Chain Drive (チェーンドライブ) is one of K''s Super Special Moves in the King of Fighters series, being one of his signature Super Special Moves ever since its debut in The King of Fighters '99.
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Description
K' throws his sunglasses at his opponent (either by moving forward his leading hand, or swiping his following hand outwards). If it connects, K' slides in with an elbow rush (by either vanishing or sliding forward at high speed). Once the elbow charge connects, K' will begin an onslaught of punches and kicks via an autocombo ranbu, ending with a one Inch punch. The version sets his victim on fire during the attacks, has an altered finisher, and — from '99 to XIII — has K' perform the aforementioned ranbu twice.
From '99 to XI, the flurry of blows, minus the first two hits and finisher, consist of the following sequence:
- Close standing
- Far standing
- Close standing
- Far standing
- Close standing
- Close standing
- Far standing
- Far standing
- 2-hit crouching
Starting with The King of Fighters XIII, if his elbow dash hits the opponent, time will seemingly stop for K' to grab his sunglasses that have initially rebounded and adjust them before attacking. Additionally, the sequence has been changed to the following:
- Far standing done twice
- Close standing
- Standing Blow Back
- 1-hit close standing
- Close standing
- Far standing
- Far standing
- Crouching
The version's finisher consists of two of the following in order, aside from the XIII iteration, which includes all three:
- 1-hit close standing ('99-XIII)
- One Inch (all appearances except 2003 and XI)
- Blackout into a Heat Drive (2003-present)
Strategy
Compared to his other Super Special Move, this one is much more consistent as a combo ender, as Heat Drive is liable to whiff after most of K''s attacks, notably Crow Bite or occasionally Ein Trigger on hit (depending on the follow-up).
Otherwise, this super doesn't have much use beyond a combo ender. While K' does toss the glasses at a decent range, they (rather humorously) count as a projectile, making it a liability against projectile reflectors like Athena's Psycho Reflector or Rugal's Dark Barrier. Due to this, it is heavily advised to not use Chain Drive while in neutral or if there is a notable distance between you or the opponent. But if the glasses are negated, there is a chance K' can still rush in with the starter to punish his victim.
Even then, the move before KOF 2003 was infamous for whiffing on airborne foes due to the glasses knocking them down, but causing K' to slide past them (making juggling off of it only worthwhile in the corner as the elbow rush has a bit of a teleporting-lock-on property). However, in 2003 and XI, it instead inflicts the midair normal hit state that prevents the foe from being knocked down, allowing K' to connect properly with the rush as he also no longer teleports towards his foe and slide-dashes at them instead.
Starting with the 2.41 patch in XV, the version's glasses throw now gains juggle anywhere properties, meaning you can activate Chain Drive from sweeps and OTG. In addition, the final hit from this version launches opponents high into the sky, allowing for more juggles and followups.
Gallery
Quotes
Trivia
- Chain Drive may have possibly been inspired by the end fight scene from the 1997 film Drive.
- In The King of Fighters XI, Chain Drive can combo after his crouching in Arcade Mode but not in Arranged Mode due to the elimination of almost all anywhere juggles in said mode.