SNAP DECISION/Fighters (2024)

Ankh

Ankh activates his Flight Mode, during which he can move freely through the air for a short time but is unable to block. He'll exit Flight Mode when hit, or after enough time has passed; he can also manually exit Flight Mode by using this move a second time.

Ankh slams his Greeed arm into the opponent's chest. On an unblocked hit, his fist will sink deep into their body, and he'll pull out a Medal. (If the move is somehow a counterhit, Ankh will pull out two Medals instead!) The enemy will fall to the ground in a hard knockdown state, and Ankh can continue his combo with an OTG from either an Assist or Peafowl's Plume - and he should! Hitting often with Hawk's Ambush is essential to Ankh's gameplan.

A command-grab in which Ankh lifts the enemy by the neck and hurls them aside. The Light version slams the enemy downwards and can groundbounce, while the other two versions throw them forwards and can wallbounce. A combo starter, and probably Ankh's second most important move after Hawk's Ambush.

With a thrust of his claw, Ankh tosses out a fast-moving fireball. The button used determines the fireball's trajectory; Light is angled diagonally upwards, Medium shoots directly forwards, and Heavy is pointed towards and can hit OTG.

Ankh calls in Kamen Rider OOO, equipped with the Tora and Batta medals! (If Ankh has 4+ Medals, OOO will come in with Cheetah instead of Batta.) OOO dashes forwards while slashing wildly with the Toraclaws on his arms, hitting multiple times. This effectively serves as a free lockdown Assist for Ankh, which helps his strike/throw mixups. It's also a cornerstone of his combos, even after he's unlocked more options.

If the attack button is held while inputting Toraclaw Rush, OOO will follow up with this attack where he leaps forwards and kicks at the enemy repeatedly. There's a prominent gap between Toraclaw Rush and Leaping Flurry where the opponent can hit OOO out of it, so Leaping Flurry is generally reserved for combos, or for when your opponents are conditioned to jump out of fear of Condor's Talons.
If Ankh has 4+ Medals, OOO will be using Cheetah legs instead of Grasshopper legs; this causes him to kick even faster during Leaping Flurry, increasing the move's hit count and damage.

Ankh calls in Kamen Rider OOO, equipped with the Gorilla medal! OOO punches forwards twice, and with each punch he fires his Gorilbagoon gauntlets forwards like rockets. Each rocket punch is treated as a beam attack with modest durability, making it a staple of Ankh's grounded neutral at long-range.

Ankh calls in Kamen Rider OOO, equipped with the Unagi medal! OOO swings his electrified Unagi Whips through the air. On an unblocked hit, he wraps the whips around the opponent and shocks them before slamming them into the ground. This anti-air hitgrab covers a huge swath of the skies in front of Ankh and OOO.

Ankh calls in Kamen Rider OOO, equipped with the Kamakiri medal! OOO leaps in front of Ankh and slashes with the Kamakiriswords on his arms, creating a vortex of slashes as a stationary projectile that hits multiple times in front of them. Kamakiri Tornado is another free lockdown Assist for Ankh, and is better suited to use in close-range as opposed to Toraclaw Rush's midrange, though it does miss out on the mindgames of Leaping Flurry.

Ankh calls in Kamen Rider OOO, equipped with the Lion medal! OOO leaps in front of Ankh and unleashes a burst of light from his mane-shaped mask. This attack hits in a large sphere surrounding OOO and Ankh; though it doesn't have any invulnerability, its huge area of effect makes it a great anti-air and "get-off-me" tool.

Ankh calls in Kamen Rider OOO, equipped with the Cobra and Kame medals! OOO leaps in front of Ankh and brings the two shields on his arms together to project an energy shield in front of them. If an enemy attack collides with the shield, OOO's turban-like mask will unfurl into a snake that lashes around him like a whip, knocking the enemy away. The shield can also reflect projectiles. Once Gora Shielduo is unlocked, it effectively replaces Lio Diaz as Ankh's go-to special on defense.

Ankh calls in Kamen Rider OOO in his multicolored TaToBa form and wielding his Medajaribur sword! During the superfreeze, Ankh tosses a Cell Medal to OOO, who inserts it into the sword. Then, OOO performs a far-reaching slash that severs projectiles and enemies alike, and deals high damage.
Pressing an attack button when Ankh is tossing the Cell Medal to OOO will cause him to fork over an additional Medal for the attack, increasing the slash's damage and range. This can be done twice, for a total of three Cell Medals and three bars of meter, resulting in a fullscreen attack that deals massive damage. "Triple Scanning Charge!"

A Takacandroid - a small robot shaped like a hawk - flies by with a Core Medal, which Ankh snatches away from it. This Super can be used to convert stocked meter into Medals, and is a good way to DHC Ankh onto or off of the battlefield.
When Ankh has all nine of his Core Medals, the Takacandroid will deliver a whole bunch of Cell Medals instead. Unlike Cell Medals collected with Hawk's Ambush, this doesn't give Ankh any meter, but it instead restores a lot more of his red health.

Ankh calls in Kamen Rider OOO in his all-red TaJaDor form! OOO spreads his arms, conjuring feather-shaped bolts of energy, then launches them forwards in a rapid barrage of homing projectiles. This super gives incredible lockdown on block, and is fantastic for DHCing Ankh in.

Ankh calls in Kamen Rider OOO in his all-red TaJaDor form, then dissolves into Core Medals that fly into the Tajaspinner shield on OOO's arm. Flames twist around OOO's body into the shape of a phoenix as his power surges, and he unleashes a lightning-fast charging punch with super armor, dealing heavy damage and smashing struck enemies into the wall behind them. Since Ankh vanishes from the battlefield at the attack's start, and doesn't reappear in his original spot until the punch is completed, Magna Blaze makes for one of the absolute best reversal supers in the entire game. This move alone makes engaging with Ankh's gimmick worth the extra effort.

Functions similarly to 236S - Ankh slams his fist into the enemy's gut. This Assist can be used to collect Medals while Ankh isn't the point character, which could theoretically let you run him as a Middle instead of as a Point; but its short range gives it zero use cases in neutral, and it's still a hard knockdown on hit which makes it difficult to route into or out of for most characters.

Instead of fighting, Ankh snacks on an ice pop to restore his own red health. Once he's done, he tosses the stick towards the enemy, which deals only a small amount of damage but can hit OTG if timed correctly. This means that this Assist is both Ankh's funniest and somehow also his least situational... but unfortunately, if you have Ankh on a team, you're probably running an OTG Assist already to extend combos after a Hawk's Ambush, thus making this Assist's OTG property almost always redundant.

Ankh crouches where he was summoned and watches the battle for a few seconds. If the enemy tries to call in an Assist, Ankh will rush in and try to grab the incoming enemy with Condor's Talons, preventing them from interfering with the fight.
Even with his hurtbox shrunk from crouching, Ankh isn't a bird of prey so much as a sitting duck; and though he gains projectile immunity when he runs in to grab, he's still putting himself at risk of being hit by charging in. This Assist only sees situational use in very select matchups.

Caesar

Movement Options

Caesar has a wall jump.

Caesar can jump-cancel all of his crouching normals.

Caesar rubs his hands together to create an enormous number of Hamon-charged bubbles, then flings his hands forwards to launch the bubbles in a fast-moving stream. This is effectively a beam, and hits multiple times. Caesar will fling the bubbles diagonally downwards when using Bubble Launcher in midair.

Caesar sweeps one arm outwards, flinging multiple fast-moving "shuriken bubbles" forwards. The Light version fires the Bubble Cutters directly forwards, while the Medium and Heavy versions' Bubble Cutters curve upwards and fly into the sky, making them good for controlling aerial approaches.
The aerial version of Bubble Cutter is shot diagonally downwards instead, with the Medium and Heavy versions curving upwards until they're travelling directly forwards.

Caesar tosses a Bubble Cutter directly upwards, which halts in midair and focuses sunlight into a thin diagonal beam. The delayed nature of this attack makes it a very powerful okizeme tool for Caesar, as well as another decent space-control option to zone out enemies with.

Caesar strikes a pose and steadies his breathing. He'll remain in the stance for as long as the Heavy button is held, and will gradually generate meter until he leaves it. This Special Move cannot be cancelled into from normals.

Caesar unleashes a souped-up version of his Bubble Launcher, hitting even more times and dealing even more damage. Just like Bubble Launcher, using it in midair fires the beam super diagonally downwards.

On an unblocked hit against the opponent's point character, Caesar can spend additional meter on Bubble Launcher Overdrive to cause the bubbles to coalesce around them and form into a single giant bubble, locking them in place for a short time. Bubble Barrier can only be used once per combo, but guarantees an extension, making it particularly strong when DHCing Caesar in.

Caesar flings out countless Bubble Cutters in a wide spread, dealing rapid damage over a wider area. Its large area of effect makes it generally the better DHC pick when you aren't sure if Bubble Launcher Overdrive will hit, even though it deals slightly less damage.

Regardless of whether Bubble Cutter Overdrive hits, whiffs, or gets blocked, Caesar can spend additional meter on the move to unleash a follow-up attack where the lingering Bubble Cutters act as lenses, refreacting light to create thin scorching rays all over the screen. This is a fullscreen attack that works well for tacking additional damage after hitting a Bubble Cutter Overdrive. The move is very unsafe on block, though, even despite its incredible range.

When Caesar is K.O.'d, holding down Light, Medium, and Heavy will cause him to create a bubble of blood with the last of his Hamon - a parting gift for his teammates. The fighter that replaces him will automatically collect the bubble when entering the battlefield; it will restore all their red health, cure them of debilitating conditions (for example, Tager's magnetism), and give them complete invulnerability until they land to protect them from enemy attacks.
The Final Ripple gives some very strong advantages to an incoming Anchor, but the meter cost is steep to compensate, leaving you with limited resources to work with. This Super's worth ends up largely being matchup-dependent.

Functions similarly to 236M - Caesar fires bubbles forwards in a horizontal beam. A classic beam Assist, useful across a wide variety of teams.

Functions similarly to 214H - Caesar flings Bubble Cutters with a curved trajectory, starting off moving forwards but eventually turning to move diagonally upwards. This is another good Assist for neutral, and pairs nicely with characters who already have beam moves to zone with.

A special Assist that causes Caesar to simply stand at the ready nearby for a moment. If the point character lands a grab while Caesar is at the ready, a special animation will play of the two using a variant of the Positive/Negative Overdrive. This special grab is untechable and deals extra damage; you won't land it often, since your opponent will know what Assist you're using going in, but it can be very useful for conditioning.

Dr. Coyle

Movement Options

Dr. Coyle has an eight-way airdash and a flight mode (214S).

Dr. Coyle activates her Flight Mode, during which she can move freely through the air for a short time but is unable to block. She'll exit Flight Mode when hit, or after enough time has passed; she can also manually exit Flight Mode by using this move a second time.

Dr. Coyle activates her optical camouflage, disappearing from view and reappearing elsewhere. Each version of this teleport-type move has Coyle reappear in a different location relative to her opponent; Light is a short distance in front of the opponent, Medium is farther away, and Heavy is in the air in front of and above her opponent. All versions have lengthy startup, which can be vulnerable to interruption at close range. The Launcher version is a feint, in which Coyle reappears in her original position and recovers faster.

Dr. Coyle performs an extended punch with one of her ARMS, which can be angled upwards or downwards with the control stick. The charge input used determines the direction Coyle punches in: the backwards-charged version punches forwards, the downwards-charged version punches diagonally upwards, and the air-exclusive upwards-charged version punches diagonally downwards.
The Light version punches with Coyle's Brrchuk; it hits multiple times for low damage, and has a tall hitbox that can make it decent for anti-airing.
The Medium version punches with Coyle's Parabola; it punches faster while the button is held, then opens up with the button is released to hit nearby enemies. Time it well, and you can hit twice with it. Once it's open, the ARM moves slower but can block projectiles.
The Heavy version punches with Coyle's Lokjaw; it has worse range than Coyle's other punches, but deals the most damage on a direct hit, and fires a blast of dark energy in the direction it's pointed in right before it would retract.

Dr. Coyle performs another extended punch with a different ARM. Like ARMS Punch, the direction held determines the direction of the punch, and the button used determines the properties of the punch. Coyle can use One-two Punch at any time during ARMS Punch, but she won't regain the ability to act until all of her ARMS have fully retracted, so timing her punches in unpredictable and varied ways tends to be a key part of her zoning gameplan.
Normally, Coyle can only use One-two Punch once during a given ARMS Punch. Certain effects, such as ARMS Charge or Hedlok, let Coyle use One-two Punch more than once during a single ARMS Punch.

Coyle extends both ARMS forwards in a long-range command grab. If she grabs an enemy, she'll pull them close, encase them in a sphere of dark electricity to deal rapid damage, then uppercut them out of it. Like ARMS Punch, the directions used for the input determine the direction she extends her ARMS in.

Dr. Coyle performs a One-two Punch with an extra ARM during her grab, letting her cover additional angles. One of her more powerful zoning tools, but it's locked behind having access to extra ARMS, whether from ARMS Charge or from Hedlok.

Coyle charges up energy in her ARMS, causing an additional ARM to sprout from one of her shoulders. This extra ARM lets her use One-two Punch an additional time during ARMS Punch, or use Two-three Punch during ARMS Grab, but doing so will cause the extra ARM to disappear.

Dr. Coyle's body floods with golden energy, and she unleashes a volley of punches in the chosen direction, dealing heavy damage across multiple hits. The move has shorter range than her ARMS Punches, but its fast startup, and the invincibility she gets during that startup, makes this Coyle's go-to reversal option.
While Hedlok is active, this Super is a Lv2 rather than a Lv1, but hits significantly more times for even higher damage.

Dr. Coyle's magnum opus, Hedlok, clamps over her own head and sprouts its four ARMS. This temporary Install super makes many of Coyle's normals multihit, speeds up Coyle's ARMS Punch and ARMS Grab, and lets her use One-two Punch a whopping four additional times - and yes, that can stack with the extra One-two Punch from ARMS Charge, letting her throw out up to seven fullscreen punches at the same time.
Hedlok's main drawback as a Super is that, even though it's pretty cheap, the Install has a relatively modest duration, and each use of One-two Punch reduces the remaining duration by a set amount. It also doubles the cost of her reversal super, ARMS Rush, making her mistakes in defensive play even more punishing.

Functions similarly to [4]6H - Dr. Coyle punches forwards with her Lokjaw ARM, and fires a blast of dark energy forwards right before she retracts her ARM. A "hybrid" option that can serve as projectile Assist and a close-range lockdown Assist, though it doesn't particularly excel at either one.

Functions similarly to [2]8L - Dr. Coyle punches diagonally upwards with her Brrchuk ARM, hitting multiple times. The Brrchuk's wide hitbox lends itself nicely to anti-airing, and the move's high vertical reach can also make it a decent poking tool. It's particularly good as a lockdown Assist against incoming fighters.

Functions similarly to [4]6M - Dr. Coyle punches forwards with her Parabola ARM. She opens the Parabola up immediately when attacking, and its slow punching speed in this state makes this her slowest Assist by far, but the ability to block projectiles with the Parabola makes it a fantastic defensive tool, especially against enemies using beams.

Emil

Movement Options

Emil has an eight-way airdash and a flight mode (214S).

Emil activates his Flight Mode, during which he can move freely through the air for a short time but is unable to block. He'll exit Flight Mode when hit, or after enough time has passed; he can also manually exit Flight Mode by using this move a second time.

Holding any attack button for three seconds will cause a magic sigil to form behind Emil. Once the spell's been prepared, releasing all attack buttons will cause Emil to thrust his head forwards and fire a beam of mana from his mouth. Sound Of Their Voices can be aimed in any cardinal or diagonal direction using the control stick, both on the ground and in midair, giving it fantastic versatility and neutral control even by the standards of beam specials. It's held back, of course, but its input making it more difficult to spam than other characters' beams.

Emil raises his staff and fires a blade-shaped projectile forwards. The Medium version fires two back-to-back magic blades, and the Heavy version fires three. The rapid volley of shots is generally effective at winning fireball wars, but since they're fired from the top of Emil's staff, most of the roster can duck underneath the projectiles.
When using Breeze In My Hair in midair, Emil fires his projectiles diagonally downwards. The Heavy version in particular is a key part of Emil's zoning when he's using his Flight Mode to keep his distance.

Emil rushes through the air head-first while bathed in an aura of magic, his body spinning wildly behind him. The 623 version dashes forwards, while the 421 version dashes backwards. Additionally, the Light version has Emil dash directly forwards, while the Medium and Heavy versions launch him at angles - upwards when grounded, downwards when airborne. Regardless of the version used, Rolling Down The Hill hits multiple times. This is a "swiss army knife" move that can fulfill countless roles for Emil, depending on what version he's using and when.
Both grounded Heavy versions of Rolling Down The Hill launch Emil almost directly upwards, and they have invulnerability on startup. When using the move as a reversal, 421H is usually favored, since its backwards movement makes it slightly harder to punish on block. When using the move as an anti-air, 623H is more likely to hit.
The aerial Medium and aerial Heavy versions of Rolling Down The Hill can, of course, be used as divekicks, and have the added bonus of being able to hit OTG. Additionally, all of the aerial versions in general can enable ambiguous crossups for Emil, especially when paired with his airdash.

Emil focuses his magic and fires a giant beam from his mouth, aimed directly forwards. My Despair is one of the largest beam Supers in the game, making it a bit easier to land in combos or DHCs.

Emil raises his staff and conjures a spherical azure barrier at his current position. The barrier can block attacks and projectiles - even enemy Supers! - until its small amount of "health" is depleted, after which it will shatter. The barrier's health passively drains, though, so it's guaranteed to break after five seconds even if the opponent doesn't attack it. The barrier cannot block enemy movement, and it won't do anything against attacks from an enemy who's already inside of the barrier. If you're going for a full-team Super Tag Chain, it rarely hurts to DHC in Emil in the middle to throw up a barrier.

Emil's magical power runs rampant, and he unleashes an enormous explosion of purple mana that hits everything on the battlefield hundreds of times. An expensive but effective way to close out any DHC; it can hit regardless of screen position, and its high hit count ensures that it'll deal good damage even on block.

Functions similarly to 6]X[ - Emil fires a beam of magic out of his mouth. A classic beam Assist, useful across a wide variety of teams.

Functions similarly to j.236H - Emil hops up into the air and fires three blade-shaped projectiles from his staff, angled diagonally forwards and downwards. A solid lockdown Assist that can also control midrange space and dissuade jump-ins pretty effectively.

A purple magic sigil forms around Emil as he casts a healing spell. If he isn't interrupted by an attack, he will restore some of the point character's health.
(The Decision I Made is still subjected to the same limitations as other forms of health recovery; it can only heal if the target has any red health to be healed!)

Guardian

Movement Options

The Guardian can double jump.

The Guardian slides a short distance forwards across the ground, kicking any struck enemies off their feet.

The Guardian rapidly drops downwards feet-first. If it hits an enemy on the way down, it will bounce a short distance upwards off their head.

A "fastfall" command normal, similar to Headbonk, but with some key differences. First, it's noticeably faster. Second, the Guardian won't bounce upwards when it hits an enemy. Third, it releases a shockwave when it lands, which can OTG. The move is unsafe on block, and has a longer recovery than Headbonk.

The Guardian pulls out a grappling hook and fires it in one of several directions, determined by what direction the control stick is being held in. When the hook hits a surface or enemy, the Guardian will retract the hook to quickly pull himself through the air. This is a staple of his rushdown, letting him get a melee combo off of almost any mid-range hit. Just be careful when using it in neutral - the grappling hook's a projectile, so it can be nullified like any other projectile.

The Guardian pulls out a heavy hand-cranked shotgun and begins firing it directly forwards, covering a wide conal area in front of it. Continuing to mash will extend the attack, though only for a set amount of time; but the longer the attack goes on for, the faster the Sulfator Shotgun will fire. This multihit attack shines in blockstrings, thanks to its high chip damage, as well as in combo filler.

The Guardian pulls out a heavy rifle and fires it forwards, at a slight downwards angle. The shot creates a small explosion at the point of impact. The angle means that this move is at its best when used in midair; when grounded, you'll have to be at midrange or closer to hit with this attack.
This attack can hit OTG at the point where it impacts the ground, knocking the enemy back into the air.

The Guardian pulls out a heavily-modified antique blunderbuss and fires it forwards, at a slight downwards angle. The Blunderbuzz fires multiple shots in a small cone pattern, and when used on the ground the shots will bounce off of the floor, increasing the attack's range. Its multihit nature also makes it better later on in combos, when the Gorilla Bolter's damage would be scaled more aggressively. In exchange, though, the Blunderbuzz has more recovery than the Bolter.
This attack can hit OTG at the point where it impacts the ground, knocking the enemy away from the Guardian. This gives it better corner carry than the Gorilla Bolter.

The Guardian pulls out a futuristic cannon and fires it forwards, at a slight downwards angle. Unlike its sister Specials, Lynx Rifle and Blunderbuzz, the Meteor Cannon fires a slow-moving sphere of energy that hits multiple times. The energy sphere will bounce off any surfaces it hits, regardless of whether Meteor Cannon was used on the ground or in midair.
Holding the Heavy button when inputting Meteor Cannon will charge the shot up, increasing the energy sphere's size and damage. The extra size is the most valuable addition, as it makes Meteor Cannon a much stronger space-control tool, and affects how soon after being fired it'll rebound off the floor which can requires opponents to stay more vigilant in neutral.

The Guardian pulls out a large mallet and swings it in sideways through the air in front of it. Light swings the hammer towards the ground and can act as yet another OTG option, and Heavy swings the hammer through the air and can anti-air effectively.
Holding the attack button causes the Guardian to charge up for a larger swing which can wallbounce (or, in the light version's case, groundbounce). Additionally, each hit with a charged Bonk Hammer restores a tiny amount of Guardian's red health; it's not enough to make a meaningful difference most of the time, though, and is mostly just an Easter Egg.

The Guardian briefly surrounds its body with an azure forcefield, giving it guardpoint against all attacks. If it nullifies an attack with Bastion, it can immediately cancel into another attack. To fuel these defensive capabilities, though, Bastion consumes a small chunk of meter when used - about a third of a bar. It's also still vulnerable to grabs and unblockable attacks.

The Guardian pulls out a giant futuristic gatling gun and barrages the enemy with rockets. The rockets will home in on any enemy in hitstun, with makes this an almost peerless Super to DHC with. Its main downside is that it has noticeably worse damage than the Guardian's other supers.

The Guardian supercharges its Bastion barrier with energy, unleashing a storm of elemental power in a wide circular area around its body. This is a reversal super, with invincibility at the start and guardpoint for most of its duration. This, combined with its large area of effect, gives it some utility in DHCs.
The button combination used to input the super determines the elemental effect; LM is fire, LH is ice, and MH is electric. This is purely a cosmetic effect, though.

The Guardian calls in Max, who drives her Hoverbus across the screen. Tapping up while Max is onscreen will make the Hoverbus jump a short distance off the ground, which can be good for catching airborne opponents.
On an unblocked hit from the Hoverbus, a cutscene will play in which the point enemy will get caught on its front and brought along for the ride. When Max spots the giant bomb robot Billy Boom ahead, she panics and brakes, launching the enemy into Billy Boom. The resulting explosion is visible from space.
Hoverbus Bomber has a big hitbox, but is easy to see coming and react to by either dodging or blocking, especially when the defender is far away. Couple this with low blockstun and the Guardian being completely immobilized until Max despawns, and it's easy to tell why this Super should rarely be used in neutral. Its only real niche in this area is that the Hoverbus can block beam supers. Instead, Hoverbus Bomber sees most use as a high-damage combo ender, usually after one of the Guardian's myriad OTG options.

Functions similarly to 236L - the Guardian pulls out the Gorilla Bolter and fires it downwards, creating an explosion where the shot hits the ground. A close- to midrange OTG Assist, as well as a nice option for forcing the opponent into the air if you're trying to play around a strong anti-air tool on your point character.

Functions similarly to 623S - the Guardian lands in front of the point character and activates its forcefield, which gives it guardpoint against attacks at the cost of some meter. A fantastic defensive Assist, and one of the best Active Tag options in the game to boot.

Functions similarly to mashing X - the Guardian pulls out the Sulfator Shotgun and fires it forwards for a short time. A solid lockdown Assist, though its cone-shaped hitboxes can cause it to whiff against airborne opponents if the Guardian is too close to them.

Iron=Tager

By using certain moves, Tager can "magnetize" opponents. Magnetized opponents will be pulled towards his hands when he uses certain moves, most notably his command grabs.
Normally, magnetism fades over time, but only when applied to the point character. Non-point characters will remain magnetized, even when called in as Assists, and won't be able to become un-magnetized until they become the point character again.

Tager grabs at the floor in front of him. If he catches a downed enemy, he'll pick them up and magnetize them before dropping them. Tager is left with frame advantage and the opponent in midair close by. This move is actually not considered an OTG, meaning it can be used after a hard knockdown even if an OTG was used earlier in the combo.
The move pulls magnetized foes towards Tager's hand, and holding the attack button will extend the move's active frames.

Tager grabs in front of him. If he catches an enemy, he'll hurl them high into the air, leap up to catch them, then slam back down in a powerful backbreaker that deals heavy damage. The grounded version of the move has a small amount of invulnerability during its startup.
The move pulls magnetized foes towards Tager's hand, and holding the attack button will extend the move's active frames.

Tager grabs at the air above his head. If he catches an airborne enemy, he'll slam them into the ground behind him. An anti-air command grab that gives a side switch.
The move pulls magnetized foes towards Tager's hand, and holding the attack button will extend the move's active frames.

Tager dashes a short distance forwards while swinging his arms in front of him. All versions have guardpoint against projectiles during the startup, with the H version also having guardpoint against high and mid attacks. Heavier versions will also cover a longer distance.

After any version of Sledgehammer, pressing any attack button will cause Tager to follow up by slamming his fists down on the opponent in an unsafe overhead attack with the same guardpoint properties as whatever version of Sledgehammer he used.

Tager grabs in front of him. If he catches an enemy, he'll hurl them behind him, bouncing them off the wall. The move is slower than Gigantic Tager Driver, but has more invulnerability.
The move pulls magnetized foes towards Tager's hand.

While the enemy is flying through the air, Tager leaps up to grab them and performs a backbreaker on them for extra damage.

Tager charges himself with electricity. He can spend his electric charge to use Spark Bolt. While charging, Tager has guardpoint against high, mid, and projectile attacks.

Tager expends his electric charge to fire a fast-moving sphere of electricity forwards. Spark Bolt destroys nearly all enemy projectiles. On hit, it applies magnetism and wallbounces the enemy, letting it start a combo.
236S fires Spark Bolt directly forwards. 623S fires Spark Bolt diagonally upwards.

Tager spins in place with his arms extended, hitting enemies multiple times. He finishes the move by slamming his fist into the ground in a powerful overhead attack. Deals massive damage and has guardpoint against everything for the first few hits, and the move pulls magnetized foes in for its duration.

Tager follows up with a giant forward punch, launching foes away and wallbouncing them. The move has high minimum damage, making it a very strong way to end longer combos.

Tager grabs the enemy, whirls around, and hurls them up into the air. He launches himself up after them with an incredible leap, grabs them, and slams them into the ground with enough force to shatter the earth. The grab is invulnerable for the first handful of frames, letting it be used as a high-damage reversal.
The move pulls magnetized foes towards Tager's hand, and holding the attack button will extend the move's active frames.

Functions similarly to 236H~X - Tager rushes forwards while swinging his arms in front of him, then follows up by slamming his arms downwards. Unlike the original version of the move, the second hit isn't an overhead outside of Active Tag, but Tager retains his guardpoint for both versions of this move.

If Tager doesn't have electric charge, he will use his 22S - he'll have guardpoint as he builds up energy. If Tager does have electric charge, he will expend it to use 236S - he'll fire a fast electric projectile forwards that magnetizes struck enemies.

If Tager doesn't have electric charge, he will use his 22S - he'll have guardpoint as he builds up energy. If Tager does have electric charge, he will expend it to use 623S - he'll fire a fast electric projectile diagonally upwards that magnetizes struck enemies.

Nero

Movement Options

Nero can double jump. In Devil Trigger, he can also airdash directly upwards or diagonally upwards; unlike a regular airdash, using this doesn't consume his double jump or vice versa.

While Nero is the point character, the HUD includes an EX-Gauge, which can hold up to three charges of EX. Holding S at the end of most attacks utilizing Red Queen will cause Nero to begin revving up the sword, building EX charge at the cost of more recovery.
When Nero uses any normals utilizing Red Queen while S is held, he'll automatically consume one charge of EX to power the move up, greatly increasing its speed.
Nero's special moves utilizing Red Queen can also consume EX charges; inputting them with L won't consume any, inputting them with M will consume one EX charge when available, and inputting them with H will consume all three if possible.

Nero thrusts his Devil Breaker outwards and unleashes a pulse of electricity to send enemies flying.

Nero revs up Red Queen without attacking, granting a charge of EX.

Nero loads special high-power ammunition into Blue Rose; the next three shots fired from the weapon will hit struck enemies multiple times, stunning them for slightly longer and dealing more damage both on hit and on block.

Nero manifests an azure claw out of demonic power and swings it upwards in a blockable hitgrab. If he grabs an enemy, he can perform one of several throws on the enemy with an additional input. Pressing no buttons with a grabbed enemy will just cause Nero to hurl them into the floor.

Nero stabs Red Queen into the enemy's chest and revs the blade up, blasting them away. An easy and safe way to build up charges of EX, though launching the enemy so far away from Nero usually guarantees a return to neutral.

Nero suplexes the enemy, then smoothly follows up with a dropkick while they're still reeling. Gives a side switch.

Nero leaps into the air while spinning the enemy in wide circles. When he lands on the ground, he slams the grabbed enemy down, then leaps away. Deals more damage than Buster's other options, but it leaves Nero too far away for okizeme.

Nero slams his Devil Breaker into the enemy, planting it on them as a time bomb while knocking them away. After a set amount of time, the time bomb detonates, damaging the enemy. It will remain planted on them even if they tag out.

Nero shoots Blue Rose forwards once, in a far-reaching attack. In midair, Nero fires diagonally downwards. On the ground, mashing S will cause Nero to fire up to two more shots before he holsters his gun.

Nero rushes forwards and slashes in front of him with Red Queen. He has projectile invulnerability during the initial dash.
Consuming one EX charge bathes the attack in flames for increased damage and speed. Consuming three EX charges causes Nero to unleash three consecutive spins to hit enemies multiple times during the charge.

Nero slashes upwards with Red Queen while rising into the air.
Consuming one EX charge bathes the attack in flames for increased damage and invulnerable frames during the move's startup. Consuming three EX charges causes Nero to unleash three consecutive spins, causing him to rise even higher and hit enemies multiple times during his ascent.

Nero dashes through the air and slashes in front of him with Red Queen. Functionally similar to Streak.
Consuming one EX charge bathes the attack in flames for increased damage and speed. Consuming three EX charges increases the attack's damage and speed even further.

Nero dives diagonally downwards at the ground with Red Queen extended, skewering through foes in his path.
Consuming one EX charge bathes the attack in flames for increased damage and speed. Consuming three EX charges increases the attack's damage and speed even further.

Nero dives downwards while slashing, slamming Red Queen into the ground when he lands.
Consuming one EX charge increases the fall speed and causes the move to hit multiple times, increasing its damage. Consuming three EX charges increases the attack's damage even further.

Nero gathers demonic energy in Blue Rose, then fires a piercing bullet that travels across the entire screen. Hitting an enemy with the shot will cause a secondary explosion for additional damage. Holding an attack button after inputting the move will cause Nero to continually charge, delaying the shot in exchange for increasing its stopping power.

In an explosion of power that knocks enemies away, Nero activates his Devil Trigger, gaining wings of demonic energy. He remains in this transformed state for ten seconds afterwards, during which he gains a number of benefits.
He gains an airdash, and his attack speed is slightly increased.
Attacks using Red Queen are augmented by slashes from his demonic wings, increasing their damage and giving some moves new properties.
When using Blue Rose or Charge Shot, Nero will also conjure small blades of demonic energy and fire them off alongside each shot.
All of Buster's throws have new animations and deal greatly increased damage.

Slashing with both Red Queen and one of his wings, Nero fires an X-shaped blade of power forwards as a projectile that pierces enemies and deals heavy damage on hit.

Nero forms a blade of energy at his hip and, after a short delay, draws it and slashes it in front of him. On a hit, he'll launch into an elaborate combo using the energy blade in tandem with his wings and Red Queen, dealing heavy damage while advancing forwards across the stage.

"Who brought the marshmallows? 'Cause I'm bringin' the fire!"
Nero goads the enemy while revving up Red Queen, generating both an EX charge and a little bit of meter.

Nero leaps forwards and slams Red Queen down on the enemy from above. This Assist can hit OTG, and its tracking makes it a good general-use combo extension tool.

Functions similarly to 214M - Nero unleashes a rising slash with Red Queen, and will automatically consume one EX charge if available to augment the move. EX High Roller is one of the few reversal Assists that retains the original move's invincibility, making it an incredibly valuable tool on defense. The obvious downside is that it only has invincibility if Nero has an EX charge to spend, which requires setting Nero up in advance to use this Assist...

Shovel Knight

Movement Options

Shovel Knight has a two-way airdash. Since his airdash involves him launching himself through the air with his Propeller Dagger, it has a hitbox.

Shovel Knight's aerial Launcher has him diving directly downwards shovel-first. Unlike other aerial Launchers, this functions more like a divekick attack.
Holding forward when inputting the aerial Launcher has Shovel Knight dive at a diagonal angle instead.

Shovel Knight pulls out a golden wand and uses it to launch a fireball forwards. He always shoots the fireball directly horizontally, even in midair. The Medium version fires a faster-moving fireball.

Shovel Knight tosses out a green sphere that bounces off surfaces. The higher you are when you use the move, the higher it'll bounce after it hits the floor. This pinch of unpredictability makes Chaos Sphere a staple zoning tool for Shovel Knight.
Shovel Knight can only have one Chaos Orb on-screen at a time.

Shovel Knight pulls out two giant gauntlets and punches forwards with one. Pressing an attack button an additional time during the attack will cause him to perform a second punch with the other gauntlet. The move stalls out Shovel Knight's fall; this, combined with its forward movement, lets him use it as an additional airdash in addition to its obvious uses as a combo tool.
If Shovel Knight hits a projectile with Dust Knuckles, he'll punch straight through, nullifying it and extending his lunge forwards at the same time.

Shovel Knight leaps into the air, tugged behind an anchor. A more traditional anti-air, though it tends to be unsafe on block, as well as a solid combo tool. The Medium version has invincibility on startup, giving Shovel Knight a meterless reversal option.

Shovel Knight throws an anchor into the air, as an arcing projectile. It's a phenomenal anti-air due to its disjoint, but due to its longer start-up, it requires either a read or keen reaction times to use it as one.
Shovel Knight can only have one Throwing Anchor on-screen at a time.

Shovel Knight throws out a gold coin, which slowly rolls across the floor as a ground-based projectile. The Medium version's coin rolls forwards faster. Shovel Knight and his allies can knock the coin into the air using strikes, and get to cancel out of their attacks when doing so just like if they'd hit the opponent.
Despite its low damage, Alchemy Coin is an ususually strong projectile option. Rolling across the ground makes it difficult to contest with other projectiles or beams, making blocking or jumping more common options for dealing with it.
Shovel Knight can only have one Alchemy Coin on-screen at a time.

Shovel Knight throws out a Mobile Gear - a small platform mounted onto a wheel. When it lands, it will whir up and start trawling forwards automatically. It can hit an enemy if it lands on top of them, and can even OTG when doing so, but otherwise doesn't have a hitbox.
Calling in an Assist right after throwing out a Mobile Gear will cause them to land on top of its platform, letting them ride it forwards while performing their attack.
Shovel Knight can only have one Mobile Gear on-screen at a time.

Shovel Knight blows into the giant War Horn, and the sheer volume hits enemies multiple times no matter where they are on the screen. The move doesn't deal much damage on hit, but is regardless a fantastic super for whiff-punishes, chip K.O.s, and especially DHCs.

Shovel Knight bathes himself in fire, then dives downwards. He hits multiple times on the way down, and unleashes a flaming explosion when he hits the ground. A good high-damage combo ender.
Holding forward on the control stick during the move's startup causes Shovel Knight to dive at a diagonal. You can think of this move like a "Super Shovel Drop."

Shovel Knight pulls out his Fishing Rod and flings its line forwards. On an unblocked hit, a cutscene will play of him reeling the enemy in and swinging them around into walls and floors, scattering Treasure everywhere.
On a blocked hit, Shovel Knight will still reel the enemy in, yanking them into melee range and giving him enough frame advantage to try and run a mixup. Try DHCing into Treasure Trove to make a blocked Super safe; it's expensive, sure, but might wind up giving you the edge you need.

Functions similarly to 22M - Shovel Knight tosses out a coin that rolls across the ground. As far as projectile Assists go, Alchemy Coin is unorthodox, but it's also generally pretty strong, for all the same reasons that the normal version of the move is strong.

Functions like 623M - Shovel Knight leaps through the air while tugged behind an anchor. The move doesn't have its invincibility when used as a normal Assist, but it does when used as an Active Tag.

Functions like 236H - Shovel Knight hurls a bouncing green orb forwards. This is a faster, stronger, and more traditional projectile Assist, but since the Assist version can't be used in midair, it misses out on some of the original move's unpredictability. If a Shovel Knight player wants to run a projectile Assist, they'll usually run Alchemy Coin instead of Chaos Orb, unless they really want the extra attack speed or damage for select combos.

Sora

Movement Options

Sora can double jump.

Sora's spells have a "Magic Series" too! He can cancel a Light special into a Medium, Heavy, or Launcher special, and he can cancel a Medium special into a Heavy or Launcher special.

Sora hops a small distance backwards, then lunges forwards while stabbing with his Keyblade.

Sora fires a crystal of ice forwards out of his Keyblade. The move has a slow wind-up, but the projectile moves fast and flies through any enemies it hits, which can make it good for punishing assists.

Sora glides a short distance forwards while spheres of flame spiral around his body, hitting enemies in his path multiple times. His hurtbox is slightly lowered during the start of the dash, letting him dodge underneath projectiles, but the attack's hitbox is too low for it to work decently as an anti-air. The move works particularly well at juggling airborne enemies.

Sora calls down a bolt of lightning which strikes the ground a set distance in front of him. The Heavy version creates a small explosion of electricity where it hits the ground, and can OTG.
Holding forward, backward, down-foward, or down-back will change the location where the bolt is summoned.

Sora leaps up into the air while spinning around and slashing with his Keyblade. This serves as Sora's best anti-air, as well as a meterless reversal thanks to its invincibility on startup.

Sora slams the tip of his Keyblade into the ground, creating an explosion to launch him and struck enemies into the air.

Sora unleashes an elaborate Keyblade combo while slowly moving forwards. After the first seven hits, the move becomes a Deadly Rave-type super where each of the remaining six hits requires its own input. Failing an input will end the super early, but succeeding in all of them yields massive damage.

Sora unleashes an elaborate string of Keyblade strikes as he slowly levitates into the air. He finishes off by charging power at the weapon's tip and firing off myriad projectiles to home in on the enemy.

Sora performs several consecutive lunging stabs with his Keyblade, traveling back and forth across the screen to hit grounded enemies multiple times.

Sora hurls his Keyblade forwards as a projectile that crosses the entire screen.
Hitting two attack buttons again during the super will spend half a bar of meter to make Sora war his Keyblade back into his hand and hurl it again. This can be done up to four times, for a total of five Keyblade tosses at the cost of 3 bars of meter.

Functions similarly to 623S - a rising Keyblade attack. The move doesn't have its invincibility when used as a normal Assist, but it does when used as an Active Tag.

Functions similarly to 236M - a projectile that's slow to come out, but travels quickly and pierces through fighters it hits. It can be used to help the point character approach more easily, though it's of course outclassed by beam Assists.

Sora tosses an item into the air. If he isn't interrupted by an attack, he will restore some of the point character's health.
(Potion is still subjected to the same limitations as other forms of health recovery; it can only heal if the target has any red health to be healed!)

Venom Snake

Snake rushes forwards in a determined run! He'll remain in this stance until he jumps, performs an attack, hits a wall, or stops sprinting by pressing S.
During Sprint, Snake can use any of his Special Moves (except for Tranquilizer Dart or Magazine) by using their normal inputs, and they'll will retain some of Sprint's momentum when used this way, extending their reach. He can also Supers during Sprint, which will cause him to immediately stop.

A Sprint-exclusive attack in which Snake leaps forwards mid-sprint, slamming through enemies in his path. He's immune to projectiles until he lands, and can low-profile underneath them after he lands. When using the Heavy version, Snake will continue to slide a short distance forwards after landing, hitting a second time; this second hit is a low that must be blocked crouching. Diving Tackle is unsafe on block due to Snake needing to pick himself back up after using it, but its recovery can usually be covered with an Assist.

Snake slams his bionic fist into the ground. If this were a stealth-action game, this attack would release a pulse of sound that could identify the locations of nearby enemies... But this is actually a fighting game, it instead hits low and can OTG. Sonic Punch is usually Snake's go-to attack after scoring a crumple with Stun Arm or a knockdown with CQC.

Snake lunges a short distance forwards and swings his bionic arm forwards in a single giant punch. A single-hit attack that can wallbounce enemies, and deals a pretty hefty amount of blockstun.

Snake lunges forwards, with a similar animation to Bionic Punch, but instead grabs the enemy and slams them to the ground for a hard knockdown. CQC is a bit slower to start up than other fighters' command grabs, but exchanges that for a deceptive animation and better reach.

Holding any attack button for a second will cause Venom Snake's bionic arm to start sparking. Once it's charged with electricity, releasing all attack buttons will cause him to thrust it forwards and release a spherical burst of electricity in front of him. This disjointed multihit attack causes a crumple on its first grounded hit in a combo, and its electric field can negate incoming enemy projectiles.

Snake pulls a spare gun magazine off his belt and throws it into the air as an arcing projectile, with the button used determining the magazine's trajectory. This serves as his main anti-air option, and a decent space-control tool.

Snake pulls out a dart pistol and fires it directly forwards. The attack is functionally a weak single-hit beam, and doesn't reach very far. A grounded counterhit from this move will cause the struck enemy to slowly crumple to the ground, but Tranquilizer Dart's long recovery means it isn't worth it to try and use this attack recklessly. Instead, try and treat it as a midscreen whiff-punishing tool.

Snake fires off his bionic arm as a projectile. The arm hits multiple times as it flies through the air, and can be aimed in any cardinal or diagonal direction using the control stick. After a set amount of time, the arm explodes.
This super can be used to juggle an airborne enemy into whatever position you want, making it a highly flexible option to both DHC out of and DHC into. Unfortunately, its damage tends to leave something to be desired, especially when accounting for combo scaling.

Hold an attack button for three seconds, then input a quarter-circle back before releasing all attack buttons to thrust the bionic arm into the air and call down a wave of lightningbolts in the space in front of you! This is a fast area-of-effect attack with infinite vertical reach, and is perfect for punishing enemy jump-ins. The bolts can OTG too. This super is as useful as a swiss army knife, but is usually held back by its cumbersome input.
You can use Thunder Strike in DHCs by inputting it as 214+Assist.

A fast close-range command grab that leads into a cinematic where Snake subdues his enemy with a chokehold, then attaches a Fulton recovery balloon to their unconscious body to violently lift them into the air. Holding an Assist button during the cinematic can force one of the grabbed enemies' allies to be tagged in, almost like a Snapback; otherwise, the enemy will just land far away from Snake, taking extra damage from the impact.
Target Extraction is unique among command grabs in that it can grab an enemy in a hard knockdown! When doing so, Snake will skip the chokehold and immediately attach the Fulton balloon to the enemy. This lets the Super serve as a combo ender if you land a hard knockdown after already using an OTG earlier in the combo.

Functions similarly to 236S > 236H - Snake sprints forwards, and unleashes a dashing haymaker punch when he gets close to the enemy. This attack can wallbounce enemies on hit, which can open up new combo routes for fighters who otherwise don't have their own wallbounces.

Snake plants an inflatable decoy shaped like him a couple steps behind the point fighter. The decoy lingers for several seconds after Snake leaves; if an enemy attack would hit it, it'll absorb the attack and pop. The enemy will even suffer from greatly increased hitstop if they popped it with a melee attack, which will leave them vulnerable to a counterattack... but realistically, they'll know better than to hit the Decoy with a melee attack. Regardless, the decoy is still a handy tool for scaring the enemy off of you on defense.

Snake levels an assault rifle and fires it forwards, in a multihit attack that can function as a kind of beam Assist.