Melty Blood/Glossary

Standard Terms and Abbreviations

Another Arc-Drive (AAD)

41236C in BLOOD HEAT will activate another, usually stronger, version of the Arc-Drive. Using it will deplete all your remaining Magic Circuit.

Arc-Drive (AD)

41236C in HEAT or MAX will activate a character's special move. Using it in HEAT will deplete all your remaining Magic Circuit, in MAX it will leave you with 100% Magic Circuit

Blockstring

Strings (usually airtight) of attacks that get blocked.

Bunker

Inputting 214D with any moon characters. When used during guarding/blocking, your character will attempt to clash the oncoming opponent's attack and follow up with a unique bunker attack. For half moon characters, this attack has invincibility frames, knocks down without dealing damage, and costs 100% meter. For other moon characters, this attack deals damage and costs 50% meter.

When done outside blocking, the characters does a quick EX shield and then follows up with the damaging version of the bunker (even if you are using half moon style). This does not cost any meter, but degrades guard bar. Has a clash frame on startup.

Circuit Break

Certain moves put the opponent (and, rarely, the player) in a state where they can't gain or use meter. Their Magic Circuit meter becomes cracked and purple and have the words "Circuit Break" on it, with the bar indicating how long the state will last. Any meter they had before will be kept after the Circuit Break ends.

Counter Hit (CH)

When a move hits the opponent while they have a move out during its startup or active frames. Puts the opponent in a longer period of hitstun and untech time than a normal hit, and may even knock them down. Some moves and actions can be counter hit during recovery too, making them much riskier to use.

Cross-Up

Passing over the opponent and hitting their back while they are facing the wrong way. Because of the cross-up protection Melty has, when this happens the opponent can block both ways without worrying about getting hit.

Dodge and Air-Dodge

2E or 2A+B causes the character to shine and become invincible for a short time. However, it has recovery, so it is not possible to dodge every attack. A dodge weakens the guard bar, so it shouldn't be overly relied upon for defense.

Some characters' ground dodges are actually rolls that moves your character toward a direction. This can be used to go behind the opponent.

Air dodges have uses outside that of just avoiding the opponent's attack. They can be used to realign your character to face the opponent in air during combos or for cross ups.

Frame Trap

A sequence of moves in which one (usually advantageous on block) attack is used, followed by a second one that hits as soon as the opponent's hit/block stun ends. This leaves a very small gap during which if the opponent tries to use a move such as 2A, they will get counter hit during their startup by the frame trap's next attack.

This can also be referred to as Stagger Pressure in blockstrings.

Guard Bar

The short blue bar you see below the life bar. This will deplete whenever you guard (holding 4 or 1) your opponent's attacks. Successful EX guards replenish the bar instead. If it is completely depleted, the guard is crushed.

After the first air dodge or whiffed shield, the bar turns reddish gray. The second time, it turns completely red. The redder the guard bar, the weaker it is to attacks. An attack that dealt certain blue guard bar damage will deal several times more to a red guard bar. Thankfully, the guard bar gradually returns to its original blue status over time.

Guard Break

Note: The game uses "Guard Break" to refers to fully depleting the guard meter. See #Guard Crush.

A situation when a player uses an air unblockable attack to break the other player's air guard, or when a generally unblockable attack hits a grounded guard.

Guard Crush

A state where the character becomes immobile and helpless after their guard bar is fully depleted. The guard bar rapidly refills after the guard crush.

Called "Guard Break" in-game.

HEAT, MAX and BLOOD HEAT

HEAT is a state entered by pressing 5ABC or 5E with at least 100% Magic Circuit. While in HEAT, red life slowly regenerates. Arc-Drives can be used in HEAT mode. Similarly, in MAX mode both Arc-Drives and Circuit Sparks can be used, but without the regenerative effects of HEAT. Lastly, BLOOD HEAT is entered when pressing 5ABC or 5E when in MAX. Health regerates faster and both Another Arc-Drives or Last-Arcs can be used.

Note that there are differences regarding HEAT among the 3 moon styles. Please read the Melty Blood/Moons page for more info.

See also: Circuit Meter

Initiative Heat (IH)

It's like a Roman Cancel in GG, only accessible by Full Moon characters in Max mode. Press A+B+C during an attack to cancel the current attack animation and return to a neutral state -- can also be done in the air. Doing this will instantly heal all red life into yellow life and return the character to "Heat" mode.

Instant Air (Back)Dash (IAD/IABD)

This is a way to perform an airdash as soon as you leave the ground, its input is 6956 / 4754.

Last-Arc (LA)

Successfully EX-Shielding an opponent's attack while crouching, standing or in mid-air (this depends on the character performing the Last-Arc) will activate a special attack that usually pauses the opponent's movements and counter attacks for great damage.

Magic Circuit

Also called Circuit Meter or just Meter. Read the Circuit Meter page for more info.

Meaty

Using an attack as an opponent is waking, forcing them to block. Characters can use invincible starup reversals or shields to beat the technique.

Mix-Up

Technique used to make an opponent guess between two or more different actions that require different reactions, such a followup attack that could either be a low or an overhead attack.

Moon Styles

There are 3 different moon styles: Crescent Moon, Half Moon and Full Moon. These are abbreviated with C, H and F respectively. These abbreviations are also used when referring to a character in a specific mode, e.g. C-Nanaya, H-Ryougi, F-Kohaku etc.

Please read the Melty Blood/Moons page for more info on the differences among the moon styles.

Okizeme

Set-play done on the opponent's wakeup.

Option Select (OS)

A command usually consisting of several buttons that will perform a different action depending on what the opponent's own action.

See the Option Select section of the Melty_Blood/Controls page for examples.

OTG

A state where you can still be hit while On The Ground. Usually used to refer to strings performed on downed opponents.

Safejump

A jump-in attack used as a meaty. Referred to as safejump for being safe against reversal attacks as landing will cancel your aerial normal's recovery and let you quickly block or just out-space any wake-up attacks such as invulnerable DPs. However, as per the landing recovery rules, only Full Moon characters can instantly block on landing.

Sandoori/Sandori

Term used to denote the side switch air dash motion to bypass the cross-up protection. After crossing up it's usually inputted as 6954 or 4756 (Both notations are relative to the side you were in before crossing). The term is an abbreviation of the word "Sandaa Dorifuto" (サンダー・ドリフト) which is a Japanese pronunciation of the word "Thunder Drift". This has been commonly mistaken to denote 3-way mixups due to "sandoori" being misinterpreted as "Three way".

Shield and EX-Shield

Performed by pressing D in air and ground. Parry-like mechanic that allows the defender to "nullify" an incoming attack. When the first hit of certain multi-hit attacks are shielded, you will automatically shield all subsequent hits. How it works and the followups available to you change depending on the selected Moon system. See Shield Frame Data

The defender must shield according to the status of the move shielded. Standing and jumping normals must be shielded standing while crouching normals must be shielded crouching, regardless of whether the attack hits high, mid, or low. Self-chaining A normals can be shielded in either state.

Shielding specials depends on the properties of the special attack. If a special is classified as a sweep (FAoko 63214X, Tohno 214X), the defender must shield it crouching. If a special's hitbox is tied to a created object (projectiles, summons, and some other attacks such as Hime j236X), it can be shielded standing or crouching. Otherwise, the special must be shielded standing. In some cases different parts of a special may have different shield requirements.

Air shielding will successfully defend against any attack that hits airborne opponents and can be shielded. However, some attacks cannot be shielded at all.

A successful shield grants 5% meter and recovers some guard gauge quality. The attacker receives no meter, but is otherwise treated as if the attack hit. The attack will continue after shield clash and can be canceled accordingly if possible.

EX-Shield is a Crescent Moon exclusive mechanic. If an attack is shielded within the tap shield window (4f grounded, 6f airborne), the defender can also cancel shield into normals and jump. To perform a Last Arc, an EX-Shield must occur. While Full Moon does not otherwise have access to EX-Shield, it must still shield with the correct timing to trigger Last Arc during Blood Heat.

Startup

After inputting a move, it is the amount of frames that must pass prior to reaching the active frames. Otherwise known as "True Startup" as it does not include the first active frame.

Teching

Recovery from midair hitstun or knockdown performed by pressing a button and a direction in midair, pressing a direction right before hitting the ground, or pressing a direction after an OTG attack. Vulnerable to attack (tech trapping/punishing). Some characters can set up near unescapable tech trap situations.

The Neutral Frame

The Neutral Frame is a frame that nearly all actions must pass through after the recovery frames. On this frame, one can block and tech throws, but not act otherwise.

Tick Throw

A throw performed after getting a fast attack blocked, usually 5a/2a. The throw is delayed to avoid the 7f throw protection window after blockstun.

Tiger knee (TK)

When an aerial move (such as j.236) is input on the ground before a jump (with 2369X/2367X/2368X) for use as close to the ground as possible. Changes usage for some moves and may even change recovery. More examples include: 2149X/2148X/2147X, 4219X/4218X/4217X, etc

Which-way

Ambiguous mixup involving a combination of left/right and high/low mixups.

Notation

Numpad Notation

---

In order to represent directional inputs, numbers from a numpad are associated with directions ingame.

7			8			9
4			5			6
1			2			3

Commands are always denoted assuming that you're on the left facing right. Keep in mind that the numpad is mirrored when you face from right to left. In other words, 6 is always forward, and 4 is always backward.

Common Motions

		Forward		Backward
Quarter circle		236		214
Dragon punch		623		421
Half circle		41236		63214

See also: Melty Blood/Controls

Standard Notation

This is the standard notation for transcribing combos on this wiki. You'll find similar notation conventions in other airdashing fighting games, as it makes combos or complex blockstrings easy to describe and read. Less formal equivalents of certain notation and supplementary notes will be noted with *LF:. Casual notation is to be avoided on the wiki unless otherwise observed to prevent ambiguity, especially when there aren't easily accessible visual demonstrations of a combo.

You will see character pages that are more up to date use this table in their combo sections, for quick reference:

Combo Notation Help
Disclaimer: Combos are written by various writers, so the actual notation used in pages can differ from the standard one. For more information, see Glossary and Controls.
X > Y	X input is cancelled into Y.
X > delay Y	Must wait for a short period before cancelling X input into Y.
X, Y	X input is linked into Y, meaning Y is done after X's recovery period.
X+Y	Buttons X and Y must be input simultaneously.
X/Y	Either the X or Y input can be used.
X~Y	This notation has two meanings. Use attack X with Y follow-up input. Input X then within a few frames, input Y. Usually used for option selects.
X(w)	X input must not hit the opponent (Whiff).
j.X	X input is done in the air, implies a jump/jump cancel if the previous move was done from the ground. Applies to all air chain sections: Assume a forward jump cancel if no direction is given. Air chains such as j.A > j.B > j.C can be shortened to j.ABC.
sj.X	X input is done after a super jump. Notated as sj8.X and sj9.X for neutral and forward super jumps respectively.
dj.X	X input is done after a double jump.
sdj.X	X input is done after a double super jump.
tk.X	Stands for Tiger Knee. X motion must be buffered before jumping, inputting the move as close to the ground as possible. (ex. tk.236A)
(X)	X is optional. Typically the combo will be easier if omitted.
[X]	Input X is held down. Also referred to as Blowback Edge (BE). Depending on the character, this can indicate that this button is held down and not released until indicated by the release notation.
]X[	Input X is released. Will only appear if a button is previously held down. This type of input is referred to as Negative Edge.
{X}	Button X should only be held down briefly to get a partially charged version instead of the fully charged one.
X(N)	Attack "X" should only hit N times.
(XYZ)xN	XYZ string must be performed N times. Combos using this notation are usually referred to as loops.
(XYZ^)	A pre-existing combo labelled XYZ is inserted here for shortening purposes.
CH	The first attack must be a Counter Hit.
Air CH	The first attack must be a Counter Hit on an airborne opponent.
66	Performs a ground forward dash.
j.66	Performs an aerial forward dash, used as a cancel for certain characters' air strings.
IAD/IABD	Performs an Instant AirDash.
AT	Performs an Air Throw. (j.6/4A+D)
IH	Performs an Initiative Heat.
AD	Performs an Arc Drive.
AAD	Performs an Another Arc Drive.

>「Cancel」

Indicates that the recovery period of the preceding move should explictly be cancelled by the next input. Most of the time, it just means "press this next", but is used for clarity's sake. For example, "5A > 5B > 5C".

,「Link」

Indicates that the next move should explictly be linked after the recovery of the previous move ends. Link timings if tight/important will be written as a comment. For example, "5A,5B,5C".

• LF: Cancels and links alike are represented by spaces or by no space at all. They additionally drop lever position if its neutral, for brevity's sake. For example, "A B C", "ABC". However, in formal notation spaces are used for readabiity and between moves and special actions that either don't have animations to cancel/link from, or have conditions/animations that must complete.

~「Follow Up」

Reserved for specific moves that can cancel into specific followups. Can be used to specify specific rekkas, if the input would bring a different move instead when linked. When in doubt: If the move can't be done from pressing the input in neutral, its indicated with ~. For example, "236A~236C~236C~236C"

j.「Aerial Move」

Indicates the following move is done in the air, implies a jump if the previous move was done from the ground. For example, "j.A".

dj. / sj. / sdj.「Double/Super/Super Double Jump Move」

Unlike the former, explicitly indicates the move is performed after a double, super, or double super jump. For example, "dj.A, sdj.6C".

• Can be input in two ways: the Superjump command, or just tap 9 with 1f timing. While the 1f timing sounds difficult in theory, it is very easy to do if you need to do a super doublejump during a combo: Just press and release 9 during the hitstop of the air move you are going to super doublejump cancel.
• LF: Multiple moves performed in the same jump arc are often written together without explicit prefixes, and a new jump will be indicated by a new prefix. For example, "j.ABC j.BC".

tk.「Tiger Knee」

Usually prepended to a special move, it means it should be performed as close to the ground as possible by buffering the input motion before jumping. For example, "tk.236B".

66「Dash」

Indicates between the previous move and the next move, a dash should be performed. Ground or air dash is context dependent. For example, "5B 66 5C", "j.B 66 j.C".

• LF: Also indicated by "ad", but can be confused with "AD" (used informally for airthrow) and "AD" (used formally for Arc Drive). Its best to stick with 66 for clarity.

IAD / IABD「Instant Air Dash/Instant Air Back Dash」

Explicitly indicates the following move is performed after an Instant Air Dash. For example, "IAD j.A", "IABD j.6C".

XJCY「Jump Cancel」

Explcitly indicates the previous move's recovery should be cancelled into a specific jump, where 'X' is the jump type and 'Y' is the jump direction. Usually implictly indicated using j., dj., sj., and sdj., but should be used when a string becomes cluttered or unclear from prefixes alone. For example, "5B JC j.2C", "5B sJC9 j.B > j.5C sdJC9 j.C"

[X]「Charge/Blowback Edge」

Indicates a button should be held to fully charge the move. Often indicated by both a flash and a sound cue when done successfully. For example, "5[B]", "j.[B]".

{X}「Partial Charge」

Explicitly indicates a button should be held to delay a move, but not long enough to fully charge it.

xAT「Air Throw」

Indicates an air throw should be performed, where 'x' is a number specifying explicitly which direction should be held. If no directions are notated, assume a forward air throw is performed.

• LF: Sometimes indicated with AD, 6A+D, or 4/6E instead, 6A+D being an acceptable explicit synonym.

(Special Action)xN

There's many different things that can go here.

• Whiff: Indicates the preceding move should be whiffed. For example, "5C > 5A(w) > 6B".
• X Hit: Indicates the preceding move should hit only on its Xth hitbox. For example, "j.B(2) > j.63214A".
• Delay: a context sensitive note that either asks for a sizeable delay between moves, or a slight delay for when a move is cancelled into (for example when placed between a cancel from a previous move and the next move)
• Heat: Specifies a heat activation. Very rare to appear in notation.
• X^: Indicates a previously discussed loop or move string is inserted here. For example, "(Pit Loop^) > j.B > j.C", where 'Pit Loop' is a labelled combo.

A special action is done once, but if xN is written after it, the action is repeated 'N' times. If the letter itself is written, then it means the number of times depends on context or character.

(Option A)/(Option B)/...

The above notation indicates multiple possible special actions, with two ways it can be utilized. If the options are short (a few moves or less), then they can remain enclosed in the bracket. For example, "(2A)/(5A) > 2B > 5BB"

Otherwise, its best they point to a seperate line with the option's string, just like standard (X^) notation.

(Optional Option)

The above notation indicates the enclosed action can be omitted without compromising the string. For example, "(2A >) 5B > 5B"

reXjumpY「Return to Ground and Jump Again」

Indicates between the previous move and the next one, the character lands on the ground and jumps again. 'X' indicates the jump type, Y indicates the jump direction. For example: "sdj.B rejump j.6C", "j.63214A rejump9 j.A", "j.2C resjump j.C".

• LF: Often indicated implicity with "land" instead, and is an acceptable substitute when jump or air action specificity isn't important or to emphasize a return to ground.

IH「Initiative Heat」

Indicates an Initiative Heat should be performed to cancel the previous move's active frames or recovery into the next move.

AD / AAD「Arc Drive/Another Arc Drive」

Indicates Heat mode should be ended with an Arc Drive. Specific to combos that start in Heat.

Notation Example

The following is a Powered Ciel combo, meant to demonstrate the above notation rules.
See this page for details specific to the template used here.

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes

Normal starter, grounded opponent, Works On: Everyone 2A > 2A > 5B > 6B > 2C > 3C > j.B land 5B > 3B > 2C > 3C > 63214B > AT j.236A~A land 2A > 5B > 3B > 2C > 63214B > 5B > 3B > 2C > 3C > 236[A] > j.B 5758 Meter Gained: 129.0 Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 98.0 [N/A (Video)] Some characters require more hits for 3C > 236[A]. About 28 hits are needed to work universally. Opponent gains a lot of meter, but 236[A] > j.B is optimal for okizeme setup.