Virtua Fighter 4/Methods

Listed here are the methods for winning items. Use the information on this page for specific help with methods listed on the Character Items page.

General notes

 * 1) When the word "frequently" is used, it usually means do the specified move or attack for at least 3-5 times, but to ensure that the item you're after is won, it is best you do the move for the entire round.
 * 2) Sometimes an item is required to be equipped in order to win other items. If this is the case, the needed item will also be stated.
 * 3) While completing tasks for getting items, it is best that you don't equip any other items other than the ones specified.
 * 4) While attempting win streaks, do not win by Ring Out or Time Out (except for the 100 win item).
 * 5) While attempting win streaks or when you are to do something for more than one round (i.e. performing a specific attack for eight rounds), do not exit to the Main Menu or the Character Select Screen. Doing this will disrupt your win streak.
 * 6) You don't have to win a match to gain an item. For example, if you are to turtle for a round and have the opponent win, you will still get the item because you completed the "turtle" task.  You only have to win a match if it is stated in the item table.

Game settings
In each Item Section a suggested Game Setting is listed. Although it would be wise to follow the suggestions, you don't have to. In an Item Section, there will be a "Setting" line. In this line, either "Simple," "Basic" or "Custom" will be displayed.


 * Simple setting
 * 1 round.
 * 160 HP for each character.
 * 60 seconds on the clock.


 * Basic setting
 * 3 rounds.
 * 240 HP for each character.
 * 60 seconds on the clock.


 * Custom setting
 * Each custom setting will be stated in the Item Table.

Basic methods

 * Perform strike attacks frequently.
 * This is when you use single attacks and not combos to win. Either use the punch or kick buttons with random directional buttons.  Sometimes the task requires you to use only Punch or only Kick Strike Attacks.  These will be stated in each character section if needed.


 * Perform single punches for x rounds.
 * This is where you have to use jabs (P) for the whole round to win. There are a few cases where you must win using a single punch.


 * Perform knockdown attacks frequently.
 * Knockdown moves are where the opponent is knocked to the ground, not high enough to combo, though. Examples of these are sweeps.


 * Perform float attacks frequently.
 * A float attack is an attack that sends your opponent high into the air, allowing you to juggle or air combo them. Some characters' Kicks (K) such as Pai's are considered to be float attacks.


 * Perform charge attacks frequently.
 * A charge attack is one where you must hold down the attack button in order to charge the move. Characters that don't have any charge attacks cannot win any items this way.  Most tasks that use this method require you to charge the move to its maximum charge power.  Once it has reached maximum, the character will attack automatically.


 * Perform shock attacks frequently.
 * A shock attack is where you hit the enemy and he/she crumples to the ground.


 * Knock the opponent off balance frequentlty.
 * These attacks are when the opponent is "stunned," but has the option of a quick recovery (an animated joystick appears).


 * Perform staggering attacks frequently.
 * A stagger attack is when the character is knocked off balance without the option of quick recovery. They aren't stunned as long as when they are knocked off balance, though.


 * Perform down attacks frequently.
 * Pressing u + P, or u + K while the opponent is lying on the ground will result in a down attack. You can also use the df + P/K down attacks too.


 * Perform bounce hits frequently.
 * Bounce hits are exactly what they sound like. When your opponent falls from a float attack, they will hit the ground then bounce back up into the air for a fraction of time.  Bounce hits are when you hit the character while they are in this state.  Most bounce hits can be accomplished with a d + K attack.


 * Perform x combo frequently.
 * Sometimes a specific combo is required to win an item. These combos should usually be performed at least twice in many cases.  In other cases, you must perform a combo only once or up to three times.


 * Perform x throw frequently.
 * Pretty simple here, just throw you opponent for the entire round. In most cases a specific throw is required, such as side throws or back throws only.  This will be stated in each character section.


 * Perform counter attacks frequently.
 * This is an attack where you hit the opponent before he or she hits you. The opponent must already be in the middle of an attacking animation in order for it to be considered a counter attack. The easiest counter attack is a single punch (P).


 * Perform reversal attacks frequently.
 * Some characters have the ability to reverse moves such as Aoi, who can catch her opponent's kicks, then crack his/her ankle. This is usually performed as b + P+K, but each character's reversal techniques will be listed in their sections.


 * Perform evade attacks frequently.
 * This is when the opponent attacks and your character dodges that attack, then nails him/her with one of their own. All evade attacks are performed u,u or d,d + P+K+G.  In most cases, an actual attack doesn't even have to be evaded.  Just have the dummy character stand there while you hit them with an evade attack.


 * Perform x counter combo frequently.
 * Counter combos are combos that start off with a counter-float attack which allows you to juggle the opponent afterwards. Each character's counter combos will be listed in their sections if this method is used.


 * Perform wall combos frequently.
 * Wall combos are ones where you bounce the character off a wall, then proceed to hit them with an air combo with each hit bouncing them off the wall as well.


 * Turtle for 1 entire round.
 * A "turtle" is a player who guards every single attack coming his/her way. Simply guard a whole bunch of P,P,P,K combos (approximately 10-20), then have your character win or lose, your choice.


 * Escape throws frequently.
 * Pretty self-explanatory here. Press P+G (directional buttons vary depending on which throw was used against you) while being thrown.  To ensure you get an item, try escaping 15 - 20 throws.


 * Pressure the opponent.
 * This is where you hit the opponent with combos and strike attacks and don't allow him/her to take any kind of offensive action of his/her own. A pressure combo will be provided if needed.


 * Perform safe falls frequently.
 * Safe falls are performed by pressing P+K+G when you hit the floor from a knockdown or float attack. An easy way to do this is by getting hit by Pai's basic kick (K) which is a float attack, then performing the Safe Fall when your character hits the ground.


 * Win/lose x consecutive matches.
 * This is when you win or lose x matches in a row. When attempting a winning or losing streak, it is imperative that you do not exit to the Character Select Screen or the Main Menu, as doing this will disrupt your winning or losing streak.  Simply select "Try Again" when the match is done.  Also, try not to select Vanessa or Jacky as your dummy character, as they catch your punches and this slows you down.


 * Achieve an excellent victory.
 * This is where you win a match with you Life Bar still at 100%.


 * Achieve a ring out victory.
 * This is where you knock the opponent out of the ring before he or she is KO'ed. You can do this on Jeffry's Stage (Island), Aoi's Stage (Shrine), Kage's Stage (Garden) or Lau's Stage (Great Wall).  In addition, you can break the walls on Lei Fei's Stage (Temple), Sarah's Stage (Colosseum) and Akira's Stage (Gymnasium), then knock the opponent out of the ring that way. If playing as Kage, you can perform his Ko'enraku throw (b + P+G) to toss the opponent out a ring with low walls like the Palace, Lion's Stage (Palace), or Jacky's Stage (City).  Sometimes you will need to win consecutive matches via Ring Out.


 * Achieve a comeback victory.
 * Now these are a little fickle. The dummy character must beat on your character until he/she only has a sliver of health remaining in the life bar.  Then your character must make a "come back" and defeat the opponent. This is fickle because you must do it quickly.  You must either try pressure combos or counter combos or bounce hits or perform very high damage combos. This is a 50/50 method, because it sometimes doesn't work.  All you have to do is to keep trying until it does work.  Practice high damage combos in Free Training Mode then see if it will work with this method. For more details, see the Advanced methods section.


 * Get hit by x frequently.
 * This is when you are hit with a specific attack or type of attack.


 * Break down x walls
 * This is where you have to break down a number of walls on Lei Fei's Stage (Temple), Sarah's Stage (Colosseum), or Akira's Stage (Gymnasium). An attack that lets your character break walls will be included in each character section.


 * Damage the temple stage floor.
 * This is where you damage the floor on Lei Fei's Stage. For more details, see the Advanced methods section.


 * Kumite mode item.
 * These items are the ones that can only be won in Kumite Mode against a specific opponent. The opponents will be listed in each character section. Each character has four of these kinds of items.


 * Orb item.
 * These items can only be acquired by winning against High Kings in Kumite Mode and collecting seven different colored items. You cannot win more than one kind of color at a time (meaning you can't have two blues). Orb Items can also be won from other Player Characters in VS Mode as long has they have an orb in their possession and your Player is at least 2nd Dan.

Advanced methods
Some methods are much harder to accomplish than others, and the most difficult ones are explained here in detail.

Damaging the Temple Stage Floor
At first sight, this may seem to be a daunting task, but it isn't that bad. Patience is the key. The Temple Stage Floor comes in three layers:
 * 1) The upper tiled layer
 * 2) The middle tan layer
 * 3) The bottom brown layer

For the floor to be counted as "massively" damaged, you must have that bottom brown layer exposed in several areas. Move around the stage to get to all the areas in order to damage them. These are the steps to follow:


 * 1) Set the game to 5 Rounds, 400 HP for your character and a dummy character, 60 seconds.
 * 2) For the first round, have your character throw the dummy with his/her basic throw. Concentrate on one area of the stage, then move to the next as soon as the brown bottom layer is exposed. Do this until the dummy has only one more hit left in his/her Life Bar.
 * 3) There should be roughly 20 seconds left at this point. For that time, get the dummy to throw your character.  If the dummy's basic throw does not do any damage to the floor, use his/her Power Slam instead. Do this until time runs out, or have your character throw the dummy to win the round before time runs out.
 * 4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the next three rounds.
 * 5) On Round 5 do the opposite, having the dummy start the throwing instead of your character. Then have your character throw the dummy until time runs out or have the dummy win. Do this for the next three rounds.
 * 6) By the time the 9th Round comes along, the Floor should already be pretty damaged. On this round, just have your character throw the dummy onto the spots that still have some of the upper tile layer, then win the match.
 * 7) Go to Edit File and equip that new item.

The following are the characters that need this method and the throws they should use. Vanessa is by far the best dummy character to use in this case.

100 consecutive wins
Again, this may seem like an arduous task, but if you use the right settings and if you follow these tips, then it might not take as long as you may think. The combos are listed for each character that keep the opponent on their feet, just so that it will be faster to beat them. Follow these steps:


 * 1) Set the game to 1 Round, 160 HP Both Characters, and 15 seconds.
 * 2) If you want, choose a stage with no walls. Be careful if you choose a stage without any walls, as you don't want to accidentally fall out at 80 wins!
 * 3) Fight a match and win. At the end, select "Try Again". Do not return to the Main Menu or the Character Select screen as doing so will disrupt your winning streak.
 * 4) Repeat 100 times.

Don't select Vanessa or Jacky as the Dummy Character. Their automatic reversals can really slow you down. Time Outs and Ring Outs are counted, so do as you please in this area.

Here are some combos that keep your opponent on their feet. You can also use them to plainly push the opponent out of the ring. Also listed are moves that can do the job just as quickly.

Counter combos (80+)
Counter combos are pretty much one of the more difficult tasks to accomplish, but here is a technique that will work flawlessly. Anytime a task calls for a Counter Combo that has 80+ Damage, select Sarah as the dummy character and do the following:


 * Sarah's Easy Counter Combo
 * Dragon Smash Cannon → Setup Combination → Combo Somersault Kick
 * db + K → df + P,K → P,P,P,u+K

Example: Wolf's Clerk's Armband.
 * 1) Set the game to 1 round, 400 HP Both Characters, and 60 seconds.
 * 2) Set up the characters near a wall, but not right next to it; about three steps away.
 * 3) Input Sarah's Dragon Smash Cannon before inputting an attack from Wolf. This ensures that it's a counter.
 * 4) Continue the combo. Wolf should hit the wall before the Combo Somersault Kick and after the last hit of the Setup Combination, so if he doesn't, adjust your distance from the wall. It just makes the combo a little easier to pull off.
 * 5) You only need to pull this combo off once. So if you do, just finish the match with either Wolf or Sarah.

At first, the timing of this combo can be a little difficult to grasp, but once you get used to it, it's a piece of cake.

Counter combos (100+)
This one is much harder and will require a lot of practice. Anytime a task calls for a Counter Combo that has 100+ Damage, select Sarah as the dummy character and do the following:


 * Sarah's Hard Counter Combo
 * Dragon Smash Cannon → Setup Combination (×2) → Combo Somersault Kick
 * db + K → df + P,K → df + P,K → P,P,P,u+K

Example: Aoi's Semi-Long (Silver) hair.
 * 1) Set the game to 1 round, 400 HP Both Characters, and 60 seconds.
 * 2) Set up the characters near a wall, but not right next to it; about five steps away.
 * 3) Input Sarah's Dragon Smash Cannon before inputting an attack from Aoi. This ensures that it's a counter.
 * 4) Continue the combo. Aoi should hit the wall before the last hit of the second Setup Combination or in between the two Setup Combinations. It just makes the combo a little easier to pull off.
 * 5) You only need to pull this combo off once, but all hits must connect. If the Somersault Kick at the end results as a bounce hit, that's okay.

This combo is much harder, as there is an additional Setup Combination in the middle. Since Aoi is a light character, it is fairly simple, but for heavier characters such as Jeffry or Wolf, it could be really hard to get all the hits to connect. This combo is definitely worth the effort to learn, as it gets you Vanessa's elusive Dragon Tattoo and Aoi's Semi-Long Silver Hair. This also gets you Lion's Blue Sleeves.

Making a comeback
This has to be one of hardest, if not the hardest, task to accomplish, as there is no sure-fire way of making sure that you win the item. The only thing that is certain, is that your health bar must be in a critical state (one sliver of green left), while the opponent's should still be full. Another thing is that Large Hitting Combos, whether it be a Wall Combo, a Juggle Combo, or even a Counter Combo (although risky) seem to work really well. Bounce hits are also a crucial part in making a comeback.

Making the opponent stagger or reversing moves might also work. If you mix up large combos with strikes, bounce hits, and the occasional down attack, you will usually win the item. There doesn't seem to be a pattern in all this.