-= SAL's guide to gettin' jiggy with it =-

"Wow, Mel's grown so much hasn't he hon? Look at how small he is in this 
picture. This was taken less than a year ago, wasn't it?"
"Oh, that was when you lost that little match with him wasn't it?"
"Ouch, don't remind me! Haha, I should've known better than to let him throw 
me his hardest punch when he was just at that height..."
"Hee hee, after always teaching him to be strong I'll never forget the look 
on his face when you almost started crying like a baby. Hey, look at this 
picture. Isn't he that boy from Brazil you were training? What was his 
"Hmmm, Sean. And it was more like babysitting if you ask me. What a 
nuisance. Remember how he used to follow me around all the time like a lost 
"Come to think of it, I'm not sure I would have remembered him at all if we 
hadn't decided to look through the album like this. What ever happened to 
him anyway?"
"He kept bugging me to train him, and he was always so impatient about it. 
The only thing I could think of to get him to leave me alone was to tell him 
he needed to spend some time training by himself."
"Hmmm, and he's the impatient one huh?"
"Very funny. The only way I could even get him to go back home was by saying 
I'd see how he was doing if he came back in a year."
"Well in that case, you'd better get ready then shouldn't you?"
"It's been almost a year now since we took those pictures, remember?"
"Oh right, the North American tournament's coming up again soon, and that 
was just before the last one. But, come on... there's no way he'd do it. He 
had such a short attention span, he probably forgot all about it before he 
even got off the plane going back..."
"I'm just kidding dear. I'm sure he's forgotten all about it by now too. 
Come on, let's get some sleep... it's getting late."
"Yeah, you're right... I'll be up in a minute."
(Hmmm... that kid was such a pest. He'd never give up once he put his mind 
to something. But, he wouldn't really come back would he? I know I said I'd 
meet him in a year, but there's no way he'll be waiting there. If it were 
Ryu we were talking about then it would be a completely different story... I 
mean, if Ryu said he'd do something there was no question about it that it'd 
be done. Ryu's always kept his word no matter what, for as long as I've 
known him. No matter what... damn... even after all these years you still 
have such an effect on me, don't you old buddy? Okay kid, I said I'd be 
there so I will, no matter what...)


probably don't want to be using it for anything.

JAB Punch + SHORT Kick
A normal throw, where Sean shoulder slams his opponent down next to him.

F/B + JAB Punch + SHORT Kick
Another throw, with Sean doing a leg toss which lands the opponent far away.

STRONG Punch (far)
An extremely good keep-away attack. It's speed, range, and priority are all 
excellent for a medium-strength normal attack. Use it often to keep enemies 
out of your face, intercept jumpers, or just to build up your Super bar.

STRONG Punch (close)
A short jab. Chain a Roundhouse onto it if it connects. Not good for much 

Great combo setup move, and very quick with good priority. A Short Tornado 
Kick can be chained onto it, or a Dragon Smash if in close enough, or any 
Super Art.

Simple overhead attack. With all the other overheads he's got you don't 
really need it much, but you might want to throw it in every once in a while 
to keep them on their toes.

FIERCE Punch (far)
You can't combo to or from this move, making it quite limited, but it's 
speed and priority aren't too bad. It bears a striking resemblence to 
Chun-Li's standing Fierce, but with less range.

FIERCE Punch (close)
Quick uppercut. Not much range, but excellent comboing ability. This can 
chain the most moves of any normal attack, and should always be used to 
start combos whenever possible.

F + FIERCE Punch
A two hit headbutt that must be blocked high. Can be chained after the close 
Fierce, which doesn't combo due to the lag time at the beginning of this 
move, but is still a very useful link. It also has enough range to be used 
on it's own, and is an excellent way to greet a fallen opponent as they're 
getting up.

D + FIERCE Punch
A different uppercut than the standing Fierce. Not as good for combos, but a 
far better air defense, especially when the opponent is coming down directly 
above you.

FIERCE Punch (while jumping)
Standard aerial punch. The jumping Roundhouse tends to be a better combo 
starter, but this usually works better for air-to-air combat.

Excellent air defense, especially against opponents landing in front of you 
rather than on top of you. Use in conjunction with the crouching Fierce as a 
solid anti-air defense.

ROUNDHOUSE Kick (close)
A quick knee that can be comboed from pretty easily. I'd still recommend the 
Fierce though, since the F + Fierce can't be linked off of this, and it's 
basically identical otherwise.

An odd hop kick that knocks the opponent back but not down. It's definately 
one of the strangest looking moves in his arsenal, which makes it rather 
difficult to parry as a result. Not to be overused, but it can be a 
relatively safe way to advance forward short distances when trying to get in 

Your standard foot sweep. Only use it if you're out of range with the 
crouching Forward, as it can leave you open for a lot of Supers and EX 
attacks if blocked in close.

ROUNDHOUSE Kick (while jumping)
Standard aerial kick. Generally his most useful jumping attack, though the 
jumping Fierce tends to sometimes fare better in air-to-air fighting, due to 
it's higher impact zone. A great combo starter on grounded opponents though, 
due to it's longer range horizontally.



SEAN TACKLE - B,DB,D,DF,F + hold Punch
Sean dashes forward a distance, which is determined by the button pressed. 
Jab is quite a short distance, while Fierce travels about three-quarters 
across the screen. Holding the button will initiate a two-hit grab at the 
end of the dash, which must be blocked low. Releasing the Punch button after 
initiating the move halts it without attacking at all, but avoids the 
opening that comes from a blocked grab. The EX version is faster and results 
in a five-hit grab when it successfully connects. Not overly useful in some 
situations, but generally a good tool in semi-combos or in conjunction with 
the basketball taunt.

A flying kick that must be blocked high. Like the Sean Tackle, the button 
determines the distance he travels, with the Roundhouse version travelling 
about three-quarters of the screen, and Short version going practically 
nowhere. Blocking the move does not leave him open for counter attacks, but 
it's quite easy to parry if seen coming, so it's best to only use it early 
against jumpers or in semi-combos up close, where parrying it becomes much 
more difficult. The EX version tracks the opponent and hits twice instead of 

A bizarre uppercut that definately qualifies as one of his strangest looking 
attacks. Useful in combos, as it can be cancelled both to and from. When 
used on it's own, it's slight initial lag time sometimes makes it difficult 
to use as an air defense. Good if you have the time to set it up properly, 
such as against high-jumpers, but you should never use it as a point-defense 
counter attack in the typical Dragon Punch way, since you can be hit out of 
it during it's brief initial lag time without cost to the opponent at all. 
The EX version hits twice instead of once.

A spinning kick resembling the common Cyclone Kick, but acts surprisingly 
different. The button used will determine both the number of hits and the 
initial startup time. The Short version comes out the fastest, but only hits 
twice. This is the only version of the move which can be chained onto a 
crouching Forward Kick. The Forward version comes out slower, but hits three 
times. This can be chained onto the close standing Fierce or Roundhouse. The 
Roundhouse version hits four times, but comes out the slowest, and cannot be 
chained off of anything. The EX version combines the speed of the Short with 
the four hits of the Roundhouse. With any version, if one hit connects with 
an opponent on the ground, the remaining hits will almost always connect as 
a combo. The move can leave you open to some attacks if blocked, but not if 
it connects, so using it in combos is always safe.

A ground roll, much like Ken's from the Street Fighter Alpha series. A great 
avoidance technique, allowing you to easily escape corner traps in 
particular. The button used determines the distance you will roll, with 
Fierce going the furthest. Makes you invulnerable to most attacks aside from 
those that must be blocked low, such as foot sweeps. Overall it's 
surprisingly one of the safest teleportation-type moves in the entire game, 
making it a very nice maneuverability option to have available.

BASKETBALL TAUNT - Fierce + Roundhouse
Sean catches a basketball from off-screen, and tosses it towards his 
opponent. While the damage inflicted by it is minimal, this is a key move to 
set up combos and other attacks. As it is a taunt, it does leave you 
slightly open initially, so you have to be careful not to set yourself up 
for a beating instead of your opponent. Use it often, but without becoming 
overly predictable, and never activate it right up close unless the opponent 
is dizzy or lying on the ground. In short, just go for it whenever you're at 
a distance from your opponent and think you can get away with it. The 
basketball is certainly one of the most useful taunts in the game, and 
should be considered a standard addition to Sean's arsenal of special moves.



I. HADO-BURST (3 charges maximum) - D,DF,F,D,DF,F + Punch
A very fast projectile which charges up quickly, allowing you to use it 
often and provide ample fuel for your EX specials. It hits once, usually 
causing around 20% damage. It can be easily chained into combos just as well 
as his other Super Arts, and gives him a much needed projectile move that 
comes in handy in all kinds of situations. If a projectile is thrown by the 
opponent, use this to cancel and pass through it, and hit the opponent 
before they recover in time to block. Although it lacks priority against 
stronger multi-hit projectiles, it will pass through most standard and even 
EX projectiles with ease. Although it's strength as a Super Art is lacking 
compared with the likes of Shinkuu-Hadoken type attacks, it makes up for 
this in it's tremendous speed, allowing it other uses aside from merely a 
brute-force attack. If the opponent leaves themselves open with any attack, 
even at the opposite end of the screen, a quick Hado-Burst can effectively 
take advantage of the opportunity. Taunting is essentially impossible for 
the opponent to do safely as long as you have a Hado-Burst in stock, unless 
they've knocked you down first of course. It also makes an excellent counter 
to use after blocking various attacks in close. Foot sweeps that recover 
slowly, such as the crouching Roundhouse moves of Ryu or Elena for example, 
can easily be countered with a Hado-Burst after being blocked up close. 
Various other normal attacks performed with Fierce or Roundhouse in 
particular are also counterable through a similar process of blocking and 
performing the Super before they recover from doing the move. On top of 
this, it also is an extremely useful air defense against opponents jumping 
in just ahead of you. Simply throw it out as they're coming down, and watch 
them helplessly fly away after landing on top of it. Even if the move is 
blocked it will only leave you as open for counter attacks when done 
extremely close to the opponent, and even then the opening is a short one. 
The only thing to really avoid is having an opponent jump over it and take 
advantage of the opening it leaves you in when it misses completely. This 
move has lost some of it's priority from 2nd Impact, allowing opponents to 
occasionally cancel it with a Jab or a throw, but still remains one of the 
most useful and versatile Super Arts in the entire game.

II. SHORYU-CANNON (2 charges maximum) - D,DF,F,D,DF,F + Punch repeatedly
A double Dragon Punch type move which scores hits as the button is rapidly 
pressed, with a maximum damage of around 30-35%. Easy to put into combos, 
but not very useful on it's own. It's initial priority is rather good 
against normal attacks, making it a decent reversal, but it leaves you wide 
open when blocked, so it shouldn't be used recklessly on it's own. Using it 
as a counter after blocking isn't as easy as the other two Super Arts 
either, due to it's limited horizontal range during the beginning, and isn't 
recommended for this purpose. It's ability as an air counter can be quite 
effective, but it tends not to score as many hits as when used on the 
ground. Aside from this, it's primary use is often limited only to combos 
done extremely close to the opponent. While it can prove to be effective in 
these few select situations, it's significantly lacking in versatility 
overall, and simply isn't able to do enough damage to make it worth using 

III. HYPER TORNADO (1 charge maximum) - D,DF,F,D,DF,F + Punch
This one begins with a dash resembling the Sean Tackle, then proceeds to lay 
the smack down when that first hit connects, inflicting up to about 35-40% 
damage with it's 12 hits in total. The speed of the initial dash is very 
fast, making it an excellent move with which to easily exploit any opening 
in an opponent's defense. This speed also allows it be be used as an 
effective counter after blocking certain attacks in close, just as was 
described above for the Hado-Burst. While it's speed and damage make it an 
ideal method of punishment in a ground fight, the combo portion can't 
connect on a jumping opponent, limiting it's usefulness against frequent 
jumpers. It also leaves you open for counter attack briefly when blocked, 
making it dangerous to take too many open risks with. Using it in combos is 
an easy way to guarantee the hits, but only on opponents that stay grounded 
during the combo, which means it won't work to chain it after a Dragon Smash 
like the other two will. It can sometimes pay off in the end with it's high 
damage if used carefully, but it's generally not worth the long charge up 
time it requires.


Moves are seperated by a dash. Combos ending in a Super Art may of course be 
ended without the Super Art as well. As with the other Shotokan characters, 
there is a lot of variety you can make out of linking attacks together, such 
as linking a special attack off of various normal attacks (standing Fierce, 
crouching Fierce, standing Roundhouse, etc.). Rather than try to list every 
single combo possibility, which would just be stupid, I've listed the 
particular variations I use most often. Feel free to make substitutions as 
you see fit.

standing Strong (close) - standing Roundhouse
standing Fierce (close) - Dragon Smash (F,D,DF + Fierce) - Super Art 
(D,DF,F,D,DF,F + Punch)
standing Roundhouse (close) - Tornado Kick (D,DB,B + Forward or 2Kick)
crouching Forward - Tornado Kick (D,DB,B + Short or 2Kick)
crouching Forward - Super Art (D,DF,F,D,DF,F + Punch)

See the PRESSURE TACTICS section below for some non-combo linkers.


As a big fan of Sean in 2nd Impact, I was baffled at how weak he had seemed 
to become in this game. After being changed almost completely, his 
incredible abilities had apparently taken a turn for the worse, leaving me 
frustratingly trying to work with this strange new incarnation of who used 
to be my best character. I soon passed him off as being useless, and focused 
my attention to mastering other characters instead. After eventually coming 
back to him a few months later though, I began to realize that my mistake 
had been in trying to use him in the same way I had before in 2nd Impact. As 
I practiced with him anew, I avoided attempting to replicate the old Sean's 
tactics, and instead began to see him as the new and completely different 
character that he has become. The first and possibly still the most valuable 
information I learned about him in 3rd Strike was to forget everything I 
knew about the old Sean, and instead treat him as a brand new character, and 
unless you do the same, you may never come to realize this new Sean's 

That said, Sean's new strategy involves making more use out of the moves 
that were improved, like the Ryubi-Kyaku and Sean Tackle, while laying off a 
bit on the ones that have been weakened, such as the Dragon Smash and 
Tornado Kick. While in 2nd Impact I wouldn't touch the former two moves, 
they have both been improved enough to become useful, where as the latter 
simply aren't powerful enough to rely on alone anymore, as you could easily 
get away with in 2nd Impact. Overall, his moves have become much more 
balanced now, and making use of all of them is an essential part of a good 
strategy in 3rd Strike. The only thing worse than trying to use him exactly 
as you did in 2nd Impact is trying to use him like any of the other Shotokan 
characters in the game, which any avid Sean user should already know is pure 
suicide. While Sean lacks many of the qualities that make the other Shotos a 
lot safer to use, he has by far the best trapping abilities, high-low mix-up 
patterns, and overall confusion factor (not to mention being the most fun to 
play, in my opinion). His relatively large arsenal of offensive moves also 
allows him to constantly assault an opponent without ever having to fall 
into overly predictable patterns. Since this essentially describes the 
backbone of any good Sean strategy, the rest of this section will focus on 
how to maximize the effectiveness of this oppressive nature of playing.

Sean's true combos are somewhat lacking, but his vast arsenal of high-low 
switching patterns and confusing attacks can quickly spell the end for an 
unsuspecting opponent facing a Sean gone berserk. The key to the game is 
attacking non-stop, mixing up your attack patterns continuously, and 
generally making your strategy as confusing and unpredictable as possible. 
Getting your opponent trapped in the corner is a huge asset to this, which 
can be easily done one of two ways. If your opponent tends to back off more 
than advance forward, simply start going on the offensive until they've been 
pushed into the corner. If they're an offensive player who likes to do the 
advancing on you, then just pull the old switcharoo by retreating into the 
corner yourself, then using a ground roll (D,DB,B + Punch) to get to the 
other side of them as they try to close in, leaving them trapped in your 

Once you've gotten in close (preferably with them cornered), it's time to 
really start messing with their mind. Your basic offense isn't going to be 
made up of true combos, but rather Sean's vast array of seperate but linking 
attacks (aka. "semi-combos"). The first set starts with a crouching Forward 
Kick, and leads into two basic alternatives. Remember that mixing them up is 
the key. Don't let your opponent know which move you're going to cancel 
into, and they'll quickly find themselves flustered by moves that would 
normally be easily parried and countered.

crouching Forward - Ryubi-Kyaku (D,DF,F + Short)
                  - Tornado Kick (D,DB,B + any Kick)

The set above is a great pattern to get used to, because it's so fast and 
benefits from the initial range of the crouching Short. The Ryubi-Kyaku is 
extremely hard to parry in this situation, especially when you toss in 
enough Tornado Kicks to throw their anticipation off, and can get you in 
closer for the next set of patterns. If the crouching Forward does connect, 
try to go into a Super Art or a Tornado Kick that will connect (Short or 
EX). If you end a blocked low Forward with a Tornado Kick, vary the button 
used to confuse them, by assigning more or less hits to the move than they 
might be expecting.

standing Fierce - F + Fierce
                - Sean Tackle (B,DB,D,DF,F + Jab)

Now this is some great stuff. The combination of being able to chain a F + 
Fierce (overhead) or Sean Tackle (low) will always keep them guessing as to 
which way to block, and since it's really hard to change your blocking on 
the spot with the speed of these moves, guessing is pretty much all they'll 
be able to do. Note that while these do link, they can't actually combo off 
of a Fierce that connects, so if it does then it's best to just go into a 
real combo instead. As with the previous pattern, tossing a nice helping of 
varied Tornado Kicks into the mix can really play havoc with their mind. 
Just remember that even the best of players can get frustrated, which in 
turn leads to recklessness, which in turn leads to you winning the game. 
Set, point, and match...

Sean - useless underdog or cheapness supreme? Master the basketball Taunt 
and you'll start considering the latter over the former. Tossing out the 
basketball isn't only a relatively safe and effective combo setup, but it's 
an essential part of some rather devious traps as well. Keep in mind that 
tossing it up close leaves you wide open, and tossing it from the opposite 
side of the screen is useless, since you can't get over to them in time to 
mix anything up with the impact of the ball. Therefore, the ideal distance 
for a basketball toss is about half a screen away from your opponent, or 
slightly closer.

After the toss, there's a lot of things you can do. Since the ball's coming 
in from above, most people will leave themselves open to low attacks while 
they block or parry it standing up. This gives the Sean Tackle a great 
opportunity, allowing you to catch people off-guard all the time when 
coupled with the ball toss. Use the shortest distance Tackle necessary to 
reach the opponent in order to minimize the time they have to react to it, 
or use the EX version if you think they'll fall for it anyway. Time it right 
after the toss so that you're grabbing them just as the ball hits, or 
slightly after. Practice making it into a three hit combo against the 
computer to get it down good. Other variations that take advantage of this 
low opening include dashing in with a foot sweep or a low Forward into a 
combo. Another thing to try once in a while is coming at them with the 
Roundhouse Tornado Kick, as people tend to have trouble timing their 
parrying for both the ball and the flurry of kicks at the same time. 
Basically, you options here are huge, so if they start to catch on to what 
you're doing, just try something else. They basically have no choice but to 
block or parry the ball, since if they let it hit them you'll get the hits 
of whatever other move you're doing as a combo anyway, so feel free to 
recklessly rush them without fear of repercussion.



Sean will sometimes toss a basketball before a match starts, which will 
either fall short or fly too far to hit the opponent. To correct this, hold 
forward or back on the joystick to direct the ball's trajectory. If it's 
going to land short you should press forward, and if it flies too far you 
should press back. If you did it correctly the ball will hit the opponent, 
causing dizziness animation momentarily.

To choose a basketball stage level higher than three, hold the following 
buttons and joystick direction before the bonus stage begins. I know this 
doesn't have anything to do with playing as Sean, but I figured I can 
justify throwing it in due to the fact that Sean's always the one tossing 
you the balls (even if you're playing as Sean! What the..?)
Level 4 (easy) - down + 3Kick
Level 4 (hard) - up + 3Punch
Level 5 (easy) - down + Jab + Forward + Fierce
Level 5 (hard) - up + Short + Strong + Roundhouse


That's it... stop using boring old Ryu and Ken and kick it up a notch with 
Sean, the Shoto with style! :)

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be sure to also check out my Twelve guide, available at