The Frankensteiner (フランケンシュタイナー Furankenshutainā) is an attack that doubles as a throw at close range and has been present ever since the first Tekken. The move is usable by King, Armor King and their successors. Roger and Alex also had this move in their appearances in Tekken 2 and Tekken Tag Tournament.
From Tekken 3 onwards, users can hold d as the move lands in order to have its user sprawl on the ground in pain. This is purely visual as the user never takes any damage if they land on the ground.
Since its introduction, the attack will always turn into a throw when it hits a standing opponent from the front at close range.
Usage[]
The Frankensteiner is usually thought to be too slow and unsafe to use. If the player gets hit while still in the air, the opponent gets a free juggle opportunity. If the player misses or is too far away, they will land flat. It is however an inescapable move.
It is sometimes used in arcades to make the other player look bad, as it is considered slightly embarrassing to be caught by a Frankensteiner.
In Tekken 2, it can be used as an AI breaker by knocking over the opponent, dashing away slightly and performing a Frankensteiner as they are running, as the CPU will almost always run into it while attempting to perform a running tackle. Don't dash too far away however otherwise the computer will be able to perform an unblockable tackle instead. The throw portion can sometimes be difficult to connect against larger opponents such as Jack-2 however due to their height. Using this tactic, it is an easy way to get over 50 wins in Survival Mode, however in later games the CPU will usually avoid it.
On the arcade version of Tekken 2 however, the CPU usually blocks the first half or may even crouch to avoid the throw, taking 20 damage from the hit but being able to retaliate; sometimes the CPU will also stop short while running, also leaving King open to attack.
Defense[]
Escaping the Frankensteiner
When the move is close enough to grab the player, the correct way to block it is with a low block, otherwise, only the first 15 points of damage will be blocked and the second part of the moves become unavoidable, meaning that the player will still take some damage. However, the player can also choose to duck, in which case, they only take 15 damage, and have the advantage of an opponent lying down.
The Frankensteiner can be avoided by crouching, and rising into a block. If it is timed correctly, the player will receive no damage at all and the throw will not connect. This is confirmed in Tekken 1 through Tekken 5, though it is much harder to escape unscathed in Tekken 3 and Tekken Tag Tournament, however.
Despite the move's appearance, it is possible for some characters to use their Attack Reversal against it such as Paul and Nina, while Heihachi's Heaven's Wrath is also usable against the Frankensteiner.
Trivia[]
- Doctor Bosconovitch and Roger Jr. have their own variants of the move called Dr. Frankensteiner and Animal Rampage, respectively.
- In the Japanese version, they are called Frankensteiner and Animal Beat (アニマルビート Animaru bīto), respectively. The animations for them are slightly different, but it is the same concept.
- Kunimitsu and her daughter have a variant called Manji Rana, in which they climb onto the opponent before the throw.
- Gon has a similar move called Snake Drop, however, Gon cannot actually grab hold of the opponent's shoulders and will only perform the first half of the move.
- The Frankensteiner is likely a standing variation of the Pro Wrestling move of the same name which was a signature move of Scott Steiner who had 2 variations of the move, one from the top rope which he used later in his career and his more often used variation for the center of the ring.[1]
- This is even more apparent in Tekken 2, where the in-game movelist shows Franken Steiner as two words.
Gallery[]
