Melty Blood/MBAACC/Nero Chaos/Crescent Moon

Name: Nrvnqsr Chaos (ネロ・カオス)
Nicknames: Nero

Voiced by: Jouji Nakata (中田 譲治)
Type: Dead Apostle Ancestor
Gender: Male

Birthday: Feb 13
Height: 188cm
Weight: 84kg

Eye Color: Red
Hair Color: Grey

Character Page Progress

This page is still a work in progress, consider joining as an editor to help expand it. Please update this character's roadmap page when one of the editing goals have been reached.

In Progress	To-do
Combos: Add damage, meter gain/given numbers and video links to the pre-existing combos.

Additional Resources

C-Nero Match Video Database
C-Nero doc (work in progress)

Overview

Playstyle

C-Nero is an area denial character with strong setplay capabilities that can dominate neutral against much of the cast.
Pros	Cons
Great combo game: C-Nero's combo routing is very flexible and most hits easily confirm into corner carry or at least solid advantage with a lot of room for optimization. Low commitment: The threat of summon insurance will often make approaching and getting clean hits difficult for the opponent and allow greater safety in a lot of interactions or the denial of them. Large, strong normals: Most air and ground normals have good disjoint, active frames, or both with nearly all of them having good reach and functioning well as antiairs. Second highest health in the game: C-Nero has the second highest health of the cast, his survivability being enhanced further by crescent moon heat and the difficulty in landing clean hits on him. Meter non-management: Combos generate a lot of meter (over a 100 on clean hits) and C-Nero has solid uses for meter during every gamestate while also not being a meter reliant character. Diverse setups: Nero has a wide variety of setplay options for multiple situations that can leave even the most prepared players overwhelmed. Strong throw game: Nero has the longest throw range in the game tied with Ries and Hime with increased damage potential when used alongside summons. Forces most of the cast to play his game: Few if any members of the cast will demand as much situational awareness and character-specific counterplay as Nero and much of the opponent's matchup knowledge can still be used against them.	Large hurtbox: Nero is the tallest character in the game giving several characters additional pressure options against him such as new fuzzy and pressure opportunities. Poor mobility: No ground dash means having to rely on universal air movement options and a harder time making more subtle spacing adjustments or approaching, especially summonless. Mediocre defensive options: Nero often has a harder time on defense than much of the cast, having to hold more due to slow abare and wake up timing and no meterless reversal. Lacks options off of regular shield: No air specials means timing ex shield in the air is a necessity and normal shield on the ground leaves only gimmick options. Limited ability to cancel most of his strongest normals: Essential tools 2A and j.B cannot be cancelled during certain hits making them more vulnerable to shield and drops. Specialized toolkit at a cost: Can have a hard time playing if unable to set up due to lack of more conventional tools.

General Gameplan

One of the best in class of Melty Blood's several setplay/zoner hybrids, C-Nero is a deceptively versatile character that seeks to control the screen with a variety of summons that (mostly) don't go away on hit to make the opponent feel just as restricted in their ability to maneuver as he is, if not more.

C-Nero's assortment of autonomous screen control goes hand in hand with his normals, covering large amounts of space to effectively punish opponents trying to either approach and stop the zoo from getting set up or to shut down escape or disrespect attempts when it is already out, with successful hits leading to high meter gain, corner carrying combos that lead to either a multitude of setplay options or a highly advantaged neutral reset with plenty of frame advantage to summon, reposition, or sometimes even do both.

Neutral

Without Summons:

While more vulnerable without his insurance and lacking the ability to dash on the ground, Nero still has effective if somewhat committal tools to stop approaches and rumble with in neutral until he either gets a hit or manages to patiently move into a position that allows him to start setting up the zoo. He still has all the standard air movement options in such as double jumping, air dashing, and super jumping to run away to a safer position or even aggress with where approaching or forcing a scramble is necessary.

To create space against opponents that try to rush in early and prevent any setup from occurring C-Nero has multiple large and active normals such as 2A and 4C to prevent careless rushdowns from the ground with that when spaced well can require a lot of characters to risk whiffing a normal if they want to counterpoke these moves without getting outranged themselves. 5[C] can be deceptively safe to throw out at mid to long range against a lot of characters due to its massive disjointed hitbox covering both frontal air and ground space and having only 11 frames of recovery.

C-Nero also has a plethora of anti-airs to stop airborne approaches such as 5[C] and 2C which cover one another's respective vertical and horizontal blindspots very well, in addition to faster options such as ex shield 5A when low on frames and 2A making a return here as well to punish early jump ins. 2A can also catch many characters trying to jump behind Nero with crossup buttons that blindspot his other anti-airs due to most crossup normals in Melty Blood lacking downward disjoint. C-Nero's 5A also hits fairly fast and high making it a decent option on its own against empty jumps that are trying to bait shield or other situations where the opponent isn't immediately protecting their air space while near Nero.

C-Nero also retains his air options after whiffing his large j.A like a traditional Melty Blood character allowing one to engage in the more standard air footsies this game is known for except backed by a character defining j.B and j.C, both having near unparalleled reach for some of the best walling in the game off of defensive movement like j.7 or air dash back with the former having a very strong hitbox to cover both air to air and air to ground and the latter being active for 10 frames and wallslamming on the final hit turning nearly any stray hit into a potential setup opportunity.

If forced to approach without a summon, Nero can use IAD j.C to safejump shield counters from half and full moon characters as well as being able to hold his air dash for a decent amount of time before cancelling it with a button to go further or to stagger anti-air attempts. Thanks to reverse beat, C-Nero can also preempt more with his j.B as a jump in than most characters by abusing j.BA for safer and harder to contest air to grounds that most of the cast still struggle to low profile. If the opponent respects Nero's approach he can also immediately turn the situation into a high/low mixup, being able to go for IAD j.A vs j.B into 2A or has j.C act as a triple overhead off of a marginally higher air dash or rebeat j.C into j.A which will whiff can make him land faster into a low 2A.

To harass some enemy zoning or setup and characters with tall dashes the option of throwing out a fireball in the form of 236A exists as well. While there is risk to whiffing it against approaches due to the high recovery the move is + on block and hit at mid and long ranges, usually allowing at least one summon in the case of the former and near guaranteeing one if not two in the case of the latter.

CHARACTERS THAT CAN DASH UNDER 236A:

• Akiha*, V.Akiha*, Seifuku, Aoko*, Warc*, Ciel, Kouma*, Len (F), NAC, Neco-Arc, Nero (C/F), Roa*, Ryougi, Satsuki*, Tohno*, Nanaya*, V.Sion, Wara (C/H), W.Len (C/F)

CHARACTERS THAT CANNOT DASH UNDER 236A:

• Arc, Hime, Hisui, Kohaku, Koha-Mech, Len (C/H), Mech-Hisui, Neco-Mech, Miyako, Nero (H), P.Ciel, Ries, Sion, Wara (F), W.Len (H)

Characters that can dash under but can still get their dash startup caught are noted with an asterisk.

As far as close range scramble tools go, C-Nero when uninsured is slightly more limited in his options than many other characters due to most normals being on the slower side and lacking a good backdash to disengage with, making patience more encouraged than usual. As far as mashing options go, 2A does cover more space than nearly any other jab in the game but isn't active until frame 6 making it weak against characters with fast or even average mashing options up close and is vulnerable to shielding due to not being cancellable until the final hit. 5B is notable when very close for being active frame 5, having some disjoint, and sweeping crouching opponents making trades with enemy 2A's advantageous though it can be dangerous to whiff.

If willing to part with meter, C-Nero also has crescent moon heat to get an opponent off of him and get started or can use 236C to create space and either intercept a much more telegraphed approach attempt or get a summon from there if the opponent respects and backs off.

Much of this information applies when a summon or two is already out as well.

With Summons:

When backed by his screen control C-Nero has the ability to defend his position and restrict the opponent's ability to get in as well as use his summons to buff his own approach and try and put his opponent into pressure.

214A/B and 421X are generally the character's most used summons due to the former having the lowest recovery and the ability to set two of either one in relatively quick succession and the latter for being able to track the opponent's position to keep them from comfortably getting behind Nero. These summons can often get an opponent to take to the air making them susceptible to the character's anti-airs and air to airs or get them to run in in a telegraphed fashion if their character has a fast enough dash to move past 214B and 421X at certain timings.

214A/B and 421B/C are also C-Nero's main tools to enhance IAD approaches with thanks to their forward moving nature. 214A in particular can throw off shield attempts when trying to air to ground in tandem with it thanks to being negative edge to disrupt timings with as well as being a hitgrab which allows it to punish shield counters. With a respected approach Nero has access to all of his previous air dash mixups when backed by a summon as well as being able to now go for a confirmable fuzzy with j.B/C dj.B.

236B and 623A/B are mostly stationary tools that are more made to discourage approach and threaten a set portion of the screen and are generally seen less due to their higher frame cost than 214A/B and not being as flexible as 421X as well as the 623X series going away on hit. They can sometimes be used to keep the opponent away long enough to summon more or catch someone off guard but are generally more niche overall compared to C-Nero's staple summons.

The threat of summon insurance can also allow C-Nero to turn a lot of scrambles in his favor, with them often punishing enemy mashes or allowing him to use his high hitting normals such as 5A and 2C to punish players trying to jump away and disengage. Even when if the opponent gets a hit they will in many cases have to cut their combo short or opt for lower damage routing to avoid the zoo. Throwing Nero to invul through summons can also be an appealing option for the opponent making mashing or jumping a more emboldened option on your part in a lot of situations.

Pressure

Due to his lack of a dash and other conventional tools, C-Nero's pressure has to be structured differently from most other characters in Melty Blood.

If an opponent is dealing with most options in pressure well, not falling for frametraps and punishing summons and airborne offense consistently it is also perfectly fine to commit little if not at all to pressure, either ending combos on j.C and resetting to neutral with high frame advantage immediately or simply opting for a safe meaty 5[C] and then backing off to neutral with probable advantage when pushed out.

Ground Normals: While the cancel windows on most of his normals are rather wide, almost all of C-Nero's normals are multihits that push out a lot on block so they often need to be cancelled quickly unless the goal in a pressure sequence is to just safely return to midscreen. Frametraps will often make use of either charged moves in 5[C] and 2[C] to create gaps or by reverse beating into 5A and then whiff cancelling it into another normal such as 5B(1) 5A(w) 2B, 2B(2) 5A(w) 5[C], or 2C 5A(w) 4C.

Resetting pressure off of 5A reverse beats and maybe walking forward to some degree can be an option as well but can be slightly riskier than on most other characters due to C normals still being -1 on rebeat and B normals being -4. Against some characters with lacking frame data on their abare tools the ranged threat of 2A, 5[C], and 4C can keep them conditioned into staying put as well.

4C in particular is an important tool to keep opponents in check when pushed out, catching players for either thinking pressure is over and it's time to escape or in wanting to preemptively dash against a potential distanced summoning opportunity. While safe at most ranges, some characters with fast long reaching normals backed by good burst movement or packing ranged punish tools like C/F-Nanaya's 214B or F-Hime 236B can punish 4C consistently.

Summons: The most common summons seen in pressure are 421A and 214B due to the former becoming active the soonest and the latter having the least recovery out of Nero's summon pressure options. Any summon when blocked acts as a high frame advantage pressure reset allowing a safe walk forward into using normals again or an IAD reset that the opponent has fewer frames if any to stop it with. During midscreen pressure summons can also take advantage of opponents trying abuse backdash against C-Nero's limited chasing options.

Summons in pressure are however vulnerable to getting challenged by long range sweeps in some matchups as well as dash throw/mash by most of the cast due to leaving Nero considerably minus when used off of normals. The effectiveness of summoning in pressure is highly dependent on the matchup at hand and how effectively one can mislead the opponent's focus with unpredictable cancels and other options in pressure to make reacting difficult and sniff out fuzzy mash/dash if they aren't playing reactively.

Depending on the matchup and opponent different normals cancelled into summons, especially 214B will have varying levels of effectiveness. Fast, close range cancels such as off of 5B(1), 5[C](1) and 2A will result in the opponent having an easier time reaching Nero to punish but will also give them less time before a summon is active, as well as making them more vulnerable to jump catch attempts such as with 5A and 2C. Summon cancelling moves like full hit 5[C] and 2B meanwhile give more difficulty to characters with slow dashes but often make jumping out easier and the insurance threat less immediate as well as often being easier to predict or react to.

j.X: While with its own set of risks, the amount of space that Nero's air normals, particularly j.B control can allow him to keep the opponent in place fairly well. Taking to the air can be effective against opponents keen to mash low moves such as sweeps in anticipation of a closer range summon cancel or walk up as well as sometimes function as a bullying tool against opponents that are either passive or are playing characters that lack tools to challenge Nero in the air.

IAD is the most common offensive option on this front due to being faster than j.9 as well as having some built in mixup potential. Double jumping after IAD instead of opting immediately for an air normal off of the air dash can bait out responses such as shield and allow for a potential whiff punish when coming back down or give the time to react to a held shield and opt for an empty jump instead in order to yield a grounded punish with 2B.

High j.9BA trades mixup potential for greater safety against direct antiair attempts by spacing j.B to make the most one can of its disjoint while still being confirmable as well as having more protection against stone hat. This maneuver however is more vulnerable to shielding due to j.B's second hitbox not being cancellable. Against taller characters such as Nanaya j.BC is also a viable option that grants a triple overhead that they cannot crouch under. Air dashing back with j.B after jumping or even super jumping forward can counterhit tap shield and some other antiair attempts allowing for a pick up with 4C as well as allowing a punish on even some successful shields.

Using j.B off of neutral jump often backed by drift back can also be a useful tool more to jail the opponent and discourage dash unders rather than to get back in directly in exchange for being less confirmable without counterhit. j.B(1) in these cases can be air dash cancelled on most standing characters on hit or block to continue pressure or to get a combo in the case of counterhit. Land 4C also works as an easier if less rewarding counterhit conversion option.

236C: While most stable when used on oki, 236C has many uses when cancelled into mid pressure as well. Being 0 when cancelled into from C normals and plus if backed by a blocked summon, this move can function as a pressure reset if the opponent respects or is kept in place by a 2A, 4C, or even rising air normal depending on the range at which it is used. It is important to keep in mind different characters have varying levels of effective tools to escape 236C in these situations but if they do end up forced to block they will end up having to hold an obscured high/low mixup or a safe summon into continued offense.

Throw: Despite lacking a dash Nero can still effectively threaten throw in a lot of situations thanks to summons often tacking on extra damage and reducing the tech window. Nero is also tied for having the longest throw range in the game meaning that the amount of walking up that is needed is less than what is required of most characters. Baiting throw tech and punishing with a jump in is also easier for Nero than most other characters thanks to the downwards reach of his j.B enhanced further by the aforementioned j.BA.

Some tick throw examples are after a blocked j.A or j.B, 2A, or microwalking into a throw after 5A rebeating 5B(1), 2B(1), or 5[C](1).

Okizeme

AT ender

C-Nero's air throw gives a hard knockdown that is at minimum +20 in nearly all cases, allowing for 5[C] to hit meaty while beating most DPs and outranging many shield options. 2C, 2B, 5B, and 2A can also all hit meaty when backed by walking forward first. 2B can even hit meaty with a small walk back after air throw.

After AT ender 236C is at least +2 against the faster wake ups in the game and more advantaged against much of the cast as well as being spaced for a 2A follow up to catch dash, jump, and most mashes. Using 2B leaves a slightly wider gap but is more difficult to gamble shield against and also an be cancelled faster. Any one summon becomes safe if the opponent blocks 236C with varying levels of frame advantage to spare. Setting 214A or 623A can go into a fuzzy high/low setup and so can setting 421B after 236C>2B(1)>236C. There is also the option to just go straight into high/low mixups, 236C's sprites and hitstop making air dash j.X harder to block and allowing deep falling j.B vs empty jump 2A to be done safely. A walk up strike/throw/bait situation can also be made out of 236C oki.

Most of what is detailed in the pressure section can also be done post-AT knockdown with similar caveats though immediately summoning 421A or 214B or opting straight for IAD j.X, particularly against slower wake ups, can be harder to respond to. Doing sj.9 after AT can also make some DPs whiff.

j.C ender

While technically not delivering a knockdown, ending combos on j.C is still commonly seen due to the advantage state it leads to. Omitting ender in favor of a j.C wallslam is often preferred in cases where a character has hard to deal with defensive options but lack favorable neutral against C-Nero or it feels like the resources to run effective offense against the opponent at hand aren't there.

Ending a combo near the corner on double jump back or double jump air dash back j.C or just landing a stray j.C from midscreen or farther gives enough time to set one of Nero's slower summons such as 421B safely, the latter also giving enough time to set 214X twice. There is also the option to use the frame advantage given by j.C's wallslam for movement such as to chase the opponent's air tech or try and shark their landing.

It is important to keep in mind that ending combos on j.C from only single jump height or positioned right below the opponent in the corner gives less room and time to summon and can make setting up punishable or at least minus enough to make a scramble situation where the insurance isn't active yet. To slightly improve frame advantage from j.C ender rebeating into j.A immediately after the final hit allows for a faster landing.

5[C] ender

5[C] delivers C-Nero's best knockdown by far, giving time to set any summon while retaining double digit frame advantage. Note that the higher 5[C] pulls down the opponent from the greater the frame advantage given, most of what is written here will assume a standard 2C 5[C] combo ender.

Setting 421B after 5[C] allows for another 5[C] to still hit meaty to enforce respect. Its hits can be used in tandem with IAD j.X or just jumping for a slightly insured high/low with enhanced combo potential if the opponent gets opened up though air dashing right after setting 421B is still vulnerable to DPs and the deer is slow to become active. The deer hits can also be used to enhance Nero's throw threat or to extend blockstrings, allowing for easy repeated pressure resets that can rack up significant guard bar damage while reducing normal pushback or extending blockstun to set 214A/B or 623X, with the latter allowing for an airtight combo off of throw.

421C is C-Nero's most powerful okizeme tool, taking both less time to summon and becoming active much faster than its meterless counterpart. IAD j.C now safejumps frame 6 or slower reversals off of normal wake ups while still doubling as a fuzzy opportunity and j.B and j.A off of IAD safejump reversal options with more startup or off of slower wake ups. All of 421B's options are still available now with improved risk/reward from the deer's faster hops and greatly increased damage and hitboxes in addition to it attacking a third time giving more opportunities to open the opponent up or keep them locked down. Setups unique to 421C include left/right setups utilizing 214C to obscure the screen followed by spot dodge, j.A air dash cancel, or simply neutral jump drift as well as the ability to get a true combo off of throw on most of the cast by delaying the deer set to be roughly in tandem with the first ground bounce.

Getting 5[C] ender midscreen can also allow for a left/right mixup using either sj.9X or IAD j.X whiff to obscure landing position relative to the opponent's wake up or setting 236C into a high/low insured by the crows hitting meaty.

Thanks to the extremely long knockdown time of 5[C] and persistence of 421X there are plenty of other setups that exist and can be improvised. Players are encouraged to experiment and watch footage to add more setups to their own offensive catalogue.

214A

214A gives a techable knockdown in which all techs can be covered with 2B as well as still allowing for a meaty using C-Nero's faster normals if they don't tech after whiffing 2B. Any summon can technically be safe if they don't tech but 421B/C are unsafe if summoned with a slight delay so as not to allow the opponent to ground tech on reaction to the summon animation.

Slightly delaying all other meterless summons still leaves enough frame advantage to meaty with 2A and 5B if the opponent does not tech. 214A/B are also safe if done immediately and the opponent does tech but only leads to +3 and -2 advantage respectively assuming neutral tech.

On cornered opponents 214A can potentially pull the opponent out of the corner leading to a left/right with IAD if they don't tech. This left/right can also work midscreen at certain spacings.

Defense

While C-Nero has high health to afford making some mistakes with, being patient on defense is generally recommended due to his slow abare and lack of meterless reversal making getting out a riskier endeavor than it is for a lot of characters as well as a slow wake up timing meaning he will have to hold more things than usual, especially in conjunction with his big hurtbox.

EX Guard: Likely the most powerful as well as low risk defensive mechanic in the game, C-Nero benefits from ex guard as much as any other member of the cast, if not more. Increased pushback and reduced enemy frame advantage greatly benefits his slow but large 2A and his deceptively strong jump.

Jump: While already essential to defense for the whole roster, Nero in particular has one of the smallest j.7 hurtboxes in the game for whatever reason making him more slippery than average if given room to upback, making an already excellent defensive tool even better. Nero's strong air normals also bolster getting out of the corner without being intercepted as easily.

Heat: Crescent moon heat is very strong on C-Nero thanks to his great meter gain and health regen inflating his tank factor even more. The frame advantage given by heat also allows for a safe summon to return to neutral on favorable footing in most cases. It is important not to be predictable with its use however.

Normal Abare: 2A is a frame slower than average but can poke out at longer than usual ranges and 5B is the same speed as a standard 2A. 2C can catch characters trying to hover above Nero's head to avoid heat and 5A can catch IAD attempts. 4C can also call out wider distanced gaps or off of far ex shield and is bufferable by virtue of being a command normal.

Shield: EX shield remains as powerful as ever, preventing safejumps and synergizing well with crescent moon heat threat encouraging players to heat OS resulting in meaty A normals that can be shielded crouching or standing. C-Nero however is under much more pressure to time his shields precisely due to only having rather gimmicky options off of regular shield such as 236A.

63214C: C-Nero's dedicated reversal is very large and effectively cannot be outspaced in any offensive context but has a reactable superflash making it ineffective against whiff cancellable moves like most A normals and some specials and is unsafe on block. It's best used against telegraphed meaties like C-Nero's own 5[C] or easy to see gaps like probable charged moves or advancing normals that naturally frametrap when used from a distance.

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.

The combos in question are based off the assumption you know about the bounce limit. If you didn't know there a grand total of 3 OTG or wall/groundslams can be comboed, after the third the opponent will be fully invincible until they recover. You have two bounces to combo after and a third to end with. Keep that in mind and adjust your combos as you count the amount of wallslams used so far.

624C and j.C wallbounce, 5[C] and Gold AT groundbounce, 5[C], Gold AT, and 2B(1) give OTGable knockdowns, and 5[C] and all versions of deer and snake can hit OTG. OTGing after 5[C]/Gold AT will expend both their ground bounce AND an OTG

A lot of C-Nero's combo game is very flexible and many conversions will be less about repeating an exact combo listed here and more improvising confirms off of an understanding the character's general combo theory. Players are encouraged to watch and footage and experiment to develop a sense for what works best on a situational basis

Starters

Starter	Notes
2A/5A/5B > 2B(1) > 2C	Normal grounded starter
2A/j.X > 5B(1) > 2C	Crouch confirmed grounded starter
2A/5B(1) > 2B(1) > 2C > 5[C] > 5A	Close grounded starter
5A 2C/5[C]	Antiair shield and guardbreak starter
4C	Starter for long range punishes, pokes, and frametraps
j.X	Normal air starter
CH AA 2C/2[C]/214B/214C/421X	Launching CH
AT	Niche punish and risky jump call out

Enders

Ender	Notes
AT	Untechable KD, frame advantage for high AT ender against the normal wake up timing is usually +20
5[C]/2B(1)	Special cancelable HKD, gives summon oki of your choice while still giving frames to meaty afterwards
4C/j.C	Air Tech ender, gives you the space to heat or summon
2B > 236A/63214C	Most damaging ender to a 5[C] combo to ensure a kill

Notable Midcombo Sequences

Sequence	Notes
2C > 5[C] > 5A	Standard optimization off of launching counterhits midscreen, leads to air combo
j.CB/B(1) > (s)dj.BC	Air combo sequence to stabilize enemy positioning where they may fall out otherwise.
5[C] > 2B(1) > 421A	Easy OTG off of 5[C] when out of range to do 5[C], 5B(1) > 2C
2C/2[C] > 63214C	For use after lower j.C wallslams in the corner to secure a 5[C] ender where immediately going into 5[C] might be unstable
j.B > dj.BC	More damaging air combo sequence for when opponents aren't too high or far out
j.B > delay j.C(3), land, j.AB	Rejump sequence for enhanced corner carry and meter gain

Normal Combos

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
Fullscreen BNB 2A(A) > 2B(1) > 2C > j.B(A) > dj.BC > j.66 j.C, land sj8.C > dj.B(1)C > AT (236C/5[C], 236C) 3732 Meter Gained: 113.9% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 50.7% (Video) Typical midscreen combo. Full corner carry from anywhere except the opposite corner, in which case you can end with (land sj9.C sdj.B AT). j.B does very good damage on its own and a full j.C prorates pretty badly, so doing only j.B is optimal in some combos. j.BA is usually damage optimal here, which is nice given it's much more consistent. If you had to learn one combo and one combo alone for Nero, this is it.
Midscreen BNB, 100% Meter 2A > 2B(1) > 2C > j.BA > dj.BC, land 63214C, 5B(1) > 2C > 5[C] > 421B/C 3989 Meter Gained: 80.2% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 31.9% (Video) (Can be done from midscreen confirms, last j.B and j.C have to be delayed as much as possible) Midscreen to corner combo that allows you a Regular Deer or EX deer set up of your choosing. You can super double jump to gain more distance if needed.
Air Normal Starter (j.A/j.B)j.C > j.66 j.C, land sj.C > sdj.C > AT (236C/5[C], 236C) 3271/3715 Meter Gained: 57.2%/67.6% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 17.1%/20.2% Basic confirm from j.C, a good starting point for confirming on successful air to air.
4C starter 4C, j.C(1) > sdj.C > j.66 j.C 2509 Meter Gained: 40.0% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 12.0% A combo for when you hit 4C as a call out against someone that was overextending in their approach.
CH 4C starter CH 4C > j.B(1) > sdj.BC > j.66 j.C, land sj8.C > sdj.BC > AT (236C/5[C], 236C) 3812 Meter Gained: 101.9% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 35.3% A combo for when you hit 4C as a call out against someone that was overextending in their approach. Does a bit more damage and meter gain with this particular combo.
Air CH starter CH 2C/214B, 2C > 5[C] > 5A, j.B > sdj.BC > j.66 j.C, land sj8.C > sdj.BC > AT (236C/5[C], 236C) 5193 Meter Gained: 139.9% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 54.6% Counter hit combo starting with 2C, skip air dash cancel if you're close to the corner. Do j.B(1)C(1-2) after 5A if you think the added stability is needed
AT Starter Gold AT > j.66 > dl j.B > land 5B(1) > 2C > j.B > dj8.BC > land sj8.C(1-3) > sdj.BC > AT 2694 Meter Gained: 99.6% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 29.8% (Video) Combo off a low (around IAD height) AT midscreen. Remember that AT expends one of your 3 bounces so you cant let the last hit of j.C connect during the 2nd rejump
AT Starter Gold AT > land 4C > j.C > sdj.C > AT 2197 Meter Gained: 56.0% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 16.8% (Video) Combo off a high (top of your jump arc height) AT midscreen.

Corner Combos

Most of the midscreen combos also work in the corner, however if you want to maximize the most reward out of certain situations consider learning the following combos as well:

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
Corner BNB 2AA > 2B(1) > 2C > j.BC, land 5[C] - 5B(1) > 2C > 5[C] (> 421B/C) 3966 Meter Gained: 95.6% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 28.6% (Video) Meterless route to end in 5[C] and set up deer Oki. Only do one 2A vs Nero and Wara.
Crouch Confirmed Corner BNB j.X > 5B(1) > 2C > 5[C] > slight delay 5A/2A/2B > delay j.BC, land 5[C], 5B(1) > 2C > 5[C] (> 421B/C) 5595 (5057) Meter Gained: 126.3% (112.6%) Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 36.9% (37.8%) (Video) Meterless route to end in 5[C] and set up deer Oki. 5A and 2B does slightly more damage but are slightly less consistent
5[C] Starter 5[C] > 421A, 5[C] > 421B/C 3296 Meter Gained: 35.4% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 14.8% An option to use if someone got hit by 5[C] that loops back into into 421B/C set up.
AT Starter Gold AT land 5B > 2C > 5[C], 5B > 2C > 5[C] (> 421B/C) 2834 Meter Gained: 82.0% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 24.6% (Video) Gold AT combo into deer oki

Advanced Combos

Combos that require finicky delays, are character specific, or have other various factors that require much more work to use effectively

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
Midscreen Deer Oki 2AA > 2B(1) > 2C > 5[C](2) > IAD j.A > dj.BC > land 5[C] (> 421B/C) 3859 Meter Gained: 83.3% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 25.0% Maximum possible distance from corner where you can land this combo (vs VSion) Meterless combo into deer oki from ~P2 round start position. Works on everyone but Necos. Very impractical vs Ries, Sion and Satsuki. As a general rule you want to: 1) NOT half charge 2C 2) jump cancel IAD as fast as possible 3) delay j.A > dj a couple of frames so j.B hits twice more reliably. Points 2 and 3 aren’t required on all characters but it will make it more consistent across all. Also keep in mind from farther distances to only do a single 2A, as two 2As will push the opponent too far. Because of how finicky this combo can be, it is advised to only go for this route from a clean confirm on a set distance (e.g. from a IAD jB or empty jump 2A starter) since at larger distances 5[C] will hit a different amount of times and make it really hard to time the dj IAD fast cancel, but with a lot of experience it can become easier to discern the distances + character specific hurtboxes.
Midscreen Deer Oki 2A > 2B(1) > 2{C} > j.AC > j.66 dl j.C > land 5[C] (> 421B/C) 3067 Meter Gained: 54% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 16% Left: Maximum possible distance from corner where you can land this combo (vs VSion) Right: Minimum possible distance from corner where you can land this combo (vs VSion) Meterless combo into deer oki from ~P1 round start position. From midscreen to closer to corner you don't have to delay the last j.C, this combo doesn't work very close to the corner (around 1/4 away from corner). Doesn't work on Hisui, Mech and NecoMech from the farthest possible distances.
Nearly Fullscreen Deer Oki 2A > 2B(1) > 2{C} > j.AC > j.66 j.B(1) > j.C(1) > sdj.A dl j.C > land 624C > 5B(1) > 2C > 5[C] (> 421B/C) 3646 Meter Gained: -25.3% (74.4% net gain) Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 31% Maximum possible distance from corner where you can land this combo (vs VSion) 100% meter combo into deer oki from just outside the opposite corner. Will only work from a clean 2A hit. Doesn't work on Len, WLen, Miyako and Necos.
Nearly Fullscreen Deer Oki 2A(A) > 2B(1) > 2{C} > dl j.B j.C > j.66 j.B(1) > sdj.B(1) j.C > land 624C > 5B(1) > 2C > 5[C] (> 421B/C) 3912 Meter Gained: -12.3% (87.7% net gain) Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 34.1% Maximum possible distance from corner where you can land this combo (vs VSion) 100% meter combo into deer oki from just outside the opposite corner. Harder variation of the previous combo, but more damage and meter generation, and more importantly it works in more situations than a clean 2A hit, like from a IAD j.B or 2AA. Have in mind that the delay for j.B has a specific timing, it can't be done too low to the ground or else after j.C you won't have enough minimum height to air dash cancel, it is recommended to quick cancel j.B into j.C. On characters with a slim hurtbox while on the air (Len, Satsuki, etc.), an additional slight delay on the sdj is needed. Can only be done with a single 2A vs VSion, PCiel, Roa, Hisui, Mech and NecoMech. Doesn't work on Necos.
Fullscreen Deer Oki #1 2AA > 2B(1) > 2{C} > dl j.B > dl dj.C(2) > land j.AB(1) > sdj dl j.B dl j.C > j.66 dl j.C > land 624C > 5B(1) > 2C > 5[C] (>421B/C) 3695 Meter Gained: 5.4% (87.1% before 624C) Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 66.5% Corner to corner combo into deer oki. Doesn't work on Necos. Probably the most intricate combo C-Nero can do, as it requires multiple delays and specific timings, this combo can be quite a challenge to master, however the reward for landing it is extremely powerful as you can not only potentially get your win condition from fullscreen, you also turn a situation of being cornered into cornering them. All the specifics you will need to have in mind for this combo are the following, listed in order from the start of the combo: 2{C} half charge as much as possible. First j.B delay as much as possible, use your jumping arc as a point of reference. First j.C has to be exactly delayed in order to hit (2) hits, it's possible to combo with (1) and (3) hits but it's best to target (2) hits. After sdj delay j.B as much as possible, use your jumping arc as a point of reference. The j.C after sdj > j.B needs a specific delay, not too fast nor too slow or you will end too high in the air or too low. Use the video listed here as a point of reference. j.66 dl j.C is a delay of a couple of frames at most, this delay is not necessary vs all characters.
Fullscreen Deer Oki #2 2AA > 2B(1) > 2{C} > dl j.B > dl dj.C(2) > land j.AA > sdj dl j.B dl j.C > j.66 dl j.C > land 624C > 5B(1) > 2C > 5[C] (>421B/C) 3619 Meter Gained: 1.9% (83.7% before 624C) Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 65.4% Corner to corner combo into deer oki. Doesn't work on Necos. A small alteration to Fullscreen Deer Oki #1, with the rejump being j.AA instead of j.AB(1). This variation has less damage and meter but it's more practical and consistent vs the following characters: Hime - Kouma - Miyako - Wara - Roa - WArc - Ries - Len - Ciel - WLen - Nero If you don't mind losing a tiny bit of damage and meter generated, then you can stick with this version and forget version #1. All the specifics you will need to have in mind for this combo are the following, listed in order from the start of the combo: 2{C} half charge as much as possible. First j.B delay as much as possible, use your jumping arc as a point of reference. First j.C has to be exactly delayed in order to hit (2) hits, it's possible to combo with (1) and (3) hits but it's best to target (2) hits. After sdj delay j.B as much as possible, use your jumping arc as a point of reference. The j.C after sdj > j.B needs a specific delay, not too fast nor too slow or you will end too high in the air or too low. Use the video listed here as a point of reference. j.66 dl j.C is a delay of a couple of frames at most.
Fullscreen Deer Oki #3 2AA > 2B(1) > 2{C} > dl j.B > dl dj.C(2) > land j.A > sdj dl j.B dl j.C > j.66 dl j.C > land 624C > 5B(1) > 2C/2B(1) > 5[C] (>421B/C) 3612 Meter Gained: -3.5% (80.5% before 624C) Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 54.7% Corner to corner combo into deer oki. Doesn't work on Necos. Another alteration of the previous versions, this one does the least damage and generates the least meter (to the point of being meter negative) and it's also harder. However this the best version to do vs characters with really annoying hurtboxes that make version #1 and #2 incosistent: Sion - VSion - Ryougi - Vakiha - Seifuku This version also works really well vs all the characters that are recommended for version #2 if you still find version #2 too incosistent. All the specifics you will need to have in mind for this combo are the following, listed in order from the start of the combo: 2{C} half charge as much as possible. First j.B delay as much as possible, use your jumping arc as a point of reference. First j.C has to be exactly delayed in order to hit (2) hits, it's possible to combo with (1) and (3) hits but it's best to target (2) hits. After sdj delay j.B as much as possible, use your jumping arc as a point of reference. The j.C after sdj > j.B needs a specific delay, not too fast nor too slow or you will end too high in the air or too low. Use the video listed here as a point of reference. j.66 dl j.C is a very big delay, use the video as a reference, but you want to wait until almost at the corner. After 624C, if you see that you screwed up the timings and ender too far from the corner you can either combo into 5B(1) > 2B(1) or go directly for 2B(1).
Corner 2A starter 2A > 2B(1) > 2C > 5[C] > delay 5A > delay j.BC, land 5[C], 5B(1) > 2C > 5[C] (> 421B/C) 4461 Meter Gained: 120.1% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 36.0% (Video) Slightly optimized but less universal version of the basic meterless corner combo into deer. Requires you to be very slightly deeper in the corner than the aforementioned combo, and is very finicky on Len, Wlen, Neco Arc, and NAC (though it does work if point blank and fully in the corner).
Close corner starter (2A) > 2B(2) > 5[C] > 2[C], 5A > 5[C] > j.BC, land 5[C] (> 421B/C) 4461 Meter Gained: 117.1% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 31.5% Significantly enhanced 2A starter that still secures a 5[C] knockdown. Works off of 2B(1) > 5B(1)/5A as well but 2A starter makes the combo easier for gravity reasons in exchange for working on fewer characters thanks to pushback. Substitute link 5A for 2A on Nero. 2[C] requires a slight delay on Seifuku and the combo is generally unstable on VSion and Tohno and outright doesn't work on Kouma, Warc, Len, Ryougi and Necos.
Corner starter (2A/5A/5B(1)) > 2B(1) > 2C > j.B > delay j.A, land 2C > 63214C, 5B(1) > 2C > 5[C], 5B(1) > 2C > 5[C] (> 421B/C) 4756 Meter Gained: -80% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 38% Deer oki combo in the corner that yields better damage than meterless 5[C] loops or the normal 63214C combo that uses a wallslam beforehand. Works on all characters.
Midscreen starter (2A/5A/5B(1)) > 2B(1) > 2C > j.B > delay j.A > dj.9B > delay j.C(3) > 63214C, 5B(1) > 2C > 5[C], 5B(1) > 2C > 5[C] (> 421B/C) 4513 Meter Gained: -87.6% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 40.3% Deer oki combo from midscreen that yields better damage than the normal 63214C combo that uses a wallslam beforehand. Works on all characters.
Corner crouching starter (j.X) > 5B(1) > 5A > 5[C] > 2[C], 5A > 5[C] delay j.BC, land 5[C] (> 421B/C) 5714 (5276) Meter Gained: 126.3% (112.6%) Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 37.8% Optimized crouching route for deer oki that doesn't work on Aoko, Miyako, Lens, and Necos and can only contain one hit before 5B on Arc. Can be converted into an air combo after 2C as well.
Corner CH 2C starter CH AA 2C/2[C]/214B/421X 2[C] > slight delay 5[C] > IAD j.B, land 2C > 5[C], 5B > 2C > 5[C] (> 421B/C) 6244 Meter Gained: 120.6% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 32.5% Launching CH in the corner, the IAD sequence is pretty tight, but leads to very high damage and well over 100 meter.

Summon Combos

Combos that require a certain summon to be out before getting the hit.

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
Throw Starter, 623A/B Set Throw > 623]X[ > 63214C > 5B > 2C > 5[C] (microwalk), 5B > 2C > 5[C] (> 421B/C) 3925 Meter Gained: -59.4% (92% required) Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 35.9% (Video) Throw combo w/ 623X set into deer oki. On some characters and spacings a microwalk is required to link the 2nd rep of the 5[C] loop, and if not sufficiently deep into the corner a 2nd rep might not be possible at all
EX Crow Set (AT 236C) walk 2A > (crows hit) 2C > j.BC > land 5[C] > 5B(1) > 2C > 5[C] (> 421B/C) 4294 Meter Gained: 36.7% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 30.1% (Video) Combo for when you bait a throw tech (or just catch them not blocking low) after AT ender into EX crows, leads into deer oki

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 300 147 78% (O) -SE-, -N-, -SP-, -EX-, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 5 4 10 -2 3.0% - Elbow poke. While fast and high hitting, Nero's even higher hurtboxes during the animation make this move usually worse than the character's other antiair options for directly contesting jumpins but its speed allows it to work well as a stop sign against instant air dashes and off of ex shield as well as being the most reliable tool for guard breaks to punish the opponent air blocking normals and certain summons close to the ground with. This move also whiffs crouchers giving access to the 5A6E OS as well as being the go-to reverse beat normal for pressure and its height can allow it to be used to catch jumps in pressure sometimes after a summon.

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5B

5B

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 300, 200*2, 300*3 (1259) (794) 100%, 60% (O) N, SP, EX, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 5 1 (6) 14 18 -7 3.0%, 2.0%*2, 4.0%*3 (19.0%) - Wolf. First hit is as fast as 5A without whiffing crouching opponents making it useful as an up-close abare and scramble tool. The first hit also sweeps crouchers at 100% prorate allowing 2B to be omitted for better combo opportunities and can serve as a rewarding tool for blowing up crouch tech in pressure. 5B should always be cancelled during the first hit in combos to prevent the later hits from pushing the opponent out and worsening damage and is also generally unsafe to let go uncancelled past the first few hits in pressure. In general lacking confirmability and high recovery limit 5B's usefulness in neutral though it can sometimes prove effective as a walling normal especially when the opponent is on low health.

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5C

5C 5[C]

5C Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 300, 500, 800 (1234) (714) 60% (O) N, SP, EX, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 10 3 (6) 2 (3) 3 19 -7 3.0%*2, 9.0% (15.0%) - Crocodile. Doesn't see much use due to low blockstun and high recovery but can sometimes still function as a stop sign against approaches that would counterhit 2C or stuff 5[C]'s startup. Launches and cannot be cancelled until the final hit. Begins charging if held for 7f, full charge after 15f. 5[C] Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 350*4, 2000 (2299) (1377) 75% (O), 60% (O) N, SP, EX, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 17 9 (2) 6 11 1 3.5%*4, 10.0% (24.0%) - Charged crocodile. Possibly C-Nero's most character defining move, charging 5C deals much more damage to both health and guard bar and has increased advantage on block with a cancel window through the entirety of its recovery. Cannot be counterhit and retracts Nero's hurtbox with a massive, disjointed hitbox makes this move uncontestable for much of the cast without hitting it out of its 16 frames of startup or attacking from a much more vertical angle to blindspot it. Deals 2K damage on its own, gives plenty of time to confirm on hit, and as an ender leads to the character's best knockdown for a plethora of oki options, most notably the ability to set 421B/C while retaining ample frame advantage.

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Crouching Normals

2A

2A

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 200*3 (495) (241) 78% (O) -SE-, -N-, -SP-, -EX-, (J) L First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 6 7 10 -1 2.0%*3 (6.0%) - Snakes. Hits low. One of the most unique 2A's, hitting three times with 7 active frames and has a very large hitbox even for a frame 6 jab. Being slower than average makes it a little less reliable for mashing out of pressure where other characters would be able to but its reach makes it more effective than others for contesting at a distance in exchange. Due to 2A's high reach it works deceptively well as an antiair especially with Nero's height and other grounded and rising options often encouraging the opponent to press their jumpins early. Also usually Nero's best antiair for catching cross up buttons trying to hit 2C and 5[C] from behind. The recovery can still be cancelled on whiff but only after the third hit just as on block/hit making it less useful for traditional rebeat pressure than 5A and also requires different timing from other 2A's in order to run heat OS.

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2B

2B

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 350*4 (911) (507) 65% (O) N, SP, EX (J) L (1), LH (2-4) First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 9 12 15 -2 4.0%*4 (16.0%) - Centipede. An unconventional sweep, hitting low and sweeping on the first hit and then extending into three more mid hitting longer hitboxes. The long active frames on this move make it good for punishing techs and timing meaties with ease as well as an important tool for converting most grounded hits. Should almost always be cancelled on the first hit in combos outside some advanced routes in the corner for height and scaling reasons. While technically a comfortable -2 on block, 2B when not used close to the opponent has a tendency to push back enough for the final hit or two to whiff making it important to cancel it during its early hits in these cases. When used up-close however it does have a very long cancel window extending through the entire recovery.

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2C

2C 2[C]

2C Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 900 490 80% (O) N, SP, EX (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 11 8 20 -10 9.0% - Horn. Hits mid. An active and high hitting antiair that synergizes very well with 5[C], covering the vertical space where it is vulnerable to attack. 2C can also be half charged to stuff air stalls where fully charging it would take too long. While a strong vertical antiair, it does extend a fairly high hurtbox and has a long recovery making it a little more punishable than Nero's other antiairs when misused. Also useful for catching people jumping away to avoid a summon after hitting Nero. Begins charging if held for 8f, full charge after 13f. 2[C] Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1600 1029 90% (O) N, SP, EX (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 25 8 20 -10 12.0% - Charged horn. Better hitbox and damage but too slow to see much use an antiair. Mostly used in some advanced combos in the corner thanks to significantly increased untech time on hit and can also be used as an occasional stagger in pressure. Pushes back significantly on block and launches on hit.

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Jumping Normals

j.A

j.A

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 350 196 78% (O) SE, N, J LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 7 4 10 - 3.2% - Nail. Hits mid. Very large for a j.A and hits at a downward angle. A good low commitment scouting and rising antiair move thanks to retaining air options on whiff. Can work as a mixup tool out of IAD followed by land 2A thanks to only hitting once and having lower hitstop than Nero's other air normals. Should also be reverse beated into when using j.B as an air to ground from higher up.

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j.B

j.B

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 600, 500 (987) (521) 80% (O) / 50% (O) N, J HA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 8 5 - - 6.65%, 7.0% (13.65%) - Tentacle. Hits high twice. Very good and hard to contest move both in neutral to cover both horizontal and landing space and on offense as a double overhead hitting jumpin. Even has a slight crossup hitbox forcing the opponent to be much more precise when getting behind Nero than most other characters. Despite all of j.B's strengths its second hitbox cannot be cancelled even on hit limiting its conversion ability at its hardest to contest angles.

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j.C

j.C

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 300*3, 700 196*3, 392 100%, 90% (M) N, J HA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 9 10 - - 1.0%, 2.0%, 4.0%*2 (11.0%) - Nightmare. Hits high four times. With 10 active frames, unrivalled horizontal reach, and providing a wallslam on the final hit, j.C is an important preemptive walling tool and option to cover horizontal space when rising and an essential combo tool for corner carry and ensures any hit Nero gets leads to significant frame advantage. Despite its reach and disjoint at the tip j.C has no vertical disjoint and extends a large hurtbox before active making it vulnerable to getting stuffed sometimes by preemptive normals from multiple angles. Also has use on the offensive as easy coverage against forward air tech and can safejump shield counter when done out of an IAD or serve as a triple overhead from slightly higher air dashes.

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Command Normals

4C

4C

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 800, 600 (1106) (689) 60% (O) (N), (SP), (EX), (J) LH, LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 10 7 (6) 4 18 -17, -4 8.0%, 6.0% (14.0%) - Mantis. The second hit is air-blockable and whiffs on all crouching opponents (as well as standing Len, WLen, Miyako, and Necos) if the first hit is blocked as well as not being cancellable on block for either hit. Despite these flaws, 4C sees an important use as a distanced tool for checking the opponent's movement, stopping predictable dash ins and discouraging both dash and jump in pressure when pushed out. Also an important tool for confirming far hits where 2B(1) doesn't reach such as off of max range 2A. Has a small blind spot right in front of Nero. While safe on block against most of the cast, some characters can straight up punish it and that number increases further the closer it is used. The following is a (non-exhaustive) list of punishes to be aware of when using 4C: Meterless Punishes: Arc Drive Punishes: Cannot Punish: Moons Character Punishes Character Moons Character HF Hime 236B Aoko CH V. Sion CF Nanaya f.214B Kouma F Wara CH Sion 214A Roa CF Warc F V. Sion 22C Hisui/HisuiMaids C Satsuki H Roa 236A Akiha CHF Len CHF KohaMaids Most Assists Vaki H W. Len CF Mech 236A Neco Arc C KohaMech 421A H KohaMech 623A/B 150 Meter Punishes: F KohaMech 623A H-Warc 624C CHF Tohno Microdash 2C 100 Meter Punishes: Can Only Punish Poorly Spaced 4C: Moons Character Punishes Moons Character Punishes F Aoko 624C HF Kouma 236 CHF Hime tk.236C HF Miyako 236C H Nanaya 623C CHF Ries AD C Miyako 236C CH Wara 5C CHF Ciel 623C CHF Koha/KohaMaids 2C CH Ciel 236C CH Arcueid 236C CHF Sion 236C HF Arcueid 421C CH Roa 236C CHF P. Ciel 236A H Mech 623C H Satsuki 22B/C CHF Seifuku 623C CH Ryougi 623A F Seifuku 214C F W. Len 236A F Satsuki 236C C Nero 624C CHF Ryougi 214C/22C CHF Nero 4C C W. Len 421C CHF NAC 3C F NecoMech 623C C NecoMech 623C

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Universal Mechanics

Ground Throw

Ground Throw 6/4A+D	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 200*9 (1572) (588) 100% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 3 1 22 - 0.0% - Nero lifts the opponent up and lets his pet birds do some damage. Launches the opponent in an air-tech state. Comboable if they choose not to tech or with certain summons out when timed right.

Air Throw

Air Throw j.6/4A+D

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1200 (1056) 517 30% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 2 1 12 - 10.0% - Nero grabs and punches the target to the ground. Ground bounces and comboable when done raw, giving Nero his air dash back if it was used already allowing for corner carry combos to still be done. When used as a combo ender tends to give +20 frame advantage minimum against standard wake up timings. Combo'd air throw technically leaves the opponent in an OTG state but only opens up incredibly situational combos, usually with ex deer.

Shield Bunker

Shield Bunker 214D in neutral or blockstun

Bunker Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 500 196 100% - 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 500 196 100% - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 8 4 19 -5 0.0%/-50.0% Strike 1-7 Nero steps to the side and throws some shade. Costs 50.0% meter during blockstun.

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Heat

Heat A+B+C	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 100 0 100% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 20 3 25 - -100.0% (min) Full 1-22 Wide hitbox but only covers less than 2/3rds of Nero's height. Guarantees any one summon to be set safely if it sends an opponent fullscreen.
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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. Can be air thrown if used predictably and has punishable landing recovery if baited while airborne.

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Special Moves

Forward Dash

(Forward Dash) 66

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard - - - - - First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln - - 56 - - Full 1-53 Special forward dash that teleports Nero and is invincible from frame 1. Despite immediate invulnerability the recovery is long enough that it's punishable even after the opponent whiffs most moves. Can be used to avoid most last arcs and to reposition if covered by a summon properly.

236X

Chaos Release - Black Wings 236A/B/C

A Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 800 343 100% - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 9 X 31 -3 8.0% - A crow will travel quickly in a horizontal line. A fast fireball but with long recovery that cannot be cancelled making it risky to throw out against characters that can dash under it or are keen on jumping over it. Can link into most uncharged normals on counterhit. B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 800 245 50% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 122 19 42 - 8.0% - A crow will float above Nero and descend at a 45 degree angle after a bit. This move will not hit until its descent. The crow sprite disappears off screen if used while cornered. EX Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 210*13 (1785) (823) 90% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 3+44 46 3+14 - -100.0% Full 1-3 Costs 100% Meter. Summons many 236B crows. Extremely versatile super with low recovery, finding many places of use on offense be it during oki or from a blockstring, or even in order to control space in neutral to restrict approaches and possibly get the frame advantage to setup or heat. When blocked allows for a safe summon or for a harder to see high/low mixup. Brief invul at the start guarantees the crows come out.

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623X

Chaos Release - Black Wings 623A/[A]/B/[B]/C (No EX)

A/B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 800 245 50% - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 72 ~ 73 16 42 - 8.0% - Negative edge. A crow will float above Nero and very slowly float backward (A) or forward (B) with their activation being controlled by negative edge, descending at a 45 degree angle when released. Goes away on hit if not released. The button held can be switched between any except the D button allowing for throw to be used and even full combos to be done while this move is out. C Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 800 245 50% - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 289 12 54 - 8.0% - A crow will float in the air sloppily following the enemy's movements for a few seconds before finally attacking at a 45° angle. Not an EX. Goes away on hit. Generally considered Nero's least useful summon.

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214X

Chaos Discharge - Reptilian (EX: Chaos Discharge - Large Tsunami) 214A/[A]/B/C

A Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 400, 160*10 (1725) (671) 100% - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 68 (min) 3 39 - 8.0%, 0.6%*10 (14.0%) - A snake will travel slowly across the ground. This snake is controlled by negative edge and is activated by releasing the A button, unlike the 623X series only the A button can be used for 214A. The button however does not need to be held until the snake appears on the ground allowing a short period where one can press other A moves such as 236A. Upon being hit the opponent will be chewed and then dropped from the top of the screen for a ground techable knockdown, allowing for either another summon on the read they don't tech or a potential tech punish if they do. The opponent can still be hit with other attacks during the chewing animation, but special moves, command normals, airdash, or super jump cannot be done for the duration of the animation. During the summon animation of 214A/B, another one of either can be summoned if the first hasn't reached the ground yet. If done with two 214A snakes, releasing A will activate both simultaneously and it's even possible for both to hit the opponent, resulting in them being dragged down by one and then dropped from the top of the screen at the location of the other. B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1000 392 87% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 56 (min) 3 34 - 11.0% - A snake will travel quickly across the ground. This move automatically activates when it is near an opponent, launching them on hit. Some characters are fast enough to dash through 214B before it is active making it weaker than 214A for controlling ground approaches but its speed makes it better for disrupting enemy zoning. EX Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1500 1176 75% (O) - LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 7+29 3 2 23 -100.0% - Costs 100% Meter. Summons a large mouth that tracks the opponent and covers much of the screen, launching on hit with long untech time. Is air unblockable but easily shielded. Fullscreen reach gives this move use for some long range CH pickups such as on far 236A air hit. Sometimes used to cover the screen during deer oki to obscure a mixup.

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421X

Chaos Release - Horned Beasts 421A/B/C

A Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 600 392 75% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 37 10 44 20-22 5.0% - A single deer will jump towards the opponent, including turning around on them if they're behind Nero. There is a blind spot directly in front of Nero when summoned making it vulnerable to being challenged with dash if used in pressure predictably. Useful for covering both more horizontally off approaches and attempts to get behind Nero. 421A can also OTG relaunch and doesn't require a jump cancel to confirm into an air combo. B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 800*2 392*2 75% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 146 4 (61) 4 60 - 8.0%*2 (16.0%) - A deer will take its time jumping towards the opponent twice, launching very high on hit. Takes a long time to become active making it less effective at functioning as more immediate insurance. Useful in neutral when given space such as after a j.C wallslam or after securing a knockdown with 5[C] EX Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1500*3 980*3 75% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 2+107 4 (41) 4 (41) 4 2+50 - -100.0% Full 1-5 Costs 100% meter. Summons a deer that will jump towards the opponent three times at a faster rate than 421B with significantly improved hitboxes and damage. The go-to option when ending combos on j.C or 5[C] when looking to burn meter such as during MAX. Guaranteed to come out thanks to some startup invul but a largely gimmicky option on defense due to not being active fast enough to stop the majority of the cast from launching Nero into an air combo.

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63214C

Chaos Release - Phantasmic 63214C

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1000*3 (2675) (1835) 100% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 1+7 7 36 -21 -100.0% Full 1-8 Phantom Hand. Costs 100% meter. Delivers an air untechable wallslam on hit, giving it important use as a tool to secure a 5[C] knockdown off of a lot of air combos. Can also be used as a reversal thanks to being invincible into the first active frame and being near impossible to outspace if the opponent is anywhere close but is unreliable against A normals because of the superflash and has long counterhit recovery if blocked, shielded, or dodged.

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Arc Drive

Armament 999 41236C during Max/Heat

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 3500 2254 100% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 2+60 8 81 - removes all Full Nero transforms and charges forward. Unblockable, unshieldable, unclashable and invul through the entire recovery but easily dodged or backdashed and lengthy startup makes it generally easy to maneuver around if just thrown out. Both AD and AAD have niche use in unblockable setups usually in conjunction with 236C but generally aren't the most reliable to implement.

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Another Arc Drive

Armament 999 41236C during Blood Heat	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 3000*2 (5350) (3338) 100% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 2+40 X (78) X 86 - removes all Full Improved version. Nero charges toward to edge of the screen, then charges back to his original position. Faster startup than Arc Drive. Second hit might not connect depending on the situation.
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Last Arc

Number of the Beast Grounded EX Shield during Blood Heat	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 700*15 (3029 ~ 6145) (2526 ~ 5090) 50% + 50% * remaining BH time - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 1+7 100 39 - removes all Full Nero fires an unblockable laser. Very active but can be low profiled or avoided by getting behind Nero.
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Reverse Beats and Gaps

Rebeats/Summons

	5A	2A	214A	214B	236C
2A, 5[C](1-4)	-7	-11	-25	-20	-6
2B, 2B, 5C	-4	-8	-25	-20	-3
5[C], 2C, 2[C]	-1	-5	-22	-17	0

Gaps

	5[C]	2[C]	421A
2A, 5[C](1-4)	6-17	14	26
5B, 2B, 5C	3-14	11	23
5[C], 2C, 2[C]	0-11	8	20

MBAACC's "neutral frame" is counted as the "0th" gap frame in this table. Opponents do not benefit from autoguard on this frame and must block all attacks correctly, but are not able to act until the next frame.

Notable Players

Name	Color	Region	Common Venues	Status	Details
(The) Burning Moon (Web Booby Cop#4605)		NA/Europe	Next Level, Netplay	Active	Found in every Melty server. The main editor of this page and open to any questions on discord. Has footage against players of all skill levels as well as the most offline footage out of any PC Nero player.
Canceris (Canceris#7506)		South America	Netplay	Active	Found in main Melty server, Melty Blood Community server, and Melty Sud. Longest time player on PC that's still active with a lot of experience under his belt. Shows off strong use of 2A, 2C, and rising j.A in antiair situations and is one of the main players in the west to study for low commitment play in neutral.
hakujun (白純)		Japan	Play Spot BIG ONE 2nd	Active	Currently the most active Nero player in Japan, has footage against more of the more recent JP playerbase than anyone else listed and shows off a diverse array of things the character can do on offense.
lain (Awong102300#9981)		North America	Netplay	Active	Found in meltycord and the community server. Runs a simpler, lower maintenance gameplan than most other Neros while still having footage against varying skill levels.
LuckyStar		Japan	A-cho	Inactive	The original MBAACC shark. Often goes for unorthodox and stylish plays but is more than competent when he needs to be. Has more footage than any other Nero player against opponents of all skill levels. Fond of not blocking and random selects palette.
MaSa		Japan	Play Spot BIG ONE 2nd	Active	The top Nero player in Japan. Shows off clean neutral control and game sense in summoning dynamics and tight, textbook offense when the opponent is in position to get setplayed to death off of one or two confirms in addition to a nigh unparalleled conversion game in consistency.
nekuromanshi- (ネクロマンシー)		Japan	A-cho	Inactive	One of the most dominating, high winrate Nero players in the footage he has. One of the few Neros seen using heat OS.
paddu (paddu#7497)		Europe	Netplay	Inactive	Found in main Melty server and Melty Blood Community server. Technical and gameplan-oriented.
Receita Federal (UA Receita Federal#3351)		Brazil	Netplay	Active	Found in main Melty server and Melty Brasil. Secondaries Nero and often picks him in difficult matchups for his main.
rondo (ロンド)		Japan	A-cho, KorewaMelty, Play Spot BIG ONE 2nd, Netplay	Inactive	One of the few netplay-focused JP players, footage showcases a less ringwide-esque playstyle and consideration for matchup-specific options.
SAT		Japan	A-cho, KorewaMelty	Inactive	The top Nero player during the early days of MBAACC. Some footage is a little dated but also contains some forgotten gems of Nero play.
toku (徳)		Japan	A-cho, KorewaMelty, Play Spot BIG ONE 2nd, Netplay	Active	Lab monster who posts a lot of advanced tech to his twitter. By far the most technical and stylish Nero available, going for combos and setups you won't see anywhere else as well as heavy air normal abuse in pressure.
yutori (ゆとり)		Japan	Play Spot BIG ONE 2nd	Active	Plays default palette often too. Makes heavy use of air to ground mixups on offense and shows unique conversions off of them.