6P · anti-air
Every fighter has a forward Punch with upper-body invulnerability from the first frame. Use it against many jump-ins and extended midrange attacks; confirm the follow-up on your character page.
Rules of the fight
Core Systems
Read the gauges as choices: Tension buys flexibility, Burst buys survival or momentum, and the wall converts corner pressure into damage and Positive Bonus.
The four things the HUD is telling you
| Display | How it moves | Decision it creates |
|---|---|---|
| Health | Falls from hits and chip; character defense and guts affect effective durability. | How much risk remains acceptable this round. |
| Tension | Built by active play; retreat and passivity can lead toward Negative Penalty. | Spend on Roman Cancel, Overdrive, Faultless Defense, or character tools. |
| Burst | Starts full, persists between rounds, and refills over time and while taking damage. | Spend 100% on Psych Burst or 50% on Deflect Shield / Counter Blitz. |
| R.I.S.C. | Rises while blocking and falls after being hit or otherwise reset. | High R.I.S.C. makes the next confirmed hit more dangerous; escape pressure before the wager grows. |
Universal actions worth learning first
2D · sweep
A universal low that causes hard knockdown. The reward is time to run offense, even when a higher-damage route was possible.
5D · Dust
An overhead that must be blocked standing. A fully charged hit can launch into a Homing Jump sequence; the charge is reactable and risky.
Throw
A fast answer to passive close defense. Throws lose to jump and backdash, so they work because the opponent is respecting strikes.
Roman Cancel is a decision editor
A standard Roman Cancel costs 50% Tension and cancels actions that normally cannot be canceled. The color follows the situation, so learn the purpose before the color name.
| Color | When it appears | First practical use |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Your attack connected or is still in active hit/block interaction. | Convert a stray hit, extend a combo, or keep pressure after a risky commitment. |
| Purple | Your attack has missed or moved into recovery. | Make a whiff harder to punish or alter the scramble. |
| Blue | Neutral or standard movement. | Slow the opponent, observe their commitment, and take space. |
| Yellow | During blockstun. | Interrupt pressure and reset distance; it is punishable if the attacker blocks it. |
Advanced layers are drift RC and canceling the RC itself. They change position and conserve some meter, but neither is required for a first functional game plan.
Wall Break and Positive Bonus
Repeated corner hits build wall damage. A final hit breaks the wall, deals extra damage, resets both fighters toward mid-screen, and awards Positive Bonus. Positive Bonus temporarily improves meter flow and combat stats, so a wall break often trades guaranteed corner position for damage and resource momentum.
Three uses of the Burst Gauge
| Action | Cost / condition | Use | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psych Burst | 100%; context determines Blue or Gold | Blue escapes hitstun/blockstun; Gold in neutral grants Positive Bonus on hit. | A baited Burst can be blocked and punished; the resource persists between rounds. |
| Deflect Shield | 50%; while guarding, including blockstun | Automatically covers blockable highs/lows/cross-ups and creates major pushback when struck. | Whiff recovery is punishable. |
| Counter Blitz | 50%; 6D during eligible counter-hit slowdown | Easy hard knockdown, Burst lockout on hit, strong carry, guaranteed wall break near the corner. | Often less damage than a practiced character combo; not available from every counter-hit. |