Dual Souls: The Last Bearer/Mirei (Assassin)

Kore wa sadame, waruku omou na.

Story

"Mirei is the twin sister of Kanae, being the last two members of the noble Ozawa family.

When Mirei was a small child, her family, as well as the residents of her village, were killed by assassins. Mirei was then kidnapped and raised by these assassins, who influenced her to believe her parents were disloyal to the Emperor. She believed that this clan of assassins were serving the Emperor, who aimed to bring peace and unification to her homeland. During her ruthless training, Mirei heard voices in her head, talking about justice, aiding others in need and protecting the weak. This voice was what drove her to survive the training, where she would have otherwise failed due to the overwhelming loneliness she felt, missing the love of her family.

One day the voices in her head spoke: "A person of unbelievable power is about to arrive. Follow him, and obtain the power we desire to uphold our justice, to protect those that are good."

The man arrived, calmly stepping through a rift in space. Mirei approached the man, and questioned: "Is my sister also seeking this power? Will I have to face her?" The mysterious man responded: "Yes, she seeks it as well. Your conflict is inevitable." Mirei looks at the sky, hoping her father is watching over her. After a brief moment of contemplation she silently follows the man through the portal." ~Arcade Mode Introduction (paraphrased)

Introduction

Assassin Mirei is a glass canon, specializing in rushdown and vortex gameplans. She has access to one of the fastest walk speeds in the game, easy hit confirms, many different knockdown and reset combos, good frame advantage on normals and many mobility tools. But since nothing comes free, she pays for it by having the lowest HP in the game, is one of the easiest to stun, and has no access to true reversals without her Powers. This makes her prone to being heavily punished in neutral or pressure, but in the hands of a skilled player, she can contest any character and force them to play her game.

Character Stats

Health	Universal Overhead Startup	Meditation Charge	Default Chaos Drive Duration	Mobility
8500	17 Frames	4% per second	9 seconds	Super Jump (can cancel into it from 5BS, 5SL, and 2BS), can hold forward dash to run

Strengths	Weaknesses
Easy hit confirms with Dagger Toss Tied for fastest air crush in the game at 6 frames Safe, fast normals Access to a wide variety of techs and mixups with Shadow Clone Easy access to hard knockdown with Slide Kick and 5BS Great punish tools such as dashing normals and Slide Kick Small hurtbox	Made of actual glass Air crush doesn't lead to combos on counter-hit and has a small hitbox Struggles on defense without using her Powers, Blocking is risky because of counter-hit punish Is very meter hungry and needs to keep building bar both for offense and defense Short range

Moves

Standing Normals

Slash Moves Mirei forward slightly Moves Mirei forward slightly	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 700 Mid 10 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 3 +4 +8 -5 Cancelable. Has a big hurtbox during the active frames, so be careful on using this in neutral.

Big Slash One of combo videos' favorites, hold BS to charge One of combo videos' favorites, hold BS to charge	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 850 (fully charged: 1290) Mid 10 (fully charged: 111) Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 4 +2 (fully charged: +30) +6 (fully charged: +36) -8 (fully charged: -1) Cancelable. This beast of a move is actually just as fast as her 5SL, and can be canceled into her super jump on contact. Does hard knockdown against airborne opponents. Is a Fatal Blow.

Kick	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 600 Mid 8 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 4 +3 +7 -10 Cancelable. Occasional anti-air as it can hit opponents pretty early into the jump. Smaller hurtbox than 5SL but less range.

Forward Slash Her air crush Her air crush	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 300 Mid 6 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 3 +9 +11 +2 Despite the tiny hitbox, it's your best normal for anti-air due to being an air crush. Good neutral tool since you can confirm into 2SL.

Forward Kick	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 350 Mid 5 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 3 +4 +6 -1 Good poking tool, it's pretty fast at 5 frames startup.

Crouching Normals

Crouching Slash	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 500 Low 7 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 3 +2 +6 -6 Your primary footsies and combo tool against standing opponents. Hit confirm into Dagger Toss, or combo into Slide Kick for those juicy knockdowns.

Crouching Big Slash Not a low Not a low	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 900 Mid 12 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 4 +3 +7 -9 Cancelable. A little less punishable than 5BS, you can out-prioritize low moves with this, specially if they're a K or SL low. Is a Fatal Blow.

Crouching Kick Futbawl Futbawl	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 300 Low 7 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 6 +2 +4 -3 Mirei's longest ranged crouching normal, good for poking and hitting grounded opponents. Has a fairly good amount of active frames.

Jumping Normals

Jumping Slash //	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 500 High 5 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 6 +11 ~ +13 +15 ~ +17 +1 ~ +5 Cancelable. Mostly a combo tool. Also a decent air-to-air.

Jumping Kick //	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 600 High 6 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 5 +3 ~ +10 +7 ~ +12 0 ~ +3 Hits lower than jumping slash, but also has a bigger hurtbox. Can be used to stop late air crushes.

Jumping Big Slash //	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 1000 High 13 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 6 +20 ~ +27 +29 ~ +32 0 ~ +9 Has an amazing amount of hitstun, and is a surprisingly good crossup.

Universal Mechanics

Overhead	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 700 High 17 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 3 +8 +12 -9 One of the slower universal overheads at 17 frames startup, but hits quite far.

Shadow Deception During jump or forward dash: Doko e miteru? Doko e miteru?	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup - - - Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. - - - - Instantly teleports her to starting position, leaving a shadow clone of her trajectory. One of her many tools to mix up, specially when holding a clone for a crossup.

Shadow Vortex	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 800 High 8 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 8 0 ~ +13 +11 ~ +17 -18 Cancel into it from jumping slash to combo, juggling the opponent. Mostly a combo tool.

Grab , or	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 800 - 8 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. - Hard knockdown Hard knockdown - Mirei teleports to the top of the screen and drops the opponent on their neck. Has the privilege of being a hard knockdown and leaves you relatively close.

Specials

Dagger Toss or

Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 300 Mid 12 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 12 +9 (point blank) +13 (point blank) -7 (point blank) Mostly safe on guard if you space it correctly. Power Move cancelable on contact. You can't toss another dagger until the previous one has disappeared. Holding K during it performs Dagger Flash Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 600 (300 + 300) Mid 12 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 12, full screen +8 (point blank) +12 (point blank) -3 (point blank) Automatically goes into Dagger Flash. Functionally identical to 236+SL > K. Cancelable into dash on contact.

Air Dagger Toss or

Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 300 Mid 14 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. Until it touches the ground Varies Varies Varies, usually safe Travels in a steep angle in front of Mirei. Has a Power Recovery window right after the dagger is tossed. You can't toss another dagger until the previous one has disappeared. Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 600 (300 + 300) Mid 12 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. Until it touches the ground Varies Varies Varies, usually safe This will only come out during forward jumps. Doing the BS version during neutral and back jumps will do the SL version. Has a Power Recovery window right after the dagger is tossed. You can't toss another dagger until the previous one has disappeared.

Mist Dash Ikuzo! Ikuzo!

Damage Guard Cancelable Startup - - - Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. - - - - Ignores projectiles in the first frames. Holding K extends the dash. Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 600 Mid 14 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 4 Knockdown Knockdown -12 Allows for juggles after, your main follow-up for combos. Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 1000 Mid 27 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 4 Knockdown Knockdown -19 Mirei crosses up the opponent and launches them towards a wall. Results in a wallbounce if the opponent touches the wall. Has a Snap Out window after the wallbounce. Death if guarded. Use this when you're sure they're not expecting or when you can afford a Recovery. Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 1000 Low 11 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 5 Hard Knockdown Hard Knockdown -28 Fastest dash follow-up and is the only low. Can be used in any juggle combo to end in hard knockdown. Death if guarded. Outside of combos, use this when you're sure they're not expecting or when you can afford a Recovery. Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 1000 Low 11 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 5 Hard Knockdown Hard Knockdown -28 Fastest dash follow-up and is the only low. Can be used in any juggle combo to end in hard knockdown. Death if guarded. Outside of combos, use this when you're sure they're not expecting or when you can afford a Recovery. Damage Guard Cancelable Startup - - 17 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. - - - - Performs the standing version of Shadow Counter and is functionally the same. Damage Guard Cancelable Startup - - 32 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 3 +8 +12 -9 Performs her 2PW overhead. The slowest of her follow-ups. / / or / Damage Guard Cancelable Startup - - - Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. - - - - Cancels the dash into her jump or super jump.

Dragon Rise

Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 550 + 550 Mid 6 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 4-4-5 (3 hits when guarded, 2 when hit) Hard Knockdown Hard Knockdown -25 Not invincible, but will catch jumping opponents. It's very fast at 6 frames and can allow her to punish things she otherwise wouldn't. There's a Power Recovery and Power Cancel window before the second hit. Hold K to delay the attack and rise higher. Since her hurtbox moves up during the move, it can actually dodge a lot of things, including oki attempts.

Shadow Counter or

Damage Guard Cancelable Startup - - 1 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 17 - - - Hold up, left or right after the counter is activated to teleport in that direction. Pressing no direction keeps Mirei in place. SL version counters low and mids, while BS version counters high and mids. Aerial version Damage Guard Cancelable Startup - - 1 Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 17 - - - Changes your momentum by making you float slower to the ground. SL and BS versions are identical. You can't teleport up, only left and right.

Shadow Clone or

Damage Guard Cancelable Startup - - - Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. - - - - Her main mixing tool. Holding the button will delay the shadow's attack. If Mirei is hit, the shadow won't hit the opponent. Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 400 Low 23 (point blank) Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. Full screen Bounces opponent up Bounces opponent up +14 The clone performs a low slide that bounces the opponent up for juggles. Damage Guard Cancelable Startup 800 Mid 23 (point blank) Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. 4 (when it attacks) +34 +38 +26 Despite appearances, it's not overhead. Very useful for damage combos since it keeps the opponent standing.

Other

Forward Dash	Damage Guard Cancelable Startup - - - Active Hit Adv. Hit Adv. Crouching Guard Adv. - - - - Extend the dash infintely by holding forward. Cancelable by BS, 2BS or K. Pressing SL will perform 5BS. Because she can cancel her Limit Break into forward dash, canceling your dash into normals allows you to combo and pressure.

Powers

Chaos Drive

Ultimate

Combos

Note: Whenever you want to perform a Mist Dash follow-up, hold the next button to execute it as early as possible. Ex: 236+K, hold SL.

You may being these combos with a jumping big slash.

Basic

• 2SL -> 236K > SL

• 2SL -> 236SL

• 2PW, 2SL -> 236SL

• 2PW, 2SL -> 236K > SL

Advanced

• 9BS, 2PW, 2SL -> 236K > SL, 214K

• 9BS, 2PW, 2SL -> 236BS > 66 > [K] or [BS] -> 236K > SL, 214K

• 9BS, 2PW, 2SL -> 236BS > 66 > [K] or [BS] -> 236K > SL, 5BS -> 236K > 2SL

• Corner only: 9BS, 2PW, 6SL, 5SL -> 236BS > 66 > [K] or [BS], 6SL, 5SL -> 236K > SL, 5BS -> [236K > 2SL] or [214K]

Situational

Strategy

Assassin Mirei's strategy to navigate neutral with her superior movement speed and far reaching normals, forcing the opponent to commit and capitalizing on their mistakes. Due to her low health, she can't afford to be careless and relies on poking until she has an opportunity for knockdown.

Her Dagger Toss is a great tool for gaining advantage in neutral as it can be easily hit confirmed and has devastating counterhit. Meter and resources are Assassin Mirei's best friend, so try and manage your meter/resources as much as possible.

Whenever possible, spend your meter on Shadow Clone mixups to mantain the pressure. This will also give you more Recovery Points, which you can spend in making yourself safe from punishes or extending your guardstrings.

Although she has a frame 1 counter, her defense is very poor. She has a hard time on oki, and suffers a lot more on mixup situations due to her low health, specially when she's counter hit. Consider bringing Power #2 in matchups where you find yourself cornered often.

Her Chaos Drive can easily carry opponents to the corner and will build you a lot of meter, but it's often best to preserve it for escaping a combo. You won't get many chances to survive them.