All-Star Battle ★ Kars
Kars makes his first appearance as a playable character in the PS3 title. He was confirmed alongside Rohan Kishibe. In the English release of the game, Kars's Light Blades are called "Shining Sabres" (keeping the alliteration of the Japanese name).
Along with Wamuu and Esidisi, Kars uses the Mode style as part of his moveset, which allows him to temporarily boost his strength and performance among other things, at the cost of the Heart Heat Gauge.
Vampire characters (Dio Brando, DIO and Vanilla Ice) and Pillar Men characters (Wamuu, Esidisi and Kars) can't fight on stages that contain sunlight. To play on those stages they need to be equipped with the Red Stone of Aja on the character select screen, which is unlocked by beating their respective parts in Story Mode.
If Kars, Wamuu or Esidisi fight in the Skeleton Heel Stone stage, the crowd will shout their names, recreating the scene in Part 2. When Kars isn't fighting, he will appear as a background character alongside Lisa Lisa. If Wamuu is one of the combatants in battle, Kars can be heard bragging about Wamuu's strength frequently.
Command List
Kars has 850 HP.
During a fight, Kars can use several different attacks that were featured in Battle Tendency.
Shining Sabres Mode also possesses the special effect of allowing Kars to execute his HHA at any amount of Heart Heat while active, even when at less than one stock. However, doing so will immediately end the Mode and completely empty the Heart Heat Gauge.
If Flash-Canceled, this skill can be used to guarantee a successful GHA against the cast majority of the playable roster.
- Light (): He reappears above the opponent with foot blade extended in a dive kick to knock them down, hard enough for them to bounce. This move is a middle attack that cannot be blocked crouching. (Flash Cancel comboable)
- Medium (): He reappears behind the opponent and strikes them with an upwards slash. This move is a low attack that cannot be blocked standing. (Comboable)
- Heavy (): He reappears at a distance away, or does not move if he is already far enough, making the skill effectively a feint.
Kars may perform his HHA while Shining Sabres Mode is active, regardless of how much of the Heart Heat Gauge he has left. Doing so however, will drop his HHG to zero.
This GHA is one of the longest and most difficult ones to fully activate, taking roughly 5 seconds to complete. As such, certain characters can make it nigh-impossible to successfully transform; Even under optimal circumstances, Jotaro Kujo and DIO are still granted enough time as Kars transforms to use their Time Stop abilities and interrupt the transformation. Narciso Anasui and Okuyasu Nijimura also possess skills that can be used to interrupt the transformation if performed quickly enough, even from opposite ends of the battle arena.
Once his GHA is successful, Kars is dubbed as "Kars (Ultimate Thing)" for the rest of the battle and gains a whole new moveset that possesses greater overall range, speed, and damage than his previous state. Ultimate Thing Kars is not entirely infallible. If he falls victim to Kosaku-Kira's Bites the Dust GHA, Kars will revert back to his original form. He also loses access to his HHA, or enter Light Mode and Shining Sabres Mode.
- Light (): He fires off a volley of his hardened feathers straight forward.
- Medium (): He launches a piranha that quickly arcs downward. This attacks deals the most damage of the three variations, and is a middle attack that cannot be blocked crouching.
- Heavy (): He sics a squirrel created from his hand on his opponent. Despite its low damage, it chases and homes in on the opponent. It is a high attack until it hits the ground, then becomes a low attack while moving.
- Light (): He unleashes two quick high punches.
- Medium (): He slides a distance forward while performing a downward elbow strike. This version is a middle attack that cannot be blocked crouching.
- Heavy (): He dashes forward to unleash a powerful body blow. This version is a low attack that cannot be blocked standing.
Gameplay Overview
A tricky high-speed character that represents the "Glass Cannon" sub-archetype, firmly 'rushdown', Kars aims to close the distance and assault the opponent with his various Lightblade attacks. He has impressive base movement speed and strong normal attacks, and readily engages well in close combat. Beyond that, he possesses several attacks that move him large distances forward, as well as an attack that targets the opponent from anywhere in a high-low-feint mix-up. His Modes make his already-impressive offense especially dangerous, with many of his attacks becoming completely unblockable and his combo ability improved.
Should he successfully transform into the Ultimate Thing, Kars becomes a tremendously powerful, if not simplified character. With an unblockable attack, various fast high-low skills, and a wealth of mid-ranged attacks and projectiles that all deal or can lead into explosive damage, he dictates the flow of the match. All the while, most of these attacks rarely leave him vulnerable. Kars may also take to the skies and control the aerial space with his projectiles and sudden air dashes, where most characters can have great trouble challenging him.
However, as a glass cannon character, Kars has much lower-than-average health. In addition, many of his skills while in his regular form can be situational and not easily used well. He can have difficulty securing an opportunity to transform into the Ultimate Thing when battling certain characters, which limits his potential. Even after transforming, Kars loses access to many useful abilities like his Modes and certain skills, requiring some adaptation.
Kars specializes in moving in close to his opponent and using various mix-ups and unblockable attacks to outmaneuver them and bypass defenses. Once he ascends to the Ultimate Thing, his new arsenal of abilities are a balanced combination of high speed, damage, utility, and ease-of-use, requiring little effort to deliver devastating results.
Trivia
- The dialogue of Kars and the Light Dancer Kars from JORGE JOESTAR Chapter 16 is referenced in All-Star Battle in a mirror match of Kars against himself.