Melty Blood/MBAACC/Akiha Vermilion/Full Moon

Look how pretty she is.
Name:   Akiha Vermilion (紅赤朱 秋葉)  —  Nicknames:    Red
Voiced by:   Hokuto Minami (北都 南)  —  Type:   Human, Half-Demon  —  Gender:   Female
Birthday:   Sept. 22  —  Sizes:   73 / 57 / 79  —  Height:   160cm  —  Weight:   45kg
Eye Color:   Blue  —  Hair Color:   Red

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Overview

Strengths / Weaknesses

Strengths	Has high damage Has an infinite Great neutral tools like air pillar and puffball Great mobility with a fast dash and 2 airdashes Insane safe pressure from pits and puffballs Safe okizeme that leads to her pressure Play Tsukihime
Weaknesses	Lowest HP in the game No meterless reversal, and her metered one is mediocre

General Gameplan

Movement

FVAkiha is one of the most mobile characters in all of Melty Blood. Her mobility is one of the biggest reasons she's as good as she is. Of course, with great mobility comes great responsibility - you must make sure that you're not moving yourself into harm's way, as VAkiha's extremely low life means any mistake you make can mean the end for you.

Ground

FVAkiha's walkspeeds are above average, but no one simply walks around in Melty Blood so it is what it is.

Her ground forward dash is extremely fast, has very little startup (ie it doesn't take her long before she starts moving, as opposed to say PCiel, whose dash has a long amount of time at the beginning where she isn't moving), and has a bit of low profile ability, allowing her to dash under some characters who are trying to jump in with buttons towards you, and potentially run behind someone and 5A them on the other side. This dash coupled with her strong frame data allows her to also tick throw quite effectively.

Her ground backdash is average, it's invincible just like everyone's else. It can be useful to increase the distance between you and your opponent if you really can't afford the time to jump and air backdash. Not much more to say about it.

Move Descriptions

Frame Data Help
Header	Tooltip
Move Box Colors	Light gray = Collision Box (A move lacking one means it can go through the opponent's own collision box). Green: Hurt Boxes. Red: Hit(/Grab) Boxes. Yellow: Clash Boxes (When an active hitbox strikes a clash box, the active hitbox stops being active. Multi-hit attacks can beat clash since they will still progress to the next hitbox.) Magenta: Projectile-reflecting boxes OR Non-hit attack trigger boxes (usually). Blue: Reflectable Projectile Boxes.
Damage	Base damage done by this attack. (X) denotes combined and scaled damage tested against standing V. Sion.
Red Damage	Damage done to the recoverable red health bar by this attack. The values are inherently scaled and tested against standing V. Sion. (X) denotes combined damage.
Proration	The correction value set by this attack and the way it modifies the scaling during a string. See this page for more details. X% (O) means X% Overrides the previous correction value in a combo if X is of a lower percentage. X% (M) means the current correction value in a combo will be Multiplied by X%. This can also be referred to as relative proration.
Circuit	Meter gained by this attack on hit. (X%) denotes combined meter gain. -X% denotes a meter cost.
Cancel	Actions this move can be cancelled into. SE = Self cancelable. N = Normal cancelable. SP = Special cancelable. CH = Cancelable into the next part of the same attack (Chain in case of specials). EX = EX cancelable. J = Jump cancelable. (X) = Cancelable only on hit. -X- = Cancelable on whiff.
Guard	The way this move must be blocked. L = Can block crouching H = Can block standing. A = Can block in the air. U = Unblockable.
Startup	Amount of frames that must pass prior to reaching the active frames. Also referred to as "True Startup".
Active	The amount of frames that this move will have a hitbox. (x) denotes frame gaps where there are no hitboxes is present. Due to varied blockstuns, (x) frames are difficult to use to determine punish windows. Generally the larger the numbers, the more time you have to punish. X denotes active frames with a duration separate from its origin move's frame data, such as projectile attacks. In this case, the total length of the move is startup+recovery only.
Recovery	Frames that this move has after the active frames if not canceled. The character goes into one frame where they can block but not act afterwards, which is not counted here.
Advantage	The difference in frames where you can act before your opponent when this move is blocked (assuming the move isn't canceled and the first active frame is blocked). If the opponent uses a move with startup that is at least 2 frames less than this move's negative advantage, it will result in the opponent hitting that move. ±x~±y denotes a range of possible advantages.
Invul	Lists any defensive properties this move has. X y~z denotes X property happening between the y to z frames of the animations. If no frames are noted, it means the invincibility lasts through the entire move. Invicibility: Strike = Strike invincible. Throw = Throw invincible. Hurtbox-Based Properties: Full = No hurtboxes are present. High = Upper body lacks a hurtbox. Low = Lower body lacks a hurtbox. Miscellaneous Properties Clash = Frames in which clash boxes are active. Reflect = Frames in which projectile-reflecting boxes are active. Super Armor = Frames in which the character can take hits without going into hit stun.

Normal Moves

Standing Normals

5A

5A	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 300 121 75% (O) -SE-, -N-, -SP-, -EX-, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 5 4 4 4 2.7% - Good standing jab. Main fast button in neutral. Situational anti-air.

5B

5B	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 700 505 100% N, SP, EX, (J) L First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 8 5 11 -1 6.3% - Good standing low. Must be shielded standing even though it's a low. Decent ground poke. Strong pressure tool since it's -1 Links into itself on CH.

5C

5C 5[C]

5C Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1000 707 90% (O) N, SP, EX, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 8 6 17 -5 9.0% - Situational anti-air. Can stop people from running into you. 5[C] Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1400 1212 80% (O) N, SP, EX, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 25 5 14 0 10.8% - Pushes you forward a lot. Deals big damage to the guard bar.

Crouching Normals

2A

2A	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 350 151 75% (O) -SE-, -N-, -SP-, -EX-, (J) L First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 5 4 5 3 3.6% - F-VAki's fastest low.

2B

2B 2B~2B~2B 2B 2B 2BB 2BB 2BBB 2BBB

2B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 250*6 (653) (472) 85% (O) N, SP, -CH-, EX, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 6 9 13 -2 1.8%*3 (5.4%) - Thick and fast. Has a lot of pushback. Is mainly used to punish standing shield. ~2B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 200*3 (580) (292) 100% (O) -CH- LA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 1 5 20 -10 ~ -9 0.9%*3 (2.7%) - Low followup. Instant if done during 2B's recovery. Only cancellable into 2BBB. ~2B~2B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 500 606 75% (O) J HA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 26 5 16 -3 5.4% - An overhead with rather slow start-up. Can be jump-cancelled on Hit OR Block so it is safe so long as it doesn't whiff. Very rarely used.

2C

2C	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1200 707 60% (O) N, SP, EX, (J) L First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 8 5 16 -3 9.0% - Decent poke. Pretty safe. Hard to convert from without predicting it's going to connect.

Aerial Normals

j.A

j.A	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 300 151 75% (O) SE, N, SP, EX, J HA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 5 4 11 - 2.7% - Fast and has a good angle. It's a good tool for anti-airing and air to airing. It's also used to do lows in airdash mixups, for example IAD > whiff j.A > 2A is the low option

j.B

j.B	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 700 505 90% (O) N, SP, EX, J HA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 7 4 - - 6.3% - Mostly used as an air to air tool. Also used as a falling air normal after puffball.

j.C

j.C

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1000 505 90% (O) SP, EX, J HA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 10 5 - - 9.0% - The high option in F-VAkiha air dash mixups. Beats every 5A anti-air if spaced correctly (vertically) If you decide to use j.C to air to air you have to be a) behind them and b) be a decent amount above them and use the button preemptively. It's very important to know that the green is really close to the red. Being aware of that is key to make the most out of j.C

Command Normals

3C

3C	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1200 707 70% (O) SP, EX, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 11 4 18 -4 10.8% Clash 11-14 Launches on hit, cancellable into neutral superjump. Has a clash box while active.

4C

4C	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 500*2 (925) (653) 100% SP, EX, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 8 4 31 -15 4.5%*2 (9.0%) - Thick and fast. Unsafe on whiff. Situational anti-air. Good abare button. Can stop the opponent from dashing at you. Has 5f worse recovery in comparison to her C/H Moon 4Cs but F-VAkiha 4C launches on hit.

6C

6C	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 600 303 75% =(SP), (EX) H First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 26 4 18 -4 7.2% - There is no green box below her leg until it’s active, therefore most of the trades go positive in your favor if someone tries to mash it with their 2A. Can be dash cancelled on hit with 66. This is required to confirm from it in midscreen.

Universal Mechanics

Ground Throw

Ground Throw 6/4A+D	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 170*7 (1076) (488) 100% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 3 1 20 - 0.0% - V.Akiha grabs the opponent by the neck and goes into a 7-hit sequence. Recovers roughly 1000 red life as well. Untechable knockdown.

Air Throw

Air Throw j.6/4A+D	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1600 (Raw) 1000 489 100% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 2 1 12 - 0.0% - V.Akiha takes the opponent to the ground with the power of her legs. As a combo ender it will be untechable but will leave you at a distance.

Shield Counter

Shield Counter 236D after a successful Shield (Air OK)	Ground Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 500 (345) 202 50% (SP), (EX), (J) LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 9 4 18 -4 4.5% - Same animation as 3C. Air Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 500 (345) 202 50% - HA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 9 4 - - 4.5% Full 1-3 Same animation as C-Moon j.C.

Shield Bunker

Shield Bunker 214D in neutral or blockstun

Bunker Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 500 202 100% - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 26 4 19 -5 0.0% (-50.0% in blockstun) Clash 1-10 (Clash) Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 500 202 100% - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 8 4 19 -5 0.0%/-50.0% Strike 1-7 V.Akiha's shield bunker is a special slide with low to the ground hitboxes.

Blood Heat

Blood Heat A+B+C during MAX	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 100 0 100% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 16 5 25 - uses all Full 1-20 Hitbox entirely covers V.Akiha.

Circuit Spark

Circuit Spark A+B+C during hitstun/blockstun at MAX

Ground Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 100 0 100% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 11 10 20 - removes all Full 1-39 Air Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 100 0 100% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 12 10 15 - removes all Strike 1-30 Universal burst mechanic. Unlike Crescent/Full Heat activation, the hitbox and frame data doesn't vary between characters. However, you can be thrown out of this move if you input it in the air.

Special Moves

Grounded Specials

236X

Brilliant Impetus - Scarlet Spots 236A/B/C

A/B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 300*4 202*4 50% (O) - LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 19 8 (12) 8 8 -15 ~ 5 (A) -19 ~ 1 (B) 2.7%*4 (10.8%) - Ground Puffballs. V.Akiha reaches out in front of her and summons a flaming ball at the tip of her finger. Both A and B versions are air unblockable so have some extremely situational use as anti airs, but the EX version is not. A: The puffball is pointed slightly upwards and hits 2 times twice. It has no use. B: Ditto A version but pointed forward instead. Still useless. EX Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 600*4 (1488) (999) 60% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 3+10 8 20 -1 -100.0% - Looks like a powered up version of A. Launches on hit. Only used in some metered midscreen combos. Generally not worth spending meter on during combos.

623X

Brilliant Impetus - Autumn Leaves 623A/B/C

A Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 700*2 (1236) (801) 90% (M)*2 -EX-, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 14 12 14 -7 5.4%*2 (10.8%) - Affectionately called the Momiji (or Momiji rush). V.Akiha spins around once and rushes toward her opponent, striking them again after jumping in the air, and hitting them back to the ground. Used primarily in the corner combos called Momiji loops. Akiha dashes along the ground but doesn't jump up for the final blow. Unlike for C and H moon where this move worked as an anti air with upper body invincibility, F's 623A has no invincibility whatsoever and thus isn't a very good anti air at all (though it is still air unblockable). Its main use is in combos for corner carry and damage in the corner. Hits twice and both hits are jump cancelable. This move is IH cancelable and you can even whiff the move and cancel to IH during the dashing animation, which is extremely useful if you want to get life via IH. B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 300, 200, 500, 400 (984) (534) 70% (O), 60% (M) - LH (1-2), LHA (3-4) First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 9 32 24 -9 3.15%, 1.8*2, 4.5% (9.95%) Low 1-10 Just like the Momiji rush from the other 2 moons. Hits 4 times and is used in combos. Lower body invincible but if they only do one meaty 2A they will most often be able to block in time. Not a very good reversal at all. EX Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 200, 300*2, 400 (1089) (607) 60% (M) (N), (SP), (EX), (J) LH (1-2), LHA (3-4) First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 6+3 35 23 -9 -100.0% Full 1-10 Relaunches from OTG. Used in fullscreen Momiji loops. Cancellable into anything on hit. Has a small amount of invincibility up until the first hit. Can be used as a makeshift reversal, although not recommended.

214X

Piercing the Moon (EX: Piercing the Waxing Moon) 214A/[A]/B/[B]/C

A/B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 400*3 (1009) (560) 80% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 21 22 13 -14 ~ 0 2.7%*3 (8.1%) - [A]/[B] Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 400*5 (1578) (875) 80% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 29 X (64) 35 -14 ~ 42 2.7%*5 (13.5%) - Flame Pillars. V.Akiha flicks her hand upward and summons a flame pillar in front of her that moves forward slowly. It's very similar to C/H moon's except that F moon's pillars are slightly taller and can be used in the air. This can make moving around her pillars much more difficult compared to the C/H version of herself. Pillars can be used for good oki. Pillars are also able to OTG, but it is not recommended. A: The pillars spawn just in front of V.Akiha. and move about 3 character lengths away. Can be charged to about 5 character lengths. Used for spacing and blockstrings. B: Same as A. But the pillars spawn where A's uncharged version ends. Moves 3 character lengths away from that spot. Can also be charged to move farther. EX Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 280*15 (2497) (1799) 96% (M)*15 - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 2+33 X (118) 29 -8 ~ 90 -100.0% Full 1-9 Starts where A starts and travels all the way to where a fully charged B would end. (Almost full screen!!!) If you can get your opponent to block it, it will carry them more or less right into the corner.

22X

Brilliant Impetus - Luring Calm 22A/B/C (No EX) (~(j.)22A/B/C(~6)) (Hitboxes trigger the Pit on opponents in hit/blockstun) (Hitboxes trigger the Pit on opponents in hit/blockstun) ~22A/B/C(~6) ~22A/B/C(~6)

A/B/C Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard - - - - - First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 16 X (360) 36 - - Low 12-33 ~22A/B/C (~4/6) Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 750*2 (1279) (795) 100% - LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 18 (17) 2 (2) 2 12 (13) 6 ~ 16 (5 ~ 15) 3.6%*2 (7.2%) Full 1-8 Flame pits. V.Akiha hops back slightly and summons a swilling pit on the ground. This move can be used on the ground or in the air. The pit stays for a set amount of time and disappears if V.Akiha is hit. The pits ignite if the opponent is over them and in block/hit stun. You can also manually ignite them by inputting their motion a second time, and holding 6 will reverse the direction the pit explodes. These pits do not launch your opponent like C/H moon's pits but they do add quite a bit of damage in addition to being able to be summoned faster. Flamepits are usually TKed and used in combos and blockstrings. Holding 4/6 as the pit explodes causes it to hit one frame earlier. 4 works despite the fact that it doesn't affect the direction of the pit. An interesting side note: If you get a Half moon character while in auto heat into blockstun with any C normal canceled into pit (so that it auto ignites from the blockstun), the pit forces a circuit spark. Air flamepits make you stop in the air and their ability to break momentum isn't affected by doing a dash jump. A: V.Akiha summons a pit right underneath herself. B: This version has the pit summon about where a 214b would spawn. C: Cost no meter. Just summons a pit a little bit farther than the B version.

Aerial Specials

j.236X

Brilliant Impetus - Fire Curtain j.236A/B/C

A/B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 400*4 (1189) (599) 80% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 15 8 10 10 (TK) 3.6%*4 (14.4%) - Air Puffballs. While midair V.Akiha jumps a bit higher into the air and puts a flaming ball underneath her. This move is key to her pressure and is exclusive to F moon. It stuffs just about anything underneath it and opens up opportunities for some nasty mixups. It counts as a projectile and can be TKed for a pressure reset. Combined with her 2 jumps and airdashes, this move makes her float up in the air for an almost unfair amount of time. All versions give an untechable knockdown that you can OTG from. Puffballs affect the momentum of your jump, and their effect is accentuated/diminished if you did a dash jump for A and B version respectively. A: Akiha jumps and gains slightly forward momentum after the puffball. B: Same as A but backward momentum instead of forward. EX Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 700*4 (2083) (1199) 80% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 5+10 8 10 10 (TK) -100.0%, 6.3%*4 (-74.8%) - You can also influence which direction you drift by holding 4 or 6 right after the move. Primarily used to get knockdowns off air combos that set up meaty air pillar. Do note that you build bar when j.236C hits, so you can build bar while getting knockdowns (because that's fair :^) ).

j.214X

Piercing the Moon (Air) (EX: Piercing the Waxing Moon) j.214A/[A]/B/[B]/C A A [A] [A] B B [B] [B] EX EX

A/B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 400*3 (1009) (560) 80% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 20 5 (7) 5 (7) 8 9 - 2.7%*3 (8.1%) - [A]/[B] Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 400*4 (1298) (720) 80% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 30 5 (9) 5 (9) 5 (9) 8 9 - 2.7%*4 (10.8%) - EX Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 280*15 (2497) (1799) 96% (M)*15 - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 2+30 118 9 - -100.0% - V.Akiha can (and should) use pillars in the air. Using Air Pillars is core to her neutral and pressure game. Keep in mind that air pillars move a shorter distance then ground pillars and that you cannot preform any input till you land and recover on the ground. She will also resume the air momentum she had before the pillar was summoned.

j.22X

Brilliant Impetus - Luring Calm (Air) j.22A/B/C (No EX) (~(j.)22A/B/C(~6)) (Hitboxes trigger the Pit on opponents in hit/blockstun) (Hitboxes trigger the Pit on opponents in hit/blockstun) ~j.22A/B/C(~6) ~j.22A/B/C(~6)	A/B/C Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard - - - - - First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 11 X (360) 17 - - Low 7-X ~j.22A/B/C (~6) Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 750*2 (1279) (795) 100% - LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 22 (21) 2 (2) 2 25 (26) -6 ~ 4 (-7 ~ 3) 3.6%*2 (7.2%) - Data on F-V.Akiha's aerial pits.

Arc Drive

Red Mistress - Ubiquitous 41236C during MAX/Heat

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 650*10 (2813) (1746) 50% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 3+6 24 62 -40 removes all Full 1-41 V.Akiha lifts her arms up and shoots a small full-screen laser from her eyes. Hits 10 times. Only does about 2.8k of damage. Pretty much useless. You can use it to end a Momiji loop or catch people mashing backdash on wakeup if your feeling yourself. Is very punishable on whiff. Somewhat punishable on block.

Another Arc Drive

Red Mistress - Ubiquitous 41236C during Blood Heat	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 700*19 (4422) (3804) 50% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 4+5 57 59 -34 removes all Full 1-71 A stronger version of her first Arc Drive. Hits 19 times for about 4.4k. Nothing special or really useful about this attack. Can be used as a full screen punish if you see them doing something unsafe.

Last Arc

Red Mistress Ubiquitous - Hill of the Crimson Banquet Grounded EX Shield during Blood Heat

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 9250 (3420~6509) (2779~5264) 50% + 50% * remaining BH time - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 4+7 2 22 - removes all Full V.Akiha's Last Arc. It is performed by doing an EX shield on the ground. V.Akiha traps her opponent in the air and summons a vast amount of flametongues to engulf the poor victim in a sea of red. Hits 16 times and depending on how much meter you had left when you LA, does between 3.5k to 6.3k

Air

FVAkiha's air mobility is second only to F Hime who has flight. In addition to having two average trajectory jumps and two above average airdashes, she also has puffballs (j.236A/B), pits (j.22A/B/C) and pillars (j.214A/B), and using a combination of all these options can make the opponent's life a nightmare.

Her jumps cover a standard amount of distance and float for a standard amount of time. Her dash jump covers a long distance so dash jumping to poke the opponent out of anything slow in the air is a valid strategy if you have the hard read to back it up. Having two dashes in the air allows you to bait out big normals an come back in and punish.

Puffball (j.236A/B) can be done indefinitely in the air. A version floats you towards where you are facing and B version floats you away from where you are facing. They basically have no hurtbox where her arms are, so it's an extremely good option while moving around if your opponent is anywhere below you, since it's really difficult to challenge from that angle. Choosing between the A and the B version depends on the situation - do you want to go forward or go backward? Using a puffball disallows you from air backdashing till you land, so it's extremely important to know which version of the puffball you want to use. Also note that puffballs' momentum changing is affected by what jump you are doing, so doing a dash jump puffball can make the A version puffball go way ahead and the B version puffball barely move backwards if at all.

Pit (j.22A/B/C) can also be done indefinitely in the air. All versions make you float slightly upwards and backwards, overriding all previous momentum. This is great as a brake in the air, so you can just pause and make yourself not land on a potential anti air, which is great when you're air teching and you've used up all your movement options and someone's making you land onto a normal for a ground to air combo. Pits have great recovery and let you keep all your movement options so they're great to just move around with, and they also have the added benefit of activating and putting the opponent in huge amount of blockstun if you push them into pits while in blockstun.

Pillars (j.214A/B) are similar to ground pillars, except done in the air. They're a great way to protect your landing if someone's running towards you to anti air you out of the air, but if someone jumps over the pillar you're in deep trouble because you are in full recovery till you land AND you have extra recovery when you land. They're also good to bully opponents who like to stay on the ground from far, though this is Melty Blood so you wouldn't find players like those often.

Offense

FVAkiha's offense is extremely potent, with F moon's standard extremely good frame data coupled with a really fast dash that allows her to tick throw very well. Just like most characters in Melty Blood, FVAkiha is at her best when she's forcing the opponent to block all of her stuff, creating strings that look like they have no way out, and punishing the opponent for trying.

Pressure

FVAkiha, being an F moon character, has very good frame data on most of her normals (See #Normal Moves).

Her throw is really good and provides a ton of different mixups, while healing her red life, which can be useful if you're trying to make a comeback and you don't have IH.

Her 2A, standard low poke, is +3 on block. +3 is a LOT, considering most C and H moon characters' 2A's are usually 0 or -1 on block. This allows you to do 2A delay 2A as a frame trap.

5A is +4 on block, one frame extra. Coupled with the fact that you can't duck it on block if you play a viable character (sorry Necos), this makes it an excellent tool to catch late jump outs and get a mini combo.

5B and 5C, while negative on block, are excellent frame trap normals, since 5B on counter hit links to another 5B, and 5C on counter hit can lead to massive damage using j.22x.

4C is another frame trap tool that you can chain into if they block your 5B or 5C as another thing to try. Same for 623A, except you can do that after 4C as well.

TK air puffball is a fantastic tool on offense that does frankly too much stuff for a move that is that safe (essentially fully safe). It has a great tendency to just eat Dragon Punches on wakeup due to how the DP interacts with her hurtbox (or rather, lack of thereof). Super jump puffball isn't that good. You want to normal jump tk puffball, you do this by either 412369A or [2]369A (hold 2 for a little while before doing the rest of the motion). After normal jump TK air puffball, you want to chain into j.B for a safe blockstring, or land and 2A if you've conditioned them to always take the j.B high option.

IAD j.C is an option you can use if you're too far away for TK air puffball and your opponent gives you enough time and doesn't mash out a normal to stop you. It is also cancelable into lots of air stuff, including but not limited to dj.22A, j.214A, dj airdash j.C, and so on.

Pairing these together, you can create strings limited by your imagination and your opponent's willingness to escape your pressure. Some examples:

• 2A, tick throw
• 2A, delay 5B/5C
• 2A, TK air puffball, j.B, dash 2A
• 2A2A, tick throw
• 2A2A, delay 5B
• 2A2A, IAD j.C > dj.22A, j.22B, land, tick throw

As you can see, the possibilities are endless. The key is to mix up enough stuff to where your opponent thinks, "Oh jeez I can't just keep blocking all this because my guard bar is depleting," or they can just not think and mash 2A or mash dragon punch or try to jump out because they don't care, and your job as the aggressor is to punish that (more detail near the end).

Okizeme

FVAkiha's okizeme is very potent and extremely safe for how damaging it can be. Below are some of the more common knockdowns you'll land, and the general options you have off them. Do note that this isn't everything; be creative and/or watch match videos to see what top level players do.

Air throw

Air throw is one of the more common knockdowns you will be landing, so it's important to know what kinds of oki options you get. Do note that it's not as much advantage as j.236C, so unless you don't have the meter, it's usually advised to end air combos with j.236C to get as much advatage off the combo as possible.

• 66 2A

While not strictly meaty depending on the character, it does beat wake up mashing by everybody. 2A is +3 on block as well, so even if they don't mash, you can run with the advantage.

• 214[B]

If you predict your opponent to just wake up DP, but still want to retain some sort of advantage, you can do 214[B] and make their reversal whiff (or make them hit a pillar, in which case if it hits as a counter hit you can combo off it) while still putting them in blockstun. If they block it you have enough time to run up and do a 2A as part of the blockstring from the pillar. Do note that pillars are not strictly meaty and they can jump out, but they'll have to block them in the air which leads to an unblockable 4C.

Once the opponent starts respecting these you have the option to run up throw, IAD j.C, run up puffball, etc, but note that these two are the primary options you have.

j.236C combo ender

If you want a good knockdown midscreen you'll most likely go for this. For 100% it's not a bad investment. Your options include:

• j.A(w), j.214[A].

Creates lots of blockstun for your opponent to deal with as you dance around them and do whatever you want.

• float away during j.236C, j.66, j.214A

Same concept except not as easy to shield on reaction and punish.

• float away during j.236C, j.66, j.A(w), land 2A

Cheeky low.

Corner 623B

Ender to Momiji loop and hard knockdown. This can lead to a really good mixup that's relatively safe. The most standard way to pressure off this is to regular jump towards the opponent, do j.22A then do:

• j.C for your standard high.
• Land and 5B for your empty jump low.
• j.236A for puffball that will, just like it does basically everywhere, go through DP's or Heat activations, which you can then land and punish.

j.C and 5B both become super + on block and really easy to hit confirm (and lead to pit loops) because you have a pit right on top of them. This mixup does somewhat lose to wake up backdash, but you can simply delay your timing if you expect a wake up backdash, or input an backdash option select (for FVAkiha, 2A2C) upon landing and catch that backdash.

Air Puffball

Often landed as a frame trap or as a combo ender

• Corner 623A > j.22A, j.236A / j.236A / dash momentum j.236B

You're right on top of them as you land this, you get the option to neutral double jump and go for sandoori by holding [4]/[6]. Sandoori is a Japanese term, identical in meaning to the American which-way, describing a left right mixup with three different options.

• dj8~[4], late j.C (so you land before j.C becomes active), 2A
• dj8~[6], late j.C (so you land before j.C becomes active) 2A
• dj8~[4], j.66 j.C
• dj8~[6], j.236B (to bait DP's)

These options create a three way mixup that's relatively safe (you can use the different floats to confuse which way to enter 623 for DP's, or j.236B to flat out beat DP's).

• 4C > j.AC > sdj.236B

You're slightly further away from them so you can't go for sandoori. Your options include airdashing forward and:

• j.214A

Pillars that they have to block as you land safely and try to go for another mixup.

• whiff j.A, land 2A

Cheeky low.

Ground throw

Ground throw with FVAkiha is really good. It fills back your red life and gives a hard knockdown that you can set up a lot of mixups from.

• j.66 > j.44 > j.236A/B (left/right, good to mess up 623 DP inputs)
• Meaty 2A
• Meaty puffball
• "Meaty" j.66 j.C (shield bait)
• Walk back, j.66:

• j.B(w), 2A (cross up low)
• j.C (overhead)
• j.236A/B (dp bait/another left/right)

Ground throw has a lot of potential and you basically get to do whatever you want.

Escaping pressure

Escaping FVAkiha's pressure is pretty tough. Here are some theories as to how to avoid it. (WIP)

Defense

As the character with the lowest life in the game, you really don't want to be put into a position where you have to rely on defense. However, if you do get caught in such a position, namely having to anti air and having to deal with someone's offense, here are some strategies.

Anti air

Anti air in Melty is more preemptive and soft read based than purely reactionary. That being said, FVAkiha has a few anti air options available to her.

• Air to air j.A/j.B

Classic Melty anti air. If you get a counter hit with these you can turn it into big damage and/or corner carry into good mixups. If you don't get a counter hit you can still do good damage, however you have to choose whether you think you'll get the counter hit so you can just do a j.A or j.B, land and do a full combo, or you think you won't get a counter hit, in which case you can chain into other normals and end the combo with air throw or j.236C for the knockdown. Whether you're going for the counter hit or the basic chain depends on you and how hard a read you have on getting that counter hit. The counter hit combo will lead to a lot more damage and better positioning and oki situation on counter hit, but without counter hit doesn't net you anything, while the basic chain works all the time but gives much less damage and worse positioning. j.B has a better air to air hitbox in front of and above her (the upward leg doesn't have a hurtbox) but is slightly slower than j.A (j.A is i5 while j.B is i7).

• Air throw

Air throws in Melty are a really good anti air, similar to Guilty Gear. However, the difference is that in Melty Blood if you whiff an air throw you're stuck there swinging for all eternity, have additional landing recovery and are fully in counter hit state as you're flying across the screen, whiffing your air throw. However they do lead to decent combos, for FVAkiha at least, and they are (almost?) instant, much faster than j.A or j.B, so if you think someone is going to airdash at you and you won't have time to get out a j.A or j.B or they're going to do an empty airdash trying to bait your anti air shield, you can get an air throw (and possibly yell "SCOOOOOOOPS!" when you get it). Do note that you can air throw to the left or the right by holding that direction when you input your air throw, so if you're in the corner and you see someone jump at you, it might be a decent idea to air throw them backwards into the corner.

• Ground normals (ie 5A, 5C, 3C)

Ground normals generally don't tend to be amazing anti airs in Melty due to how fast and well designed for air-to-ground jumping normals are and how much ground normals aren't designed for great anti air use (you won't find anything like a Guilty Gear 6P with upper body invincibility, for example).

• 5A isn't a great anti air in terms of hitboxes(the hitbox is the underside of her arm, while the hurtbox is the whole arm and slightly above it), but if someone's airdashing at you really low, there might be a chance you can 5A them out of it and get a small combo or an air tech situation. 5A is also a good anti air if you were able to dash under the opponent, since their normal will then come out on the other side and there's no risk of their jump normal hitting you out of your 5A (unless their jump normal hits behind them), and as FVAkiha's dash has a bit of low profile starting from frame 8, there are quite a few situations where you can use dash under 5A as an anti air.
• 5C is a better anti air in terms of hitboxes, but it is a slow normal so you can't really use it as a raw reaction anti air - it is a soft read (ie prediction + reaction, "I think they'll air dash at me; oh they airdashed, I'll 5C.") anti air. Same with 5A, if they get hit by this you can jump cancel it and get a small combo, or let them tech for an air tech situation.
• 3C is extremely slow but its saving grace is that it reaches extremely high when 5A and 5C do not, so if someone's flying above your head high enough where you can't 5A or 5C them but not super high so you can't reach them at all, you might be able to get 3C as a little hit. Same with 5A and 5C, you can jump cancel it and get a small combo (do note that jump cancelling with 8 after 3C gives you a super jump, which might be necessary for you to get a combo off it) or let them tech for an air tech situation.

All these normals on counter hit lead to full air combos similar to counter hit air to air j.A or j.B.

• Shield

Shield is the universal anti air, and since you're F moon you can input 236D after your shield and get a basic combo after it. if you think someone will air dash at you and you don't have time to air throw them or j.A them, and you're sure that they will hit an air normal, you can let it out and get decent rewards if they do the air normal. However if they just empty jump or air dash again or use some other method to bait shield, causing your shield to whiff, you're going for a ride, as shields are punishable by counter hits during recovery. Be extremely careful when using shield as an anti air against good opponents, as they will blow you up extremely hard if you mess up.

• Avoid the scenario

Melty Blood is an aerial game and you're FVAkiha so you have some of the best air movement in the whole game. The best way to anti air is to not get caught in situations where you have to rely the above tools to try to get out. Try to be above the opponent whenever possible (and avoid their air normals). Use pits and puffballs to maintain aerial superiority. Use your good air normals and puffballs if someone below you want to challenge you. Use your two airdashes, one double jump and air specials to completely avoid whatever situation your opponent has set out for you down below. This is not to say that there will never be scenarios where you have to rely on the above options to escape your opponent jumping at you, but like the old proverb says, "The best cure is prevention." Don't be there for your opponent to jump at you.

Post block reversals

She only has 623C as an invincible reversal, which on hit gives fairly good rewards, but during recovery is counter hit punishable and is relatively slow so it's easy to safejump (however it is air unblockable so they actually need to do a decent safejump - they can't just air block it).

She also has shield just like every character, however as with every character, it's a huge risk if it gets baited because she's in counter hit state during recovery.

Her shield bunker slides very low to the ground and there are chances that you can avoid some stuff with it but it's generally not a great option because C and F shield bunkers are not fully invincible like H shield bunkers are. Her backdash is fairly standard; it can avoid some stuff if you really want to avoid stuff with it, but again, if it gets baited you are going for a ride.

As an F moon character she does not have access to EX shields and dodges.

Her 2A is 5 frames so it's not as good a mash-out-of-jail-free card as it is for some other characters with faster 2A's, but you can always find situations where you can make use of it to abare out of the opponent's pressure.

While her defensive options are just as lackluster as a majority of the cast, the problem with FVAkiha's stuff is that if it gets baited it hurts a lot, lot more than it hurts everyone else, because her life is extremely low and her defense modifiers are really high (as in she eats a lot more damage per hit than most characters). Be very careful while trying to make a defensive read with these tools. The safest way to defend with FVAkiha is to use your reactions and reads to block and EX guard whenever you can to recover your guard meter, get more meter, and push the opponent away further, and read if someone wants to throw you and avoid it, either with throw techs, abare 2A's, or jumping out.

Combos

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.

This video contains all combos for FVAkiha, including character specifics. The notes below contains the basics but if you're looking for full on character specifics then it might be worth checking it out. Do note that it is in Japanese without English translations. Sooner or later I'd like to translate these notes and put them here but until then there's just this video.

Normal Combos

Meterless Combos

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
Normal starter, grounded opponent 2AA > 5B > 5C > 4C(2) > j.ABC > dj.BC > AT 4451 Meter Gained: 64.8% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 21.6 Basic BnB. Video Example
Normal starter, grounded opponent 2AA > 5B > 5C > 4C(1) > tk.22B > j.66 > j.C, land j.BC > dj.C > AT 4923 Meter Gained: 67.5% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 23.6 Advanced combo. Video Example
Normal starter, grounded opponent 2AA > 5B > 5C > 4C(2) > j.AC > sdj.236B > delay j.66 > j.214A ??? Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? Midscreen, hard knockdown for okizeme. Input the 236B as soon as possible, like a tk (2369B). For combo 6, you can switch the ender from 'j.BC > dj.C > AT to j.B > sdj.C > j.236C for hard knockdown oki. Really difficult on some characters such as Shiki Tohno, Satsuki and the Lens, and in most instances doesn't work on Ryougi Shiki.
Normal starter, grounded opponent 2AA > 5B > 5C > 623A > tk.22C > j.66 > j.AB, land j.BC > dj.C > AT 4608 Meter Gained: 73.8 Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 25.7 Corner carry from midscreen or 3/4th of screen. On some characters (eg Ryougi) you need to do airdash j.A airdash j.AB instead. Video Example

Metered Combos

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
Normal starter, grounded opponent, 100% Meter 2AA > 5B > 5C > 4C(2) > j.ABC > dj.C > j.236C > j.A(w), j.214[A] pillar oki 4842 Meter Gained: -16.3% (gain of 58.5% before meter was spent) Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 27.9% 100 meter knockdown. j.214[A] is pillar oki and not meant to hit as part of the combo. Video Example
Normal starter, grounded opponent, 100% Meter 2AA > 5B > 5C > 4C(1) > tk.22B > j.B(w), land j.BC > sdj.C > j.236C 5114 Meter Gained: -16.3% (gain of 58.5% before meter was spent) Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 29% Advanced oki combo midscreen. j.B(w) is optional to let you buffer the rejump Video Example
Normal starter, grounded opponent, 100% Meter 2AA > 5B > 5C > 4C(2) > 236C, 5C > 3C > sj8.BC > sdj.C > AT 5107 Meter Gained: -50.4% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 29.6 Metered combo for more damage.
Normal starter, grounded opponent, 100% Meter 5B > 5C > 4C(1) > tk.22B > j.66 > j.C (land) > j.B > sdj.C > j.236C 5284 Meter Gained: -36.1% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 22.4 Conversion to j.236C from pokes, omit the 5C if at max range Video Example

Corner Combos

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
Normal starter, grounded opponent 2AA > 5B > 5C > 4C(1) > j.22A > j.66 > j.C, land j.BC > sdj.C > AT 4923 Meter Gained: 67.% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 23.6%
Normal starter, grounded opponent 2AA > 5B > 5C > 623A > j.22A > j.236A 3245 Meter Gained: 15.8 Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? Simple, decently damaging corner combo that sets up sandoori.
Normal starter, grounded opponent 2AA > 5B > 2C > delay 3C > 623B 2857 Meter Gained: 37.8 Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 12.6 Basic Momiji loop starter.

Misc. Combos

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
Aerial CH starter, grounded opponent CH j.X, land > 5C > 4C(2) > j.BC > dj.BC > AT 3866~5053 Meter Gained: 51.3~57.4 Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 17.1~19.2 Staple conversion off of an air-to-air counter hit. First number is j.A counter, second is j.C Video Example
Shield CH, grounded opponent Shield > CH 2C > 3C > j.BC > dj.BC > AT ??? Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? Basic conversion off of a shield into a 2C CH.
Raw Air throw starter Raw AT > j.22A, land > j.BC > dj.BC > AT 2924 Meter Gained: 37.8 Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 113.7 Conversion off of an air throw that prioritizes damage. Video Example
Raw Air throw starter Raw AT > j.236A/B 2383 Meter Gained: 41.4% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 13.8% Conversion off of an air throw that grants a better knockdown. Off of the A puffball, you sideswitch. Off of the B puffball, you can airdash forward and do a meaty j.214[A]
6C Starter 6C > 623B, 2C > 3C > 623B 2383 Meter Gained: 41.4 Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 13.8 Knockdown in corner.
6C Starter 6C > 66 > 2C > delay 4C(2) > 623B > (Momiji Loop^) 2380 Meter Gained: 32.4 Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 10.8 Fullscreen knockdown.
6C Starter 6C > 66 > 5C > 4C(2) > j.BC > dj.BC > AT 4157 Meter Gained: 55.8 Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 18.6 Damage, when in the corner you can either omit the dash and just link the 5C if you really want, but the 4C will whiff so just go directly into the air combo
623C Starter 623C > j.66 > j.A(w), land 2C > 3C > j.BC > dj.BC > AT 3855 Meter Gained: -78.4 Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 21.2 Damage.
623C Starter 623C (Reversal), 2C > 623B, 2C > 3C > 623B ??? Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? Knockdown. Doesn't work if your back was straight in the corner (the 2C > 3C > 623B will not be in range).
623C Starter 623C (Reversal) > (very slight delay) j.22B~6 > j.66 > j.C (land) > j.BC > dj.C > AT 3414 Meter Gained: -79.7% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 18.1% Damage
623C Starter 623C (Reversal) > j.66 > late j.22A, land j.BC > sdj.C > j.236C 3414 Meter Gained: -79.7% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 18.1% 200 Meter for oki
Initiative Heat available 2AA > 5B > 5C > IH 5B > 5C > (etc)... 2866+ Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? Basic IH confirm that works anywhere.
Initiative Heat available (Momiji Loop^) 623B, 2C > IH 2C > 3C > 623B... ??? Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? Confirm into IH from Momiji loop. You do Momiji loop primarily for the meter so if you need an IH in the middle of your combo you can get it that way.
Grounded Opponent (Necos only) 5B > 5C > 3C > j.ABC > dj.C > AT 4650 Meter Gained: 53.1% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? For use against Necos, and while it should work on other characters, why would you do that?

OTG

FVAkiha doesn't really use OTG's because her corner knockdown game is strong, however they are an option, and are especially useful to know if you land a 2C in neutral. You usually want to OTG in the corner, so these are corner only.

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
OTG 2AAA > 5B ??? Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? Simple OTG. In the corner it leads to tech punishes using 5B > 5C. If you really really want to kill and you have no meter then you can follow the 5B up with 5C > 4C > 623B but it's punishable when they tech.
OTG, 100% meter 2AAA > 5B > 2C > 4C > 623C > j.66 > j.A(w) > (Corner Combo, Momiji Loop or 4C > Air combo) ??? Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? You get a fair bit of damage for your meter investment here, so it's generally worth it if you're pursuing a kill.

Midscreen you can do:

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
OTG, 100% meter 623C > j.66 > j.A(w) > (Midscreen Combo) ??? Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? You will most likely cross under the opponent as you do this depending on the character, so be prepared to switch your inputs. Whiffs on some characters (noted in character specifics).

Counter hits

FVAkiha makes use of ground and air counter hits very well, using them to get extremely high damage or turn air to air encounters to full corner carry combos.

• Anti air counter hit (ie anti air 5A counter hit, air to air j.A or j.B counter hit)

You have a few options but most of them are tricky to land as they depend on the height of the opponent as you hit them after the counter hit.

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
Air CH starter ...5B > 4C > j.BC > dj.BC > AT ??? Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? Easy version.
Air CH starter ...2C > 623A > TK j.22C > j.66 > j.AB, land j.BC > dj.C > AT ??? Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? *Corner carry version.
Air CH starter ...4C (1) > TK j.22B > j.66 > j.C, land j.BC > dj.C > AT ??? Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? *Max damage midscreen.

• Air to ground counter hit (ie j.C counter hit)

If you have a double jump remaining you can turn this j.C into massive damage. An easy version is:

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes

j.C Ground CH starter CH j.C > dj.22A > j.C, land 5B > 5C... 4126+ Meter Gained: 40.5+% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 14.6+% Adding that pit before the ground string adds about 1.5k to your combo so it's very useful to know in a situation where you know you'll land a counter hit (as a shield punish, punishing moves with counter hit recovery). If you do this near the corner, you can do more pits and land and then get a combo from there.

• Ground counter hit

5B and 5C on counter hit lead to a lot of damage.

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
5B Ground CH starter CH 5B, 5B > 5C... ??? Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? I.e. you get to link 5B after CH 5B.
5C Ground CH starter Midscreen CH 5C > 22B, 5A > 5B 2816 Meter Gained: 25.2% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 9.5% Does not work in the corner.
5C Ground CH starter CH 5C > TK j7.22B~6, j.22C, j.214B, land > (Pit Loops^) ??? Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? Do note that after the pit loops you don't get much because 623A and 4C both require you to have a jump cancel, which you've used up with the 5C at the start.
5C Ground CH starter CH 5C > j8.22B~6, j.22C, j.22B, tk j7.22B j.22A j.214A land > (Pit Loops^) ??? Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? This is one variation of a full pitloop that you can get immeditely from a counter hit 5C. j8.22B~6 works in lieu of a TK B pit because they are still stuck in counter hit status when you jump.

Character Specifics

• Necos

Standard combos don't work, do this instead:

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
Normal starter, grounded opponent 2AA > 5B > 2C > 3C > j.BC > dj.BC > AT 4691 / 4672 Meter Gained: 63.9% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 21.3% Left number is Neco Arc, right is Neco Arc Chaos
Near corner starter, grounded opponent 2AA > 5B > 5C > 4C(2) > 623A (2)> j.BC > dj.BC > AT 4681 / 5103 Meter Gained: 72.9% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 24.3% Left number is Neco Arc, right is Neco Arc Chaos

• Characters that 2C, 623C doesn't work on midscreen

These include Tohno Shiki, Ryougi Shiki, Archetype Earth (Hime) (works on Hime at max range but not closer)

Pit loops

The main reason most people consider her an S+ theory character (alongside C-Roa and F-Hime). Without this she is 'merely' S, alongside C-Kohaku, C-Seifuki, C-Satsuki, C/F-Nero, and others. This is the only true infinite left in the PC version of the game (the Ringwide version, played in Japan arcades, is slightly older and has a C-KohaMech infinite), and as such, is extremely damaging. However it is extremely difficult to execute and has very specific starters, so it's not like Marvel vs Capcom 3 where Zero can take any hit and convert it to full corner carry and sougenmu lightning loops. Pit loops can also be used on block as block pressure, but right now we're discussing only on hit.

I want to preface this by saying this THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT NEEDED IF YOU WANT TO BECOME A DECENT FVAKIHA! There is no necessity for you to ever learn this unless you are trying to become the greatest FVAkiha player ever. Learning how the character actually functions is a ton more useful than learning how to do this. If you're a new player, I highly suggest working on your neutral game and basic BnB consistency instead. While it does help to know the basics of pit pressure for blockstrings, it is absolutely not a necessity with this character. If you do want to take the plunge though, Acido has written a guide on how to do pit loops along with video examples and inputs that you can find here. There's also a ton of other useful information about neutral and okizeme.

Infinite basics

Before we delve into how to actually do the infinite, we need to note a few things:

• The infinite has very specific starters. You can't take any random hit and turn it into 8k with pit loops.
• After 33 hits, the opponent gains more meter than you do for every hit. This, coupled with circuit sparks (bursts) makes sure you can't ToD any character from full life with this infinite.

Starters

• Counter hit 5C
• Counter hit j.C
• Pushing someone in hitstun into a pit behind them.
• Hitting someone with low-to-the-ground charged air pillars.
• High airdash j.C > j.22A
• j.C > dj.22A~4/6 (Frame perfect. Requires holding 4/6 for the 1f faster pit startup.)

The first two starters are counter hits, so they require the opponent to cooperate with you.

The third starter often requires either the corner, or ending the combo extremely short midscreen (ie 2C jump airdash forward j.22A, airdash back cross back over to original side).

The fourth starter is relatively impractical.

The fifth starter requires a relatively high j.C, which everyone in the game can crouch to avoid.

The sixth starter is frame perfect and unsafe if you input the pit too early.

As you can see, you can't really just land a hit from round start and go into the infinite and kill. It requires some kind of setup or a counter hit.

Enders

The best way to end pit loops is with a knockdown, preferably in the corner. After doing enough reps, land and do a ground combo, such as dash 2C623A etc. It's not possible to ToD someone from the infinite so the thing is to just take a well positioned knockdown off it.

For 5C specifically, where you have spent your jump cancel to get the pits, you can't turn that into a great knockdown, since comboing off 623A and 4C requires that you have a jump cancel. If you're really gung-ho about getting the corner you can do 2C 623B dash OTG 623C into stuff, but ending the combo in 623B is still fairly decent.

How to do loops

One of the main things to note with loops is you can't keep doing pit loops without needing at least one pit to push away. This is accomplished by doing either pit input~6 or 6 right before the pit input.

The first one looks like this

22X~6

The second one looks like this

22~6~X

There's no real difference in which input you want to use. Pick whichever input feels more comfortable and natural to you.

Once you can do that, it's just a matter of knowing how to push people and doing pillars extremely low to the ground for the least amount of recovery, so you can jump up and do them again. A basic example that you might want to try is:

• CH j.C > dj.22A~6, j.22B, j.214B, land 66 j.22C, j.22B, j.214B

How you want to position people during pit loops depends entirely on your positioning, execution and creativity.

There are also other things you might want to learn for pit loops, such as pit airdash pit (executed by j.22X > j.66 > j.22X) that open up new and even swaggier routes for the loops, but if you're just beginning to learn pit loops, just keep it simple.

Block pressure

Pit loops are also useful for block pressure, not just raw damage. You can cancel j.C to pit if you double jump cancel it, and if you have an airdash left you can do blockstrings such as:

• j.C > dj.22A, j.22B > j.66 > j.22A, j.22B, land TK j.22B > j.66 > j.22A, j.22B etc.

Do note that pit airdash pit is often not an airtight blockstring and you might get air thrown or poked out of it, but you can discourage this by j.C'ing after the airdash instead.

Most of the time pit block pressure doesn't have mixups in itself; the way most people get opened up by it is that they get fidgety and try to escape it but fail and get hit, which then the FVAkiha player confirms and goes into pit loops on hit. Simply blocking and ex guarding it is a very safe option to deal with it, but then FVAkiha can air dash j.C, land and go for a ground mixup instead.

Video examples

Players such as Yukichi and Tobari are really good at pit loops and Yukichi especially tries to do pit loops whenever he can, whether as block pressure or getting a hit. This match in particular shows how pit loops work for block pressure as well as on hit.

There are far more examples in combo videos and match videos, but keep it simple at the start, and delve into more swag loops when you get really good at everything else.

Additional Resources

F-V.Akiha Match Video Database
@DRK_Player: Playing F-VAkiha. A PDF mirror of the document is available here.
F-Akiha Vermillion Tech Guide by Acido

Notable Players

Name	Color	Region	Common Venues	Status	Details
Acido		Brazil	Netplay	Active	Best active F-VAkiha to watch. Very good BR player.
c00ruj4		Brazil	Netplay	Active
HaileyHime		North America	Lunar Phase, Netplay	Inactive
hato (はと)		Japan	A-cho	Inactive
kou (コウ)		Japan	A-cho, Kirisugu	Inactive	Watching Kou's old vids, especially, can teach you a lot about how to play F-VAkiha without relying on the scam stuff.
kuga (くが)		Japan	A-cho, Port 24 Yagoto	Active	Strong, technical, pit pressure enjoyer. Recent footage currently not well documented on melty.games. In addition to aforementioned arcade channels, sometimes plays at Port 24 during streams on Yume's channel.
tobari (とばり)		Japan	Athena Nipponbashi, KorewaMelty	Active	Technical monster.
UltraToast		North America	Copefest, Netplay	Inactive
yukichi (ゆきち)		Japan	A-cho, Athena Nipponbashi, KorewaMelty	Active	Technical monster.