=========================================================================
Street Fighter Alpha 3: A-ISM Gen Guide
=========================================================================

VERSION 1.2
LAST UPDATED: 4.19.99
AUTHOR: Synn Syous <synnsyous@hotmail.com>

Street Fighter Alpha 3 and all things related are copyright Capcom

Sutorappu Kuru 
Nothing but love


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CONTENTS
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1. INTRO
2. NOTATION
3. MOVE LIST
4. MOVE ANALYSIS
5. COMBOS
6. STRATEGY
7. REVISION HISTORY
8. CLOSING


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1. INTRO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gen is a potentially very dangerous character. He has speed, priority, 
strong combos/juggles, and is very versatile. However, he is also one of 
the hardest characters to use in the game. It will take a lot practice 
and a complete understanding of all his techniques before Gen can be 
properly played and mastered. I hope you are up to the challenge. ^_^

All of the information outlined in this document has been written based 
off what I have learned through my own playing experience. A true player 
is someone who does not follow these guidelines exactly but uses them 
only as suggestions. I hope this guide helps you in developing your own 
style of play.

Gen isn't exactly a beginner's character, so I'm assuming you have some 
experience with the game and at least know the fundamentals. If not, I 
suggest you start with someone easy and read a more general FAQ that 
covers all the basics (Kao Megura's excellent FAQ comes to mind).


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2. NOTATION
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Controller Directions
=====================

  ub  u  uf
    \ | /
 b -- n -- f
    / | \
  db  d  df


Button Layout
=============

  Jab       Strong      Fierce  

  Short     Forward     Roundhouse


Abbreviations
=============

  P          -  Punch
  K          -  Kick
  S          -  Standing
  C          -  Crouching
  J          -  Jumping
  /          -  Means "or"
  ->         -  Separates moves in the Combo Section for clarity


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3. MOVE LIST
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Information for this move list was taken from Kao Megura's Alpha 3 FAQ.)

 Ansatsu Ken: Sou-ryuu           Press PPP at any time  (air)
   Juraku                        b / f + PP
   Houzen                        b / f + KK
   Shuuga                        Any direction but u / d + KK  (air)
   Hyakurenkou                   Tap P rapidly 
   Gekirou                       f,d,df + K, tap K  (see notes)
   Zan'ei                        qcf,qcf + P
   Shitenshuu                    qcb,qcb + P

 Ansatsu Ken: Ki-ryuu            Press KKK at any time  (air) 
   Juraku                        b / f + PP 
   Houzen                        b / f + KK
   Shuuga                        Any direction but u / d + KK  (air)
   Jasen                         Charge b,f + P
   Ouga                          Charge d,ub~uf + K
   Kyoutetsu                     Press Strong
   Onkyou                        Press Fierce
   Kirou                         d + Fierce
   Satsu Jin                     d + Short
   Saizu                         Jump over someone, press Forward
   Uken -> Shakudan              In air, quickly press Roundhouse twice
   Kouga                         In air, qcb,qcb + K
   Jakouha                       qcf,d,df + K

  Alpha Counter:  (Sou-ryuu)  1-hit Gekirou
  Alpha Counter:  (Ki-ryuu)   1-hit advancing Soryuu-style Fierce Punch

  Cancellable Attacks:   JAB  STRONG  FIERCE  SHORT  FORWARD  ROUNDHOUSE
    standing Sou-ryuu     *     *       *1      *       *
    standing Ki-ryuu      *                     *       *
    crouching Sou-ryuu    *     *               *       *    
    crouching Ki-ryuu     *     *               *       *

 - Gen has two different "styles" of play he can use by pressing PPP
   or KKK.  Once you've changed into a certain style, you can only
   use the moves in that style (for example, in Sou-ryuu style, you
   could use the Shitenshuu but not the Ouga).  Gen normally starts
   in his PPP style, but if you switch to his KKK style, he'll
   remain in it for the rest of the game.  You can switch Gen's
   styles at any time, while jumping, blocking, attacking, when
   knocked down, while dizzy, and so on.
 - In his Sou-ryuu style, Gen can chain together his normal attacks.
   The sequence is pretty loose--the only real restriction is that
   you can't chain a stronger attack into a weaker one (like HP into
   LK).  Otherwise, just about anything is possible.
 - During the Geki Rou, you need to tap the Kick button as your
   opponent goes higher and higher into the air if you want to get the
   full hits (you'll know if you did this correctly because he'll
   finish with a kick that knocks your foe away).
 - If hit by a Shitenshuu, a timer will appear over the head of Gen's
   opponent and count down.  When it reaches zero, Gen's foe falls to
   the ground and is dizzied.  You can increase the timer speed by
   hitting your foe with multiple Shitenshuus, but your opponent can
   stop the timer by hitting you with an attack.  Note that your
   opponent is damaged during the intitial hits, each time the counter
   goes down by one, and when it hits zero and he / she is dizzied.
   The higher level you use, the more damage the Shitenshuu does during
   the intial hits and for each timer countdown.
 - During the Ouga, you can:
      * Direct your initial leap left or right by charging d,ub / uf
        instead of charging d,u (which always takes you to the wall
        behind you).
      * Do nothing when you touch a wall for a jump kick
      * Press b when you touch a wall to abort the move
      * Press f when you touch a wall for a long kick toward your foe
      * Press u when you touch a wall to move to the ceiling
         + Do nothing when you touch the ceiling to do a head stomp
         + Press ub~uf when on the ceiling to abort the move and drop
           in either direction
         + Press b / f when on the ceiling to use a dive kick in either
           direction
 - The Kyoutetsu is an overhead attack.
 - The Onkyou hits low and must be crouch-blocked.
 - The Kirou causes huge amounts of damage if it hits someone who is in
   the middle of an attack (3.5-4.0 times more damage).  However, if you
   are hit out of it, you may take lots of damage yourself.  The move
   also has a considerable delay.
 - The Satsu Jin will knock an opponent up into the air.  You can
   follow it with a Jakouha or jump after them with the attack of
   your choice.  If you use the Uken, they can't flip out afterwards.
 - Gen's jumping Ki-ryuu MK (the Saizu), works best as a cross-up
   attack.
 - During the Kouga you can:
      * Press LK for a jump kick off the left wall,
         + Then, press MK or do nothing instead for a long kick towards
           your enemy.
         + Or, press HK instead for a higher, faster long kick.
      * Press MK for a head stomp off the ceiling,
         + Then press LK instead to dive left.
         + Or, press HK instead to dive right.
      * Press HK for a jump kick off the right wall,
         + Then, press MK or do nothing instead for a long kick towards
           your enemy.
         + Or, press LK for a higher, faster long kick.
   If you do nothing, Gen will just keep jumping off opposite walls
   and kicking.  Gen can perform one extra attack per level.
 - It's easy to accidentally tap a button too much so that if you "do
   nothing" after using LK or HK to go to a wall, you'll end up doing
   the following LK or HK move instead.  To prevent this, pressing MK
   has the same effect as "doing nothing".


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4. MOVE ANALYSIS
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MANTIS (PPP) - a.k.a. Sou-ryuu
============

Gen has two different styles (MANTIS and CRANE). In Mantis, Gen has  
really quick short jumps and chain combos. Pretty much anything will
chain as long as the next attack is of greater or equal strength. 
You can chain in this order but not going backwards:

                 +------------>------------+ 
                 |                         |
JAB/SHORT -------|                         +-------> FIERCE/ROUNDHOUSE
                 |                         |
                 +----> STRONG/FORWARD ----+

You can actually chain a strong punch after a forward kick and vice  
versa. You can also chain a Roundhouse after a Fierce and vice versa.
However, you cannot chain a Crouching Roundhouse under any conditions.
Perhaps Capcom thought that the knock down ability of a chain combo
would have made Gen too powerful. Hmm... oh well.

JAB
---
S: Your typical standing Jab. Hits high and recovers quickly. Can be 
used as a walk up chain combo starter but keep in mind that smaller
characters can duck under it.
C: A nice fast peck that is good for starting chain combos. It might
have more priority than Gen's low short, but you're generally better
off doing his crouching short anyway as it has more range and must be
blocked low. Can be used to hit rising opponents in wake up games or 
to spice up combos if you're one of those anal types who thinks doing
3 low shorts in a row "looks bad."
J: Useless

STRONG
------
S: A deep gut punch that is best used in juggles (see COMBOS). No  
other practical uses for this one.
C: A fast low peck that can be blocked standing. Not as much reach as 
his low forward but has good priority and beats out other character's
low attacks often.
"I think for beginning Gens the crouching MP is incredibly useful.
Here's the reason: doing a crouching MK cancel into the Zanei can be 
tricky for beginners. So I just tell people to hit with crouching MP 
while spinning the joystick in the Zanei motion.  Thus you get an 
incredibly easy to do crouching(or standing also) MP into level 2 
Zanei. Of course crouching MK into Zanei has longer range etc, but
it's harder for scrubs to do." (Comment from Sung)
J: Useless

FIERCE
------
S: A weird rising punch. Seems to beat out attacks and can even take 
opponents out of the air (sometimes). I really don't know what to say 
about this punch as I don't use it all that much.
C: One of Gen's best pokes. Comes out fast and has good recovery  
time. Use it to knock your opponents out of their attacks from long 
range.
J: Weird downward chop that has a little lag coming out. I think the  
initial frames of the move hit pretty high so it can be used in air  
to air situations.

SHORT
-----
S: A low kick to the shins that can be blocked standing and has long
recovery. Sucks when compared to his low short. Hell, it's useless.
C: Your best friend. Land one of these and it's chain combo, into  
super, into juggle, into your opponent losing around 80% of his life.  
Throw these out a lot. You can land up to three in a row after a  
jump-in and still chain off a low forward because of its great reach.
Use only two just to be safe though.
J: Can be used as a jump-in tick. Not very practical.

FORWARD
-------
S: Fast poke with good range, but Gen's low Fierce and Roundhouse  
kicks are by far his best pokes in Mantis. However, this _can_ be
canceled into the Zan'ei if it connects. Don't waste any supers
though. Make sure it connects if you try that.
C: Your next best friend next to the low short. Comes out fast and  
hits low. Chains easily after even 3 low shorts because of its range.  
Cancel into a level 2 or 3 Zan'ei super and watch your opponent cry.
J: Now we're talking... this awesome cross-up kick is one of Gen's  
most important attacks. The kick has good range and seems to cross-up  
very easily on even the smallest of opponents. Because of Gen's fast  
jumps in Mantis style, you can keep jumping at your opponent trying  
to cross-up with this. You'll usually catch them as they try to  
counter and then it's COMBO time baby! Use prudently though.

ROUNDHOUSE
----------
S: Very good poke. I use this one a lot. Has about the same range as  
his low Fierce but you don't have to be crouching. It's a good walk  
up poke since you don't have to hold down.
C: Gen's longest ranged attack in Mantis. Comes out fast and knocks  
down but has a lot of lag. Make sure this one is at least blocked, 
it does good guard meter damage anyway. You don't want to give your
opponent a free jump-in by completely missing with this move!
J: A great jump-in that has excellent reach and priority. You can  
throw this out early, land, and still have time to start a chain  
combo because of Gen's quick jump. Since you can throw it out early  
and it has good range, it tends to stop a lot of opponents before  
they have time to do their anti-air stuff.

HYAKURENKOU (Press P rapidly)
-----------------------------
Gen throws out a USELESS flurry of punches. Doesn't even work that  
well as a guard crush because you'll be lucky if it hits even twice.  
Comes out fast so I hear people tell me it can be used to stop  
delayed attacks as a sort of pseudo option select from a guarding  
position. But I'm just too lazy to mash on the punch buttons and your  
opponent can see you doing it anyway. No thanks. I've always hated  
these kinds of moves.
"A note about the 100FP (100 finger poke/Hyakurenkou). I use it in one
situation. I use it to set up my distance when the enemy is in the corner
(assuming I have no super bar). I do a jump-in HK or MK and while in the
air start the PPPPPP (I use MP). When you land, whether or not you hit 
them, you will get pushed back to a perfect distance.  They cannot jump,
fireball, walk forward, or dragonpunch without getting hit." (Sung)

GEKIROU (f,d,df + K)
--------------------
Gen does a rising multi kick air combo. Great in juggles, does good  
damage, and looks damn cool. Unfortunately, its priority isn't all  
that great (it sure as hell isn't a Dragon Punch) and it's relatively  
hard to do. I put in a helluva lot of hours into Alpha 2's training  
mode practicing this damn move before I could do it consistently and  
I suggest you do the same. (Unless you're some kind of damn natural.)  
You have to press the kick button at an increasingly faster rate.
Start out slow and then start doing it faster. The last few kicks  
should be done very quickly. One of Gen's more important moves. If 
done against a blocking opponent on the ground, then press kick quickly
to make Gen land faster and do some guard meter damage. You should be
left pretty safe if done correctly. Don't count on it though.

ZAN'EI (qcf,qcf + P)
--------------------
Gen's rushing punch super and his best super at that. This will be
the key to getting off all those wonderful damaging combos. Comes out
faster and goes farther at higher levels. However, its priority is
pretty weak. Level 2 and 3 combo off nicely after a low forward. You
don't really want to do this at level 1 or outside of a combo. Its
main use is for the finishing touch after those chain combos.


SHITENSHUU (qcb,qcb + P)
------------------------
This move is just that... Sh*t. All joking aside though... it really  
is a pretty sh*tty move. The concept is cool though. Combos after a  
low Short if you're close... but that's IT. If you can keep your  
opponent from hitting you, then it's a free dizzy. In theory this  
would allow you to get potentially more damage off. If you feel you  
can hold your opponent off for the length of the counter, then go for  
it. Now I have to tell you a story. I once nailed this guy with a  
Level 1 Death Touch and in the time it took the counter to get to 0,
I had already gotten 3 levels of super again. Once he got knocked  
dizzy, I killed him with a huge super/juggle combo. Heh heh... the  
point: This move can be useful.
"A note about the Deathtouch (Shitenshuu). The best bet for getting it is
to cancel out of a standing MP. A standard MP cancel into Deathtouch is
a guaranteed combo. The MP cannot be so shallow that the initial flurry
of the Deathtouch does not hit. Obviously this is easiest after missed or
block supers that go deep (ie missed dp supers etc). I -strongly- prefer
to use this combo when my opponent has about 1-2 inches of life left.
Watching the opponent flail around for the last few seconds of his life
as you jump back and taunt is very amusing." (Comment from Sung)
Couldn't agree more! ^_^


CRANE (KKK) - a.k.a. Ki-ryuu
===========

In Crane, Gen has a faster walking speed and slower higher jumps. He
cannot chain combo in this style and most of his attacks are slower.
Learning to use this style effectively will take time and practice.
Most of his attacks have strange properties but when used in 
conjunction with Gen's faster Mantis style can really throw off your 
opponent and confuse the hell out of him.

JAB
---
S: A high hitting quick punch. Buy it's not exactly useless in this 
style. It has quick recovery and you can link into a low short.
C: Hits crouching opponents, but can be blocked standing. Recovery
time is pretty long considering it's a jab. Not that great.
J: Useless

STRONG
------
S: Gen takes a step forward and hits twice punching downward. This is
Gen's overhead and must be blocked standing. Really slow, so be 
cautious when sticking this out. Many opponent will try to counter
after successfully blocking or even taking this attack. Try switching
to Mantis and following up immediately with a Gekirou to hit them out
of there counter attempt. Use good judgement though. Once you scare
them into blocking you can try doing this move again or some other 
attacks.
C: Just like his crouching Jab but does more damage and has longer 
recovery time.
J: Useless

FIERCE
------
S: Gen takes a step forward and hits twice punching upward. The first
hit of this attack must be blocked low. Can be switched up in cases
where you would use Gen's top-down to cause some confusion with your
opponent. Does good guard meter damage. Again, you can try switching
to Mantis and immediately following up with a Gekirou.
C: This move is cool. Gen winds up and does a huge two finger poke.
If this move hits on counter, it does HUGE damage. About as much as a
level 1 super. But if Gen is hit out of it, he takes more damage also.
The range is good. About as long as his low roundhouse in Mantis. Use
it in wake up games or after fast attacks to try to get that counter 
hit. I don't like using this when my opponent has a super meter. It's
too much of a risk to get hit out of this attack with a super.
J: Gen punches downward with both his palms. It's okay.

SHORT
-----
S: Comes out and recovers slowly. Useless.
C: Gen does a gay low kick to his opponent's shins. This move has 
the odd property of knocking your opponent into the air when it 
connects. See COMBOS for more. Comes out and recovers fairly quickly.
J: Useless.

FORWARD
-------
S: Gen does a kick like his standing roundhouse in mantis but without
taking a step forward first. Range is about the same as a standing 
forward in mantis and it seems to come out slow. Never the less, it
is one of Gen's main pokes in this style. If you must poke, then I
suggest you switch to Mantis and just forget about this move.
C: A low kick with okay range and slow speed. Another one of Gen's 
important pokes in this style, but it's crap when compared to his
Mantis stuff. Forget this move also and just use Mantis.
NOTE: It has occurred to me that the slow speed of these moves might 
actually be useful in that they can throw off the timing of your
opponent. The built in delay of these moves might allow you to hit 
your opponent during a counter attack attempt. However, you'll 
probably want to stick with the crouching fierce for that purpose
because you will receive a damage bonus if that move hits on counter.
J: Now this is a good move. One of the longest cross up attacks in any
game. Gen does a backwards kick that can be used to hit opponents that
you jump OVER. It's hard to follow up this move, but it's great for 
getting in a surprise hit (or two, or three... etc. Heh heh.) You can 
actually use this move as a regular jump-in also. If you do cross up
with this, your opponent will usually be surprised. Now is your chance
to use Gen's slower trickier attacks. (Unless your opponent is a spaz.)

ROUNDHOUSE
----------
S: Gen does a quick double kick that has bad range. Not that useful by
itself, but it's okay for following up a jump-in attack with.
C: Gen does a handstand kick used mainly for hitting your opponent out
of the air. Don't ever do this if your opponent is on the ground as the
recovery time is pretty horrible.
J: Tap Roundhouse twice in the air and Gen does a double jump kick.
This will drive your opponent nuts because there is no telling whether
you'll only do one or both. Heh heh. My friends hate this attack. I 
guess that means it's really good. Unfortunately, it's always risky
jumping while you're in Crane style because of Gen's slow ass jumps.
Used mainly on turtles or scared people who are low on life. Looks 
great in combos and does more damage because of the extra hit. Use it
in guaranteed situations (like a dizzy).

JASEN (Charge b,f + P)
----------------------
Gen rolls forward and pokes the opponent. The actual roll hits also.
Goes under regular fireballs. Use this to get close and stick to the
Strong version. The Fierce goes too deep and will get you into trouble
if it's blocked. I don't really use this move a lot but I guess it 
wouldn't hurt to do once in a while. I'm pretty sure it does good
guard meter damage.

OUGA (Charge d,ub~uf + K)
-------------------------
Gen does a Cajun Strike type attack that knocks the opponent down. I
believe this is a pretty useful move. You can fake out your opponent
pretty well with all its different variations. I mainly use it when
my opponent is being a turtle or just for a change of pace. You can
also create openings with this move by suckering your opponents into
missing with their anti-air attacks (mainly Shotokan Dragon Punches).
Nail them with something really painful as they float down afterwards.

KOUGA (In air, qcb,qcb + K)
---------------------------
Kind of like a mid-air Ouga. I use it mainly to eat through my 
opponent's anti-air. Since it's a super it goes through other characters'
regular basic attack anti-airs (like Karin's obnoxious standing fierce)
and some special moves also (trades with Dragon Punches... sometimes).
Other than that I don't really see much use for this move. The Ouga
already provides enough trickery without the cost of a super.

JAKOUHA (qcf,d,df + K)
----------------------
Gen's super air throw. Mainly used at the end of juggles. Doesn't seem to
work that well on its own because you can get knocked out of it pretty
easily. See COMBOS to find out where to use this.


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5. COMBOS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gen's best jump-in attacks are his forward (regular or cross-up) and 
roundhouse in Mantis, and his double roundhouse in Crane. It's actually
possible to connect with the double roundhouse in Crane, switch into 
Mantis before or as you land, and then continue to combo your opponent 
with Gen's chains. Very hard (especially in the arcade) but possible.


Jump-In or Ground Combos
========================
The following combos can be started on the ground or after a jump-in.


1. (PPP) C.Short -> Gekirou (8 hits)

2. (PPP) C.Short -> Gekirou (3~4 hits) -> S.Strong -> Gekirou (8 hits)

3. (PPP) C.Short -> Gekirou (3~4 hits) -> S.Strong -> Gekirou (3~4 hits) 
    -> (KKK) Jakouha

4. (PPP) C.Short -> C.Short -> C.Short -> C.Forward -> Level 3 Zan'ei
    -> Gekirou (3~4 hits) -> S.Strong -> Gekirou (8 hits)

*5. (PPP) C.Short -> C.Short -> C.Short -> C.Forward -> Level 2 Zan'ei
    -> (KKK) C.Strong -> Jakouha

6. (PPP) C.Short -> C.Short -> C.Short -> C.Forward -> Level 2 Zan'ei -> 
   Gekirou (3~4 hits) -> S.Strong -> Gekirou (3~4 hits) -> (KKK) Jakouha

7. (KKK) C.Jab -> Jasen

8. (KKK) S.Jab -> C.Short -> J.Roundhouse (2 Hits)

9. (KKK) S.Jab -> C.Short -> J.Roundhouse (2 Hits) -> (corner) Jakouha


Combos 2 and 3 work best after a cross up forward kick in Mantis. You have
to hit your opponent pretty deep with the first Gekirou for best results.

Combos 2, 3, 4, and 6 all involve a shortened version of the Gekirou. I
usually use the Roundhouse version of the Gekirou, but I am told it works
for the other versions as well. You want to time it so that the 3rd or 4th
kick forces Gen to fall immediately after he does it. You can land before
your opponent does and nail him with the S.Strong punch. Just to show you
what I'm talking about... do a Roundhouse Gekirou on someone and tap kick
as fast as you can. Gen will fall quickly after 2 or 3 kicks. That's 
basically the idea but time it for 3~4 hits on purpose.

In combos 3 and 6, the trick to switching styles fast enough for the 
Jakouha is to do the hits for the Gekirou by pressing KKK.


Other Combos
============


10. (KKK) C.Roundhouse (as an air counter) -> Jakouha

*11. Punch ground throw in the corner -> (PPP) S.Forward -> Gekirou (8 hits)

12. Any ground throw in the corner -> (KKK) Jakouha

*13. Punch ground throw in the corner -> (KKK) -> J.Roundhouse (2 Hits) ->
     land and immediately do a Jakouha

* Combos can be seen on 3-11's Gen combo video at http://fighters.net/

Aside from the above combos, Gen also has his chain combos in Mantis. All 
of Gen's Mantis chains that involve the three low shorts and then low 
forward can be replaced by: C.Short -> C.Strong -> C.Forward. I think that
the latter might do more damage. Harder to time though. One chain combo 
that you could try is C.Short -> S.Fierce -> S.Roundhouse. You can do a 
level 2 or 3 Zan'ei after the Fierce if you want. I think this does good
guard damage because of the Fierce and Roundhouse hits.

Many of Gen's juggles can be broken out of with a well timed air recovery. 
If you anticipate the air recovery, then you should follow up with either 
an air throw, Gekirou, or Jakouha. The Gekirou and Jakouha by themselves
are very hard for your opponent to air recover away from in the middle of 
juggles. Gen's crouching Roundhouse in Crane is a good attack as well and 
can be followed up with a Jakouha.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. STRATEGY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

General Strategies
==================

All right! The strategy section! Basically, you want to nail your opponent
with Gen's highly comboable Zan'ei level 2 or 3 super. Your whole damn 
game should revolve around getting that super meter up and nailing your 
opponent with the Zan'ei.

Super Bar Management
--------------------
Just think about it... connect with a cross-up forward, a single simple
little low short, or any other jump-in... and your opponent loses a lot
of life. Not only that... because of the chain combos, you don't have to
anticipate whether or not your opponent will block. Example: I walk up 
with low Short with Fei Long and immediately cancel into his super. What
if opponent blocked? I'm screwed. It's hard to see that short get blocked
and then stop yourself from doing the super (unless you've got awesome
reflexes). Gen does a 4 hit chain before his supers so it's easy to stop
and _not_ do the super if the opponent blocked. Never use your supers by
themselves unless you absolutely have to or if it's friggin guaranteed.
There is NO reason for you to waste any super meter you've got. If you 
play smart, your connection rate with your super should be 100% (at least 
with the Zan'ei). I generally use only one level for all of Gen's other
supers but it depends on the situation. You might want to burn a level 3
Kouga to cheese your opponent to death or a level 3 Jakouha if it's likely
to connect.

Jumping Attacks
---------------
Take advantage of Gen's fast jumps in Mantis. His J.Roundhouse is great.
Feel free to abuse it against non-Shoto characters. Repeated jump-ins
work well if done moderately, especially if you surprise your opponent 
with a cross up forward. If any of your jump-ins connect... you know what
to do.

Poking
------
When on the ground, use all of Gen's fast pokes (duh). S.Roundhouse,
C.Roundhouse, and C.Fierce are his best ranged attacks. When you get 
close enough, do a chain combo. Don't get frustrated if your opponent is 
blocking all your attacks, his guard meter will go before you know it.
When his guard meter is about to break, do a chain combo that crushes it
mid way and be sure to follow up with the Zan'ei. Gen's strong roll in
Crane is great for chipping off guard meter. Switch to Mantis during the
roll and immediately follow up with a Gekirou. It usually eats out any 
kind of counter attack (except the big moves and supers... did I really
have to tell you that?) If the Gekirou is blocked then tap kick fast to
get even more guard meter chipping off. Gen should land right away and 
you should be left pretty safe. You can do this after his standing Strong
and Fierce in Crane also.

Throwing
--------
Oh, yeah... don't forget to THROW. You'll get a lot of throws off... 
trust me. Especially when your opponent is expecting to block this big 
chain combo and then you just walk up and throw. Heh heh. Once you start
screwing with your opponent's mind then you can start connecting with 
bigger stuff. Always watch how your opponent reacts. It's not how good
your offense is, it's how good you are at playing defensive while you're
attacking (if that makes any sense). The biggest thing to overcome it how
your opponent counter attacks. Pay attention and find a way around it.
Whoever adapts to his opponent the quickest is the winner. That's why
it's important to mix up your game. Which is easy for Gen because he has
2 styles (or hard if you are inexperienced. Practice.)

Delayed Attacks
---------------
Cut your chain combos short and then instead of throwing, walk up and
start another chain. If your opponent flinches, then he will eat the 
chain combo into super. Of course if he flinches into a level 3 super,
then you don't really gain a whole lot do you. It's a nice trick but be
prudent when using walk up throws or combos. Sometimes it's better to
just get as much guard meter damage as possible and then start over.

Okizeme
-------
If the opponent is flat on his back, then you've got a pretty big 
advantage. Make sure you do lots of different okizeme (pressuring the
downed opponent) stuff. You can try Gen's different tricky attacks in
Crane, start a chain combo, throw, go for the cross up... a lot. There
are so many tricks that are universal to every character. The jump in
with no attack and throw for example. I think I read somewhere that Gen
is a wily assassin or something to that extent. Play like one.

Using Crane
-----------
Crane... ahhhhhh, yes. The infamous Crane style. In theory this allows
Gen to be extremely versatile and blah blah blah. I have a hard time 
using this style by itself. I believe that it is best used once in a 
while just to add support to Mantis (which should be the style you're 
in most of the time). Use it to break through big defensive players. I
use this style a lot to get that one last cheap hit in that kills the
guy. A lot of the moves basically screw with your opponent's mind. If
you use them all of a sudden during your offense in Mantis, you'll be
sure to catch your opponent by surprise. Everything in this style must
be used with caution. Generally, you'll want all the moves in this style
to actually connect because they all seem to have slow recovery.


Character Specific Strategies
=============================

Okay, now for some character specific strategies. I've played against a 
lot of different characters, but I'm only going to give strategies for
the guys who actually were good. I've played a lot of Kens but they all
SUCKED. I'm sure he's a good character, but I've never played any good 
ones.


RYU - Ahhhhhh, yes. Ryu. You'll be seeing him a lot. Why are there a 
pretty good number of formidable Ryus but hordes of sucky Akumas and 
Kens? Oh well. Anyway, it's the same old fireball and dragon punch crap.
Jumping over those fireballs won't be too hard for Gen though because of
his fast jumps in Mantis. It will be hard for Ryu to DP you on reaction,
especially if you crossed up with a forward kick. You've got better range
on your attacks so make sure to knock Ryu off his feet before he throws
out any fireballs and get close. A defensive Ryu doesn't stand much of a 
chance, but watch out if he is aggressive. He'll try to be all over you
with low shorts and forwards (almost like what Gen does. heh heh.) But
Gen can inflict more damage per opening than Ryu with his supers.

KARIN - Karin has ONE move that will make your life hard and that is her
standing fierce. It knocks you clean out of ALL your jump-ins except your 
air super. Even your friggin cross ups! It's just like she creates an 
aura around her head area. Stay on the ground until she leaves herself
open. It's hard to face her on the ground though because her pokes seem
to beat yours. A lot of the time during the match I just feel helpless 
against her. You've got to make EVERY hit and super count because you 
won't get that many opportunities to land a clean hit against this chick.
I use Crane a lot against her actually, just to use Gen's off the wall 
attacks and roll. They seem to be the only attacks that allow me to get 
close. Once you knock her down STAY ON HER like stink on sh*t. Don't give
her any breathing room, otherwise she'll get back into that perfect half
screen away range and stop everything you do. C.Roundhouse in Mantis is 
very important in this fight but make sure it is at least blocked! Walk
up throw works in this fight as well. Some Karins will try to counter
your ground pokes after a while or right away with her special counter
moves. Throw her or delay your attacks. This will be your biggest
opening if you anticipate it.

GUY - Feel free to keep crossing up with your jumping forward in Mantis
because Guy can't do jack about it. His 8-Fist usually misses completely.
Your S.Roundhouse beats his S.Forward all the time and Gen generally has
more priority. Your rising kick DP knocks him out of all his jump-ins.
This should be a relatively easy fight. Don't get hit with one of those
hell chain combos though. Guy has some pretty nasty damage potential 
also. Keep in mind that he can't do his hell chain if you're crouching.

CODY - I've played some crazy V-ISM Codys. They seem quite adept at 
cornering you, knocking you dizzy, and kicking you around with those big
V-ISM juggles. Cody has that weird friggin dodge. It's so subtle that 
it's hard to tell one of your attacks has even been dodged! You'll want
to stick to all your attacks that must be blocked low because he can't 
dodge those. Do low shorts into chain combos and crouching roundhouses
and watch his guard meter go away very quickly (it's the shortest in the
game). Cody has good anti-air, but not if you're crossing him up. You
should be able to beat him on the ground also. If Cody juggles you,
there really isn't that much you can do. You'll just have to pay 
attention to what they do after that Jab Hurricane Upper and adapt. Use
Cody's dodge against him also. Create a pattern that consists of low 
moves which force Cody to block. Once your opponent becomes used to 
actually blocking, throw out an attack that can be dodged (like a low
jab). Cody will evade but won't be pushed back. This is the best time 
to walk up and get in a surprise throw.

CHARLIE - Charlie's only chance in this game is to play offensive. His 
defensive game has been shot to hell because all his anti-air has been 
shafted. Feel free to jump-in. When he's doing all those low jabs, shorts
and forwards you gotta be patient. His basic attacks are now his best 
deal but yours are better in most cases. A really offensive Charlie can 
be a problem though (I should know... I use him) but I've never played 
against anyone like that. If they like to sit back and throw booms all
day... they shouldn't last too long.

ZANGIEF - He seems to have gotten stronger and a lot more priority. His
chest and knee attacks seem to pose a problem for most players, but Gen's
Kick DP always knocks him out of those quite nicely. Don't let him jump
in on you... EVER. He gets close, you get slammed... literally. Stay on
the offense and peck his ass to death. Don't let him sweep you, otherwise
he will get close. Jumping backwards with Roundhouse is a good way of 
getting out of all those nasty ticks. I seem to be able to jump in with 
early Roundhouses very easily. I've only been knocked out of the air with
his lariats a couple of times when trying cross ups. Usually he is just
combo meat. Heh heh.


I'm lucky if I get to play anyone besides the Shotos at the arcades I go
to. At least my friends use different characters. I'll update the FAQ if
I ever get to play any other different characters.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. REVISION HISTORY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

VERSION 1.2 (4.19.99_
 - Cleaned up the guide some more. Mainly spelling and grammar 
   corrections. Added some additional strategies as well.

VERSION 1.1 (4.10.99)
 - Made some corrections, added this revision history section, and just
   cleaned up the guide basically. It's no longer "bootleg" people. Well,
   I hope not anyway. ^_^ Added comments sent from Sung K Im and some
   additional strategies also.

VERSION 1.0 (3.20.99)
 - "The Bootleg Street Fighter Alpha 3 A-ISM Gen Guide" is born. I
   actually started writing this while I was waiting for my next class.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. CLOSING
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

This FAQ was originally done on a whim and rushed out, so there are bound
to be a few errors in here. If you have anything to correct, add, or 
comment on, then please feel free to email me (synnsyous@hotmail.com).

Special thanks goes out to:

Chris MacDonald a.k.a. Kao Megura <kmegura@hotmail.com>
 - For the use of the Gen move list from his awesome Alpha 3 FAQ. Check
   it out at GameFAQs.

Michael Wang a.k.a. Ingus <Isamu__dyson@hotmail.com> 
 - His Z-ISM Gen Character Guide offered great insight. Check it out at
   GameFAQs. Macross Plus is one of favorite animes, Mike!

Jack Lin a.k.a. Zangief104
 - Jack must be credited with his Gamest combo translations. He's the one
   who originally posted all those funky Gekirou combos. You can find his
   translation work at http://fighters.net/ which is also a great site
   by the way.

Adam Puhl a.k.a. Three-11 <three-11@fighters.net>
 - For his cool combo videos that can be found at http://fighters.net/

Sung K Im <sim@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu> 
 - Sung's questions helped me to clarify some things that I had failed to 
   elaborate on in the FAQ. He also gave me some useful techniques and
   strategies.

Capcom <http://www.capcom.com/>
 - For making what may possibly be the last great Street Fighter title.
   Things don't look so good for that series from here on out I believe.
   Street Fighter 3... *shudder*

GameFAQs <http://www.gamefaqs.com/>
 - For hosting mine and everyone else's FAQs. It's a great source of 
   information.

More thanks goes out to my arcade buddies: Michael Anthony Paine III, 
Jason Childes, Tommy Sutton, Felix Warsowski, and John Lee. Without
the level of challenge they provided, I would have never been able to
come up with the advanced strategies that I did. Thanks guys!

"You are a BIG fool."
"Heh heh heh heh heh..."

Don't Gen's winning poses rule? Either you love 'em or you hate 'em.

One last comment... you know Gen's opening where he motions for his
opponent to come towards him? That's the perfect time for you to say
"Come get some." LOL! I always get a laugh out of everyone when I
say that. Use it in light-hearted competition with your friends.

Thank you for reading... now go forth and kick some @$$! ^_^