Khan

## Introduction

**Khan** (*カーン* *Kān*) is a minor antagonist featured briefly in Stardust Crusaders and one of six hidden characters in *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage For The Future.*

Khan was an ordinary Barber Polnareff met in Egypt when he was looking for a shave accompanied by Jotaro. Khan was then possessed by the **Anubis** sword (アヌビス神 *Anubisu-shin*) and attacked them.

Khan is a passive stand user and as an Anubis user has the signature Learning Counter move. Khan is a primarily rushdown oriented character with some long reaching normal attacks. His mobility is the only good thing about him, as his movelist lacks in variety and usefulness.

That being said, he's very easy to pick up and quite rewarding when it comes to learning the basics and neutral of the game. While still somewhat usable during high level play, most people only use him for fun.

### **Pros & Khans**

+ Extremely simple, easy and fun to learn character
+ Can easily hitconfirm into his super for solid damage and a good knockdown
+ High mobility due to fast dashes and j.S
+ A couple great pokes and disjoints because of his sword
+ Low standing and crouching hurtbox
+ Good instant overhead in j.C

- Passive Stand character
- Charge move that gets in your way more than it is helpful and often gets you killed just for accidentally using it
- Majority of his moves is easily punishable on block and whiff, including most specials and both supers
- Besides 2A, j.C, j.B, and 4B, his normals have little to no uses
- Low damage grab that doesn't give oki
- Wide hurtboxes, some characters have an easier time doing combos against him

## Combos

### **Basic Combos**

Note that you can start most of these combos from any jumping attack.

Most of Khan's basic combos start with his 2A or the dashing version, and in some situations, it's just easier to hitconfirm straight off them than to go for his links as they can whiff against some characters.

Khan's BnB guide by Taha632RMF

2A, 2A, 2A xx [4]6+A/B>623+A/B/C - Khan's basic combo. Note that [4]6+A/B whiffs against stand off Iggy. Use the next version of the combo against him.
2A, 2A, 2A xx [4]6+C - Ends with a hard knockdown. Does not work against characters with Stand On

2A, 2A, 2A, 4B xx [4]6+A/B>623+A/B/C - Khan's most practical combo, usually consisting from 1 to 3 2As. The 2A into 4B link is quite essential to learn for a Khan player. It's a 2f link, but with enough practice it's quite easy to time properly. Unfortunately, this combo won't work on every character the same way. If you notice that you cannot combo with 623+A/B/C stop using it in that particular matchup, considering that [4]6+A/B is safe on hit, you can stop your combo there or use less 2As for an easier confirm.
2A, 2A, 2A, 4B xx [4]6+C - Same as above but ends with a hard knockdown. Useful against characters that the 623A/B/C combo whiffs against. This version of the combo works against Iggy, so it's useful in that particular matchup. Never use [4]6+C against a Stand On opponent!

   2A, 2A, 2B xx [4]6+A/B>623+A/B/C - A different variation of the bnb combo, using a 2A, 2B link (2f). Technically safer, but less optimal.

5A, 5A xx 623+A/B/C - If you insist on using 5A for some reason, here's a combo for it. The first 5A can be exchanged for 2A. Useful against Petshop for whom 2A whiffs, but other than that, doesn't have much use.
5B xx 623+A/B/C - Useful anti-air combo.
4B xx [4]6+A/B>623+A/B/C - Long range poke hitconfirm. Works as an anti-air as well.
5B xx [4]6+A/B>623+A/B/C - Yet another useful anti-air combo.
5C>5C xx [4]6+A/B>623+A/B/C - Combo off Khan's double heavy slash, not particularly useful due to 5C being quite slow.
5C>5C xx [4]6+C - Leads into a hard knockdown.

j.B/C xx j.S - Works both as an air-to-air and jump-in. Remember that after 3 hits from the j.S, Khan will drop down to the ground.
j.B/C, 623+A/B/C - Can be used as air-to-air or on a grounded opponent as well. It doesn't always combo as your opponent sometimes has a small window if they were hit midair by j.B/C but it does combo often enough and the tech window is small enough that you can use this as a less reliable, more damaging Air-to-Air.

5A/5B/5C/2A/2B/d.5A/d.5B/d.2A/d.2B xx 214+AA - All the normals you can use to confirm into the super.

2A, 2A, 2A xx 214+AA - 2A scales damage, so avoid using too many of em unless you want to gain a tiny bit more meter from it. Three normals is usually enough for the best damage.
2A, 4B xx 214+AA - Combo into super off a harder link. Better damage than the combo above.

d.2A, 2A, 4B, 214AA - Optimized super confirm starting with a dashing low.
j.B/C, 2A, 4B xx 214AA - One of Khan's most damaging super combos. 2A into 4B is a 2f link, but with enough practice, you should get it very consistently.

d.2A/2B/d.2B/5B/d.5B/5C xx 236+AA - The only ways to combo into 236AA. Khan needs to be as close to the opponent as possible as 236+AA triggers the first attack based on proximity. These confirms might not work in all matchups, d.2A being the least consistent one.

### **The Secret Khanjutsu**

Here are some secret combos that are super tough or nearly impossible to perform.

j.B/C, d.2A, 2A, 2A, 4B xx 214+AA - The only "Advanced" combo Khan might have in his arsenal that does optimal damage! Features a 1f link and a 2f link. With enough practice it's actually not very hard to do at all.

2A, d.2A, 2A, d.2A... - Khan's frame perfect infinite made out of jabs. even one rep raises the damage scaling to such an extent that your combo would do more damage *without* it, making it more than just impractical.

j.C, 5C>5C xx [4]6+A/B>623+A/B/C - j.C into 5C link (1-2f). Quite impractical due to how punishable it is on block, but it does do really good damage. Go for it for style points.

2B, 5A xx 214+AA - 1f link into super that only works against thicker characters, potentially corner only. Stylish? Yes. Useful? Not really.

5C>5C xx 214+AA - Only works against Devo with the screen stretched to full thanks to his doll in the opposite corner.

2A, j.A/j.B - 2f combo. Instant overhead thing, but this is probably not the best move to use it with. Even if it hits, it leaves you wide open, which makes it very impractical. All you can do after is try to spin away with j.S. Not recommended unless you're going for the kill. j.S can sometimes hit taller opponents, like stand on Vanilla Ice or stand on DIO.

2A, j.C - Same as above but now 1f. Definitely the better move to go for an instant overhead, but still not recommended unless you're going for a kill.

214+AA !SC 214+AA - The classic. Corner only against a stand on opponent in the air. Does MEGA damage. You can sub out the second 214AA for 236AA for less damage because come on, you're only doing this for style anyway. Legend says in certain matchups you can also fit a 5A in after the !SC...

214+AA !SC [4]6+A/B - Want a variation of *THAT* strange anti-air combo that works midscreen? Here you go. 623A/B/C only combos if they get carried to the corner.

d.5b, [4]6+A/B/C - I know what you're thinking. But yes, this *DOES* work. Very powerful. Finally some real stand crash options. :^)

j.A/B/C xx j.S, 2A xx 214+AA - Requires you to hit an opponent on the ground with any jumping attack canceled into j.S at a very specific height. Hold forward and you should touch the ground right as j.S finishes, then hit 2A. The j.S into 2A part might be frame perfect and require Ice-Dragon Blood. Won't work on every character.

j.C, d.2A xx 236+AA - When you get bored of only using 214AA in combos and want to let the cooler super shine.

## General Strategy

### **Summary**

Khan's main strategy is pressuring your opponent until their defense cracks, allows you to either perform Khan's basic combo or a super combo.

### **Playstyle**

Always approach with either j.C or 2A; most of the damage throughout the game will be dealt through j.C and 2A. While Khan's ultimate meterless combo may often be seen as the most optimal choice in most situations, it's actually best to go for a knockdown, Khan gets a lot out of okizeme. Thankfully, his 214+AA super grants him very strong oki and high damage.

I'm sorry to say that you'll find yourself playing dirty as Khan, surprise supers, tick grab spam, hyper hop spinning, and abusing Khan's excellent back dashes are all necessary for his own matchups. If you enjoy characters that have to approach each matchup differently you'll love Khan. Khan doesn't have consistency because of how weak he is; he bends to his opponent's character.

Unfortunately, a lot of Khan's tricks don't work on experienced players. You need to ramp up the frequency and variety of Khan's tricks, outplay your opponent using reads, use mixups, block everything, guard cancel, etc. and pray to come out on top versus an experienced player.

Ultimately, Khan is a fun character who is unfortunately unfinished. Khan is an easy character to pick up, but winning as Khan takes experience and execution. Be happy with every win you garner as Khan, you outplayed your opponent.

### **Tick Grabs**

Tick grabs are surprisingly easy and useful for Khan, not for damage, but for cracking defenses, turning stand off and maneuvering characters into the corner where Khan wants them due to the long throw. Note that Khan's throw has a soft knockdown and does poor damage. Dashing 2a and j.c can both tick grab.

### **Okizeme**

Khan has a few tricks for his okizeme. The first and weakest is to 5C>5C as a pseudo-meaty. This is obviously weak to wakeup supers and blocking but if it connects or they block high following up with a [4]6+C may surprise them and result in another knockdown.

Another option is to simply grab them on wakeup. You can further expand on this by backdashing, waiting for them to wakeup. At this point your opponent will think to throw out an attack instead of an anti-wakeup measure so you can dash in with 2C to knock them down again, 2A to tick grab them or 2A/2B to combo into 214+AA.

After landing a hard knockdown against characters that take a longer time to wake up, you can attempt to do a long jump behind them and try to give them a sneaky low or high from behind. If 214+AA stand crashed, you should have more than enough time to pull this off.

The last okizeme option is to simply land a j.C as they get up. Simple and effective, if it lands you can go into any of Khan's combos, even another knockdown. It's also the safest option on block. Mix it up with empty jump 2A.

### **Neutral**

Khan should only use short hop j.C, dashing 2A, and 4B for the neutral game (and in some safe cases 5C) meaning most characters will beat him in the neutral game. However, it may be beneficial to play in the neutral game with characters that are simply too powerful for Khan to risk closing in on. E.g. Ice, Jotaro, and DIO.

Charging is a very good idea in the neutral, [4]6+A/B into 623+C is often Khan's best punish and can open the way for Khan to start comboing. A nice trick is to [4]6+A/B underneath your opponent if they jump high and 623+C in the other direction to catch them in an air cross up.

Khan's defense is abysmal. He has no defensive options and the best option is to usually to push block like a madman if you're caught. Both his roll and guard cancel are average meaning Khan will be caught out often. If worst comes to worst and Khan is caught in the corner, super jump over your opponent and spin as far as you can.

Your best chance for getting an aggressive opponent off your back is either jumping back and using j.B into S to retreat or going for a tick grab to reset to neutral.

In some rare cases, his Counter Special can be very useful. Landing it is difficult, but if you tag the correct move e.g. Shadow DIO's 5C or 5S you will really slow him down and sometimes it can slide the game in your favor. Still, it's a really risky tactic as the counter has abysmal endlag if it doesn't work.

### **Mobility**

Phew, finally a definitive strength for Khan.

Khan's S spin offers him unrivaled mobility in the air, possibly only contested by Kak and Ice's IAD. The speed at which the spin moves is determined by the direction Khan jumped in and the speed at which he did his jump, so a normal jump is slow while a hyper hop is much faster. Air-recovering into a spin is also great as it can be helpful in safely escaping from tech chases. Spin also works in air-to-air best at the same height, not at all if they're lower than you and somewhat if they're higher than you.

Often your opponent thinks they can simply zone out Khan, but as soon as an opening appears in their spam attempts, Khan can nearly teleport into their face. This startles and shocks, causing them to make bad decisions, usually a roll. Khan can punish the opponent then and stick to them like glue for the rest of the round.

Spin can avoid being anti-aired too. You can control the speed by holding either forward or backward. Naturally, you want to go as fast as possible in most cases so you would hold forward, but if you see your opponent preparing an anti-air you can switch to holding backward, the anti-air then misses, you hold forward again and you can punish. The only problem with the spin is its recovery after you hit the ground. If you hit the opponent 3 times while still having quite a long distance to the ground, you'll put yourself at a disadvantage. Thankfully, close to the ground the air spin is plus on hit, even guaranteeing some follow-ups if it hits deep enough.

Khan's backdash is also great. It's a quick leap back, similar to the ones in the KOF series, that covers a decent amount of ground. Note, Khan can cancel the backdash into the spin when his feet are off the ground, lending him a small amount of protection, but the recovery from the spin is far longer than from the dash. Backdashing into his Learning Counter is also a neat trick.

Khan's forward dash is decent. Its speed is serviceable, certainly fast enough to slip d.2A in and go for tick grabs. It can be canceled at any time though it's not instant (you can cancel his dash by pressing back).

## Matchup Strategy

#### Avdol

While facing Avdol it's best to approach him on the ground. Khan's low stature allows him to go under a lot of Avdol's key moves, including his projectiles. Still, a lot of his moves will outprioritize yours. Wait for him to commit to mistakes and retaliate with a combo into super. His fast wakeup speed might make it harder for you to use your okizeme.

#### Alessi

Alessi can be extremely hard to approach and his small stature doesn't make it any easier for you. On top of it all Khan's child mode is potentially the weakest one in the entire game, giving Alessi very easy and high damaging combos. Don't jump too much and try to utilize your pokes to its fullest potential.

#### Black Polnareff

One thing that makes Khan very strong in this matchup are his quick pokes and many buttons that outrange Black Polnareff. Black Polnareff might also have a harder time looping Khan due to his awkward hurtboxes. Play it safe and mix him up using your fast pokes. Note that landing the [4]6+A/B xx 623A/B/C combo against Black Polnareff can be difficult due to his thin hurtbox and is not recommended. Watch out for the Learning counter move as it can easily disable majority of your attacks.

#### Chaka

Chaka's strong neutral options and mobility, as well as a good super and minimally higher damage output outclass Khan in many ways. Many of his moves are just as good if not better than yours. Watch out for the Learning counter as it can easily disable majority of your attacks. You can still outspeed him with your mixups and pokes. Look out for holes in his offense and beat his punishable strings with a fast stab or super.

#### Devo

Try to focus on Devo's doll more than Devo himself. Your solid anti-air tools and DP can beat his jumping approach, while 2A and j.C is super effective against his doll.

#### DIO

DIO's large hurtboxes and slow wakeup speed make this matchup a bit harder for him. Utilize this and try to mix him up whenever you can. Try to play safe and don't let him hit you with s.236AA or it's game over.

#### Hol Horse

Chasing Hol around the entire stage, as you lose most of your health to chip damage. Fun times. Khan's wonderful mobility shines in this matchup. Just watch out for all the traps Hol might set in your way. Jumping is advised, but note that if you get hit by his 5C it's game over.

#### Hol & Boingo

Easier due to Khan's wonderful mobility and the fact that Hoingo tools don't work as well against such a mobile target. Try interrupting Hol as much as you can as he doesn't have many moves that can really stop you from just jumping in and beating him to death.

#### Iggy

The one matchup where [4]6+C becomes a necessity. Landing it on Stand Off Iggy is a must as [4]6+A/B whiffs. This matchup is fairly difficult due to Iggy's amazing defensive abilities which make it very hard for Khan to get in, most notably, the hover sandballs. it's still fairly possible to get in and score big damage against Iggy, especially in the corner.

#### Old Joseph

Old Joseph is outsped by Khan both in terms of mobility and attack speed. Your pokes beat his in a lot of situations and his uber slow wakeup speed gives you more than enough time to prepare the wackiest oki the world's ever seen. Just watch out for his anti-airs and you should be good.

#### Jotaro

Khan can duck under Jotaro's s.5A and that's great. Just look out for tandems and star breaker. Don't let Jotaro push you into a corner. Use your mobility and j.S to run away in bad situations.

#### Khan

This is the most fun matchup in the entire game. :)

#### Mariah

Mariah is too slow to be able to set anything out. Even if you're being clumsy and running into her outlets, be merciless and keep running into her so that she never has time to set any attacks. Try to approach her on the ground, even though your jump-in attacks can usually beat her attempts at anti-airs. At high magnetism level, watch out for 214A. In case you let her use 623A/B/C, just block the cable (you will take chip damage) or quickly cut it with any jumping normal as Khan is somehow capable of doing that very quickly and it works, even though he's a Passive Stand character. Just don't jump into Mariah while doing so as you might open yourself for an anti-air.

#### Midler

Midler will either try to open you up with her fast normals and deadly jump-in attacks, or zone you out with her cars. She doesn't have any anti-airs aside from her cars, so you can use that to your advantage. Do note that a lot of her moves can actually beat you in the air though.

#### New Kakyoin

You can, in theory, cut his nets but it's always a big risk. Mixing up Kakyoin can be difficult but if you managed to get close enough to him and he didn't have any defenses set up, you will be able to continue your offense, as his Stand On normals are awfully slow with a few exceptions.

#### Petshop

2A whiffs against Petshop. Do you even want to play without your best move? No? Understandable.

#### Polnareff

The objective here is to take the initiative and prevent Polnareff from controlling the flow of the match with shooting star. Khan's wonderful mobility allows him to quickly get on Pol but you need to be careful, as Polnareff has a lot of really strong buttons at his disposal, that will usually trade with your attacks or just straight beat you. Note that landing the [4]6+A/B xx 623A/B/C combo against Polnareff can be difficult due to his thin hurtbox and is not recommended.

#### Shadow Dio

Shadow Dio's raw strength and Khan's poor defense stat result in massive damage once he lands a hit on you. Outmatch him with your speed and solid normals and mix him up as much as you can, as he doesn't have good defensive tools outside of some solid anti-airs.

#### Rubber Soul

Being able to duck under Rubber's 6S, as well as having far-reaching pokes is a very useful thing in this matchup. You will be mostly using grounded approach as jumping against Rubber Soul is very risky. Rubber also has a hard time jumping in, though.

#### Vanilla Ice

You must attempt to not allow Ice to freely build meter, as hard as that sounds. His normals quite often beat or trade with yours, but his tall stature makes it easier for you to mix him up. Ice can use his tandem to mix you up rather easily in many situations so watch out when he has meter.

#### Young Joseph

Similar matchup to Old Joseph. You can move under clackers and counter him in a lot of situations and he doesn't have as many good anti-air options as Old Joseph. However, his normals hit a bit harder due to higher damage values.

## Extra

### Trivia

* If you use *Spinny Funny* as the opponent jumps or rolls behind you, the spin will suck them into Khan, instead of pushing them away. This can lead to some high damage.
* The first hit of the 236+AA super misses from fullscreen.
* If the last hit of the 236+AA super somehow manages to whiff, the opponent won't die if they had no health left.
* Khan's 214+AA second hit can miss, the second hit also does most of the damage. :(

### Hitboxes

An album with all hitboxes: https://imgur.com/a/B850RL2

Special thanks to Kreeg and CaineTemple for initial frame data and hitboxes respectively.