Melty Blood/MBTL/Michael Roa Valdamjong

Story

A vampire known as the "Serpent of Akasha" or the "Infinite Reincarnator." Former priest of the Holy Church. He can manipulate information and electricity at will. The story of Roa appearing in Souya that came to him predicts the possibilities he might have had following a chance encounter with Arcueid and Shiki.

Gameplay

Roa excels at controlling the midrange with 214X lightning bolts and pressuring opponents up close with his strong rebeats.

The primary villain of original Tsukihime novel, Roa constantly frustrate opponents with fast and ambiguious normal and special attacks. Up close, many of his command normals has follow-up attacks to hit unsuspecting players with. From mid-screen, he has the choices of Thunderclap (236X) cross-up dash attacks and ranged hit-scan Thunder Needle (214X) series that can strike almost instantly from either ground level or from above, keeping the opponent under heavy pressure even from far away.

Despite his advantage, Roa's mix-up is mostly limited to strike/ stagger/ throw game. And his tools for dealing with air approach are unusually underwhelming; his airborne normal and go-to anti-air attacks have poor coverage. He wants to constantly win mind games and dominate neutral from the ground, requiring the player to get in their opponent's head as much as learning how to stay tricky with their own kit.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Powerful Screen Presence: Roa can pressure the opponent from almost anywhere on the screen, using 214X and 4B+C to harass at long range and 236X to close ground. All of his ranged tools can lead to full, sometimes very powerful combos. Most of the roster must be wary of his ability to present himself as a threat at any range On-demand Plus Frames: Roa can spend a bar on 214C to be massively plus on block. When used in conjunction with his 236A and 214X series, this means that he can easily force his turn. Anti Zoning: Tools like 236C gives Roa opportunities to stuff attempts at fullscreen zoning, having fast pokes at closer ranges that zoners can struggle with contesting Solid Defense: With access to a combo starting DP, a sweep that covers rebeat whiff ranges, and an amazing backdash, Roa has many strong options to steal back his turn.	Limited Mix-up on the ground: Roa's lack of a standing overhead or command grab can make calling out certain defensive options difficult. Highly reliant on IAD mixups and strike throw to open the opponent up in non-wakeup situations. Underwhelming Aerial Options: Roa's neutral relies heavily on specific grounded attacks, such as 236X, 214X, and 4B+C. He is significantly more limited in the air, where he has to rely on his air options which are notably inferior.

Character Summary

Move list

Moon Skills

6B+C - Thunderclap

3B+C - Rising Lightning

4B+C - Thunder Needle

j.6B+C - Brilliant Demon Strike

Special Attacks

236A/B/C (EX OK) - Thunderclap

623A/B/C (EX OK) - Rising Lightning

214A - Thunder Needle

> A/B/C - Timeless Thunder Needle

214B/C (EX OK) - Timeless Thunder Needle

> A/B/C - Thunder Needle

j.236A/B/C (EX OK) - Brilliant Demon Strike

Arc Drive

236B+C - Celestial Strike

Last Arc

A+B+C+D / D in Blood Heat - Seventeenth Transmigration

Unique Attacks

6C>C, 3C, 2C>2C

Blowback Edge Moves

236[B], 214[B]

Stats & vitals

HP Value: 11,700

Dash startup: 6

Dash actionable: 9

Jump startup: 4

Jump airtime: 37

Quick combo reference

Coming soon.

Move Analysis

Normal Moves

Standing Normals

5A

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5A

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
180	L	-N-, -SE-, -SP-, -RB-, -EX-, -MD-, (J)	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
5	2	11	17	-1	-

Is now a low!
Whiff cancels available from frame 10 onwards (frame 10 is the first frame of the whiff cancelled move).
A good option for reverse beat pressure due to its short recovery.

5B

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5B

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
480	LH	N, SP, RB, EX, MD, (J)	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
9	3	20	31	-5	-

Standard mid poke. One of Roa's furthest-reaching normals. Note that it can be difficult to combo from this at max range.
Surprisingly disjointed.

5C

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5C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
420*2 (806)	LH, LH	N, SP, RB, EX, MD, (J)	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
10	3 (11) 3	19	45	-5	-

A two-hit attack that moves Roa forward a fair bit.
Despite appearances, does not hit high enough to effectively anti-air in most scenarios, and it primarily sees use as combo filler.

Crouching Normals

2A

+

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2A

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
150	L	N, -SE-, -SP-, RB, -EX-, -MD-, (J)	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
5	2	11	17	-1	-

Identical frame data to 5A. Is a low at the cost of less damage.
Whiff cancels available from frame 10 onwards (frame 10 is the first frame of the whiff cancelled move).

2B

+

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2B

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
420	L	N, SP, RB, EX, MD, (J)	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
7	5	16	27	-6	-

A low poke with better reach than 2A.
The fast start-up makes this a good choice for close-range scrambles.

2C

+

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2C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
620	L	N, CH, SP, RB, EX, MD, (J)	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
9	11	14	33	-8	-

An advancing low attack with a ton of active frames, a staple in most of Roa's combos and a decent poke in neutral.

Jumping Normals

j.A

Aerial

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jA

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
140	HA	N, SP, RB, EX, MD, J	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
5	4	11	19	-	-

Can be jump and air dash cancelled on whiff, making it Roa's least committal air normal.

j.B

Aerial

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jB

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
400	HA	N, SP, RB, EX, MD, J	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
7	4	-	-	-	-

An upwards kick that hits below, in front of, and above Roa.
A great option for attacking opponents above you during air-to-air engagements.

j.C

Aerial

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jC

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
560	HA	N, SP, RB, EX, MD, J	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
8	5	-	-	-	-

Roa's furthest-reaching air normal, as well as his most active, making it a good jump-in attack.

Command Normals

3C

+

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3C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
700	LH	SP, EX, MD, (J)	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
12	3	23	37	-9	-

Roa's launcher.
Has some use as an occasional anti-air due to the hitbox reaching above the hurtbox, but the practicality is limited, as it tends to clash with, rather than beat, opposing air normals.

6C

+

Follow up is a low

Follow up is a low

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6C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
390*2 (744)	LHA	CH, SP, EX, MD	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
16	4	26	45	-8	-

Roa leaps forward to swipe at the opponent. Mostly used in combos, but can be used to extend blockstrings. Cancelable both while airborne and on landing.

/Data#6C~C

6C~C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
460	LA	SP, EX, MD	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
6	4	31	40	-18	-

Followup sweep. Must input before landing from 6C, cannot frame trap from it. Also mostly used as combo filler.

2C~2C

+

> Add

+

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2C~2C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
740	LH	N, SP, EX, MD, (J)	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
13	3	23	38	-9	-

This is mainly useful for combos. Allows you to often convert into 236B midscreen and 214[B] in the corner. You can use this to perform some rebeats due to pushback but that will make the rebeat fairly telegraphed.

J.2C

(J2)+

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J2C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
-	-	-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
-	-	-	-	-	-

Roa performs a standalone version of his dp follow-up.
Useful for air conversions, can continue the combo on the ground

Universal Mechanics

Rapid Beat 2

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rapid2

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
230*2 (414)	LH	SP, RB, EX, MD	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
8	4	25	36	-10	-

Rapid Beat 3

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rapid3

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
700	LH	SP, EX, MD, (J)	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
12	3	23	37	-9	-

Same animation as 3C

Ground Throw

throw

/

+

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/Data#4/6AD

4/6AD

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1500	U	-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
4	3	19	26	-	-

Can safejump afterwards with w5A j9C

Air Throw

airthrow

Aerial

/

+

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/Data#j.4/6AD

j.4/6AD

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1200	U	(J)	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
1	3	-	-	-	-

Universal air combo ender.
If you still have your jump and air dash, you can jump cancel the recovery and air dash towards your opponent to meaty them with a falling air normal. This can potentially be a safejump, but the timing is finnicky.

Special Moves

Thunderclap

+

A version starts up fast but travels a shorter distance

B version starts up slow but travels a longer distance

Feint

EX version hits the entire screen

B version has less vertical reach

Feint

tall hitbox that tracks opponent position

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/Data#236A

236A

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1200	LH	-EX-, -MD-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
10	8	28	45	-9 ~ -2	-

Moves roughly halfway across the screen in the blink of an eye.
Combo tool which will almost always switch sides unless you are in the corner. Not good for blockstrings due to it being unsafe but can be made safer at range.
Can be used in neutral to get your turn by cancelling into either Moon Drive or 214C.

/Data#236B

236B

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1400	LH	-EX-, -MD-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
20	8	21	48	-2 ~ +5	-

Fantastic combo tool which is great at pushing the opponent towards the corner after 2CC but also has the flexibility of switching sides.
Safe on block and becomes plus at distance, however the distance required is too far to reset from a blockstring.
Amazing for okizeme after a low altitude AT or 236C.

/Data#236[B]

236[B]

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
-	-	-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
-	-	-	34	-	-

A fake-out that can be used to reset pressure if your opponent is being cautious.
Not terribly practical due to the large amount of recovery and startup.

/Data#236C

236C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
170, 102*19 (2108)	LHA	-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
4+8	-	-	-	-25	-

Good damage and provides a hard knockdown.
Hits full screen making this an excellent whiff punish tool.
Can be used to blow up any projectile in the game on reaction, forcing the opponent to be very careful when trying to throw out buttons against a Roa with meter.
Allows for an OTG combo afterwards, at the cost of losing the hard knockdown.

Rising Lightning

+

Only B and EX version have the follow up and invul

spot the difference

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/Data#623A

623A

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
440*3 (1200)	LH	-EX-, -MD-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
6	11	25	41	-19	-

A rising attack with no invincibilty, but the potential to clash with aerial attacks and punish with the later hits.

/Data#623B

623B

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
340*4, 450 (1544)	LH	(EX), (MD)	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
6	14	27	46	-30	1-13 All

Fully invincible from frame 1. Roa's go-to reversal.
Can be cancelled into j.236C before the fifth hit, letting you convert into a full combo.

/Data#623C

623C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
300*6, 600 (2010)	LH	(MD)	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
4+1	22	28	54	-35	1-16 All

Faster than the B version while retaining full invincibility.
Gives hard knockdown on hit.

Timeless Thunder Needle

+

regular versions

followup versions. both have a bit more reach compared to the normal ones

blowback edge version

regular versions

followup versions. both have a bit more reach compared to the normal ones

blowback edge version

first and last lightning strike of EX

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/Data#214A

214A

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1000	LHA	-CH-, -EX-, -MD-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
12	3	23	38	-4	-

A horizontal lightning strike with great reach, making it a good tool for harassing the opponent at range in neutral.
Can be cancelled into 214A~X even on whiff.

/Data#214A~X

214A~X

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
700	LHA	-EX-, -MD-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
11	3	28	41	-8	-

Performs the B version as a follow-up, letting you easily confirm the hit on reaction.
Can whiff if the 214A hit from far away.
Whiffs against opponents guarding up close.
Also serves as an extra layer of safety for Roa, as it can potentially anti-air people jumping over 214A.

/Data#214B

214B

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1000	LHA	-CH-, -EX-, -MD-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
16	3	25	43	-5	-

A diagonal lightning strike with the potential to anti-air, but doing so on reaction is tricky at best.
Can be cancelled into 214B~X even on whiff.

/Data#214B~X

214B~X

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
700	LHA	-EX-, -MD-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
12	3	26	40	-6	-

Performs the A version as a follow-up to the B version.
Mainly combo filler.

/Data#214[B]

214[B]

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
480*3 (1170)	LHA	-EX-, -MD-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
24	3 (1) 3 (1) 3	20	55	+2	-

Releases multiple pillars of diagonal lightning.
A good tool for controlling space due to the long active frames, but it can be easily shielded on reaction if done predictably.
As of the new patch, this move can also been done by 214A -> [A].

/Data#214C

214C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
440*8 (2105)	LHA	MD	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
4+5	-	-	-	+29	-

Similar to 214B, but now releases multiple lightning strikes in quick succession.
Very advantageous on block, letting you keep up your pressure if your initial string didn't pan out, or letting you quickly and safely get in if cancelled into from a 236A or 6B+C.
Gives a full combo on hit, and can be used to tack on extra damage before using your Arc Drive if done at the end of a combo.
Also useful for some guard break set-ups, as while the opponent is stuck blocking it in the air, Roa can hit them with an air-unblockable move for free.

Brilliant Demon Strike

Aerial

+

big

bigger

biggest

big

bigger

biggest

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/Data#j236A

j236A

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
900	LHA	-EX-, -MD-, -J-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
8	6	-	-	-7 (TK) ~ -2 (lowest)	-

Roa surrounds himself with lightning, hitting both in front of and behind him.
Can be jump cancelled even on whiff.
Good for tacking on extra damage during air combos.
If done at a lower point (i.e. from instant air dash jC > jB), Roa becomes -3 on block. If done 1 frame before landing, it is -2.

/Data#j236B

j236B

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
340*4 (1083)	LHA	-EX-, -MD-, -J-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
19	14	-	-	+2 (TK) ~ +7 (lowest)	-

Functions exactly like the A version, but is slower in exchange for being more powerful.
Much more limited usage in combos, but can potentially be plus on block if done low enough to the ground, including after 6C.
If done at a lower point (i.e. from instant air dash jC > jB), Roa becomes +6 on block. If done 1 frame before landing, it is +7.

/Data#j236C

j236C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
450*4, 600 (1868)	LHA	-MD-, -J-	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
4+4	14	-	-	+2 (TK) ~ +7 (lowest)	-

Sends the opponent to the ground, allowing for follow-ups if Roa is close enough.
A great tool for converting air hits into stronger combos, or just for adding more damage to secure the kill at the end of a combo.
Only gives hard knockdown during short combos. Longer ones will cause it to allow the opponent to recover as soon as they touch the ground.
Just like the B version, the move can go up to +7 on block if done low enough.

Moon Skills