Art of Fighting 3/Lenny Creston

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レニィ・クレストン, Lenny Creston Portrait AOF3 Lenny.png
AOF3 Lenny Win Screen.png
Difficulty Moderate
Playstyle Zoning, hit-and-run, rushdown
Birthplace USA
Occupation Freelance journalist
Fighting style Whip handling
Weight Class Light (3/10)
Birthday May 20

Introduction

Player 1 Color Player 2 Color
AOF3 Lenny Creston 1P.png AOF3 Lenny Creston 2P.png

Lenny Creston, a freelancer journalist, who is constantly looking for the "next big thing" to boost her career. She learned through her sources that Freia was searched by Wyler. Seeing this as the scoop she needed, she decides to personally track down Freia and get the information she needs for her article.

As the closest to a zoner as you can get in Art of Fighting 3, to describe Lenny as unorthodox from the rest of the cast (in an already very unorthodox fighting game) would be an understatement. Lenny has many traits going for her, both good and bad, that to classify her as a zoner doesn't describe the full picture as well as it should. From a glance, she is most definitely a zoner: she has a fast fireball, long reaching normals, a strong runaway game, and can overall be very difficult to get in against. However, she's also surprisingly great at playing rushdown, too, meaning she can switch between the two playstyles on a whim - something you'll likely have to do anyways given the way Lenny plays and the overall pace of Art of Fighting 3. Her jab pressure is just as good as Ryo's (if not better due to a potentially bigger hitbox), her juggle combos are some of the most damaging in the game when mastered to their fullest extent, she has the longest rush combo in the game likely due to a bug, is pretty fast in many aspects in general, and regardless if she's rushing down or zoning, her footsies gameplay is nothing to scoff at, especially her launchers which are impossible to punish without using a counter or 4C parry.

However, as was previously mentioned, Lenny is unorthodox. Firstly, while her fireball is great in its own right, it doesn't even travel very far to begin with, making it less of an actual zoning tool and more of a defensive keepout attack - kinda like how Ryo and Yuri play in the King of Fighters series starting from KOF96 onwards. Secondly, a zoner would logically also have great anti-airs and potentially some strong air game too, right? Lenny has neither of these. In fact, Lenny might just have the worst anti-airs in the game on top of the worst jump attacks in the game, too. For all intents and purposes, she's better off remaining glued to the ground when possible. But even then, her mixup game is extremely lacking as she only has one low in her entire movelist, in addition to taking quite a long time to fully crouch in the first place, making even crouching not worth it for Lenny unless necessary. Her only low is hard to react to and has huge range, but block it and she gets punished for it. Lastly, Lenny chews through meter faster than anyone else in the cast. To say the least, Lenny is all over the place, but if you really take the time to try and learn her, she's a potential hidden top tier character with plenty of reason to scare players in the right hands. You need to play your cards right, but that shouldn't be too difficult either when basically no one plays Lenny, either.


Strengths Weaknesses
  • Great jab: Lenny's jab is fast, has a good hitbox, and is essential in extending her juggle combos. Players will quickly get annoyed by how spammable it is while retaining high reward.
  • Simple combos: Lenny's combo game is very straightforward and requires little practice to use in a real match, especially when she uses her jab in so many of her combos.
  • Solid reach on her attacks: Lenny has the naturally longest reach on many of her attacks in the game while remaining threatening, unlike Sinclair. Lenny can quite effectively hit from far away and play an annoying poking game, despite her rather low damage output.
  • Fast startup on several attacks: Lenny's attacks come out quite fast so even up close she can fend for herself with a plethora of attacks that will catch any player off for not practicing more patience. Although designed as a zoner, this inadvertently gives Lenny some room to play rushdown when its her turn and is played in the right hands, becoming annoying to stop when she pressures or hit confirms a combo.
  • Fully safe launchers: Lenny cannot ever be punished on block for using any launchers. They are either +0 on block, or have a followup that allows Lenny to call out the opponent. Players have no choice but to create whiff scenarios and/or unpredictably to discourage Lenny from using her launchers, such as throws or the 4C parry.
  • Near instant projectile: Lenny's 236A is the fastest projectile in the game and has almost zero startup, and travels pretty fast at that, too. Not only that, but it has a taller vertical hitbox, deals good damage and lets Lenny play the keepout game by throwing it out and give herself an advantage in footsies.
  • Unblockable ranbu super: If Lenny ever lags behind, she has a ranbu super that lets her travel pretty far just like Robert and Ryo, thus letting her make strong comebacks and even setup unblockable scenarios.
  • Great hit-and-run gameplay: Lenny's 4B and long-ranged attacks make it quite difficult for anyone to approach her, especially 4B. It hits overhead with very fast startup that also knocks down, and as a pre-canned mixup, Lenny can cancel 66A into 4B to throw off players. And in general, her best tools are also safe for her to throw out, or otherwise incredibly difficult to punish.
  • Corner TOD loop off of her projectile: If Lenny can somehow push the opponent into the corner and setup a launch, on top of having the meter required, her projectile can loop into itself and swiftly erase the opponent's life bar in a heartbeat.
  • Pseudo-infinite combo: Lenny's best asset, she can start an infinite combo anywhere on the screen against a grounded opponent. It's not easy to do, there is room for error, but if you can pull it off, Lenny basically guarantees she'll kill the opponent. It no longer works as an infinite in the corner, but by that point, Lenny can just do a juggle combo to secure a kill. This is ultimately what makes Lenny top 1.
  • Only one low: Whether as a balance to tune out her zoning potential or as a cruel joke, Lenny only has one low in her entire move list, giving zero reason to block beyond when you expect her to use 2A, which is very punishable on block, too. Although it knocks down, Lenny has no real mixups beyond attempting to make the opponent guess between a low and an overhead.
  • Terrible air game: Lenny's j.A/C and j.B are both some of the worst jump-ins in the game. j.A/C has pitiful range despite being angled more downward, and her j.B has a worse hitbox than Karman's j.B, which makes using it properly difficult and offer little reward. Lenny will likely be anti-aired and is better off not jumping at all if she can avoid it.
  • Only dedicated anti-air isn't scary anyways: Lenny's 5B is her only anti-air, angled diagonally upwards. It's not a bad attack, but deals noticeably lower damage than other anti-airs, and as a neutral tool, it's difficult to justify using for the risk attached to it. That's if Lenny can aim her 5B correct, anyways. She has other moves she can anti-air with but they take a ton of commitment and also lack active frames, meaning Lenny needs them to hit at specific points for it to anti-air. Her only alternative is to spend meter on her fireball, if that. Point being, her anti-airs are bad.
  • Tall crouching hurtbox: Lenny isn't the tallest character, but for some reason refuses to crouch like a normal human being when holding down. This leaves her prone to being a bigger target and getting hit by attacks that she shouldn't have to worry about in the first place, or otherwise robbing her of whiff scenarios from crouch.
  • Meter hungry: Though 214A and 646A are okay special moves, Lenny's projectile off of 236A is something she should always aim to use when possible given its practicality. Only issue - it costs 30% meter. Lenny gets overall fewer uses and will have to charge meter more often than not, and if she's in Desperation, she has to pick and choose.
  • Lightweight; more combos work on her: Lenny is much more prone to juggle combos due to her lightweight, so expect to receive more damage as a result.
  • Sluggish character outside of good startup: Lenny is incredibly easy to punish on block for doing practically any attack she does. Combined with her non-existent mixups, one mistake can leave Lenny losing all her momentum and inability to zone the opponent out without spending meter. Not only this, but Lenny has a huge restand window of 15 frames on top of the 11 frames it takes to enter crouch, making crouching alone a big commitment.
  • Ryo can infinite combo her: Like Rody, one mistake against Ryo and Lenny gets launched into a death combo. At least in Lenny's case, she's defense-oriented so she can play the run-away game better than Rody can, but it's still a bad matchup, regardless.
  • Only top 1 if you do her pseudo-infinite: Lenny's still a strong character regardless, but if you're not doing the infinite combo, then Kasumi is still the overall superior character. While Lenny's pressure is still annoying to deal with, Kasumi's snowballing okizeme and rushdown will give Lenny issues escaping from it.

Move List

Esoterics

Color Coding

  • Green refers to special move damage/frames when done in green meter, or otherwise the strongest damage it can deal.
  • Blue refers to special move damage/frames when done in blue meter, or otherwise moderate damage it can deal.
  • Purple refers to special move damage/frames when done in purple meter, or otherwise the weakest damage it can deal.
  • Orange refers to the damage dealt in chip damage during block.
  • Colors may be used otherwise to associate frames/scenarios to avoid confusion, i.e. Kasumi's 4C parry having two different sets of frame data.

Attacks, Notation and Damage

  • [Brackets] refers to the specific attack in a string/rush combo that the attack box data is referring to.
  • The arrow > on the left of it is the attacks that need to be done before the move in brackets can be performed. If there is an X, it means there are multiple ways of getting to the move in brackets which will be listed in the description.
  • Damage values always assume grounded damage with no modifiers. If two damage values are listed with a / in-between them, it lists the damage it deals for grounded and airborne respectively.
  • This is because these attacks are used in strings or otherwise as follow-ups where they're more likely to connect with airborne opponents rather than grounded opponents, such as Jin's 6B which hits twice, the first hit leaving the opponent airborne before the second hit.
  • Ground/Aerial means if the attack is performed grounded or airborne. If an aerial, being hit during the attack will result in the attacker being knocked down.
  • There is no true throw invulnerability in Art of Fighting 3, so when a move is listed as "Throw Invulnerable" it means the attack changes the character's hurtboxes in a way that the throw hitbox cannot collide with it.

Reading Frame Data

  • Description of the five stats:
  • Startup frames counts all frames before the first active frame comes out, aka how long it takes for the attack to come out
  • Active frames is how long the attack is able to hit the opponent, starting at the first active frame
  • Recovery frames is how long it takes before the player resets to neutral and can act again
  • Total is all three stats above added up, so total number of frames in the move
  • Hit/Block advantage is how much faster or slower you can act than the opponent by the number of frames
  • Frame advantage, both on hit and block, always assumes frame advantage after the first active frame connects.
  • If an attack lists "QKD" in its properties, this means it's an attack that can be teched out of faster than a normal knockdown. This affect only applies to counter hit launches or if the attack connects with the opponent in the air.
  • When a move lists ST, SKD, etc. followed by a number in (parentheses) it indicates the frame advantage for the attacking player. Not all knockdowns are plus on hit and depends on the move.
  • Knockdown frames always assume frame advantage against Jin. Everyone except for Robert, Sinclair, and Wyler share 16f of wakeup recovery after a knockdown. For Robert, Sinclair, and Wyler, add +1 frame advantage.
  • This rule also applies to SKDs, however in this case Jin and everyone else shares 58f total of being in an SKD state except for Lenny, who is in an SKD state for 59 frames instead. For SKD frame advantage against Lenny, add +1 frame advantage.
  • The wiki omits STKD frame advantage mostly because those are always plus no matter what, so it's somewhat pointless.
  • The frames in (parentheses) next to a "Cancellable into..." sentence is how long you can delay a follow-up, AKA which exact frames you're allowed to cancel into a follow-up. If it states "onwards" then the cancel can be done whenever after the given frame. This info helps both for buffering inputs and also delaying strings for mixups.

Other Tips

  • Moves are sorted by ascending number followed by ascending alphabet, so lower numbers first followed by lower alphabet letters. Moves with two button presses are organized last.
  • It is recommended you read the brief descriptions to how the attacks animate in-game to familiarize yourself with each attack. Unfortunately, due to the rotoscoped graphics, animations lack key frames that help distinguish themselves as separate moves when viewed as single frames. This in turn makes some moves that share frames look identical to one another without context to how they are supposed to appear, without resorting to using gifs.

General Frame Data

Character Jump Startup Jump Recovery Jump Frames Hop Frames Crouch Frames Restand Frames Crouch Height
Portrait AOF3 Lenny.png
5f 8f 52f 41f 11f 15f Tall
Walk Startup Walk Speed F. Dash Frames F. Dash Speed F. Dash Distance Backdash Frames Backdash Speed Backdash Distance
0f Average 34f Average Far 33f Fast Far

Grounded Normals

5A
AOF3 Lenny 5A.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
128 Mid 4 - - - +8 +3 LCHL Ground
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 129 points
  • Lenny jabs her left fist forward, holding the end of her whip.
  • Strong jab overall. Unlike Wang's 3 frame 4A, it does not leave Lenny minus on both hit and block, but instead, Lenny is always plus after it, both on hit and block. Blocked jabs can still be countered with parries and high crushes.
  • Identical to Ryo's jab in terms of frame data, too. Lenny's jab is slightly better in comparison due to 2 frames more frame advantage and slightly better range, on top of the jankier rush combos Lenny is capable of doing.
  • While Kasumi's jab is even better in terms of frame advantage, Kasumi has two versions: close and far jab. The far version comes out at 3 frames and the close version at 4, but the close version has the better frame advantage. This makes it a little trickier to set up for Kasumi; Lenny doesn't have to worry about this minor drawback so she can freely pressure with jab.
  • Lenny relies a lot on this jab to build up her damage whenever she's out of the corner, so if you ever get a launcher with Lenny, using her jab is how you'll extend most of your combos and deal damage.
  • The animation of 5A and 6A both look nearly identical to one another, too. For the opponent, this can make it confusing to know what frame advantage Lenny has at the moment, or in general reacting accordingly to the attack.

5B
AOF3 Lenny 5B.png
Heavy Roundhouse
Heavy Roundhouse
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
256 High/Mid 8 - - - QKD -17 QKD Ground
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 257 points
  • Able to anti-air
  • Lenny does a standing roundhouse kick.
  • It hits high up, so it can be easily ducked, for one. It's -17 on block but upon landing it, all Lenny gets is a quick knockdown, meaning she gets no okizeme from it especially with how far away it knocks the opponent.
  • This is also Lenny's only real anti-air besides using 2B and her fireball. Despite angling upwards to make it ideal for catching people in the air, the damage it deals is very low and isn't active for terribly long, either. The opponent has little to worry about and can freely jump at Lenny knowing she's hardly able to hit people out of the air.
  • If you need to stop someone from jumping at you as Lenny, this can potentially help but you need to both space it and time it well. It has more horizontal range than it does vertical range, whereas 2B has more vertical range than it does horizontal range. Use whichever version you see fit but regardless you have to work to get the anti-air.
  • It's not a good grounded poke either, as other than its issue with hitting crouching opponents, its range is only slightly more than 5A's range with a worse payoff.
  • No good for combos either, nor does using it as an anti-air give Lenny any combos to work off of, either. With little use attached to it, there's not a lot to say about this attack that helps Lenny, especially when her crouching kick attacks all serve a nearly identical purpose to this move.

5C
Double Snap
Double Snap
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
480 x2 Mid (both) 15 - - - KD -8 LCHL Ground
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 481 x2 points
  • Able to anti-air
  • Lenny cracks her whip twice.
  • It hits twice, but in order to knockdown, the second hit must land. Thing is though, while the second attack has an extended hitbox, there are instances where the first hit will land, but not the second hit, or vice versa.
  • Perhaps if you’re confident it’ll land it’s a useful knockdown tool, but it doesn’t matter how consistent your spacing is, it’ll hit however it feels like unless you’re close enough.
  • Spacing it out will help negate the -8 block advantage, plus it's the most damaging of all the 5C attacks in the game if both hits connect.
  • Not the most reliable attack on a whiff punish either, since if the first hit whiffs, that gives the opponent more time to block the second it or parry it.
  • If you can find a use for it that doesn't get you biting the dust, then it's a decent way to build damage given Lenny's other attacks don't deal a whole lot.

2A
AOF3 Lenny 2A.png
Hot Feet
Hot Feet
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
256 Low 15 - - - QKD (+27) -39 QKD (+27) Ground
2A OTG Pursuit Frame Advantage
  • Jin: +15
  • Karman: +11
  • Kasumi: +16
  • Lenny: +15
  • Robert: +16
  • Rody: +18
  • Ryo: +13
  • Sinclair: +14
  • Wang: +10
  • Wyler: +19
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 257 points
  • Lenny whips at the ground, striking the feet of the enemy.
  • Lenny's only low in her whole movelist. Whenever the opponent is crouching it's because they expect this move to come out.
  • It scores a quick knockdown, but with no pushback so Lenny can get some kind of okizeme from it. The opponent recovers fast enough that Lenny is unable to pursuit again afterwards.
  • Much better pursuit than Lenny's normal 3A pursuit due to the faster startup and better range which lets Lenny OTG from pretty far away and thus risk less chance of whiffing it.
  • Speaking of the range, Lenny can land this attack about half a screen away from the opponent, and despite its lengthier startup, it's difficult to react to with the way Lenny's animation plays out. It's the longest ranged low in the whole game, both in its hitbox and how far it can reach. Ryo's 33A comes close, but the hitbox itself isn't huge and its range comes from Ryo dashing in.
  • Regardless if you think it's a good or bad move, you have to use it or else Lenny's entire structure revolves around whether or not she can hit the opponent after they decide to not block. Without 2A, all she can do to keep the damage up is either her throw or using special moves to deal chip damage.
  • You also have to keep in mind that the block advantage, even when it is spaced out, is really bad. If it gets blocked once Lenny loses her momentum and has to regain her distance, on top of usually being punished into a juggle combo.
  • All of this is factoring in the low damage it deals overall, even on counter hit, so Lenny doesn't even get a lot of damage from it. If the opponent thinks you'll go for 2A, then you can get some wrongblock overhead pokes in, but that requires using 2A when it leaves Lenny wide open on block. Use it too often and the opponent learns how to deal with 2A, but use it too little and landing overhead attacks as a wrongblock never happens. It's a conundrum for Lenny.

Full Crouch 2A / 2B / FC 2B
AOF3 Lenny 2B.png
Heavy Prop Kick
Heavy Prop Kick
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
192 Mid 8 - - - +0 -5 LCHL Ground
  • Version: Full Crouch 2A
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 193 points
  • Able to anti-air
  • FC 2A version of 2B.
  • This is one of three different versions of Lenny’s 2B.
  • It comes out one frame slower, and although it's nowhere near as punishable as FC 2B is, Lenny is still -5 on block, while leaving her +0 on hit.
  • If you're crouching and desperately need an attack, this will suffice, but unless you're going for an anti-air or attempting to dodge and/or punish an attack Lenny is able to duck under, it would be faster to full crouch cancel into something else like 4B or 6A anyways. Lenny's restand is too long to sit through that she can wait it out and use one of her standing buttons.
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
320 Mid 7 - - - KD -3 KD Ground
  • Version: 2B
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 321 points
  • Able to anti-air
  • Lenny crouches as she raises her left leg to kick at the opponent.
  • This hits mid so as long as the opponent is blocking, they can avoid it safely. That said, it's the best version of the three different variations of the same mid hitting attack. It offers the best damage with less startup and is safe on block.
  • It's able to anti-air, though keep in mind it has a taller hitbox but lacks horizontal range. And much like 5B, lacks any real active frames so it has to be timed well and also spaced well so that it doesn't whiff. On the bright side, it does slightly more damage than 5B does, though it's still an awkward to use anti-air.
  • No reason to use this as a footsies poke either because of the bad horizontal range. The opponent practically has to be hugging Lenny for it to connect.
  • Overall an awkward normal much like 5B is. You can anti-air with it, but it's not a good anti-air, and as its own button to poke with, Lenny still has several superior options. It's at least safe, and it shrinks her hurtbox a little, but it's difficult to use without either getting right next to the opponent or throwing it out whenever you expect the opponent to hop at you.
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
256 Mid 8 - - - KD -16 KD Ground
  • Version: Full Crouch 2B
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 257 points
  • Able to anti-air
  • FC version of Lenny’s 2B, scoring her a hard knockdown.
  • Don't use this version, it's one frame more of startup for less damage and worse block advantage, rendering it pointless.
  • If you need a FC attack, use FC 2A.

Jumps

j.A/C
AOF3 Lenny jA.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
256 High 8 - - - Varies Varies LCHL Ground
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 257 points
  • Lenny punts the enemy with her elbow.
  • Extremely small range, but at the same time you're sort of forced to use this attack for its slightly better range below Lenny - until you also realize it has almost no active frames.
  • The only alternative is Lenny's j.B which is angled upwards anyways and will only hit up close.
  • This button comes out slower than j.B does, so if you need an air-to-air, use that attack. As a jump-in, j.A is more consistent if you can time it well but since both buttons are bad anyways, you're picking your poison.
  • If you can consistently jump in with j.B, ditch this attack. j.B is more damage for less startup. But keep in mind that doesn't mean j.B is a good jump attack, either.

j.B
AOF3 Lenny jB.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
320 High 5 - - - Varies Varies LCHL Ground
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 321 points
  • Lenny kicks upwards while in the air.
  • As an air-to-air, it’s not bad, Lenny doesn't struggle too much challenging the opponent with this button despite some horizontal range issues, but as a jump in? It's bad.
  • There is practically no hitbox below her leg, meaning you need to carefully time when you activate j.B or otherwise it’ll easily whiff. Ignoring that, it’s angled upwards so it was never designed as a jump-in.
  • Regardless, it's more damage and less startup than j.A is so you have to learn to use this as a jump-in anyways, especially if you try to start jump-in combos as Lenny.
  • You'd be better off not jumping with Lenny if you can, but if you need to use one or the other, you're picking your poison. It's either the better hitbox of j.A or the faster, more damaging j.B.

Dashing Normals

66A
AOF3 Lenny 66A.png
Stampede Palms
Stampede Palms
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
576 Mid 6 - - - ST (+19) -16 LCHL Ground
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 577 points
  • Lenny rushes in and shoves the enemy forward.
  • By itself it has slightly more range than 66B and can combo further into 66A[B] to give Lenny some extra damage. It can also cancel into 4B at any point during the attacks' animation, giving Lenny some unique hit-and-run mindgames, and make the attack safe (or at least safer).
  • Has slightly faster startup than 66B for the same damage, too, though its regular hit stagger property doesn't provide Lenny much when the pushback keeps her from getting a more substantial reward from landing it, combined with the risk of being blocked. Though worst case scenario, Lenny can throw out a fireball and get something from 66A, or resort to the 4B follow-up.
  • Another, more practical use of 66A is using it as a juggle ender by using the 66AB rush combo string, helping Lenny rack up a free 1056 for the whole string (base damage without any modifiers).
  • A decent dash attack by itself. You'll mainly use it in juggle combos since this is the easiest way for Lenny to rack up meterless damage, but as a neutral poke it's not too shabby for some minor okizeme setups, and can be delayed with an 8 frame rush combo attack with huge range and slightly better reward on hit.
  • One big advantage to using this attack is the stagger advantage Lenny gets on hit allows her to combo into her 66B launcher, making this useful for starting combos.
  • If you practice the timing and buffer window of the combo, Lenny has a pseudo-infinite by repeatedly looping 5A jabs into 66A. You can loop 5A x1-2 into 66A and after 66A, forward dash cancel into another rep of jabs to repeat the loop. This will drop in the corner most of the time, but at that point you can use Lenny's 3B launcher. This also means Lenny is capable of death combos from anywhere in the stage.
  • In other words, Lenny can throw out jab pressure and 66A pressure to try and trap players into her pseudo-infinite loop, thus giving her the round assuming the Lenny player is capable of pulling off death combos.
  • Also, since she can cancel into 4B whenever, it hardly matters if 66A is blocked when she can escape at any point as well as delay 4B to try and catch impatient players.
  • Lenny is already pretty strong albeit problematic, but this move when mastered effectively makes her a top tier.

66B
AOF3 Lenny 66B.png
Shoulder Charge
Shoulder Charge
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
576 Overhead 8 - - - Launch -15 HCHL Ground, Wrongblock (ST; +15)
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 577 points
  • Able to anti-air
  • Lenny charges forward with her shoulders, hard enough to launch the opponent.
  • The range is just slightly less than 66A, but not by a whole lot. Also Lenny's most damaging launcher.
  • Lenny retains her turn after a wrongblock, but unfortunately has nothing to work with after 66B wrongblock staggers other than her fireball.
  • The damage it deals is the same as 66A, but the big reason for using this dash attack is it's an 8 frame launcher, also making it ideal for whiff punishes and giving Lenny the same juggle combos as her other two launchers.
  • 66B is the least safe of the three launchers by a longshot by being the only punishable launcher on block, though she sort of has an extra line of defense afterwards with the 5A follow-up.
  • Lenny's other launchers are preferred simply because they're safe, which is an immensely helpful boon in AOF3. Though if you're playing a little aggressive, and you see a whiff punish window, use 66B and juggle the opponent from there. As stated, she gets the same combos regardless of the launcher she uses even though 66B recovers the slowest.

66B > [5A]
AOF3 Lenny 66A.png
Stampede Palms
Stampede Palms
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
384 Overhead 14 - - - SKD (+26) -19 SKD (+26) Ground, Wrongblock (ST; +11)
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 385 points
  • The 5A follow-up to 66B, which mimics Lenny's 66A attack.
  • If you launched the opponent after 66B, there's no reason to use this attack as you just end up ending the combo. Its main use is to delay it and try to catch the opponent off-guard as they try to punish Lenny on block for using 66B. Though it's not terribly difficult dealing with this follow-up, either if the opponent sticks to using fast attacks to which case Lenny cannot recover from a blocked 66B.
  • This tends to whiff if 66B hits grounded and airborne, anyways. The 5A followup will soft knockdown on hit, but if it's blocked it leaves Lenny more punishable on block when she's already fairly punishable on block.
  • It also gives Lenny worse wrongblock advantage compared to 66B by itself. While she can get some use from the SKD, that's about the only reason to use this attack. She doesn't recover in time to pursuit the opponent, either.
  • On paper, it isn't a terrible attack in concept. A follow-up punch attack to save Lenny from a block punish for attempting to launch the opponent. One glaring issue - it takes 14 frames to come out.

Command Normals

3A
Fang Snap
Fang Snap
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
256 Overhead 24 - - - +0 -5 LCHL Ground, Wrongblock (ST; +30)
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 257 points
  • Able to anti-air
  • Lenny whips lower to the opponent’s legs, striking them with a single whip strike.
  • The issue comes down to if the opponent ever blocks low, given Lenny has only 2A. Plus, This comes out at 24 frames. 3B comes out in only 5 frames, deals more damage, and gives Lenny identical wrongblock advantage if it hits overhead.
  • If it hits normally Lenny is +0, as opposed to -5 on block, so she's mostly safe but can still be punished up close if blocked.
  • 3A has some use as a footsies poke to give Lenny extra tools to work with for hit-and-run tactics, but if you're looking to specifically hit overhead against the opponent, you may want to look elsewhere.
  • If it's spaced out, Lenny can't follow-up on the wrongblock stagger and instead just keeps her turn afterwards if she dashes in.

4A
AOF3 Lenny 4A.png
Long Snap
Long Snap
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
384 Mid 22 - - - KD -29 KD Ground
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 385 points
  • Lenny flails her whole whip forwards to have it crashing down onto the opponent.
  • Most likely the longest reaching normal in the game, where Lenny cracks her whip over midscreen away from the opponent. Given its insane reach, it’s a great poke that also scores a hard knockdown for playing footsies with.
  • The startup and recovery are fairly lengthy, but it’s not easy to punish from far away. Its huge range even allows Lenny to punish ranbu supers during their startup from far away, if you can react quick enough.
  • It suffers the same issue all of Lenny's moves deal with of having low damage output, but this should be used more as a utility tool to poke/punish the opponent from far away as a defensive attack.
  • It is possible to trade with this attack. Why Lenny has extended hurtboxes or where they are is unknown, but be aware that accidental trades can happen because of this attack, albeit rarely.
  • Strong poke in Lenny's movelist once you learn when you can safely apply it and know how to punish the opponent in different scenarios. Up close it's roughly the same as her 2A as an offense tool, only this hits mid, so be careful.

4B
AOF3 Lenny 4B.png
Backflip
Backflip
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
320 + 320/400 Overhead 4 - - - KD -25 KD Ground, Wrongblock (ST; +5)
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 321 x2 points
  • Able to anti-air
  • Lenny does a cartwheel flip kick and moves backwards, sending the opponent flying into a hard knockdown.
  • Against Wyler, this can hit several times, up to 5 times due to his huge body.
  • One of Lenny's more useful command normals. It starts almost instantly and can also be cancelled into during her rush combos and 66A, which makes the opponent have to guess if Lenny will use it to annoy them, or delay the string.
  • Even if used as a blockstring, Lenny still gets to escape from the opponent and get some more breathing room, though this is also vice versa for the opponent where blocking it gives them a small chance to punish Lenny back.
  • On wakeup, this also makes a solid defensive option by giving Lenny a near instant run away attack if the opponent tries to play okizeme against her.
  • Its hitboxes allow Lenny to anti-air as they rotate around her sprite behind her, as well. 4B's only issue is the hitboxes being fairly small, but up close (or against an opponent running at you), this isn't an issue.
  • The case can be made that Lenny hardly gets to use it to hit overhead with, so she loses a very slightly faster overhead than her 3B, but she doesn't need 4B for overhead offense when 3B is better suited for it.
  • If you're playing Lenny, you should use this attack. It's an extra bit of mobility, quick up close defense, a wakeup option, etc. It's weak for offense without delayed strings and blockstring pressure, but a great defense tool.

5AB
AOF3 Lenny 5AB.png
Sway
Sway
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
X X 0 - - - X X X Ground
  • Lenny steps to the side to dodge all incoming attacks for a brief moment.
  • If you've played other fighting games with a similar mechanic, such as King of Fighters 94/95, Samurai Shodown 3, or Super Smash Bros., you already understand how this move works.
  • Lenny stays in place and, upon activation, becomes fully invulnerable to all incoming attacks temporarily (and also has her pushbox completely disabled, too). However, she can still be punished during his recovery frames.
  • The dodge can be used to bait the opponent into doing something risky, or also help Lenny avoid attacks altogether and punish soon afterwards.
  • It shouldn't be used against fast attacks since the opponent will recover faster than Lenny can, thus allowing them to punish Lenny during her recovery frames even though she recovers quicker.
  • Unlike Ryo's 5AB spot dodge, Lenny's invulnerability frames don't last as long, so she's more vulnerable in comparison.
  • While Karman also has a dodge, he always performs an attack afterwards which while still good, doesn't give him the benefit of using the dodge by itself.
  • Lenny doesn't have a ton of use for it as she's already got plenty of other zoning and hit-and-run tools in her movelist, but it can come in handy avoiding lengthier attacks and big projectiles. And since Lenny has both fast recovery and fast rush combo attacks, if used right when next to the opponent, she can potentially score a juggle combo punish.

Launchers

3B
AOF3 Lenny 3B.png
Stomach Kick
Stomach Kick
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
320 Overhead 5 - - - Launch +0 HCHL Ground, Wrongblock (ST; +30)
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 321 points
  • Lenny does a quick kick upwards, launching the opponent upwards.
  • While it won’t hit low, it will hit overhead with a fairly high stagger, giving Lenny combo potential. One issue, though - the range is stubby. Another issue - this depends on if the opponent blocks low at all.
  • It’s Lenny’s fastest launcher at only 5 frames of startup, and with quick recovery to boot so she can not only combo quickly off of it but is also +0 on block. She is completely safe after it and maybe steal her turn back.
  • Lenny can also combo 5A into 3B, but again - the range is stubby. It's better range that her 2B kick attacks, but you almost have to be point blank range for this combo to work.
  • Whether Lenny gets to hit overhead with 3B is also a matter if the opponent decides to block low against 2A at all. While 2A has very long range, 3B doesn't. Using 2A as a mixup up close is a bad idea anyways with its abysmal block advantage. Still, it shouldn't stop you from using 3B at all when it's fully safe even if Lenny rarely gets to use it as an overhead.
  • If range is an issue for you, Lenny has her 4AB launcher, but keep in mind that has triple the startup. Both launchers are strong overall, though, with 3B in particular helping Lenny's jab pressure.

4AB
AOF3 Lenny 4AB.png
Swing Shot
Swing Shot
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
384 Mid 15 - - - Launch -1 HCHL Ground
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 385 points
  • Able to anti-air
  • Lenny cracks her whip horizontally, which launches the opponent up into the air.
  • Has really good range for a launcher, much better than 3B's range.
  • This is the launcher to go for if you need a strong footsies poke, since 66B is more punishable whereas 4AB is only -1 on block. The only sacrifice Lenny makes is the 15 frame startup.
  • The combos Lenny can do with 4AB are the same as 3B, so there's no unique difference between the two other than Lenny cannot combo jab into 4AB.
  • It does very slightly more damage too, but it's almost inconsequential the difference.
  • Both launchers are strong overall, though 4AB complements Lenny's hit and run gameplay better than 3B.

Rush Combo Attacks

6A
AOF3 Lenny 6A.png
Viper Bite
Viper Bite
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
160 Mid 6 - - - +1 -4 LCHL Ground
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 161 points
  • Lenny pushes forward, attacking with the butt of her whip.
  • This attack functions pretty much identically to her jab, just with worse frame data and slightly more damage with a little bit of extra range.
  • It also looks almost identical to Lenny's jab, so the opponent may struggle reacting to which attack is which.
  • Since it's basically the exact same as her jab, the same notes apply here.

6A[A]
AOF3 Lenny 6A.png
Second Bite
Second Bite
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
256 Mid 6 - - - +1 -4 LCHL Ground
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 257 points
  • Lenny pushes forward, attacking with the butt of her whip again as a follow-up to 6A.
  • This attack does more damage but is otherwise the exact same attack.
  • Same notes apply as 5A and 6A.

6AA[C]
Straight Shot
Straight Shot
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
512 Mid 8 - - - ST (+3) -32 LCHL Ground
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 513 points
  • Lenny ends her rush combo with a far reaching whip attack forwards.
  • As with any other character's 6AAC strings, not a terribly useful attack as the reward is pretty low.
  • Its long range makes it easier to use than other 6AAC rush combos but Lenny can be punished for using it even if it's spaced out.
  • Lenny also lacks any damaging combo enders besides using her fireball (which costs meter and will likely whiff against heavy characters anyways) so using this as a combo ender isn't a bad idea if you want to use simple combos.
  • Mostly unusable as a footsies poke since you have to do 6AA first before you can use this attack, but it is at least useful for helping Lenny score damage in her juggles where she lacks it.

6AX[B]
AOF3 Lenny 5B.png
Heavy Roundhouse
Heavy Roundhouse
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
256 Mid 8 - - - KD -17 KD Ground
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 257 points
  • Able to anti-air
  • Lenny performs her 5B roundhouse kick as a rush combo attack, after her 6A jab attacks.
  • Same notes as 5B apply here as it's the exact same attack, only this time Lenny pushes herself a little bit forward.
  • The end result is also a regular knockdown as opposed to a quick knockdown.
  • Not bad for juggle combos, but it lacks a lot of damage for a juggle ender that it only further exacerbates Lenny's low damage issue without burning meter.
  • Lenny being able to cancel into her 2B kick (by inputting 1B) lets her extend the rush combo pressure further and force the opponent into a sort of guessing game - unless they parry it.
  • This may be an unintentional bug, but who knows. Lenny has the longest rush combo in the game because of it: 6AAB,1B,4B. 6AAB is its own rush combo whereas 2B,4B is another rush combo. This will not combo as a full combo because 6AA[B] knocks down on hit, and as a juggle it pushes the opponent too far away, but it still serves as a blockstring that ends on Lenny's 4B cartwheel which lets her escape with little risk of being punished.
  • Basically, as a combo ender it's average but suffers poor damage. As a blockstring attack it's decent since it can cancel further into 1B, even though the entire blockstring is all mid hitting attacks with the exception of 4B as an overhead attack. Lenny can nonetheless still delay her strings if she so chooses to.

6B
Turn Snap
Turn Snap
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
320 Mid 26 - - - ST (+0) -35 LCHL Ground
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 321 points
  • Lenny turns around with her back to the camera to whip at the opponent.
  • Awkward to use. Its beefy startup with low reward and issues with comboing into 6B[B] from further away (due to stagger) makes it an oddity in her movelist.
  • It has really good range which makes it ideal for whiff punishes, assuming the opponent whiffs from further away and also has lengthy recovery so as to not recover faster than 6B's 25 frame startup.
  • It isn't any more useful as a block punish either, since Lenny has plenty of better block punishes for those scenarios.
  • Not a whole lot else to say other than no one uses this attack. It doesn't give Lenny much of anything to work with compared to her other moves and lacks a lot of potential function as an attack.

6B[B] / 66A[B]
Back Snap
Back Snap
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
480 Mid 8 - - - ST (+2) -35 LCHL Ground
  • Spirit restored when blocked: 481 points
  • Lenny further cracks her whip forwards at lightning speed with her back to the camera.
  • It's unlikely you'll use 6B as an attack or combo tool, but there's one other attack Lenny can combo from to use this attack: 66A. Without any damage bonuses, this gives Lenny 1056 damage as opposed to 928 damage with 6AAC.
  • With just as good range as 6B and a big hitbox to boot, this makes 66A[B] Lenny's ideal meterless juggle ender with the airborne damage bonuses she gets, especially if she's in desperation.
  • The attack's function is otherwise the same as 6B, but it comes out much faster at 8 frames.
  • There's hardly any use for the attack by itself, but it helps Lenny's juggle game quite a bit thanks to its ease of juggling with it and the damage it deals.

Specials

4 Swish Rave
214A
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
160 (40) x5 / 96 (24) x5 / 64 (16) x5 Mid 12 - - - KD -8 LCHL Ground
  • Spirit cost: 800 (~20%)
  • Frame advantages only indicate frame advantages of the final hit. Any hit before that leaves Lenny minus; it's not always a true combo so the opponent can pre-emptively escape early.
  • Lenny does a slow flurry of whip attacks before knocking the opponent down.
  • Has okay range, but you’ll most likely use this in combos more than anything, if that.
  • The issue with this attack is that it's not only nearly identical to 646A in terms of function and looks, but it also lacks any real use, too.
  • If the attack is too far spaced out, then one of the hits will whiff, allowing the opponent to escape and block the rest of the attack or backdash to safety, or even counter it.
  • It's more consistent than 646A is for doing juggle combos with as you can land all 5 hits more consistently, and you won't lose that much damage either, but you also run the risk of mistiming it and thus dropping the combo.
  • For ending a juggle combo with a special move, use Lenny's fireball instead. It's only slightly less damage than 646A but only needs to hit once and comes out very fast.

Whip Rush
646A
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
96 (24) x10 / 64 (16) x10 / 32 (8) Mid; Overhead (final hit) 10 - - - KD -16 LCHL Ground
  • Spirit cost: 1024 (25%)
  • Frame advantages only indicate frame advantages of the final hit. Any hit before that leaves Lenny minus; it's not always a true combo so the opponent can pre-emptively escape early.
  • Lenny does a fast flurry of whip attacks before knocking the opponent down.
  • Has okay range, but you’ll most likely use this in combos more than anything, if that.
  • The issue with this attack is that it's not only nearly identical to 214A in terms of function and looks, but it also lacks any real use, too.
  • Looks similar to 214A, but this one has less range except for the last whip attack which extends its range greatly.
  • If the attack is too far spaced out, then one of the hits will whiff, allowing the opponent to escape and block the rest of the attack or backdash to safety, or even counter it.
  • It's unlikely you can land all 10 attacks in a juggle combo, meaning you can potentially lose out on some damage with the risk of dropping it entirely.
  • For ending a juggle combo with a special move, use Lenny's fireball instead. It's only slightly less damage than 646A but only needs to hit once and comes out very fast.
  • This move is so unnoteworthy and similar to 214A that it was more productive to copy and paste the description from 214A than it was to actually write something more original.

Flick Shot
236A
AOF3 Lenny 236A.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
896 (224) / 640 (160) / 160 (40) Mid 11 - - - - - X Ground
  • Spirit cost: 1280 (31.25%)
  • Able to anti-air
  • Lenny shoots a big red projectile forward.
  • One problem: mediocre range. It looks like it’ll hit further than it actually does, but the second it begins to disappear is when the hitbox goes away, on top of not going very far to begin with.
  • It also costs 30% Spirit, which means you’ll be using it less overall compared to Ryo and Robert’s fireballs. Still, it's very useful as a zoning tool, but be wary you can’t rely on it as well as an actual fireball.
  • What it makes up for is being the fastest fireball in the game at only 11 frames of startup. And since it also travels its short distance quite fast, it's very difficult to react to with Lenny recovering just as fast.
  • Lenny can use it as a keep away tool and an anti-air. In both cases, even the best characters will want to rethink how they approach Lenny as at any moment, Lenny can pop a fireball or two and stop them. And despite looking small, its vertical hitbox is decently tall which is why it can anti-air against jumps.
  • If Lenny can push you in the corner, all she needs to do is pop one launcher and as long as she has (almost) full meter, she's capable of looping her fireball into itself in the corner as a juggle combo, effectively killing the opponent thanks to the fast recovery and airborne damage bonus. A simple example being 3B > 236A x3, which will quickly snag Lenny the round.
  • From midscreen, Lenny can even combo two of these off of a launcher before knocking the opponent too far back, so she doesn't always even need the corner.
  • This is the only special move Lenny needs. The only other reason she should save meter is to use her unblockable ranbu super, though also keep in mind that using one fireball from full meter will remove enough of it that she needs to recharge a little before being able to use her super. Both are great uses of meter but Lenny is not able to have her cake and eat it too.
  • If you're fine burning the meter regardless of her super or using it to death loop the opponent, it's a strong keep away attack that'll stop the opponent dead in their tracks - even Jin and his reflector, unless he reflects it up close.

Flick Break
641236C
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
2302 Unblockable 24 - - - KD X KD Ground
  • Spirit cost: 3072 (75%)
  • Unblockable ranbu super
  • Lenny charges up and dashes forward to whip the opponent several times into a knockdown.
  • Standard rush-in, moving forward super attack that you’re probably familiar with in King of Fighters.
  • Nothing special to say about this super as it's comparable to Ryo and Robert's ranbu supers, but it starts a little bit faster, so you'd be foolish not to use it whenever possible.
  • Can be used to setup unblockable setups off of okizeme, but can be stopped by wakeup low kicks, if timed right. The hitbox will also go away if it collides with a projectile.
  • The only reason Lenny should save meter over using her ranbu super is to use her fireball special move whether to keep out or death loop, though also keep in mind that using one fireball from full meter will remove enough of it that she needs to recharge a little before being able to use her super. Both are great uses of meter but Lenny is not able to have her cake and eat it too.
  • One other, also significant, reason to save meter for Lenny's ranbu super is because it's the only ranbu super in the game you can combo into.
  • Specifically, Lenny has to perform 3B into ranbu super. 4AB pushes the opponent too far back for it to combo. 3B also has stubby range you need to keep in mind. However, this combo works both midscreen and corner.
  • Does Lenny need this? No, her BnBs are already capable of killing without any meter, this just simplifies the process if you have the meter to burn and don't want to practice her death combos.

Miscellaneous

Raz
4C
AOF3 Lenny 4C.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
0 High/Mid 0 36 26 62 KD X X Ground
  • Lenny's 4C parry.
  • Longest window to land out of all the 4C parries, but also the longest animation.
  • The opponent's attack can actually whiff if Lenny goes past the opponent far enough but this requires point blank range.
  • If this happens this can also mean the opponent gets a free punish on Lenny depending on the situation.

Taunt
5D
AOF3 Lenny Taunt.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
X X - - - - X X X Ground
  • Lenny's universal taunt.
  • A complete taunt takes away 2375/2376 points of spirit meter.

Throw
6C
AOF3 Lenny Throw.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
800 High - - - - X X X Ground
  • Lenny's normal throw.
  • Possibly the best range out of all the throws in the game.
  • Also the weakest of all the throws in the game, but Lenny only loses one jab's worth of damage compared to everyone else that isn't Wang.

Pursuit
3A/B when opponent is on the ground
AOF3 Lenny Pursuit.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Counterhit Property
256 OTG - - - - Varies X X Ground
Universal OTG Pursuit Frame Advantage
  • Jin: +15
  • Karman: +15
  • Kasumi: +15
  • Lenny: +15
  • Robert: +16
  • Rody: +15
  • Ryo: +15
  • Sinclair: +16
  • Wang: +15
  • Wyler: +16
  • Lenny's regular pursuit.
  • Not much reason to use this over 2A, especially when 2A's range is huge.
  • In some matchups, Lenny has slightly better frame advantage using this pursuit over 2A.
  • Main reason to use this pursuit is if you're playing rushdown with Lenny, and want to apply okizeme right in front of the opponent. Be wary of the lengthy startup.

Strategy

Moves to USE Moves to AVOID
  • 5A, rush combo attacks, command normals that aren't 3A
  • Fireball, launchers, dash attacks for keepout/corner carry
  • Super
  • Jump attacks, 5B and 2B attacks (only if you absolutely have to)
  • 214A, 646A (not too useful in general)
  • 3A pursuit (2A is better)

General Strategy

Matchups

VS Portrait AOF3 Jin.png Jin

Having a reflector sort of helps Jin in this matchup. Besides anti-airing against Lenny, which is easy enough when she has bad jump-in attacks, the reflector can reflect her fireball back at her and deal increased damage for an attack that already hurts a lot. The issue is if Jin is close enough to begin with, and whether the Lenny player will opt to use fireballs at that range. Jin will face issues with getting in otherwise due to his huge size and slower speed which makes it perfect for Lenny to throw out fireballs and fast jabs, making it hard for him to deal with Lenny's fast pressure. He has a couple fast options to use, namely 5A, 2A, 3B and counter, but getting a poke in without it being a block/whiff punish is difficult when Lenny has fast rush combo attacks and a jab that leaves her plus and has similar reach as Jin's jab. If Lenny uses 4B to run away, Jin can 4C parry it, counter it, or use 214A to chase after it, possibly even 5AB, so while still a viable option for Lenny, she should be a bit cautious using 4B for hit-and-run strategies. Jin also has his double jump which paired with Lenny's bad anti-airs, it can make dealing with Jin difficult and a bit unpredictable when Lenny has to stick with strict footsies play. She may not have to settle for hit-and-run play, however, given that even with Jin's heavy weight, her juggle combos work just the same as against any other character, so paired with Jin's slower speed, even raw pokes are profitable for her, especially on counter hit. Add on top of this having safe launchers that even Jin lacks, and a similar 66B dash attack overhead launcher like Jin's 66A, both characters earn their juggles in similar ways. Jin's 4A launcher is safe, but keep in mind Lenny can also duck it. Jin's super beats out Lenny's ranbu super with invulnerability frames and the active hitbox, plus he could potentially take advantage of the fact that Lenny will likely rely on meter to rack up damage and keep her ground. Jin also benefits from using meter in this matchup, but depending on how Lenny plays, he may not need to spend much. Usually it's going to be Lenny forcing Jin to approach her, but Lenny won't have much issue brute forcing her way in either when Jin doesn't have any real zoning tools as opposed to Lenny. Lenny having overall safer attacks helps, too. Still, both characters deal equal overall juggle damage, with Jin having more consistent poke damage.

VS Portrait AOF3 Karman.png Karman

Arguably Karman's worst matchup to deal with. Pair a turtle with a turtle, one who can't approach and the other who can run away all match, and it's going to be very rough for Karman to recover from a life deficit. One of the biggest reasons is that although Lenny only has one low, 2A, it has significantly more range and startup than Karman's own lows. There's almost no chances for Karman to use either low when Lenny is always out of range and can easily punish either low. Secondly, Lenny outranges Karman in general with many of her moves. Karman can contest with her jab range and everything else he has to bait with either parries or block punishes. If Lenny opts to using her safer attacks, whiff punishing is out of the question since Karman really only has 6A, 5C, or one of the 646X special attacks he can use. Karman should never use his 646X special in neutral, however; Lenny can punish it on reaction with her projectile. So if Karman wants to punish Lenny's farthest attacks, he has to burn meter to do so, and her closer attacks he needs optimal spacing. That's easier said than done though when, perhaps the biggest issue in this matchup, Lenny can use 4B to escape Karman's pressure and potentially even punish him for approaching her, especially if she baits a reaction from Karman out of 66A. Not only that, Lenny's projectile can catch any sort of flinch from Karman whose only options are to punch it out or jump it. One other note is that Karman's only useful jump-in in this matchup is j.A, which Lenny can anti-air with 5B regardless of jump height. For Karman to do anything in this matchup, he needs to get the life lead and stay far away from Lenny, forcing her to approach instead. Chances are Lenny is in the life lead instead, however, leaving Karman having to play very patiently and slowly push Lenny into a corner, blocking whatever he can to keep Lenny pinned down. Karman may also have to live without his super since he'll likely burn through it with whiff punishes and/or counter usage. Whenever possible, Karman needs to keep his turn through 5A and 4B as they leave him plus on block, and give him simple but still reliable confirms for his BnBs. Since Lenny also has lengthier attacks in recovery, well timed dodge attacks can help Karman tremendously in ironing out some momentum, too. And ideally, Lenny should be prevented from using her ranbu super at all if possible, which travels farther than Karman's super, but Karman can also use this as a chance to turn things around on whiff if the player knows the precise spacing for it. Karman has to play super risky overall since anything he does can be punished by Lenny unless it's plus on block and will have to work to call out Lenny well ahead of her active hitboxes coming out on attacks. Score one knockdown, however, and Karman can potentially turn the whole thing around since that only leaves Lenny either 4C parry, 4B or her jab on wakeup, maybe her ranbu super. Just be cautious and ready to block if the Lenny player panic attacks on wakeup.

VS Portrait AOF3 Kasumi.png Kasumi

Almost no one plays Lenny so this alone gives her an advantage against the cast, even Kasumi. But since Lenny's air game is risky at best and non-existent at worst, Kasumi can jump whenever she feels like it and the only ways Lenny can meaningly fight it off is through jabs or fireballs if timed correctly. Lenny can't jump against Kasumi or else she'll be smacked by Kasane Ate, which Lenny has no answer for to take head on. On grounded whiff, she could potentially use a fireball if the player reacts super quickly, or her throw, but that's it. Lenny also has no lows that can really challenge Kasumi while also lacking good ways of pushing Kasumi into the corner without taking massive risks, meaning she'll probably have little chance to pop off a corner death loop unless she succeeds in landing a 4C parry and can then launch Kasumi after wakeup. Combined with her pitiful damage, Lenny's gotta play very one note to pose a threat against Kasumi and play patiently, waiting for whiffs. Kasumi's pressure is too much for Lenny to deal with outside of jabs which are counterable anyways. Any time Lenny throws out 2A and it's blocked or it whiffs, Kasumi can freely punish it with 66B. Kasumi can also freely zone out Lenny with Cho Kasane Ate due to Lenny's bad air game. As long as Kasumi doesn't use it point blank or very close, Lenny will struggle to punish it and has no moves that can out range it to whiff punish Kasumi's super.

VS Portrait AOF3 Robert.png Robert

Both characters are going to be meter hungry but this matchup will have Robert play aggressive in general. He has good range on his key buttons so trading and/or getting in on Lenny won't be as difficult, and he can answer Lenny's 4B with 5AB if he's not too far away. Even if he is, he can forward dash cancel into 5AB for the same effect. Lenny also lacks the fireballs that Robert does on top of them costing more, so if Lenny wants to play the zoning game, so can Robert, especially if he has the life lead. Robert will need to keep in mind that at any point Lenny can attack with 2A to sneak a low in on him, but this too he can punish if he is close enough on block (or he hops over it). neither characters doesn't want to be caught making a mistake rushing in as they're both capable of killing each other very quickly, however in Lenny's case she can kill Robert in only one combo with the right setup or otherwise deal very high damage, and in desperation she can do it from midscreen. She is more likely to save her meter for that, plus her ranbu super is a few frames faster on startup. Lenny is likely to avoid her more punishable attacks and use her faster recovering ones so Robert may not find it the best idea to use j.214B when if blocked, he will die. But on the flip side, Lenny also lacks a good wakeup game, and against Robert, if he reads her trying to use 4B, he can punish that with 5AB and do another juggle on her. On top of that, Robert has far better anti-airs than Lenny does so Lenny has little reason to jump in on him with her bad jump buttons. Both characters are capable in this matchup, they just need to tweak their game strategies a smidge.

VS Portrait AOF3 Rody.png Rody

It's less of an issue that Rody can't get in but more an issue that he has very little to work with to fight against Lenny's keepout game. While his own fireball cannot be stopped, Lenny can throw out a fireball to disable its hitbox, or if Rody throws it second, all it will do is trade with her fireball. Given Lenny's awful jump attacks, fireball and other anti-airs mean Rody doesn't have too much issue hitting her out of the air, and his jump attacks, particularly j.B, are better overall anyways. Even when Rody does get in, Lenny has just as effective rush combos as he does and a jab that always leaves her plus, giving Rody almost no room to fight back. Rody having more lows is a plus, but it doesn't matter when Lenny can trap him with 2A attacks from even farther away. Although, if Rody blocks 2A, he can punish Lenny even from farther away and close the distance, catching up to do okizeme and potentially turn things around. Lenny's wakeup options are mediocre if she isn't using 4A or jab/rush combo attacks, maybe 2A. Lenny's regular BnBs are also far more damaging than Rody's is on top of having a ranbu super. If Rody has the life lead, then he could potentially play keepout, but this then presents another issue: making sure Lenny never pushes him in the corner. Her midscreen damage is already huge with the right juggles, but if Rody gets caught in the corner, even with a counter hit launch, as long as Lenny has meter she can loop fireball and immediately 180 the round in her favor. In other words, Rody has to get in to avoid being trapped in the corner against Lenny, but also can't afford to get close to Lenny when her footsies zoning is strong and has a low that reaches so far his approach can become pretty predictable. It isn't entirely awful for him, with tight spacing and good timing he can still squeeze out a super in some cases to hit Lenny, particularly on okizeme where her options are not good - wakeup low kick in particular lacking a good hitbox. Having faster lows than Lenny when he's up close also helps, acting twice as fast as Lenny to get easy pokes, and by making Lenny block low he can utilize overhead properties. If he plays more patiently up-close than he usually does, he can prevent Lenny from getting in her rhythm.

VS Portrait AOF3 Ryo.png Ryo

Lenny doesn't suffer quite as much as Rody does in this matchup, but she still does not want to be caught next to Ryo under any circumstances. Just like Rody, Ryo is able to infinite combo Lenny using his 6AACB infinite combo, the only difference being timing it against Lenny works differently and is slightly less consistent only because Lenny is a tiny bit heavier than Rody is. She can still keep Ryo out, sure, but then that also means she isn't able to try and push him into the corner for her death loop and has to rely on midscreen damage instead. The risk with that, too, however is that if a really minus attack is blocked, that means a launcher for Ryo. And like Robert, if Lenny wants to play the zoning game, so can Ryo, and by also spending as less meter as Lenny is spending. Ryo can technically get away with wall jump pressure, too, but Lenny can use her fireball to deal with it or trade with 5B. The gist of this matchup is that both characters are able to kill the other character in a single juggle combo if played optimally and with consistent execution, though Ryo has it easier in this regard. The only major downsides are his frame data which Lenny can take advantage of, a slightly slower ranbu super in comparison to Lenny's ranbu super, and the fact Lenny has better command normals to let her run away or fight back to pressure Ryo. Lenny can also use her fully safe launchers against Ryo, and even confirm into 3B off of jab, but this requires close range and is the same range that Ryo can use to either Zan Retsu Ken or launch Lenny. Either way, Lenny needs to play cautiously and perhaps lay off from more aggressive strategies to remain safe, but so does Ryo. That said, Ryo has arguably better ways of getting in whereas Lenny has safer attacks and better range and keepout strategies.

VS Portrait AOF3 Sinclair.png Sinclair

Other than respect it and block it, jump over it just right (which Lenny can delay anyways), or a well timed 28A which runs the risk of Lenny being able to recover in time to block it anyways, there's basically nothing Sinclair can do about Lenny's fireball. She can taunt like anyone else, but if Lenny has the life lead, that won't matter when Lenny can simply charge up and negate any taunts, forcing Sinclair to approach. That's really all Lenny needs in this matchup is her fireball and Sinclair will struggle getting in at all to punish it or deal with Lenny's zoning. This is also ignoring the fact that Lenny can use 4B or rush combos into 4B to escape away from Sinclair and Sinclair's only possible choice is 214A if Lenny doesn't recover in time. Worst of all for Sinclair is Lenny's large 2A hitbox. The only serious advantage Sinclair has is the fact that almost all of Lenny's attacks hit mid or overhead, so she only has to block low for 2A, but this also brings the issue of Sinclair's lengthy restand animation with no good FC cancels out of it beyond 214A and 28A. Sinclair really needs meter in order to work in this matchup to dish out damage and punish Lenny. Since Lenny has much better range, she can comfortably keep herself out of Sinclair's TOD range, that being point-blank range. Sinclair has to play the slow and deliberate poking game and be extremely careful about the punishes she goes for. Lenny has little issue keeping Sinclair out and punishing anything Sinclair does as well, other than maybe Sinclair's 3A which has good range.

VS Portrait AOF3 Wang.png Wang

Lenny can run away most of the match and get away with it, and even if she doesn't, she has enough fast punishers that rack up passable damage anytime she blocks Wang with one caveat - blocking Wang's lows. When this happens, Lenny has no choice but to leave crouch which comes with a lengthy restand animation. She can stay in crouch, but then all she can use is a rising kick attack that Wang can duck anyways - which he should if he's going for lows anyways. Even point-blank range, this attack whiffs against Wang unless Lenny herself walks up to Wang as far as she can, and then uses 2B or either FC variant. In the event Lenny blocks low for an attack, that's also leaving herself open to overheads, too. Lenny's forced to use either 6A, 3B or 4B to escape crouch as any other option would mean a free punish for Wang due to being too slow. 6A whiffs against a crouching Wang, however, and although 3B's range shouldn't be an issue given Wang also has poor range - meaning he has to get close - it's not always the best answer anyways since it can whiff. Lenny's 2A can be countered by Wang's 22A and 3B, making it whiff altogether, so if Wang is consistent about punishing it in general, that can really discourage Lenny from ever going for low strikes. As stated at the start though, Lenny can choose to simply run away. If she does, Wang suffers greatly being unable to approach paired with his bad range. Despite her severe issues dealing with Wang's mixups and small size, she still has plenty up her sleeve to mess with Wang. He has no counter against her projectile, Lenny can throw out 4B on reaction and run away for free, whenever Wang crouches a 2B/FC normal, Lenny can rush combo into 4B as well which hits overhead, her superior ranbu super, fully safe launchers that 4AB in particular packs great range, and all of her other long-ranged attacks that Wang has to be ready to block to try and steal his turn back to close the gap. As usual, Lenny is expected to jump very little given her bad aerial capabilities. Wang can possibly score himself a couple knockdowns using j.C/j.AB while Lenny winds down in her lengthy recovery animations, or otherwise try to score counter hits. An abnormal matchup, but one in Lenny's favor due to her stronger hold on footsies and zoning - both of which Wang needs to work for.

Combos

Note: Combos marked with a ★ symbol are the optimal combos available to the character. Characters are also denoted by the first three letters of their names to indicate that the combo works on them. If it works on all characters, it will, obviously, be marked as "All."

Character Combo Abbreviations
  • JIN: Jin
  • KAR: Karman
  • KAS: Kasumi
  • LEN: Lenny
  • ROB: Robert
  • ROD: Rody
  • RYO: Ryo
  • SIN: Sinclair
  • WAN: Wang
  • WYL: Wyler

Rush Combos

Rush Combos
Combo Difficulty Damage Works On Notes
6AB, 1B, 4B Easy Varies All Second longest rush combo in the game. You cannot activate the 2B attack unless you specifically press 1B, though it's unclear if letting the player cancel 6AA[B] into 2B was intentional or not. You cannot connect all hits since if the opponent is hit by 6AA[B] then they're knocked down, but you can still potentially open the opponent up with this by surprising them with the follow-up attack. If it's blocked, Lenny can escape with 4B for a safe escape. All attacks hit mid, however, so there's little guessing on the opponent's part.
6AAB, 1B, 4B Easy Varies All Longest rush combo in the game. Same notes as above.
6AAC Easy All
6AA, 4B Easy All
6BB Easy All
66AB Easy All
66A, 4B Easy All
2B, 4B Easy All

Juggle Combos

Juggle Combos
Combo Difficulty Damage Works On Notes
3B > 641236C Moderate Only combo into a ranbu super in the whole game (without requiring a counter hit, but even those are almost non-existent). Works anywhere. The super must be performed immediately as soon as Lenny recovers, or else it whiffs. Not an optimal combo due to 3B's stubby range on top of needing 75%+ meter to use the ranbu super. Lenny also has deadlier combos, but if you know it'll kill, then why not?
66A > 66B > 236A x2 Moderate A midscreen launch confirm to land two fireballs. It won't kill the opponent but the high damage the fireballs provide will still make for good damage if you can spare the meter.
66A > 66B > 6AA > 5AA > 66A,6B Lenny's main midscreen BnB if you can manage to land 66A or at the least 66B.
Death Combos
(corner) Launcher > 236A x3 4096 Moderate All Easy death combo for Lenny. Pop a launcher and she can loop 3 fireballs easily thanks to the short recovery of each fireball. That said, you need nearly full meter to do it at all, but even with one or two fireballs, this combo still hurts a lot.
5AA > 66A > FDC 5AA > 66A > FDC 5AA > 66A... Hard Up to 4096 All What appears to be an infinite Lenny can perform. However, doing this consistently is very difficult because of the constant forward dash cancels and knowing when to space 5A correctly. To be on the safe side, you can opt to use one jab instead followed into 66A, but drop the combo and Lenny faces getting punished for it. Whether this is truly an infinite or not is not currently known, though even with corner pushback, this likely still works.
(midscreen to corner, should work anywhere) WB 3A/3B > FDC 5A > 66A > FDC 5AA > 66A > FDC 5A > 66A > micro FDC 3B > 641236C Hard All(?) By repeating the 66A loop this gives Lenny an easy setup into her ranbu super to combo off of. Though you'd only use this for style because of the ranbu super, or if you can confirm 3B launch earlier and want to secure the kill faster without practicing the loop too much.
WB 3A/3B > FDC 5A > 66A > FDC 5AA > 66A > 66B > 6AA > 5AA > 66A,6B Hard 4096


General
FAQ
Controls
HUD
Glossary
System
Training Mode
Characters
Jin
Karman
Kasumi
Lenny
Robert
Rody
Ryo
Sinclair
Wang
Wyler