Strike weapon rank
Strike is one of the weapon types assigned a letter rank on a character's weapon. Weapon ranks interact with enemy vulnerabilities to determine the chance of unbalancing a linked target. The source also notes that a high strike rank can let field attacks destroy hard objects such as columns.
How it works
For Cold Steel III and later, the supplied mechanics excerpt gives base chances of SS 25%, S 15%, A 10%, B 5%, and C 3%, multiplied by the vulnerability star rating. The windows do not provide a character-by-character strike rank mapping.
When it helps
Check strike vulnerability and displayed ranks when considering an unbalance; use high strike rank for hard field objects where applicable.
The tradeoff
The evidence gives no named Cold Steel III character ranks, and an unbalance chance depends on enemy vulnerability.
Your next step
Review in-game weapon details and field objects before selecting an approach.
Read the supporting references
Check the edition and source version for patch-specific details. Guide methodology.