| Kirihara "キリハラ" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Character info | |
| Smash 4 main | Rosalina & Luma |
| Ultimate main | Sheik |
| Retired Ultimate character | Rosalina & Luma |
| Rankings and results info | |
| Most recent ranking |  Panda Global Rankings 100: 28th  Fall 2019 PGRU: 48th |
| Winnings | $2,399.55 |
| Personal and other info | |
| Real name | Noriyuki Kirihara |
| Location | Tokyo, Kanto 
|
| Miscellaneous info | |
| Skill | Top professional Top professional |
Kirihara (キリハラ) is an Ultimate Sheik player from Tokyo, Japan, and was considered the best Rosalina & Luma player in Japan when he mained the character. He has wins over players such as T, KEN, ProtoBanham, Nietono, Abadango, Umeki, HIKARU, and Lea. He is currently ranked 48th on the Fall 2019 PGRU.
In SSB4, Kirihara was considered the best Rosalina & Luma player in Japan and one of the best in the world, along with Dabuz and falln. Kirihara is currently ranked 6th on the JAPAN Power Rankings and 28th on the Panda Global Rankings 100. He has taken sets off of many top players in Smash 4 such as ZeRo, MkLeo, Larry Lurr, KEN, VoiD, Elegant, Abadango, and komorikiri. At Frame Perfect Series 2, he double-eliminated ZeRo and became the 2nd Japanese player to win an American national, after Abadango's Pound 2016 victory.
Playstyle
Kirihara's style of Rosalina is differentiated by his calculated, aggressive spacing, foregoing the typical defensive style often demonstrated by other Rosalina players. He relies on well spaced aerials to establish stage control, and utlises Luma to full effect as an aerial deterrent, due to Luma's delayed hitboxes. His utilisation of Luma extends to pressure situations, as Kirihara will often employ Luma's moveset to force opponents into shield, discourage approaches, or as a form of option coverage. Luma aids in Kirihara's ground game as well, not only as a deterrent, but as a confirm option, often utlising Luma's jab as a lead into grabs. Despite his adeptness with Luma, he displays little reliance on it, and has proven capable and aggressive, even without. During these situations, he relies on his ability to react to his opponent's heightened aggression, generally encouraged by Luma's absence.
Another aspect of Kirihara's playstyle is his exceptionally proficient edge-guarding. He has demonstrated a distinctive ability to react to his opponent's recovery options, and cover them appropriately. He will often follow his opponent's offstage, and attempt to pressure and gimp them in the process. Kirihara's utilisation of Luma extends to his edge-guarding, as he often uses Luma's large and disjointed hitboxes to catch recoveries below the ledge, or to snipe players offstage from afar. As well, his ability to react to his opponent's ledge options, and force them back offstage further contributes to his aggressive offstage play.
Tournament placings
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 Placement | 2v2 Placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umebura 13 | March 15th, 2015 | 5th | — | — |
| Umebura 16 | June 6th, 2015 | 9th | — | — |
| Umebura 18 | August 8th, 2015 | 3rd | — | — |
| Umebura F.A.T. | September 21st-22nd, 2015 | 4th | — | — |
| SHI-G Tournament | February 7th, 2016 | 4th | 3rd | RAIN |
| EVO 2016 | July 15th-17th, 2016 | 33rd | — | — |
| Umebura 24 | July 24th, 2016 | 33rd | — | — |
| Umebura 25 | September 10th, 2016 | 3rd | — | — |
| Toryumon 1 | October 10th, 2016 | 2nd | — | — |
| DNG Kanto Invitational | November 19th, 2016 | 2nd | — | — |
| SGC 2017 | January 7th-8th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| Shulla-bra Tokaigi Qualifiers | January 15th, 2017 | 5th | — | — |
| Umebura Tokaigi Qualifiers | February 4th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| Tokaigi Last Chance Qualifiers | February 11th, 2017 | Top 2 | — | — |
| Niconico Tokaigi 2017 | February 11th-12th, 2017 | 5th | — | — |
| Gamer's Gauntlet Weekly #21 | February 21st, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Frostbite 2017 | February 25th-26th, 2017 | 13th | — | — |
| Frame Perfect Series 2 | March 18th-19th, 2017 | 1st | 5th | CaptainZack |
| Wednesday Night Fights 2017 Winter Season 1.6 | March 22nd, 2017 | 7th | — | — |
| 2GGC: Civil War | March 24th-26th, 2017 | 5th | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #1 | April 26th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Tokyo Game Bar 3 | April 30th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Umebura Japan Major 2017 | May 6th-7th, 2017 | 5th | 17th | RAIN |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #2 | May 10th, 2017 | 33rd | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #4 | May 31st, 2017 | 9th | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #5 | June 14th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #6 | June 28th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Umebura 27 | July 1st, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #7 | July 5th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| 4th Annual PSG Classic | July 12th, 2017 | 5th (Forfeit) | — | — |
| Summer School | July 13th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| EVO 2017 | July 14th-16th, 2017 | 65th | — | — |
| Umebura 28 | August 12th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #9 | August 16th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #10 | August 30th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| 2GGC: West Side Saga | September 9th, 2017 | 5th | — | — |
| Mega Smash Mondays 113 | September 11th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| 2GGC: Fire Emblem Saga | October 14th-15th, 2017 | 9th | — | — |
| Umebura 29 | October 28th, 2017 | 9th | — | — |
| 2GGC: MkLeo Saga | November 4th, 2017 | 9th | — | — |
| Umebura 30 | November 18th, 2017 | 13th | — | — |
| Katsubura | November 19th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #16 | November 22nd, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Rikabura 8 | November 25th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| 2GG Championship | December 1st-3rd, 2017 | 11th | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #17 | December 20th, 2017 | 3rd | — | — |
| Umebura T.A.T. | December 23rd-24th, 2017 | 25th | 17th | takera |
| Sumabato Tokaigi Qualifiers 1 | January 6th, 2018 | 17th | — | — |
| Sumabato Tokaigi Qualifiers 2 | January 7th, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #19 | February 7th, 2018 | 2nd | — | — |
| Niconico Tokaigi 2018 | February 10th-11th, 2018 | 7th | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #23 | April 25th, 2018 | 5th | — | — |
| Umeki Project | April 29th, 2018 | 1st | 1st | KEN |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #24 | May 2nd, 2018 | 2nd | — | — |
| Umebura 32 | May 12th, 2018 | 5th | — | — |
| WeeklySmashParty 001 | June 8th, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| WeeklySmashParty 005 | July 18th, 2018 | 3rd | — | — |
| Umebura 33 | July 28th, 2018 | 2nd | — | — |
| WeeklySmashParty 006 | August 5th, 2018 | 5th | — | — |
| Umebura 34 | August 25th, 2018 | 5th | — | — |
| WeeklySmashParty 008 | August 31st, 2018 | 17th | — | — |
| WeeklySmashParty 011 | October 5th, 2018 | 7th | — | — |
| WeeklySmashParty 012 | October 19th, 2018 | 2nd | — | — |
| WeeklySmashParty 014 | November 9th, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| WeeklySmashParty 015 | November 16th, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| Umebura Smash 4 Final | December 1st-2nd, 2018 | — | 9th | racchi~ |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umebura 5 | July 26th, 2014 | 17th | — | — |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toryumon Kiwami #1 | December 12th, 2018 | 17th | — | — |
| Umebura SP | December 16th, 2018 | 65th | — | — |
| Ueno Smash Ultimate Weekly 1 | January 22nd, 2019 | 9th | — | — |
| WeeklySmashParty 22 | February 1st, 2019 | 3rd | — | — |
| Toryumon Kiwami #6 | February 6th, 2019 | 2nd | — | — |
| Toryumon Kiwami #8 | February 20th, 2019 | 13th | — | — |
| WeeklySmashParty 25 | March 1st, 2019 | 4th | — | — |
| Umebura Japan Major 2019 | May 1st-2nd, 2019 | 9th | — | — |
| Umebura SP 4 | August 16th, 2019 | 17th | — | — |
| EGS Cup 2 | August 25th, 2019 | 9th | — | — |
| Ueno Smash Ultimate Weekly 24 | August 29th, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| Umebura SP 5 | September 28th, 2019 | 4th | — | — |
| Umebura SP 6 | October 22nd, 2019 | 33rd | — | — |
| Umebura SP 7 | November 16th, 2019 | 25th | — | — |
| Seibugeki 3 | November 29-30th, 2019 | 25th | — | — |
| Maesuma TOP 1 | January 4th, 2020 | 1st | — | — |
| Toryumon Kiwami #51 | January 8th, 2020 | 2nd | — | — |
| EGS Cup 3 | January 13th, 2020 | 7th | — | — |
| EVO Japan 2020 | January 24th-26th, 2020 | 13th | — | — |
| Winner! | June 21st, 2021 | 17th | — | — |
| Seibugeki 8 | October 10th, 2021 | 33rd | — | — |
| DAWN 1 | October 17th, 2021 | 5th | — | — |
| Kagaribi 5 | October 30th-31st, 2021 | 65th | — | — |
| DAWN 2 | November 14th, 2021 | 5th | — | — |
| WINNER! -Next Gen- | April 9th, 2022 | 49th | — | — |
| Maesuma TOP 7 | May 1st, 2022 | 65th | — | — |
| Shin-Ken League | May 16th-June 4th, 2022 | 11th | — | — |
Trivia
- Kirihara is the only smasher to have a positive record over ZeRo in Smash 4 that is better than 1-0, holding a 2-1 record over him.
- Coincidentally, Kirihara is ranked 48th on the second iteration of both the Panda Global Rankings and the Panda Global Rankings Ultimate.