Introduction

Kensuke Kita performing live, 2017

^(\This article is an updated version of my "Sound Like" article from 2021. I have reposted this article due to difficulties editing the original version*, and have included additional information and recommendations based on the increased popularity of amp simulator pedals*)*

Hello fellow musicians and Ajikan fans!
I have been a fan of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION for roughly 16 years and as a guitarist was greatly inspired by the band's alt rock sound.
After a few years of research I have written a series of "sound like" articles for ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION. The purpose of these articles is to provide context on how the band create their signature sound, and to support beginning musicians or tribute acts who may wish to replicate it.
At the end of each article I have drafted a Budget Rig, which you could use for both at home and in a live environment. I have also provided some general amp settings to tweak and try, which are based on the band's live sound and be can used to help replicate their tones.
This is a 3-part series and if you enjoy this article I would recommend checking out the other articles:
Sound Like ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Pt.1: Masafumi Gotoh (2024 version) :
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Sound Like Part 3: Yamada : AsianKungFuGeneration (reddit.com)

Please not that this article focuses on the band's live sound, which will be different to the albums and can vary depending on the venue. Also (and is a cliché) every musician and instrument will vary slightly due to small differences in play style and build, so also be mindful of that.

To help you recognise the individual guitar tones, Gotch's guitar parts are normally panned to the left earphone and Kita's are panned to the right earphone on the band's albums. (On 2016's Sol-Fa, Hometown and on some of the Planet Folks singles the panning was swapped, with Gotch instead in the right ear and Kita on the left)

Kensuke Kita

Kita during the Hometown UK/FR tour 2019
In this article we are focusing on lead guitarist and backing vocalist Kensuke Kita. Responsible for many of the band's iconic melodies and riffs, Kita's rig setup is a classic rock setup: a Gibson Les Paul and Marshall-esque amp.
Inspired by 90's alt rock and Brit Pop groups such as Supergrass, Blur, Manic Street Preachers and Radiohead, Kita has constantly evolved as a musician and became more involved with the song writing process from Fanclub onwards. (Kita has writing credits on Blue Train)
This evolution can be seen clearly when you compare the punk rock style of Houkai Amplifier with the more experimental, pop inspired Planet Folks. While the earlier records reflected a focus on riffs and octave melodies, Kita now prefers to play around major and minor third chords, triad chords and arpeggios, reflecting his "melody-maker" role in the band.

^{A triad chord is a chord made of 3 separate notes. They are commonly played on the higher strings and Kita uses them a lot, in tracks such as Aru Machi no Gunjou, Sayonara Lost Generation and Gekkou. Major and Minor third chords are sometimes referred to as Dyads if they only include two notes.}

During live performances Kita is known to experiment with ambient tones, but in this article the focus will be capturing a general sound that could be used across the band's discography.

GUITARS

Kita's primary guitar has always been a variant of the classic Gibson Les Paul. The humbuckers are known to having a warmer, fatter tone in comparison to a single coil or P-90 pickup. There will be some debate over using active or passive pickups but in general Kita sticks to a more traditional humbucker, which may have less of a punch than an EMG pickup.
Kita's most recognisable guitar is his Historic Collection 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue. Kita bought the 59's reissue in 2004 and it has been a main guitar ever since, using it on every Ajikan album from Sol-Fa onwards.
Kita's Historic Collection 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue
Kita's backup guitar is a Historic Collection 1958 Les Paul Standard Reissue, which is tuned to Eb/D# for songs such as After Dark and Yoru No Call. Kita's other standout guitar is his Gibson ES-335, which is used occasionally for songs with a capo. Kita has been seeing using it for performances of Juuni Shinhou no Yuukei and Maigo Inu to Ame no Beat.
Kita has also experimented with Fender Telecasters, Jazzmasters and Stratocasters on the band's albums, although neither have been seen on stage so far. In a interview with Guitar Magazine, Kita confirmed that he used a Fender Jazzmaster on Empathy.
Kita with his Gibson ES-335, during the Quarter Century Tour

^{Between 2002-2007, Kita armed his Les Pauls with Gibson Burstbucker 2 in the bridge position and the Burstbucker 1 in the neck position. Since 2007, Kita has used Custombuckers in both positions. Like Gotch, Kita uses Tortex Flex picks and are most likely .73mm or .88mm variants}

If you are looking to capture Kita's guitar sound, a Les Paul style guitar with vintage or Gibson pickups would be the best place to start.

AMPLIFIERS

In the band's early years Kita used a Marshall JCM 900-4100 head with a Marshall 1960A cabinet. In 2005, Kita replaced the Marshall amp with the Bogner Ecstasy 101b and Bogner 4x12 Cabinet, which he has used ever since as his main live amplifier.
Kita's JCM900 amp, used during the early 2000's and Sol-Fa 2004 tour
The Bogner Ecstasy has 3 unique channels which Kita switches between throughout the show. I have included a link below which goes into more detail, but essentially the amp has a "green" clean channel, a the "blue" crunch channel and a "Red" heavy channel. The Bogner also has a boost feature that Kita uses for solos.
Channel 1 - Bogner Ecstasy 101B User Manual [Page 2] ManualsLib
Both the JCM900 and Ecstasy amps are based on vintage Marshall sounds, whereas most modern Marshall amps tend to have a slightly darker, more compressed sound.
During most of the 2000's and early 2010's Kita only used the Bogner Ecstasy for live performances, but in 2012, Kita introduced the Shinos Luck 6V combo to his live setup. The Shino's is now used for most of Kita's clean sound, with the Bogner acting as his heavy tone.
The Shinos amps were set up by a former VOX Chief engineer and in general has a blend of Fender and Vox amps tones. They have also been compared to Matchless amps, which Kita has used occasionally on international tours.
Kita's Bogner Ecstasy 101b and Shinos Luck V6
Kita's clean sound can be heard on Angou No Waltz, Mustang and Yuugure no Aka, while his heavy sound can be heard on Standard, Re:Re: and Kouya wo Aruke. Kita has been seen live using the Bogner's red channel on Ima Wo Ikite.
Kita has experimented with several amplifiers in the studio and has been known to use JCM800's, VOX, LDW and Matchless amps on albums, but for the purpose of this article we will look to emulate Kita's vintage Marshall & Bogner tone.

^{Kita used 4x12 Greenback speakers in his Marshall cabinet (this was used up until 2005} & has likely used Celestion Vintage 30 speakers since buying the Bogner Ecstasy. The Shino's is likely set up with the Celestion Classic Lead 80 speaker.)

PEDALS

Kita's 2004 pedalboard, used during the Sol-Fa tour
Kita's role as lead guitarist requires him to have a larger, more varied pedalboard when compared to Gotch. In the band earlier years, Kita did have a smaller setup, and was generally built around a delay pedal, a phaser, a wah effect and the MXR Dyna Comp.
During the Eizo Sakushin Shu Vol. 6 performance, where he used a Boss DD-20 Giga Delay, an MXR M-132 Super Comp, Boss PH-2 Super Phaser, a Guyatone WR3 Wah Rocker and VoxV847 Wah pedal. Kita also used a BOSS TR-2 Tremolo at this time.
Kita's 2009 Pedalboard, which was used during the Eizo Sakushin Shu Vol. 6 performance
The Super Comp is set up almost like a boost effect, to help lift the lead melodies and solos, whereas the phaser can be heard in performances of Mustang and Shinkokyuu. The Giga Delay can be heard in tracks such as Night Diving, Re:Re: and Mugen Glider, as well as the band's ambient jams. The Wah Rocker was used specifically for the Surf Bungaku Kamakura tracks, which he used heavily on the album for lead.
After the release of Magic Disk Kita's board gradually evolved to include a larger selection of modulation effects and delays, in line with the band's changing sound. He has also introduced fuzz and distortion pedals from time to time. For example, he has added the BOSS Tone Bender and Earthquaker Transmisser on the Planet Folks tour.
Kita has also implemented more octave pedals onto his board, which he uses for lead parts on Blood Circulator and the Hometown tracks Boys & Girls and Clock Work. The Electro Harmonix POG2, which can be seen on his current rig below, is used for the intro of Kakato de Ai o Uchinarase to emulate an organ sound.
Kita's current 2022 Pedalboard: (1) FREE THE TONE/JB-41S (Junction Box) (2) Jim Dunlop/535Q Crybaby Multi-Wah (Wow Pedal) (3) Custom Audio Japan/RS 616 (Programmable Switcher) (4)MXSuper Comp (Compressor) (5) Electro-Harmonix/POG2 (Octave) (6) BOSS/TB-2W (Fuzz) (7)EarthQuaker Devices/Transmisser (Modulation/Reverb) (8) strymon/ZELZAH (multi-phaser) (9) BOSS/MD-200 (multi-modulation) (10)(11) BOSS/DD-20 (multi-delay) (12) BOSS/FRV-1 (reverb) (13) Electro-Harmonix/FREEZE (sustainer)(14) BOSS/FS-5U (foot switch) (15) BOSS/TU-2s (tuner) (16) RJM/Amp Gizmo (amplifier channel switcher) (17) FIREGLOW/PPS-05 (power supply) (18) Vital Audio/VA-08 Mk-II (Power Supply)
To help manage his massive pedalboard on stage, Kita has been using a Custom Audio Switcher to control his pedals, which also allows him to create presets for each song.
The guitar runs into the Junction box (top right) and wah pedal before going into the switcher. Kita can then control the effects and amps with the switcher. I have included these loops below:

^{Loop 1: Dyna Comp Loop 2: Dyna Comp, POG 2, Tone Bender, Transmisser Loop 3: Dyna Comp, Zelzah Loop 4: Dyna Comp, BOSS MD-200 (using the tremolo effect}) ^{Loop 5: Dyna Comp, 2x BOSS DD-20s Loop 6: Dyna Comp, 63' Fender Reverb}

Kita has a few additional pedals on the board for solely live purpose, such as the Electro Harmonix Freeze, which can hold a note for a sustained amount of time. He also has a separate BOSS footswitch to tap in a count for his delay sound.
While this may all seem complicated (and it is) many of the pedals are to recreate certain sounds from each of the band's 10 albums, or to allow Kita to experiment during live performances.
You do not need to build a pedalboard this big to sound like Kita. Instead, I would focus on Kita's main pedals, which are the dyna comp, a phase effect, a wah and a delay.

Sound Like Kita...On a Budget

Kita, Quarter Century tour, 2022
To buy Kita's current rig would cost thousands of pounds (the 59' Les Paul alone could be worth £5,000) so much like the Gotch's post we have a few more affordable options that could get you close. The idea is to create a rig that can be used at home or in small venues to perform live, and not to emulate the albums.
Please also note that these are personal suggestions as a fan and if you alternatives find that works better for you, then great!
The main areas to consider are:

• A 50's inspired Les Paul
• A Boutique Marshall style amp
• A compressor pedal
• A Delay pedal and Multi-effect pedals

GUITAR
In terms of guitar options there are plenty of Les Paul copies, but for look and sound Epiphone is a no-brainer. The Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard is the newer, more expensive option but is based on the 59' Les Paul model, much like Kita's main guitar. You can buy one for around £749.
Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard
The more affordable option is the Epiphone Les Paul Standard '50s, which is also a solid pick and goes for around £500. Both guitars should also be easy to modify should you wish to go in that direction.
AMPLIFIER
In terms of affordable amps, Bogner have recently released the Ecstasy Mini 30W Head which costs around £349. You would need a cabinet, but this solid-state amp should get you close to Kita's live sound and can work for live shows.
Bogner Ecstasy Mini 30W Head
You could also try out the Marshall MG50 and Marshall Origin amps as affordable Marshall amps with a classic sound, closer to the JCM900/Bogner style.
Outside of the Marshall and Bogner options, you could try out Bogner Ecstasy pedals, which are designed to emulate the Bogner Ecstasy channels. Please bear in mind that because you would be running these into a amp that there would be more tweaking required with the settings, but you could have a clean amp and then use the pedal for a heavy tone.
The BOSS Katana series and Blackstar amps both have British style drive channels, but would require more tweaking or pedals to help.
PEDALS
There are a wide variety of pedals to choose from, but things simple we will stick with the basic. Because of its importance to Kita's sound, I would highly recommend the MXR Super Comp. A great example of how this would sound can be on tako wasa YouTube channel, who demonstrated the pedal on this live stream. (tako also has a solid pedal board that is worth taking inspiration from!)
MXR Super Comp
An alternative approach would be to buy a Booster pedal to create the same effect, such as the Xotic EP-3 Boost
A delay pedal is also must for a sound like Kita rig (Especially those keen to play the Re:Re: 2016 intro) and Both the BOSS DD-6 & BOSS DD-8 are affordable options that can definitely do the job, while the DD-200 gives you a more versatile option and the ability to save pre-sets for different tracks.
Boss DD-8
Cheaper alternatives that you could also consider are the Tone City Tape Machine and the TC Electronic Flashback 2 Mini, which are both good options for the price.
The wah pedal is also worth looking and the Vox 845 Wah Pedal would be my shout. At £69 its considerably cheaper than the Dunlop 535Q Crybaby (which is Kita's main wah) and should be okay for Kita's wah sound.
Finally, we are going to focus on the modulation sounds for Kita, and ultimately this is down to preference and what songs you would like to emulate. The BOSS MD-200, which Kita uses, is versatile and should cover most of effects you'll use
BOSS MD-200
For more specific pedals, the BOSS PH-3 Phase Shifter will get you close to his original phase sound, while the BOSS Harmonist is Kita's octave pedal of choice for solos.
You could also consider an ambient reverb pedal if you want to capture some of the ambient sounds Kita creates live, but is not strictly need for playing the band's songs.
AMP SIMULATOR PEDAL OPTIONS?
The final option to consider would be a Amp Simulator pedal. This type of pedal has become increasingly popular in the last few years and would be used in place of a traditional amp and effect pedals. You would then use the Amp Simulator with a IR Cabinet (a powered cabinet speaker) or with a Power Amp in between the Amp Simulator and a traditional cabinet.
They can be fairly expensive to buy and I would only advise buying one if you do intend to move on from your traditional amp/pedal setup, however the Quad Cortex DSP & Headrush Pedalboard would be good starting points. They are both aimed at capturing more traditionally hi gain amps such as the Bogner and Marshall amps, so should be able to do a good job at capturing Kita's sound.

Recommended Amp Settings

The following amp settings were based on photos from live performances and you should bear in mind that the volume may be quite loud for home use, so I would suggest bringing it down. Also bear in mind that every musician and amp will slightly differ so you may need to tweak with your settings to find the right blend.
My personal advice is to keep the gain around the middle and to use the volume to crunch up the sound. Kita does use a cabinet, so you may need to add more low end for a combo amp, and again bear in mind that the volume may need to be lower for home use.
Shino Luck V6:
Vol: 5, Treble: 5, Middle: 5, Bass: 3.5, Master: 3.5, Boost: 7, Level: 4
Bogner Green Setting:
Presence A: 8.5, Presence B: 8, Vol. 1: 5, Treble: 4:5, Mid: 4, Gain 1: 5.5
Bogner Blue Setting:
Vol. 2: 5.5, Vol. 3: 5.5, Treble: 5, Middle: 5/5.5, Bass: 5, Gain 2: 4.5, Gain 3: 5.5

Conclusion

Thank you again for reading this and I hope it's been insightful for you. Feel free to leave feedback below and any of your own tips

Iaido Stance:

(Default Stance) In this mode you have no guard AND your opponent can not see your guard direction in this stance
Your Shikomizue(sword) is sheathed. Moves gain special properties while in this form. When preforming an attack you exit this stance and unsheathe your sword.
To switch modes from Iaido to Kenjutsu you must preform an Attack or GB (Counter GBs will not make you exit Iaido Stance). Hard Feinting Heavies in Iaido Stance will put you back into Iaido Stance.
To Switch from Kenjutsu (alt stance) back to Iaido Stance, press Full Block button. 100ms to switch Stances. Must be done from neutral.
Kaze Stance is removed.

Iaido Lights:

-Lights have superior block property from 0-200ms.
-Enhanced
-Have a hidden indicator of 200ms (300ms total indicator) (500ms move)
-Have a parry window of 166ms.
-Counts as an Opener for Kenjutsu (alt stance) Chains/Finishers.

Iaido Heavies:

Chargeable Heavy, different properties on charge level
(Your opponent can not see your guard direction while you are holding heavy but your weapon will glow red. Also Kyoshin will crouch every so slightly down with his hand on his scabbard. Running attack animation is used for this move.)
Hold Heavy while in Iaido Stance to build up damage and to gain properties. On targets at a distance will run to the target. Comes from left side only.
-Can press Light or Zone whilst holding Heavy and during the run animation to preform a soft feint into Iaido Light or Zone. 100ms into holding heavy to preform soft feint light/zone.
-Can be GB'ed out of the Heavy whilst charging. Can not GB the run or 100ms before the 500ms Heavy is thrown.
-Can be Hard Feinted 100ms into charge/holding heavy and 100ms after releasing the Heavy button. (Remember GBs will exit the stance so feint to GB will go into Kenjustsu Stance)
-Counts as an Opener into Kenjutsu (alt stance) Chains/Finishers.
Red glow effect starts immediately upon pressing Heavy and Kyoshin will move his hand onto his scabbard. Heavy can be let go at 200ms- onward but can be thrown immediately after preforming an Iaido Illusion(next section)
Level 1- At 200-399ms upon releasing Heavy, Kyoshin will use the Sprint Attack animation. 400ms, standard indicator. 20 damage, Blockable.
Level 2- At 400ms- upon releasing Heavy, Kyoshin will use the Sprint Attack animation. 500ms move, standard indicator. 22 damage, Unblockable.
Shikomizue scabbard glows red like this when holding Heavy.
Iaido Heavies use the Sprint Attack animation.
At 400ms into Heavy a couple (not just 1) black swirly things will appear around Kyoshin like energy/the wind

Iaido Illusions:

(Think Flicker Tech but an actual game mechanic and not a bug)
While in Iaido Stance, press Full Block to preform Fake Outs. Once you press Full Block Kyoshin will preform a Fake Out that will, in the direction of your guard(that your opponent can't see), display a 400ms indicator as if an attack was coming. \The Animation will be Kyoshin super fast slightly unsheathe his sword and quickly sheathing it back into the scabbard.**
While preforming Iaido Heavy, whilst charging/holding heavy, you can preform Iaido Illusion. This will cancel any amount of charge you had but will put you back to 200ms mark immediately so you can release the Heavy immediately after using the Fake Out.
-Can chain Iaido Stance Lights after preforming an Iaido Illusion at 0ms

Iaido Zone:

Mujounokaze (Kaze Stance Zone) animation used for this. Trajectory adjusted to better match the weapon visuals. 360 zone attack basically as it should be according to the weapon visuals in game.
-This is just a zone that comes from the left side and has no special properties.
-500ms attack, 200ms hidden, 300ms total indicator.
-Counts as an Opener into Kenjutsu Chains/Finishers.

Kenjutsu Stance:

After preforming any attack or GB from Iaido Stance you enter Kenjutsu Stance. This Stance preforms similar to how Kyoshin is now. To go back to Iaido Stance press Full Block button (100ms to switch stances and must be done from neutral)
-Your opponent can see your guard and you have guard/can block.
-Opener Lights in Kenjutsu Stance no longer have CC/Superior Block.
Kaze Stance is removed.

Kenjutsu Opener:

Opener Heavies can be Soft Feinted into Aoarashi(Bash) by pressing GB.
Forward Dodge Kick Removed

Aoarashi Bash/Aoarashi Follow Up:

Aoarashi Bash can not be GB'ed on whiff.
Both the Bash and the Follow Up are 400ms down from 500ms. 400ms Follow Up is nice cause it can be swapped to another person when out numbered and they won't be able to react to it like they could if it was 500ms.

Kenjutsu Chains ((Any(Iaido Openers Count), Any)):

(Opener Lights and Heavies are just what Kyoshin has now minus Superior Block/CC lights.)
Aoarashi: Chain/Finisher Bash, 400ms down from 500ms and confirms Aoarashi follow up. Bash can not be GB'ed on whiff.
Finisher Light: UD, 15 damage.
Finisher Top Heavy: UB, (Tengukaze Kaze Stance UB Animation) 15 damage. Confirms Fujin Cuts 10 damage. Total 25.
Finisher Side Heavy: 700ms. 30 damage. No properties.

Kenjutsu Zone:

Mujounokaze (Kaze Stance Zone) animation used for this. Trajectory adjusted to better match the weapon visuals. 360 zone attack basically as it should be according to the weapon visuals in game.
-500ms and counts as an opener. Comes from Left Side and has no special properties.

Recovery Cancel/Chain Fujin Force Zone (Kenjutsu Stance Only):

Can Cancel Recovery of Finisher Lights (Non Fujin Cuts), Finisher Side Heavies or Aoarashi Follow UP with Finisher Top Heavy Tengukaze at 100-200ms into recovery
Can cancel the recovery of an non bash attack with Zone. Can also cancel recovery of landed Bashes though. Can not use this move back to back.
-Recovery Cancel can be done at 100ms into recovery. (Strict Timing to be used as self peel)
-Uses Fujin Force Animation. Has Superior Block on all sides.
-500ms, 0-400ms of Superior Block window.

Kenjutsu/Iaido Dodge Attacks:

Forward Dodge Attack 500ms. While in Iaido Stance Forward Dodge Attack gain Superior Block from 0-400ms.
Side Dodge attacks now have a wider hit box to better match Orochi dodge attack. They are the same animation yet one manages to be shittier. (Better Hitbox). While in Iaido Stance Side Dodge Attacks gain Superior Block from 100-400ms.

Kenjutsu/Iaido Sprint Attack:

500ms (same animation that is used for current Kyoshin)

Parry Riposte (Any Stance):

Upon parrying press light 3 times preform Fujin Cuts
-If in Iaido Stance you will enter Kenjutsu Stance
-Recovery Cancel Zone can be used during the Fujin Cuts

Feats Reworked:

Kagerou: Passive Upon dealing damage, each of your attacks(damaging attack) does an additional 2 bleed damage. Lasts for 10 seconds. During that 10 seconds Superior Blocks reset the timer. \Cooldown of 30 seconds\ \Superior Blocking a move while the feat is on 30 sec cooldown refreshes the Feat and proc the feat to activate****
Hikarimore: Passive Upon taking damage, heal 2 HP per attack(damaging attack) you land on an opponent. Lasts 10 seconds. During that 10 seconds Superior Blocks reset the timer. \Cooldown of 30 seconds* *Superior Blocking a move while the feat is on 30 sec cooldown refreshes the Feat\**
Hikari To Kage: For 20 seconds, each of your attacks that lands does an additional 2 bleed damage, heals you 2 HP, and regenerate X stamina (nukekubi regen amount whatever that is). Upon superior blocking an incoming attack the feat's active duration is reset.
Mugen Houyou: 140 seconds cooldown down from 180. Spikes deal 30 damage up from 25. Takes 1200ms to hit down from 1366ms. Activation Time now 900ms down from 1100ms. Same pin duration of 2200ms.

Iaido Stance:

(Default Stance) In this mode you have no guard AND your opponent can not see your guard direction in this stance
Your Shikomizue(sword) is sheathed. Moves gain special properties while in this form. When preforming an attack you exit this stance and unsheathe your sword.
To switch modes from Iaido to Kenjutsu you must preform an Attack or GB (Counter GBs will not make you exit Iaido Stance). Hard Feinting Heavies in Iaido Stance will put you back into Iaido Stance.
To Switch from Kenjutsu (alt stance) back to Iaido Stance, press Full Block button. 100ms to switch Stances. Must be done from neutral.
Kaze Stance is removed.

Iaido Lights:

-Lights have superior block property from 0-200ms.
-Enhanced
-Have a hidden indicator of 200ms (300ms total indicator) (500ms move)
-Have a parry window of 166ms.
-Counts as an Opener for Kenjutsu (alt stance) Chains/Finishers.

Iaido Heavies:

Chargeable Heavy, different properties on charge level
(Your opponent can not see your guard direction while you are holding heavy but your weapon will glow red. Also Kyoshin will crouch every so slightly down with his hand on his scabbard. Running attack animation is used for this move.)
Hold Heavy while in Iaido Stance to build up damage and to gain properties. On targets at a distance will run to the target. Comes from left side only.
-Can press Light or Zone whilst holding Heavy and during the run animation to preform a soft feint into Iaido Light or Zone. 100ms into holding heavy to preform soft feint light/zone.
-Can be GB'ed out of the Heavy whilst charging. Can not GB the run or 100ms before the 500ms Heavy is thrown.
-Can be Hard Feinted 100ms into charge/holding heavy and 100ms after releasing the Heavy button. (Remember GBs will exit the stance so feint to GB will go into Kenjustsu Stance)
-Counts as an Opener into Kenjutsu (alt stance) Chains/Finishers.
Red glow effect starts immediately upon pressing Heavy and Kyoshin will move his hand onto his scabbard. Heavy can be let go at 200ms- onward but can be thrown immediately after preforming an Iaido Illusion(next section)
Level 1- At 200-399ms upon releasing Heavy, Kyoshin will use the Sprint Attack animation. 400ms, standard indicator. 20 damage, Blockable.
Level 2- At 400ms- upon releasing Heavy, Kyoshin will use the Sprint Attack animation. 500ms move, standard indicator. 22 damage, Unblockable.
Shikomizue scabbard glows red like this when holding Heavy.
Iaido Heavies use the Sprint Attack animation.
At 400ms into Heavy a couple (not just 1) black swirly things will appear around Kyoshin like energy/the wind

Iaido Illusions:

(Think Flicker Tech but an actual game mechanic and not a bug)
While in Iaido Stance, press Full Block to preform Fake Outs. Once you press Full Block Kyoshin will preform a Fake Out that will, in the direction of your guard(that your opponent can't see), display a 400ms indicator as if an attack was coming. \The Animation will be Kyoshin super fast slightly unsheathe his sword and quickly sheathing it back into the scabbard.**
While preforming Iaido Heavy, whilst charging/holding heavy, you can preform Iaido Illusion. This will cancel any amount of charge you had but will put you back to 200ms mark immediately so you can release the Heavy immediately after using the Fake Out.
-Can chain Iaido Stance Lights after preforming an Iaido Illusion at 0ms

Iaido Zone:

Mujounokaze (Kaze Stance Zone) animation used for this. Trajectory adjusted to better match the weapon visuals. 360 zone attack basically as it should be according to the weapon visuals in game.
-This is just a zone that comes from the left side and has no special properties.
-500ms attack, 200ms hidden, 300ms total indicator.
-Counts as an Opener into Kenjutsu Chains/Finishers.

Kenjutsu Stance:

After preforming any attack or GB from Iaido Stance you enter Kenjutsu Stance. This Stance preforms similar to how Kyoshin is now. To go back to Iaido Stance press Full Block button (100ms to switch stances and must be done from neutral)
-Your opponent can see your guard and you have guard/can block.
-Opener Lights in Kenjutsu Stance no longer have CC/Superior Block.
Kaze Stance is removed.

Kenjutsu Opener:

Opener Heavies can be Soft Feinted into Aoarashi(Bash) by pressing GB.
Forward Dodge Kick Removed

Aoarashi Bash/Aoarashi Follow Up:

Aoarashi Bash can not be GB'ed on whiff.
Both the Bash and the Follow Up are 400ms down from 500ms. 400ms Follow Up is nice cause it can be swapped to another person when out numbered and they won't be able to react to it like they could if it was 500ms.

Kenjutsu Chains ((Any(Iaido Openers Count), Any)):

(Opener Lights and Heavies are just what Kyoshin has now minus Superior Block/CC lights.)
Aoarashi: Chain/Finisher Bash, 400ms down from 500ms and confirms Aoarashi follow up. Bash can not be GB'ed on whiff.
Finisher Light: UD, 15 damage.
Finisher Top Heavy: UB, (Tengukaze Kaze Stance UB Animation) 15 damage. Confirms Fujin Cuts 10 damage. Total 25.
Finisher Side Heavy: 700ms. 30 damage. No properties.

Kenjutsu Zone:

Mujounokaze (Kaze Stance Zone) animation used for this. Trajectory adjusted to better match the weapon visuals. 360 zone attack basically as it should be according to the weapon visuals in game.
-500ms and counts as an opener. Comes from Left Side and has no special properties.

Recovery Cancel/Chain Fujin Force Zone (Kenjutsu Stance Only):

Can Cancel Recovery of Finisher Lights (Non Fujin Cuts), Finisher Side Heavies or Aoarashi Follow UP with Finisher Top Heavy Tengukaze at 100-200ms into recovery
Can cancel the recovery of an non bash attack with Zone. Can also cancel recovery of landed Bashes though. Can not use this move back to back.
-Recovery Cancel can be done at 100ms into recovery. (Strict Timing to be used as self peel)
-Uses Fujin Force Animation. Has Superior Block on all sides.
-500ms, 0-400ms of Superior Block window.

Kenjutsu/Iaido Dodge Attacks:

Forward Dodge Attack 500ms. While in Iaido Stance Forward Dodge Attack gain Superior Block from 0-400ms.
Side Dodge attacks now have a wider hit box to better match Orochi dodge attack. They are the same animation yet one manages to be shittier. (Better Hitbox). While in Iaido Stance Side Dodge Attacks gain Superior Block from 100-400ms.

Kenjutsu/Iaido Sprint Attack:

500ms (same animation that is used for current Kyoshin)

Parry Riposte (Any Stance):

Upon parrying press light 3 times preform Fujin Cuts
-If in Iaido Stance you will enter Kenjutsu Stance
-Recovery Cancel Zone can be used during the Fujin Cuts

Feats Reworked:

Kagerou: Passive Upon dealing damage, each of your attacks(damaging attack) does an additional 2 bleed damage. Lasts for 10 seconds. During that 10 seconds Superior Blocks reset the timer. \Cooldown of 30 seconds\** \Superior Blocking a move while the feat is on 30 sec cooldown refreshes the Feat and proc the feat to activate\**
Hikarimore: Passive Upon taking damage, heal 2 HP per attack(damaging attack) you land on an opponent. Lasts 10 seconds. During that 10 seconds Superior Blocks reset the timer. \Cooldown of 30 seconds* *Superior Blocking a move while the feat is on 30 sec cooldown refreshes the Feat\**
Hikari To Kage: For 20 seconds, each of your attacks that lands does an additional 2 bleed damage, heals you 2 HP, and regenerate X stamina (nukekubi regen amount whatever that is). Upon superior blocking an incoming attack the feat's active duration is reset.
Mugen Houyou: 140 seconds cooldown down from 180. Spikes deal 30 damage up from 25. Takes 1200ms to hit down from 1366ms. Activation Time now 900ms down from 1100ms. Same pin duration of 2200ms.

The company no longer sells this as a poster otherwise I’d just buy from them.

https://preview.redd.it/rqzvjpqirpuc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=eeaa50978569107064e0641e25f50b006d245f82
A24 bet big and it's paying off so far.
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The studio released Alex Garland's Civil War, managing to snatch their biggest debut and the first film from the studio to top the box office. The weekend also saw the re-release of DreamWorks' Shrek 2, which pulled solid numbers in 1,512 theaters. The Long Game had a weak start, while Suga – Agust D Tour ‘D-Day’ The Movie cracked the Top Ten despite playing just on Saturday.
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The Top 10 earned a combined $68.3 million this weekend. That represents an awful 52% drop from last year, when The Super Mario Bros. Movie stayed at #1, and The Pope's Exorcist and Renfield opened. Needless to say, April 2024 ain't beating last year's April, and 2024 will continue behind 2023 in total gross.
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Debuting in 3,838 theaters, their widest release, A24's Civil War opened with a pretty good $25.7 million this weekend. It almost doubled the debut of Hereditary ($13 million), which was their highest debut. In one single weekend, it has already passed the lifetime domestic grosses of Alex Garland's Men ($7.5 million) and Ex Machina ($25.4 million), and it should pass the domestic total of Annihilation ($32.7 million) in the coming days. It's also already A24's ninth highest grossing film in the market.
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Credit must go to A24 for betting big. Last October, it was reported that the indie studio planned to expand into more commercial films, which would include "action and big IP projects." And this was their first test; at $50 million, Civil War is the studio's most expensive film. While Garland has not been an audience favorite, he delivered something worth watching: aren't people interested to see how a modern Civil War would unfold? While Garland is often known for delivering character drama over action, A24 chose to market the film as an epic action thriller. They wisely premiered it at SXSW, where it received a great response (83% on RT), letting more people talk about the film. The film was also walk-up heavy; 64% the audience bought tickets on the same day.
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According to A24, a massive 73% of the audience was male, and 57% in the 18-34 demographic. Interesting stat: 48% of those who watched the film are curious about a sequel. The film succeeded in attracting an audience, now the test is in keeping it. Despite strong reviews, the audience gave the film a weak "B–" on CinemaScore and a poor 53% "definite recommend" on PostTrak. That shouldn't come as a surprise, given that the film will not be the full-on action thriller audiences expect from the trailers, and the film choosing to skip vital details over its story.
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Now the question is the profitability of the film. Deadline reported that A24 sold foreign rights to the film, and spent only $20 million in marketing. That allows them in turning a small profit before the film opened, so now it's a matter of how much it needs domestically to fully recoup its investment. For now, a $60 million domestic total should be enough to break even for the studio. And there's another question: will the film manage to pass Everything Everywhere All At Once ($77 million) to become the studio's biggest film domestically? Stay tuned.
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All in all, it's a very good win for A24 for now. Their transition into "bigger and commercial films" is off to a good start. And you can see they're serious about it; some of their recently announced films include: a Mark Kerr biopic starring The Rock, a Death Stranding adaptation, and a Talk to Me sequel and prequel. Let's see how it all goes.
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In second place, Godzilla x Kong continued descending. The film dropped another 50% and added $15.5 million. The good news is that by this point, competition is very minimal for the rest of the month. The film has earned $158 million domestically, and it officially has no chance of hitting $200 million.
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After its rough drops, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire stabilized by declining 36% for a $5.7 million weekend. A good drop, albeit arriving too late to make a difference. The film has made $96.9 million and it will hit $100 million by next weekend, but it won't make much further than that.
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Kung Fu Panda 4 moved up a spot by easing just 29% and grossing $5.5 million. That takes its domestic total to $173.7 million.
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Dune: Part Two also moved up to the Top Five, easing 42% and adding $4.3 million. The film has made $272.1 million so far.
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There was hope that Monkey Man could hold well through the month, but those hopes died this weekend. The film collapsed 60% and made just $4 million this weekend. That drop is rough, especially considering its small opening. Through ten days, the film has amassed just $17.7 million and will now finish below $30 million.
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In seventh place, 20th Century Studios' The First Omen dropped 54% and made $3.8 million. That drop isn't actually that steep, considering horror films often fall more than 60% in their second weekend. Nevertheless, with just $14.6 million in the bank, the film is still not a success story.
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Universal re-released DreamWorks' Shrek 2 to commemorate its 20th anniversary and the film pulled an okay $1.4 million in 1,512 theaters. Funny enough, this was higher than the entire domestic totals of Disney's re-releases of Soul ($946K), Turning Red ($1.3 million) and Luca ($1.3 million). This helped the film take its total to $443.3 million domestically.
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Mucho Mas Releasing released the sports biopic The Long Game, starring Dennis Quaid and Jay Hernandez, in 1,030 theaters. However, the film failed to impress, hitting just $1.3 million this weekend.
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Rounding up the Top 10 was concert film Suga – Agust D Tour ‘D-Day’ The Movie. Despite opening in just 792 theaters, it still cracked $990,000 and that's despite playing just on Saturday and with very limited showtimes.
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There was another release, a Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead remake. We can't blame you if you didn't hear of it, as no one did. It opened with a disastrous $215K in 637 theaters. That translates to an awful $338 per-theater-average. Ouch.

OVERSEAS

Godzilla x Kong added another $33 million overseas, allowing it to pass $437 million worldwide. The Top 5 are China ($108.8M), Mexico ($27.7M), UK ($14.6M), India ($12.8M) and Australia ($9.5M). It will open in Japan this week.
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Kung Fu Panda 4 added $25 million, crossing $450 million in the process. Top 5 markets are China ($44.9M), Mexico ($33.1M), UK ($21.5M), Germany ($14.1M) and Italy ($10.9M).
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In some local news, Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram had a terrific $21.8M opening in Japan. This is the best opening of the 27-film franchise and the the second-best opening weekend ever in Japan, behind Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train. Its debut impacted Oppenheimer, causing it to fall below $1 million in the market this weekend.
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Adding more markets, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire added $10.8 million, taking its worldwide total to $159.9 million. Its biggest debut was France, but it had a soft $2.2 million start. It will reach South Korea this week, although don't expect much, as Afterlife didn't even crack $1 million in the market.
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The First Omen added $7.7 million and took its worldwide total to $35.4 million. That was a good 41% drop, although the small debut is not exactly favorable. Its best markets are Mexico ($3.3M), Indonesia ($1.5M), UK ($1.5M), Brazil ($1.1M) and Korea ($1.1M).
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Dune: Part Two added $7.2 million, and its worldwide total now stands at $684 million.
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With $92 million in China, The Boy and the Heron has now hit a huge $294 million worldwide. It will pass $300 million in the coming days, the second film by Miyazaki to hit that mark.

MOVIES THAT ENDED THEIR RUN THIS WEEK

Movie	Release Date	Studio	Domestic Opening	Domestic Total	Worldwide Total	Budget
Migration	Dec/22	Universal	$12,453,275	$127,306,285	$294,393,981	$72M

• And so Universal/Illumination's animated film Migration ends its run with $294 million worldwide. That's a great run considering its small budget, although it's quite far off from all their previous films. While a success, it marked Illumination's lowest grossing animated title, and was their least attended in North America. It had great legs, although its small opening, holiday legs and lack of animated competition made it easier. A profit, but it pretty much ends there.

THIS WEEKEND

We've got a few newcomers.
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The first is Universal's new horror film Abigail. The project is helmed by Radio Silence (Ready or Not and the past two Scream films) and is a reimagining of Dracula's Daughter. The film stars Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, William Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud (in one of his final performances before his death), Giancarlo Esposito and Alisha Weir (in the title role). While horror is a profitable genre, the genre seems to be struggling this year; the highest horror film of the year is Night Swim with just $54 million worldwide. With solid reviews so far, can this surprise?
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The other release is Lionsgate's The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The film is directed by Guy Ritchie, and stars Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Til Schweiger, Henry Golding and Cary Elwes. The film portrays a heavily fictionalized version of Operation Postmaster. Ritchie is coming up two box office duds, while Henry Cavill has struggled in the past years with his leading man status, especially losing the Superman role and starring in the disastrous Argylle. While things can change, it's very likely the film will struggle in recouping its costs.
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Another release is Crunchyroll's Spy × Family Code: White, which already opened in Japan last year, where it made $40 million in the market. With a growing interest in anime, don't sleep on this film over-performing.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Due to real-life stuff, next week there won't be a write-up. Only the actuals will be posted.
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And a reminder that we'll have our first "Long Range Prediction" game on Wednesday. We'll predict IF, Back to Black and The Strangers: Chapter 1. We'll predict their opening weekends and total.