Cartwheel Jump

Hiryu's cartwheel jump in the 2014 Strider

The Cartwheel Jump (斜めジャンプ, lit. Diagonal Jump), originally known as the Rotating Jump Kick (回転JUMPキック), is one of Hiryu's abilities from the original Strider.

By holding a direction before jumping, Hiryu instead performs a long jump while rotating in mid-air with all his limbs fully outstretched like spokes in a wheel. Besides the extended reach, this can also damage enemies by hitting them with the feet as Hiryu falls down. Considered one of Hiryu's most memorable and quirky animations, it has become his standard jump animation in all his appearances following Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes.

Although the move has not been used offensively since its debut, Hiryu's move "Jinrai" from the cancelled fighting game Capcom Fighting All-Stars included a cartwheel motion as part of the attack.

Other users

• Hinjo has the Cartwheel Jump as part of his animations in all versions of Strider II. This is expected, as he reuses Hiryu's sprite set from previous ports in all his appearances.
• Strider Hien has the same Cartwheel Jump as Hiryu in Strider 2, as they share similar sprites.
• Kirin from Cannon Dancer has it as part of his jump animation, performing a somersault and then a cartwheel motion each time he jumps forward. The third strike in his mid-air attack chain is also a Cartwheel-motion rotating kick.
• Zeku from Street Fighter V uses it as his forward and backward jump in his young form, as one of several animations he shares with Hiryu.
• Since the motion has become an emblematic visual in the series similar to the Cypher Attack's plasma arc, indie developers taking inspiration from Strider have also included cartwheels into their jumping animations. Titles like Tänzer and Bushiden are among those using a similar animation.

Gallery

Hinjo's cartwheel jump

Hien's cartwheel jump

Kirin's cartwheel motion

Kirin's cartwheel attack

Zeku's cartwheel jump