Akatsuki Blitzkampf/Murakumo
Background
A military officer stationed in Germany who planned and implemented a German military affairs delegation during the previous Great War. During his tenure, he made contact with the religious society Perfecti Cult and established a military technical research institute commonly known as "Gesellschaft." In the last stage of the war contact with Berlin was lost. (from character selection screen)
Read the translation of his arcade mode!
Introduction
The man with the funny walk who wants to become God. Murakumo is no joke though. In classic boss character fashion, he has a tool for nearly every situation.
In short, Murakumo is a beast with little to no bad matchups because of his versatility. He has a fireball for every situation, and his mixups put every other character in Blitzkampf to shame. If you handle this character well in neutral, your opponent will become scared of any approach attempt you make. His teleports are incredibly useful movement abilities, and they feel great to play around with. Don't be dissuaded from playing him just because he is a charge character, Blitzkampf charges are extremely lenient and you'll get used to using his fireball and flash kick in no time. Murakumo may not get amazing damage or corner carry, but he has a couple tools that let him overcome his damage problems. Combos into EX flash kick deal massive damage and a reflector combo can lead into 3.4k damage off one bar. Mines add massive pressure during blockstrings, but also lead to his most damaging combos in the corner. These act as Murakumo's main launcher tool, so get used to using them to set up combos during okizeme.
- Armor ratio = 1.000 (Average armor value)
- Forward speed = 10.75 dots/F (Fastest in the game)
- Backwards speed = 5.0 dots/F (Fastest unbuffed value)
- Jump startup - 3F (Fastest unbuffed value)
- Backdash duration - 32F (Slowest backdash, but acts as a teleport with invuln on frames 11-22)
Pros
- Fastest walk speed in the game (basically a run)
- Amazing mixup and pressure tools
- Several teleports with varying follow ups
- Has multiple ways to create 50/50 situations
- Good okizeme with mines
- Cool combo routes
- Wants to become God, will help you become an ABK God
Cons
- Non-EX flash kick is a poor anti-air due to it's small hitbox and lack of invuln
- Needs to spend meter for a reversal
- Both of his lows are punishable on block, meaning you have to cancel them or space correctly
- Poor damage outside of corner combos and burning meter
- Somewhat difficult execution, tricky to handle
- Walk speed may intimidate you more than your opponent
All damage values below were tested on Akatsuki with 1.000 armor ratio and full life on both sides (remember about "Health difference" and "Guts" systems)
Normal Moves
5A
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5B
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2A
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2B
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j.A
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j.B
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j.C
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Illusions
One of Murakumo's main gimmicks are his illusions. Think of Hibiki from Blazblue Centralfiction, though not as fleshed out.
電光欺瞞 - Denkou Giman 5C 5C 2C 2C 4C 4C
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Command Normals
電光迷彩 - Denkou Meisai
j.2A/B/C |
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人間迫砲 - Ningen Hakubou
j.2A/B > 8A/B/C |
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Special moves
電光弾 - Denkoudan
[4]6+A/B/C/B+C |
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徹甲斬 - Tekkouzan [2]8+A/B/C/B+C Note the hitboxes on the left are only in the C version. Note the hitboxes on the left are only in the C version.
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電光地雷 - Denkou Jirai 22+A/B/C/B+C Kore de yoshi Kore de yoshi
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Universal Mechanics
Reflector
Standing Reflector
4/5/6+B+C |
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Crouching Reflector
1/2/3+B+C |
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Jumping Reflector
j4/5/6+B+C |
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Throws
Standing Throw 4/5/6+A+B KORE DE KORE DE
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Jumping Throw
j.4/5/6+A+B |
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Super Move
八紘一宇 - Hakkou Ichiu
A+B+C |
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General Strategy
Neutral
For most matchups, neutral is where Murakumo thrives. He can choose to play defensively with mines and fireballs, or go full rushdown with teleports and his borderline unfair walk speed. Switching between these playstyles is important to maintain momentum while being extremely unpredictable.
For defensive play, mines become an important tool to prevent people from rushing you down as they stay active even if you take damage. For opponents who are fullscreen or jump happy, defensive mine + [4]6C is an almost unbeatable combination.
When a jumping opponent learns to parry [4]6C, you can punish with an air throw. Since whiffing B and C normals build meter, whiffing 5B -> [4]6X will net you a little bit of extra meter on top of keeping you in place and throwing out extra hitboxes.
[2]8A -> [2]8BC becomes an amazing tool to counter approaches with only 5 frames of startup, and leads to major damage. You can almost play Murakumo like Electrosoldat with this strategy.
- Note: Zoning is extremely difficult against characters like Anonym and Blitztank who have fast traveling fullscreen projectiles since they perfectly contest your fireballs.
For offensive play in neutral, jumping and teleports become Murakumo's most important mixup tools. Here is a quick rundown on when each of Murakumo's teleports is most useful.
66 (Dash Teleport): Great for gaining distance or closing the gap. Occasionally leads into ideal scramble situations where you teleport behind your opponent and their button whiffs.
j.2A: Forms the basis for half of Murakumo's teleport crossups with the 8X upwards kick follow up you can perform after j.2A/B. Goes straight down, so it never crosses up and is a good option for baiting parry.
j.2B: The second half of the teleport crossups. Use this when your teleport will put you behind your opponent so you can instantly cross them up with the 8X follow up.
j.2C: Easily the best teleport. Inputting j.2C will let you perform an air action afterwards, which can become borderline instant overheads that lead into full combos. Use this if your opponent is trying to play defensively, or when your spacing creates an ambiguous crossup.
Because you can block in the air, jumping becomes an incredible option. Jumping is almost completely safe, and Murakumo has some crazy air buttons to go with it. J.A has so little recovery you can jump upwards, j.A, and still have air time to do another jumping attack or even a teleport.
One strangely effective application for this is jumping forward in neutral, hitting j.A j.B/C, then immediately jumping back and doing the same thing. This builds meter while also throwing out hitboxes for your opponent to somehow run into.
Watch this round, this strategy is not a joke
Outside of those options, Murakumo can make good use of his walkspeed to approach with a fireball to cover him, and following C fireball with a jump cheats neutral entirely. If you're a really good gambler, throwing out C normals is also not a terrible idea.
If your opponent starts parrying your mixups, delay your attacks or throw. This pattern becomes Murakumo's most common 50/50 scenario.
Mixup Options and Advantage
After Murakumo gets in, he has a couple general pressure options. Stagger or mixup. Murakumo's basic blockstring is 2A x n -> 2B. 2A can stagger into itself, and 2B acts as a stagger from 2A. Common blockstring enders after 2B include [4]6X to add extra stagger pressure, 5C for riskier stagger and mixup, and 22X for reflector happy opponents. It should be noted that 2B is extremely minus on block, and it is important to cancel it into something that can make you safe.
If your opponent starts blocking too much or parries your stagger pressure once you're in, abuse your walk speed and throw them.
Corner Pressure
This is where Murakumo starts going nuts. If you get a single knockdown in the corner with mine oki, you can effectively keep your opponent locked down there until the mine expires. There are very few ways to escape the corner that beat mine lockdown (to cover ground options) and C fireball (to cover aerial options) and if you are content with taking the meter + chip damage, your opponent will start to crack under the pressure.
If you would rather make use of the mine, you can go for a blockstring and detonate the mine at the end to give you a ton of plus frames. This gives you an opportunity to land a fancy mine launcher corner combo (detailed in the combos section), but leads into tick throw/mixup opportunity if blocked.
Defense
If you're in a sticky situation, either midscreen or in the corner, Murakumo has few options to escape. His best button to mash during blockstrings is 5A, but that becomes vulnerable to stagger pressure, which everyone in this game has. Murakumo needs to spend meter for any kind of invincibility on wakeup, and even that becomes risky since every one of his reversals is minus on block. If you HAVE to push buttons on the defensive, parry is the safest option.
However in the vast majority of situations, blocking will be your best bet.
Other Resources
Good netplay match compilation that details all the techniques here.
Japanese Murakumo Wiki (Also has a section for Ausf Achse)
Combos
2A x 2 -> 2B is approximately the time it takes to charge a special move, use this ground string if you are not already holding down back when your combo begins.
Midscreen
2C can be replaced with [2]8A -> BC/ABC for EX flashkick and Level 3 enders respectively, so make sure to charge down and back for these enders.
- 2A -> 5B -> 2B -> 2C -> [4]6A (If no tech, -> 2B -> 2C) (1828, 2189 with OTG)
- Without teching, [4]6A will OTG for a combo extension. If they tech, [4]6A will just meaty.
- Reflector -> 2B -> 2C (1805)
- If close enough, replace 2C with [2]8X -> [2]8BC for BIG damage (3432)
- j.A/j.C air-to-air -> land -> Airthrow
- Not so much a combo as it is a setup for the airthrow. If you leave out the air throw, it can also cross under in certain situations!
Corner
Meterless combos without mine detonations are the same as midscreen
1 Bar, No Mine
- 2A -> 2B -> [2]8C -> [4]6BC -> 2A x 2 -> 2B -> [2]8B (3216, 4615 with extra EX) Video
- The damage route. Forfeits mine oki for more damage and potential to burn another bar on [2]8BC for even more damage.
- 2A -> 2B -> [2]8C -> [4]6BC -> 2A x 2 -> 2B -> 22X (If no tech, -> 2B -> 22X) (2680) Video
- The oki route. Mine will OTG if not teched, leading to a bit of extra damage and an extra mine set.
- Note: Using 2A x 2 -> 2B starter greatly scales the damage route down (2854/4263), making it only ~250 damage higher than the oki route (2496). Keep this in mind as 2A x 2 -> 2B is the required time for a charge input.
Mine Combos
- 22A mine hit -> 2B -> 2C (1976)
- 22B mine hit -> 9j.A j.C -> land 2B -> 2C (2580)
- 22C mine hit -> 9j.A j.A -> land 9j.A j.C -> land 2B -> 2C (2772)
- Can add 5A/2A/2B before 2B if close enough.
These next combos assume you have either 22B or 22C mines set in the corner. 2A scaling is almost minimal on these combos, so feel free to use as many as needed to hitconfirm.
- 2A -> 2B -> 22X -> 9j.A j.C (hold 4 immediately after jumping) -> land 5B -> [4]6A -> 2A x 2 -> 2B -> [2]8B (3164, 4565 with EX) Video
- Optimal meterless mine corner combo. Watch the video if you're having trouble with timing.
- Note: Can also route into mine oki similar to the no mine corner combos for less damage, but another chance at landing one of these sick combos.
- 2A -> 2B -> 22X -> 9j.A j.B -> land 9j.A j.C -> 5A x n -> 2A x 2 -> 2B -> [2]8B -> ABC (~6900, but can go past 8000!) Video
- Murakumo's highest damage combo. Requires corner, mine setplay, and 3 bars. Pop off if you land this in a set.
Frame Data
source
KD - Knockdown
VB - Variable
*UV - value(s) marked with "?" in the table is/are unverified
x~yF - a period from frame "x" till frame "y"
| Frames | Frame Advantage | Attack | Total | Startup | On Hit | On Block | Notes Throws and Reflectors --------------------------------------- 4/5/6+A+B | 20 | 6? | KD | -- | *UV j.4/5/6+A+B | 20 | 3 | KD | -- | 5+B+C | 17 | 7 | KD | +3 | c.B+C | 17 | 7 | KD | +3 | j.B+C | 16 | 6 | KD | +3 | Normals --------------------------------------- 5A | 15 | 4 | +0 | +0 | 5B | 21 | 6 | +0 | -2 | 5C | 46 | 32 | +1 | -1 | c.A | 15 | 4 | +0 | +0 | c.B | 34 | 7 | -12 | -14 | c.C | 42 | 15 | KD | -12 | j.A | 15 | 4 | +0 | +0 | j.B | 24 | 5 | VB | VB | j.C | 25 | 6 | VB | VB | c./5A > 5A | 15 | 4 | +0 | +0 | c./5A > c.A | 15 | 4 | +0 | +0 | Command Normals --------------------------------------- 4C | 32 | -- | -- | -- | j.2A | VB* | -- | -- | -- | landing recovery 16F, 4F invincible after that, *33F if done right after the jump j.2B | VB* | -- | -- | -- | landing recovery 16F, 4F invincible after that, *34F if done right after the jump j.2C | VB | -- | -- | -- | 16-21F invincible, cancellable into air normal after 32F j.2A/B > 8A | 43 | 5* | KD | -25 | cancels j.2A/B landing recovery starting from 8F; *29th frame in its fastest variation (when done from ascending j.2A) j.2A/B > 8B | 51 | 5* | KD | -33 | cancels j.2A/B landing recovery starting from 8F; *26th frame in its fastest variation (when done from ascending j.2A) j.2A/B > 8C | 59 | 5* | KD | -41 | cancels j.2A/B landing recovery starting from 8F; *23rd frame in its fastest variation (when done from ascending j.2A) Specials --------------------------------------- [4]6+A | 42 | 13 | +1 | -3 | [4]6+B | 42 | 13 | +1 | -3 | [4]6+C | 42 | 13 | +1 | -3 | [2]8+A | 45 | 5 | KD | -25 | [2]8+B | 47 | 7 | KD | -25 | [2]8+C | 49 | 9 | KD | -25 | 22+A | 40 | 42* | KD | +19* | setup ends on 25F, mine auto explodes 17F after being triggered, Mura crouches during frames 3~38, *if triggered instantly after the setup 22+B | 40 | 44* | KD | +21* | setup ends on 27F, see all of the above 22+C | 40 | 46* | KD | +23* | setup ends on 29F, see all of the above 22 > 22+A | 30 | 9 | KD | -4 | narrow hitbox on 9F, wide - on 11F; if the enemy enters mine's trigger range before you finish detonating it, it will auto-explode 22 > 22+B | 30 | 13 | KD | +0 | narrow hitbox on 13F, wide - on 15F; see above 22 > 22+C | 30 | 17 | KD | +4 | narrow hitbox on 17F, wide - on 19F; see above EX and Level 3 --------------------------------------- [4]6+B+C | 50 | 13 | KD | -1 | 1~4F invincible [2]8+B+C | 53 | 5 | KD | -25 | 1~4F invincible 22+B+C | 40 | 40* | KD | +29* | setup ends on 23F, mine auto explodes 17F after being triggered, Mura is 1~2F invincible and crouches during frames 3~38, *if triggered instantly after the setup 22+B+C > 22+B+C | 30 | 9 | KD | +8* | narrow hitbox on 9F, wide - on 11F; if the enemy enters mine's trigger range before you finish detonating it, it will auto-explode; *in case all 4 explosions were blocked, often becomes +6 with grounded opponents A+B+C | 40 | 4 | KD | -20 | superflash 40F, 1~4F invincible
Trivia