Rubber Soul

## Introduction

**Rubber Soul** (ラバーソール *Rabā Sōru*) also known as **Robber Soul**, is a minor antagonist featured in Stardust Crusaders. He is a mercenary hired by DIO to defeat the Joestar family in hopes of receiving one hundred million dollars for finishing his job. He is one of the six hidden characters in *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage For The Future*.

His stand, *Yellow Temperance*, is an undestroyable gooey blob bound strictly to his body which can absorb any living matter to increase its mass. It can easily mimic other people and objects to a degree.

In the game, Rubber Soul mimics Kakyoin and his stand *Hierophant Green*, using very similar, yet heavily altered moveset, considering that unlike him, he has a Passive stand. Rubber Soul is a defensively oriented character that relies heavily on fast pokes, medium to long-range attacks, and short combos. He also loves taunting his opponents a lot.

### **Pros & Cons**

   + Strong defense and good rushdown
+ Decent super moves with high damage
+ Strongest regular grab in the game that also builds a lot of meter
+ Short and simple combos
+ Has pretty much the best and the only real cross-up in the game (j.A xx j.S)
+ Quality taunts

- Passive Stand character
- A lot of his attacks leave him vulnerable due to his Stand having lingering hurtboxes, making exploitable holes in both his offense and defense
- Not too many useful normals limiting his strategy
- Low damage output without the use of supers

## Movelist

### **Unique Moves**

*Yellow Temperance* - **S** (Air OK)

Rubber Soul calls out Yellow Temperance to perform a variety of attacks while mimicking Kakyoin's Hierophant Green. Any S attack can be used to cancel a normal move. This is where Rubber Soul's moveset starts to shine, as all of his S attacks put him at large frame advantage. The only downside is that after using them, Rubber Soul can only attack using his jabs and he cannot block either. Learning to keep yourself safe during this period is the key to playing this character in neutral.

**623 + A/B/C (while blocking)**

Rubber can move standless from frame 10.
Yellow Temperance has a hurtbox for 38 frames.
Air-UB
Untechable

## Combos

You can start many of the following combos with j.A, j.B and j.C. You can also sometimes replace 4S for 5S if you prefer to launch the opponent lower, but 5S may miss due to smaller hitbox. You can also combo after his projectile special connects or follow-up after his S attacks.

### **Important Links**

Rubber Soul doesn't have much in terms of links. Except for jabs, his attacks come our rather slowly.

5A, 5A; 2A, 2A; 5A, 2A; 2A, 5A - His jabs are interchangable. You can usually land two of those in a row. Three times against some particular characters or if your timing is flawless.
d.5A/d.2A, 5A/2A, 5A/2A - His dashing jabs make decent combo starters and you'll be using them a lot.
5A CrC 5B - Only crouch cancel link Rubber Soul has. It's a 2 frame link and it is not even that useful.

### **Basic Combos**

j.A xx j.S - Once Rubber's j.A connects, you can quickly combo with S while you're still in midair. High damage and relatively safe. You can use this combo for cross-ups as the stand attack will turn Rubber towards his opponent.
When done low enough, j.S and this string can be used to start many of the combos below as well.

2A, 2A xx 4S/214+A/B/C - Jab, low kick into launcher or wrap. Canceling into the Wrap might require negative edge.
d.5A/d.2A, 2A, 2A xx 4S/214+A/B/C - Rubber's primary combo string. Dash jab into two low kicks into launcher or wrap.

5B/d.5B xx 4S/214+A/B/C- Simple hitconfirm.
5C/d.5C (2 hits) xx 4S/214+A/B/C - Hitconfirm out of a 2 hit normal. Can use 6S if 5C hits too far and 4S is out of range. The dashing version is much more effective.
2B (2 hits) xx 4S/214+A/B/C - Hitconfirm out of a 2 hit normal.
d.2B xx 4S/214+A/B/C - Dashing 2B only hits once, as opposed to the regular version. It still allows special cancels.
2C (1 hit) xx 4S/214+A/B/C - 2C can be canceled before the second hit knocks down the opponent.
d.2C (2 hits) xx 4S/214+A/B/C - Hit confirm out of a low 2 hit normal.

#### *Gooey Trap Follow-ups*

Use d.5A after the wrap connects if your opponent isn't close enough to you, otherwise, a regular jab will do the job.

214+A/B/C, d.5A, [5A]\*5, j.S - Meterless wrap follow up. You can punch your opponent during wrap around 6 times (but 3-5 is your safe bet). Then you can hit your opponent in the air with j.S. It requires proper timing or the opponent will recover after the wall bounce. It might be easier if instead of the last punch you do j.A just before the wrap is about to end, or when you jump over to the other side of the screen after punching your opponent 3 times. That way it's possible to combo j.S before the wall splat happens.

214+A/B/C, d.5A, [5A]\*2, 663 j.A, 44 (move as far away from the opponent as possible), 236+AA - Uses one stock of super. After 2 or 3 hits during wrap perform a dash jump across the stage to make enough space between you and the opponent. Once the opponent is launched by the end of the wrap, they should land right in front of you. With proper timing, you can use Rubber's projectile super to deal some high damage. If mistimed, the opponent can recover from the move earlier or the move simply whiffs.
**This won't work near a corner as there won't be enough space to jump away from the opponent. Watch out where you use this combo and use proper attacks.**

### **Advanced Combos**

623+A/B/C (while blocking) !SC, d.j.S/hh.S - You can follow up with j.S after a Guard Cancel ONLY after it caused a Stand Crash.

j.A/d.5A/d.2A xx 6248/4268+A/B/C - Coconut Backbreaker can combo from these normals (and possibly their standing versions as well), however, the timing is very strict and inconsistent.

d.5A, 5A, CrC 5B xx 4S/214+A/B/C - Rubber Soul's standing jab can be crouch canceled after he withdraws his fist after punching his opponent by holding down. This trick allows to cut some recovery frames from his jab and lets him connect with 5B after the jab. It's a difficult 2 frame link. If mistimed it still serves as a frame trap.

d.5A/d.2A, 2A xx 6S, d.2A, 2A, 2A xx 4S - Tight combo extension which leads to a hard knockdown. Best done in the corner, but works against some chars outside of it.
d.5A/d.2A, 5A, CrC 5B xx 6S, d.2A, 2A, 2A xx 4S - Corner only. Insanely tight.

d.2A, 2[A] xx 236+]A[, d.2A, 2A, 2A xx 4S/214+A/B/C - Two jabs quickly canceled into the projectile attack. Best done in the corner. Negative edge 236+A to guarantee that it connects as early as possible.

j.S, d.2A, 2A, 2A xx 4S/214+A/B/C - Combo example starting off a deep j.S. Hard to time right but leads to decent damage.

[any normal] xx 6S, d.2A, 2A, 2A xx 4S - Any normal into 6S and 3 jabs follow up. If you're using standing versions of 5C, 2B or 2C, make sure to cancel the first hit into 6S. Very hard to time properly. Works best in the corner.
[any normal] xx 2S, d.2A, 2A, 2A xx 4S - Any normal into 2S and 3 jabs follow up. If you're using standing versions of 5C, 2B or 2C, make sure to cancel the first hit into 6S. Even harder to time properly. Works best in the corner.

## General Strategy

### **Summary**

Rubber Soul doesn't have too many tools at his disposal but can be great at zoning in the middle of the field with his projectiles or stand attacks.

Keep your distance and find the right moment for a jump in or approach with a dashing low jab. Rubber's projectile move comes out really fast to guarantee a safe approach or follow up. You need to be patient and do his basic 50/50s over and over. Rubber's quick roll can be really helpful to keep you safe from being punished too. Don't be reckless and keep your distance until your opponent makes a mistake.

In case you launch the opponent into the air and they recover in your direction, you can counter with 4S or use projectile super + 5A to set up an unblockable super with decent damage. You can use Rubber's 236+AA super to set up his command grab by jumping/rolling behind them. You can also attempt to juggle opponents in the air using 5A or 5B into 5S/4S. Rubber Soul's powerful anti-airs have a lot of potential.

Always keep a stock of meter at your disposal in order to be able to punish an opponent with your projectile super from afar or to save yourself from a tight spot with his command grab super.

Don't forget about your powerful counter move, although mistiming it can be fatal and the opponent can still grab you through it.

His jumping stand attack is one of the strongest attacks in the games and causes hard knockdown if the opponent was airborne. Just make sure it connects with your opponent as whiffing this move will most likely result in a punish.

Low damage output makes Rubber Soul a poor character. However, his tricky rushdown usage and combination of stand attacks can turn even the worst matchup in your favor.

### **Okizeme/Resets**

Rubber Soul has a huge variety of moves that cause hard knockdown and which also make a big chunk of his combo enders, most importantly his j.S which you will be using a lot and his regular grab. During resets, you won't have too many choices, either his d.2A or j.A will work, however, there is a way to make these moves much safer to use in this situation. Use Rubber Soul's 236+A/B/C projectile attack right before the opponent is about to stand up, if done correctly opponent will be forced to block no matter what, letting you approach them safely. While Rubber's Oki isn't the best, using the projectile move there will cause a small bit of Chip damage at the very least.

As an alternative, after using the projectile attack and timing your d.2A or j.A properly, you may attempt to go for a tick grab (d.2A is more likely to work, you can add a bonus jab and walk forward a bit as well). This is still a bit risky to do because if you attack the opponent before Yellow Temperance disappeared, Rubber won't be able to use his grab. Still, it's a decent strategy if you want to chip down opponent's health and gain meter from his grabs.

## Matchup Strategy

#### Avdol

Avdol's low hurtbox while crouching makes this a very tough matchup for Rubber Soul. Don't be reckless and stay on defense until you see that your opponent tries really hard to attack you or goes Stand On. You'll want learn to time your 4S anti-air properly, but watch out as many of Abdul's attacks have very high priority and will beat your attacks no matter what.

#### Alessi

Same as with Avdol, Alessi's hurtbox is even shorter, making Rubber's best weapon that is j.A j.S crossup mostly useless against him. Alessi can punish a lot of your attacks with 2C. Focus on using j.B or j.C during jump-ins and try to combo off that to deal as much damage as quickly as you can.

#### Black Polnareff

As long as you keep zoning B.Pol you should be fine. Most of his approach attempts can be punished with your anti-airs or 236+A/B/C. Your counter move is also very useful here, but watch out for B.Pol's 214+AA super as its startup is very long and will punish your counter if you used it too early.

#### Chaka

Similar match-up as with Black Polnareff, but his approach's better due to his super fast jumps. Whiffing your attacks can be fatal as Chaka can easily punish them with his super.

#### Devo

Difficult match-up for Rubber Soul as Devo can use his doll to attack from behind where Rubber cannot protect himself. Still, against any frontal assault from Devo or his doll, your counter makes a very good tool. Try to keep the doll in front of yourself to evade any dangerous situations. Rubber's wakeup time is very fast which makes it harder, if not impossible for Devo to time his mixups properly.

#### DIO

DIO cannot teleport in this matchup, as any failed teleport attempt means that Rubber Soul gets a free grab which equals bonus meter and high damage. Try to get close on DIO and attempt rushdown. Evade using Stand attacks from long distance as DIO can easily read you with his projectile super.

#### Hol Horse

Hol will keep running away from Rubber and chipping at his health. You must chase him into a corner and then not let him get away from it. Hol's rolls are extremely fast and will be hard to counter grab. It is essential you learn to react to them. 236+AA can occasionally be used in order to punish Hol from fullscreen or at the very least chip his health a bit. It will always cause chip damage as Hol's roll is just ends too early.

#### Hol & Boingo

Try to get as close to Hol as possible and don't let him leave the corner. If he does, you'll most likely need to chase him across the entire stage. Hoingo isn't as difficult to fight for Rubber as regular Hol is.

#### Iggy

5A and 6S are useless in this matchup unless Iggy turns his Stand On. Their only use is for anti-airs. For whatever reason whenever Iggy is launched by Rubber's wrap, with proper timing, Rubber can combo him with another wrap or his command grab super before he hits the floor or a wall. This only works against Iggy for some reason.

#### Joseph

While Old Joseph's attacks are not the fastest, they can still give you trouble while approaching. Any mistimed attempt at rushdown means you'll be punished with Old Joseph's Custom Combo for high damage. Keep your distance and look for an opening to strike.

#### Jotaro

While your zoning and counters should be enough for this matchup, Jotaro's s.5A is extremely fast and will almost always anti-air you. Look for any openings in Jotaro's offense and counter him in the middle of his strings if possible.

#### Kakyoin

Be careful not to jump into Kakyoin's nets once you commit to a jumping approach. While Kakyoin easily beats you in range, you should be able to time a jumping attack after his s.2C. While empty hops are advised just to stay safe, if you jump right in front of Kakyoin you'll most likely be hit by one of his anti-airs. You'll want to jump behind Kakyoin and strike him from behind, this should also allow you to start your offense. Do not be reckless as any mistake will cost you the round. 236+AA super is very useful to punish Kakyoin's emerald splash or whenever he whiffs moves from fullscreen. Do not forget about your grabs as they will turn Kakyoin's Stand Off where he's more or less defenseless.

#### Khan

Khan is extremely crippled in this matchup. Keep doing your block strings or attempt zoning in order to beat him easily.

#### Mariah

Rubber can easily interrupt almost every attack Mariah throws at him from midscreen. 6S becomes a very useful tool just for that, but note that in neutral, Mariah can just duck under it. Just rush her down and she should have no way to beat him. Obviously watch out where you jump so you won't land on an outlet trap.

#### Midler

Similar story as with Hol Horse. Midler will try to keep distance by running away from Rubber all the time. Do not jump too much as you're asking to be hit by Midler's cars. Keep moving on the ground and properly use rolls to dodge her ranged attacks, then rush her down in the corner. Unlike Hol, Midler's rolls are much slower, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to punish them, but watch out as Midler got very good jump-ins.

#### New Kakyoin

Much easier matchup when compared to regular Kakyoin. Still, watch out for his nets. New Kakyoin might try to play more offensively unlike regular Kak.

#### Petshop

This is actually one of the harder matchups for Petshop. Rubber Soul is very thin, which results in some of Petshop's combos being quite inconsistent. Rubber can still use his 2A/d.2A to do low attacks, which is just great. Petshop can be rushed down, but you need to stay calm and try to block his bullshit whenever you're not close to him.

#### Polnareff

Rubber has no way to beat Shooting Star, which means that he will be under constant pressure from Polnareff. Polnareff players have a habit of rolling after using Shooting Star to avoid damage. Use that opportunity to walk in and grab Pol's roll. This will give you the upper hand.
Still, this matchup is very bad for Rubber as Pol's normals outclass his. Do not waste your opportunity to rush him down. Always lead to hard knockdown as Polnareff's Shooting Star will be temporarily disabled.

#### Shadow Dio

One matchup you should play more defensively. Shadow Dio players are usually very aggresive, and you can outzone their rushdown attempts.

#### Rubber Soul

It all comes down to how well you know your moveset. One Rubber Soul player will attempt to rush the other one down. Due to the limited movesets, this can be a very chaotic matchup.

#### Vanilla Ice

Vanilla Ice's roll is hard to read. Learning to grab his roll is gonna be hard. Do not rush him down as any mistake will lead to him punishing you for massive damage. Outzone him with projectiles and don't let him close to you.

#### Young Joseph

Arguably an easier matchup than Old Joseph. Rubber Soul can easily punish Joseph's moves, and he's too slow to punish him. Just rush him down and don't let him do a thing.

## Trivia

* Rubber Soul's "Rero Rero Rero" taunt became a very popular internet meme.
* Mashing A+B+C+S during Rubber Soul's intro will make a beetle fly down to him after it ends and 'assist' him during the fight.
* On some rare occasions, Rubber Soul's fake Hierophant Green Stand might block an incoming hit instead of him. If that happens, all of Rubber's Stand attacks (including Specials and Supers) become disabled until he receives damage. No one knows why it happens, but it has something to do with his S unique moves.
* The Gooey Trap wrap attack (214+A/B/C) can miss its target completely sometimes during longer combos. Why that happens is unknown.

## References

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPjtZQUa0X4 - BnB combos by Aleph Null.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-9gkbnyz5w - A few alternative combos and Command Grab setups.