Smasher:Kirihara
| Kirihara "キリハラ" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Character info | |
| Smash 4 main | Rosalina & Luma |
| Rankings and results info | |
| Most recent ranking |  Panda Global Rankings v3: 19th (X-Factor: +8) |
| Winnings | $2,399.55 |
| Personal and other info | |
| Real name | Noriyuki Kirihara |
| Location | Tokyo 
|
| Miscellaneous info | |
| Skill | Top professional |
Kirihara is an SSB4 Rosalina & Luma player from Tokyo, Japan, and is considered the best Rosalina player in the country and the 2nd best in the world, after Dabuz. Kirihara is currently ranked 4th on the JAPAN Power Rankings and 19th on the Panda Global Rankings v3. He has taken sets off of top players such as ZeRo, Larry Lurr, komorikiri, Abadango, VoiD, KEN, Ranai, and ESAM.
At Frame Perfect Series 2, he became the 2nd Japanese player to win an American national, after Abadango's Pound 2016 victory.
Playstyle
Kirihara's style of Rosalina is differentiated by his calculated, aggressive spacing, foregoing the typical defensive style often demonstrated by other Rosalina players. He relies on well spaced aerials to establish stage control, and utlises Luma to full effect as an aerial deterrent, due to Luma's delayed hitboxes. His utilisation of Luma extends to pressure situations, as Kirihara will often employ Luma's moveset to force opponents into shield, discourage approaches, or as a form of option coverage. Luma aids in Kirihara's ground game as well, not only as a deterrent, but as a confirm option, often utlising Luma's jab as a lead into grabs. Despite his adeptness with Luma, he displays little reliance on it, and has proven capable and aggressive, even without. During these situations, he relies on his ability to react to his opponent's heightened aggression, generally encouraged by Luma's absence.
Another aspect of Kirihara's playstyle is his exceptionally proficient edge-guarding. He has demonstrated a distinctive ability to react to his opponent's recovery options, and cover them appropriately. He will often follow his opponent's offstage, and attempt to pressure and gimp them in the process. Kirihara's utilisation of Luma extends to his edge-guarding, as he often uses Luma's large and disjointed hitboxes to catch recoveries below the ledge, or to snipe players offstage from afar. As well, his ability to react to his opponent's ledge options, and force them back offstage further contributes to his aggressive offstage play.
Tournament placings
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 Placement | 2v2 Placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umebura 13 | March 15th, 2015 | 5th | — | — |
| Umebura 18 | August 8th, 2015 | 3rd | — | — |
| Umebura F.A.T. | September 21st-22nd, 2015 | 4th | — | — |
| SHIG Tournament | February 7th, 2016 | 4th | 3rd | RAIN |
| EVO 2016 | July 15th-17th, 2016 | 33rd | — | — |
| Umebura 24 | July 24th, 2016 | 33rd | — | — |
| Umebura 25 | September 10th, 2016 | 3rd | — | — |
| Toryumon 1 | October 10th, 2016 | 2nd | — | — |
| DNG Kanto Invitational | November 19th, 2016 | 2nd | — | — |
| SGC 2017 | January 7th-8th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| Shulla-bra Tokaigi Qualifiers | January 15th, 2017 | 5th | — | — |
| Umebura Tokaigi Qualifiers | February 4th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| Tokaigi Last Chance Qualifiers | February 11th, 2017 | Top 2 | — | — |
| Niconico Tokaigi 2017 | February 11th-12th, 2017 | 5th | — | — |
| Gamer's Gauntlet Weekly #21 | February 21st, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Frostbite 2017 | February 25th-26th, 2017 | 13th | — | — |
| Frame Perfect Series 2 | March 18th-19th, 2017 | 1st | 5th | CaptainZack |
| Wednesday Night Fights 2017 Winter Season 1.6 | March 22nd, 2017 | 7th | — | — |
| 2GGC: Civil War | March 24th-26th, 2017 | 5th | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #1 | April 26th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Tokyo Game Bar 3 | April 30th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Umebura Japan Major 2017 | May 6th-7th, 2017 | 5th | 17th | RAIN |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #2 | May 10th, 2017 | 33rd | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #4 | May 31st, 2017 | 9th | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #5 | June 14th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #6 | June 28th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Umebura 27 | July 1st, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #7 | July 5th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| 4th Annual PSG Classic | July 12th, 2017 | 5th (Forfeit) | — | — |
| Summer School | July 13th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| EVO 2017 | July 14th-16th, 2017 | 65th | — | — |
| Umebura 28 | August 12th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #9 | August 16th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #10 | August 30th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| 2GGC: West Side Saga | September 9th, 2017 | 5th | — | — |
| Mega Smash Mondays 113 | September 11th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| 2GGC: Fire Emblem Saga | October 14th-15th, 2017 | 9th | — | — |
| Umebura 29 | October 28th, 2017 | 9th | — | — |
| 2GGC: MkLeo Saga | November 4th, 2017 | 9th | — | — |
| Umebura 30 | November 18th, 2017 | 13th | — | — |
| Katsubura | November 19th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #16 | November 22nd, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Rikabura 8 | November 25th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| 2GG Championship | December 1st-3rd, 2017 | 11th | — | — |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umebura 5 | July 26th, 2014 | 17th | — | — |
Trivia
- Kirihara is the only smasher to have a positive record over ZeRo in Smash 4 that is better than 1-0, holding a 2-1 record over him.
