Additional Topic: How to Use Dee Jay's Dread/Sobat Kick in USF4 (AKA How to Billy Blanks Your Opponent into Oblivion)
Dee Jay's Dread Kick is his signature move, looking like something straight out of the movie "King of the Kickboxers" (the movie which starred Billy Blanks as the formidable Khan, the character upon which Capcom USA designed the fighter Dee Jay). The beauty of the Dread Kick - also known as the Double Rolling Sobat Kick - is that each version has some rather unique properties which make them useful for different purposes. This is a quick summary of the traits of each.Short Dread Kick
The Short Dread has the shortest range and hits only once. Nevertheless, it has some useful traits that no other version of Dee Jay's Dread Kick does. These include:
a) the most damage from a single hit of the dread (important for cancels into Super because the first hit of the Medium and Heavy Dreads are the only ones that cancel, meaning less damage from the Dread when you cancel this way).
b) it is invulnerable to most (not all) low attacks, making it an extraordinary pressure tool from closer distances.
c) it has decent recovery when spaced correctly, mostly only being vulnerable to very fast normals, specials, or Supers (again, allowing you to pressure with it safely against much of the cast).
d) it can be cancelled into Dee Jay's Sobat Carnival Super and is the only version of the cancel in which the opponent is juggled (since the Short Dread ordinarily knocks the opponent down).
e) it is the only version that can be used in a direct combo from a weak attack (making it a key element of Dee Jay's regular offense).
The Short Dread excels as a pressure tool, maximizing offensive gains and minimizing potential risk factor. It also opens up possibilities for some of Dee Jay's most damaging combos (provided you know the proper combo setup for each character - see my earlier combo sheet for more on this). Not surprisingly, you'll see good Dee Jay players using this move a lot throughout a match.
Forward (Medium) Dread Kick
The Forward Dread Kick hits twice and has the best combination of hitting speed and distance. It is also the only version that can be Focus canceled into either a follow-up crumple combo (my preferred choice) or an extended combo through a dash and follow-up link combo. Because of its speed and range, it is an excellent move to use on opponents who whiff attacks from farther away (although it does less overall damage on either hit than the equivalent Heavy version).
Some players, as mentioned previously, also like to use this version of the kick as a pressure tool, given that you can do it from a range where it is safe on block. However, such a strategy requires that the opponent not walk forward (and thus change the block distance) or engage in other actions such as jumping (which would cause the Dread to miss). For these reasons, I generally advise against using the Forward Dread Kick this way, opting instead to primarily use it for Dread/Focus Crumple combos which can set up over 300 damage for just two bars of meter (tip: the Forward Dread Kick has enough hit stun to allow a level two focus crumple, so you never need to expend three bars of meter for a Red Focus cancel; in other words, learn the proper timing and save yourself that extra bar of meter from now on).
Roundhouse (Heavy) Dread Kick
The Heavy Dread Kick is probably the least versatile version. Its main strength is that it does the most damage of all three when both hits are counted (less on the first hit than the Light Dread, though, making it less potent in Super cancel combos). Other than damage, the Roundhouse Dread Kick has no particularly noteworthy features, so I generally only use it as a punish for slow recovering moves, as a follow-up after a focus crumple, or as an ender for basic bread and butter combos.
NOTE ON EX DREAD: The EX version of the Dread Kick hits twice like the Roundhouse version but is hella faster, has further range, and has the additional advantage of being invulnerable to projectiles in the middle part of its animation. These properties make it primarily useful for shutting down opponents' fireball games. Some players use the first few invulnerable frames of the move as a reversal as well, which has the benefit of allowing you to do a follow-up Focus combo if it hits, but also leaves you shafted if the opponent blocks and you don't Focus cancel it (i.e., moderate risk, moderate reward). The additional damage you get over a regular Roundhouse Dread is not a lot, so I wouldn't waste the meter in a basic cancel combo off of a normal attack. Using it as a follow-up after a regular Max Out, one-hit Jacknife, or EX Hyperfist awards excellent damage and is a much better use of this move, however.
Compared to many opponents' special attacks, Dee Jay's Dread Kick has a lot going for it, due to the many useful applications different versions afford. In an expert player's hand, you should see this move more than pretty much every one of his other specials (with the possible exception of the Max Out).
TLDR: Know the different properties and applications of each of Dee Jay's Dread Kicks so you can use them and become an over-the-top bad-ass like this guy.
 |
| Billy Blanks AKA Dee Jay before Dee Jay was Dee Jay |