Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Playthrough with Mai. The Neo Geo CD version has short load times, an arranged soundtrack, and a slight difference with the credits. In the cartridge version, different backgrounds are shown during the credits, but in the CD version, only one background is used.
This game is one of the hardest Neo Geo games I've ever played. Mai is the easiest character to use to beat the game with if you don't count Ryo (who can't officially be used in single player in this version anyway) but even then a 1CC isn't a walk in the park. Mai has a really good backdash, and her fans can give the CPU a lot of trouble (especially Axel, for some reason). So, here's a 1 credit clear guide with Mai:
Pick Jubei first. I hate this guy, getting him out of the way at the start is a good idea. What you want to do is throw out a quick punch version of the kacho san (QCF+A) then if Jubei towards you, hit him with a ryu en bu (QCB+A or C). This should hit him as he lands.
Kim doesn't really have a special strategy you need to use, just try to hit him with crouching strong kicks. If he uses his dive kick move and you block it, throw out a strong punch version of the kacho san, it should hit him as he lands.
With Cheng, try to keep him as far away from you as possible, then start going crazy with the strong punch kacho sans. Most of the time he'll either block them, get hit or try to use his rolling attack, which results in him getting hit anyway.
The tactic with Andy is to throw a fan out to make him change planes, then when he changes back, get him with a throw. He didn't really do it much in this playthrough but in other playthroughs I've done of this game he really falls for it.
The mirror match with Mai has the same strategy as against Jubei -throw out a fan, then if she jumps towards you, hit her with the ryu en bu as she lands.
The Jubei and Mai strat can work against Duck King, but he tends to waste a lot of time switching between planes to avoid the fan. If you can get him in the corner it is possible to pin him down with a barrage of fan spam.
Against Terry, try to keep using the musasabi no mai move (change down, up + C). If you can get the space and timing right, Terry will try to counter it with a power wave, or if he's low on health, a power geyser. But as long as you've got the timing down his moves will never work.
For Big Bear you need to keep using the musasabi no mai and kacho sans. Try not to let him trap you in the corner, but like Duck King, if you can get him in the corner he's prone to just standing their blocking Mai's fans if you start spamming them.
Keep throwing fans at Joe, he tends to just block them most of the time. If he jumps over them, hit him with a strong punch before he lands.
For Tung, back dash away from him as soon as the round starts, then start spamming fans like there's no tomorrow. That should be enough to beat him.
Billy is another character who's weak against Mai's fan, keep using the strong punch versions when he's far away from you. If he gets closer, try using the musasabi no mai. He will sometimes use his pole vault move, I forgot that you can avoid it by using Mai's hissatsu shinobi bachi (HCF+D) but it's not that critical to avoid it in the first place.
Axel is yet another character who can't deal with Mai's fans very well. When the fight starts, do a back dash, then start throwing out fans. Axel will usually try to jump over them but fail, so he's the easiest boss to beat in the game.
For Laurence, back dash all the way to the left when the round begins. Start charging a musasabi no mai as he walks towards you, then do it as he gets close.
What you need to do against Geese is back dash when the round begins, then throw out a QCF+A fan. If Geese jumps towards you, he should use his shippu ken, so quickly do a HCF+D input to get under him. As he lands, hit him with something -I would say throw but it often seems difficult to get him with this. A strong kick is just as good.
The tactic to beat Krauser is similar to the Terry one. If you can knock him down in the corner, notice that he bounces twice as he hits the ground. You need to do a musasabi no mai on the first bounce, what'll happen is he'll get up and try to counter with a blitz ball, but it'll fail and he'll be hit with Mai's move.
Ryo is usually easy to beat with Mai. Throw out a fan, if he jumps over it, hit him with a strong punch, and repeat. If he blocks it, throw out another fan. If he gets hit by it, throw out another fan. If he changes plane, just let him change back. It's usually quite easy to get perfects against Ryo, which is worth doing if you're playing for score, since you get a 200,000 points bonus per round.
Playthrough with Mai. The Neo Geo CD version has short load times, an arranged soundtrack, and a slight difference with the credits. In the cartridge version, different backgrounds are shown during the credits, but in the CD version, only one background is used.
This game is one of the hardest Neo Geo games I've ever played. Mai is the easiest character to use to beat the game with if you don't count Ryo (who can't officially be used in single player in this version anyway) but even then a 1CC isn't a walk in the park. Mai has a really good backdash, and her fans can give the CPU a lot of trouble (especially Axel, for some reason). So, here's a 1 credit clear guide with Mai:
Pick Jubei first. I hate this guy, getting him out of the way at the start is a good idea. What you want to do is throw out a quick punch version of the kacho san (QCF+A) then if Jubei towards you, hit him with a ryu en bu (QCB+A or C). This should hit him as he lands.
Kim doesn't really have a special strategy you need to use, just try to hit him with crouching strong kicks. If he uses his dive kick move and you block it, throw out a strong punch version of the kacho san, it should hit him as he lands.
With Cheng, try to keep him as far away from you as possible, then start going crazy with the strong punch kacho sans. Most of the time he'll either block them, get hit or try to use his rolling attack, which results in him getting hit anyway.
The tactic with Andy is to throw a fan out to make him change planes, then when he changes back, get him with a throw. He didn't really do it much in this playthrough but in other playthroughs I've done of this game he really falls for it.
The mirror match with Mai has the same strategy as against Jubei -throw out a fan, then if she jumps towards you, hit her with the ryu en bu as she lands.
The Jubei and Mai strat can work against Duck King, but he tends to waste a lot of time switching between planes to avoid the fan. If you can get him in the corner it is possible to pin him down with a barrage of fan spam.
Against Terry, try to keep using the musasabi no mai move (change down, up + C). If you can get the space and timing right, Terry will try to counter it with a power wave, or if he's low on health, a power geyser. But as long as you've got the timing down his moves will never work.
For Big Bear you need to keep using the musasabi no mai and kacho sans. Try not to let him trap you in the corner, but like Duck King, if you can get him in the corner he's prone to just standing their blocking Mai's fans if you start spamming them.
Keep throwing fans at Joe, he tends to just block them most of the time. If he jumps over them, hit him with a strong punch before he lands.
For Tung, back dash away from him as soon as the round starts, then start spamming fans like there's no tomorrow. That should be enough to beat him.
Billy is another character who's weak against Mai's fan, keep using the strong punch versions when he's far away from you. If he gets closer, try using the musasabi no mai. He will sometimes use his pole vault move, I forgot that you can avoid it by using Mai's hissatsu shinobi bachi (HCF+D) but it's not that critical to avoid it in the first place.
Axel is yet another character who can't deal with Mai's fans very well. When the fight starts, do a back dash, then start throwing out fans. Axel will usually try to jump over them but fail, so he's the easiest boss to beat in the game.
For Laurence, back dash all the way to the left when the round begins. Start charging a musasabi no mai as he walks towards you, then do it as he gets close.
What you need to do against Geese is back dash when the round begins, then throw out a QCF+A fan. If Geese jumps towards you, he should use his shippu ken, so quickly do a HCF+D input to get under him. As he lands, hit him with something -I would say throw but it often seems difficult to get him with this. A strong kick is just as good.
The tactic to beat Krauser is similar to the Terry one. If you can knock him down in the corner, notice that he bounces twice as he hits the ground. You need to do a musasabi no mai on the first bounce, what'll happen is he'll get up and try to counter with a blitz ball, but it'll fail and he'll be hit with Mai's move.
Ryo is usually easy to beat with Mai. Throw out a fan, if he jumps over it, hit him with a strong punch, and repeat. If he blocks it, throw out another fan. If he gets hit by it, throw out another fan. If he changes plane, just let him change back. It's usually quite easy to get perfects against Ryo, which is worth doing if you're playing for score, since you get a 200,000 points bonus per round.
