-in or whatever other move is
      being used as a tick.

One skill you will have to learn is Alpha Countering from a crouching
position.  To do this, you simply need to quickly move the joystick
out of the defensive crouch position and perform the Alpha Counter.
You have to be very fast, but you will be able to do it with practice.

This ability really helps out when both you and your opponent have
very little life left and both have enough Chi for an Alpha Counter.
These situations can turn into huge turtle-fests with both opponents
afraid to touch each other for fear of an Alpha Counter repraisal.
One tactic here is to try a lot of low attacks, since these are much
harder to Alpha Counter.  If you can reliably AC a low attack and
your opponent cannot, that gives you a definite advantage that
could very well win the round for you.

As a word of caution, be careful about using Alpha Counters against
a Super Combo.  Do it only if it is crucial to you staying alive.
Sometimes, if your opponent is performing a Level 2 or 3 SC and your
character's AC isn't fast enough, the Super Combo will knock you out
of your Alpha Counter and you will end up getting plastered instead
of your opponent.  And that REALLY sucks when you try AC'ing a
Level 3 Super Combo and eat the whole thing because your AC wasn't
up to par.  :( 


**************
AIR-BLOCKING
**************

SFA now has air-blocking in its game engine.  Here is the list of what
can and cannot be air-blocked:

   Moves that ABSOLUTELY CANNOT be air-blocked:
      * Super Combos, including SC projectiles (minus Charlie's)
      * All ground-based normal moves (i.e. uppercuts)

   Moves that USUALLY CANNOT be air-blocked but very occasionally are:
      * Ken/Ryu/Sagat/Akuma's Dragon Punches
      * Chun Li's Vertical Kick
      * Adon's Jaguar Knee

   Moves that USUALLY CAN be air-blocked
      * Charlie's Flash Kick
      * Charlie's Sonic Blade SC
      * Adon's Jaguar Kick
      * Adon's Jaguar Tooth
      * All normal projectiles
      * All normal air-based moves

Basicly, there are some weird cases (i.e. Ryu's HK), but these are the
only exceptions you probably need to be concerned with.  Don't worry
about all the weird cases, just learn what usually can and cannot be
air-blocked and don't be surprised when something else (like a DP)
gets air-blocked occasionally.

One thing you will want to keep an eye out for is retaliating against
your opponent after having a move air-blocked, like a jump kick.
Although it typicly only happens near the corner, sometimes you will
land close enough to an airborn opponent to hit them as they come
down.  Your airborn opponent will not be able to block whatever 
attack you throw at them, so use this opportunity to quickly land a
hit instead of waiting for them to land (i.e. a fireball, DP,
uppercut, etc.).

The reverse is also possible (the blockee landing first and countering)
but is somewhat rarer.


***********************
ROLLING ON THE GROUND
***********************

After getting knocked in the air, by performing a Yoga Flame motion
(half-circle) without pushing any buttons, you can hit the ground
rolling, similar to Ken's rolling move.  The direction you roll is
determined by which way you do the Yoga Flame motion.  You can use
the roll for all types of landings, including air-block landings.

This move can be used to get out of corner traps, counter a fireball
set-up, etc.  It can also get you into trouble as you are not
invulnerable while rolling and can be thrown if you end up too near
to your opponent.


***************
OVERHEAD HITS
***************

Similar to Ryu's Rushing Punches of SSF2T, many characters have been
given overhead hits that will hit a crouching defender.  There usually
is a delay to the move, so if you keep on your toes, you can spot them.
One tactic is to jump-in and immediately perform an overhead hit.
Since most people will block low after blocking a jump-in, you can
nail people with the overhead hit.


******************************
THROWS/THROW SOFTENING/TICKS 
******************************

Yes, those ultra-cheap throws are back!  :))  Capcom has made some
adjustments to the throwing part of the game engine to appeal to both
throw and non-throw players.

  * Throw softening is more difficult now.  Your reaction time to the
    throw has to be much quicker than in SSF2T.  You also can't soften
    throws "accidentally" like you almost always could in SSF2T.

  * All non-special move throws can be softened now, which includes
    presses and air-throws.

  * Throw ranges have been reduced.  This makes ticking (throwing
    someone as they come out of a block stun) more difficult and
    easier to anticipate.

  * Special move throws like Birdie and Sodom's grabs have shorter
    ranges than Zangief's piledriver and can can be countered with a
    jab or other move pretty easily.

Ticking is much easier to anticipate now with the reduced throw
ranges.  It is very easy to chain combo someone out of a tick attempt.
The exception is Birdie, who has a few monster ticks with his Chain
Grab.  However, this tick requires the slow, lathargic Birdie to
move-in and get a close jump-in attack or other set-up move, something
which isn't necessarily easy.

The bottom line is that ticking and throws are harder than before
and play less of a role in the outcome of the game.  They are no
longer the nightmare that they could become in SF2.


***********************************
JUMP-INS/NECK KICKS/MEATY ATTACKS
***********************************

Just as in SF2, you can jump-in on an opponent who is getting up so
that they must block or be hit.  It is reasonably difficult to time,
being somewhere between Turbo and Hyper Fighting (if I remember
correctly).  Of course, your opponent can try Alpha Countering, but
that's the risk you take.  If you do get the jump-in (meaning your
opponent tried and failed to DP or something), there are a number of
Super Combos and chain combos that go well with a jump-in.  These are
described later on.  If you try and jump-in, however, you must watch
to make sure your opponent does not roll away and try to nail you as
you come down.

There also exist a form of neck kicks in SFA.  This is where you hit
your opponent's "neck" with the back of your leg as you jump in.
Because of the positioning, the fighter on the ground must block in
the same direction he is facing.

This is much harder to do than in SF2 due to the difficult timing and
positioning.  The only character I personally can do it reasonably
well with is Ken with his flying forward kick.  The positioning is
actually pretty deceiving since Ken hits on the very upper forward
part of the opponent's forehead.  Ken then "magicly" skips to the
other side to hit behind his opponent.  This move sets up some really
nice combo attempts.

Other characters may have similar attacks.  I've seen a human Ryu do
it a few times before as well as the CPU with several characters.
But, because of the really difficult positioning and timing, don't
expect it to be a huge part of the game by any means.

Contrary to the difficulty of jump-ins, meaty attack are relatively
easy.  Meaty attacks are the ground-based equilelants of jump-ins.
These are very easy to time.  One strategy is to land early from a
jump-in, faking your opponent into trying to throw or DP, and then
throwing a meaty attack at the last second.  All attacks can
theoreticly be used as meaty attacks.  Try mixing in long-range kicks
and close-in punches and jabs to provoke your opponent to try
something.

As with jump-ins, meaty attacks are prone to the same risks with
regard to Alpha Counters as jump-ins.


********
TAUNTS
********

Yes!  The SF series has jumped on the humiliation bandwagon by putting
character taunts in SFA.  You can taunt only once per round by hitting
the START button (yours, of course!).  Taunts do not use up any Chi,
do not hit your opponnet (except for Chun Li), and prevent you from
blocking for a brief moment.  You cannot use a special move to get out
of a taunt.  You just have to sit there and let the animation run its
course.  Neat, eh?  Perfect for using after a large SC, or try taunting
after throwing a non-thower.  Sodom is perfect for this as he just
picks up his opponent and throws quickly without even bending down.
Taunting right afterwords makes him bow down at his opponent in
"respect."  Gets people real mad!  :))

****************
THE CHARACTERS
****************


*****
RYU
*****

"What's wrong?  Why do you hold back?"
  -Ryu, SFA

Ryu is in the tournament for the spirit of the fight.


*Chains*

    S. JAB, S. STRONG, C. ROUNDHOUSE
    C. SHORT, C. ROUNDHOUSE
    C. SHORT, C. FORWARD, C. ROUNDHOUSE

*Combos* 

    J. ROUNDHOUSE, C. STRONG, C. FORWARD, FIREBALL
    J. ROUNDHOUSE, S. JAB, S. STRONG, FIREBALL
    J. ROUNDHOUSE, C. FORWARD, SHINKUU HADOKEN SC

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  punch
        O  O

    Ryu blocks the attack and does a fierce Dragon Punch.

*Taunt*

    #1  Ryu stops to adjust his handguards.
    #2  Ryu stops to adjust his headband.


*Overhead Punch*

    --O  +  STRONG

    Ryu raises his fist over his shoulder and then slams down for 2
    hits.  This is an overhead hit.

*Spin Kick*

    --O  +  FORWARD

    Ryu does one rotation of a Hurricane Kick.  Ryu's foot hits the
    opponent as he comes down.

*Fireball*

    | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O

    The FIERCE fireball flickers red for a brief second after it comes
    out.  If you hit your opponent with it while it is red, they will
    catch on fire and be knocked down.

*Hurricane Kick*

    |  / O--  +  kick
    O O

    Now goes over fireballs and Charlie's Sonic Boom.  Can be done in
    the air.

*Dragon Punch*

    --O | \   +  punch
        O  O

    Invulnerable and almost impossible to air-block.

*Super Combo #1*
  Shinkuu Hadoken

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    Ryu sends out a massive fireball that goes through projectiles.
    The fireball loses 1 hit for each projectile it passes through.

    Level 1:  3 hits.
    Level 2:  4 hits.
    Level 3:  5 hits.

*Super Combo #2*
  Shinkuu Tetsumakisenpukyaku

    |  / O--  |  / O--  +  kick
    O O       O O

    Ryu does a Hurricane Kick in-place.  Hits lots of times and does
    KILLER block and normal damage.

    Level 1:  4 hits.
    Level 2:  8 hits.
    Level 3: 12 hits.


*****
KEN
*****

"Now you understand the difference between us!"
  -Ken, SFA

Ken is fighting for a re-match with his long-time friend and rival,
Ryu.


*Chains*

    S. JAB, S. STRONG, C. ROUNDHOUSE
    C. JAB, C. SHORT, C. ROUNDHOUSE
    C. JAB, C. SHORT, C. FORWARD, C. ROUNDHOUSE

*Combos*

    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. STRONG, C. FORWARD, FIREBALL
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, S. FORWARD, HURRICANE KICK
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, S. FORWARD, KRAZY KICK
    F. FORWARD, C. JAB, S. SHORT, S. FORWARD, HURRICANE KICK
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, C. FORWARD, SHORYUREPPA SC
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, S. FORWARD, SHINRYUKEN SC

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  punch
        O  O

    Ken blocks the attack and does a fierce Dragon Punch.

*Taunt*

    #1  Ken runs his fingers through his hair, looks at the players,
        smiles, does a thumbs-up, and says something in Japanese.
    #2  Ken beckons his opponent closer with his fingers with a cocky
        look on his face.


*Krazy Kick #1*

    --O  +  FORWARD

    Ken lifts his leg straight up and slams it down on his opponent
    for 2 hits.  This is an overhead hit.

*Krazy Kick #2*

    S. ROUNDHOUSE

    Ken does a spinning side kick that has good range.

*Fireball*

    | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O

    Standard fireball.  The fireball delay is longer than Ryu's.

*Hurricane Kick*

    |  / O--  +  kick
    O O

    Goes over fireballs and Charlie's Sonic Boom.  Hits multiple
    times, much better than it did in SSF2T.

*Dragon Punch*

    --O | \   +  punch
        O  O

    Invulnerable and difficult to air-block.

*Ground Roll*

    |  / O--  +  punch
    O O

    Ken tucks into a ball and rolls forward.  The length of the roll
    is determined by the button pressed.

*Super Combo #1*
  Shoryureppa

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    Ken does multiple Dragon Punches in a row.  Same as his SSF2T SC.

    Level 1:  4 hits.
    Level 2:  6 hits.
    Level 3:  8 hits.

*Super Combo #2*
  Shinryuken

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  kick
    O  O      O  O

    Ken does a vertical Dragon Punch, spinning around as he goes.

    Level 1:  6 hits.
    Level 2:  7 hits.
    Level 3:  8 hits.


*******
SAGAT
*******

"Accept your weakness.  Never return here!"
  -Sagat, SFA

Sagat seeks a rematch with Ryu, the young fighter who stipped him of
his title and scarred his chest in the first Street Fighter
tournament.


*Chains*

    S. JAB, S. STRONG, S. ROUNDHOUSE
    S. JAB, S. STRONG, C. ROUNDHOUSE

*Combos*

    F. ROUNDHOUSE, S.(C.) STRONG, TIGER BLOW
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. FORWARD, LOW TIGER SHOT
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, S. JAB, S. STRONG, TIGER CRUSH
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. FORWARD, TIGER GENOCIDE

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  kick
        O  O

    Sagat does a standing forward kick.  Good horizontal range.

*Taunt*

    Sagat puts his chin in his palm and stands there, looking at his
    opponent, grinning.

*Low Tiger Shot*

    | \  --O  +  kick
    O  O

*High Tiger Shot*

    | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O

*Tiger Blow*

    --O | \   +  punch
        O  O

    Hits up to 1, 3 and 7 times, depending on the button used.

*Tiger Crush*

    --O | \   +  kick
        O  O

    Hits up to 2 times.

*Super Combo #1*
  Tiger Genocide

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  kick
    O  O      O  O

    Sagat does a Tiger Knee followed by a Tiger Uppercut.
    Goes through fireballs at all Levels.

    Level 1:  5 hits.
    Level 2:  9 hits.
    Level 3:  13 hits.

*Super Combo #2*
  Tiger Cannon

    | \  --O  | \  --O +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    Sagat does a High Tiger Shot that goes through projectiles.
    Loses 1 hit for every projectile it goes through.

    Level 1:  4 hits.
    Level 2:  5 hits.
    Level 3:  6 hits.

*Super Combo #3*
  Tiger Raid

    |  / O--  |  / O--  +  kick
    O O       O O

    Sagat does several standing kicks and ends with a flying straight
    kick.

    Level 1:  5 hits
    Level 2:  7 hits
    Level 3:  7 hits


*********
CHUN LI
*********

"I don't have time for amaeturs!"
  -Chun Li, SFA

Chun Li is on a mission for the government to arrest M. Bison for drug
trafficking.

*Chains*

    S. JAB, S. STRONG, S. FIERCE
    S. JAB, S. STRONG, C. ROUNDHOUSE

*Combos*

    F. ROUNDHOUSE, S.(C.) JAB, S.(C.) STRONG, C. ROUNDHOUSE
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, S. JAB, S. STRONG, S. FIERCE
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, S.(C.) JAB, S.(C.) STRONG, KIKOKEN
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, S.(C.) JAB, S.(C.) STRONG, THOUSAND BURST KICK
    (Corner) THOUSAND BURST KICK, POWER STORM, SPINNING SHADOW KICK

*Alpha Counter*

  O--  / |  +  kick
      O  O

    Chun Li does a crouching forward kick.

*Taunt*

    Chun Li puts her hand up by her cheek and says, "Sorry!" in
    Japanese in a cutesy voice that makes it sound as if she's talking
    to a child.  This is the only Taunt in the game that actually hits
    an opponent.


*Knee Flip*

    \   +  kick
     O

*Split Kick*

    --O \  |  / O--  +  kick
         O O O

    Chun Li does an upside-down split kick and lunges forward with it
    (like half of a SBK).  Goes through fireballs if timed perfectly
    (which is hard) and is an overhead hit.

*Lightning Kick*

    Tap kick repeatedy

*Kikoken*

    Charge  O-- --O  +  punch

*Spinning Air Kick*

    Charge  |  O  +  kick
            O  |

    Hits 1, 2, or 3 times, depending on button used.

*Super Combo #1*
  Thousand Burst Kick

    Charge  O--  --O  O--  --O  +  kick

    Level 1:  5 hits.
    Level 2:  7 hits.
    Level 3:  ? hits.

*Super Combo #2*
  Spinning Shadow Kick

    Charge  /  \    /  O  +  kick
           O    O  O   |

    Chun does a hyped-up version of her Vertical Split Kick.

    Level 1:  5 hits
    Level 2:  7 hits
    Level 3:  ? hits

*Super Combo #3*
  Power Storm

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    Chun Li summons a massive burst of energy in front of her that
    does excellent damage to jumpers.

    Level 1:  5 hits.
    Level 2:  7 hits.
    Level 3:  ? hits.


*********
CHARLIE
*********

"Be all you can be, scumbag!"
  -Charlie, SFA

Charlie is on a mission for the military to bring down the notorious
drug lord, M. Bison.

*Chains*

    C. JAB, C. SHORT, S.(C.) STRONG, S. FIERCE
    C. JAB, S.(C.) STRONG, S. FIERCE

*Combos*

    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, S. STRONG, SONIC BOOM
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, C. STRONG, FLASH KICK
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, C. STRONG, SOMERSAULT JUSTICE

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  punch
        O  O

    Charlie does a spinning backfist.

*Taunt*

    Charlie takes out his list of victims and writes your name on it
    BEFORE he wins the match.  :)

*Jumping Spin Kick*

    O--  or  --O,  +  FORWARD

    Charlie takes a small leap forward and kicks in the air.  This is
    an overhead hit.

*Thrust Kick*

    O--  or  --O,  +  ROUNDHOUSE

    Charlie skips forward and does a mid-section thrust kick.

*Sonic Boom*

    Charge  O--  --O  +  punch

    This is a bit higher than Guile's SB, so Guy, Rose, and Sodom can
    slide underneath all but the jab SB.

*Flash Kick*

               O
    Charge  |  |  + kick
            O

    This can almost always be air-blocked, so use it with caution.
    I recommend using the short FK, since your opponent can retaliate
    as you land from a blocked FIERCE FK.

*Super Combo #1*
  Sonic Break

    Charge  O--  --O  O--  --O  +  punch

    Charlie lets out multiple Sonic Booms.  The timing is so that you
    can let them out one right after the other or wait up to 3/4 of a
    second before releasing the next Boom.

    Level 1:  2 hits.
    Level 2:  3 hits.
    Level 3:  4 hits.

*Super Combo #2*
  Somersault Justice

                       O
    Charge  /  \    /  |  +  kick
           O    O  O

    Charlie does multiple Flash Kicks in a row.  This CANNOT be air-
    blocked, unlike his normal Flash Kick.

    Level 1:  5 hits.
    Level 2:  7 hits.
    Level 3:  9 hits.

*Super Combo #3*
  Crossfire Blitz

    Charge  O--  --O  O--  --O  +  kick

    Charlie rushes forward with multiple kicks and punches.  Level 1
    does not go through fireballs, but Levels 2 and 3 do.

    Level 1:  4 hits.
    Level 2:  5 hits.
    Level 3:  6 hits.


********
BIRDIE
********

"It's good to be back!"
  -Birdie, SFA

Birdie is fighting in the tournament to prove himself worthy of
entering Shadaloo.

*Chains*

    Still haven't figured them out, but I probably wouldn't use them
    anyway.  See strategy section for info.

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  punch
        O  O

    Birdie does a jab Headbutt Rush.

*Taunt*

    Birdie licks the chains around his arms.  Tasty!


*Headbutt Charge*

    Charge  O--  --O  +  punch

    Birdie rushes forward with a Headbutt.  Distance is determined
    by the button used.  Using a long-range HBC on a close opponent
    will cause a move stun, allowing the opponent to counter the
    move.

*Turn-Around Headbutt*

    Hold any 2 punch/kick buttons and release

    Similar to Balrog's TAP.  Birdie is nearly invulnerable as he
    turns back before thrusting forward.  Like the HBC, the buttons
    held determine the length of the attack and the delay after-
    words.

*Chain Grab*

                 O
     / | \  --O /   +  punch
    O  O  O

    Birdie wraps his chains around his opponent and slams them into
    the ground twice.

*Super Combo #1*
  Leaping Chain Grab

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  button
    O  O      O  O

    Birdie leaps *very* quickly into the air and performs a Chain Grab
    as he lands.  The distance Birdie leaps is determined by the
    button pressed, JAB being the shortest and ROUNDHOUSE being the
    farthest.

    Level 1:  Birdie does one slam with the Chain Grab.
    Level 2:  Birdie does 2 slams with the Chain Grab.
    Level 3:  Birdie does 2 slams and a Headbutt Rush.

*Super Combo #2*
  Mega Headbutt Rush

    Charge  O--  --O  O--  --O  +  punch

    Birdie does several Headbutt Rushes in a row.  Level 1 does not
    go through fireballs, but Levels 2 and 3 do.

    Level 1:  3 Headbutt Rushes.
    Level 2:  4 Headbutt Rushes.
    Level 3:  Birdie does 3 Headbutts.  If all 3 hit, then the
              opponent is automaticly dizzied, and Birdie takes
              time-out to comb his hair.  Birdie finishes with 3 more
              Headbutt Rushes.


******
ADON
******


"I am a Muay Thai master.
  You are sucking gravel."
  -Adon, SFA

Adon is a former student of Sagat and is set on winning the title of
World Warrior for himself.

*Chains*

    S. JAB, S. STRONG, S. ROUNDHOUSE
    S. JAB, S. STRONG, C. ROUNDHOUSE

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  kick
        O  O

    Adon does a Jaguar Knee.  Decent horizontal range and great
    against jumpers.

*Taunt*

    Adon gives his opponent the "thumbs-down" sign.


*Upward Kick*

    \   +  FORWARD
     O

    Adon crouches and does a vertical kick with excellent anti-air 
    priority.

*Jaguar Kick*

    O-- |  /  +  kick
        O O

    Adon jumps in the air and quickly kicks downward, creating an arc
    of energy.
                      SHORT:  Very quick, horizontal, short arc.
                    FORWARD:  Forward arc with greater height and
                                distance.  Excellent for going over
                                projectiles.
                 ROUNDHOUSE:  High arc with little forward movement.
                                Good for close-in attackers.

*Jaguar Tooth*

    --O \  |  / O--  +  kick
         O O O

    Adon leaps up to the corner of the screen and comes down quickly
    with a flying kick.  SHORT makes Adon land where he took off from.
    FORWARD and ROUNDHOUSE make him land further forward from his
    original position.

*Jaguar Knee*

              O
    | \  --O /    +  kick
    O  O

    Adon does a more "vertical" version of Sagat's Tiger Knee.  Hits
    twice.

*Super Combo #1*
  Jaguar Breed Assault

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    Adon charges with multiple fist attacks.  Goes through fireballs
    at all Levels.

    Level 1:  4 hits.
    Level 2:  6 hits.
    Level 3:  6 hits.

*Super Combo #2*
  Jaguar Revolver

    |  / O--  |  / O--  +  kick
    O O       O O

    Adon does multiple Jaguar Kicks in a row.

    Level 1:  3 hits.
    Level 2:  4 hits.
    Level 3:  6 hits.


*****
GUY
*****

"You are so outclassed."
  -Guy, SFA

Guy fights in the tournament as a test of personal strength and to
defeat M. Bison.

*Chains*

    S. JAB, S. STRONG, S. FIERCE, S. ROUNDHOUSE
    C. SHORT, C. FORWARD, C. ROUNDHOUSE

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  kick
        O  O

    Guy does a crouching FORWARD kick.

*Taunt*

    Guy turns his back to the opponent and the players, doing the
    two-fingered Japanese sign.


*Overhead Slam*

    --O  +  punch

    Guy cries out briefly, then slams his fist downward.  This is an
    overhead hit.

*Bushido Run*

    | \  --O  +  kick
    O  O

    Guy starts running toward his opponent very quickly.  The button
    you press determines what move you can end the run with.

             SHORT:  Guy stops without attacking.
           FORWARD:  Guy does a running slide kick.
        ROUNDHOUSE:  Guy does a short jump-kick that is an overhead
                       attack.

    To execute the move at the end of the run, simply push any kick
    button while running.  Remeber, the move you end the run with is
    determined by the first kick button pressed, not the second.  If
    you do not push the second button, Guy will automatically stop
    once he reaches his opponent.

*Bushido Leap*

    | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O

    Guy tucks into a ball and jumps quickly forward.  Pressing a punch
    button anytime during the flight will cause Guy to stop in mid-air
    and fall down with a dropping elbow attack.  If Guy is right above
    his opponent, pushing punch will cause Guy to pick his opponent up,
    spin 360 degrees in the air, and perform a backbreaker as he lands.
    The button pushed determines the angle of Guy's jump.

*Rising Spin Kick*

    |  / O--  +  kick
    O O

    Guy does a vertical Hurricane Kick that has Dragon Punch-like
    priority.  Hits 1, 2, or 3 times, according to the button used.

*Super Combo #1*
  Bushido Rage

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  kick
    O  O      O  O

    Guy runs forward and does multiple kicks.  Good range.  Goes
    through fireballs at all Levels.

    Level 1:  4 hits.
    Level 2:  6 hits.
    Level 3:  7 hits.

*Super Combo #2*
  Bushido Jump

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    Guy does a series of jumping punches and kicks.

    Level 1:  4 hits.
    Level 2:  5 hits.
    Level 3:  6 hits.


*******
SODOM
*******

"Guess I beat you pretty bad.
  Nothing personal."
  -Sodom, SFA

Sodom fights to avenge his defeat to Guy several years previous.

*Chains*

    S. JAB, S. FORWARD, S. ROUNDHOUSE
    S. JAB, S. STRONG, C. ROUNDHOUSE

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  punch
        O  O

    Sodom does a short version of a Sai Slice.  Good range.

*Taunt*

    Sodom stands up straight with his arms at his sides and bows down
    in "respect."


*Sai Slice*

    --O | \  +  punch
        O  O

    Sodom races forward with his sai outstretched.  Good range and
    speed.

*Power Bomb*

              O
    | \  --O /   +  punch
    O  O

    Sodom takes a small hop forward, jabbing his sai downward.  If
    they touch his opponent, Sodom carries them high into the air and
    slams them down on the ground.  This move cannot be blocked.

*Carpet Drop*

              O
    | \  --O /   +  kick
    O  O

    Sodom runs forward with his sai in front of him.  If he hits his
    opponent, he pushes them down and drags them on the ground until
    they catch on fire.  This move can be blocked.

*Super Combo #1*
  Mega Sai Slice

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    Sodom does multiple Sai Slices in a row.  Goes through fireballs
    at Levels 2 and 3.

    Level 1:  3 hits.
    Level 2:  6 hits.
    Level 3:  7 hits.

*Super Combo #2*
  Mega Power Bomb

    720 degree circle  +  punch

    Sodom grabs his opponents with his Sai and takes them for a ride.
    Sodom CAN be knocked out of the grabbing animation rather easily.

    Level 1:  1 massive Power Bomb.
    Level 2:  2 massive Power Bombs.
    Level 3:  2 big Power Bombs and a Carpet Drop.



******
ROSE
******

"Are you finished?"
  -Rose, SFA

*Chains*

    C. JAB, C. SHORT, C. FORWARD, C. ROUNDHOUSE

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  punch
        O  O

    Rose does a very mini-version of her Soul Catch, throwing her
    opponent down on the opposite side of her.  The opponent is not
    harmed, but instead is stunned for a fraction of a second.  This
    is a very small window of time to damage your opponent.  You
    typicly can get a RH sweep in, but not always.  You can also try
    going for a _very_ quick SC, such as a Level 1 or 2 Aura Soul
    Spark SC.


*Soul Spark*

    / | \  --O  +  punch
    O O  O

    Rose whips out her scarf and launches a fireball.  Her opponent
    can be hit by both the scarf and the fireball.

*Soul Reflect*

    |  / O--  +  punch
    O O

    Rose snaps her scarf in front of her.  Not only does this hit by
    itself, but it will reflect all normal projectiles back at her
    opponent.  It will not work against Super Combo projectiles,
    though.

           JAB:  Absorb projectile into Rose's Super Meter.
        STRONG:  Reflect projectile horizontally.
        FIERCE:  Reflect projectile diagonally.

*Soul Catch*

    --O | \   +  punch
        O  O

    Rose jumps up diagonally and air-throws her opponent.

*Super Combo #1*
  Aura Soul Spark

    |  / O--  |  / O--  +  punch
    O O       O O

    Rose shoots a Soul Spark that hits multiple times and goes through
    projectiles.  Loses 1 hit for each projectile it passes through.
    At higher Levels, Rose does a Soul Reflect and some kicks before 
    throwing the Soul Spark.

    Level 1:  3 hits.
    Level 2:  6 hits.
    Level 3:  4 hits.

*Super Combo #2*
  Aura Soul Catch

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    Rose does some uppercuts which knock her opponent into the air.
    She then does a Soul Catch, doing *major* damage.

    Level 1:  Rose simply does a more damaging Soul Catch.  This Level
              DOES NOT hit opponents on the ground like Levels 2 and 3
    Level 2:  Rose does two uppercut to knock her opponent into the
              air and then does a Soul Catch.
    Level 3:  Rose does 3 uppercuts and performs a Soul Catch.

*Super Combo #3*
  Soul Illusion

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  kick
    O  O      O  O

    This causes several "shadows" to follow Rose and mirror her
    motions.  Any hit on her opponent will be multiplied by about 4 as
    the shadow trails tag their hits on as well.  The higher the
    Level, the longer the shadows remain.

    Level 1:  Images last 5 seconds.
    Level 2:  Images last 6 seconds.
    Level 3:  Images last 9 seconds.


*******
AKUMA
*******

"Weaklings!  Is there no
 one worth fighting?"
  -Akuma, SFA

Akuma "enters" the tournament for one reason only:  to destroy all
opponents.


*Chains*

    S. JAB, S. STRONG, C. ROUNDHOUSE
    C. SHORT, C. ROUNDHOUSE
    C. SHORT, C. FORWARD, C. ROUNDHOUSE

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  kick
        O  O

    Akuma does a crouching ROUNDHOUSE kick.

*Taunt*

    Akuma slams his feet on the ground (shaking the screen) and
    shakes with adrenaline rage for a brief second.

*Overhead Karate Chop*

    --O  +  STRONG

    Identical to Ryu's Overhead Punch.  This is an overhead hit.

*Spin Kick*

    --O  +  FORWARD

    Identical to Ryu's Spin Kick.  Hits opponents on the way down.

*Fireball*

    | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O

    Standard fireball with *great* recovery time.

*Red Fireball*

    O--  / | \  --O  +  punch 
        O  O  O

    Akuma pauses for a decent delay and then throws a fireball that
    will set his opponent aflame and knock them down.  Hits 1, 2, or
    3 times, depending on button used.

*Air Fireball*

    | \  --O  +  punch  (in mid-air)
    O  O

    Akuma throws a fireball diagonally downward.

*Hurricane Kick*

    |  / O--  +  kick
    O O

    Goes over fireballs and Booms.  Hits up to 3 times.

*Dragon Punch*

    --O | \   +  punch
        O  O

    Invulnerable and almost impossible to air-block.

*Forward Roll*

    |  / O--  +  punch
    O O

    Akuma takes a small hop forward and then rolls.  Akuma is
    invulnerable to fireballs during the roll but not the hop.

*Air Roll*

              O
    | \  --O /   +  punch
    O  O

    Akuma does a leap nearly identical to Guy's Bushido Leap.  He can
    come down with a punch or a slide using punch or kick.


*Teleport*

    --O | \   +  all 3 punch/kick  OR  O-- |  /   +  all 3 punch/kick
        O  O                               O O

    Akuma warps across the screen, traveling though everything else
    and appearing at a location determined by the joystick method and
    buttons used.  Kicks teleport you a short distance, punches a long
    distance.  The direction you do the DP motion determines which way
    you teleport.

*Super Combo #1*
  Double Shinkuu Hadoken

    |  / O--  |  / O--  +  punch
    O O       O O

    Akuma crouches down and gathers Chi at both of his fists.  He then
    launches the energy in one big fireball.

    Level 1:  4 hits.
    Level 2:  6 hits.
    Level 3:  8 hits.

*Super Combo #2*
  Shoryureppa

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    Identical to Ken's Shoryureppa.

    Level 1:  4 hits.
    Level 2:  6 hits.
    Level 3:  8 hits.

*Super Combo #3*
  Air Shinkuu Hadoken

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    Akuma launches an air fireball that acts identical to his ground
    Shinkuu Hadoken.

    Level 1:  4 hits.
    Level 2:  6 hits.
    Level 3:  8 hits.

*Super Combo #4*
  Raging Demon

    JAB, JAB,  --O,  SHORT

    Akuma teleports slowly toward his opponent.  If he makes contact
    (this ove cannot be blocked) the screen flashes white and Akuma's
    opponent loses about 50% of his life.

    Level 3:  This SC can only be done at level 3.  15 hits.


**********
M. BISON
**********

"You were almost entertaining."
  -M. Bison, SFA

M. bison is on a world-wide tour of domination and
destruction.

*Chains*

    I couldn't find any today for some reason...I'll figure it out
    tonight...

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  punch
        O  O

    Bison does a standing STRONG punch.

*Taunt*

    Bison stands up at attention, crosses his arms, and grins
    wickedly at his opponent.


*Knee Press*

    Charge  O--  --O  +  kick

    Bison jumps horizontally with his legs outstretched.  Hits 2
    times.

*Psycho Aura*

    Charge  O--  --O  +  punch

    Bison releases a violet energy ball.

*Demon Stomp*

              O
    Charge |  |  +  kick
           O

    Bison flies in the air and quickly stomps on his opponent's head.
    He can then be controlled as he comes down and attacks a second
    time by pressing punch.  Both attacks are overhead hits.

*Demon Flight*

               O
    Charge  |  |  +  punch
            O

    Bison fakes a Demon Stomp, flies over the opponent's head, and
    can then be controlled as he comes down.  He can attack by
    hitting punch.  This move is an overhead hit.

*Teleport*

    --O | \   +  all 3 punch/kick  OR  O-- |  /   +  all 3 punch/kick
        O  O                               O O

    Bison teleports, appearing at a location determined by the
    joystick motion and buttons.  Kicks make you teleport a short
    distance.  Punches make you teleport a long distance.  The
    joystick motion determines your teleport direction.


*Super Combo #1*
  Knee Press Nightmare

    Charge  O--  --O  O--  --O  +  kick

    Bison does multiple Knee Presses.

    Level 1:  4 hits.
    Level 2:  6 hits.
    Level 3:  8 hits.

*Super Combo #2*
  Psycho Crusher

    Charge  O--  --O  O--  --O  +  punch

    Bison does a REALLY, REALLY powerful version of his SF2 Torpedo.
    Goes through fireballs at all Levels.

    Level 1:  3
    Level 2:  4
    Level 3:  6


*****
DAN
*****

"My father could beat you, and he's dead!"
  -Dan, SFA

Dan fight to avenge his father's death at the hands of Sagat and to
prove himself the <ahem> _best_ fighter in the world.

*Chains*

    S. JAB, S. STRONG
    C. JAB, C. STRONG

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  kick
        O  O

    Dan does a crouching ROUNDHOUSE.

*Taunt*

    Dan sticks his elbow out at his opponent as he clenches his fist
    beside his head.  Dan can use his taunt infinitely during the
    round.


*Fireball*

    | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O

    This fireball only goes about 2 inches (seriously!).

*Dragon Punch*

    --O | \   +  punch
        O  O

    Standard Dragon Punch, but not nearly as invulnerable.

*Gale kick*

    |  / O--  +  kick
    O O

    Dan flies horizontally forward, performing multiple kicks.  The
    button used determines the angle of flight.

*Super Combo #1*
  Shinkuu Hadoken

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    Dan lets a large fireball go that travels various distances,
    depending on the Level used.

    Level 1:  3 hits.
    Level 2:  4 hits.
    Level 3:  5 hits.

*Super Combo #2*
  Shoryureppa

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  kick
    O  O      O  O

    Dan does 2 vertical Dragon Punches that his multiple times.

    Level 1:  4 hits.
    Level 2:  5 hits.
    Level 3:  6 hits.

*Super Combo #3*
  Desperation

    |  / O--  |  / O--  +  kick
    O O       O O

    Dan does Robert Garcia's desparation move (from Art of Fighting),
    but without the forward leap at the beginning.

    Level 1:  4 hits.
    Level 2:  7 hits.
    Level 3: 12 hits.

**********************
ABOUT THE CHARACTERS
**********************

What follows is an in-depth coverage of each of the individual
characters' moves and a general strategy outline for each character.
This covers what combos are most often used, what each opponent's
strengths are, and what to avoid or watch out for when playing with
or against a certain character. 

Of course, since SFA has only been testing a month or so, there are
still many things left undiscovered.  This section will undoubtedly
be changed and appended later on, but this should give you a good
general idea of how to start playing each character.


*****
RYU
*****

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  punch
        O  O

    This will cause Ryu to do a FIERCE Dragon Punch.  While not
    having as much range as other Super Combos, this AC has the
    advantage of hitting your opponent the instant it starts (no
    unnecessary animation like in Charlie's or Birdie's AC's).  It
    does not hit as deep as a normal DP, so be very careful trying
    to AC sweeps and slides.  The AC is pretty invulnerable, insuring
    that you can use it against all types of attacks and Super Combos
    without much fear of trading.  Since Ryu performs a FIERCE Dragon
    Punch, make sure you connect with this move, or you will definitely
    be eating a combo on your way down.

*Overhead Punch*

    --O  +  STRONG

    This overhead hit is a decent move.  It has more range than you
    might think, and you can sometimes nail your opponent with the
    last part of the hit from afar.

*Spin Kick*

    --O  +  FORWARD

    This move is very quick and will hit an opponent on the way down
    (this is not an overhead hit, your opponent can block it).  This
    lets Ryu skip in closer to his opponent without retaliation.  You
    can use it to try to push your opponent back, tick with it, or
    skip over foot sweeps and other low attacks.

    Since you can sometimes be hit afterwords if you try anything but
    blocking (depending on distance), your opponent may try and sweep
    you afterwords.  Try using a Super Combo as you land if your
    opponent becomes predictable like this.

*Fireball*

    | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O

    Ryu still has a very short fireball delay.  However, since many
    opponents have other means besides jumping to get around
    fireballs, you have to be very careful when and where you throw
    fireballs.  Fireball corner traps don't work against a lot of
    characters, and using only fireballs to push an opponent back is
    risky as well.  Use fireballs more in moderation with other
    attacks to keep your opponent guessing.  To keep opponents away,
    combo fireballs in with footsweeps and other attacks, forcing
    them to block and be pushed back.

    Whenever comboing-in a fireball, use the FIERCE version.  If you
    are close, your opponent will be set on fire and be knocked down,
    giving you the positional advantage.

*Hurricane Kick*

    |  / O--  +  kick
    O O

    If you are quick, this move can counter close-range fireballs
    easily.  You have to do it slightly early to make it over the
    fireball.  Use the HK while jumping to gain superiority over most
    jumping attacks instead of air-blocking.

*Dragon Punch*

    --O | \   +  punch
        O  O

    This move is totally invulnerable.  Let loose with it.

*Super Combo #1*
  Shinkuu Hadoken

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    The Shinkuu Hadoken is an excellent attack in fireball wars and
    close-in fighting.  For fireballers, you can react instantly to
    most opponents' projectiles and respond with a Shinkuu Hadoken.
    By having a charged SC, you can really take control and intimidate
    a fireballing opponent.

    Close-in, ALWAYS be looking for openings where you can throw your 
    SC, especially in the corner.  Opponents will often throw a
    fireball that they expect you to have to block.  However, even
    if their fireball is nearly in your face, you can still
    instantaneously launch the SC and nail your opponent.  Always be
    doing the SC motions as you are pulling out of certain moves
    and watch for a projectile attempt from your opponent.  Good
    situations include after a blocked sweep or uppercut, after an
    intentionally missed sweep (hit them as they run in to hit you),
    after the overhead punch as they try to retaliate, etc.

    Using the Shinkuu Hadoken in normal combos requires a bit of
    fancy joystick work, but the results can be particularly damaging.
    You have very little leaway in getting the motions for the SC
    done if you want the SC to hit.  The optimum move for this is the
    crouching FORWARD kick.  Basically, you need to insert the
    FORWARD kick into the first QCF motion of the SC.  Then, after
    the first QCF, just buffer-in a normal fireball.  If you do
    everything close enough together, you will get the Super Combo
    instead of a fireball, doing nice damage to your unfortunate
    opponent.  It looks something like this:

    | \   +  FORWARD  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O                   O  O

    Because you have so little time to buffer the SC motion into the
    C. FORWARD kick, you have to start the motion for the SC before
    you actually kick.  Doing a C. FORWARD and then attempting to do
    the 2QCF motion will not work.  You simply cannot physically do
    it fast enough.  As described in the combo section, you can
    incorporate a variety of combos with the Shinkuu Hadoken like
    above.

    As a final warning, be very careful when trying to use the
    Shinkuu Hadoken against an opponent with an anti-fireball SC like
    Adon or Birdie.  These characters can buffer their SC's during the
    chi animation of your SC, thus being able to easily counter before
    your SC fireball even comes out.


*Super Combo #2*
  Shinkuu Tetsumakisenpukyaku

    |  / O--  |  / O--  +  kick
    O O       O O

    This move really has no range, so you have to anticipate your
    opponent moving in or opening-up to get it to hit.  It is best
    used close-in, especially when your opponent is cornered and
    desparately trying to escape.  Try using it after the Spin
    Kick if you know that your opponent will try and retaliate.
    This move does very good damage, so don't totally discount it
    based solely on its limited range.

    Do not use this move as an anti-air defense.  If you have time
    to do the SC, do a Dragon Punch instead.  If you do this against
    an airborne opponent, you will get a poor number of hits and
    damage.

*Combos*

    J. ROUNDHOUSE, C. STRONG, C. FORWARD, FIREBALL

     The old SF2 combo is still there.  It isn't a chain combo, so you
     do have to time it differently than chain combos.

    J. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, C. SHORT, C. FORWARD, FIREBALL

     Similar to another old SF2 combo, you can now insert a couple
     C. SHORT kicks since they chain with the C. FORWARD.

    J. ROUNDHOUSE, C. FORWARD, SHINKUU HADOKEN SC

     The easiest combo to put the Shinkuu Hadoken SC into.  As
     described before, practice putting the FORWARD kick in during
     the QCF motions.

    J. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, C. SHORT, C. FORWARD, SHINKUU HADOKEN SC

     * RYU'S TOUCH OF DEATH *

     The ultimate Ryu combo, this will do *heavy* damage at Level 2 or
     3.  I recommend putting extra money in the machine and playing a 
     standing-still opponent to get good at this combo.  On the
     heavy-damage machine I've been playing on recently, this combo
     automatically kills your opponent at Level 3.  On a normal
     damage machine, it might do something like 70% damage.


    SIDE NOTE:  It is possible for Ryu to trip-up an opponent with a
    ROUNDHOUSE sweep and hit them with a Shinkuu Hadoken on the way
    down.  However, anytime you can get a RH sweep, you can usually
    FORWARD sweep instead and combo-in the SC on the ground, giving
    you full hits and damage.  The Shinkuu Hadoken can only hit an
    airborn opponent twice, so its damage potential is limited.

Basically, Ryu has not changed much from SSF2T.  With the ability to
throw multiple Shinkuu Hadokens per round, Ryu can gain considerable
ground superiority.  However, there are many, MANY moves designed to
avoid and retaliate against fireballs.

  Anti-Fireball Moves:
    *Ryu-      Shinkuu Hadoken SC
    *Ken-      Ground Roll
    *Sagat-    Tiger Cannon SC, Tiger Knee
    *Chun Li-  Axe Kick, TBK SC
    *Charlie-  none
    *Birdie-   Chain Grab SC
    *Adon-     Jaguar Kick/Jaguar Revolver SC/Jaguar SC
    *Guy-      Bushido Leap
    *Sodom-    Slide
    *Rose-     Slide/Soul Reflect
    *Akuma-    Take your pick...
    *M. Bison- Demon Stomp
    *Dan-      none

When playing Ryu, keep these moves in mind for each character and try
to minimize their threat.  Remember that standard fireball traps will
not work against many characters, so be very careful when trying to
corner your opponent.


*****
KEN
*****


*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  punch
        O  O

    Ken blocks the attack and does a fierce Dragon Punch.  Because it
    is a DP move, it has excellent priority and speed.  It also will
    leave you wide open if you miss with it.

*Krazy Kick #1*

    --O  +  FORWARD

    This overhead hit has good recovery, but it is also one of the
    most predictable overhead hits in the game because of its strange
    animation.

*Krazy Kick #2*

    S. ROUNDHOUSE

    Ken's side kick is awesome.

    This kick definitely helps him a lot by giving him quick,
    mid-range striking power.

*Fireball*

    | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O

    The fireball delay is still slower than Ryu's, so be careful.

*Hurricane Kick*

    |  / O--  +  kick
    O O

    Although this move goes over projectiles, if you have time to
    hit your opponent with this when going over a fireball, do a
    roll instead.  Use this move in combos to push your opponent
    back far.  Also use it in the air for attack priority.

*Dragon Punch*

    --O | \   +  punch
        O  O

    Totally invulnerable.  FIERCE sets opponent on fire. 

*Ground Roll*

    |  / O--  +  punch
    O O

    This is the move that makes the new Ken so awesome to play.  It
    is not invulnerable, but it allows Ken to:

    A)  Go under all projectiles (including Sagat's Low Tiger)
      You can react to fireballs from the correct range, even
      Ryu's fireballs.  You can sweep or DP as you come out of
      the roll, or try a SC if you are close enough.

    B)  Roll under some rushing SC's
      Not particularly consistent, but it saves your butt
      sometimes.

    C)  Roll to the opposite side of your opponent quickly.
      One NASTY trick is to start a combo, insert the roll into
      the combo, and then perform a SC just as you reach the other
      side.  It is very quick, and you can often catch your opponent
      just before they have time to switch their block.

    Basically, make the roll an unexpected surprise when you have the
    opportunity, and make it count.

*Super Combo #1*
  Shoryureppa

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    This SC has excellent range on the ground.  You can snag
    opponents from sweeping range, and it combos very well with a
    FORWARD kick.  Not recommended against jumpers unless they are
    cornered.

    Level 1:  4 hits.
    Level 2:  6 hits.
    Level 3:  8 hits.

*Super Combo #2*
  Shinryuken

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  kick
    O  O      O  O

    This is a vertical Dragon Punch, meaning that you either have to
    combo it in or get close enough to ambush your opponent.  It
    works pretty well against jumpers at Level 2 or 3, but you have
    to be sure to hit your opponent as low to the ground with it as
    possible to get sufficent hits and damage.

    Level 1:  6 hits.
    Level 2:  7 hits.
    Level 3:  8 hits.


*Combos*

    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. STRONG, C. FORWARD, FIREBALL

     Standard SF2 combo.  It is not a chain combo, so the timing is
     more precise than other combos.

    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, S. FORWARD, DRAGON PUNCH

     Decent damage and easy to perform.

    F. ROUNDHOUSE, S. STRONG, FIERCE DRAGON PUNCH

     A nice, easy 5-hitter from SF2 that does excellent damage.  Make
     sure you are close for this one.

    F. FORWARD, S. JAB, S. SHORT, S. FORWARD, HURRICANE KICK

     This is the combo seen in the intro to the game.  Not something
     you use everyday, but it is interesting to pull-off.

    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, C. FORWARD, HURRICANE KICK

      Pushes your opponent back far.

    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, S. FORWARD, GROUND ROLL, SHORYUREPPA

      Not a combo, this series of moves is a good example of how you
      can incorporate the Ground Roll into your routine to screw your
      opponent up.  You have to buffer the Ground Roll early-on in
      the S. FORWARD kick.

    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. STRONG, C. SHORT, C. FORWARD, SHORYUREPPA SC

     This is easier to perform than Ryu's Shinkuu Hadoken SC because
     Ken's SC sucks the opponent in easier.  Excellent damage.

Because Ken has a longer fireball delay, you can't be nearly as
liberal with fireballs as Ryu.  Mix-in fireballs with Ken's S. RH
and other attacks.  Be unpredictable.  Push your opponent back. 
Use that nasty roll move to confuse and ambush your opponent.  :)

Also, be aware that Ken's flying FORWARD kick can neck kick his
opponent easily.  Use this occasionally to throw your opponent
off-balance.  Make sure you have a SC charged-up so that you can
take maximum advantage of the hit.  A good combo in this situation
would be F. FORWARD, C. JAB, C. SHORT, C. FORWARD, SHORYUREPPA SC.

*******
SAGAT
*******


*Combos*

    F. ROUNDHOUSE, S.(C.) STRONG, TIGER BLOW
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. FORWARD, LOW TIGER SHOT
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, S. JAB, S. STRONG, TIGER CRUSH
    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. FORWARD, TIGER GENOCIDE

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  kick
        O  O

    Sagat does a standing forward kick.  A tiny bit slow, but it has
    good horizontal range.  Use it to smack out of corner traps.

*Low Tiger Shot*

    | \  --O  +  kick
    O  O

    The Low Tiger Shot can be buffered with a crouching FORWARD
    kick.

*High Tiger Shot*

    | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O

    Sagat's arms stick out ANNOYINGLY far.  This fact, combined with
    his increased height, allow most opponents to either jump over
    the Tiger Shot to hit him from afar or simply nail him on the
    ground after the Tiger Shot passes overhead.  Use with
    extreme caution.

*Tiger Blow*

    --O | \   +  punch
        O  O

    You basically have to accept the fact that the Tiger
    Blow (Uppercut) stinks; it has pathetic priority and damage.  Use
    it in combos for good results, but in most other cases it is
    better to use a standing RH or Tiger Crush instead.

*Tiger Crush*

    --O | \   +  kick 
        O  O

    This move can be used as an anti-air defense if your opponent
    jumps in from afar, thinking that he will trade or knock you out
    of a Tiger Blow.  The RH version also goes over fast projectiles.
    Do this from medium range to set your opponent up for a Tiger
    Raid or Genocide SC.

*Super Combo #1*
  Tiger Genocide

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  kick
    O  O      O  O

    This SC goes through fireballs very well and has excellent reach.
    However, if you miss or get blocked, you are totally vulnerable
    coming down from the uppercut.

*Super Combo #2*
  Tiger Cannon

    | \  --O  | \  --O +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    This is similar to Ryu's Shinkuu Hadoken.  However, it travels
    much higher in the air than Ryu's SC fireball.  Thus, the Tiger
    Cannon cannot hit crouchers, making it impossible to do all of
    the nifty ambush techniques that Ryu can do with his SC
    projectile.  This SC is only good for using against fireballers.

*Super Combo #3*
  Tiger Raid

    |  / O--  |  / O--  +  kick
    O O       O O

    The advantage of this SC is that it has excellent recovery.  The
    disagvantage is that it has less initial reach than the Tiger
    Genocide.  In the corner, you can follow-up the Tiger Raid with a
    Tiger Blow for 12-14 hits.

Basically, Sagat has lost most or all of his corner-trap abilities.
You have to play him very carefully, without relying on the Tiger
Blow.  Use a standing RH or Tiger Crush instead of the Tiger Blow
unless you are SURE that you can get a deep, close-in, clean hit
with the Tiger Blow.


*********
CHUN-LI
*********


*Alpha Counter*

  O--  / |  +  kick
      O  O

    Because this AC hits so low, you have to time it perfectly if you
    want to hit jumpers with it.  It takes some practice, but it's
    not too hard.

*Taunt*

    This is the only taunt in the game that hits your opponent.  It
    even takes off block-damage!  Use this as an ultimate humiliation
    finish.

*Axe Kick*

    --O \  |  / O--  +  kick
         O O O

    Chun's Axe Kick will go through medium and fast projectiles at
    the very beginning of the flipping animation.  It is also an
    overhead hit.  Because this move has excellent recovery, use it
    to move-in on your opponent and try to confuse them.  Buffer it
    in with Chun's crouching and standing FORWARD kicks to make your
    opponent change their block often.  Be careful about doing this
    vs characters with DP-type moves, however, as you can be DP'd
    during the flip animation right before you hit your opponent.
    The SHORT Axe Kick is a bit faster than the other 2 versions,
    so use that version when you are very close-in.  Use the
    others for longer-range attacks.

    If you connect with the kick, you unfortunately cannot combo
    any move afterwords.  However, because of the good recovery of
    this move, Chun can pretty much start kicking again without her
    opponent being able to retaliate.  Mix-in crouching FW's,
    consecutive Axe Kicks, fakes, and throws to keep your opponent
    really confused.

    As a side note, the Axe Kick can go through SC projectiles.  I've
    caught MANY a Ryu my surprise by walking right up to the SC
    projectile, Axe Kicking right through it, and smacking the
    dumbfounded Ryu in the face.  Not something you can pull-off
    repeatedly, but it's pretty funny to watch.  :)

*Lightning Kick*

    The Lightning Kick doesn't do very much block-damage now, and
    it is pretty hard to put into combos.  The RH version hits 4-5
    times, but is nearly impossible to get started on the fly.


*Kikoken*

    There is now a substantial delay in the opening frames of the
    Kikoken animation.  Not only does this make it harder to catch
    opponents by surprise, it is a huge flag, allowing most opponents
    to jump the projectile and nail Chun easily.  Use this move
    CAREFULLY.

*Rising Spin Kick*

    This move has great air priority and is almost never air-blocked.
    It moves at about a 75 degree angle, so you cannot hit opponents 
    who are almost directly overhead.  This move goes very well with
    combos.

*Super Combo #1*
  Thousand Burst Kick

    This SC goes through fireball at all Levels, but the positioning
    for going through a projectile with the Level 1 TBK is very
    precise.  You must be RIGHT up next to the projectile to go
    through it, and you may not be able to go through some JAB
    projectiles.  The Level 2 and 3 TBK's have much more horizontal
    range and superior fireball invulnerability.  This SC can be
    linked with other SC's in the corner, as described later on.

    Unfortunately, Chun seems to have a problem with slides being
    able to knock her out of the TBK.  Be careful when using it
    against Rose, Guy, and Sodom. 

*Super Combo #2*
  Spinning Shadow Kick

    Charge  /  \    /  O  +  kick
           O    O  O   |

    A hyped-up Vertical Kick.  Use in the same manner as you do the
    normal Vertical Kick.

*Super Combo #3*
  Power Storm

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    This move has great anti-air priority and does excellent damage
    for a Level 1 SC.  Use it as an instantaneous anti-air defense.
    Be very careful about using it on the ground since Chun's feet
    are not invulnerable to attack.

*Combos*

    F. ROUNDHOUSE, C. FORWARD, RISING SPIN KICK

      This is probably the best jump-in combo Chun-Li has.  It does
      good damage, and it knocks her opponent down, giving her the
      positional advantage.  You can also use the C. FW, RSK part

    (Corner) THOUSAND BURST KICK, POWER STORM, SPINNING SHADOW KICK

      Although I have only gotten the first 2 hits of this combo,
      people on the Net have vouched for its complete existence.
      To get the Power Storm, you have to start the 2 X QCF motion
      during the TBK and end it _just_ as you come out of the TBK.


What Chun-Li has lost in ground kick priority and power she makes up
for with air priority.  Her jumping kicks have priority against
almost any move short of a Dragon Punch.  Use this along with FW
kicks and Axe Kicks to push your opponent back and corner them.

Chun Li has exceptionally good throw priority and range.  USE THIS
TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!  Forget what your opponents might think about
"cheap" Chun-Li.  Chun's throws and ground speed are a major
advantage.  Make sure you use them;  and, if your opponents start
getting mad and try to tick you, it's as easy as pie to counter-
throw.


*********
CHARLIE
*********


*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  punch
        O  O

    This AC is probably the slowest in the entire game.  Don't expect
    to be able to hit jumpers with it.  Instead, use it to gain
    position on your opponent.  Its good range helps Charlie nail
    anyone trying to corner him or throw a fireball nearby.

*Jumping Spin Kick*

    O--  or  --O,  +  FORWARD

    In the latest version it appears that Capcom improved the
    recovery of this move a bit.  It is an overhead hit with good
    range, so use it occasionally to catch your opponent off-guard.
    You can keep a backwards charge while performing this move, so
    try ambushing your opponent by using a Crossfire Blitz after
    landing.

*Thrust Kick*

    O--  or  --O,  +  ROUNDHOUSE

    This move has good horizontal range, and you can keep a charge
    while doing it.  Very good for pushing opponents back.

*Sonic Boom*

    Charge  O--  --O  +  punch

    If you are having trouble with opponents sliding underneath the
    Boom, try using the JAB version to catch them as they slide.

*Flash Kick*

               O
    Charge  |  |  + kick
            O

    This can be air-blocked easily, so I recommend using a C. FIERCE
    or Backfist instead (unless you're _sure_ your opponent is going
    to attack).  If you get air-blocked, each character has a means
    of hitting you as you land, sometimes even when you use the
    SHORT version. 

*Super Combo #1*
  Sonic Break

    Charge  O--  --O  O--  --O  +  punch

    This SC is not particularly useful.  You can try and catch
    fireballers close-in with it, but it does a really small amount
    of damage, especially at Level 1.  In fact, you could probably
    get the same amount of damage against a close-in fireballer
    just by AC'ing, and that doesn't even need a charge.

    I usually use the Sonic Break to get block-damage in the corner
    when my opponent is nearly dead.  Keep in mind that the Sonic
    Break projectiles _can_ be air-blocked.

*Super Combo #2*
  Somersault Justice

                       O
    Charge  /  \    /  |  +  kick
           O    O  O

    This is a really useful SC, especially in the corner.  It cannot
    be air-blocked, so you can catch many jumpers who think they are
    same jumping in on Charlie.  At Level 3 this SC will suck an
    opponent in from a phenominal distance.  Use this to counter
    close-in attacks or fireballs.

*Super Combo #3*
  Crossfire Blitz

    Charge  O--  --O  O--  --O  +  kick

    Used mainly as a close-in ground attack.  Since Level 1 does not
    go through projectiles, only use it to counter close-in ground
    attacks.  To counter projectiles use the Sonic Break or an AC
    instead.

*Combos*

    J. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, C. STRONG, SONIC BOOM
    J. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, C. STRONG, FLASH KICK

      These 2 combos are the most-used for Charlie.  If you are in
      the corner, you can insert a C. JAB at the beginning of the
      ground part of the combo.

    J. ROUNDHOUSE, C. SHORT, C. STRONG, SOMERSAULT JUSTICE

      Your basic SC combo.  Since Charlie has to charge for the SC,
      it basically has to be comboed with a jump-in.  It's probably
      the only time you'll ever get to use it.

Charlie really has trouble dealing with quite a few of the characters
in SFA.  Because he has to charge his main weapon, the Sonic Boom, he
doesn't play well to the rapid, back-and-forth, high-offense style of
the game.  Basically, charging the Boom makes him too predictable,
especially with all of the anti-projectile attacks in SFA.  Here's
what characters can do to Charlie's Sonic Boom attempts:

   Ryu:  If Ryu has a Shinkuu Hadoken charged, forget trying to throw
         a Boom anywhere near Ryu.  Since you have to charge the Boom,
         it is very predictable when you will be releasing it.  Ryu
         also has the HK to rely on, as that move now goes over the
         Sonic Boom easily.
   Ken:  He can roll under the Boom, but you will usually recover in
         time to not get hit.
 Sagat:  He can't do much except jump-in, but he can do so pretty
         safely because of his long, reaching legs.  If Sagat has a
         SC charged, however, he can nail Charlie on reaction with
         a Tiger Cannon easily.
  Chun:  She can Axe Kick through your Booms.  She can TBK right
         through them in the corner.  Chun can also simply jump over
         them and kick, and there's little you can do to knock her out
         of these jump attacks.  Thus, you can get cornered rather
         easily when fighting Chun-Li.
Birdie:  Birdie can Leaping Chain Grab any Sonic Boom easily.
  Adon:  The Jaguar Kick and Jaguar Tooth both work well against a
         Boom attack.
   Guy:  Guy can slide underneath Booms close-up, or he can Bushido
         Run slide underneath them from medium to far range.
 Sodom:  Sodom can slide under Booms easily and recover instantly.
  Rose:  She can slide underneath Booms with great recovery, as well
         as reflect Booms back in your face.

As you can see, most characters have some method of dealing with
Charlie's Booms rather well.  All I can recommend is try as hard
as possible to be unpredictable and attempt to corner your opponent
if you can.  If your opponent has an anti-fireball SC charged-up,
try throwing a Sonic Boom just far enough so that you will recover
before getting hit.  You can do this to try and trick your opponent
into wasting a SC.

********
BIRDIE
********


*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  punch
        O  O

    This AC has decent range, but it's relatively slow.  Be VERY
    careful when trying to AC a Super Combo.  I've gotten knocked out
    of the AC animation several times.

*Headbutt Charge*

    Charge  O--  --O  +  punch

    Remember that you have to use the proper range Headbutt, or you
    will get a stun delay afterwords.  Use this move to keep your
    opponent from getting anywhere close to you.  It JAB version is
    *very* quick and good for this.  There is a small area between
    the ranges of the JAB and STRONG Headbutts where your opponent
    can "safely" stand.  A JAB Headbutt will miss them, and a STRONG
    Headbutt will produce a move stun.  Be aware of this critical
    area and keep your opponent out of it.

    All of the Headbutts have excellent anti-air priority.  When you
    are charging the Turn-Around Headbutt with the STRONG and FIERCE
    buttons, you can use the JAB Headbuut Charge as a good anti-air
    alternative to the standing FIERCE.

*Turn-Around Headbutt*

    As Birdie turns around, he is invulnerable to all attack.  A good 
    strategy is to try and fight close-in and release the TAH right
    when you opponent attacks.  The attack will sail right through
    Birdie's feet, and you will then trun around and nail your
    opponent.  Your main objective with this move is to hit your
    opponent deep.  Not just blocking the hit, but actually damaging
    them.  Once you connect you can combo-in a Chain Grab for serious
    damage.  You should try this every time you get a successful hit
    with the TAH.

    Since you have to hit kinda deep to combo-in the Chain Grab, you
    should use either the STRONG and FIERCE buttons or the SHORT and
    FORWARD buttons to charge the TAH with.  The latter is more
    uncomfortable for the hand, but it keeps your FIERCE button free
    for anti-air defense.  If you use the 2 punch buttons for
    convenience, you can use a standing ROUNDHOUSE or a JAB Headbutt
    Charge as substitute anti-air attacks.

*Chain Grab*

                 O
     / | \  --O /   +  punch
    O  O  O

    This move does excellent damage.  Your main strategy should
    revolve around getting opportunities to use this attack.  You
    need to be UTTERLY, TOTALLY CHEAP with this move.  That means
    getting jump-ins and ticking like _mad_ with this move.  If you
    have your opponent in the corner, you will be able to get
    another jump-in after each successful Chain grab.  You have to
    be a total, rampaging nightmare with this move.  Because there
    are ways of escaping Chain Grab ticks, you need to vary how you
    tick with each jump-in.  Since each tick requires different
    timing to counter, you can keep your opponent totally confused
    and petrified, not knowing how you will attack each time.  There
    3 main jump-in ticks you can use:

     1)  J. ROUNDHOUSE, S. SHORT, CHAIN GRAB
       This is the one I use most often.  Properly timed, it is hard
       to counter.
     2)  J. ROUNDHOUSE, CHAIN GRAB
       If your opponent starts countering the first tick, use the
       Chain Grab early by skipping the S. SHORT.  This usually
       throws off your opponent's timing really well.
     3)  FAKE J. ROUNDHOUSE, C. JAB, C. SHORT, CHAIN GRAB
       Actually, you can do all sorts of variations on this tick.
       The fake normally confuses people to no end, and you usually
       are safe doing it since opponents usually are petrified to
       even move against a jumping-in Birdie.

*Super Combo #1*
  Leaping Chain Grab

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  button
    O  O      O  O

    This is the ultimate anti-fireball move.  Use it as such.
    Squash any fireball attempt with this SC.  If your opponent dares
    throw a SC projectile, simply buffer the motions for the SC
    during your opponent's SC animation.  You will be able to perform
    your SC before your opponent's SC projectile even has a chance to
    start moving.

    The button you use determines the distance Birdie leaps.  The
    Leap is kind of self-guiding (especially for the long-range
    Leaps), so you don't have to memorize how far each button takes
    you.  Use the JAB (or STRONG) Leap for extreme close-in attacks,
    the SHORT Leap for fireballers half-screen's length away and
    slightly under, and the ROUNDHOUSE Leap for anything half-screen
    and beyond.  This covers 95% of all the times you will need to
    use the SC.

    Another tactic is to use a Headbutt Charge or TAH.  As you are
    recovering, if you feel that your opponent will try to fireball or
    sweep, perform the SC _right_ after you recover.  Your opponent's
    attack will miss and you will grab them while they are in a move
    stun.  This requires you hitting your opponent at exactly the right
    distance, so be carefull when trying it.

    You can also try using the JAB Leap against jumpers.  Just back-
    off slightly and Leap.  Any jump kicks will pass right through
    Birdie, and, if timed properly, Birdle will land to catch them
    just as they land.

*Super Combo #2*
  Mega Headbutt Rush

    Charge  O--  --O  O--  --O  +  punch

    When fighting a non-projectile character, this SC is more useful
    than the Leaping Chain Grab.  Use it against characters like
    Adon, Guy, and Rose since they like to try and poke 'n jab a lot.

*Combos*

    C. FIERCE, HEADBUTT CHARGE


To play Birdie well is to play him cheap.  Because of his extremely
short and low jump, it is very hard to get clear jump-ins on your
opponent.  You need to take full advantage of any ticking opportunity
you get.  The Chain Grab does 25%+ damage, do it's well worth pulling
off.  Don't be afraid of being called "cheap".  This is definitely
the way Birdie was designed to be played.

Birdie's anti-air defenses are excellent.  The only character who has
priority over his C. and S. FIERCE is Chun-Li.  Otherwise, nobody can
even dream of jumping-in on Birdie.  Use this ability along with JAB
Headbutt Charges and RH sweeps to push your opponent back into the
corner.  This is the main setup for repeated and deadly Chain Grab
ticks which will win the game for Birdie.


******
ADON
******



*Chains*

    S. JAB, S. STRONG, S. ROUNDHOUSE
    S. JAB, S. STRONG, C. ROUNDHOUSE

*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  kick
        O  O

    Although this AC is angled more vertically than horizontally, it
    instantaneously hits with no lag time whatsoever.

*Upward Kick*

    \   +  FORWARD
     O

    This kick, although it looks rather pathetic, has incredible
    anti-air priority.  Use it when you can't use a Jaguar Knee.

*Jaguar Kick*

    O-- |  /  +  kick
        O O

    This is Adon's main jabbing weapon.  Use a combination of
    low attacks and SHORT Jaguar Kicks to push your opponent back
    into the corner.  Use the FORWARD version to counter any
    close-to-mid-range fireball attack.

*Jaguar Tooth*

    --O \  |  / O--  +  kick
         O O O

    This move is particularly good against characters without a solid
    DP move.  Use it to react to fireballs if you are far away.  You
    will be able to glide in quickly, knocking your opponent out of
    most any ground-based attack.

    You can also try faking with this move.  Try and make your
    opponent whiff an anti-air move, then retaliate with a chain
    combo or SC.

*Jaguar Knee*

              O
    | \  --O /    +  kick
    O  O

    You have to be somewhat underneath your opponent not to get
    knocked out of this move, but it has good priority and damage.

*Super Combo #1*
  Jaguar Breed Assault

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    This SC has excellent ground speed and range, and it cuts through
    fireballs with ease.  Use it both as an anti-fireball move and
    while fighting close-in.

*Super Combo #2*
  Jaguar Revolver

    |  / O--  |  / O--  +  kick
    O O       O O

    This move is good as both an anti-air defense (at high Levels) and
    as an anti-fireball move.  If your opponent tries a SC projectile,
    you can buffer the motions for this SC and release it just as your
    opponent's SC starts.

*Combos*

    J. ROUNDHOUSE, C. JAB, C. STRONG, C. ROUNDHOUSE

      Adon's standard chain combo.  Use it when you jump-in or when
      you can hit your opponent on the ground.

    J. ROUNDHOUSE, C. JAB, C. STRONG, JAGUAR BREED ASSAULT

      This is the only SC combo Adon really has, but it is effective
      and does nice damage at all Levels.


Adon is a very simple character to use.  His strategy revolves around
using his S. ROUNDHOUSE and Jaguar Kicks to push his opponent back,
countering any jump-in or projectile that his opponent might use.
Adon requires patience and a keen eye for making the most of any
opportunity that arises.  Adon is not a fancy character with a ton of
cool combos or strategy.  Instead, solid pressure and smart playing
make him an effective character to play.


*****
GUY
*****


*Alpha Counter*

    O--  / |  +  kick
        O  O

    This AC hits very low, so you need to time it precisely for
    snagging jumpers with it.


*Overhead Slam*

    --O  +  punch

    This overhead hit has great range and recovery.  Mix it in with
    lots of sweeps and standing FORWARDs.

*Bushido Run*

    | \  --O  +  kick
    O  O

    You have to be very careful when using this move.  Although it
    is quick, each character has some type of move that can hit you
    out of the run if given the chance.  You have to use it close-up
    and unexpectedly.  You can end it in 1 of 3 ways:

     ROUNDHOUSE:  This will produce an overhead hitting jump kick.
       Not only does this kick have good recovery, but you can use it
       in combos easily.  S. FIERCE, Bushido Run jump kick is a quick
       combo that will help dizzy an opponent very quickly.  It is
       also part of Guy's corner re-dizzy combo, explained later on.

     FORWARD:  This makes Guy perform a running slide.  This slide
       will go underneath Charlie's Sonic Boom and Rose's Soul Spark.
       The recovery is not as good as the jump kick, but if you
       position it just right, you can recover before your opponent
       can hit you.  This move can also be used in combos.

     SHORT:  Using the SHORT version will make Guy stop the second
       time you hit a kick button.  Basically, you use this version
       to either make your opponent whiff a DP-type move or to run
       up to someone and throw.

     NOTHING:  Guy will automatically stop once he reaches his
       opponent, just like the SHORT version.

*Bushido Leap*

    | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O

    This sends Guy in an arc toward his opponent.  The FIERCE version
    is the only really useful version as the other 2 are much too high
    to be effective.  You can use this move to counter any mid-range
    fireball.

    If your opponent is performing any kind of special move, your
    throw range will automatically be increased to swoop them out of
    whatever move they are performing.  This includes moves such as
    Sagat's Tiger Blow, Chun's Rising Spin Kick, and Charlie's Flash
    Kick.

    Another useful tactic is to tick with the Bushido leap by
    buffering it into another move.  A good example would be C. JAB,
    C. FORWARD, Bushido Leap.  This combo is explained in greater
    detail below.

    If you cannot get close enough to air-throw your opponent, you
    can perform a dropping elbow by hitting punch anytime during your 
    flight.  This elbow move has excellent priority, and you can combo
    other ground moves into it if you connect with it.  The elbow drop
    is an overhead hit.

*Rising Spin Kick*

    |  / O--  +  kick
    O O

    This move has a DP-like priority to it.  Use it as such.  The
    SHORT version of the kick hits low to the ground, making it good
    for countering close-in fireballers and deep jump attacks.  The
    FORWARD and ROUNDHOUSE versions travel higher and hit more times,
    but they don't hit low to the ground, making them impossible to
    use in combos or for countering low attackers in the air or on the
    ground.

*Super Combo #1*
  Bushido Rage

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  kick
    O  O      O  O

    This is one of the few rushing SC's that has good recovery if
    blocked.  Use it in ambushes after a blocked Bushido move or
    after an overhead hit.

*Super Combo #2*
  Bushido Jump

    | \  --O  | \  --O  +  punch
    O  O      O  O

    This move is rather unpredictable.  It usually requires your
    opponent to be far in front of you in the air, but it still is
    pretty hard to time and position correctly.  Not a super-reliable
    anti-air defense.

*Combos*

    S. FIERCE, BUSHIDO RUN JUMP KICK

      This is a quick, 3-hit combo that is very easy to dizzy with.

    GUY'S RE-DIZZY COMBO:

    (Corner) J. ROUNDHOUSE, C. JAB, S. STRONG, S. FIERCE, BUSHIDO
             RUN JUMP KICK

      This combo is insanely hard to pull-off, but it re-dizzys
      almost every character except Ken and Ryu.  Much practice is
      needed to pull this one off correctly.  It may not seem
      difficult, but you'll see what I mean when you try it.

Guy's strength lies in his speed and jabbing moves.  Guy also has
excellent throw priority.  Use all of this to your advantage.
Keep constant pressure on your opponent, but don't become
predictable.  Use lots of throws.  Fake throwing and use his
3 crouching kick chain combo to nail a conter-throw attempt.
Just keep using that S. FORWARD kick with the occasional Bushido Run
jump kick and overhead hit.  Just be a total nightmare and try not
to let your opponent get a move in edge-wise.

The biggest think you need to worry about is not being predictable.
Guy's moves are good, but you will get plastered if your opponent
sees them coming.  While this is true for any character, it is
especially true for Guy.  If your opponent just keeps blocking in
the corner, be patient and weed them out.  Throw, tick, fake, etc.
to keep your opponent moving.  They will them open themselves up
to your other attacks.



SODOM-



Sodom's strategy revolves both around his grabbing moves and his Sai
Attacks.  His crouching FIERCE and STRONG Sai Slice can take out all
jumpers easily.  His slide will go underneath STRONG and FIERCE
fireballs, including Sagat's low Tiger Shot.

Sodom's Power Bomb has a very short range, and there is a delay as
Sodom leaps forward with his Sai before he actually grabs his victim.
On the up side, the move does almost 25% damage to a healthy opponent
and can be used in combos effectively.  The Capet Drop, although
blockable, can be used in ANY combo Sodom has, regardless of how far
away that opponent gets pushed by the normal part of the combo.  The
Carpet Drop will just suck them in with ease.

Sodom's Mega Sai Slice SC his jumpers particularly well and has
excellent recovery afterwords.  The Mega Power Bomb SC sucks due to
the obnoxious motion and the fact that he can be hit out of it with a
simple jab.


ROSE-

Definitely the strangest character of the bunch, Rose is one of the
best as well.  She has 3 main strengths:  her FORWARD slide, her Shawl
Reflect, and her Super Combos.

The FORWARD slide has absolutely phenominal recovery, yet has a huge
range of attack as well.  Rose can trade equally with fireballers like
Ryu using the slide due to how her legs stick out so far.  Rose can
even nab opponents with Super Combos or a Soul Spark with ease as they
try and counter the slide.  The only thing you have to be concerned
with is not getting predictable with the slide and, as a result,
eating a Super Combo or DP move.

The Shawl Reflect is a good move but can get you into trouble if used
too much.  You can reflect projectiles back into the face of an
opponent, but most opponents will not throw a fireball as you stand
there waiting for them to do so.  If you mis-time the Shawl Reflect,
your opponent can nail you with a fireball during the stun afterwords.
A good strategy is use several slides and watch for your opponent
getting frustrated and trying to fireball his way out of the pattern.
Then use the Shawl Reflect and continue pushing that opponent back
into the corner.

Rose's best Super Combo is, by far, her Uppercut and Punish SC.  With
all of this jabbing and sliding, your opponent is bound to get
frustrated and try and jump.  If you don't have time, just use Rose's
crouching FIERCE to counter.  But you should be watching for the jump
and plan accordingly.  A Level 3 UAP SC takes off over 50% of the
opponent's energy, making it a deadly punishment for one mis-timed
jump.

These 3 tools, along with whatever else you dish out in your style of
play, make Rose a very formiddable opponent if played carefully and
systematicly.

The 2 moves you have to be careful with are Rose's Soul Catch and her
Soul Spark.  The Soul Catch is not invulnerable, so you need to catch
your opponent rather early or very, very late in their jump to not get
knocked out of it.  The Soul Spark has Rose extend her scarf outward,
making her an easy target for jump-in attacks.


AKUMA-

Akuma retains all of the strengths of Ryu and gains an air fireball
and a teleport.  His 2 new moves (the roll and leaping moves) are
pretty worthless, so don't bother with them.  Just play a strong Ryu
and incorporate the air fireball to win.

Be careful you don't accidentally do the Red Fireball when trying to
do a normal fireball.  The motions are *extremely* sensitive, and
there is a huge delay on the Red Fireball that will get you killed
easily.

The one thing that Akuma has against him is a damage handicap.  Akuma
takes approximately 60% more damage per hit than normal characters do.
That means that jump-in combos will do about 50% damage, and Super
Combos basicly kill you at high Levels.  I had the CPU Ryu do his
Level 3 HK Super Combo against my Akuma and take 80% of my life away,
utterly destroying me.

[Right before I release this]: I just got back from another arcade
where the damage Akuma took from opponents was less than what is
described above.  Chun-Li's Split Kick also had better priority there
as well, so it seems that Capcom is still tweaking stuff around on
us at different locations.

As a side note, Akuma's stage is Chun Li's Great Wall of China stage
at sunrise.  The BGM is a chaotic, guitarish theme that is difficult
to make out.  It may be a re-mixed version of the intro music to
SSF2T.


M. BISON-

I haven't played him much (just got to try the code today), but he
seems to be more of a normal character (unlike Akuma with all of the
nasty air-fireball defenses he can put up).  He's strong, but I'm not
sure yet if he's one of the best or not.

At the arcade where I tried him out, he took normal damage from moves
(unlike Akuma).  I'll post more about him later and include it in a
future revision of the FAQ.

*********
ENDINGS
*********

MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!!


RYU-  Fights Sagat

Basicly, we see Sagat lying on the ground, beaten and VERY upset.  He
tells Ryu that he will kill him, but Ryu shrugs Sagat off, complaining
that he's too little of a challenge.  He tells Sagat as he departs
that true warriors fight not with hate but with skill.


KEN-  Fights Ryu

At the beginning of the match, we get some cool dialogue between Ken
and Ryu where Ryu puts down Ken as a "trainee" and Ken snidely remarks
back that he can and will whoop Ryu's sorry butt in a fight.

After the fight, Ryu congratulates Ken on his new-found strength.
Awesome pic of Ken and Ryu clasping hands together.  Ryu asks what Ken
will do next, and Ken replies that he already has another challenger
waiting for him elsewhere.

Cut to a scene where Ken is walking away victorioius from this next
fight.  He is on what will become his SF2 background stage.  A young,
blond-haired girl names Eliza runs after him and asks him why he fights
so fiercely.  Ken replies that he must battle one man and make him pay
for something.  This guy Ken is referring to is probably Akuma, the
man who trained with Ken and Ryu and ended up killing their teacher in
Japan.  This woman is obviously the girl who marries Ken at the end of
SF2.


SAGAT-  Fights Ryu

SAGAT: "You scarred me and sealed your fate."
       "Now the scales will be balanced."
       "You took my honor and now I'll destroy you!"

  RYU: "You just don't get it, do you?"

SAGAT: "Shut up!  I won't lose this time!"

After winning, Sagat sees Ryu look at him with pity.  Sagat is empty.
Did Ryu actually fight with all his strength, or did he hold back in
honor?  Before Sagat can consider this further, a jet lands in the
background.  M. Bison appears, telling Sagat to forget his foolish
vendetta which he has already won.  Now, if Sagat truly wants to be
feared, he must learn "Psycho Power."  We get to see 2 early mug shots
of Vega and Balrog in the background.


CHUN LI-  Fights Bison

Chun Li tells Bison that he is under arrest for drug trafficking.
After she beats him, we get some brief "You're finished, Bison!"
dialogue before Bison gets up off the ground and grasps Chun Li's
midsection, blasting Psycho Power throughout her body. 

Cut to a hospital scene where Chun is surrounded by a couple of
government agents.  The game then tells us Chun Li's true motive,
which is to crush M. Bison for murdering her father.


CHARLIE-  Fights Bison

Bison has no clue who Charlie is, but Charlie seems pretty bent on
arresting Bison for something.  Anyway, after Charlie wins, he calls
in the troops with his radio.  But what's this?!  Bison crawls up
behind Charlie, the screen flashes white, and....

   NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

The last scene we see is Bison tossing Charlie's dog tags over his
shoulder, calling Charlie a fool for thinking he would ever let him
live.


BIRDIE-  Fights Bison

Birdie tells Bison that he wants to fight him as a test to enter
Shadoloo.  After beating Bison, Birdie gets to be Bison's right-hand
man.  We see Birdie picking up some scrawny guy in a suit in a bar
somewhere.  We then get this "oh-so-dramatic" text postulating whether
or not Birdie will try and kill Bison to oust him and take his place.
We never find out, and the ending cuts there.


ADON-  Fights Sagat

Adon was Sagat's teacher, but now he touts to Sagat that he has
surpassed his master's skill.  Sagat tells him to get a life and
prepare to be put back in his miserable place.

After winning, Adon is approached by M. Bison.  Bison admires Adon's
strength and proposes that Adon join Shadoloo (join or die, that is).
After a few sinical comments about drugs and Bison, M. Bison becomes
enraged and attacks Adon.  We last see Adon cheerfully jumping up to
meet the challenge.


GUY-  Fights Bison

Guy stands over Bison's fallen body, clenching his fists.  He says
that he is ready and has reached his goal of ultimate strength.
After jumping away, Bison looks up from the ground with a wicked smile
on his face and says that Guy will pay dearly for the insult given
today.


SODOM-  Fights Guy

Sodom tells Guy how much he hates him.  Guy makes a couple of comments
dripping with sarcasm, and the fight proceeds.

Afterwords, we see Sodom re-assembling the Chain Gang crew (presumably
from inal Fight).  He rallies them, saying that this is the beginning
of a new dawn for their organization.  And, to make them feared
throughout the world, the Chain Gang will now be known as...

  AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!

Sodom holds a Japanese scroll in his hands with the name on it.  Since
I can't *read* Japanese, I have no clue what it says.  The CPU then
says something akin to, "Gosh, that is a really stupid name!"  Go
figure this one out yourself...


ROSE-  Fights Bison

Rose tells Bison that he has abused his power too much and must now
pay.  Bison obviously knows her and was even expecting her, but he
doesn't reveal how they are connected, other than someone sent Rose
to deal with Bison.

After the match, Rose uses all of her remaining Soul Power to drain
Bison dry of energy.  This leaves her near-death.  Yet, we see Bison
on the ground with smoke rising from his heart as Rose hears a
heartbeat.  The game then asks something like, "What it M. Bison?"
referring to the heartbeat.


AKUMA-  Fights Bison

Bison tells Akuma how much he admires his incredible strength.
Puzzled, Bison then asks Akuma why he hesitates.  We get some blurb
about Akuma doubting his strength, and the match proceeds.

Afterwords, we see Akuma's portrait with 3 people scrolling by in the
background.

The game tells us that, although Akuma has bested the greatest
warriors of the world, his victory is empty.  Akuma realizes that it
is the path, not the goal, that matters.


M. BISON-  Fights Rose

Rose confronts Bison, telling him that he has abused his power for
too long.  Bison remarks that some "group" sent Rose to defeat him,
and then they fight.

After the battle, Bison stands over Rose's dead body, commenting that
Soul Power is nothing compared to his awesome strength.  "Will anyone
be able to stop Bison from taking over the world?" is the last
thought the game gives you.


DAN-  Fights Sagat

Dan sounds rather upset as he revels in the fact that he has reached
Sagat.  Sagat appears confused, and Dan explains that his father was
killed by Sagat.  Sagat recalls this man as being the one who blinded
Sagat's one eye.

After the fight we see Dan rolling around on the ground, making fists
and looking generally happy.  He starts gleefully cheering that he has
beaten Sagat.  M. Bison suddenly teleports onto the screen and offers
to make Dan the greatest fighter in the world if he joins Shadoloo.
Dan, in his new-found arrogance, tells Bison that he is too late, that
he is already the greatest in the world.  Bison scowls at him and
teleports off the screen.


**********************
THOSE LITTLE SYMBOLS
**********************

When you win a round, you are given a marker by your Energy Bar to
signify your win.  Instead of a generic marker, in SFA you are given
a marker that reflects what type of win you got.  Here are some of the
symbols you can get:

        V
           This stands for a normal move victory.
        S
           Special (complex-motion) move victory.
        S*
           Super Combo victory.
 Cheeze S
           Blocked special move victory.
 Cheeze S*
           Blocked Super Combo victory.
    Lasso
           Throw victory.
Hour Glass
           Time-out victory.
        P
           Perfect (no damage taken) victory.


*********************
CHARACTER HISTORIES
*********************

Each character in SFA appears in another Capcom game from the past.

RYU-
  The Ryu in SFA is from the original Street Fighter.  He has the same
  red hair and boyish look that he had back in the 80's.  Ryu won the
  first Street Fighter tournament and stripped Sagat of his title of
  World Warrior.


KEN-
  Ken is also from Street Fighter 1.  His skill was overshadowed by
  the victory of his friend and rival, Ryu.  Ken looks much younger as
  well, having a long ponytail tied back with a ribbon and a much more
  cocky attitude to him than he did in SF2.

SAGAT-
  The strongest fighter in the world, Sagat, was brought down by a mere
  boy of a fighter named Ryu in Street Fighter 1.  Sagat's chest was
  scarred horribly by Ryu's winning Dragon Punch.  Now, that scar fuels
  Sagat's hate each day as he trains for his rematch with Ryu.

CHUN LI-
  This is Chun Li's first appearance in the SF timeline.  She is
  originally from SF2 where she avenges the death of her father.  In
  SFA she is working for some government agency.

CHARLIE-
  Charlie is Guile's friend who is killed by M. Bison between SFA and
  SF2.  This is the first game in which he has physically appeared.

BIRDIE-
  This brawler from England was in the original Street Fighter
  tournament.  Back then, his moves consisted of a couple overehad
  slams and a headbutt.  Now, Birdie has been modernized and is ready
  for serious action.

ADON-
  Adon is Sagat's student from Thailand in Street Fighter 1.  He
  retains his awesome reverse Flash Kick and has a new, formiddable
  arsenal of kicks as well.

GUY-
  A player character from the smash hit Final Fight, Guy has been
  given a strange arsenal of moves new to the SF series and retains
  his rising spin kick from the original game.

SODOM-
  Originally a boss character from Level 2 of Final Fight, Sodom now
  wields two 2-pronged sai instead of his Katanas and has a host of
  new rushing and grappling moves.

ROSE-
  Rose is Anita from Night Warriors, another Capcom fighting game.  In
  that game she appears as a small child with a teady bear.  All
  grown-up, she has been sent by someone to destroy M. Bison.

AKUMA-
  Originally there was a fighter in Japan who developed the technique
  of the Shoryuken in Japan.  This technique was handed down to the
  master's brightest pupil, who subsequently taught it to Akuma, Ken,
  and Ryu.  The original Shoryuken was designed as a killing
  technique.  However, the man who taught Shoryuken to Akuma, Ken,
  and Ryu removed the killing function of the technique before passing
  it on to them.

  As Akuma learned and trained, he re-discovered the lethal potential
  of the Shoryuken.  He went back and killed the 2 teachers in
  combat, and now roams the world in search of opponents worthy of
  his skill.

  Akuma has appeared as a hidden character in both SSF2T and X-Men:
  COTA.

M. BISON-
  We still don't know where Bison comes from exactly.  His first
  appearance is obviously in SF2, but we still have no idea what his
  origins are or how he came to power.  His ending provides little
  insight on his origins, other than that he is connected to Rose
  somehow.

DAN-
  Dan is the only character who isn't tied to Capcom's past.  In
  fact, he is a parody of Robert Garcia from Art of Fighting.  All
  of his moves are pathetic imitations of Robert's normal self. :)
  It seems that this Dan character has been in some of Capcom's
  SF2 artwork before, but never has he appeared or even been
  mentioned in a Capcom game before this.


*******************************************
HIDDEN CHARACTERS-  AKUMA, BISON, AND DAN
*******************************************

Capcom continues the newfound tradition of including hidden
characters in their games.  To-date, 3 have been found.  There may
be more, but no one knows for sure.

***TO SELECT AKUMA OR M. BISON****

Get to the Random Select box on your side of the machine.  Now, press
and hold START.  Do the following motions:

PLAYER ONE

  Akuma-  down, down, down, left, left, left
  Bison-  down, down, left, left, down, left, left

PLAYER TWO

  Akuma-  down, down, down, right, right, right
  Bison-  down, down, right, right, down, right, right

After doing the joystick motion, press JAB and FIERCE together.  You
now have the hidden character you selected!  To get the alternate
color for the special characters, just use SHORT and ROUNDHOUSE
instead.

Akuma has been given a few new moves, but remains basically the same
as his SF2/X-Men counterparts.  M. Bison is the same as the boss
M. Bison you see in SFA.


***TO SELECT DAN***

Press START to initiate a one-player game or continue.  HOLD START
throughout the entire procedure.

Move the cursor to the random select box on your side of the screen.
Press the following buttons very quickly:

For a Pink Dan:

  JAB, SHORT, FORWARD, ROUNDHOUSE, FIERCE, STRONG

For a Green Dan:

  FIERCE, ROUNDHOUSE, FORWARD, SHORT, JAB, STRONG

You now can play Dan, Capcom's parody of Robert Garcia from Art of
Fighting. <yeah!>  This code will work in either 1-player or
2-player mode.


***************************************
SPECIAL ENDINGS AND HIDDEN CHARACTERS
***************************************

If you play the computer and do not lose a match, you will get to see
the credits for the game scroll by as each character stands in their
background while doing their winning pose.  At the end of the credits,
the Super Combo finishing background (yellow starburst) appears with
your character's portrait and the words, "Congratulations!  You are
XXXXXX master.  Your skill has not gone unnoticed."

If you complete the game without losing a round, you get the same
ending but with different words.  Instead of the last sentence, you
get, "A new opponent has entered the fight."  This appears to be one
of the requirements to fight against Dan, the newest hidden character.
Dan will occasionally pop-up when you are fighting Adon during a one-
player game.  It is unknown what else makes Dan appear, but playing a
perfect game and getting this message seems to be necessary to get him
to come out on Adon's stage.


*****************************
TOP TEN CHEAP THINGS IN SFA
*****************************

Well, since I live in Chicagoland (MK-mecca), I've encountered many
people over the past weeks who don't like my particular style of
playing.  I've had practically everything I've done called cheap,
but these are the most common (and unbelieveable) complaints I've
gotten.  Some are semi-"reasonable," while others are just totally
off the wall.  Enjoy reading how stupid some people can be.  :)


***TOP TEN CHEAP THINGS IN STREET FIGHTER ALPHA***

10)  Throws

    Ohhh yes, those nasty, evil throws are back in SFA!  Sure, never
    mind that throw ranges have been reduced, do less damage, and can
    be softened.  A simple throw, even when you can use a more
    damaging chain combo or Super Combo (i.e. after a missed DP or
    something), is a total breech of etiquite and sure to send your
    opponent into a raging fit of spazmatic convultions.

9)  Air-blocking Charlie's Flash Kick

    Air-blocking the FK is considered cheap and lame around here
    since you can hit Charlie on the way down from the FK.  The
    thing is, however, that you can only hit Charlie after a
    blocked FORWARD or ROUNDHOUSE FK, but not the SHORT one.  Still,
    for some reason, people around here A) Do not use Charlie's
    crouching FIERCE instead, and B) _Insist_ on using the
    ROUNDHOUSE version of the FK *every* *single* *time*!  It is
    quite sad when I can reliably just jump-in, knowing that they
    will do a RH FK and I can throw them as they land.

8)  M. Bison's Uppercut

    I actually had a good Ryu player complain about M. Bison having
    a crouching FIERCE that can hit opponents out of the air.  A
    ***RYU**** player complaining about Bison having an uppercut!  To
    top it off, M. Bison's crouching FIERCE is one of the worst in the
    game since there is a delay before it actually comes out.

7)  Alpha Counters

    Yes, people inevitably complain about AC's all the time, usually
    when I use them to keep my opponents in the corner <shrug>.  Not
    much to say here, other than, "Deal with it!"

6)  Rose's Chain Combo

    Since Rose only has one Chain Combo, it's pretty natural that
    you'd use it a lot, right?  Well, I had one guy get all upset
    the other night because I was only using one combo over and
    over again with Rose. <whap! whap! whap!>  He might have stopped
    to think for a second and realized that it was the players'
    faults for giving me the opportunity to use the combo, rather
    than me using the same combo over and over again.

5)  Rose's Soul Catch

  What's wrong with this, you ask?  How can this move be cheap when
  it is relatively vulnerable and requires good skill, timing, and
  positioning to use effectively?  IT'S A THROW, DUMMY!  And throws
  are cheap, are they not?

  Yes, I actually had one guy get all upset over the fact that I was
  using Rose's Soul Catch (the normal one, not the SC), which he
  classified as a THROW. <sigh...>

4)  Rose's Slide

  Ohhhh....people HATE this move.  Wanna get someone _really_ upset?
  Use Rose's Soul Illusion SC and repeatedly slide in the corner. :)
  I've had up to 12-hit/50% damage combos in the corner with this move
  on a machine set for low damage.  :) :)  This is the kind of thing
  that makes people walk away from playing you.

3)  Birdie's Chain Grab

  This is a BEAUTIFUL move.  Can be used in ticks similar to Zangief's
  SPD ticks in SSF2.  Virtually uncounterable.  What's best is that
  the CG will leave a cornered opponent in the corner, a sitting duck
  for another CG attempt.  :)

2)  Birdie's Leaping Chain Grab SC 

  Yes, this is probably the most complained-about move in the entire
  game.  But the people who complain are so STUPID!  They will jump
  to the opposite side of the screen and THEN throw a fireball.  I've
  had instances where I keep rolling the joystick from across the
  screen, "faking" the SC.  What do they do?  They throw a fireball.
  I'll let them repeatedly throw fireballs, about 4 or 5 of them,
  and let myself get hit repeatedly.  Then, after all this warning,
  I'll do the SC.  They then roll their heads, make some kind of
  clucking sound, or start swearing rather visciously.  I still want
  a taunt where Birdie jumps at his opponent and kisses them instead
  of throwing them.  :)

AND THE #1 CHEAP THING ABOUT SFA IS........

  THE INTERNET!

    Yes, I had a guy complaining to me repeatedly the other night.  He
    and his friends were getting wholloped, and he said that I wasn't
    good, that I just got all of my moves from the Internet and that,
    in actuality, just plained sucked!  This was at Super Just Games
    this last Friday night, so, if you are reading this, Mr. Johnson,
    PLEASE, oh PLEASE E-mail me or post or something!  I'd just *love*
    to get into a conversation with you about SFA and its incredible
    "cheapness."  :) :) :) :) :)


***************
THE WISH LIST
***************

For now, I'm in the process of re-doing this section since I'm
having my first look at a national release version.  It'll be
re-done when I get the next revision out, which should be in a
week (for sure, I promise!).  :)


********************
CREDITS AND THANKS
********************

Well, that's about it.  A big "Thank you!" goes out to:

Tom Cannon............ for mucho info and the basis for this FAQ.
=P (Mr. Cheung)....... for info on the characters during beta testing.
Shinkuu Hadoken....... for the Akuma/Bison code.
alt.games.sf2......... for all of the discussion about SFA over the past
                           month and plenty of info.


Have fun...SFA is a GREAT game.  Like I said, any comments,
suggestions, gripes, etc. can be sent via E-mail to

LaPlanta@aol.com

I will probably post this FAQ in alt.games.sf2 every couple of weeks
as the game gets released.  You can always get the latest revision
at the following FTP sites:

  brawl.mindlink.net  /pub/sfa
  ftp.netcom.com  /pub/vi/vidgames/faqs 










