Yun vs Chun-Li: Zenpou tenshin combo #1

1) Introduction > The problem > Momentum transfer > Chun-Li's hurtboxes > The solution

1. Introduction
   
   This time, it's a guide about how to correctly execute this combo.
   
   
   
   The appeal of this combo is it builds 45 meter and that it's stable.
   
   Currently, there's no other stable combo that builds this much meter, so this one is the best. The damage (46) is decent, but not the best.
   
   The last part of the combo is quite infamous for being problematic, so I will start by defining what the problem is and then explaining the solution.
   
   
2. The problem
   
   Check what happens if you try to do Kobokushi > LP Tetsuzankou normally:
   
   
   
   LP Tetsuzankou misses. But I started the combo from up-close, so why does it miss?
   
   
3. Momentum transfer
   
   Obviously, the first reason is that LP Tetsuzankou can't get close enough to hit Chun-Li:
   
   
   
   Yun did LP Tetsuzankou, but not only does he not close the distance; you can see that during some frames Yun is actually moving backwards.
   
   When you send Chun-Li flying with Kobokushi, her horizontal speed becomes quite high.
   
   
   
   See?
   
   And when you use an attack to send the opponent flying towards the edge of the screen, their horizontal speed is just as high as if they got hit midscreen. They just can't get past the wall.
   
   Back to why LP Tetsuzankou can't get close: 
   
   
   
   Even by walking, Yun keeps getting pushed back. Why?
   
   If Yun gets too close (80 pixels distance or less), Chun-Li's horizontal speed will transfer to Yun, causing Yun to move backwards the same distance Chun-Li is trying to move in that frame.
   
   Anyway, that's the first reason LP Tetsuzankou misses. I call this mechanic "Momentum transfer".
   
   
4. Chun-Li's hurtboxes
   
   Now, take a look at the progression of Chun-Li's hurtboxes after getting hit by Kobokushi:
   
   
   
   When she's reaching the highest point, she starts turning around in the air. During that point, her hurtbox structure becomes horizontal and extends a lot:
   
   
   
   Then, as she starts coming down, her hurtboxes progressively become more vertical again, causing LP Tetsuzankou to miss.
   
   But if Kobokushi hits her lower in the air, her hurtboxes will also become horizontal lower in the air. So let's see if hitting her lower would work:
   
   
   
   Her hurtboxes do become horizontal closer to the ground, but now by the time you recover from Kobokushi and can hit her with LP Tetsuzankou, her hurtboxes have retracted a lot.
   
   Sometimes it can succeed. But it's unstable and just not worth it.
   
   Still, her hurtboxes do become horizontal lower in the air, we just don't have enough time to hit them before they fully pull back.
   
   
5. The solution
   
   Well, manually timing Kobokushi to hit at the right height is too difficult, so we won't do that.
   
   Like we said, when Chun-Li is turning around at the peak, her hurtboxes become horizontal. Then, she starts falling head-first, and her hurtboxes become more vertical again. But check this out:
   
   
   
   Her four hurtboxes are structured in such a way that, the higher the hurtbox, the more it sticks out.
   
   So the solution is to do Kobokushi early, from far enough that it can't reach her lower hurtboxes, but close enough that it can reach the higher ones:
   
   
   
   The height where the highest hurtbox falls into Kobokushi overlaps with the same height that enables LP Tetsuzankou to connect. So as long as it's the highest hurtbox, it will always work.
   
   The second highest hurtbox also makes it possible, but it can also miss sometimes (this can be accounted for, more info on that later):
   
   
   
   And since Kobokushi missed for a few frames before connecting, Yun also recovers earlier, which makes it easier to hit Chun-Li with LP Tetsuzankou before her hurtboxes fully pull back.
   
   There are more nuances I didn't explain, but let's just move on for now. We will revisit this later.
   
   Ok, let's gets this guide started. 

2) Savestate for the grab

Just for some initial practice, do it from this sequence:

Note: The three whiffed j. MPs are to extend air time a little bit.

If you make a savestate during the first frames of the grab, you can just focus on practicing the combo.

Of course, once you feel comfortable with the combo, you should learn to time the grab by eyeballing the meter.

3) Close MK #1 > Forward dash

1. Close MK
   
   After the zenpou tenshin, you have a window of 7 frames to combo the first close MK, and whether you do it early or late, it always hits from the exact same distance:
   
   
   
   
   On top of no distance variation, 7 frames is quite lenient, so this part doesn't cause any problems.
   
   Tip: Since it's that lenient, you can make it even easier by getting into a habit of slightly delaying the MK input. Just to remove the possibility of your MK not coming out because you pressed too early.
   
   
2. Dash
   
   This one introduces two problems:
   
   1. Walking while inputting the dash will cause the combo to fail.
   

   
   

   This is because the dash alone moves you into the pixel region that makes the ender work.

   
   

   If you walk before dashing, you will end up farther away from the corner, which can cause Kobokushi to miss:

    

   And naturally, walking after the dash will mess your position too. 

    2. Holding down at the end of the dash will cause the combo to fail.
   

   If you are inputting "Down" with the joystick as the dash is ending, it advances 8 pixels less: 

    

   So now you have the opposite problem; that Kobokushi hits from too close, causing LP Tetsuzankou to miss:  

    

   (I will properly explain the mechanics in the next section. Let's move on for now)

   Having defined those problems, they are now quite easy to avoid:
   
   Correct method
   

   You have to buffer the dash inside the close MK animation, and you will dash as early as possible. 

   Close MK > Immediately tap forward > Do the second tap for the dash:

    

   It's very lenient, as you can input the dash up to 7 frames too early, and it will still come out:

    
   

   Then after inputting the dash, just don't hold any direction. Your dash will travel the full distance, and you will always land on the right spot. 

   That concludes this section.

4) After the dash > Chun-Li's fall

1. After the dash
   
   
   
   
   After the dash, you are now in the pixel region that makes the rest of the combo possible.
   
   Check the number under Yun:
   
   
   
   777. This is Yun's horizontal pixel position.
   
   If you did [MK > Dash] correctly, you will land either in pixel 777 or in pixel 778.
   
   Note: If you land on pixel 778, you didn't do anything wrong. It's "random", as it depends on an invisible value called X subpixel, which may cause you to advance 1 pixel more than usual. Don't worry about it, as the combo works from either pixel.
   
   However, now there is a problem.
   
   
2. Chun-Li's fall
   
   Even though we have positioned Yun perfectly, Chun-Li is now falling towards Yun. And once she falls on him, she will push Yun away from that position:
   
   
   
   And check what will happen after you get pushed away:
   
   
   
   The combo will fail, because you will end up being too far away for Kobokushi to connect.
   
   
   
   Having identified that the problem is the push, let's deal with it.

5) Close MK #2 > Chun-Li's falling trajectory

1. Close MK #2
   
   The window where we can hit Chun-Li before she lands is 10 frames:
   
   
   
   (These are 10 possible timings)
   
   1. If you press close MK #2 during frames 1~7, she will not push you away.
   2. If you press close MK #2 during frames 8~10, she will push you away.
   
   So as long as you press MK within those first 7 frames, you will keep the position that allows you to complete the rest of the combo. 
   
   But there's still a problem.
   
   
2. Chun-Li's falling trajectory
   
   Like we said, Chun-Li is falling towards the left:
   
   
   
   So if we watch the timings again:
   
   
   
   Even if we press MK within the first 7 frames, the latter we press, the closer to us Chun-Li will land.
   
   This is because by delaying our button press, we are giving her extra time to move towards the left, before using close MK to send her flying towards the right.
   
   If we press close MK #2 too early, it will send her too far away, causing Kobokushi to miss:
   
   
   
   So we have to delay it. But how much?:
   
   1. If we do Close MK #2 on frames 1~3, Kobokushi will miss.
   2. If we do Close MK #2 on frame 4~7, Kobokushi will always work.
   
   So the leniency for Close MK #2 is 4 frames (frames 4~7). Do it earlier, and Chun-Li will be out of reach. Do it later, and she will push you away.
   
   Note: It can sometimes work on frame 3, or frame 8. This is random (dependent on subpixel values), so I don't include it because I want to focus on the window that gives consistent results. 
   
   If you want to practice everything I have showed until this point, turn distance display on do the following practice drill:
   
   
   
   Try to feel how late you can time close MK #2 without getting pushed away. Then check the position number under Yun:
   
   - If it says 777 or 778 under Yun, you did the [Close MK #1 > Dash] correctly.
   
   Repeat this drill until you are comfortable doing the entire sequence without either walking or getting pushed out.
   

6) Close MK #3 hitboxes > Kobokushi's hitboxes > Chun-Li Hurtboxes and LP Tetsuzankou > Inputting Kobokushi > Inputting LP Tetsuzankou > Disclaimer

Now that you've got that delay down, let's stabilize the combo further.

1. Close MK #3 hitboxes
   
   If you delayed Close MK #2 as prescribed, then this one will always combo into Kobokushi except in one case:
   
   
   
   Look at that distance... Why so far away?
   
   Well, notice that the hitboxes of close MK change on frame 11:
   
   - Frames 9~10:
   
   
   
   - Frames 11~14:
   
   
   
   Once the hitbox changes, close MK sends the opponent flying way farther. So hitting close MK after that transition is going to cause the combo to drop:
   
   Still, this is very easy to prevent. Check this picture with the frames 9~10 hitbox:
   
   
   
   You can still hit her so high in the air before the hitbox transition, and any lower than that will give the same result.
   
   Just know you shouldn't press super early and don't worry about it. You will never get the bad bounce that way.
   
   Other than that, close MK #3 > Kobokushi always works. 
   
   
2. Kobokushi's hitboxes
   
   Let's take a look at Kobokushi's hitboxes. There are two stages:            
   
   
   

   

   
   
   
   
   The first stage is active for 2 frames (frames 25~26). During this stage, the hitbox is taller but has less horizontal reach.
   
   The second stage is active for 8 frames (frames 27~34). During this stage, the hitbox is lower and has more horizontal reach. This is the one we are going to use.
   
   
3. Chun-Li's hurtboxes and LP Tetsuzankou
   
   Like I explained in 5), if Yun presses close MK #2 in frames 4~7, Kobokushi will always connect, but there's a catch. It won't always connect with the same hurtbox:
   
   If we pressed close MK #2 in frames 4~5, it will connect with the highest hurtbox, which ensures LP Tetsuzankou always connects:
   
   
   
   But if we pressed close MK #2 in frames 6~7 instead, Kobokushi can connect with the second highest hurtbox. In that case, whether LP Tetsuzankou combos or not depends on how deep she sinks into the hitbox.
   
   If it's just the tip: 
   
   
   
   Then she gets hit too high in the air and Tetsuzankou will miss.
   
   But if the second highest hurtbox sinks deep into the hitbox:
   
   
   
   Then Tetsuzankou will combo cleanly:
   
   
   
   Because these hurtbox dynamics cause a different result depending on how she falls into Kobokushi, it's a problem.
   
   Thankfully, there are timings that ensure it will work.
   
   
4. Inputting Kobokushi
   
   If we walk backwards while buffering the quarter circle for Kobokushi, it may cause it to miss. So just like in the first part of the combo, we have to make sure we don't walk at all.
   
   The trick is to do close MK, and then do the quarter circle while you are stuck in the animation. Then, bring the joystick back to the center to avoid walking.
   
   Try doing this drill:
   
   
   
   By whiff close MK and buffering the quarter circle inside it, you can get used to the input. Then, practice delaying the button press:
   
   
   
   
   
   This way you can also delay Kobokushi without walking, in case close MK #3 sent the opponent too high in the air.
   
   
5. Inputting LP Tetsuzankou
   
   When you hold any down direction, during the end of Kobokushi, Yun will move forward 4 pixels:
   
   
   
   Thus, when you do the motion for LP Tetsuzankou (forward > down > down+forward), you should keep holding down+forward until the end, so that LP Tetsuzankou comes out from closer.
   
   Since the last two hits of the combo (6HP and LP Zesshou) work normally, they don't need detailed instructions. Just do them as usual.
   
   
6. Disclaimer
   
   From now on, it's all numbers.
   
   In the next section I'm going to compile the timings where it works and their leniency.
   
   However, I'm not going to show every window where [Kobokushi > LP Tetsuzankou] can succeed, as I think it's more productive to focus on the smaller windows where it * always * works, regardless of subpixel variation.
   
   There's still one random variable that can't be avoided, so I will include that one.

7) Close MK #2 and Close MK #3 windows

The windows vary depending on what frame you pressed Close MK #2. The earlier you press, the more lenient the rest of the combo becomes.

1. If close MK #2 was pressed on frame 4, Close MK #3 enables the rest of the combo if pressed 32~45 frames after pressing close MK #2 (14F leniency).
   
   
2. If close MK #2 was pressed on frame 5, Close MK #3 enables the rest of the combo if pressed 37~44 frames after pressing close MK #2 (8F leniency).
   
   
3. If close MK #2 was pressed on frame 6, Close MK #3 enables the rest of the combo if pressed 39~42 frames after pressing close MK #2 (4F leniency).
   
   
4. If close MK #2 was pressed on frame 7, Close MK #3 enables the rest of the combo if pressed 39~41 frames after pressing close MK #2 (3F leniency).

8) Kobokushi and LP Tetsuzankou

As stated earlier, the second hitbox of Kobokushi has 8 active frames. The later it hits, the earlier Yun recovers to be able to do LP Tetsuzankou, ranging from 10 frames after the hit to 17 frames after the hit.

I'm going to list the windows where LP Tetsuzankou combos using the frame where Kobokushi connects as a reference point. Just to be clear:



This is the hit frame. The frame where the hitbox connects, and the healthbar moves. But there isn't a hit animation yet (that's one frame later).

This is the only part of the combo where there's a random variable that can't be avoided; If Yun lands on pixel 777, there will be 1 extra frame where LP Tetsuzankou misses, so I'm going to include this random variable while listing the windows.

If close MK #2 is done on frame 4, then:

• If close MK #3 is done on frames 32~43, LP Tetsuzankou will connect if pressed 10~16 frames after the hit (7F)
• If close MK #3 is done on frame 44, LP Tetsuzankou will connect if pressed 11~16 frames after the hit (6F)
• If close MK #3 is done on frame 45, LP Tetsuzankou will connect if pressed 12~16 frames after the hit (5F)
  
• If Yun landed on pixel 777, LP Tetsuzankou will always miss if pressed exactly 15 frames after the hit (1F).

If close MK #2 is done on frame 5 then:

• If close MK #3 is done on frames 37~43 , LP Tetsuzankou will connect if pressed 10~16 frames after the hit (7F)
• If close MK #3 is done on frame 44, LP Tetsuzankou will connect if pressed 11~16 frames after the hit (6F)
  
• If Yun landed on pixel 777, LP Tetsuzankou will always miss if pressed exactly 16 frames after the hit (1F).

If close MK #2 is done on frame 6 then:

• If close MK #3 is done on frames 39~42, LP Tetsuzankou will connect if pressed 10~16 frames after the hit (7F)
• If Yun landed on pixel 777, LP Tetsuzankou will always miss if pressed exactly 14 frames after the hit (1F).

If close MK #2 is done on frame 7 then:

• If close MK #3 is done on frames 39~41, LP Tetsuzankou will connect if pressed 11~16 frames after the hit (6F)
• If Yun landed on pixel 777, LP Tetsuzankou will always miss if pressed exactly 14 frames after the hit (1F).

And so, if you land on pixel 777, there's a "dead frame". This makes the combo tighter, particularly if close MK #2 was done in frames 6~7, because the dead frame is in the middle (frame 14).

But it's still viable, as even in that worst case scenario:

• The window for [Frame 6 close MK #2] has 4 consecutive frames where pressing LP Tetsuzankou will succeed.
• The window for [Frame 7 close MK #2] has 3 consecutive frames where pressing LP Tetsuzankou will succeed.

The windows are still wide enough that they can be mastered. 

If you want to practice the tighter window, make a savestate where Yun ends at pixel 777 after zenpou tenshin. If you learn to do it from 777, doing it from 778 will be super easy.

9) Final comments

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.