What is a kara cancel? Why is it useful?
A kara-cancel involves canceling the startup frames of a move into another move. This is different from a "standard" cancel, which usually occurs during the hit frames of the move; LP shoryuken xx SAI, with say Akuma, involves two distinct moves that both connect with the opponent, with shoryuken only being canceled after it connects. A kara-cancel, on the other hand, usually occurs during the startup frames of the initial move, so the end result is that the canceled move doesn't make contact with the opponent, and the final result ends up looking like one regular move, instead of two (one canceled into another).
Bearing in mind that the cancel usually occurs within the first few frames of the kara'ed move, the timing for the button inputs is generally very quick. In fact, it's pretty much the same timing you'd use for drumming/plinking all 3 punch/kick buttons for tight combos involving supers; the gap between the canceled and final move should be very small, almost nonexistent. Many times, there will be a distinct noise that will help you know if you did it correctly; for example, if you do Akuma's kara-throw (f+MP xx LK+LP) correctly, you'll hear the grunt he normally does with f+MP, since it occurs during the first few frames of the move. If you don't do you it correctly, you'll either get regular old f+MP, or you'll get a throw without the f+MP grunt.
What do kara-cancels bring to the table? In a word, range. Some characters have moves that move their sprite forward a large distance within the first few frames; when you cancel such moves into other moves, the end result is that the final move effectively gains additional range equal to the distance moved forward by kara-canceled move. This leads to short range moves such as throws gaining valuable extra range, and combos that wouldn't ordinarily work due to spacing or pushback suddenly working and dealing free extra damage.
Kara throws: the most commonly used kara cancel
Throws are an important part of many characters' toolsets; they come out fast, can't be blocked/parried, can't be punished if teched, and knock down. The main thing that keeps them in check is their fairly short range; therefore, it naturally makes sense that anything which adds range to them would increase their usefulness dramatically. As it turns out, kara-canceling is perfect for this purpose, and some characters benefit enormously from being able to do so.
Below is a table containing the most commonly used kara-throws:
A kara-cancel involves canceling the startup frames of a move into another move. This is different from a "standard" cancel, which usually occurs during the hit frames of the move; LP shoryuken xx SAI, with say Akuma, involves two distinct moves that both connect with the opponent, with shoryuken only being canceled after it connects. A kara-cancel, on the other hand, usually occurs during the startup frames of the initial move, so the end result is that the canceled move doesn't make contact with the opponent, and the final result ends up looking like one regular move, instead of two (one canceled into another).
Bearing in mind that the cancel usually occurs within the first few frames of the kara'ed move, the timing for the button inputs is generally very quick. In fact, it's pretty much the same timing you'd use for drumming/plinking all 3 punch/kick buttons for tight combos involving supers; the gap between the canceled and final move should be very small, almost nonexistent. Many times, there will be a distinct noise that will help you know if you did it correctly; for example, if you do Akuma's kara-throw (f+MP xx LK+LP) correctly, you'll hear the grunt he normally does with f+MP, since it occurs during the first few frames of the move. If you don't do you it correctly, you'll either get regular old f+MP, or you'll get a throw without the f+MP grunt.
What do kara-cancels bring to the table? In a word, range. Some characters have moves that move their sprite forward a large distance within the first few frames; when you cancel such moves into other moves, the end result is that the final move effectively gains additional range equal to the distance moved forward by kara-canceled move. This leads to short range moves such as throws gaining valuable extra range, and combos that wouldn't ordinarily work due to spacing or pushback suddenly working and dealing free extra damage.
Kara throws: the most commonly used kara cancel
Throws are an important part of many characters' toolsets; they come out fast, can't be blocked/parried, can't be punished if teched, and knock down. The main thing that keeps them in check is their fairly short range; therefore, it naturally makes sense that anything which adds range to them would increase their usefulness dramatically. As it turns out, kara-canceling is perfect for this purpose, and some characters benefit enormously from being able to do so.
Below is a table containing the most commonly used kara-throws:
f.+ MP grants throw invulnerability during startup | ||
Only works with the far version | ||
Used for SGGK option select | ||
Motion is identical to Akuma's |
There are other kara-throws - every character has one, in fact - but the ones listed in the table above are the most commonly used by far. The range granted by other characters' kara throws is generally considered too small to be worth using in actual play.
Other kara-cancels: kara-shoryuken, kara-palms, etc.
Although kara cancels are most commonly used with throws, they can be used to increase the range of certain specials as well. This leads into combos that can only be executed due to the increased range of the kara-canceled move.
Another table containing commonly kara-canceled specials:
(overhead chop) | (Raging Demon) | "Jiro demon"; requires very fast hands | |
(shoryuken) | Allows for mid screen 2x LP shoryuken combos | ||
(fukiage/uppercut) | Used for her double fukiage 100% stun combo | ||
(karakusa/command grab) | Special kara-cancel, occurs during hit frames of st. LK, needs to be timed so that the st. LK doesn't hit the opponent before karakusa | ||
(dash punch) | Input is actually QCF, LK~P; necessary to kara the dash punch for ending certain Genei-Jin combos | ||
(command throw) | Input the cr. HK during the "down" portion of the HCB motion | ||
(palm) | Effectively a double kara-cancel, canceling strong into short, then short into palm, very difficult to do consistently |
This is not a comprehensive table of useful kara-cancels with respect to specials; one of my weaknesses is that I'm not very knowledgeable about characters outside of top/upper-mid tier, and this chart unfortunately reflects that. Other characters probably have useful kara-cancels that I don't know about; the purpose of this chart is just to give an idea of some commonly used kara cancels, and the impact they can have on a character's combos.
If some of the kara-cancels in the chart above look very difficult, that's because they are; thankfully, not all of these kara-cancels are necessary for mastering a character. Some, like Makoto's kara-grab and Ken's kara-shoryuken are very useful and well worth spending the time to get down consistently; others like the Jiro demon and Yun's kara-palms are more for show/flashiness, and are rarely seen in high level competitive play.
Kara-canceling is one of the most common and useful techniques in 3rd strike, so it's well worth mastering and implementing into your play.