Smasher:Kirihara
| Kirihara "キリハラ" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Character info | |
| Smash 4 main | Rosalina & Luma |
| Rankings and results info | |
| Most recent ranking |  Panda Global Rankings v2: 48th (X-Factor: -2) |
| Personal and other info | |
| Real name | Noriyuki Kirihara |
| Location | Tokyo 
|
| Miscellaneous info | |
| Skill | Top professional |
Kirihara is an SSB4 Rosalina & Luma player from Japan, and is considered the best Rosalina player in the country. Kirihara is currently ranked 48th on the Panda Global Rankings v2, and 8th on the JAPAN Power Rankings. He has taken sets off of players such as ZeRo, VoiD, Abadango, Kameme, komorikiri, Ranai, KEN, and ESAM.
He is the 19th player to take a set off of ZeRo, doing so, and double eliminating him at Frame Perfect Series 2. There, 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 |
| Takera's House Tournament | July 10th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| 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 | — | — |
Trivia
- Kirihara is the only smasher to have a positive record over ZeRo that is better than 1-0, holding a 2-0 record over him.
