Chen

Chen is the boss found at the end of the Forbidden Dragon Gate scene. He is known for having a set of slow but very powerful moves.

## Attack pattern

Chen can do several attacks directed at you, and has a more diverse and complex move pattern than most bosses, making him a bit harder to learn than others.

* **Universal moves:** These moves can be used at any time, regardless of what Switch Tactics dictates.
	+ **Switch Tactics:** Chen becomes invincible and enters one of two poses, showing a chinese hanzi above his head that translates to "Tiger" or "Dragon". These poses will switch Chen into a different mode with a different moveset, Tiger Stance  and Focused Mind  respectively. Chen cannot use this move to switch into his current mode, meaning it acts as a toggle between the two. He automatically uses the move after he's been in the same mode for a while, and is more likely to switch when he has gotten hit a lot. The move is completely impossible to interrupt. Chen begins the fight in Focused Mind mode.
	+ **Alert:** When hit, Chen has a chance to become alert for a few seconds. While alert, an exclamation mark appears above his head. If he is hit during his alert status, he gains permanent unflinching for a few seconds and is also equipped with a Pocket Watch to reduce his attacks' cooldowns. If the alert was triggered during his walking animation or while he was stunned, he will hop back to dodge further moves. Otherwise, he will simply become unflinching without interrupting his current animation. After Chen is hit, the alert status is lost.
	+ **Brawler Combo:** If the player is within suitable range and within a roughly 60º cone of him, Chen teleports to the player and begins a combo of punches and kicks. The move is very fast, but its damage is less impressive than others. This move is mostly used in Focused Mind mode, when at close range after using an attack in Tiger Stance or entering said state, or when no good option is available due to attack cooldowns.

* **Focused Mind:** Chen walks around the room slowly, in a pose showing he's always ready to spring, and only teleports when doing an attack. His moves here are much faster and safer for him, but are mostly weak. Brawler Combo is used most frequently here. Chen can perform these attacks exclusively when in this mode:
	+ **Stunning Strike:** When very close to the player, does a fast, short-ranged dash, then strikes them with his palm, dazing them for 1 second. This last part of the attack can be turned around if he overshoots the player and goes behind them. Chen is invincible during the dash animation. This is mostly used in between successions of several Brawler Combos.
	+ **Counter:** Enters a counter state, indicated by a little icon above his head. If his front is hit in this state, he will take no damage, ignore the control effects the attack would usually apply and retaliate with a short combo of kicks that deals some decent damage. He does not use this move often. The move has a (seemingly) long cooldown before it can be used again.
	+ **Blade Shot:** Shoots a blade in a straight line twice, then throws blades into the air. Three reticles appear beneath the player and, after a short delay, needles shower those spots, dealing small amounts of damage and minimal stun a few times.
	+ **Illusion:** Summons five copies of himself, with the real self in the center. These copies will disappear after they are hit, cannot use Switch Tactics or Illusion and are always considered to be in Focused Mind mode, and despite they can attack the player, they cannot damage or stun them. They are quite confusing to deal with, since you can never be entirely sure which one is the real one, so it's best to hit them if you can while keeping a close eye on the real Chen. The move has a long cooldown before it can be used again, and is usually used the instant it becomes available.
* **Tiger Stance:** Chen moves exclusively by teleporting. Brawler Combo becomes a move he rarely uses (only when the player is nearby after finishing one of his moves), and he instead goes for slow but strong attacks, adopting a more reckless fighting style. When in Tiger Stance, he gains 10% attack speed via a Nitroglycerin. Chen can use these moves exclusively when in this mode:
	+ **Tiger Claw:** Teleports around the stage three times, then teleports nearby the player, becomes giant and performs a slash in front of him, dealing high amounts of damage if the player is caught in the attack. He stays in the unflinching state during the slash. This move is his fastest strong attack and requires some decent reaction time, but the hitbox is only present in front of Chen, so you can roll behind Chen if you see the attack coming in time. Strangely, this move cannot be countered. The move has a very short cooldown before it can be used again.
	+ **Flashing Chi:** Creates an energy orb in front of him, and after some windup time, Chen punches the orb and an explosion of energy happens in front of him, covering a very large horizontal area. You can move out of the way of this attack fairly easily, but its range is something to behold: always move vertically when you see this move, since you might get hit from way further away than you'd think, and this move is punishing if it connects. The energy blast deals less damage from afar. The move has a fairly long cooldown before it can be used again.
	+ **Dragon Fist:** After a long windup time, punches the ground and damages everything in a large area, similarly to Quan Huying's Thunder Phoenix Fist but with a larger radius and longer windup. Like his other attacks, it's possible to just move out of the way before the attack occurs. He stays in the unflinching state for the move's whole duration. The move has a fairly long cooldown before it can be used again.

This boss tests your patience and concentration: if you play too recklessly, you'll find yourself getting caught in many of his moves, obliterating your health and shield at astonishing speeds. Since this boss is hard to catch until he starts attacking you, it's best to wait for him to make a move, dodge him, then hit Chen with all your might. This boss, unlike some others, can be dazed at all times unless if he's performing a move, meaning dazing attacks are a good option to squeeze some more damage out of each attack opportunity you get. Chen can be difficult sometimes, especially since you don't get many chances to practice against him, but the previous scenes in his biome are often more dangerous than the boss himself, especially if you already know Chen's moveset.

## Real Mirage

* Chen now has 80 bars of health.
* Chen deals more damage as his health decreases.
* 66 and 33% health: Chen stands still and a large reticle will appear under his feet while he does a rather long windup animation. After the animation is finished, Chen damages and pushes back everything inside of the reticle. Chen is invincible for the entire duration of the move. He can immediately follow up with his other moves. After this move is done, his attack speed drastically increases for the rest of the match, acting as a kind of sub-phase.

Chen becomes incredibly dangerous in Real Mirage, due to his attack speed quickly spiralling out of control when he uses his new move. It will become almost impossible to dodge him, and since his damage will keep increasing the closer to death he is, you won't be able to live for very long. As such, one-shot setups that can end him extremely quickly before he begins to get too troublesome are the only really viable option, unless if your skills are incredibly safe and you're good at dodging him.