Kano:
Pros:
Variationless:
GODLIKE BACKDASH. Forward dash is unfairly good too.
Great buttons. 9f mid b1, big disjointed hitbox and quick recovery (6 active frames make it great for meaties, 10 frames on recovery) Good as a punish, footsie tool, whiff punish and anti air. 11 is an armor breaking 8 frame punish and good stagger at -2. 112 catches backdashes and is -1. F4 is a typical 11f jump distance mid and is totally safe at -4, easily hit confirmable and +22 on hit. 5 active frames give it extra range. D1 has a disjointed hitbox to win trades and is crazy plus on hit at +25. 7f, -3 on block d3 that guarantees pressure on hit and recovers really quickly (13 frames). Low profiling 7f d4 with ghetto jump distance range. B31 is a low starter that is +1 on block and +26 on hit, easily hit confirmable. B312 launches for a combo in the corner and is almost safe on block (-8). S2 is a jump distance 13f high that is +2, keeps his hurtbox relatively far back, and is +29 on hit. Great stagger, S2 -> slight walk back -> whiff punish is common. S2f4 is a true blockstring, neutral on block, +28 hard knockdown and does 14%... Catches people trying to press buttons out of your s2 staggers.
Great specials. Has a safe on block (not on whiff) 7f armor breaking wakeup/counterpoke/anti crossup/anti air/etc with db2. D4 exdb2 breaks nearly all armored wakeups, even goros punchwalk. Gets a full combo from an 8f low crushing reversal (bf3). Df2 has good recovery and hits opponents not ducking or in the air. Guarantees pressure when meter burned (+9). Bf3 in the air is an overhead with a single startup frame, completely unreactable. Hits low if it hits the ground first, unless meter burned which then makes it an unblockable 11%. Also great for whiff punishing and anti zoning.
Cybernetic:
Another great button/string, B23. Well over jump distance rage, has a small disjointed hitbox to win trades and at 18 frames it's a great whiff punish. Also totally safe on block at -4.
More great specials. Db1 is a meterless hit confirm to extend combos, is -11 on block but has some pushback to make jacqui etc hard to punish.
Df2 is now a fast, mid projectile that guarantees pressure on hit (+11). Great for resets (will get to that below). 5% on hit and 1.63% chip.
Exdf2 breaks all armor in the game and launches for a combo, d4 exdf2 breaks xrays. Also at +5 it doesn't guarantee anything but the plus frames are nice. B1 frame traps the whole cast and f4/b2 catches backdashes into a full combo (into a reset), 112 breaks nearly all armor into a full combo into a reset. Ex df2 also does 4.14% chip.
Db3. One of the best anti airs in the game. 5 startup frames and 11 active frames, hit confirmable with meter to combo midscreen (run or dash up, f4 bf3 is easy and consistent, gets 25%) and in the corner. Also moves his hurtbox back to make jump ins whiff.
Resets. Midscreen he can do 112 db1 112 df2 for 25% meterless, and ends in +11. You cannot armor or backdash out of his b13 string after this reset. 112 db1 112 exbf3 dd ji2 112 df2 does 34% 1 bar into the same reset. B13 db1 112 df2 does 22% and b13 db1 112 exbf3 dd ji2 112 df2 does 31% 1 bar. If you're opponent is trying to armor or backdash you can get 47% meterless, 56% 1 bar, etc. While b13 is guaranteed, b31 is still a frametrap and catches people not blocking low, and is still hit confirmable into the same combo/reset.
In the corner his best reset is b13 1+3. It's +13, guaranteeing b13, 112, and f33, a mid - low string, also hit confirmable. 112 hit confirm can get you 47% 1 bar into the reset, granting either 59% 1 bar if you go for a grab or 94% 2 bar (83% if you do a meterless combo into a reset) into another reset if your opponent tries to armor out, tech or duck a grab. B31 isn't technically guaranteed as the first hit is 14 frames on startup, but armoring out of this isn't something you can do consistently.
Cutthroat:
Loses his b13 string but gains a neutral on block b121 overhead string.
D3 guarantees a 50/50 on hit.
I think we all already know the pros of this variation so I'll try and keep it short.
His 50/50s cancelled into exdd3 are easily hit confirmed into 40+% midscreen and corner for 1 bar, (50-60% 1 bar if the buff is already on before the combo), 50+% midscreen 2 bar, 60+% 2 bar in the corner, and can break 70% for 3 bars in the corner off a punish without the buff on or a 50/50 with the buff already on.
His 50/50s cancelled into exdd3 also jail into his low pokes or his armor breaking +26 on hit 11 string. B121 jails into either his 50/50s.
Db1 is a 3/4 screen -5 on block, +15 on hit "footsie" tool that launches for meterless damage if your opponent is air born. Also has a disjointed hitbox to win trades.
Commando:
Gains df1. A safe (-4) high hitting special similar to jaxs gotcha grab, but does more damage. Meterless does 11% meter burned is armored and does 18%.
Gains 22 string. Two hits for 12% with hardly any damage scaling and about nearly fullscreen range.
Gains parries and command grabs. Also Has the b13 string and the high hitting, +9 on block when meter burned df2
Meterless high parry has 3 startup frames, more active frames than recovery frames (24 and 17), and parries more moves than most people realize. Max range takeda whips, Kung jin's staff, D'vorahs stingers, kenshis and Kotal's sword, etc. even parries things like takedas bf4 (even when airborne) and other grabs/command grabs. Does 17% unbreakable damage and a side switch. Meter burned has ONE SINGLE STARTUP FRAME, same active and recovery frames, does 21% unbreakable and a side switch. Both parry mids, highs, overheads, special moves and grabs.
Meterless low parry has 3 startup frames, parries all lows (sub zero's slide, Kotal's low sword, Kung jin's b1 and dvorahs d4, etc), does 17% unbreakable and without a side switch. Meter burned has 1 startup frame and does 21% unbreakable without a side switch.
Has two different command grabs, a side switch (DFB4) and a non side switch (DBF4). Meterless they do 16% and 17%, meter burned they do 19% and 20% (the side switch does more), all unbreakable. All 11 frames on startup, meter burned are armored. DBF4 is +10 and DFB4 is +14/+15 on hit (meterless/meter burned).
He can tick off his b1, d1, d3, d4 and f33 string. B1 and d3 meter burned command grab breaks armor consistently.
Cons:
Variationless:
Slow ass d1, 9 frames. Also -7 on block.
B1 used to be -2 on block, XL made it -8. Why Paulo?
B13 has a gap at certain ranges (!!!!!!)
D4 is actually pretty slow on whiff (23 frames) and is technically unsafe at -8 on block. F4 is even worse on whiff, at 28 recovery frames your dead if you whiff it.
Meterless db2 is extremely unsafe on block, and is only useful for punishing -7 strings and specials. Bf3 is unsafe meterless and meter burned. Bf3 in the air is extremely unsafe on block and on whiff.
112 has a gap, although doing 112 into a special (db2, df1 in commando, exdf2 in cyber etc) breaks armor. 112 ex db2 breaks all armor that tried to armor the gap, even goros punchwalk.
df2 is whiff punishable if ducked.
Cybernetic:
Df2 and db1 are punishable on block if the opponent is close enough.
Cutthroat:
...
Commando:
If you canceled a string into df1, your opponent can (albeit NOT consistently) duck it and whiff punish you, since it has 29 recovery frames. Also it can't combo in the corner like jaxs can.
B1 ticks have inconsistent whiffing issues.
You have to guess whether to do the high or low parry, if you do the high parry you can get full combo punished if your opponent has a low starter. If you do the low parry you can get full combo punished if your opponent does any kind of mid or high.
The low parry has 16 active frames and 17 recovery frames.