Komachi Onozuka/RicePigeon's third version

''With its large scythe in tow, what Komachi lacks in speed, it more than makes up for in power and range. Knowing how to control space with its scythe is key.''

Gameplay


Komachi is technically a five-button character, but plays like a standard three-button character, using the extra two buttons for shortcuts;, when used combined with or  acts as a shortcut for the character's   and   dash commands, while  is used as a shortcut for , as many keyboards do not permit for the input of more than two simultaneous button presses, so having players press a single button instead circumvents this issue, especially with Komachi's Ritual of Ecstacy and level 3 Hypers, which require  button presses.

Komachi's attacks are sluggish, and not very combo friendly. Its Standing, for example, cannot chain into itself like most characters. Their walk and Dash speeds aren't very fast either, and cover little ground. To compensate, it possesses slightly more Life than most characters. While most of its attacks are sluggish, they possess great range, power, and priority to make up for their notable lack of speed. When playing as Komachi, it's important to learn their normals and take advantage of their qualities, especially since many of them provide several bonuses on counterhit, such as wallslam and groundslam. Ritual of Ecstacy can be used to circumvent the shortcomings of its average walk and dash speeds, as this allows Komachi to instantaneously close the gap between it and their opponent, adding to its ability to punish the opponent for their mistakes.

While many of Komachi's Specials are projectile-based, they are used mostly for either space control or harassing the opponent. Wisps that are produced by Komachi's  Specials, Abundant Floating Spirits, and Irresolute Bound Spirit can be detonated using + or +, giving the character greater control of space. The blue spirits produced by these moves are especially helpful to provide offensive pressure; while they don't deal damage on their own, they will continuously chase the opponent down until they are detonated or fade away over time, so even if Komachi is out of range, they can still harass them with the threat of detonating the spirits. The   Pillars don't deal that much damage, but they greatly slow down opponents trying to walk or run through them, allowing Komachi to effectively pin the opponent and harass them from a safe distance. While they cannot be detonated, their projectiles are unique among ground traveling projectiles as they will float upward if the opponent tries to jump over them, making approaching Komachi difficult.

At the beginning of the match, Komachi has the option to select either of its two Level 3 Spellcards for use, but will not be able to use both during the same match. Short-Life Expectancy is a grounded melee attack that hits mid range and will always deal damage equal to half the opponent's remaining Life (rounded up), making it useful early in the round against opponents with higher Life values and generally easier to combo into, but less effective as the opponent loses Life. Scythe of Final Judgement is a projectile that crashes down on top of the opponent's position; although it can be air blocked due to being a projectile, it is unique in that it must be blocked high.

A.I.-wise, Komachi uses a custom A.I. script that uses state trees to decide its actions. The end result is an A.I. that can seem a bit more unpredictable than most, giving a fair challenge. It should be noted that the A.I. will not use Komachi's Level 3 Hypers, though this may change in future updates.

General
"First of all, I'm a ferryman, so I won't be coming for you. If you do defeat the death god that comes for you, you'd gain a little extension on your life."

"Don't worry, I'm not taking anyone's soul. I just came to play a bit."

"Well then, I guess it's about time I got back to my work."

"How about that? I just found another way to pass my free time! Thanks."

"You know what would be nice to have? A book where the person's name who's written in it dies. Then again, that's not my jurisdiction."

"Huh, whats this? An apple? Y... You're giving it to me? I don't know who told you I like these, but thanks!"

Character-specific
"Living in the house of a devil like this is a pain, right? What, I'm just playing around a little bit. Don't get so angry."

- vs. Hong Meiling

"Not bad. But something seems different about you."

- vs. Hong Meiling

"Your fists don't bleed death, not against a shinigami like me they don't."

- vs. Lie Meiling

"Jeez, why did you get so serious all of a sudden? It's not that joke I made was it?"

- vs. Lie Meiling

"Does that mean you're slacking off?"

- vs. Reimu Hakurei

"There are two kinds of shrine maiden in this world; ones who live extremely long and ones who live extremely short."

- vs. Reimu Hakurei

"It's not exaggerating to say humans who flee from destiny are humans who forfeit being human."

- vs. Marisa Kirisame

"When you die, what kind of ghost will you be? I can't imagine."

- vs. Marisa Kirisame

Trivia

 * Komachi's 1st winquote against Lie Meiling is a reference to Akuma, where one of his intro quotes in Ultra Street Fighter IV is "My fists bleed death, welcome to your doom!" This is only one of many references comparing Lie Meiling to Akuma found in RicePigeon's characters.
 * Hong Meiling winquote #2 continues the trend of RicePigeon's characters having winquotes that reference the events of Touhou Rekkaden. In this case, Komachi is foreshadowing Meiling's gradual transformation into her non-canon future self.