Arcana Heart 3/AH3/Akane Inuwaka
Outdated Version
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Introduction
Akane has great movement, high damage and okizeme off of combos, a useful move-set, good normals, and is able to counter many play styles. She is compatible with almost any arcana. Players who might be interested in Akane like to space with quick normals and don't mind having to keep track of an extra gauge. She have several counter moves which you can take advantage of and a teleport for strong mixups.
Starting Out
1 - Homing Approach
JB is your main force for approaching your opponents with homing. Due to its good reach and fast start up, it's an extremely dominant force for Akane's spacing game. However, be careful against characters with good 5As like Petra, Heart, Elsa and etc. if your opponent reads a halfhearted jump in with JB, they can easily swat you out of the air just by mashing 5A. JB is great for air to air off of a neutral homing, but for opponents below you or on the ground JA and JE are good choices. When close, or homing towards an opponent in the corner, you can try cross them up with JC, but the angle is somewhat hard to hit consistently without practice.
2 - Neutral Spacing
When close to your opponent, 5A is a good choice since it has decent horizontal reach and is 2Fs in start up. When slightly farther, 2A and 2C are good on grounded opponents. 2A has an almost ridiculous reach, fast start up, hits low, and has frame advantage on block. 2C will help you hit opponents that are just out of 2A range and take down for you. For almost everything else, you have 5C. 5C has a great anti air hitbox, hits twice and the second hit is air unblockable. One of your main objectives is to make your opponent scared of 5C.
3 - Hit Confirms
Again, JB is your friend when it comes to getting hits. When close to the ground you can almost always do JB > JC then re-jump into the rest of your combo. When high in the air, you can confirm straight into Tsuki Kudaki then descend, go for an air throw reset, combo into Hana Nagi with a kotodama, or combo into Mangetsu if you have the meter. If you make your opponent block a JB low to the ground, they may try to 6GC or 4GC. For opponents that 6GC, you 2E to knock them into the air and complete the rest of your combo with a homing cancel. If they try to escape with 4GC, use [step] 5C and follow the hit up with a homing cancel. When high in the air, you could try to guard crush unsuspecting opponents with the C version of Tsuki Kudaki and score a little bit of extra damage.
4 - Defense
Your best bet after a 6GC is to use 5A. With its speed you can stuff people trying to force a clash battle. If they try to run away with 4D then step into 5C to chase and tag them. After a 4GC, you could use B Kaze Mai to make a lot of space between you and your opponent. Mangetsu Otoshi has invincibility on start up and does a ton of damage, this is great against people that don't know how to deal with it. Do be careful with it though, as it can clash. If it does clash or whiff, you will be very sad with the consequences. Make sure you consider everything going on around you before you throw it out. When someone is carelessly approaching you from the ground, Fuumon can be very useful to you considering 5A's superior start up. If they are creeping onto you from the air, 5C is your friend. On top of that 5C is great versus projectiles when your opponent is also traveling with them (like Love Ball super). For all other cases, reflect projectiles with 5B or Fuumon.
Arcana Selection
Akane is one of the few characters that doesn't need an arcana; she can fight well on her own. Your choice of arcana will only make her stronger and cater towards your own style, or help to counter other characters. Go ahead and pick any arcana you like with Akane. Here are just a few well known combinations.
Love
Love is extremely helpful for match ups against characters that have strong spacing or zoning like Scharl and Maori. The Love Beam is useful because it fills the entire screen and is not reflectable; even long range characters need be wary of it. If you manage to land a hit with it, you can easily follow the hit up with a NH JB. The Love Ball can also help give you insurance when spacing with Akane.
Thunder
Thunder is good versus characters that like to come in at you rapidly with quick, short range air normals (Konoha, Elsa). It is also good against characters like Weiss, Heart and Lilica that like to be in your face. Akane's 2E, being one of the better crouch extra attacks for anti-air, works very well with Thunder's passive attributes. You can virtually stop people from trying to approach you from the air with this.
Plant
You could use the Plant arcana's Vine to counter characters with super armor moves like Cathy and Fiona, or to counteract Petra's dodge. You could also use Vine on slow characters like Kira to suppress a lot of their options. Nutrient Absorption is also a good move for forcing your way out of moves like Flower's multi-layered Crimson Nivara or Halo's Imperial Division since the start up is quick, recovery is fast on block and it's a lock move.
Wind
This doesn't counter anything in particular, but good for "I really hate dealing with this" match-ups. This can get anyone off you without having to commit to risky, normal guard crushes.
Halo
Halo owns Yoriko. Whenever Yoriko tries to create a pentagram after a JE or Mike Punch, using Celestial Gate will completely destroy it. Even if she gets to create a pentagram somehow, if she feels herself too much and charges toward you carelessly, Celestial Gate will make her regret it. Do not whiff it on her though, her 421X can punish you easily. For other match ups, Halo's high jump buff is good for getting away from your opponent quickly.
Flower
Flower works very well against Liese. Multilayered Crimson Nivara can help you drain the doll's health without having to work too hard. Multilayered Crimson Nivara's huge area of effect can help force them out of camping and help backup your jump ins. Do be careful about Plant's super vine though, if they are using that arcana. You could use it against characters that like to hide in the corner and throw stuff at you. (See: Nazuna's zoo, Love arcana). If you make them block it in the air, you can guard break them with 5C and follow it up with a combo. You can also use it to end clash battle and follow up with a super if you got any hits from it.
Tyr
Akane can make the larger characters (Cathy, Nazuna and Kira,) very sad with this arcana. Limit Daluege will restrict their movement and put you in the effective range to really hurt them. Also, when you have them in the lightning of the cage, you can use the C version of Tsuki Kudaki to guard crush them and force them to take hits. You can also force them into the air with the second hit for Kaze Harai. If they try to GC, the lightning will hit them.
Strategy
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Combos
Target Starters
- 2A > 2B > 5C(2) > NHC > Air
- A combo to the second hit of 5C's high float into an air combo. So easy you can barely call it a combo and you can hit this from just about anywhere
- 2A > 2B > 2C > 236X(1) > 6HC > 5A > 5B > 5C > 6C > Air
- 2ABC into Kaze Harai, after the HC just keep holding 6 for 5ABC, another easy combo
- 2A > 2B > 5C(1) > (6C(1)) > 236X(1) > 6HC > 5A > 5B > 5C(1) > 6C > Air
- Since 2C's reach has some problems, you want to get used to doing this one normally. 6C only hits people standing.
- 236X(2) > NHC > Air
- If you manage to surprise the opponent with Kaze Harai from mid-range, use this combo. This is also good if you are using an Arcana that changes your 6HC like time or Earth. For a ground combo you can also do 5C(1) into Kaze Harai. You can even do 2C into 2 hits of Kaze Harai but it becomes easier for the opponent to tech out
- 2A > 2A > (2B) > (2C 236S) > 214A+B
- What you really want is 2AA into Bunshin. While you aren't used to that hit confirm, you can put 2B in. Doing A > B > C all the time makes you Guard Cancel bait, so you should use this every once in a while. Off blocked 2As, you can go into Kaze Mai, back jump into homing, or an IAD in order continue your string.
- The idea is to confirm with the A and B attacks, but you can still combo a 2A into a 2C from almost any range. Of course you can go into the standard HC combo as well.
- 5B 2B 5C(1) (6C(1)) 236S 214A+B
- Only does slightly less damage than the standard HC6 hitconfirm. While with a super combo you won't gain your meter back as fast, this combo grants strong knockdown and can be used to set up projectile okizeme. Again 6C does not work on crouchers.
- 623S > HC2 > 5C(2) EFC > efc combo
- 623S > HC2 > 5B > air combo
- Combos off ground DP.
Target Air combos
- JA > JB > jc > dj.[AB / BC] J214X
- For DAMAGE. After the Hana Nagi ender, you could home in, use an arcana move, or use Torigake for a surprise attack. Only need to use AB at the end on smalls if height is bad, or in the corner in higher hit combos. You may also choose to do j.BE or j.AE at the end for different knockdown properties.
- JA > JB > jc > JA > JB > JC > J623X
- Best damage for a no meter combo. Afterwards you move back to neutral. If you don't use Tsuki Kudaki and just land, you recover a lot faster than the opponent giving you a chance to use Tamafuri A
- JA > JB > jc > JA > JB > JC > J623X >[K]> J214X
- Damage combo. For 1 Kotodama, the Hana Nagi follows up. Please use this combo
- JA > JB > jc > JA > JB > JC > J623X > J623A+B
- More damage for using 1 bar, but you don't really get anything afterward. Sometimes in the corner, Tsuki Kudaki won't hit them right and the super will whiff. So in the corner just go straight into the super
- JB > jc > JB > JC > J623X >[K]> J214X
- Use this when the opponent is a little too high
Throw Combos
- AD > 6HC > 5A > 5B > 5C(1) > 6C > Air
- First off, neutral throw looks like: 5B > 2B > 6C for three hits. The last hit ground slams them, so you want to 6HC before that, so that you get the ground bounce from the previous hit and follow up with 5A
- AD > NHC > JB >(land)> 5B > 5C(1) > 6C > air
- Gives you a bit more damage, good for when you are using the Time arcana or something else that changes your 6HC
- JAD > NHC > Air
- After grabbing the opponent Akane kicks them around and then kicks through them. You rise above the opponent, but they float above you. When you are a bit under them, that is when you want to NHC. You have a good bit of time to land it so chill out a bit.
Extend Combos
- 2A > 2B > 5C(1) > 236(1) >EFC> 5B > 5C(1) > 6C > jc > JA > JB > JC > JB > jc > JB > JC > JB > ender
- Go as fast as possible for the air hits. You can leave out the last JB to make it even easier
- 5C(2) EFC > NH > j.BCB > dj.BC > ender
- ...5C(1) EFC > 66 (5A)5B2B5C(1)2C > 5A [5B/2B] 5C(1)6C(1) > j9.ABCB > dj9.[BC / AB] > ender
- End with j.AB if you carry into the corner, also you can't link 2C into 5A if you're already in the corner so this is a midscreen only combo.
- ...2C 236S(1) EFC > 66 5B5C(1)6C(1) > j9.ABCB > dj9.[BC / AB] > ender
- Slighty weaker version that should work anywhere including the corner, if the number of hits is too high at the end in the corner replace the BC with AB again.
- ...5C EFC > 66 (5A)5B2B5C(1)2C > 5A[5B/2B]5C(1)6C(1) > j9.ABEAB > dj9.BC 214S
- Advanced variation that adds a little extra damage, if you have more than 2 hits of lead in, you may have to omit more than just the dash 5A. This works both midscreen and when carried into the corner.
- ...236S EFC > 66 5B5C(1)6C(1) > j9.ABEAB > dj9.BC 214S
- This is the advanced corner variant, should almost always work on non-smalls.
Arcana Combos
Halo
- During EF, Air > JB > JC > JB > jc > JB > JC > 623X (~4 hits) > [K] > 214X > 236236E > JE
Tyr
- 2A > 2B > 2C > 236X(2) > 623E >NH> Air
Tone
- 2A > 2B > 5C(1) > 6C(1) > EFC > Dash > 5B > 5C(1) > 623E > 5B > 5C(1) > 6C(1) > jc > JA > JB > JE > JA > JB > J641236E
- Will not work on some(all?) crouching characters due to the 6C(1) whiffing. You can omit the 5B after the dash to make the combo easier
Sin
- ...5C(1) EFC > 66 5B2B2C > (5A2C) 214E > 66 5A2B 236E
- Really only good in or near the corner, low damage variant with good oki if you want to fish for bigger damage. Only add 5A 2C out of the corner.
- ...5C(1) (6C(1)) EFC > 66 5B2B2C > 5A5B5C(2) > 236+ABC
- Combo for going into arcana blaze, pretty standard, only slightly more damage than a combo that doesn't use blaze though. Delay the blaze more to make it look funnier and have them be even more ridiculously high on the screen.
- ...(2 hits) 5C(1) EFC > 66 5B 2C(1) xx 22A > 236+ABC
- ...5C(1) EFC > 66 5B2B5C(1)2C > 5A5C(2) xx 22C > (236+ABC)
- This one is actually useful. You can get a setup for canceling into full kotodama charge, and when you omit the 5B you have just enough time to do an arcana blaze if you want to try to reset with air unblockable tail.
Plant
Note: Exclamation marks are next to combos that are maximized for certain situations. So while they may be a little harder, you should go for them whenever you get the chance.
- (!)...5C(1) 236E > 5C(1)6C 623E > 5A 2C 236A(2) > (214214E) 214+AB
- Easy, good damage and oki. Damage is also exceptional, you can easily go over 50% with this combo off a counterhit 2B.
- ...5C(1) 236E > 5C(1) 6C 623E > 5A 5C(1) 6C > j.AB > air ender
- Standard BnB, nothing special.
- ...5C(1) 236E > 5B 5C(1) 6C > air ender
- BnB variant for when you have 4 or more hits leading into the first plant vine.
- (!)(5C(1)) 236E > 5C(1) 6C 623E > 5A 2C 236E > 5B > {236236E or j.A B E 214E}
- Great damage and meter gain at no meter cost, only works off a raw vine hit or 5C(1) though.
- (!)...5C(1) 236E > 5C(1) 6C > 623E > 5A 2C 236E > 5B 623S xx 214S
- 1 Kotodama combo, variant on the last combo. Probably the best damage for no homing meter. You can do a super instead of 214S if you don't have a Koto and you gained the meter for it mid-combo. Generally if you have no Kotodama and 1 Stock I would say go for either the EX seeds or 214+AB setup instead. 214AB setup has the best damage
- (!)...5C(1) 236E > 5C(1) 6C 623E > 5A 2C 236A(1) 214214E > 2B5C(1)6C > j.A B E 214E
- EX seeds mid-combo, good damage and very good oki for only 1 meter.
- ...5C(1) EFC > 66 5B 2B 5C(1) 2C 5E 236E > 5B > (j.AB) > 236236E (mash)
- Maximizes life gain from EF with the long plant super. Decent damage so you're sacrificing oki for life gain.
- ...5C(2) EFC > 5D > j.A B E A B > dj.B C B > 623S > 236236E (mash)
- Another life steal combo for the second hit of 5C.
- j.A B > dj.{AB or BC} 214S (> 214214E)
- Standard plant air enders, use AB if they are low in comparison to you.
- j.A B > dj.{A or B} > E {214E or 214214E}
- Standard plant air enders, seed setup. Use A if they are more below you.
- j.A B E {214E or 214214E}
- Variant on the last combo for ending longer more prorated combos (like the 236A(1) xx 214214E combo)
- j.A B > dj.A B C 623S > {623+AB or 236236E}
- High damage combo ender that uses an extra meter, normally the 623+AB should only be used to finish round or off air to air confirms. Life drain is useful for obvious reasons. You can still super cancel 623+AB into 214214E if you please.
Poison
With poison it's a good idea to end with j.A/B > j.E 623E for oki off basic confirms near the ground. But if you want the sideswap or minor damage you can still go for 214S or 623S xx 214S or 623AB or whatever.
Other good times to put out 623E is after a backthrow or 214+AB.
...5C(1) 236S(1) 6D > delay 5A 5B 5C(1) 6C(1) > j9.A B > dj9.B E 623E
- Standard BnB, this is how you would end it with a poison cloud.
...5C(1) 236S(2) 214214E > falling j.B > land 5B 6C(1) > j.A B > dj.B E 623E
- Sideswaps, sort of crappy because it owns your meter despite doing slightly more damage. You should just do the normal HC combo unless you want to put them in the corner.
... (j.)623+AB > 214214E > 623+AB or some random hits
- Pretty pointless and wastes a ton of meter, but it's good to know if you need to finish someone off. You can also do this with 214S if you aren't low to the ground.
... j.E 214214E > 5A 5B > (5C(1)) (6C(1)) > air
- An alright way to add damage to your Anti-Air and Air-to-Air confirms that doesn't rely on 623+AB.
...5C(1) EFC > 66 5B 2B 5C(1) 2C > 5A 5B 5C(1) 6C(1) > j.A B C B > dj.B E 623E
- For midscreen when you won't carry into the corner, gives you the poison setup.
...5C(1) EFC > 66 5B 2B 5C(1) 2C 6C(1) > IAD j.(A) B > land 5B > j9.B C B > dj9.B E 623E
- This does only slightly less damage than the previous combo and it will work even if you are in or carry into the corner. For each hit over 3 before the first 5C you will have to start subtracting hits after the dash if you want the IAD portion to land valid.
...5C(1) EFC > 66 5B 2B 5C(1) 2C > 5A 2C 236S(1) 236+ABC (> 236C(1))
- Standard combo into arcana blaze, this is the midscreen variant.
...5C(1) EFC > 66 5B 2B 5C(1) 2C 236S(1) 236+ABC (> 236C(1))
- For in the corner.
...5C(1) EFC > 66 5B 2B 5C(1) 6C(1) > IAD j.B A > land 2B 5C(1) (2C) 236S(1) > 236+ABC (> 236C)
- Advanced EFC combo into blaze for standing opponents. Ommit the 2C on Cathy and possibly other large characters.
...5C(1) EFC > 66 5B 2B 5C(1) 6C(1) > IAD j.B A > land 2B 5C(1) (2C) 236S(2) > 214+AB or kotodama combo
- Just the last combo with a different ender instead of arcana blaze. The longer enders will add a fair bit of garunteed poison damage.
...5C(1) EFC > 66 5B 2B 5C(1) 6C(1) > IAD j.B A > land 2B 5C(1) 2C > 5A 2C 236A(1-2) > arcana blaze or 214+AB or kotodama combo
- Extended version of the previous combos for midscreen only. Doesn't work on Cathy still.
Time
For time the most important thing to do is end with 236236E so you can get a knockdown with j.E or 22A/B/C, and setup time ball/clone>teleport shenanigans.
...5C(2) > EFC , neutral home j.A > j.B > 8jc delay j.B > 22C, land 5A > 5B > {5C}(one hit char specific) > 6C > j.B > j.C > 236236E
- High damage BnB that ends in strong oki.
...5C(2) > EFC , neutral home j.A > j.B > 8jc delay j.B > 22C, land 5A > 2C > 236236E
- If too many hits before 5C this will work instead.
Move Description
Normal Moves
2A
A low kick, hits low, +1 on block, and is mashable. This move has good reach and you can pretty much use it as you like. Good as a poke to see what the opponent will do and a vital combo starter. It will lose clash battles to characters with faster 2As as the start up for this one is just average, so use it when you are at an advantage. |
5A
Knee kick, hits mid. It's faster than grabs and important for Guard Cancel and clashing situations, but remember it does not chain into itself. It does hit crouching opponents but in exchange it doesn't have much function for anti-air clashing. |
2B
Air unblockable, and jump cancellable. This is not a low so you cannot use it for unblocks, and the reach is so long that it can actually mess with your combos. Its overall duration is less than 5B, leaving you less open and making it good for pressure. Guard Cancels like Kamui's 4D into Tenza or Elsa's 6D into Credo and so forth are somewhat weak towards the bottom of their attacks; If you time yourself, you can completely beat these options out with this 2B. For example, if you make Kamui block a JB, then Kamui tries to use 4GC Tenza, if you cancel into 2B you would beat it out. |
5B
Air unblockable, jump cancellable, and can reflect projectiles. The hitbox on this move extends all the way to her back. This move is rather fast, making it great as an air unblockable. However, due to the hitbox, its better for punishing whiffed air moves and for unblocks rather than a straight up anti air. It takes a while to recover so you might be in trouble if they dodge this (like with 4D, etc). |
2C
Hits low, and forces knockdown. This has longer reach than 2A and is generally used for combos. For our S!AH2 players, you can now go from this into Kaze Harai; the prorate is rather light and useful for combos. |
5C
Akane swings her leg up and then down, looks a lot like Sakura's F+MK. Two hits, the second hit is air unblockable. If the second part hits the opponent, they will be high-launched upward giving you a chance to follow up with a HC. At times, you should use an EFC over a HC. Generally, you want to cancel into a special off the first hit for a combo, but if you know that you'll land the second hit you can move into a combo from there. If the opponent 4GC's the first hit of 5C though, you're probably in trouble. |
6C
Another two part move, the first hit is special and jump cancellable, the second hit is an overhead. If the opponent blocks the second hit, you'll still be in + frames but if they dodge it with 4GC, you're likely to be wide open for a counter attack just like with 5C. |
2E
Launches and is air unblockable. Since you do a back flip during this move, the front hitbox is kind of thin, but it's hard to eat a counter attack from whiffing this. |
5E
Launches and is air unblockable. The reach and hitbox are pretty good on this move. If you have a good idea on what your opponent's ranges are on ground moves, you could use this to punish whiffs. You can also use it as an anti air if you try to hit with the top corner of the move against a weak air move. Of course, if you mess up the timing, you'll eat a counter combo and there are plenty of moves this won't win against in the first place. |
JA
Slow start up (※) but has decent duration for an A move. You can run this move into your opponent for air vs air, as well as jump ins. ※ Other 6 frame or more JAs: Akane[6], Lieselotte[6], Eko[7], Catherine[7], Kira[8], and Yoriko[8]. |
JB
Fast start up and a great hitbox, also the duration on this move is disgustingly long. For some reason it's faster than JA. This kind of disconnect in Akane's air normals makes her air game a bit hard to get used to. You can use it as an air to air from diagonally below the opponent or a jump in after JA. It's a great move but you can't just spam it around. |
JC
After the start up there is a good period of clash. On hit in the air and ground counter hit, it floats the opponent upward. Mostly used for combos, but you can aim for clash with this move as well. |
JE
An unclashable stomp, one of Akane's few anti ground moves, luckily the hitbox is rather good. Even though its pretty strong, you'll almost never use it in combos unless you are in EF and it will lose out half the time to rising JA's from the side, so... Since a Hana Nagi in the corner would actually let the opponent OUT of the corner, you could just just JE as a corner ender. |
Special Moves
Tamafuri 「魂振り」 - 22ABC
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Kaze Harai 「風払い」 - 236ABC
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Tsuki Hoe 「月吠え」 - 28ABC
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Tsuki Kudaki 「月砕き」 - 623ABC
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Hana Nagi 「花薙ぎ」 - 214ABC
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Hana Utsushi 「花映し」 - 421ABC
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Torigake 「鳥翔け」 - J22ABC
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Kaze Mai 「風舞い」 - 426ABC
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Fuumon 「風紋」 - BC
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Super Moves
Mangetsu Otoshi 「満月落とし」 - 623A+B
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Akane Bunshin no Jyutsu 「あかね分身の術」 - 214A+B
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Critical Heart
Shunkoku 「瞬刻」 - 632146A+B
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Advanced Info
Here's a handy linkshowing part of the animation, as well as damage values for Akane's moves.
Palettes
8. Haruhi Suzumiya