TL;DR: Don't get grabbed, don't get FC, don't mash like a dumbass on wakeup, space him properly and bait his DP / FR moves to do big damage.
Post Edited to give an overall Kanji MU impression.
Good tools in this MU: J.C, 5C, Gunshot, 2B, 2D.
Moves to watch out for in this MU: Kanji's grabs, tech traps, his DP and "Gotcha!", the persona anti-air grab.
Overall: Kanji does not seem to have a proper answer against Adachi's 5C/J.C/Gun. It allows Adachi to pressure Kanji from a safe distance where he has to take a risk to get away from. You should be the one in control, but things can get really wrong really quick, so play carefully.
Main Goal of this MU: Stay away from his RPS, and if you ever get caught, be wary of what to do.
First of all, let's explain the Kanji RPS that makes anyone hate every Kanji player.
It's very important to know that, from his RPS game, you cannot burst starting from 5AAA (upward punch to smackdown)
After any knockdown (Usually from either 5AAA>Man Dive or just a regular grab), Kanji has two options:
-Use 5D/J.5D/2D depending on distance to approach you under the lightning so he can either mash/bait/grab and start it over again. This is the option he uses when he feels like going for a safer approach.
-Use Cruel Attack to get close on you. This is the most common option. From here he can do a lot of stuff such as:
Use 5A to try and catch you either mashing or jumping. This will lead to 5AAA>Mandive for a re-start of the RPS. Doesn't end here but we'll cover it later.
Straight up command grab you for big damage and RPS restart. As this is probably the option you fear most, he's also likely to use D Grab so the invuln screws up your DP, which will add 950 more damage to the grab. ONLY DP IF YOU'RE 200% SURE HE'S GOING TO C/SB GRAB YOU OR YOU'RE DEAD.
DP. This might lead you to think you can't mash on wakeup so he can grab you more easily, as you'll be less likely to mash. Not that many Kanjis do it but it's still an option.
These are the main options. He can also try to predict a jump with Gotcha! or 2B, but as I said, jump startup will get you caught by 5A so you shouldn't really be jumping mindlessly.
Anyway, if you "somehow" end up blocking 5A, you need to know that 5AA>5B can lead to trouble if you're not used to block Kanji. From here he can either Sweep for a low + cruel attack or charged 5B to SB Grab tick throw. You need to know about this to get away from it properly. Remember that he can't cancel to cruel attack if you block the sweep, you have to punish him hard for it.
Of course, these aren't all the options he has. He can also go back to 5A after a charged 5B.
So how do you avoid all of this? Well, try not to get caught, because you either mash succesfully out of his RPS or you get CH'd/Grabbed/Tossed around to death.
This is a full breakdown of your Wake Up options vs Kanji (remember he can always choose not to do anything so he baits you). Remember, aside from SB Atom Smasher, no one is "truly" safe.
-DP: Beats his mashing and C/SB Grabs. Gets beaten by D Grab and his own DP. Makes you lose an additional 950 Health + CH. Sooo if you're in the corner you lose about 5K if he had the idea to go D grab. Just don´t.
-Atom Smasher: C Ver is fast but if he blocks it you give him a FC combo, which he loves. D version has a bit of invuln on start and will probably be the one you use the most. SB is the safest one since it's + on block, however both C and SB will get beaten by his D grab
-Magatsu Mandala: Kind of like Smasher, but SB isn't + on block here. A version will beat most of his options (not D grab) While B version will avoid the D grab, but you CAN be grabbed on startup so use wisely against C/SB grabs.
-Heat Riser: You shouldn't really think of this as a wakeup option.
-Ghastly Wail: Well I guess if you're desperate you could try using this to get back at neutral? Gets beaten by D grab
-5A/5B: Only if he's very respectful / you get a feeling of reversal baits.
-2B: Long Startup. It will beat his D grab (thanks to being airborne) and if you're lucky you could get a combo if you land fast enough.
-5C/5D/2D/Megidola/: Lol
-Evil Smile/Stance/Gunshot : Might as well try wake up Instakill at this point.
You can also try to mash short hop on wakeup, but again, 5A. You can get a pretty good punish on him if you succesfully guess a command grab with this option though.
However, Kanji's stuff does not end with his RPS game. He's more than that.
There are other things you should be careful about, such as his fatal counter combos / air tech traps / attemts to yolo dive etc.
Both J.C and 2C are Fatal Counter Starters for Kanji. If you ever get Fatal Countered, I recommend bursting quick(unless you prefer to save your burst for some other reason, such as a fancy OMB combo or you get the "Burst bait" feeling) because he's getting 5K minimum + a huge amount of meter + the possibility to end in a tech trap that can kill you. Or yet another RPS start with Added Cruel Attack.
Other Kanji blockstrings that you should be familiar with are the ones that use 2C. He pretty much has the same options as with charged 5B, but you should also be aware that he sometimes may attempt Cruel Attack>Yolo Dive to call you out on jumping/stupid mashing. Use your 2B here if you ever get in this situation.
This post is still missing info about dealing with Air Cruel Attack as well as Primal Force, but I've really not seen those moves that much at neutral. Just know that he might toss them at random, and that Air Cruel Attack is not that negative on block (I think It's +?) so act like he had an advantage if you ever have to block it.
Your best tools here are, as always, SB Gunshot/Regular Gunshot, 5C and J.C. You need to space Kanji properly, and remember that he can DP at anytime for paralysis. I recommend cutting your use of 5B here, as having it whiffed will get you in a lot of trouble with his D grab.
However, be also careful while approaching him on air. He can use all versions of Gotcha! to try and bring you down to the ground for RPS or he can meet you in the air with J.B for a counterhit that leads to 5AAA>Mandive. This can only happen if he jumps higher than you though.
Finally, always remember that he can just play mindgames with you. One of the most common ones is grab>delay added cruel attack>grab. Always pay attention to what Kanji is doing, and, if possible, punish him breaking his persona, since you'll have a bit of time in which you won't have to worry about basically anything aside from chair/mandive.
As long as you can space him and be the one leading the match, you'll be able to win.
He shouldn't really be mandiving around since 2B is a pretty beefy starter for Adachi.
Collapsed: Kanji Shitlord netplay tactics compilation (in progress):
The classic = Anything>Delayed added cruel attack>grab
The reset #1 = Corner grab > 2B > SB Gotcha / Dive for a tech trap.
The reset #2 = Combo>236236AB>5A>Gotcha /Dive tech trap.
The reset #3 Return of Yomi = Chair>OMC>delayed grab.
POST IN PROGRESS, VIDS REMAIN.
