Blocking

The higher the difficulty, the more you will need to block; blocking chip damage is the same regardless of difficulty, whilst getting hit becomes more costly the higher the difficulty is.

If you perform up to two consecutive punches or kicks, you can press the block button to cancel the animations faster. This allows you to reposition, redirect attacks, etc.

Remember that you can also block non-explosive objects thrown at you, in order to save your combo/prevent damage.

In order to 'Block' being grabbed, simply press the grab button quickly to cancel the opponent's grab attack and earn a little super meter.

IT IS CRITICAL TO NOTE that your block can be 'broken' if you take enough hits. The counter is reset every time you release the block button. You will not take damage during the animation in which your character is staggered from a broken block, but enemies can follow up with more attacks, so be careful

WATCH OUT FOR THE NUNCHUCK MINIBOSS THUGS. Their single hit attacks are blockable, but they also have an attack sequence that is not only enough hits to break your block, but can also deplete a full health bar, unless you're playing on easy. If you ever see them starting this sequence (swinging the nunchucks, alternating over both shoulders), DO NOT BLOCK, ROLL AWAY ASAP.

Boss Strategies

Just wanted to post my findings as a player of this game for 17 years.

Scarecrow:
To my knowledge, unlike the other bosses Scarecrow doesn't change with difficulty, other than his health. Just stand in the middle of the room, back a bit, and keep the camera zoomed out for maximum coverage. Look for his trail while moving as little as possible, and try to attack a tiny bit ahead of where he appears to be.

Rolling is the fastest way to take out ghosts; in my opinion, it's not worth it to try and use them to build up meter with combos. If they drop red powerups, take them; that's the best you'll get out of them. Also, for the love of god be careful not to roll/move too much, disrupting the smoke and making it harder to spot Scarecrow during the ghost phase.

When he becomes visible again, make sure to build up meter and go for a full bar before he goes away again. He has started up the ghosts again for me in 2 ways: He's been knocked down too many times, or he has lost approximately 50% of his health. Haven't ever had him start up ghosts again from being idle. Currently I can 2-cycle him with Batman/Robin on normal.


Clayface:
Vulnerability windows are timed, not tied to losing a certain % of health.

1st Phase (Blades) changes attack frequency and speed with difficulty. On Dark Knight, Blades are incredibly precise to dodge, moreso if using Robin/Batgirl as their rolls have less distance/speed.

Has an attack during first phase (Blades) that he does only if you get too close (About 3 Batmans away).  It is programmed to hit you no matter what, unless you roll at just the right time. Given the batarang cooldown being currenctly unavoidable, you can alternate throwing a Batarang at the conduits, and then running up to him and rolling away. This will more or less cover the cooldown without ever letting him do the actual blade attack, which is lengthier and harder to dodge while still batarang-ing the conduits.

When he is made vulnerable from the electricity the first time, a cutscene plays and the player can't move. All subsequent times this happens, you can run right up to him for positioning and even start hitting him, the electricity can't hurt you.

2nd Phase (Blocks)

Pretty straightforward. Blocks can be dodged without rolling on Normal or lower. Haven't found a way to skip this phase you you just have to wait.

3rd Phase (Mooks)

Unlike other floor blobs that spawn Clayface goons, the ones Clayface tosses can't hurt you at all, either from the projectile thrown or standing in them after they've landed. Stand near a ledge and let him toss all 3 at you, overlapping them; then, use either throws, aerial attacks or basic knockdown moves (punch x3 / kick x3) to knock goons over the edge for quick kills.


Bane:

The 'Bane' of my existence, more like. Vulnerability windows are completely timed, not tied to taking a certain % of damage like Scarecrow.

1st Phase (Purple Health Meter) requires more precise rolling to dodge/stagger him. This is exasperated with Robin/Batgirl because their rolls are slower/cover less distance. You do NOT need him to hit a wall during this phase to stagger, only a successfully timed roll is required to stagger him and make him vulnerable. After research, I've found that the angle is important too... don't try rolling directly towards (duh) or away from him... the former gets your face punched, the latter causes him not to punch at all.

After analyzing P1ZZAC4T's run, it's clear that the grapple is a viable alternative if you don't feel comfortable rolling. I've found that the most consistent method is to roll perpendicular to his attack; this strat is borderline mandatory for Robin/Batgirl, but this is fine since they accumulate so many more extra points that you won't have to sacrifice anything to have grapple in the first place.

For Batman/Nightwing, I'd say if you buy grapple, save Flash Pellets for your last when you get to Sin Tzu's stages.

2nd Phase (Red Health Meter) requires a successful dodge and for him to hit a wall in order for him to become vulnerable. Ground Pound / Falling Stalactites attack is unavoidable to my knowledge, but if you get health/red orbs during, it's helpful.

UPDATE: You can run up to bane, punch him once and roll away, and he will start approaching you again early. Be forewarned, however... it's up to you to keep moving and not get knocked down by a stalactite... even just one hit can make re-activating Bane early near-pointless.


Sin Tzu:

Has the annoying trait of only being vulnerable to charged attacks. Always try to have a full meter when he's not hiding/spawning goons. Health also recharges during this time, so finish thugs ASAP.

Is programmed to spawn 4 waves of 4 goons (2 regular, 2 gold statues). Seems to have a % requirement before he runs away, might be able to abuse this by getting him right to the threshold and then doing as much damage as possible to bypass a wave of goons at the end.

Phase 1 (Him standing there)

You are intended to continuously approach him as he runs away until he attacks, but you can get him to attack you immediately with a taunt (in taunt range). I've found that rolling in a triangle is the most reliable way to dodge his strikes; with Batman/Nightwing you can just mash roll for proper timing, with Robin/Batgirl you need to watch less than 1/4 of a second between rolls to ensure you pace yourself with his strikes. MAKE SURE to stay away from him during his backflip animation after he strikes 3 times, otherwise you will lose your chance to hit him.

Chain Attacks and other Meter-Boosting techniques

There are several 'hidden' techniques within the game that allow you to build up your super meter faster; you will see a notice on-screen when they are performed successfully.

CHAIN ATTACKS: The ones you'll use most often. All viable.

Chain Attack Lvl. 1: 
Step 1: Punch x2 or Kick x2, 
Step 2: Jump
Step 3: Air Attack (Punch or Kick)

Chain Attack Lvl. 2:
Step 1: Any Stun Move (Punch, Punch, Kick or Kick, Kick, Punch)
Step 2: Punch x3 or Kick x3 OR Chain Attack Lvl 1

Chain Attack Lvl. 3:
Step 1: Any Stun Move (Punch, Punch, Kick or Kick, Kick, Punch)
Step 2: Any Juggle Move (Punch, Punch... Punch, Punch or Kick, Kick... Kick, Kick or Kick, Kick... Kick, Punch or Punch, Punch... Punch, Kick)

Chain Attack Lvl. 4:
Step 1: Any Stun Move (Punch, Punch, Kick or Kick, Kick, Punch)
Step 2: Any Charge move (Literally any move involving holding down the punch or kick button)


OTHER STUFF: Some are viable, some are not.

Bowling Bonus:
Occurs when you kick 2 or more enemies during one Batgrapple swing. Given the lagginess/weak damage output of the move, it's better to save your points and omit Batgrapple altogether during a speedrun.

Counter Grab Bonus:
If you are grabbed by any non-boss enemy, simply press the grab button quickly to free yourself and prevent them from damaging you. Generally speaking, you don't ever want to get grabbed in a speedrun, but this bonus is a lifesaver when you do, as most opponents' grab attacks are extremely lengthy in duration.

Dash Attack Bonus:
Occurs when you immediately follow up a roll with an attack (the roll must hit an enemy). Very difficult to space as often you will roll past your intended target, but helpful when you get it.

Hit Streak Bonus:
Will appear periodically during a hitstreak of 20 or higher. Bonus immediately goes away if your hitstreak is broken. Is THE fastest way to build up meter, but also the most difficult; stacks with other bonuses.

Taunt Bonus:
Occurs when you hit any enemy that you have successfully taunted (They will have a '!' above their head. Make sure not to confuse your taunting with miniboss taunting; you won't get a bonus for the latter). Somewhat viable, it's occasionally useful to taunt and get enemies grouped together to try and hit all of them with a super move. 

That being said, BE AWARE that your taunt has a range, and if enemies are outside of it, they will not react.

Character Differences

Generally, it's best to break the characters up into two groups: Batman/Nightwing and Robin/Batgirl. For speedrunning purposes, the former group edges out the latter due to their ability to hit multiple enemies much more reliably with charge attacks. 

It's a shame, because Robin/Batgirl can run circles around Batman/Nightwing in terms of how many points they can earn/how quickly they can buy out and even outpace the store unlocks with surplus points. That being said, they get these points from dealing less damage, which means more knockdowns and subsequently more time lost. To be fair, they can get close times to Batman/Nightwing, but currently I simply cannot make them go any faster.

The final nail in the coffin was when I discovered that Tornado Kick, the final charge move unlock for Robin/Batgirl, does LESS damage than Elbow Fury, leaving these characters hurting for maximum damage off of a Power Combo. Meanwhile, Chainsaw Kick, the Batman/Nightwing equivalent, is absolutely devastating for damage and can even hit multiple enemies reliably.

With this preface out of the way, it is important to consider the minute differences between the two characters in each weight class. There are only character-unique animations for the basic knockdown moves (punch x3 / kick x 3), grabs, throws, and buddy moves, the latter 3 having very little application in a speedrun (although if it turns out that buddy moves are viable, that will be ALL of the hype).


Batman vs. Nightwing

Nightwing is the clear winner here. Since Batman/Nightwing's grabs are too slow and weak for speedrunning purposes, his one weakness, his much slower throws, are completely moot. Both of his knockdown attacks are significantly faster than Batman's.

Nightwing also has shorter speeches on average at the beginning of levels; Batman looooves to talk.


Robin vs. Batgirl

If you're brave enough to try and use one of these two in a speedrun, Robin edges out Batgirl, if only just. Their knockdown moves are near-indistinguishable in terms of speed, so it comes down to one thing: Throws. Batgirl's throw is extremely laggy, and its usefulness in a speedrun is marginalized by the fact that it much more consistently knocks down other enemies in a radius, costing you time.


Overall, while it currently seems clear-cut that Robin and Batgirl might need their own category, I remain optimistic that there might be some exploit down the road that could help them take advantage of their much faster attacks and higher point averages.

Knockdown Mechanics

This game has a system where any regular enemy can be knocked down after 5 hits. Usually, players don't experience this because many moves are designed to knock down / juggle in 3 hits or less.

However, this is where stun moves come in. Either Punch, Punch, Kick, or Kick, Kick, Punch will stun an enemy without knocking them down. In addition, the final hit in the sequence that stuns DOES NOT COUNT towards this 5 hit total, and can subsequently be abused.

If you start a stun move with an unfavorable attack (Punch on enemies that block punch, likewise for Kicks), the first two hits will break their block (Except for Sin Tzu thugs). Then, the stun will stun them no matter what, and not count towards the 5 hits. If you immediately do the same stun move again, you will add 2 hits to the counter, letting you line up a juggle move or a super for maximum damage. This is especially handy against miniboss enemies in order to whittle them down as quickly as possible.

With this knowledge, you can 1-cycle every non-miniboss enemy in the game as Batman/Nightwing (sadly, Robin/Batgirl don't deal enough damage for 1 cycle), saving you time as you avoid knockdowns that enemies will get back up from.

Moves Tier List

--=REGULAR MOVES=--

S - The Most Essential, The Most Used
Stun Moves.
Back Fist (Batman/Nightwing), Fierce Punch (Robin/Batgirl) - Kick, Kick, Punch
Hook Kick (Batman/Nightwing), Somersault Kick (Robin/Batgirl) - Punch, Punch, Kick

These are simply too good. They come out quick for all characters, they do not take you off of the ground, and they are re-directable to the point of near-spammability for effective crowd control. They also start the majority of the Chain Attacks, they bypass the 5-hit knockdown counter on regular enemies, and they will always get an enemy out of your way for a few good seconds.

The Almighty.
Spinning Fury (Batman/Nightwing) Punch Punch... Punch (Hold)

The super move to end all super moves. The super move that all the other moves wish they could be. Comes with the (probably unintended) side effect of being able to hit multiple enemies with ease, and is your #1 time save in a speedrun. All regular enemies will die in 1 hit to this.

Aerial Moves
Hook Punch (Batman/Nightwing), Jump Jab (Robin/Batgirl)
Jump, Punch

Dive Kick (Batman/Nightwing), Axe Kick (Robin/Batgirl)
Jump, Kick

Call this a hot-take, but these moves are a lifesaver in the early game, as they can be the difference between a 1-cycle and a 2-cycle. In addition, they're all great for launching enemies off-stage, with Dive Kick being the standout for sheer distance.

In ADDITION addition, they also have a neat little exploit for extra meter: If you launch an enemy but don't do the fourth-hit-follow-up, you can redirect an aerial attack at any other enemy and get a free Targeting Bonus.

A - Useful, But Some Drawbacks
Most of the Rest of the Charge Moves.

Any charge move not listed here will be your bread and butter for finishing enemies when you have meter... unless you're Batman/Nightwing, in which case if there is ANY more than 1 enemy in front of you, you will want to use Spinning Fury to go for multi-kills. Remember that later unlocks, unless otherwise specified, do more damage, but this really only comes into play for bosses. Anything other than single-input charge attacks will kill any non-miniboss enemy.

Most of the Rest of the Launcher Moves.

Launcher moves are any non-super moves that involve a 4 input sequence, the third of which is just that, a strike that launches enemies. Remember that, like all moves, the later in the game you get it, the more powerful it is. Do your best to space yourself as close as possible to enemies/use walls to push them closer to you in order to prevent dropped hits... every launcher has the possibility of disconnecting, unfortunately.

Regardless, these will get you the most combo meter, and they're also a component of 'Chain Attack Lvl. 3/4.'

Punch/Kick Takedowns.
Punch Takedown (Robin/Batgirl) - Grab, Punch
Kick Takedown (Robin/Batgirl) - Grab, Kick

Unlike Batman/Nightwing, this is the one saving grace for these characters... these moves come out fast and are single-hit, letting you get a ton of meter while ending quickly so you can get back to other moves.


B - Decent, Occasional Use
Trip Moves. 
Lunch Punch (Batman/Nightwing), Arm Sweep (Robin/Batgirl) - Kick, Punch
Front Sweep (Batman/Nightwing), Rear Sweep (Robin/Batgirl) - Punch, Kick

Arguably more useful on Robin/Batgirl, these are a decently quick finisher that you can mix into your moves to get more meter/end-of-level points. Use is restricted because you should only ever use them to get kills, as they will force a knockdown without any horizontal momentum (so no launching off the map with these, except at point-blank to a ledge).

Basic Knockdown Moves.
Hammer Punch (BM)/Gut Punch(NW)/Ground Roll(R)/Spin Punch(BG) - Punch x3
Roundhouse(NW)/Heel Kick(R)/Handstand Slam(BG) - Kick x3

More useful in the early game, these moves can kill Scarecrow goons reliably. Other than that, they are handy in a pinch for knocking enemies off ledges, allowing the first 2 hits to push them that much closer to their doom.

Whipping Strike (Batman/Nightwing)
Kick, Kick... Kick, Punch

This is one of a handful of moves that have serious problems connecting reliably. Often, the punch will fail to connect and you will see a sphere indicating a block instead, dealing no damage.

The only way I've been able to get it to connect better is to have the enemy up against the wall; it appears the hitboxes on the backhand just don't have enough range. Either way, unfortunately, you will need to make use of this move on the Bane stages until Boomerang Kick becomes available.

Single-Hit Charge Moves.

Cyclone Fist (Batman/Nightwing), Dragon Punch (Robin/Batgirl) - Punch (Hold)

Hurricane Kick(Batman/Nightwing), Slide Surprise (Robin/Batgirl) - Kick (Hold)

Useful when it's the only move you have, but quickly outclassed by later unlocks. In the case of Batman/Nightwing, it *does* hit multiple enemies, but more often then not they will get up again.

Stops 1-cycling enemies in the Bane levels for Batman/Nightwing, Clayface levels for Robin/Batgirl. Beware.

Power Throw
Grab, Grab (Hold)

Sounds great on paper, but since it requires a grab, it's actually slower than normal super moves. If you want to use it to throw enemies off-stage, think again, because you have several much faster options than this, none of which require meter. Good for that occasional solo straggler kill I guess?

Robin's is the least laggy, but not by a lot, unlike regular throws.

C - For Style Points Only
A Crappy Knockdown Move.
Push Kick (Batman) - Kick x3

Everyone else's basic kick combo comes out fast, but not Batman's. It's extremely laggy, and even though it always sends enemies far, you're better off using jump attacks if your intention is to launch enemies off ledges.

Punch/Kick Takedowns.
Punch Takedown (Batman/Nightwing) - Grab, Punch
Kick Takedown (Batman/Nightwing) - Grab, Kick

Unlike Robin and Batgirl, Batman and Nightwing's takedowns are extremely laggy. They give a lot of combo meter, but in most cases it simply isn't worth it for the sake of speed, except on very rare occasions where you need a full meter fast.

Buddy Moves.
In Co-Op, One Character grabs an enemy, the other grabs the same one from behind.

A successfully-performed Buddy Move will instantly fill your combo meter, but beware - - - it slows down the game with bullet time, every time.

D - Never, Ever Use These!
Broken Super Move, and NOT in a good way
Tornado Kick (Robin/Batgirl) - Punch, Punch, Kick (Hold)


This move does LESS damage than its earlier counterpart, Fierce Punch. In addition, it has serious issues connecting all the hits. There is no reason whatsoever to use it, unfortunately.

Basic Throws.
Shoulder Throw (B)/Neck Throw(NW)/Twist Throw(BG)

Laggy as hell, and with minimal damage, you're better off omitting grabs altogether in a speedrun, unless you're Robin, who is blessed with a much faster throw that you can actually use to send enemies off ledges. Too bad it doesn't get the move out of this tier in his case.

--=GADGETS=--

S - Use Constantly

Batarang/Electric Batarang/Ricochet Batarang

You should ALWAYS be throwing this guy out. Whether it's to stun an enemy (and get free damage if you have Electric), incapacitate a group when maxed out, or safely detonate explosives, be they on the ground or in the hands of an enemy, this is the #1 way to manage groups because you can't run out, unlike pellets. Doesn't work against bosses (except for the Clayface conduits), but I digress: ALWAYS. BE. BATARANGING.

Remember that you can aim with Left Stick if you keep the gadget button held, if there are multiple targets within range.

A - Use Frequently

Smoke/Flash Pellets

Can save your ass if surrounded, especially on later levels. Good to stockpile for final encounters of levels, in order to minimize time that you're hit.

C - Use Sparingly

Bat-Grapple

It might get you the bowling bonus, but it does far too little damage to kill, it has far too little speed for mobility, and it has far too much lagginess for an off-stage launcher option. Can be used against Bane, but I've found that it's no substitute for a well-timed roll.

Rolling Tips

If you're going to speedrun 'Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu', then rolling needs to become your best friend. Useful in a variety of ways, this guide will outline them one by one.

Character differences:
Simply put, Batman and Nightwing's rolls are useful, because they speed the characters up and cover much more distance. Robin and Batgirl's rolls aren't useful except dodging boss attacks that mandate a roll, and it's one of the main reasons why they can't keep up record pace with their burlier counterparts.

Evading:
This is the default usage of the move. Whenever you feel like you're going to get mobbed by a big group, roll away. You'll save yourself time and health, and if you roll intelligently you can reposition for a counterattack in one swift motion.

For bosses, everyone but Scarecrow has attacks that can be dodged with rolling, and in most cases it's the only way to do so. As stated before, Robin/Batgirl have to time and space such rolls with a greater deal of precision compared to Batman/Nightwing, and it will cost you precious seconds unless performed 100% perfectly.

Interrupting:
If you time your roll in-between the hits of any thug or miniboss, you can interrupt their attacks. This is generally more favorable than blocking because you won't take any chip damage and you can counterattack sooner. Borderline essential against late-game thugs with longer attack sequences.

Faster Movement/Approach:
Batman/Nightwing have the privilege of their roll being a faster way to move than running, and it will save you a small margin of time. If you mash the roll button you will more or less move at maximum speed.

If you approach with roll, you can try to scoop up a dash attack bonus, though this is generally not something you should go for 24/7.

Name	Author
Blocking	SAHunterMech 4 years ago
Boss Strategies	SAHunterMech 4 years ago
Chain Attacks and other Meter-Boosting techniques	SAHunterMech 4 years ago
Character Differences	SAHunterMech 4 years ago
Knockdown Mechanics	SAHunterMech 4 years ago
Moves Tier List	SAHunterMech 4 years ago
Rolling Tips	SAHunterMech 4 years ago