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Shonen Final burst

system preview

Thank you for checking out this preview of Shonen Final Burst. Shonen Final Burst is a table top roleplaying game
designed to emulate the crazy action and excitement of shonen anime. This game allows you to create your own
high-powered heroes and rock out in over-the-top battles. The themes of the shonen genre are the guiding forces
behind this system. This document contains the basic combat rules and a few example characters to play around
with. Before we dive into the mechanical stuff, lets take a look at the design goals of Shonen Final Burst.
True to Shonen - The inspiration for this game
comes from the most popular shonen manga and anime
of all time: Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, Naruto, and One
Piece. Because of this, the game tries to have rules for
all the cool stuff you would see in those shows. There
are mechanics for planet-busting super moves, powerful
transformations, faking out your opponent with intricate
tricks, comparing combat styles, and even calling on
your friends for inspiration and big bonuses! We also
cover the little things, like training between fights,
getting more powerful as you are beaten up, and being
alien monkey warriors from the future.
Easy Power Curve SFB has simple card
mechanics which can become more complex as the
characters increase their power. Shonen get more
awesome when they take damage, so players will also
find they have more tactical options as fights progress.
Its all easy to get into, but you can make things more
tactical down the road with more power at your disposal.
The full game provides tons of easy to use character
options to bring your shonen to life without making
things too difficult to play.
Flexible and Narrative SFB gives the players
tons of narrative control. In fact, players are rewarded
when they bust out awesome descriptions of attacks,
transformations and actions. The shonen super powers
provided have lots of customization and options, and
everyone is allowed (and expected!) to make cosmetic
changes to their abilities. One of the main goals of our
game is to let the players be as cool as possible its
just not a shonen game if its not absolutely crazy and
creative!
What Youll Need To Play the Preview
People
Weve provided 4 characters, so this preview can
support 4 players at a time. There is no need for a
Producer (GM) for this preview.
Cards
Each individual player needs a deck of standard playing
cards. This is called the Personal Deck.

The whole group will also share a larger than normal
deck, called the Game Deck. The game deck is used
by all the players, so it should be easily accessible.
Each personal deck is made up of 40 cards: the Ace
through 10 of each suit. Basically, take out all the face
cards and jokers. The game deck is made up of two
personal decks, for a total of 80 cards. The game deck
and the personal decks should have different backs to
differentiate them and separate discard piles too.
Players also need some space in front of them to place
their selected cards.

I Hate Cards!

Some players are predisposed against cards as a
randomizer. Others are dismayed that they have to
purchase cards to play a game.
Please, if you are one of those parties who are
offended by cards, give us a moment to try and win
you over.
Cards are the randomizer in SFB for many reasons.
First, they can be hidden from opponents and hiding
your strength is a key shonen concept. They also
allow for a unique matching system which provides
tactical opportunities. Drawing cards and choosing
how to use them has a different tactical feel than
rolling dice for random numbers. We feel that the
cardplay mechanics are much more suited to shonen
action than random rolling.
As for the problem of having to buy cards, we
sympathize. SFB requires each player to have their
own deck because the long-term experience system is
based off deck-building. So for 4 players youll need 4
decks of cards, plus 2 more for the shared game
deck. 6 decks of cards seems like a lot. However,
unlike specialized dice, you can buy playing cards at
the dollar store. Theyre also cheap at big-box
retailers. If you dont have the cards already lying
around you can certainly snag enough for under $10.
Give it a shot, at least!

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Rules and Sheets
Youll need a copy of the included character sheets and
one damage track each. Youll also need little markers
for tracking damage. We recommend paper clips.
This preview document will also be useful, because it
has the rules in it. There are some powers and effects
listed on the character sheets that reference back to this
booklet, too.
How To Use This Preview
This document is a sneak peak at the Shonen Final
Burst combat system. As such, it provides the basic
rules for fighting, but not the full package. Weve left out
some bells and whistles, like the Training system and
Boss fights. Weve also held back on the Transformation
and Signature Move mechanics. All these and more are
included in the main Shonen Final Burst release.
Were providing 4 starting-level shonen for you to test
out in one-on-one fights. Most fights in Shonen Final
Burst are one-on-one, so this is no different than the full
version of the game. PCs face off against NPCs in
distinct battles with the action spotlight bouncing
between them, just like in most anime. PCs can also
fight other PCs, as in this preview. PCs and NPCs are
mechanically similar, so these preview fights accurately
reflect how the full game is run.
For now, just grab a fighter and prepare to kick ass.
Weve provided a little scenario with the character
details to showcase the beat-downs. Its silly, but that
makes it true to the shonen genre!
The basics
Players draw 5 or more cards each round and arrange
them for attack, defense, or store them for later. They
then make tactical selections like what attribute theyre
using for an attack, or if theyll activate any special
powers. If the card arrangements match certain suits the
character receives a big boost. The fighters compare
attack and defense scores and receive damage
simultaneously. Everybody makes cool descriptions and
engages in trash talk. The round ends and the beating
resumes again in a few seconds! Here is an overview of
the combat process to guide you.

Combat Overview
Combat involves all the players, but each player battles in a separate one-on-one fight with their opponent. Combat progresses
through a round-by-round cycle, with each pair of fighters taking turns in the spotlight describing their actions. Everybody gets to
attack once per round, and damage is resolved before moving on to the next round.
--Start of the Round--
1.) Draw Cards All players draw 5 cards from their personal deck, and a variable number from the game deck based on their current level of damage. If a deck
runs out, reshuffle the appropriate discard pile and resume drawing as needed.
2.) Declare Attack All players decide which attribute they will attack with and tell their opponent what they must defend with, based on style.
3.) Cardplay All players examine the cards they have drawn and consider which ones they will play for offense and defense, or set aside for powering up.
Combos are offensive cardplay. Blocks are defensive cardplay.
Cards are played face down in front of the player until both sides are ready to reveal the cards.

4.) Calculate Attack value = Attacking attribute + combo (+ other bonuses). Defense value = Defending attribute + block (+ other bonuses).
5.) Attack vs Defense The value of each players attack is compared to their opponents defense.
If the attack value exceeds the defense value, damage is dealt to the defender equal to the difference.
If the attack value meets or does not exceed the defense value, no damage is dealt.
6.) Damage and Effects Players will move the marker on their damage track to record how much punishment they received. Players will also take note of any
status effects or other bonuses and penalties that may have come from their attack or defense. All damage and effects are dealt simultaneously.
7.) Describe the Action All players take turns narrating what happened during their attack and defense, helping the group imagine the amazing action. The
order in which the players describe their actions doesnt affect the damage they suffer or any other effects.
8.) Discard Cards All players discard all the cards they have used for combos and blocks, and any leftover in their hands that they didnt use.
--End of the Round--


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Character Statistics
Here are some of the statistics that characters will use
in combat and some basic rules for attacking and
defending. Take a look at the character sheets while
going through this part to familiarize yourself with the
values.
Archetype
Shonen characters fall into easily recognized categories.
This is almost always based on their behavior and
attitude, rather than physical appearance or fighting
ability. All characters in SFB have an archetype and
corresponding archetype power. Fighters can activate
their archetype power once per battle for a unique
boost.
Attributes
Characters have five attributes; Strength, Speed, Skill,
Mind and Energy. These attributes are given a value
from 1 - 100. The attributes provide the base values for
your attack and defense. When you attack or defend
you will add the value of an attribute to the value of your
cardplay.
The attributes also guide the description of your attack
and defense. Each attribute represents a different flavor
of fighting. All shonen are capable of being super strong
and tough, or lightning quick, and they can all harness
their internal power. So, the attributes dont have to
quantify how strong or how skilled a fighter is, but rather
if they favor laying the smack down in a certain way.
Strength represents raw muscle power and toughness.
Attacks with Strength are usually huge crushing blows
or swings with big weapons. Defenses with Strength
usually involve taking a hit dead on and shrugging it off.
Speed represents physical quickness and the ability to
move crazy fast. Attacks with Speed can be a thousand
rapid strikes in one second or the old moves to fast to
see trick. Speed defenses are all about dodging and
zooming around the battlefield.
Mind represents perception, intelligence and tactics.
Mind attacks can be intricate set-ups to a decisive
strike, or even psychological trash talk. Defenses with
mind harness the characters senses to avoid trouble
before it happens or to do brainiac stuff like calculating
the odds or angle of an attack.
Skill represents the shonens precision and practiced
martial arts. Attacks with Skill are deliberate and
expertly delivered, like pressure point strikes or perfect
counters. Skill defenses are all about trained reactions,
like parries and graceful deflections.
Energy represents control over supernatural power, like
ki, chi, magic or chakra. Energy attacks are often
beams or blasts of raw force. Defenses with Energy can
be shields of power or even just using your internal
mastery to toughen up at the last second.

Overpowered Attributes & Limits
Fighters can only apply a certain amount of their
attribute value to an attack or defense. This is called the
overpower limit. 20 is the base overpower limit for
most starting characters, so you cannot normally add
more than 20 to your attack or defense. Shirosaki
Sanshiro, one of the included example characters, has a
Speed of 27. His overpower limit for Speed is 20.
When Shirosaki attacks with Speed he just adds +20 to
his total. On the other hand, Crow has a Skill of 26 and
an overpower limit of 22. When Crow attacks or
defends with Skill he can add +22 to his total.
So, for most normal attacks and defenses youll be
limited to adding +20. There are many ways to make
use of the full value of an attribute, however, so dont
discount a high score just because you cant attack with
the full amount.
Style
Characters have a unique style which determines what
attributes their opponent must defend with when they
are attacked. The attacker chooses which attribute to
attack with, but the defender does not choose what
attribute to defend with. Ruliels style, for example, has
her Skill attack the opponents Speed. Every time she
attacks with Skill, her enemy must defend with Speed.
You can think of a characters style as their personal
martial arts or fighting method. Styles should help you
describe your moves. For example, if you have a style
that has your Energy strike the opponents Strength,
what does that say about your attacks? It could be that
your Energy blasts are so ridiculously accurate that they
cannot be dodged or deflected, only taken head on.
Styles also encourage diverse attribute use. What would
you do if your highest attribute happens to strike your
opponents highest attribute? You cant change your
style, so you need to consider using a different attribute
to stay competitive. Attribute values can change during
a fight, too. There may be rounds when striking a
certain attribute is favorable. Shonen rarely do the exact
same attack over and over again, and the style system
encourages switching up and experimentation!
Powerup & Aura
Shonen have the ability to store up power for gigantic
attacks and devastating transformations. This is done by
setting aside cards, which is called powering up. A
characters powerup score determines how many cards
they can set aside each round, and their aura indicates
how many cards they can store.

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Although signature moves and transformations are not
included in this preview, powering up is still useful. Most
characters have special abilities that require powered up
cards to activate.
Techniques
All shonen have unique superpowers. In Shonen Final
Burst we categorize these powers into techniques.
These include the ability to control elements, highly
increased physical abilities, crazy stuff like making
clones or stretching your body, and even having
awesome pets or equipment.
A characters techniques are some of their most
important battle statistics. Each technique provides
access to different bonuses and powers. Characters
with the Wind technique may have great defensive
capabilities, while one with the Fire technique can deal
horrific amounts of damage.
Each character has 4 techniques. 3 of those techniques
are active techniques, which provide tactical boosts
based off cardplay. 1 of those techniques is a passive
technique, which doesnt provide cardplay bonuses but
gives the fighter lots of permanent bonuses.
Hobbies
Hobbies are the characters non-combat skills. They are
used during challenges between fights to train, scout
future opponents, get past obstacles, and accomplish all
kinds of social stuff. Weve calculated the hobby ranks
for our example characters, but the hobby system is not
included in this preview. For now, just peep them and
imagine the possibilities.
Allies
Good shonen rely on their buddies and close rivals.
Allies are a key part of the SFB system. PCs can attach
(ie: equip) a certain number of allies based on their
experience. Attached allies provide bonuses to hobbies
and allow the fighter to use their unique ally power.
Allies can be called-in (ie: used) to remove status
effects, heal damage, add to an attack, and even draw
more cards. They do things that techniques cannot do,
so its important to attach the right allies for the right
fights. Calling-in an ally can be described in many
different ways. You can physically tag them into a
battle, see them in flashbacks, hear them calling out
from the sidelines, or even draw power from a dear
promise you made to them off screen! Players have full
permission to describe whatever coolness they can
come up with for how the ally power bonus is received.
For this preview, each character has two attached allies
and one call-in per fight. This means you have to
choose which of the two allies powers to activate you
cant use them both in the same battle.
Gimmicks
Finally, all shonen characters have weird bits of flair,
backstory, or equipment that make them unique. We call
all these quirks, perks or items gimmicks. Each
gimmick provides a bit of flavor for roleplaying and a
minor bonus. For example, Shirosakis gimmick is his
powerful Soul Sword, while Spirals is his often
screamed catchphrase, this is MY way!
Cardplay
Players draw cards every round. You will always draw 5
cards from your personal deck. As the fight progresses
you will start drawing cards from the game deck as well.
Players use cards from their hand to increase their
attack and defense. Leftover cards can be powered up
and used later for powerful signature moves,
transformations and expend effects. All cards used for
combos or blocks are discarded at the end of the round,
along with any cards leftover in your hand. Use em or
lose em!
All the cards have a suit (+,v,+,+) and a number (1-
10). The numbers are the value of the card. 1s (Aces)
are the lowest value and 10s are the highest. The suits
represent your techniques. If you match enough suits
during cardplay you will get extra bonuses from your
techniques. This is detailed in Techniques and
Activation below.
There are two main kinds of cardplay: combos and
blocks. You can also power up cards.
Combo
Combos are offensive cardplay that add to your
attacking attribute. You may play one combo per round.
Combos are constructed from two to five cards with
values in direct sequential order. This is essentially a
straight from poker. Add the values of all the cards
together for a total, which is then added to your
attacking attribute. If you cannot make a combo you still
attack with only the base value of your attacking
attribute.
If you make a combo from a 3 and 4 you would
add them up for a total value of +7. Youd then
add 7 to your attribute to get your attack total
for the round. If you made a combo from 6, 7,
8 and 9, that would add up to +30. You couldnt
make a combo from a 2, 4, 6 and 8, because
those cards are not directly sequential.

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Hide Your Power
Hiding your fighting capabilities is a huge part of the
shonen genre. A lot of the tension and excitement
comes from not knowing exactly what your opponent
is capable of. This is mostly done by placing your
cards face down to hide their values. There are also
some other statistics that can be hidden from your
opponent, too.
Players can and should hide:
- Attribute values
- Combat Style
- Techniques and ranks
- Powerup score
- Specific values of powered up cards
- Allies and Gimmicks
Players are encouraged to pay attention during a
fight to figure out their opponents capabilities. There
are also abilities that allow characters to find out
about these normally hidden statistics.
However, there are some things that everyone can
see and cannot be hidden or lied about:
- Current damage
- Status effect conditions
- Number of power tokens
- Number of powered up cards in the aura
(although you can hide the values of the
cards by turning them face down)


Cardplay Example: Combos
Combos must contain cards in sequential order. Add them up for the final value!

Cardplay Example: Blocks
Blocks must contain cards that match. Add them up for the final value!



Blocks
Blocks are defensive cardplay that add to your
defending attribute. You may play one block per round.
Blocks are constructed from two to five cards which
all have matching values. This is essentially a pair,
three-of-a-kind or higher from poker. Add the values of
all the cards together for a total, which is then added to
your defending attribute. If you cannot make a block you
still defend with only the base value of your defending
attribute.
If you make a block from a 4 and 4, you would
add them together for a total value of +8. Youd
then add 8 to your attribute to get your defense
total for the round. If you made a block from
four 6s, that would add up to +24. You couldnt
make a block from a 5 and a 7, because they
dont match.
Powering Up
Powering up cards is also a form of cardplay. You can
power up a number of cards each round equal to your
powerup score. You cannot power up cards you are
using in a combo or block. Powered up cards are not
available for use until the following round. Powered up

cards go into your aura. You cannot have more cards in
your aura than your aura score.
This works! All the cards are in direct sequential order.
You would add these up like so: (4+5+6) = 15
This doesnt work at all. None of the cards are in direct
sequential order. You cannot make a combo with this.
This works! All the cards match. You would add these up
like so: (3+3+3) = 9
This doesnt work. None the cards match. You cannot
make a block with this.
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Most of the characters in this preview have special
technique powers called expend effects. These powers
allow you to discard a powered up card from your aura
for a bonus. If a mechanic allows you to use half the
value of a card, round up any results.
Combat Terms and actions

Attack
Your attack is the total value of your attacking attribute,
your combo, and any additional bonuses from
techniques. If your attack is greater than the enemys
defense, you hit them and deal damage.
How Do I Attack?
You will attack once per round, every round.
To attack, tell your opponent which attribute you are
attacking with and which attribute they must use to
defend, based on your style. Describe your attack based
off the attribute you are using.
You will then try to play cards from your hand as a
combo to increase the base value of your attacking
attribute. Place your selected cards face down in front of
you. You dont have to show them to your enemy yet,
but you must tell them theyre a combo. You will reveal
your combo after your enemy is done with his cardplay.
Combos are revealed simultaneously. If you cant make
a combo you attack with your base attribute value.
An attack is successful and deals damage if its value is
greater than the opponents defense. An unsuccessful
attack cannot inflict any status effects.
Attack Example
Take a look at Shirosaki Sanshiros character sheet.
Shirosakis player has drawn the following cards this
round:
1+, 7+, 8v, 9+, and 10v.
He wants to attack with Speed. He tells his opponent
they must defend with Energy, based on Shirosakis
style. He then considers his combo cardplay and puts
his cards face down. He will make a combo from
7+, 8v, 9+, and 10v. He retains the 1+ in his hand
he cant make a block from it, but maybe hell power it
up. When his opponent is ready they both flip their
cards and tally the combo value and final attack value.
Shirosakis Speed is 27. His overpower limit for Speed
is 20, though. So, thats +20 from Speed to the attack.
Shirosakis combo is +34 (7+8+9+10=34).
His total attack is 20+34 = 54!
Finally, Shirosakis player describes his attack Shiro
flies right at Spiral, sword held low. At the last second
his image flashes away faster than you can see! He
reappears behind Spiral and delivers a quicksilver slash!
Defense
Your defense is the total value of your defending
attribute, your block, and any additional bonuses from
techniques. If your defense is greater than or equal to
the enemys attack, you are not hit and suffer no
damage.
How Do I Defend?
You will defend once per round, every round.
To defend, your opponent will tell you which attribute
you must use, based on their style. Describe your
defense based off the attribute you are using.
You will then try to play cards from your hand as a
block to increase the base value of your defending
attribute. Place your selected cards face down in front of
you. You dont have to show them to your enemy yet,
but you must tell them theyre a block. You will reveal
your block after your enemy is done with his cardplay.
Blocks are revealed simultaneously. If you cant make a
block you defend with your base attribute value.
Defense Example
Take a look at Shirosaki Sanshiros character sheet.
Shirosakis player has drawn the following cards this
round:
3+, 4+, 6v, 6+, and 10v.
Shiros opponent is attacking with Strength, which
strikes Skill according to his style. Shiro must defend
with Skill. Shiros player then considers his block
cardplay and puts his cards face down. He will make a
block from the 6v and 6+. Hes not using the
3+, 4+, or 10v in the block, so he can assign them to
his combo or power them up. When his opponent is
ready they both flip their cards and tally the block value
and final defense value in response to their attacks.
Shirosakis Skill is 10. So, thats +10 from Skill to the
defense.
Shirosakis block is +12 (6+6=12).
His total defense is 10+12 = 22!
Finally, Shirosakis player describes his defense, usually
in reaction to his enemys attack description Shiro
raises his Soul Sword like a shield to block the wave of
time-clones rushing at him. Their crash is so powerful
he has to brace his hand near the top of the blade for
support!

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Damage
The damage you inflict on your enemy is the difference
between your final attack total and their final defense
total, plus any additional bonuses. The damage you
receive from your enemy is the difference between their
final attack total and your final defense total, with
bonuses.
Damage Example
Shirosakis attack total is 54. His opponents defense
total is 29.
His opponent takes 25 damage (5429 = 25).
Shirosakis opponents attack total is 33. Shirosakis
defense is 22.
Shirosaki takes 11 damage (3322 = 11).
How Do I Record Damage?
When you take damage you move the marker along
your damage track a number of spaces equal to the
damage you received.
The damage track is divided into 5 categories, each
representing a different damage theme. These
categories guide your description of the damage.
Property damage is the first level. Attacks at this level
blow up the scenery and surrounding area. The fighters
can get knocked straight through buildings, causing
slight scuffing, but nothing more serious. Oh, the
building gets wrecked, of course. Thats the fun part.
Energy beams get deflected into mountains, huge
inertia-cancelling blocks cause craters to blossom
beneath the fighters, windows get blown out, high
schools get demolished, and so forth. Property damage
is not inherently dangerous to shonen its big and
flashy and tons of fun to describe, though!
Cosmetic damage is the second level. Attacks at this
level nick, muss, bruise and otherwise directly affect
your enemy. This is the moment in a shonen fight where
somebody gets a shot in that snips off a bit of hair,
slices through a uniform, or grazes the cheek to draw
blood. Now the fighters know that they are playing for
keeps! Attacks at this level are carefully blocked,
dodged or absorbed by the defender as they try to
figure out the exact limits of their enemy.
Serious damage is the third level. Attacks at this level
are solid attacks that finally break through your
opponents defenses and visibly harm them! Not a lot of
clinical injury actually occurs in the previous categories;
that all changes in the serious damage level. Now the
fighters are totally trading body blows, breaking noses,
getting in clean slashes, and landing solid energy
blasts. Serious damage is the kind of hurt that would
send a person to the hospital, but its survivable.
Deadly damage is the fourth level. Attacks at this level
are about ending the fight, either through knockout or
death. The damage dealt at this level can be visually
horrific, such as punching nearly all the way through a
persons gut, chopping off a limb, or huge catastrophic
energy blasts and the like. It can also be represented by
devastating submissions and colossal knockout blows.
Not all shonen take life, after all.
Final damage is the special fifth level. Fighters in the
final damage level are on their absolute last legs and
any further damage will defeat them. Its possible for
characters to die or be permanently injured after taking
final level damage, if its appropriate to the story. Final
damage can just as easily be a really ferocious (and
total) knockout. So, the attacks and defenses at the
final level are the most severe and desperate
maneuvers. The final damage level is usually reserved
for big and important parts of the Arc, like fights
between bitter rivals, battles against insane fanatics, or
throwing down with the major lieutenants of the
villainous Boss.
All damage descriptions can incorporate lower levels of
damage, too. Costumes can be progressively destroyed
well past the Cosmetic level, and Property damage is
always fun! Feel free to throw enemies through planets
at Deadly level if your Universe operates at that power
scale. Its all about being awesome!
How Do I Win?
All fights begin with damage counters at zero (0). The
Producer will announce what damage level the fight
goes up to. Since theres no Producer in the preview,
we recommend going up to 190. Fights may seem a bit
long at first due to system unfamiliarity, so feel free to
aim for a lower number if you like.
Both fighters have the same damage limit. The fighter
that goes over their limit first loses. Because you
resolve damage simultaneously, its totally possible for
fights to end in a draw. There is a special exception to
this rule concerning the Final damage category. If both
fighters start a round in the Final damage category, the
battle cannot end in a draw. Whichever fighter does the
most damage with their final attack is instead declared
the winner.
Winning and losing determines how the story
progresses. In the full game the Producer can come up
with interesting contingencies for winning and losing.
Importantly, losing a match doesnt permanently harm
the shonen. Losing is part of the genre, after all.

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Players continue to play even after they lose fights. The
story is altered, but they are never, ever shut out of the
fun.
Whats All This Junk on the Damage Track?
Glad you asked. There are three important things to
note on the track for this preview. The first, and most
important, are the black boxes around certain numbers.
These are called barriers. These are like stop signs on
the damage track.
When you are counting the damage you take and
moving your marker, stop the marker when you come
to a barrier. Any leftover damage you should be
counting just disappears.
Take a look at the track for this example: if your marker
is currently on 42 and you receive 19 points of damage,
youd just move your marker up to 51 (the beginning of
Cosmetic damage). Thats the barrier thats where you
stop counting damage. This works for your enemies,
too. If your opponent is sitting at 96, you probably
shouldnt spend a lot of effort on your next attack;
theres a barrier at 101 that will stop the majority of your
damage.
Whenever a person hits a barrier they receive an
opportunity to talk trash for a bonus. You can smack-
talk anytime you like, of course, but in these cases
there is a mechanical bonus available for entertaining
roleplaying. The barriers are a minor pause in the fight
where the characters can take stock of their opponent
and talk about whats going on. Its the perfect
opportunity for bad guys to reveal their heinous plans or
for heroes to announce theyre going to save their
friends, no matter what! This affects the second
important thing on the track, the draw bonus arrows.
Shonen become more powerful as they take damage.
We see them gasping for breath and losing blood, but
they still pump out crazier and crazier attacks as the
fight goes on. So, there are bonuses in Shonen Final
Burst based on what damage category youre in. The
draw bonus allows you to draw cards from the game
deck. The cards you draw from the game deck are in
addition to the 5 you always draw from your personal
deck. The first arrow starts at 10; once youve taken ten
damage and reached that first barrier you can draw 1
card from the game deck. When youre in the Cosmetic
category you can draw 2 cards, and so on for the other
levels.
If you talk trash when you reach a damage barrier
you increase the category bonus by +1! So, someone
in the Serious category who monologued to his
opponent about his amazing training regimen would
draw 4 extra cards every round from the game deck, in
addition the his normal 5 from the personal deck. Thats
9 cards, which should present tons of options for
powerful cardplay!
The last important things on the damage track are the
yellow P symbols, which are power tokens. Power
tokens are a hyper-valuable resource that builds up
fight by fight. We havent included any mechanics that
use power tokens in the preview, so you can ignore
them for now.
You may also notice a section at the bottom of the track
about Status Effects. This is a handy shorthand
description of the 10 status effects in SFB. Each
preview character has the capability to inflict one or
more of these status effects, but well talk about them
below in the character description section.
Powering Up
How Do I Powerup?
You may power up cards that you dont use in your
combo or block. You can power up a number of cards
each round equal to your powerup score. Powered up
cards go into your aura for use later. You can only have
a number of cards in your aura equal to your aura
score.
You must power up cards before you finalize your
combo and block cardplay (ie: before the cards are
flipped and tallied). Cards cannot be powered up after
cardplay is revealed. Powered up cards are set aside
and are not available to use until the beginning of the
following round. After that point they can be expended
from the aura for certain effects based on the
characters techniques. Powered up cards are also used
to launch signature moves and to transform, but those
mechanics are not presented in the preview. Expending
a card discards it from the aura.
Abilities and Allies
All characters have an archetype power, some allies,
and various expend effects. These abilities are not
considered part of cardplay and can be used pretty
much whenever the player likes.
Archetype powers can be used once per fight.
Although each character has two allies, they may only
call-in one ally per fight.
Characters may only use one expend effect each
round.
The explanations of these powers and any timing issues
are noted below in the character section.

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This combo adds up to +12.
This combo also activates the 2-card bonus for diamonds (+). Whatever
bonuses you get for that will also add on to the final attack value of the
combo.
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Initiative, Movement and Equipment
Who Goes First?
There is no initiative system in Shonen Final Burst.
Mechanically, all damage and actions are resolved
simultaneously. This means that each round everybody
gets their attack, defense and the chance to deal
damage without interruption.
Its not narratively possible for all players to go at the
same time, of course. Everyone must take turns making
and announcing their calculations. The order these are
announced do not make a mechanical difference
players can decide who talks first themselves. Likewise,
players can describe their characters actions any way
they want. Just because the mechanics are resolved
simultaneously doesnt mean the characters are cutting
each other at the same time each and every round.
The important thing is that the attacks and defenses
each round are compared simultaneously, and that
damage is recorded simultaneously. Declaration order
and descriptions can be adjusted as you see fit.
How Do I Move?
Movement is part of your attack and defense
description. There is no mechanical or tactical
movement in Shonen Final Burst. Describing how your
character leaps across rooftops or streaks through the
sky is all up to you; be awesome! Fighters cannot ever
be out of range of each other, nor can they
mechanically run away. Escaping and out-of-combat
movement is not detailed in this combat preview, so
dont worry about it for now.
What About Weapons and Armor?
Equipment is not mechanically represented in this
game. Some shonen fight with swords, others fight with
fists. These are totally equal in pretty much every
series. On occasion there is a fighter who has a really
awesome weapon, though. Take a look at the character
sheet for Shirosaki Sanshiro. His gimmick is Soul
Sword: ZanTaihou some kind of angelic powerblade
from his Universe. So, Shirosaki has a weapon as his
gimmick and he gets a minor boost from it. The other
characters have different gimmicks, so does this mean
they dont use weapons? Hell no!
Ruliel is another character from Shiros Universe. She
certainly has a Soul Sword too. Spiral and Crow are
Knights (basically ninja), so they use a variety of minor
tools and weapons. Essentially, weapons and armor
are just cool descriptions. Shiros sword is important to
his character; maybe his father gave it to him, or it has
the spirit of his dead mother inside, or anything crazy
like that. Thats why its a gimmick. Everybody else just
describes using whatever weapons they like.
Techniques and Activation
Ok, so we got through the basics. Heres where we
throw in techniques, the shonen superpowers!
Characters have 3 active techniques linked to 3 of the
card suits. Characters also have a passive technique,
which is always assigned to spades (+).
If you play enough cards of a certain suit in your combo
or block you will activate the technique and receive
bonuses! The rules for activating techniques in combos
and blocks are different. Heres how they work:
Activating Techniques in a Combo
The matching technique cards must be next to each
other in the combo. In other words, they must be
sequential and contiguous. For example:
Playing a combo with 4+, 5+, and 6+ activates
the technique assigned to diamonds (+) since
two diamonds are next to each other. Playing a
combo with 3+, 4+, 5+, and 6+ would also
activate the diamond technique, and with more
bonuses because three cards are activated.
However, playing a combo of 4+, 5+, and 6+
would not activate the technique, as the
diamonds are not contiguous.
Activating Techniques in a Block
Simply count the number of matching suits. For
example:
Playing a block with 5+, 5+, and 5v would
activate the technique assigned to clubs (+).
Playing a block with 5+, 5+, and 5v would not
activate any technique bonuses.
Technique Activation Example: Combos


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Technique Activation Example: Blocks

On the character sheets, the #-card bonus refers to the
number of activated technique cards. 2-card bonuses
are activated if you match 2 cards, 3-card bonuses for
3, etc. Taking a look at Shirosakis character sheet,
youll notice that he has a 2-card bonus for Hyper
Speed. If he plays a combo with two diamond cards
next to each other, then hell activate that bonus and
inflict Paralyze with his attack.
Numbered card bonuses also activate if you play more
than the minimum number of cards. Activating 5 cards
would activate 2-card, 3-card, 4-card and 5-card
bonuses. Although this preview only features 2-card
bonuses, its still good to know that bigger is better.

Each technique also has basic bonuses for activating
any amount of cards. These are called boosts.
You will always increase your attack total by the
number of activated technique cards in a combo.
Youll always increase your defense total by the
number of activated cards in a block.
Take a look at the character sheets. Youll notice that
each active technique lists something called x1 attack
boost and x1 defense boost. These are shorthand for
those boosts. Here is an example of how to add up a
boost:

Technique Boost Example


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This block adds up to +12.
This block also activates the 2-card bonus for diamonds (+). Whatever
bonuses you get for that will also add on to the final attack value of the
block.
This combo adds up to +15.
This combo also activates the 2, 3, and 4-card bonuses for
diamonds (+). Additionally, this combo receives an attack boost.
If the attack boost is x1, then the bonus would be +4; four cards were
activated, so (4 x 1 = +4). The final combo total would be +19 (15 + 4 =
+19).
If the attack boost is x2, then the bonus would be +8; four cards were
activated, so (4 x 2 = +8). The final combo total would be +23 (15 + 8 =
+23).

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Each character has a few special rules for their
techniques too. These will be explained below in the
character section.
Whats Up With the Passive Technique?
Passive technique cards do not provide bonuses for
combos and blocks. You cannot activate them.
Were mostly ignoring the powers of passive technique
cards in this preview, so you shouldnt worry about them
either. They do have uses, though. As characters grow
in power they can be used as wild cards or to let
combos flow into each other. You may notice some
mention on the character sheets of these abilities, which
will be explained in the full version of Shonen Final
Burst.
Advanced Technique Stuff
You may only activate one set of technique bonuses in
any combo or block. If you play enough cards to
somehow activate two different techniques, then you
must choose one over the other. Lets say you play a
combo like this:
5+, 6+, 7v, 8v and 9v
You must choose to activate either the clubs or the
hearts technique. You cannot activate them both.
As a reminder, you may only activate cards in a combo
that are contiguous. Lets say you play a combo like
this:
5+, 6+, 7v, 8+ and 9+
This does not activate the 4-card bonuses for clubs.
There are only two contiguous clubs, so it instead
activates the 2-card bonuses. Only two cards count as
activated for boosts as well.
Finally, it may seem like its impossible to activate
techniques in blocks, but you can. Remember, players
are able to draw cards from the game deck. The game
deck contains two copies of every card in a normal
personal deck. So, it is totally possible to draw matching
cards to use in blocks. Also, as characters advance they
can change their personal deck around to include more
cards to help make blocking easier. Shonen Final Burst
puts an emphasis on offense, so blocking is slightly
more difficult.
Characters and Scenario
Were providing 4 characters for this combat preview.
These characters are fresh from the character creation
process; they represent the base power of a Shonen
Final Burst fighter.
These shonen come from the two example Universes
detailed in the full version of SFB. Shirosaki Sanshiro
and Ruliel are characters from the fictional show White.
Spiral and Crow come from Spiral Squire. These two
Universes are loving parodies of two of the most famous
shonen series of all time. Were sure you can figure it
out.
Below youll find brief descriptions of the characters and
the Universes they live in. Well also break down some
of their abilities and as-yet-unexplained stuff on their
character sheets, like allies and archetype powers. First,
heres a silly scenario for use with the combat preview
just in case you want a story to go along with your
action.
Shonen Final Burst: Episode 1
The Multiverse Line! Collision of the Confused Fighters!
For unknown reasons, Universes have collided! A great
forest has sprung up outside Bakuhatsu City, the
modern home of high schoolers Shirosaki Sanshiro and
Ruliel. In this strange forest is a hidden cloister-village
of Knights, notably Spiral and Crow. Both of these
groups go about their daily business, unaware of the
cosmic oddity about to happen.
Crow and Spiral are given a training mission by their
Maestro go and appropriate a medallion with
dangerous powers. Hes sensed the evil chakra from
miles away and knows his students will have a
challenge on their hands. Little do they know that right
outside their forest lies a strange new world!
Shiro and Ruliel are given an even more deadly mission
midterm examinations! Just another normal day at
school for them. Well, maybe not exactly. Their friend
Reiko has been showing off a new locket she found on
the way to class. It looks like a European antique, but
Ruliel gets a strange vibe from it
As the Knights-in-training approach Bakuhatsu
Highschool, trying to ignore the strange sights and
sounds of the surrounding modern city, they split up to
cover more angles. Using powerful Knightcraft they
sneak into the schoolyard like ninja. The target is right
in front of them: that amulet the girl is wearing! Their
chakra-sense can see the evil seeping into her. No time
to be subtle! They jump in and think to simply snatch
the thing off her -
If not for her two friends! Shiro reacts instantly and
grabs the wrist of one of the two young Knights. What
are these middle schoolers doing here?! he thinks. No
time to ponder; the other one is right behind Reiko!

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Ruliel flashes into position to protect her with angelic
power. Close save!
The two Knights stare at the two students, guarding the
evil medallion. Theres no time to explain whats going
on. The girl needs to take that necklace off right now.
Crow flashes a quick hand-sign to Spiral. The Knights
make their move, drawing off the weird defenders into
separate fights
Setting Up the Fights
Weve left the fighter pairs open. You can decide which
of the White characters fights which of the Spiral Squire
characters. If you want to extend the scenario, you can
have the trade opponents for a second round, maybe
after a pursuit. Heck, you could also have the
characters from the same Universes fight each other!
The mysterious medallion might make them turn evil, or
perhaps natural rivalry sprouts up. Go ahead and run
wild; try out as many matches as you can. Each fighter
has a unique style and different powers, so try to
explore all your opportunities.
Fights are one-on-one. Place the game deck in an
accessible place for both pairs of fighters. Everyone
draws from the same game deck. When we mention
everyone, we mean all the players, regardless of
fighter pairing.
Heres another breakdown of how the rounds will
progress:
1.) Everyone draws cards always 5 from
personal, and X from game deck based on
damage level.
2.) Each fighter in a pair will announce to their
opponent what attribute they are attacking with,
and what the opponent must use to defend.
3.) Everyone considers cards and plays combos,
blocks and powerups face down.
4.) Each pair of fighters flips their cardplay over at
the same time and calculates their attack and
defense totals.
a. Everyone will take a moment to describe
their attack, individually.
5.) Each fighter in a pair will announce to their
opponent their attack and defense values and
calculate damage.
a. Everyone tallies up damage and moves
their markers.
6.) Everyone has an individual moment to describe
the effects of their attack and defense. Pairs of
fighters should work together to make really cool
descriptions.
7.) All leftover cards are discarded and the next
round begins!
Mechanically, all fighters are fully healed after each
fight. You can describe your character still being beaten
up (which is awesome), but your mechanical damage is
still set back to zero for each new fight.
Also, discard all powered up cards in your aura at the
end of a fight.
You can decide which damage level you are willing to
fight up to. Both fighters always fight up to the same
number.
Make sure to reshuffle the personal and game decks in
between each fight.
The Characters
Shirosaki Sanshiro
Shirosaki is just a normal
highschooler in Bakuhatsu
City, modern Japan. Well,
normal except for the fact
he can see demons. And
normal except for the fallen
angel sleeping in his closet.
And normal except for all
his weirdo friends and the
constant deadly fights they
get in. Yep. Totally normal.
Shirosaki is the arguable
main character in the White
Universe.
Shiro is a standoffish type
of guy. Hes not the most
talkative kid in school, but
hes a loyal friend and a
defender of the weak.
When not making up
homework, he hunts the
streets of Bakuhatsu City
looking for lost souls to help
and demons to slay.
Shiro has been granted Angelic powers from near-death
contact with Ruliel (featured below). He was already
athletic, but now his capabilities are boosted by new
spiritual energy. In combat he manifests a mighty Soul
Sword, the weapon of Angelic warriors. Hes still
learning to master the strange balance of deadly but
holy power the sword gives him.
Archetype Power: Shirosaki is a Pure-Hearted
Warrior. He defends the weak and punishes jerks. His
archetype power lets him call for an honorable breather
during the fight. This heals him for 15 points of damage,
but also heals the opponent for 5.
To heal, move the damage marker back down
the track 15 spaces. You cannot pass back over
barriers!

13
Allies: Shirosaki is allied with Cherub and Atsuno
Crowley. Cherub is a minor angelic spirit thats been
stuck inside a cutesy doll. Hes stupid and foul-
mouthed, but still has some holy mojo.
To heal, move the damage marker back down
the track 5 spaces. You cannot pass back over
barriers!
Atsuno is one of Shiros classmates and a fellow fighter.
He comes from an ancient family of demon hunters.
Hes a master strategist and overall genius.
You can use the card-drawing power right after
you draw your normal amount. It cannot be used
after cardplay has been finalized/revealed.
Gimmick: Shiros gimmick is his awesome Soul Sword.
Its the main conduit for his newfound powers, and
probably has some surprising secrets.
Whenever Shiro activates a Holy combo (of any
number of cards) he can increase the final
damage of his attack by +3.
Techniques: Shiro has Hyper Speed, Death and Holy
as his active techniques. Hes crazy fast and can
heighten his attacks with both Angelic holiness and
strange Demonic malevolence. His passive technique is
Control Spirit.
Hyper Speed Activating two or more Hyper
Speed cards in a combo inflicts the enemy with
Paralyze. Paralyze is a Status Effect. The round
following infliction, his opponents Speed
attribute is halved (round up). This effect
disappears at the end of the following round.
Hyper Speed also has an Expend Effect. If hes
attacking or defending with Speed, Shiros
player can expend a powered up Hyper Speed
card from his aura to add the value (round
up) to his attack or defense. Shiro can use this
effect once per round.
Death When Shiro activates a Death combo,
he deals automatic damage equal to the number
of activated Death cards. If the attack is
successful, simply add the automatic damage
value onto the damage total. If the attack
misses, the defender still takes the automatic
damage value.
Holy Activating two or more Holy cards in a
combo inflicts the enemy with Hopeless.
Hopeless is a Status Effect. The round following
infliction, his opponent cannot use their
archetype power or call-in any allies. This effect
disappears at the end of the following round.
Activating two or more Holy cards in a block
removes Wide Open. Wide Open is a Status
Effect. The status effect is removed
immediately, instantly ending its effects for the
round. Shiro can activate this bonus even if
inflicted with Wide Open, breaking the normal
rules.

Ruliel
Ruliel was the Guardian Angel of Bakuhatsu City, until
recently. She was nearly killed by a rampaging demon
and had to transfer some of her Angelic power to
Shirosaki Sanshiro, a strange teenager with latent
spiritual abilities. She now sleeps in his closet, trying to
regain her strength and keep the City safe at the same
time.
Ruliel is cool and pragmatic. Shes lived and hunted
demons for hundreds of years, but still looks like an 18-
year old girl. Her attitude and speech is a bit old
fashioned, but shes quickly made friends at Shiros
school.
Ruliel still possesses most of her Angelic prowess. She
is a student of Enochian magic and uses it more than
her Soul Sword. Ruliel is a highly trained fighter and
uses an elegant combination of martial technique and
magic to defeat errant demons.
Archetype Power: Ruliel is a Mysterious Know-it-All.
She has been alive for hundreds of years and knows so
much more about the spiritual world than she shares
with Shiro. Her archetype power lets her find out hidden
information from her enemy. When used, the opposing
player must state any overpowered attributes (>19) and
their values.

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Allies: Ruliel is also allied with Cherub and Atsuno
Crowley. Cherub is a minor angelic spirit thats been
stuck inside a cutesy doll. Hes stupid and foul-
mouthed, but still has some holy mojo.
To heal, move the damage marker back down
the track 5 spaces. You cannot pass back over
barriers!
Atsuno is one of Ruliel and Shiros classmates. He
comes from an ancient family of demon hunters. Hes a
master strategist and overall genius.
You can use the card-drawing power right after
you draw your normal amount. It cannot be used
after cardplay has been finalized/revealed.
Gimmick: Ruliels gimmick is called Fallen Angel.
Shes been direly hurt by a powerful demon and is
currently recovering and under-the-radar. This could
cause problems in the future
Unlike the other fighters, Ruliel can keep one
card powered up in her aura between fights.
Techniques: Ruliel has Ice, Water and Focused Energy
as her active techniques. She has awesome control
over these elements, blending them together with
powerful Energy manipulation. Her passive technique is
Enochian Magic.
Ice Activating two or more Ice cards in a
combo inflicts the enemy with Cripple. Cripple is
a Status Effect. The round following infliction,
her opponents Strength attribute is halved
(round up). This effect disappears at the end of
the following round.
Ice also has an Expend Effect. She can expend
a card to change (shift, in game terms) any one
Status Effect her opponent is inflicted with or
suffering from to Paralyze. This happens
immediately. She can use this effect once per
round. For example:
Ruliel is fighting Spiral. Spiral has been
inflicted with Cripple, which halves his
Strength. Ruliel expends an Ice card to
shift that Status Effect to Paralyze.
Spiral is no longer Crippled his
Strength immediately returns to normal,
but now hes Paralyzed. His Speed is
now halved.
Water Activating two or more Water cards in a
combo inflicts the enemy with Berserk. Berserk
is a Status Effect. The round following infliction,
her opponents powerup score is reduced by 1,
and he cannot use cards valued 6 or higher for
expend effects. This effect disappears at the
end of the following round.
Activating two or more Water cards in a block
removes Paralyze. The status effect is removed
immediately, instantly ending its effects for the
round and returning Ruliels Speed to normal.
Focused Energy Focused Energy also has an
Expend Effect. If shes attacking or defending
with Energy, Ruliels player can expend a
powered up Focused Energy card from her aura
to add the value (round up) to her attack or
defense. Ruliel can use this effect once per
round.

Spiral
Spiral is a young Knight-in-training from the Spiral
Squire Universe. Knights are masters of unique
elemental and martial techniques, hired to perform
various Quests through whatever means necessary. Its
been Spirals dream to become one of the greatest
Knights ever, but hes honestly not that skilled
He makes up for this with overwhelming optimism!
Spiral has an unshakeable spirit and never takes no
for an answer. Hes enthusiastic, fiery and brash, but
good natured and friendly.
Spiral is a brawler, not having mastered the Knight style
of combat yet. His elemental skills are pretty crappy too.
However, as a young kid he discovered and read a
forbidden technique manual by accident. Its probably
the only thing he ever really mastered. Now, Spiral has
the terrifying power to manipulate time itself!
Archetype Power: Spiral is the I Gotta Be The Best!
archetype. He is absolutely dedicated to becoming a
Grand Knight, despite all odds! His archetype power lets
his player draw more cards. He can draw 1 card from
the game deck after activating this power. He can draw
an additional extra card if Spiral reached a barrier on his
damage track last round. He can draw yet another extra
card if Spiral is currently in the Deadly or Final damage
category.
This power can be activated after drawing your
normal amount of cards. It cannot be used after
cardplay has been revealed/finalized.
Allies: Spiral is allied with Maestro and Rose. Maestro
is Spiral and Crows elder mentor. Hes a powerful and
mysterious Knight with lots of combat experience.
You may choose to instantly remove either the
Paralyze or Cripple status effect from Spiral.
Spirals attributes immediately recover after use.
Rose is one of Spiral and Crows fellow Knights-in-
training. She is a cheerful girl and the master poisoner
of their three man squad.
This power adds 3 unstoppable damage to
Spirals final damage. Unstoppable damage
goes over damage barriers. For example:
Spiral hits Shiro with 32 damage.
Shiros damage marker is at 44, and
theres a barrier at 51. Spiral calls-in
Rose and gets 3 unstoppable damage!
Shiro moves his marker up to 51, then
+3 to 54.

15
Gimmick: Spirals gimmick is his catchphrase; this is
MY way! He screams this at the top of his lungs
whenever somebody says he cant succeed at being a
Grand Knight (which is often).
Spiral can increase his powerup score by 1 if he
has no cards in his aura.
Techniques: Spiral has the Summon, Time and Super
Strength techniques. Spiral uses his Time and Summon
powers to call clones of himself into existence from
alternate time-streams. He has a nearly infinite army of
doubles! He primarily uses Strength, and his Strength is
enhanced by his massive number of helping clone-
hands. His passive technique is I Believe!.
Summon Activating two or more Summon
cards in a combo or block inflicts the enemy
with Wide Open. Wide Open is a Status Effect.
The round following infliction, his opponent cant
use cards valued 6 or higher to activate
techniques in blocks. Additionally, all healing
effects are reduced by 5. This effect disappears
at the end of the following round.
Time Activating two or more Time cards in a
combo inflicts the enemy with Disarm. Disarm is
a Status Effect. The round following infliction,
his opponent cant use cards valued 6 or higher
to activate techniques in combos. This effect
disappears at the end of the following round.
Super Strength Super Strength has an
Expend Effect. If hes attacking or defending
with Strength, Spirals player can expend a
powered up Super Strength or I Believe! card
from his aura to add the value (round up) to
his attack or defense. Spiral can
use this effect once per round.
Spiral can use his passive
technique card for this effect as
a special bonus because his
rank is so high!
Crow
Crow is another young Knight-in-training
from the Spiral Squire Universe. He is a
boy driven to greatness due to the tragic
past of his family.
Where Spiral is fiery, Crow is cool. Hes
very serious about his training and
resents Spirals luck and accidental
success. Crow will certainly grow into a
grim teenager, and an even darker
adult.
Crow is insanely skilled for his age
basically a prodigy. He fights better than
most adults and still practices every
night. His control over the basic
Knightcraft elements of fire and air is
remarkable. Crow strives for perfection in all his
missions and fights.
Archetype Power: Crows archetype is Noble Elite. He
comes from a powerful family and has deep respect for
his position as a young Knight. His archetype power lets
his player draw more cards. He can draw 1 card from
the game deck after activating this power. He can draw
an additional extra card if Crows damage marker is
lower than his opponents. He can draw yet another
card if his opponent is at a higher transformation stage
than Crow (which doesnt apply to this preview).
This power can be activated after drawing your
normal amount of cards. It cannot be used after
cardplay has been revealed/finalized.
Allies: Crow is also allied with Maestro and Rose.
Maestro is Spiral and Crows elder mentor. Hes a
powerful and mysterious Knight with lots of combat
experience.
You may choose to instantly remove either the
Paralyze or Cripple status effect from Crow.
Crows attributes immediately recover after use.
Rose is one of Spiral and Crows fellow Knights-in-
training. She is a cheerful girl and the master poisoner
of their three man squad.
This power adds 3 unstoppable damage to
Crows final damage. If Crows attack already
deals unstoppable damage, you can increase it
by +3! Unstoppable damage goes over damage
barriers. For example:
Crow hits Shiro with 32 damage, and a
technique that adds 2 unstoppable
damage. Shiros damage marker is at
44, and theres a barrier at 51. Crow
calls-in Rose and gets +3 unstoppable
damage! Shiro moves his marker up to
51, then +5 (2 + 3 = +5) to 56.
Gimmick: Crows gimmick is his family
background Grim Orphan. His noble
family was killed in some horrible
tragedy, and Crow is still coming to
grips with it.
This gimmick increases Crows Skill
overpower limit by +2.
Techniques: Crow has the Fire, Wind
and Special Sense techniques. He
skillfully uses basic and advanced
flame and air chakra manipulation
during combat. His Special Sense is
the ability to predicatively read chakra-
use in his opponents. His eyes change
to funky yin-yangs when he uses this
disturbing power. His passive
technique is Control Chakra.
Fire When Crow activates a Fire
combo, he deals unstoppable damage
equal to the number of activated Fire

16
cards. If the damage from the attack hits a
barrier it goes over by the amount of activated
Fire cards.
Wind Activating two Wind cards in a combo
inflicts the enemy with Wide Open. Wide Open
is a Status Effect. The round following infliction,
his opponent cant use cards valued 6 or higher
to activate techniques in blocks. Additionally, all
healing effects are reduced by 5. This effect
disappears at the end of the following round.
Activating two Wind cards in a block removes
Berserk. The status effect is removed
immediately, instantly ending its effects for the
round and returning Crows powerup score to
normal.
Special Sense Activating two or more Special
Sense cards in a combo inflicts the enemy with
Drain. Drain is a Status Effect. The round
following infliction, his opponents Energy
attribute is halved (round up). This effect
disappears at the end of the following round.
Activating two or more Special Sense cards in a
block removes Drain. The status effect is
removed immediately, instantly ending its
effects for the round and returning Crows
Energy attribute to normal.






The full game
Thanks again for downloading the Shonen Final Burst combat preview.
For future details on the game, please visit www.shonenfinalburst.com
Or email contact@shonenfinalburst.com
The completed game will be available in PDF form and will include:
- Character Creation
- Signature Moves
- Transformations
- Over 20 Techniques
- 16 Archetypes
- The Training and Hobby systems
- Creation rules for Gimmicks and Allies
- Producer info, like how to design wicked
Bosses and story Arcs
- The deck building experience system
- Everything else you need for over-the-top
shonen action!
Shonen Final Burst
Name:
Archetype:
0
10
20
Strength
Mind
Energy
Speed
Skill
Style
Overpower limits
(Base 20 without bonuses)
Str Spd Mnd Skl Eng
Strength
Energy
Skill
Mind
Speed
Attacks
Attacks
Attacks
Attacks
Attacks

powerup
aura

Techniques
Name / Rank
Passive
Archetype
Power
Used
Combo Flow /
Powerup Wildcard
Attribute
Boost
Current Arc
Completed Arcs
hobbies
Comfort
craft
deceive
exercise
frighten
inspire
Mystic
romance
science
sneak
Base Rank /
Ally Bonus
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Quick technique notes
Attached Allies
Featured
Gimmicks
Used
Shirosaki Sanshiro Pure-Hearted Warrior
Heal yourself for 15
damage, and your
opponent heals 5.
Hyper Speed
Death
Holy
Control Spirit
5
3
2
1
Spd
Str
HYPER SPEED
x1 attack boost
x1 defense boost
2-card combos inflict
Paralyze
Expend: If attacking or defending
with Speed, add 1/2 expended
card's value to total.
16
7
10
5
27
20 20 20 20 20
2
1
Skill
Energy
Strength
Mind
Speed
Cherub - Heal 5 damage.
Atsuno Crowley - Draw 2 cards
1
1
Soul Sword: Zantaihou -
Shonen Final Burst
Name:
Archetype:
0
10
20
Strength
Mind
Energy
Speed
Skill
Style
Overpower limits
(Base 20 without bonuses)
Str Spd Mnd Skl Eng
Strength
Energy
Skill
Mind
Speed
Attacks
Attacks
Attacks
Attacks
Attacks

powerup
aura

Techniques
Name / Rank
Passive
Archetype
Power
Used
Combo Flow /
Powerup Wildcard
Attribute
Boost
Current Arc
Completed Arcs
hobbies
Comfort
craft
deceive
exercise
frighten
inspire
Mystic
romance
science
sneak
Base Rank /
Ally Bonus
Quick technique notes
Attached Allies
Featured
Gimmicks
Used
Ruliel Mysterious Know-it-All
Opponent must reveal all
overpowered attributes and
values, and if they have
Ice
Water
Focused Energy
Enochian Magic
4
3
2
2
Skl
Eng
6
19
19
11
8
20 20 20 20 20
3
2
Strength
Energy
Skill
Speed
Mind
1
1
Fallen Angel - You can keep 1
rank 9 or higher techs.
Shonen Final Burst
Name:
Archetype:
0
10
20
Strength
Mind
Energy
Speed
Skill
Style
Overpower limits
(Base 20 without bonuses)
Str Spd Mnd Skl Eng
Strength
Energy
Skill
Mind
Speed
Attacks
Attacks
Attacks
Attacks
Attacks

powerup
aura

Techniques
Name / Rank
Passive
Archetype
Power
Used
Combo Flow /
Powerup Wildcard
Attribute
Boost
Current Arc
Completed Arcs
hobbies
Comfort
craft
deceive
exercise
frighten
inspire
Mystic
romance
science
sneak
Base Rank /
Ally Bonus
Quick technique notes
Attached Allies
Featured
Gimmicks
Used
Spiral I Gotta Be The Best!
Draw 1. Draw +1 extra if
last round you hit a barrier,
and an extra +1 if you
Summon
Time
Super Strength
I Believe!
2
3
2
4
Spd
19
11
3
10
15
21 21 21 21 21
7
2
Mind
Skill
Energy
Strength
Speed
1
Maestro - Remove Cripple or
Rose - Increase unstoppable
1
1
"This is MY way!" - Increase your
hit deadly or final.
2
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Shonen Final Burst
Name:
Archetype:
0
10
20
Strength
Mind
Energy
Speed
Skill
Style
Overpower limits
(Base 20 without bonuses)
Str Spd Mnd Skl Eng
Strength
Energy
Skill
Mind
Speed
Attacks
Attacks
Attacks
Attacks
Attacks

powerup
aura

Techniques
Name / Rank
Passive
Archetype
Power
Used
Combo Flow /
Powerup Wildcard
Attribute
Boost
Current Arc
Completed Arcs
hobbies
Comfort
craft
deceive
exercise
frighten
inspire
Mystic
romance
science
sneak
Base Rank /
Ally Bonus
Quick technique notes
Attached Allies
Featured
Gimmicks
Used
Crow Noble Elite
Draw 1. Draw +1 extra if
you have less damage than
your opponent, and an extra
Fire
Wind
Special Sense
Control Chakra
3
3
3
2
Skl
Skl
6
10
26
16
6
20 20 20 22 20
2
1
Skill
Speed
Mind
Energy
Strength
1
1
1
Grim Orphan - Increase Skill
+1 if they are transformed.
1
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
1
1
Mnd
1
0
52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 51
Cosmetic Damage - Draw + 2
152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 151 190
Deadly Damage - Draw + 4
201 200
Final Damage - Draw + 5
102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150
101
Serious Damage - Draw + 3
Current Power Tokens
P
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
10
Property Damage - Draw + 1
P
P
P P
P
P
Status Effects
Trash talk bonus
Talk smack to your opponent when you reach
a barrier and receive an extra 1 draw bonus.
Cripple
Paralyze
Surprise
trick
Drain
Berserk
Disarm
Hopeless
Terror
Wide Open
N - Reduce Str by 1/2
I - Reduce Str by 30
N - Reduce Spd by 1/2
I - Reduce Spd by 30
N - Reduce Mnd by 1/2
I - Reduce Mnd by 30
N - Reduce Skl by 1/2
I - Reduce Skl by 30
N - Reduce Eng by 1/2
I - Reduce Eng by 30
N - -1 powerup. Cards > 6
cannot be used for Expend Effects.
I - -3 powerup. No cards can
be used for Expend Effects.
N - Cards > 6 have no suit in combos.
I - No cards have suits for combos.
N - All ally levels -1. Cannot use
archetype ability. Launch cost of
SMs +1 PT.
I - All ally levels -3. Cannot use
archetype ability. Launch cost of
SMs +3 PT.
N - Highest combo card is worth 0.
I - Two highest combo cards are worth 0.
N - Cards > 6 have no suit
in blocks. All healing, damage
reduction and reflection is -5.
I - No cards have suits for
blocks. All healing, damage
reduction and reflection is -15.