Fate Unlimited Codes/Sakura

Sakura
Health	9,000
Prejump	4
Backdash	40F (Invulnerable 1-31)
Backdash Distance	1.8359
Sidestep Type	Aggressive Inward Spiral
Weight	Light

Introduction

Sakura is one of the longest range characters in this game (kinda like Dhalsim but without hurtboxes on her ribbons), allowing her to poke at opponents from a distance and harrass them with her huge normals which are entirely disjointed. She has the worst grounded mobility (her air mobility is about average) in the game, often giving her difficulties to make use of her powerful normals. While she does possess a teleport, it has a lot of recovery, so you need to be careful with it (land out of range or bait an attack with it). Good use of negative edge can make her pressure and mixup ridiculously good, but only if she has the meter and is given time to setup. Meter management is crucial for her, and meter damage gives her trouble. If she knocks her opponent down though, they have to deal with some downright busted setplay including multiple unblockable setups.

Pros

• Strong DISJOINTED reach on all normals, especially 5B and 2B.
• 2B hurtbox is very low to the ground allowing her to low profile a lot of attacks
• 236[C], while slow, can be detonated even while she is in hitstun by button releasing.
• Using held-button-transfer she can actually use attacks with the buttons the set specials were set with while still holding them
• 214X is a held-button-detonate special, which allows her to detonate while doing other things
• 214C is a low, even when used in the air
• Because 214C is low and she can detonate it while doing other things, she can detonate it with any overhead for an unblockable setup.
• Mixup game is incredibly difficult to block, especially after a knockdown
• Unblockable setups produce very strong possible checkmate scenarios in game-winning rounds.
• (Note: EXTREMELY HARD) Her most Optimal meter gain routing allows for her to loop unblockable setups in a pretty scary manner that is fairly airtight.
• Her shadows can eat activate and burst hits allowing her to punish.
• If her shadow eats a hit from an attack the opponent gets none of their cancel options even if they'd have them on whiff.

Cons

• Very high execution requirements, up there with Saber's, Archer's and Gilgamesh's requirements, putting her around the 3rd-6th hardest execution character in the game
• Held Button Transfer is pretty tricky to learn. Especially on pad.
• Somewhat low damage on paper (her setplay being so strong makes her damage much higher in practice though)
• Mobility is very committal, difficult to use, and overall is not very strong. Her base grounded mobility is especially terrible.
• She needs meter a lot. Her meter management game is crucial and difficult. In part because her meter gain is hampered by her overall combos being on the shorter side, and her tendency to spend meter mid combo when going for her more damaging routes.
• Wakeup/otg activate, especially with varying its timing/doing it early does give players more albeit expensive options to possibly get out of her vortex setups (there are ways to play around this, but they do result in a drop of efficacy of her setplay).
• Some people might throw their controllers after playing you (this might be a pro for some)

Normals

5A	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 230 All N, S, R, A 5 26 12 -8 Sakura jabs at her opponent with her dark ribbons. 15% proration 15% proration penalty

2A	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 200 Low N, S, R, A 5 26 12 -8 Same as 5A, but crouching. 17% proration 17% proration penalty

5B	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 450 All N, S, R, A 8 41 16 -12 Sakura performs a long range attack that hits multiple times. This attack has 3 hits, dealing 150 base damage each 15% proration

2B	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 350 Low N, S, R, A 10 46 21 -6 Sakura performs a long range low that drags her opponent in. This attack has 2 hits, dealing 150 and 200 base damage respectively 15% proration

5C	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 650 All N, S, R, A 15 61 21 -10 Sakura performs a long range attack that hits multiple times. It is similar to 5B, but with a larger hitbox. This attack has 5 hits, dealing and 130 base damage each 10% proration

2C	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 450 All J, N, S, R, A 18 56 22 -15 Sakura anti-airs her opponent with several dark ribbons. 10% proration

6C	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 500 High R, A 27 41 11 -2 Sakura's dark ribbons extend from her neck into a powerful overhead attack. This can link into 5A, 2A, and 5B on hit (the link to 5B is very tight). Used in some UB setups with 214C 10% Proration 15% Proration Penalty

6A+B	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 700 None A 4 56 - - Sakura lifts her opponent off the ground before pummeling them with dark ribbons. This attack launches your opponent away from you into a hardknockdown. It cannot combo, even into negative edge specials.

j.A	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 220 High J*, N, S, A 6 - 13 - 20% proration

j.B	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 360 High J*, N, S, A 11 - 17 - This attack has 2 hits, dealing 180 base damage each 15% proration

j.C	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 520 High S, A 13 - 22 - This attack has 2 hits, dealing 140, 140 and 240 base damage respectively 10% proration

Specials

236X

Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 236A 500 All R, A 16 46 17 -12 10% proration 236B 300+300+300 All R, A 26 51 14 -10 This attack has 3 projectiles, dealing 300 damage each. however if they hit together at close distance, they will count as 1 hit and deal full 900 base damage (even when the combo counts say 3 hits) 10% proration 236C 1200 All R, A 37 56 16 0 This attack has 4 hits, dealing 300 damage each 10% proration 236C [very shortly held] 1200 All R, A 40 56 16 4 Sakura sends grounded fireballs at her opponent. The A version is fast and light. The B version hits multiple times. The C version is a large negative edge projectile that releases at further differences based on how long it is charged. The short hold is provided since it is the minimum charge to have the C version hit in front of Sakura.

623X

Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 623A 850 All R, A 20 56 13 -10 This attack has 5 hits, dealing 170 base damage each 10% proration 623B 1000 All R, A 20 61 11 -18 This attack has 5 hits, dealing and 200 base damage each 10% proration 623C 1100 All R, A 20 51 6 -12 Sakura hits with a short range multihitting strike aimed downward (A version), straight forward (B version) or upward (C version) Startup on the C version is invincible and it costs 30 meter to perform. As long as the last hit connects, you will drain 50 meter from your opponent. This attack has 5 hits, dealing 220 base damage each 10% proration

214X

Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 214[A] 900 All R, A 21 41 21 4 This attack has 3 hits, dealing 300 base damage each 10% proration 214[B] 1050 All R, A 31 51 19 2 This attack has 3 hits, dealing 350 base damage each Will bounce the target but only if the target has been hit by 4 hits or less before its last hit. 10% proration 214[C] 700 Low R, A 31 51 21 2 Sakura's negative edge projectile. Each version can be destroyed by a single attack, but functions as a hit of armor for Sakura. It costs 30 meter to use this special. 10% proration When released the A version is a large anti-air attack. When released the B version is the most damaging of the three on hit. When released the C version is a low attack with a large hitbox.

421X

Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 421A 700 All J, R, A 15 46 22 -8 10% proration 421B 750 High R, A 31 62 12 -18 15% proration 421C 750 Low R, A 25 51 14 -11 Sakura sends out a single strong hitting dark ribbon. 10% proration The A version is an anti-air strike that launches Sakura's opponent and is jump cancellable on hit. The B version is a midrange overhead that crumples on hit.. The C version is a midrange low that sweeps an opponent on hit..

22X

Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 22A - - R, A - 51 - - 22B - - R, A - 51 - - j.22A - - A - 26 - - j.22B - - A - 31 - - Sakura's different flavours of teleport. 22A teleports Sakura clockwise around her opponent. 22B teleports Sakura counter clockwise around her opponent. J.22A teleports Sakura straight down to the ground. J.22B teleports Sakura a set distance forward towards her opponent. If close enough, 22A, 22B and j.22B will cross over to the opposite side of Sakura's opponent. 22C (minimum) - - R, A - 69 - - 22C puts Sakura in a stance to absorb incoming energy-based projectiles. If Sakura successfully absorbs energy projectiles, she will gain meter.

Supers (WIP)

236236A	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 2200 None - 6 + 0 41 - - Sakura reaches out with dark energy and grabs her opponent. This costs 100 meter.

236236[B]	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 2700 All - 11 + 41 91 37 -2 Sakura summons a balloon of dark energy. This super attacks only when the attack button is released. Sakura can return to neutral and continue normal play while still delaying this super's attack. The provided frame data for Block Advantage releases the attack button immediately. This costs 100 Meter.

236236C	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Total Length Blockstun Block Adv 4000 Low - 11 + 1 56 - -22 Sakura performs a powerful low attack that hit-grabs her opponent. This attack always does 4000 damage regardless of scaling. It can only be performed after filling the holy grail and activating with 300 meter. This reduces your meter to 0.

Strategies

Sakura's slow, her walk is incredibly slow. You will need to rely on grounded and air teleports to try to trip your opponent up and get them to whiff an attack within the range of her 5B or 2B. As well as jump, double jump, and fastfall. The bulk of Sakura's neutral involves being in the air and trying to bait and punish an anti-air. Once you're in range you have a lot of tools to work with to try to open them up: 5B and 2B have a lot of range, are active for a very long time, 5B hits 3 times and 2B hits twice, 2B is a low on top of all of that and drags them in allowing for more combos off of it. 6C and 421B are both overheads, 421B leaves them in crumple state, while 6C leaves them standing. Additionally both 214C AND it's aerial version hit low, and can be delay detonated.

Her teleports have a lot of recovery, but if you get your opponent to whiff an attack with them they will usually have to wait longer than you will. You want to end combos with 421C most of the time as it hard knockdowns the opponent.

After knocking down the opponent, you have a lot of options for okizeme/setplay. You can meaty with j214C for an aerial low, can even make it be left-right ambiguous at that, can set 214X and do a tk 22A/B for a left-right mixup, can jump over their head with jC for a left-right mixup and sp cancel it into j214C for icing on the cake. And you can even do a bunch of unblockables too. You will want to watch out for wakeup/otg activate however, as there's definitely spots it can be used to get out of your pressure.

Combos (WIP)

normal chain order: (within an arrow separated by commas can be in any order) 5A > 2A > 5B > 2B > 5C, 2C > 6C

6C is an overhead and can link to 5A, 2A, and 5B

(note: 2C is NOT included when a combo says "normals")

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Beginner combos: "normals" means: 5A > 2A > 5B > 2B > 5C

normals > 2C > 421C

Normals > 2C > 421A > jump > j.A > j.B > j.C > d. jump > j.A > j.B > j.C > j.22A/B/j.214[X]

Normals > 2C > 421A > jump > j.A > j.B > j.214A > land > jump > j.A > j.B > j.214A > land > jump > j.A > j.B > j.C > j.22A/B/j.214[X]

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Harder combos:

main damage loop (only do 3 loops on light characters: every female character and Shirou. 2 loops for the rest):

normals > 2C > (421A > tkc 214A)x3 > 421A > tkc 421C

damage loop + meter gain v2 (gains 67% meter)

normals → [2C → 421A → tkc 214A]x2 → 2C → 421A → tkc → 421C

• you can omit the last 2C to improve the consistency

Meter gain (intermediate, gains 60? meter):

Normals > 2C/421A > 421C/tkc 421C > 5B 5C 2C 421C

Harder meter gain route (gains 80-90 meter):

Normals > 2C > jump (9) > delay j.B > j.C > land 5B > 5C > 2C > 421A > tkc 421C

Meter gain optimized (even harder but gains 90-100 meter):

Normals > 2C > delay 421A > jump (9) > delay j.B > j.C > land > 5B > 5C > 2C > 421A > tkc 421C

meter neutral combo that ends with 214C set, and a hard knockdown for UB looping

2B > 2C > 421A > tkc 214B > tk j.214[C] > land 2B (transfer held button to B) > 421A > tkc 421C

• 214B has to hit in a very specific manner: its 3rd hit must hit a little later than its first 2 hits to give Sakura time to tk j.214C. and it has to be a super jump tk or this won't work
• Will not work at corner because j.214B's 3rd hit will hit too soon
• Characters' hurtbox specific. Does not work on tall characters

Ridiculously hard meter positive combo ending in HKD and with set 214C for UB looping

5B > 2B > 5C > 2C > 421A > jump (8) > NORMAL JUMP > j.623B > land 5B > 2C > 421A > tkc 214[C] > rc > 5[B] (transfer to B) > 421A > tkc 421C (transfer to A)

(Okizeme is (jump or superjump, turnaround for xup) > jB/C (and release A) > land and do 5B to do the previous combo)

Advanced meter positive with HKD ender and 214[C] set up for UB looping (Video Demonstration)

Normal → 2C → 421A → jump(8) j.623B → 2C → 421A → jump(8) j.623B → 2C → 421A → 214[C] → rc → 5[B] (transfer to B) → 2C(only on light characters, or if you omit 2C earlier) → 421A → tkc 421C (transfer to A)

Unscale setup (RG): (you must have at least 150 meter before the 421A here, or be activated)

combo (dont add too much gravity) > 421A > tkc 214[A] > RG > 5B > 2C > 236236B > release A > (236236B hits)

Unscale setup (activate)

combo (dont add too much gravity) > 421A > tkc 214A~A+B+C (kara activates, the timing is a bit weird) > 236236B > 214A hits > 236236B hits

Unscale setup (neither rc nor activate):

normals > 2C > 421A > tkc 214B > tk j.214[A] (transfer held button to C) > 2B > 421A > tkc 236236B > release C > (214A hits) > (236236B hits)

(note: the key is having the 3rd hit of 214B hit be delayed from its first 2 hit. This is very finicky and will not work on tall characters because the 3rd hit of 214B will hit them too soon)

Combo for activated hit into unscale (4800 damage, needs 100 meter left in the activate):

(hit) > 5B > 2B > 5C > 2C > 421A > tkc 214[A] > RG > 5B > 2C > 236236B > (release A) > (214A hits) > (236236B hits)

(note: you can omit the 421A and thus do 214[A] instead of tkc 214[A], this sacrifices 2-300 damage)

-Sakura got the moves ToD - 10k damage 240%-meter starter (Video Demonstration)

The damage is not cap at 10k if you have more meter

This ToD is not very realistic but it can happen. Avoid using 5C if you know you'll have enough meter as it will reduce the potential damage

The opponent must have 80% meter or less or they will be able to burst before she starts 421A dancing (which she will no longer be in the burst radius. 7 is the maximum number of 421A juggle that she's still safe from burst)

214C hit(optional) → 5B → 2B → [2C → 421A → tkc 214A]x2 → 2C → 421A → tkc 214[A] → RC → 5B → 2C → 421A → tkc 236236B → 214]A[ hit → 236236B hit → 2B → ACTIVATE → 5B → [crouch cancel 421A]x7 → tkc 214B → 236236B (no delay)

-Sakura Unlimited Hips Dance - 300% activation combos (Video Demonstration)

This ToD can work both with and without the Grail, but the damage will not reach 10k without it

• Normal 300% Activation: 214C hit(optional) → normals → [2C → 421A → tkc 214A]x2 → 2C → 421A → tkc 623B → ACTIVATE → [crouch cancel 421A]x11 → tkc 623C → RC → [crouch cancel 421A]x6 → tkc 214B → 236236B (no delay)
• Grail Activation: 214C hit(optional) → normals → [2C → 421A → tkc 214A]x2 → 2C → 421A → tkc 623B → ACTIVATE → [crouch cancel 421A]x11 → tkc 623C → RC → [crouch cancel 421A]x9 → tkc 623B → 236236B (no delay)
  • You can add an extra 421A in each reset, but it will be inconsistent

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Unblockable setups (she has enough of these that they warrant their own section)

(preset 214C mid combo, or set it mid pressure) > any overhead and release C

(rc-based setup: needs 90 meter at the end of the combo beforehand)

(combo ending in 421C) > 214[C] (transfer held button to A) > rc > 6C > (release A right after inputting C)

(another rc-based setup, needs to end the previous combo with at least 90 meter)

(combo ending in 421C) > 214[C] > rc > jump > (fastfall optional) > jB/C (and release C around the same time)

(needs at least 30 meter) 421C ender > tk 214[C] > set up overhead and release C

Air Unblockable setup (needs 130 meter, does 4.8k):

(combo ending in 421C)> jump > j214C~A+B+C (slide/kara it to immediately activate) > jB/C > land > 5B 2B 5C 2C > 421A > 2147[A] > rc > 5B 2C > 236236B > release A > (236236B hits)

TK Air unblockable setup

(combo ending in 421C) > (if midscreen) tk 22A/B >

tk j.214C > act > j.B/C > land 5B > 2B > 5C > 2C > (opt 421A) > (tkc) 214[A] > rc > 5B > 236236B > (release A) > (236236B hits)

(note: if you do 421A, you must do tkc 214[A], if not you don't need to)

Grail activated UB loop (does meter damage each loop, need to check damage and meter damage amounts)

(with 214C being held on A) 6C and release A => 5B > 2B > 214[C] (transfer to A) > rc > 5B > 2B > 5C > 2C > 421C)xN (do 236236C on the last)

(Command grab super based unblockable setups):

236[C]~A+B (immediate activate, keep C held) > 236236A and release C

(be activated) 236[C] > 236236A and release C

236236[B] > 236236A and release B