Kage-Maru use all the trickery and cunning befitting of a shinobi to take down his targets. With a wide array of moves and stances catering for every situation, there's nothing the ultimate ninja can't handle. Just be sure to pick your weapon of choice wisely. 🥷 As always a massive thank you to Wireman: twitter.com/WireManFGC and Blessy: twitter.com/BlessyVF for their help on this series. Next up is masterchef and guardian of the Koen-Ken style, Lau-Chan!
I remember watching a commercial for Virtua Fighter 5 Vanilla for the first time. I never even heard of the Virtua Fighter series until I started getting into RUclips in 2007. I was mesmerized and terrified by his head drop throw. I've seen ninjas before in fighting games, but Kage and his head drop throw hit me differently.
Fun fact, Kage is the winner of the 3rd & 4th VF tournaments where he beat Akira, Lau, Shun-Di, and even Dural twice. I feel like Sega pushed him more as VF protagonists than Akira but their promo material always focused on Akira lol. Anyway, I love playing this ninja (i made two videos of him in ranked match). Tossing the opponents into air then izuna drop them are always satisfying to watch 🤩. He’s perfect for anyone who wants an agile character with a lot of tools for tricks, schmix, and throwing your opponents out of stage with cool moves.
Kage-Maru is such a graceful and noble character. Approaching him often feels very much like a monumental task despite his low damage output compared to the majority of the cast. His speed is his greatest strength - if you let him in the round will be over before you even know what hit you! Namu...
Theres no Backstep guard because you use a button to block instead of a down/downback direction to block like in Tekken. What you can do is box step. Thats canceling a backdash into a evade repeatedly. This is crucial to avoid getting hit with a backdash stagger, as when backdashing you are in a counter hit state and can't immediately block while backdashing.
Kage is cool, but it's impossible for me to look at him with thinking about that follow up attack where he comes straight down, head first, trying his best to break his neck. A ninja truly knows no fear.
He's moves pretty fast and he has many fast string. Maybe he's key moves are slow. Its like Vega from SF. Known for speed but has slow jabs and low pokes to balance out his range.
@@nmcintosh8769 exactly this. Having the fastest tools in the game doesn't mean you don't also have some of the slowest to compensate. It's about picking the right ones for the job!
The move alone does 40-80 depending on proximity and then a bonus 75% damage if it's countering a high-damage attack, so does a maximum of 140 damage off just those 2 factors
It's by design. Single color palette emphasize visual movement, both aesthetically & gameplay-wise. Also, deep blue blends into the darkness like nobody's business. Gotta leave some for the fantastic customization.
I mained kage for years online. He has a slightly higher difficulty barrier for entry than 70% of the roster and unorthodox combo patterns (I had a strong counter-hit combo game from back-towards-opponent stance) but he is very fun to play if you invest just a little time. He'll frustrate you if you expect to be able to mash the same button 3 times in a row and unleash a top tier combo like you could do with Sarah or Jacky. You have got to mix it up more and use your stances. The benefit is his moves look really cool and stance changes are partial taunts that can really frustrate an enemy and bait them into a running headlong into your counter hit strategy.
I was confused by the term "Nutaku" when I heard it at 1:04 and saw it in the subtitles. But when I decided to google it I came up with something... different than what I had been looking for. Needless to say if someone could clarify the term it would help me out greatly. Thanks!!!
I’m late but just in case the term is actually « Nitaku » (two-choice). It’s equivalent to « mix-up » or « 50/50 », which in the case of VF is about situations where you have to guess between mids and throws.
@@ThatBlastedSalami Do those "best moves" mix well or just do high damage? Super heavyweight is visually surprising and yet not all that strange, looking at her.
@@NiGHTcapD she gets all the best combo starters like pai’s jump kick and all the best ender like flip kick and shoulder bash. And she has wolf’s counter but it’s just the equivalent to an SRK in a 3d game.
She can basically do other characters attacks but better. And in case of the FS version she has two modes where she can get be a heavy weight and use heavy weight characters attacks and be light weight and use light weight character attacks.
@@WireManFGC aww nah man, I knew it was English. I'm just saying I'm from near Glasgow so can't bully anyone for an accent (years later online Glaswegians are still bullying you lol) Just wanted you to know it was in jest. Much love ❤️
How strong the character is relative to others at a competitive level. Play who you want though! VF5 is well balanced and tiers barely matter until you've sunk a lot of time into the game.
Kage-Maru use all the trickery and cunning befitting of a shinobi to take down his targets. With a wide array of moves and stances catering for every situation, there's nothing the ultimate ninja can't handle. Just be sure to pick your weapon of choice wisely. 🥷
As always a massive thank you to Wireman: twitter.com/WireManFGC and Blessy: twitter.com/BlessyVF for their help on this series. Next up is masterchef and guardian of the Koen-Ken style, Lau-Chan!
Shout outs to all the people who call him Cage Maroo.
Guilty! 😔
@@BenKellyMusic92 let the shame flow through you…
I used too until i got into naruto with subtitles.
That was me and my little brother back in the 90's before we had ever heard his name actually pronounced, lol. We called him that for years.
Shout out to people who use to call him Cage.. lol
I remember watching a commercial for Virtua Fighter 5 Vanilla for the first time. I never even heard of the Virtua Fighter series until I started getting into RUclips in 2007. I was mesmerized and terrified by his head drop throw. I've seen ninjas before in fighting games, but Kage and his head drop throw hit me differently.
Fun Fact: Kage-maru is voiced by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, whom some of you might know as the vocalist for Daytona USA.
Rolll-ing STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAART!
Fun fact, Kage is the winner of the 3rd & 4th VF tournaments where he beat Akira, Lau, Shun-Di, and even Dural twice. I feel like Sega pushed him more as VF protagonists than Akira but their promo material always focused on Akira lol. Anyway, I love playing this ninja (i made two videos of him in ranked match). Tossing the opponents into air then izuna drop them are always satisfying to watch 🤩. He’s perfect for anyone who wants an agile character with a lot of tools for tricks, schmix, and throwing your opponents out of stage with cool moves.
Yea he's won more than anyone else, Lau (VF1), and Akira (VF2), are the only other characters to win at all.
Based on canon he's the best in VF.
The first, second and third Dural is Kage Mother.
Actually there’s no real winner for 4. The tournament was interrupted.
@@Neogears1312 Well yea, that’s true, but the final match was Kage vs Shun Di and Kage was about to win before the interruption.
Kage-Maru is such a graceful and noble character. Approaching him often feels very much like a monumental task despite his low damage output compared to the majority of the cast. His speed is his greatest strength - if you let him in the round will be over before you even know what hit you! Namu...
Ninjas are known for being really mobile characters with a lot of tricks and Kagemaru is no exception.
Love that throw of his.
I just wish they had backstep guard because that's what really pushes him over the top. That and his throw.
Theres no Backstep guard because you use a button to block instead of a down/downback direction to block like in Tekken. What you can do is box step. Thats canceling a backdash into a evade repeatedly. This is crucial to avoid getting hit with a backdash stagger, as when backdashing you are in a counter hit state and can't immediately block while backdashing.
Kage was my worst nightmare. Virtua Fighter deserves so much love. It was revolutionary and gets paid dust.
The original ninja guy in the FGC. I remember using him in VF2 back in the day and called him 'Cage" lol
I first played as Kage on the arcade machines in Kids World in my hometown of Bedford, England when I was 7 years old 😊 happy days!
Fun Fact, Kage is voiced by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi aka: the guy who composed and sings the music for Daytona USA.
Banging music 🎶
Kage is cool, but it's impossible for me to look at him with thinking about that follow up attack where he comes straight down, head first, trying his best to break his neck. A ninja truly knows no fear.
While yelling "Yeeee!"
Didn't Chris Benoit get brain damage from that.
@@MechaG Yes, the diving headbutt also Harley Race and Dynamite Kid. Its really bad for your health.
My brother's favorite character, man he used to wreck havoc with Kage. I always thought he was a really cool character but never mained him.
Thanks! This guy was the first fighting game character I ever played in my entire life. It's a treat having him covered by you!
Best fighting game character on existence. my main since i was 4 years old :)
1:08 "Many of Kage's attacks are quite slow".
1:31 Type: speed
He's moves pretty fast and he has many fast string. Maybe he's key moves are slow. Its like Vega from SF. Known for speed but has slow jabs and low pokes to balance out his range.
@@nmcintosh8769 exactly this. Having the fastest tools in the game doesn't mean you don't also have some of the slowest to compensate. It's about picking the right ones for the job!
He’s got a lot of really fast moves, but no real ok moves. If it’s not fast as hell it’s pretty slow there’s no in between for kage.
Love these guides Blasted Salami!!!!
Glad his VF5 theme was used. Armenian skin flute solo
Hell yeah at using VF5 vanilla's Kage's theme!
awesome video man, thank you very much, short video and extremely informative, i love that
1:14 - I know this is Kage's video but christ, did you see the damage from Akira's Tetsuzankou?
I can't damage that manage.
The move alone does 40-80 depending on proximity and then a bonus 75% damage if it's countering a high-damage attack, so does a maximum of 140 damage off just those 2 factors
Another awesome and high quality guide ! 🤩
one of the more generic designs of the legacy roster but always had the coolest looking moves
I always liked how Kage was just a straight up ninja.
his simplistic design is always cool
It's by design. Single color palette emphasize visual movement, both aesthetically & gameplay-wise. Also, deep blue blends into the darkness like nobody's business. Gotta leave some for the fantastic customization.
I keep watching these videos even though I don't own the game. Still waiting for the PC release.
TIME FOR THE REAL MAIN CHARACTER
Kage is "Ninja" the character.
His name is even shadow. Truly the original FGC Ninja 🥷
That soundtrack! I love it!
I mained kage for years online. He has a slightly higher difficulty barrier for entry than 70% of the roster and unorthodox combo patterns (I had a strong counter-hit combo game from back-towards-opponent stance) but he is very fun to play if you invest just a little time. He'll frustrate you if you expect to be able to mash the same button 3 times in a row and unleash a top tier combo like you could do with Sarah or Jacky. You have got to mix it up more and use your stances. The benefit is his moves look really cool and stance changes are partial taunts that can really frustrate an enemy and bait them into a running headlong into your counter hit strategy.
I was confused by the term "Nutaku" when I heard it at 1:04 and saw it in the subtitles.
But when I decided to google it I came up with something... different than what I had been looking for.
Needless to say if someone could clarify the term it would help me out greatly. Thanks!!!
I’m late but just in case the term is actually « Nitaku » (two-choice). It’s equivalent to « mix-up » or « 50/50 », which in the case of VF is about situations where you have to guess between mids and throws.
@@mansakondo8563 Thanks for the explanation!!!
You mentioned Dural and I at least want to know what makes her so dangerous as a boss
Has a bunch of the best moves from different characters. Super heavyweight to boot.
@@ThatBlastedSalami Do those "best moves" mix well or just do high damage?
Super heavyweight is visually surprising and yet not all that strange, looking at her.
@@NiGHTcapD she gets all the best combo starters like pai’s jump kick and all the best ender like flip kick and shoulder bash. And she has wolf’s counter but it’s just the equivalent to an SRK in a 3d game.
@@NiGHTcapD Well she's made of metal so....
She can basically do other characters attacks but better. And in case of the FS version she has two modes where she can get be a heavy weight and use heavy weight characters attacks and be light weight and use light weight character attacks.
0:09 the ul'imate ninja.
No offense on the accent in Scottish, just made me laugh
Haha close! Geordie, but a good few years spent in Glasgow...where they also laughed at my accent 😆
@@WireManFGC aww nah man, I knew it was English.
I'm just saying I'm from near Glasgow so can't bully anyone for an accent (years later online Glaswegians are still bullying you lol)
Just wanted you to know it was in jest.
Much love ❤️
@@Guitar-Dog haha all good! Used to live in Pollokshields, miss it every day!
NINJA!!!!
Why does my main have to be Vanessa? Ugh, she’s second to the last one because her name is Vanessa LOL the anticipation!!!
save the best
Muito bacana 🇧🇷
If they executed it well I really wish VF would talk about its story ingame.
Doesn't he has the fastest jab, I'm pretty sure Kage is pretty fast, it's just his damage is one of the lower ones of the cast.
Eileen, Kage, Lion and Pai all have 11 frame jabs (1 frame faster than usual).
@@ThatBlastedSalami ow
@@journie3042 wolf still has the fastest move in the game with his frame 9 grab.
@@Neogears1312 isn't akira have a move like 1 frame knee?
His damage sucks and his combos are hard but he's stylish and creative.
Cant wait El Blaze or jeffery
They're already up!
What song is playing? Thanks!
What does tier mean?
How strong the character is relative to others at a competitive level. Play who you want though! VF5 is well balanced and tiers barely matter until you've sunk a lot of time into the game.
@@ThatBlastedSalami yeah you are right 😊
VF is the most balance FG in existence. Someone like Eileen, even though she is low tier can still wreak your shit.
Oh yeah? If he's the ultimate ninja, how come I can see him?
I see a lot of kage maru moves are the same as raven from tekken.wich one is the original?
pretty much Kage first, a lot of the moves here are from VF4
Kage's picked up a lot of new moves over the years, but the more iconic stuff he's had since VF and VF2 in 1993 and 1994
Kage was around about a decade before Raven.
Kage's 3 PP can also avoid all highs and some mids too. Its a low key busted move. Lol
It's like dragonuv meets raven
Joel Perez same kage maru
The best
Just too bad they nerfed him. He's still a great character though
Does anyone still play VF5 on PS4? I wanna get back into it but I'm afraid it's online community is dead
Online is still very alive
Weekends are busiest, with scheduled tournaments at Saturday, 9PM JST; Sunday, 6AM JST, and Sunday 3 AM JST if you want guaranteed opponents
idk why but I feel like hes the hardest execution wise next to Akira
TIL it's 'Ka-Gay' and 'Low', not 'Cage' and 'Law'
#FREEMVC2