Kazumi counterplay

Neutral

Kazumi's main plan is to get up close and use her 1,1,2 and CH 4 to get big damage against counter attacks. Because of their speed, attacking into her without a frame advantage can be scary.

• 1,1,2 is i10 and the final hit can be easily hit confirmed.

• 4 is an i11 counter hit launcher.

If you try and defend instead, you need a plan for dealing with her pokes. Backdashing rarely works because her jabs and d/f+1 all have huge forward momentum. This effectively allows her to spam 1 at you forever with the only real counterplay being high crushing moves.

However, outside of the 1 jab, all her moves are -3 or worse on block. If she's spamming attacks after d/f+1 or jab strings, then any i12 or faster move will win, so just counter hit her. Reacting to blocking 1,1 or 1,2 instead of 1 is essential so that you can take your turn effectively.

Because of this, the more common Kazumi flowchart is 1,1 or 1,2 or d/f+1 into sidestep block. The mind game then is that your fastest homing move is probably i15 or slower, at which point 4 becomes a threat again.

Sidestepping

After blocking Kazumi's jab (+1):

• Sidestep right beats 1, 4, d/f+1, u/f+4, and f,F+4.
• Sidewalk right beats 1,1 and 1,2. On some characters sidestep right also beats these.
• Sidestep left can beat 1,1 and even sometimes 1,2. However, depending on the character this is rather fickle, and a step block usually won't evade the second hit.
• Sidewalk left beats d/f+4. It's common to use this move as her “homing” mid in this situation.

Tiger

If a string ends with a tiger, the tiger only comes out on hit, and the move is punishable on block. Can be awkward to can get the timing for punishing some of them. These moves are:

• ws3
• u/f+2
• 1+2
• b,f+2,1,1+2
• f,F+2
• d+1,2

Strings

• 3,2 ends in a high. It can be mixed up with 3,1. This is her main whiff punisher, so be sure to punish her for messing up with it. (The tiger afterwards is guaranteed on hit.)

• 3,1 ends in a mid and is -13 on block. It's not very scary (except at the wall), doing only 20 damage.

• ws4,4 ends in a high. Be careful of ws4 on its own, since it's only -3 on block: ws4 into 4 is a common trap against people thinking too much about the high.

• d/b+2,3,4 is three high crushing, -14 on block lows. Can block but not low parry after being hit. Third hit can be interrupted by i11 on block. Ideally you can low parry the first hit on reaction.