Saki Amamiya

**Tier** | **A+** (12)

## General

Saki Amamiya (サキ・アマミヤ) is a character from the game series, *Sin and Punishment: Successor to the Earth*. His main weapon of attack is the Dolphin Gun, a gun and beam-sword hybrid which he uses to slash and shoot. He is a member of an uprising of Japanese citizens known as "Relief Group", rebelling against the occupying Armed Volunteers, while both sides fight against an onslaught of mutated animals known as Ruffians. At a point *in Sin and Punishment*, Saki becomes a Ruffian creature himself. He is soon transformed back to his human form, retaining many Ruffian characteristics.

## Changes from *Brawl* to *Crusade*

Saki has been changed from an Assist Trophy to a playable character on *Crusade.*

## Attributes

Saki is a lightweight, swift-moving character. He has a high initial jump as well as second jump, and his ground speed is well above average as well. Although Saki's lateral aerial acceleration is poor, he has quick and potent aerial attacks to the sides, and he can move quite quickly during initial jumps by jumping while dashing. Saki's speed is one of the reasons he is so strong in *SSBC*. Combined with the quick speed and good hitstun on many of Saki's moves (most infamously his Forward Aerial), this high speed can make Saki a combo machine. The only downside to Saki's movement attributes is his falling speed and recovery. Saki falls faster than the average contentder, and his Up B, Phantom Rise, doesn't grant him a great amount of height. As a result, Saki is easier to gimp and more vulnerable to horizontal KO's than most characters.

Saki is also a wielder of many fast attacks with good disjoints. Some of his moves have Meta Knight-like speed and priority, especially his Forward and Back Aerials and Down Smash. This makes him tough to deal with at just about any range, as he posesses moves to dominate several different distances. He even has a rapid-fire blaster than can be fired forward, at an upwards 45 degree angle, or straight up and, like Fox's, does not make the target flinch, as well as a reflector (also like Fox). All these effective moves make Saki an altogether flexible character.

Saki currently sits at 12th (A+ Tier) on the current tier list. His array of useful attacks and combo ability make him one of the most dangerous characters in the game despite his mediocre recovery and lack of early KO moves.

## Saki's Normal Moves

**Combo**

* Saki slashes with his light sword twice, then follows up with a stab. It hits four times for a total of 8% damage. The range and startup on the move make it very effective, as it has only a 3 frame startup.

**Forward Tilt**

* Thrusts his cannon forward and hits with it forcefully. Deals roughly horizontal knockback and is quite strong at high percentages. However, this move is unsafe to just throw out, since it has some lag at the end. Deals 9% damage and is active on frames 9-13.

**Down Tilt**

* A quick low stab with weak knockback that can chain into itself or Jab. It has poor range but it fast and safe. Deals 2% damage and is active on frames 5-8.

**Up Tilt**

* Saki swings his sword upwards in an arc, giving his good horizontal and vertical range. It's somewhat slow, but it has a fair amount of knockback. It's also unsafe to use this move randomly and should be reserved for anti-airing. Deals 10% damage and is active from frame 12 to 17, dealing 6% damage if hitting in the last 2 frames.

**Forward Smash**

* Saki moves forward slightly while executing a powerful horizontal slash. This attack is Saki's strongest horizontal finisher and has solid range. However, it can easily be punished if it misses. Deals 14% damage if sweetspotted, 11% is sourspotted (the sourspot is slightly behind Saki). Active on frames 13-21.

**Down Smash**

* Saki swiftly slashes along the ground in front of himself and then behind. This move has a surprisingly fast recovery given its range and speed, making it in fact very safe if shielded from behind. This attack is quite fast and reliable, but it has less than average KO power unless the rear slash hits. 13% damage with the front hit, and 15% with the back. The hits are active on frames 9-14 and 23-28.

**Up Smash**

* A flashy upwards sword slash. This attack has surprising horizontal range for its appearance and is a generally fast and reliable attack. If only the tip of the sword hits, it does more knockback. This attack is one of Saki's best moves, having good speed and decent KO power. Deals 14% damage and is active on frames 11-15.

**Dash Attack**

* A quick horizontal slash that moves Saki forward. It is actually one of Saki's fastest attacks and has a short recovery time, allowing for combos afterward. This move should be used liberally. Deals 7% and has active frames of 5-10.

**Neutral Aerial**

* A unique attack where Saki does a somersault, swinging his sword around himself in a circular arc. This move has good range and speed, but its first hit is backwards, making it awkward to use at times. The first hit deals 9% damage and is active on frames 7-13, and the second hit deals 5% damage and is active on frames 14-23. The second hit rarely combos.

**Forward Aerial**

* Saki slashes with his light sword in front horizontally. This move has good speed and hitstun, allowing for long combos from an air-to-air hit. It's the core of Saki's air gameplay. Deals 9% in its initial frames and 6% later. Active on frames 5-10.

**Back Aerial**

* Saki slashes with his light sword twice behind himself. This move has quite a fast startup and decent damage and knockback. If the first hit only connects, upon landing, Saki can combo some moves, such as Jab. There is some aerial lag after the second slash, but it's overall a great aerial. Decent KO move near the edge at 100%+. First hit deals 5%, and the second deals 7%. Active on frames 6-9 and 14-17.

**Up Aerial**

* A quick backflip kick. This move has excellent priority above Saki and decent range. More importantly, it's really fast and makes a good combo ender. It does 10% damage when sweetspotted, which is surprising for a 5-frame aerial, 9% when sourspotted, and 7% in its last active frames. It's active on frames 5-14.

**Down Aerial**

* Similar to Mr. Game & Watch 's Down Aerial, Saki dives downward sword-first. The move is pretty quick, and the initial frames, when sweetspotted, can spike opponents straight down with strong knockback. The move may also be L-cancelled, making it a very safe option. It has a startup of 11 frames and deals 13% sourspotted and 14% sweetspotted.

**Forward Throw**

* Saki stabs his opponent with the light sword and sends them flying forwards. Deals 9% damage.

**Back Throw**

* Saki places his opponent behind himself and slashes them backwards with medium power. 9% damage.

**Up Throw**

* Saki kicks his opponent upwards and shoots them 3 times, much like Fox's Up Throw. Deals up to 9% damage.

**Down Throw**

* Saki kicks his opponent into the ground, bouncing them up a bit. It deals good hitstun and can combo relatively easily. Deals 8% damage.

**Ledge Attack**

* Saki gets up from the ledge and kicks.

## Saki's Special Moves

 Neutral Special
 Side Special
 Up Special
 Down Special
 Final Smash

## Notable Appearances

* Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Earth (2000, 2007)
* Sin and Punishment: Star Successor (2009-2010)