Red Earth/War-Zard/Leo

Background

In the Year of our Lord 13XX, an unknown evil force invaded the peaceful kingdom of Savalia. Leo the king of Savalia fought to the end but lost in the face of enormous magical power and was cursed with the body of a beast and was driven out of his country by the invaders. Wise men tried to save the poor king from his horrific fate, but none could remedy the curse. And now Leo has returned to Savalia to pay off his debt to his countrymen...

" I'll save my kingdom or die trying! "

Introduction

Leo is a unique blend of archetypes, sharing elements from zoners, rushdown and grapplers. With a wide variety of long range normals, commands grabs, and normals with strong hit\hurtboxes, Leo dominates in neutral, but be warned, his sword also tends to have wide hurtboxes, making them dangerous on a savvy opponent. Mixing your approach is key, as the cast has strong methods of keeping him out, or punishing a reckless approach. Utilize his tools well however, and few things can stop the onslaught this beastial sovereign is capable of inflicting.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Huge Damage: Leo's damage output cannot be stressed enough. His most common orbless combo cuts through about a third of the opponent's health bar, meaning that Leo only needs to hit the opponent a few times to end the round. He also has some of the most damaging pokes in the entire game, making Leo a terrifying character to go up against. High Health: Not only can Leo hit hard, but he can take a hit back. Having the highest defense in the game gives him even more of an edge on the other characters. He can afford to take more risks, and usually the payoffs are well worth it. High Guard Gauge: If having the highest defense wasn’t enough, he also has the highest guard gauge making his overall defense the best in the game. Blockstrings into guard break that would work on all of the cast often won’t work on Leo, and it can be difficult to get a good air guard break punish on him with Ice super. High Stun Resistance: Leo boasts a high stun meter making dizzying him more difficult. Often this allows Leo to escape from combos that would be TODs on any other character. Insane Range: One of Leo’s most oppressive characteristics is the incredible range on some of his key normals. He can often be standing at near full screen and still be exerting pressure from his cr.5 or cr.6, or he can be at super jump height and still manage to nail the opponent with his j.d+5. Screen Dominance: No one dominates space better than Leo. He has a normal for almost every situation at any range. With his j.5, j.2, and j.u+2, he truly owns the skies. And on the ground, his long range crouching moves will cover any approach. And if the opponent gets close, his quick kicks will still keep them at bay with his ever threatening mixups. Excellent Mixups: Leo’s strike/throw up close can be terrifying for the opponent to deal with. While he doesn’t really have a high/low game, he has brutal left/right mixups instead, often with multiple crossups in a row. Add in some high damage tick throw setups, and Leo’s mixups are no joke. Fast Movement: You’d think for such a big character with slow, long range normals he’d move slow, however Leo has some of the best movement in the game. Not only is his dash lightning fast, but it can be canceled into any special move or an Ultimate Guard. In the right hands, Leo’s movement can be very tricky to deal with. Tricky Air Hurtbox: For whatever reason, when Leo enters hitstun while in the air, his hurtbox shoots way up which can make it difficult to combo him in the air. He will often drop out of combos, take way less hits, or just generally make the combo way stricter on him. Good Guard Break Options: With huge damage also comes huge guard damage. If the opponent is coerced into just blocking, Leo can take advantage of that and try to go for some pretty effective guard break combos that lead into super. He even has a setup that allows him to get a guaranteed guard break if the opponent is in the air in the corner, so chicken-blocking in the corner to try and avoid his mixups will only lead to disaster for the opponent. Great Ultimate Counters: Both of Leo’s UCs are really useful and cover a lot of space. He can manage to punish with his kick UC from a surprising distance, and his punch UC has a gigantic hitbox making it great for anti-airing. Big Body: Because Leo is so big, he will often steal orbs from opponents in situations where he really should not have been able to. Doesn't Need Orbs: Unlike the rest of the cast, Leo’s major strengths are not reliant on orbs, so any he collects are simply a bonus. That said, even though he doesn’t need orbs he can still put out major damage with his supers if he happens to have any extras.

Very Minus: With as amazing normals as Leo has, there has to be some sort of downside, and in this case it’s the frame advantage. Nearly every grounded normal he has is often not only punishable on block, but on hit. If the normal uses his sword, he should think twice about pressing it right next to the opponent. These normals were very clearly intended to be used at range, so failure to follow that principle will lead to disaster for Leo. Limited Combos: Leo has the lowest combo potential in the game by design. He’s intended as more of a poke and spacing character, so his combo game is extremely sparse and lacks variety. Expect to see the same three move combo again and again. Bad Pursuit : Although dealing massive damage, Leo’s pursuit is contender for the worst in the game. There is a very high likelihood that if not timed extremely precisely or if used recklessly, his pursuit will be punishable on hit. Unfortunately this high damage pursuit is often just not worth the risk in most cases. Big Body: Having a big body to steal orbs comes with the much bigger cost of being able to be comboed easier. Because he is so big, some characters can have extended ground combos on him, or even get combos from farther away than wouldn’t have been possible on other characters. Weakest Elemental Supers: After putting all of his effort into weapons, it seems that Leo skipped magic class. His elemental supers are by far the weakest in the game, some even doing less hits than everyone else.

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Red Earth: Leo's Moveset by HP

• Defense: High
• Guard Gauge: High
• Stun Meter: 36
• Forward dash duration: 17f
• Back dash duration: 14f
• Prejump: 6f
• Normal jump airtime: 39f
• Starting Element: Meteor
• Elemental Weakness: Wind

Level 32 Passwords:

• Black Sword Only: 4 1 3 4 4 3 4 1 5 3
• Battle Axe: 4 1 5 4 5 4 4 5 3 3
• Fire/Ice/Axe: 4 1 5 4 5 4 4 4 4 3
• Ice/Lightning/Axe: 4 1 5 4 5 4 4 4 5 3
• Fire/Lightning/Axe: 4 1 5 4 5 4 4 4 6 3

Normal Moves

Extras

1	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Mid 26 (9-2-15) 10 2 15 -6 -7 -7 (+8) Yes Leo steps forward, striking with a vertical slash. It not only possesses a tall hitbox, but is super and special cancellable. Useful for not only anti-airs, but for blockstrings on an airborne opponent, leading to an extension dependent on orb count and distance.

2 Can be ducked. Can be ducked.	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 13-16 Mid 36 (12-4-20) 13 4 20 -7 -8 -8 (+7) Super only Honestly one of his weaker normals. The range is nice, and super cancelling is too, but most of the time 1 or cr.1 is the safer and better option. Use in fringe cases.

3 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji. 3 followup. 3 followup.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 3 14-17 Mid 34 (13-3-18) 14 3 18 -1 (+4) -6 -6 (+9) No Leo swings horizontally once again, but with a twist. In exchange for cancel ability and some range, Leo can chain into a second slash. The meat to it is that this followup is optional, as well as highly delayable. A good check option, especially if the opponent likes to jump or Ultimate Guard. Great conditioning tool, just mind the range is a bit short. 3 > 3 14-17 Mid 62 (41-2-19) 42 [minimum] 2 19 HKD -2 -2 (+13) No Will guard crush if the first 3 was blocked, allowing you to confirm into Hercules Rush at certain ranges.

4	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 7-9 Mid 16 (2-6-8) 3 6 8 +3 +2 +2 (+17) Yes Leo's fastest grounded normal. Simple and to the point, Leo knees the opponent in the gut. Can be super and special cancelled, and is plus on contact. Great for staggering and tick throws into his command grabs.

5 "The Father" "The Father"

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 9-11 Mid 21 (4-6-11) 5 6 11 +8 +7 +7 (+22) Yes Similar story to 4, but at the cost of being slightly slower to start and recover, has a great vertical hitbox, and has the luxury of being his strongest special cancellable normal. Exceptional anti-air button, and great combo fuel, leaving you a whopping +8 on hit, +7 on block. One of his best normals, use often.

6 Can be ducked. Staggers Kenji. Can be ducked. Staggers Kenji.

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 10-13 High 34 (16-5-13) 17 5 13 +7 (+14) +6 +6 (+21) No Only for the brave or foolish, Leo steps forward, booting the opponent in the face. Leo is left +7 on hit, and left close, making links both tantalizing AND rewarding. The catch is while it is an overhead, it whiffs on the cast crouching, bar a guarding Tessa, or himself. As such, it's recommended to only save this for optimal Ultimate Guard punishes, or brutal mirror match shenanigans.

cr.1

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Low 27 (8-4-15) 9 4 15 -8 -9 -9 (+6) Yes Off the bat, the range of this thing is huge. Pokes as far if not slightly less than cr.5, which is nothing to scoff at. On top of this, it's super and special cancellable, leading to some dangerous footsies if he has orbs. Be wary of a lightning orb Leo. Only drawback is that it's minus on hit or block, and as such is best cancelled into something, namely his dp.1. Even so, one can use it to bait an Ultimate Guard, and cancel into 360. Also owns the high praise of being Leo's only cancellable low. Definitely one to experiment with.

cr.2 Two hits. First hit can be ducked. Two hits. First hit can be ducked.	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 17-22 Mid 44 (13-6-25) 14 3/3 25 -12 -13 -13 (+2) No Leo swings low to the ground. While weak as a poke, it's surprisingly decent as an anti-air, hits twice, and is fairly good at keeping a cornered opponent locked down. Wouldn't advise using too often, but certainly a tool to remember.

cr.3

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 14-17 Mid 41 (8-6-27) 9 2/2/2 27 Launch -22 -22 (-7) No Slashing upwards in a pose not unbefitting of a Master of the Universe, cr.3 is a decent anti-air option due to it's wide hitbox when Leo's arm is fully extended, also causing a juggle state on hit that can be extended on a ground connect, but be warned: This move has absolutely ABYSMAL frame data if whiffed/blocked. Very committal, swing with this move and you better mean it.

cr.4

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 11-14 Mid 34 (8-6-20) 9 6 20 -15 -16 -16 (-1) No Most attacks in Red Earth are well designed, and have distinctive uses that make them at least somewhat viable in some situations. This however, is the exception that proves the rule. There is no reason to press this button. Ever. Its angle is pitiful, its damage is mediocre, you can't cancel from it and to top it off its not even a low, AND is mega minus even on hit. Assuming you LIKE having a health bar, DO, NOT, PRESS, THIS, BUTTON!

cr.5 "The Son" "The Son"

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Low 32 (7-4-21) 8 4 21 -9 -10 -10 (+5) No A classic normal among Leo mains, Leo stabs outward, plain and simple. The most obvious benefit of this move is that it's GIGANTIC, seriously covers a good 2/3 of horizontal screen give or take, while also being a low, COMMANDING the opponent be ready for it. Pushes the opponent a decent bit back, meaning at max range it can be difficult, if not almost impossible to be punished meterless. Be wary however, this godlike range comes at a cost. A good chunk of Leos sword is also classified as a hurtbox, and the move is also pretty minus on contact, -9 on hit and -10 if blocked, meaning an ill spaced poke can be punished by everyone to some extent. A good button, make no mistake. But one that's weaknesses must be properly respected.

cr.6 6 followup. 6 followup.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel cr.6 12-15 Low 30 (11-3-16) 12 3 16 HKD 0 0 (+15) No cr.6 > 6 13-16 Low 66 (33-3-30) 34 [minimum] 3 30 HKD -14 -14 (+1) No Similar to cr.1 and cr.5 in that it reaches pretty far, the main distinction of this button is twofold. For one, it's Leo's designated sweep, meaning it can be pretty good for closing the distance when connected. Second, completely safe, making it an actually decent button to throw out against a grounded opponent. It also helps that it can actually be cancelled into a followup with the same input, making it an ambiguous button the opponent will think twice about disrespecting. However, due to this a savvy opponent can Ultimate Guard the second swing, and punish accordingly if you're too predictable.

j.1

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.1 12-15 High Varies 6 2 Until landing +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.1 12-15 High 27 (5-2-20) 6 2 20 +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Comes out fairly quickly. However, its only real weakness is that it doesn't really have much of a use outside of poking an opponent at weird angles. As an air to air tool, it's mostly outclassed by j.3 in basically every metric that matters

j.2

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.2 12-15 High Varies 9 3 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.2 12-15 High 33 (8-3-22) 9 3 22 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Reaches slightly further than j.1, but is also 3 frames slower. In regards to an air to air situation, j.3 is generally a safer, and thus more appealing button to press in that scenario.

j.3 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.3 13-16 High Varies 6 2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.3 13-16 High 28 (5-2-21) 6 2 21 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Definitely Leos best air to air button, as well as an acceptable jump in option. Comes out just as fast as j.1, but has the benefit of his hurtbox being substantially more squashed, and thus more difficult to trade with for the opponent, alongside the actual hitbox being fairly disjointed from it.

j.4

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.4 12-15 High Varies 9 2/3 Until landing +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.4 12-15 High 29 (8-5-16) 9 2/3 16 +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No To be blunt, one of Leo's best normals, and one you should press often. Its hitbox is excellent, in that it is really wide underneath him, serving not only as his most reliable cross up button, but making it just a solid button to press while the opponent is beneath you to keep them pinned. Does enough hitstun to comfortably link into his cancellable normals, making it his most consistent jump in tool as well.

j.5 "The Holy Spirit" "The Holy Spirit"

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.5 12-15 High Varies 10 14 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.5 12-15 High 32 (9-14-9) 10 14 9 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No A great neutral tool as it's active for 14 frames, and covers a good distance in front and below Leo. Incredibly useful for controlling space and challenging your opponents escape options. Be warned however, as Ice Super and characters with a DP can hit you out of it if you perform it too close, so don't lean on it. Excellent normal, hard to go wrong.

j.6 Staggers Kenji (+27). Staggers Kenji (+27).

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.6 12-15 high Varies 9 2/2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.6 12-15 high 34 (8-4-22) 9 2/2 22 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No High utility normal right here. Comes out fairly quick, and has 2 hitboxes (only hits once however), one that hits fairly low, and one that reaches higher in front of him. Definitely Leo's strongest jump-in, and pretty decent for guard break strings in the corner.

Command Normals

j.u+2	Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.u+2 13-16 Mid Varies 11 3 Until landing N/A N/A N/A No sj.u+2 13-16 Mid 22 (10-3-9) 11 3 9 N/A N/A N/A No Much and such the same sort of story as j.2, only Leo reaches upwards. The angle is somewhat niche in utility, but is pretty good at hitting a retreating Kenji out of the sky, so still worth using.

j.d+5

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.d+5 12-15 High Varies 9 22 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.d+5 12-15 High 42 (8-22-12) 9 22 12 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Leo stabs directly downwards, using the same animation as his pursuit. Pretty good as a fast overhead (or at least, what Leo would consider fast) and is a solidly ambiguous option on opponents wakeup. Worth using if for nothing else than it's deceptively long active frames, and it's ability to muck with people as they get up.

j.d+6 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.d+6 12-15 High Varies 13 2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.d+6 12-15 High 31 (12-2-17) 13 2 17 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Quite possibly Leo's strangest move. He swings his sword vertically, and yet the actual attack itself is awkwardly angled more below and in front of him. Deceptively stubby, but still decent as a jump in as it's somewhat disjointed.

Special Moves

Chronos Rush QCF+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1

Leo charges forward, crashing his shoulder into the opponent, following up with a vertical swing. While he's running with his sword raised, he's immune to projectiles allowing you to close the distance on zoners if timed well. Each version goes further the stronger the button used. However, it also becomes more unsafe as well as slower the higher the strength. This makes the light/medium version more useful for confirms from weaker normals, primarily his standing light normals. General rule of thumb, 4 goes into light and medium, and 5 goes into medium and heavy. Heavy is too slow to combo from 4, and light doesn't travel far enough to combo from 5. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 1 24-30 Mid 54 (8-[20]-26) 9 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Two hits. Shortest run distance. 2 31-39 Mid 65 (10-[24]-31) 11 9/4 31 HKD -12 -12 (+3) Yes Three hits. Medium run distance. 3 37-47 Mid 78 (12-[28]-38) 13 9/4 38 HKD -19 -19 (-4) Yes Four hits. Farthest run distance.

Mars Slash DP+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1 2 hits. First hit can be ducked. 2 hits. First hit can be ducked.

Leo's primary invincible attack, Mars Slash boasts a healthy amount of invincibility starting on frame 6 for all versions while also serving as his premier air guard crush ender. Can also be used as a chip kill option, the only downside being its cumbersome startup, and the fact the hitbox is deceptively low as well as moves him quite a bit forward, making it a worse anti-air than you would expect. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 1 21-27 Mid 46 (17-6-23) 18 3/3 23 HKD -3 -3 (+12) Yes 12 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6. 2 21-27 Mid 51 (18-6-27) 19 3/3 27 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes 13 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6. 3 21-27 Mid 58 (24-4-30) 25 2/2 30 HKD -9 -9 (+6) Yes 19 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6.

Achilles Rush QCF+4/5/6 LEVEL 8 LEVEL 8

Nearly the same attack as Chronos Rush with the main distinction being that it ends low and reaches very far, making it an intimidating move to poke with and extend combos. It gives substantially better oki as well, but gives up some corner carry. It also touts one of the strangest quirks in the game, as the heavy version seems to mistakenly have the recovery of the light version, making it far safer than it should be. With all of these factors considered, heavy Achilles Rush is your go-to combo ender, as it essentially outclasses Chronos Rush. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 4 24-30 Mid; Low 54 (8-[20]-26) 9 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Two hits. Shortest run distance. 5 31-39 Mid; Low 65 (10-[24]-31) 11 9/4 31 HKD -12 -12 (+3) Yes Three hits. Medium run distance. 6 37-47 Mid; Low 66 (12-[28]-26) 13 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Four hits. Farthest run distance.

Weapon Switch QCB+4/5/6 LEVEL 16 LEVEL 16

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 0 None 19 (6-13) 7 0 13 N/A N/A N/A Yes More or less what it says on the tin. Level/password permitting, Leo will exchange his current weapon with the next weapon he has unlocked. It's good to note that the swap is consistent, and you can keep using it to cycle through multiple weapons. However, Black Sword is unanimously regarded as the best sword, and thus this move is more or less used exclusively at lower levels during the arcade mode.

Gaia Driver 360+1/2/3 LEVEL 31 LEVEL 31 1 version. 1 version. 2 version. 2 version. 3 version. 4 frames of invincibility. 3 version. 4 frames of invincibility.

Leo's terrifying command grab, with range increasing per strength. While the horizontal range is fantastic, it does have a tendency to be low profiled. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 1 15-18 UB 55 (8-4-43) 9 4 43 HKD UB UB Yes Ultimately outclassed by the heavy version in every single way, except for ONE very fringe case. As it turns out, Tessa's crouching collision box is exactly one pixel too short for medium or heavy Gaia Driver to reach, essentially allowing her to be able to crouch his command grab every time. However, for whatever reason, the hitbox for this version of the command grab is a single pixel lower than the other two, meaning that she is unable to crouch light Gaia Driver. 2 16-20 UB 55 (8-4-43) 9 4 43 HKD UB UB Yes There's never a reason to use this version, so it should be avoided. 3 18-22 UB 55 (8-4-43) 9 4 43 HKD UB UB Yes This is the main version you should be using as it goes the furthest, and does the most damage. It also strangely enough has iframes during the active frames, which for the most part is unnoticeable, but can occasionally result in weirdness.

Super Moves

Hercules Rush QCFQCF+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1 Seven hits. Invincible for the entire startup. 4 frame gap between charge hitbox and sword swing hitbox. Invincible for the entire gap. Seven hits. Invincible for the entire startup. 4 frame gap between charge hitbox and sword swing hitbox. Invincible for the entire gap.

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 39-50 Mid TBD TBD 19/4 41 HKD -22 -22 (-7) Yes Leo's go-to super. Think of Chronos Rush on steroids. An invincible reversal that does a respectable amount of damage on hit, and can even lead in to devastating touch of stuns on some characters from a well placed j.6. However, it harbors two main faults. First, the recovery is huge, and the multiple hits mean this move is just begging to be Ultimate Guarded when blocked. Secondly, despite the followup swing seemingly being huge, the hitbox is surprisingly low, meaning it'll whiff on an airborne opponent more than it won't, making it a dangerous move to use on an enemy in the air. Quite powerful, but should not be used lightly.

Gigas Driver 720+1/2/3 LEVEL 31 LEVEL 31 8 frames of invincibility. Has the same range as 360.3. 8 frames of invincibility. Has the same range as 360.3.

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 42-51 UB TBD TBD 3 43 HKD UB UB Yes The obligatory big beefy grappler throw. The startup makes this throw IMPOSSIBLE to escape if ticked into correctly. Sharing properties with the heavy version of Gaia Driver makes it have scary long reach for a command grab. Its only real flaw is that due to how Red Earth interprets 720s, it's a bit tricky to nail down. However with some practice, absolutely worth using as it can always keep your opponent on their toes, and to boot is just awesome to land every time.

Universal Mechanics

Throw F+2 or F+3 2 throw. Loopable. Can be teched. 2 throw. Loopable. Can be teched. 3 throw. Can be softened. 3 throw. Can be softened.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 2 3 per bite UB - 0 - - +24 [tech] - - - Mashing punches has Leo do additional bites. However, not only can it be teched by the opponent tapping towards Leo, but they can mash punches to reduce the amount of bites Leo does. This move does have a silver lining as no matter how the opponent responds to it, Leo can follow up with Ice/Lightning supers for additional damage. Keep in mind, Leo performs his 2 if whiffed, leaving you wide open. 3 12-15 UB - 0 - - -5 [soften; minimum] - - - Leo SMASHES the opponent to the ground, having them bounce to behind him. A seemingly decent throw, its shortcomings lie in the fact it swaps sides, and can be softened to lessen the damage. Still worth throwing out every once in a while, especially to escape the corner, and is also a decent reversal due to throws being frame 0.

Dash F, F or B, B Forward dash Forward dash Back dash Back dash	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel - - 17 [forward] / 14 [backward] - - - - - - Yes Leo's dash can be cancelled with any special or super move at any time, including Ultimate Guard.

Ultimate Guard P+K Ultimate Guard Ultimate Guard Parry Parry	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel - - 91 (0-60-31) 1 60 31 - - - - Leo's ultimate guard. For whatever reason, his parry animation is much longer than the rest of the cast.

Ultimate Counter R.QCB+1/2/3 or R.QCB+4/5/6 Punch version. Staggers Kenji. Punch version. Staggers Kenji. Kick version. Kick version.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel Punch 3 UB 22 (0-6-16) 0 6 16 +1 (+5) UB +1 (+16) No The punch version has him swing his sword akin to the end of Chronos Rush, and it hits a bit higher than it to boot, making it a decent response to air attacks. You can even extend with an Ice Super if your opponent is higher enough as you do it. Not amazing on a ground connect, so should mostly be used for airborne attackers. Kick 14-17 Low 30 (0-6-24) 0 6 24 HKD -12 -11 (+4) No Kick UC has Leo swing as he does during Achilles Rush, making this thing humungous for a grounded Ultimate Counter. It also trips the enemy on hit, making getting in much easier. However, its fault is that it hits extremely low, and thus practically never hits an airborne opponent outside of some fringe cases. Regardless, it's one of the best UC's in the game.

Pursuit U+4/5/6

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel - - - - - - - - - - This is easily the worst pursuit in the game. You will often end up punishable on hit if you end up using this move. You have to use it in very specific situations after specific attacks with correct timing in order to connect the hit and not end up punishable. The problem comes from the size of the hitbox; if you pursuit too early, the hitbox will hit much sooner than it was meant to, making you very minus. Thankfully Kenji likes to stay on the ground for a long period of time, so there are more options for pursuit to work in that matchup. The definitive use of Leo's pursuit is for the "final blow". If the opponent has very low health, and you know that the pursuit will connect and also finish the job, go for it.

1	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Mid 26 (9-2-15) 10 2 15 -6 -7 -7 (+8) Yes Leo steps forward, striking with a vertical slash. It not only possesses a tall hitbox, but is super and special cancellable. Useful for not only anti-airs, but for blockstrings on an airborne opponent, leading to an extension dependent on orb count and distance.

2 Can be ducked. Can be ducked.	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 13-16 Mid 36 (12-4-20) 13 4 20 -7 -8 -8 (+7) Super only Honestly one of his weaker normals. The range is nice, and super cancelling is too, but most of the time 1 or cr.1 is the safer and better option. Use in fringe cases.

3 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji. 3 followup. 3 followup.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 3 14-17 Mid 34 (13-3-18) 14 3 18 -1 (+4) -6 -6 (+9) No Leo swings horizontally once again, but with a twist. In exchange for cancel ability and some range, Leo can chain into a second slash. The meat to it is that this followup is optional, as well as highly delayable. A good check option, especially if the opponent likes to jump or Ultimate Guard. Great conditioning tool, just mind the range is a bit short. 3 > 3 14-17 Mid 62 (41-2-19) 42 [minimum] 2 19 HKD -2 -2 (+13) No Will guard crush if the first 3 was blocked, allowing you to confirm into Hercules Rush at certain ranges.

cr.1

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Low 27 (8-4-15) 9 4 15 -8 -9 -9 (+6) Yes Off the bat, the range of this thing is huge. Pokes as far if not slightly less than cr.5, which is nothing to scoff at. On top of this, it's super and special cancellable, leading to some dangerous footsies if he has orbs. Be wary of a lightning orb Leo. Only drawback is that it's minus on hit or block, and as such is best cancelled into something, namely his dp.1. Even so, one can use it to bait an Ultimate Guard, and cancel into 360. Also owns the high praise of being Leo's only cancellable low. Definitely one to experiment with.

cr.2 Two hits. First hit can be ducked. Two hits. First hit can be ducked.	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 17-22 Mid 44 (13-6-25) 14 3/3 25 -12 -13 -13 (+2) No Leo swings low to the ground. While weak as a poke, it's surprisingly decent as an anti-air, hits twice, and is fairly good at keeping a cornered opponent locked down. Wouldn't advise using too often, but certainly a tool to remember.

cr.3

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 14-17 Mid 41 (8-6-27) 9 2/2/2 27 Launch -22 -22 (-7) No Slashing upwards in a pose not unbefitting of a Master of the Universe, cr.3 is a decent anti-air option due to it's wide hitbox when Leo's arm is fully extended, also causing a juggle state on hit that can be extended on a ground connect, but be warned: This move has absolutely ABYSMAL frame data if whiffed/blocked. Very committal, swing with this move and you better mean it.

cr.4

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 11-14 Mid 34 (8-6-20) 9 6 20 -15 -16 -16 (-1) No Most attacks in Red Earth are well designed, and have distinctive uses that make them at least somewhat viable in some situations. This however, is the exception that proves the rule. There is no reason to press this button. Ever. Its angle is pitiful, its damage is mediocre, you can't cancel from it and to top it off its not even a low, AND is mega minus even on hit. Assuming you LIKE having a health bar, DO, NOT, PRESS, THIS, BUTTON!

cr.5 "The Son" "The Son"

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Mid 32 (7-4-21) 8 4 21 -9 -10 -10 (+5) No A classic normal among Leo mains, Leo stabs outward, plain and simple. The most obvious benefit of this move is that it's GIGANTIC, seriously covers a good 2/3 of horizontal screen give or take, while also being a low, COMMANDING the opponent be ready for it. Pushes the opponent a decent bit back, meaning at max range it can be difficult, if not almost impossible to be punished meterless. Be wary however, this godlike range comes at a cost. A good chunk of Leos sword is also classified as a hurtbox, and the move is also pretty minus on contact, -9 on hit and -10 if blocked, meaning an ill spaced poke can be punished by everyone to some extent. A good button, make no mistake. But one that's weaknesses must be properly respected.

cr.6 6 followup. 6 followup.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel cr.6 12-15 Low 30 (11-3-16) 12 3 16 HKD 0 0 (+15) No cr.6 > 6 13-16 Low 66 (33-3-30) 34 [minimum] 3 30 HKD -14 -14 (+1) No Similar to cr.1 and cr.5 in that it reaches pretty far, the main distinction of this button is twofold. For one, it's Leo's designated sweep, meaning it can be pretty good for closing the distance when connected. Second, completely safe, making it an actually decent button to throw out against a grounded opponent. It also helps that it can actually be cancelled into a followup with the same input, making it an ambiguous button the opponent will think twice about disrespecting. However, due to this a savvy opponent can Ultimate Guard the second swing, and punish accordingly if you're too predictable.

j.1

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.1 12-15 High Varies 6 2 Until landing +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.1 12-15 High 27 (5-2-20) 6 2 20 +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Comes out fairly quickly. However, its only real weakness is that it doesn't really have much of a use outside of poking an opponent at weird angles. As an air to air tool, it's mostly outclassed by j.3 in basically every metric that matters

j.2

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.2 12-15 High Varies 9 3 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.2 12-15 High 33 (8-3-22) 9 3 22 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Reaches slightly further than j.1, but is also 3 frames slower. In regards to an air to air situation, j.3 is generally a safer, and thus more appealing button to press in that scenario.

j.3 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.3 13-16 High Varies 6 2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.3 13-16 High 28 (5-2-21) 6 2 21 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Definitely Leos best air to air button, as well as an acceptable jump in option. Comes out just as fast as j.1, but has the benefit of his hurtbox being substantially more squashed, and thus more difficult to trade with for the opponent, alongside the actual hitbox being fairly disjointed from it.

j.4

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.4 12-15 High Varies 9 2/3 Until landing +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.4 12-15 High 29 (8-5-16) 9 2/3 16 +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No To be blunt, one of Leo's best normals, and one you should press often. Its hitbox is excellent, in that it is really wide underneath him, serving not only as his most reliable cross up button, but making it just a solid button to press while the opponent is beneath you to keep them pinned. Does enough hitstun to comfortably link into his cancellable normals, making it his most consistent jump in tool as well.

j.5 "The Holy Spirit" "The Holy Spirit"

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.5 12-15 High Varies 10 14 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.5 12-15 High 32 (9-14-9) 10 14 9 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No A great neutral tool as it's active for 14 frames, and covers a good distance in front and below Leo. Incredibly useful for controlling space and challenging your opponents escape options. Be warned however, as Ice Super and characters with a DP can hit you out of it if you perform it too close, so don't lean on it. Excellent normal, hard to go wrong.

j.6 Staggers Kenji (+27). Staggers Kenji (+27).

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.6 12-15 high Varies 9 2/2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.6 12-15 high 34 (8-4-22) 9 2/2 22 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No High utility normal right here. Comes out fairly quick, and has 2 hitboxes (only hits once however), one that hits fairly low, and one that reaches higher in front of him. Definitely Leo's strongest jump-in, and pretty decent for guard break strings in the corner.

Command Normals

j.u+2

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.u+2 13-16 Unknown Varies 11 3 Until landing N/A N/A N/A No sj.u+2 13-16 Unknown 22 (10-3-9) 11 3 9 N/A N/A N/A No Much and such the same sort of story as j.2, only Leo reaches upwards. The angle is somewhat niche in utility, but is pretty good at hitting a retreating Kenji out of the sky, so still worth using.

j.d+5

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.d+5 12-15 High Varies 9 22 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.d+5 12-15 High 42 (8-22-12) 9 22 12 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Leo stabs directly downwards, using the same animation as his pursuit. Pretty good as a fast overhead (or at least, what Leo would consider fast) and is a solidly ambiguous option on opponents wakeup. Worth using if for nothing else than it's deceptively long active frames, and it's ability to muck with people as they get up.

j.d+6 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.d+6 12-15 High Varies 13 2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.d+6 12-15 High 31 (12-2-17) 13 2 17 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Quite possibly Leo's strangest move. He swings his sword vertically, and yet the actual attack itself is awkwardly angled more below and in front of him. Deceptively stubby, but still decent as a jump in as it's somewhat disjointed.

Special Moves

Chronos Rush QCF+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1

Leo charges forward, crashing his shoulder into the opponent, following up with a vertical swing. While he's running with his sword raised, he's immune to projectiles allowing you to close the distance on zoners if timed well. Each version goes further the stronger the button used. However, it also becomes more unsafe as well as slower the higher the strength. This makes the light/medium version more useful for confirms from weaker normals, primarily his standing light normals. General rule of thumb, 4 goes into light and medium, and 5 goes into medium and heavy. Heavy is too slow to combo from 4, and light doesn't travel far enough to combo from 5. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 1 24-30 Mid 54 (8-[20]-26) 9 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Two hits. Shortest run distance. 2 31-39 Mid 65 (10-[24]-31) 11 9/4 31 HKD -12 -12 (+3) Yes Three hits. Medium run distance. 3 37-47 Mid 78 (12-[28]-38) 13 9/4 38 HKD -19 -19 (-4) Yes Four hits. Farthest run distance.

Mars Slash DP+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1 2 hits. First hit can be ducked. 2 hits. First hit can be ducked.

Leo's primary invincible attack, Mars Slash boasts a healthy amount of invincibility starting on frame 6 for all versions while also serving as his premier air guard crush ender. Can also be used as a chip kill option, the only downside being its cumbersome startup, and the fact the hitbox is deceptively low as well as moves him quite a bit forward, making it a worse anti-air than you would expect. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 1 21-27 Mid 46 (17-6-23) 18 3/3 23 HKD -3 -3 (+12) Yes 12 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6. 2 21-27 Mid 51 (18-6-27) 19 3/3 27 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes 13 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6. 3 21-27 Mid 58 (24-4-30) 25 2/2 30 HKD -9 -9 (+6) Yes 19 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6.

Achilles Rush QCF+4/5/6 LEVEL 8 LEVEL 8

Nearly the same attack as Chronos Rush with the main distinction being that it ends low and reaches very far, making it an intimidating move to poke with and extend combos. It gives substantially better oki as well, but gives up some corner carry. It also touts one of the strangest quirks in the game, as the heavy version seems to mistakenly have the recovery of the light version, making it far safer than it should be. With all of these factors considered, heavy Achilles Rush is your go-to combo ender, as it essentially outclasses Chronos Rush. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 4 24-30 Mid; Low 54 (8-[20]-26) 9 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Two hits. Shortest run distance. 5 31-39 Mid; Low 65 (10-[24]-31) 11 9/4 31 HKD -12 -12 (+3) Yes Three hits. Medium run distance. 6 37-47 Mid; Low 66 (12-[28]-26) 13 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Four hits. Farthest run distance.

Super Moves

Hercules Rush QCFQCF+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1 Seven hits. Invincible for the entire startup. 4 frame gap between charge hitbox and sword swing hitbox. Invincible for the entire gap. Seven hits. Invincible for the entire startup. 4 frame gap between charge hitbox and sword swing hitbox. Invincible for the entire gap.

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 39-50 Mid TBD TBD 19/4 41 HKD -22 -22 (-7) Yes Leo's go-to super. Think of Chronos Rush on steroids. An invincible reversal that does a respectable amount of damage on hit, and can even lead in to devastating touch of stuns on some characters from a well placed j.6. However, it harbors two main faults. First, the recovery is huge, and the multiple hits mean this move is just begging to be Ultimate Guarded when blocked. Secondly, despite the followup swing seemingly being huge, the hitbox is surprisingly low, meaning it'll whiff on an airborne opponent more than it won't, making it a dangerous move to use on an enemy in the air. Quite powerful, but should not be used lightly.

Universal Mechanics

Ultimate Counter R.QCB+1/2/3 or R.QCB+4/5/6 Punch version. Staggers Kenji. Punch version. Staggers Kenji. Kick version. Kick version.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel Punch 3 UB 22 (0-6-16) 0 6 16 +1 (+5) UB +1 (+16) No The punch version has him swing his sword akin to the end of Chronos Rush, and it hits a bit higher than it to boot, making it a decent response to air attacks. You can even extend with an Ice Super if your opponent is higher enough as you do it. Not amazing on a ground connect, so should mostly be used for airborne attackers. Kick 14-17 Low 30 (0-6-24) 0 6 24 HKD -12 -11 (+4) No Kick UC has Leo swing as he does during Achilles Rush, making this thing humungous for a grounded Ultimate Counter. It also trips the enemy on hit, making getting in much easier. However, its fault is that it hits extremely low, and thus practically never hits an airborne opponent outside of some fringe cases. Regardless, it's one of the best UC's in the game.

Pursuit U+4/5/6

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel - - - - - - - - - - This is easily the worst pursuit in the game. You will often end up punishable on hit if you end up using this move. You have to use it in very specific situations after specific attacks with correct timing in order to connect the hit and not end up punishable. The problem comes from the size of the hitbox; if you pursuit too early, the hitbox will hit much sooner than it was meant to, making you very minus. Thankfully Kenji likes to stay on the ground for a long period of time, so there are more options for pursuit to work in that matchup. The definitive use of Leo's pursuit is for the "final blow". If the opponent has very low health, and you know that the pursuit will connect and also finish the job, go for it.

1	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Mid 26 (9-2-15) 10 2 15 -6 -7 -7 (+8) Yes Leo steps forward, striking with a vertical slash. It not only possesses a tall hitbox, but is super and special cancellable. Useful for not only anti-airs, but for blockstrings on an airborne opponent, leading to an extension dependent on orb count and distance.

2 Can be ducked. Can be ducked.	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 13-16 Mid 36 (12-4-20) 13 4 20 -7 -8 -8 (+7) Super only Honestly one of his weaker normals. The range is nice, and super cancelling is too, but most of the time 1 or cr.1 is the safer and better option. Use in fringe cases.

3 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji. 3 followup. 3 followup.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 3 14-17 Mid 34 (13-3-18) 14 3 18 -1 (+4) -6 -6 (+9) No Leo swings horizontally once again, but with a twist. In exchange for cancel ability and some range, Leo can chain into a second slash. The meat to it is that this followup is optional, as well as highly delayable. A good check option, especially if the opponent likes to jump or Ultimate Guard. Great conditioning tool, just mind the range is a bit short. 3 > 3 14-17 Mid 62 (41-2-19) 42 [minimum] 2 19 HKD -2 -2 (+13) No Will guard crush if the first 3 was blocked, allowing you to confirm into Hercules Rush at certain ranges.

cr.1

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Low 27 (8-4-15) 9 4 15 -8 -9 -9 (+6) Yes Off the bat, the range of this thing is huge. Pokes as far if not slightly less than cr.5, which is nothing to scoff at. On top of this, it's super and special cancellable, leading to some dangerous footsies if he has orbs. Be wary of a lightning orb Leo. Only drawback is that it's minus on hit or block, and as such is best cancelled into something, namely his dp.1. Even so, one can use it to bait an Ultimate Guard, and cancel into 360. Also owns the high praise of being Leo's only cancellable low. Definitely one to experiment with.

cr.2 Two hits. First hit can be ducked. Two hits. First hit can be ducked.	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 17-22 Mid 44 (13-6-25) 14 3/3 25 -12 -13 -13 (+2) No Leo swings low to the ground. While weak as a poke, it's surprisingly decent as an anti-air, hits twice, and is fairly good at keeping a cornered opponent locked down. Wouldn't advise using too often, but certainly a tool to remember.

cr.3

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 14-17 Mid 41 (8-6-27) 9 2/2/2 27 Launch -22 -22 (-7) No Slashing upwards in a pose not unbefitting of a Master of the Universe, cr.3 is a decent anti-air option due to it's wide hitbox when Leo's arm is fully extended, also causing a juggle state on hit that can be extended on a ground connect, but be warned: This move has absolutely ABYSMAL frame data if whiffed/blocked. Very committal, swing with this move and you better mean it.

cr.4

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 11-14 Mid 34 (8-6-20) 9 6 20 -15 -16 -16 (-1) No Most attacks in Red Earth are well designed, and have distinctive uses that make them at least somewhat viable in some situations. This however, is the exception that proves the rule. There is no reason to press this button. Ever. Its angle is pitiful, its damage is mediocre, you can't cancel from it and to top it off its not even a low, AND is mega minus even on hit. Assuming you LIKE having a health bar, DO, NOT, PRESS, THIS, BUTTON!

cr.5 "The Son" "The Son"

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Mid 32 (7-4-21) 8 4 21 -9 -10 -10 (+5) No A classic normal among Leo mains, Leo stabs outward, plain and simple. The most obvious benefit of this move is that it's GIGANTIC, seriously covers a good 2/3 of horizontal screen give or take, while also being a low, COMMANDING the opponent be ready for it. Pushes the opponent a decent bit back, meaning at max range it can be difficult, if not almost impossible to be punished meterless. Be wary however, this godlike range comes at a cost. A good chunk of Leos sword is also classified as a hurtbox, and the move is also pretty minus on contact, -9 on hit and -10 if blocked, meaning an ill spaced poke can be punished by everyone to some extent. A good button, make no mistake. But one that's weaknesses must be properly respected.

cr.6 6 followup. 6 followup.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel cr.6 12-15 Low 30 (11-3-16) 12 3 16 HKD 0 0 (+15) No cr.6 > 6 13-16 Low 66 (33-3-30) 34 [minimum] 3 30 HKD -14 -14 (+1) No Similar to cr.1 and cr.5 in that it reaches pretty far, the main distinction of this button is twofold. For one, it's Leo's designated sweep, meaning it can be pretty good for closing the distance when connected. Second, completely safe, making it an actually decent button to throw out against a grounded opponent. It also helps that it can actually be cancelled into a followup with the same input, making it an ambiguous button the opponent will think twice about disrespecting. However, due to this a savvy opponent can Ultimate Guard the second swing, and punish accordingly if you're too predictable.

j.1

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.1 12-15 High Varies 6 2 Until landing +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.1 12-15 High 27 (5-2-20) 6 2 20 +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Comes out fairly quickly. However, its only real weakness is that it doesn't really have much of a use outside of poking an opponent at weird angles. As an air to air tool, it's mostly outclassed by j.3 in basically every metric that matters

j.2

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.2 12-15 High Varies 9 3 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.2 12-15 High 33 (8-3-22) 9 3 22 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Reaches slightly further than j.1, but is also 3 frames slower. In regards to an air to air situation, j.3 is generally a safer, and thus more appealing button to press in that scenario.

j.3 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.3 13-16 High Varies 6 2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.3 13-16 High 28 (5-2-21) 6 2 21 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Definitely Leos best air to air button, as well as an acceptable jump in option. Comes out just as fast as j.1, but has the benefit of his hurtbox being substantially more squashed, and thus more difficult to trade with for the opponent, alongside the actual hitbox being fairly disjointed from it.

j.4

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.4 12-15 High Varies 9 2/3 Until landing +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.4 12-15 High 29 (8-5-16) 9 2/3 16 +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No To be blunt, one of Leo's best normals, and one you should press often. Its hitbox is excellent, in that it is really wide underneath him, serving not only as his most reliable cross up button, but making it just a solid button to press while the opponent is beneath you to keep them pinned. Does enough hitstun to comfortably link into his cancellable normals, making it his most consistent jump in tool as well.

j.5 "The Holy Spirit" "The Holy Spirit"

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.5 12-15 High Varies 10 14 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.5 12-15 High 32 (9-14-9) 10 14 9 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No A great neutral tool as it's active for 14 frames, and covers a good distance in front and below Leo. Incredibly useful for controlling space and challenging your opponents escape options. Be warned however, as Ice Super and characters with a DP can hit you out of it if you perform it too close, so don't lean on it. Excellent normal, hard to go wrong.

j.6 Staggers Kenji (+27). Staggers Kenji (+27).

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.6 12-15 high Varies 9 2/2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.6 12-15 high 34 (8-4-22) 9 2/2 22 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No High utility normal right here. Comes out fairly quick, and has 2 hitboxes (only hits once however), one that hits fairly low, and one that reaches higher in front of him. Definitely Leo's strongest jump-in, and pretty decent for guard break strings in the corner.

Command Normals

j.u+2

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.u+2 13-16 Unknown Varies 11 3 Until landing N/A N/A N/A No sj.u+2 13-16 Unknown 22 (10-3-9) 11 3 9 N/A N/A N/A No Much and such the same sort of story as j.2, only Leo reaches upwards. The angle is somewhat niche in utility, but is pretty good at hitting a retreating Kenji out of the sky, so still worth using.

j.d+5

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.d+5 12-15 High Varies 9 22 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.d+5 12-15 High 42 (8-22-12) 9 22 12 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Leo stabs directly downwards, using the same animation as his pursuit. Pretty good as a fast overhead (or at least, what Leo would consider fast) and is a solidly ambiguous option on opponents wakeup. Worth using if for nothing else than it's deceptively long active frames, and it's ability to muck with people as they get up.

j.d+6 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.d+6 12-15 High Varies 13 2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.d+6 12-15 High 31 (12-2-17) 13 2 17 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Quite possibly Leo's strangest move. He swings his sword vertically, and yet the actual attack itself is awkwardly angled more below and in front of him. Deceptively stubby, but still decent as a jump in as it's somewhat disjointed.

Special Moves

Chronos Rush QCF+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1

Leo charges forward, crashing his shoulder into the opponent, following up with a vertical swing. While he's running with his sword raised, he's immune to projectiles allowing you to close the distance on zoners if timed well. Each version goes further the stronger the button used. However, it also becomes more unsafe as well as slower the higher the strength. This makes the light/medium version more useful for confirms from weaker normals, primarily his standing light normals. General rule of thumb, 4 goes into light and medium, and 5 goes into medium and heavy. Heavy is too slow to combo from 4, and light doesn't travel far enough to combo from 5. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 1 24-30 Mid 54 (8-[20]-26) 9 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Two hits. Shortest run distance. 2 31-39 Mid 65 (10-[24]-31) 11 9/4 31 HKD -12 -12 (+3) Yes Three hits. Medium run distance. 3 37-47 Mid 78 (12-[28]-38) 13 9/4 38 HKD -19 -19 (-4) Yes Four hits. Farthest run distance.

Mars Slash DP+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1 2 hits. First hit can be ducked. 2 hits. First hit can be ducked.

Leo's primary invincible attack, Mars Slash boasts a healthy amount of invincibility starting on frame 6 for all versions while also serving as his premier air guard crush ender. Can also be used as a chip kill option, the only downside being its cumbersome startup, and the fact the hitbox is deceptively low as well as moves him quite a bit forward, making it a worse anti-air than you would expect. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 1 21-27 Mid 46 (17-6-23) 18 3/3 23 HKD -3 -3 (+12) Yes 12 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6. 2 21-27 Mid 51 (18-6-27) 19 3/3 27 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes 13 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6. 3 21-27 Mid 58 (24-4-30) 25 2/2 30 HKD -9 -9 (+6) Yes 19 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6.

Achilles Rush QCF+4/5/6 LEVEL 8 LEVEL 8

Nearly the same attack as Chronos Rush with the main distinction being that it ends low and reaches very far, making it an intimidating move to poke with and extend combos. It gives substantially better oki as well, but gives up some corner carry. It also touts one of the strangest quirks in the game, as the heavy version seems to mistakenly have the recovery of the light version, making it far safer than it should be. With all of these factors considered, heavy Achilles Rush is your go-to combo ender, as it essentially outclasses Chronos Rush. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 4 24-30 Mid; Low 54 (8-[20]-26) 9 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Two hits. Shortest run distance. 5 31-39 Mid; Low 65 (10-[24]-31) 11 9/4 31 HKD -12 -12 (+3) Yes Three hits. Medium run distance. 6 37-47 Mid; Low 66 (12-[28]-26) 13 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Four hits. Farthest run distance.

Super Moves

Hercules Rush QCFQCF+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1 Seven hits. Invincible for the entire startup. 4 frame gap between charge hitbox and sword swing hitbox. Invincible for the entire gap. Seven hits. Invincible for the entire startup. 4 frame gap between charge hitbox and sword swing hitbox. Invincible for the entire gap.

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 39-50 Mid TBD TBD 19/4 41 HKD -22 -22 (-7) Yes Leo's go-to super. Think of Chronos Rush on steroids. An invincible reversal that does a respectable amount of damage on hit, and can even lead in to devastating touch of stuns on some characters from a well placed j.6. However, it harbors two main faults. First, the recovery is huge, and the multiple hits mean this move is just begging to be Ultimate Guarded when blocked. Secondly, despite the followup swing seemingly being huge, the hitbox is surprisingly low, meaning it'll whiff on an airborne opponent more than it won't, making it a dangerous move to use on an enemy in the air. Quite powerful, but should not be used lightly.

Universal Mechanics

Ultimate Counter R.QCB+1/2/3 or R.QCB+4/5/6 Punch version. Staggers Kenji. Punch version. Staggers Kenji. Kick version. Kick version.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel Punch 3 UB 22 (0-6-16) 0 6 16 +1 (+5) UB +1 (+16) No The punch version has him swing his sword akin to the end of Chronos Rush, and it hits a bit higher than it to boot, making it a decent response to air attacks. You can even extend with an Ice Super if your opponent is higher enough as you do it. Not amazing on a ground connect, so should mostly be used for airborne attackers. Kick 14-17 Low 30 (0-6-24) 0 6 24 HKD -12 -11 (+4) No Kick UC has Leo swing as he does during Achilles Rush, making this thing humungous for a grounded Ultimate Counter. It also trips the enemy on hit, making getting in much easier. However, its fault is that it hits extremely low, and thus practically never hits an airborne opponent outside of some fringe cases. Regardless, it's one of the best UC's in the game.

Pursuit U+4/5/6

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel - - - - - - - - - - This is easily the worst pursuit in the game. You will often end up punishable on hit if you end up using this move. You have to use it in very specific situations after specific attacks with correct timing in order to connect the hit and not end up punishable. The problem comes from the size of the hitbox; if you pursuit too early, the hitbox will hit much sooner than it was meant to, making you very minus. Thankfully Kenji likes to stay on the ground for a long period of time, so there are more options for pursuit to work in that matchup. The definitive use of Leo's pursuit is for the "final blow". If the opponent has very low health, and you know that the pursuit will connect and also finish the job, go for it.

1	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Mid 26 (9-2-15) 10 2 15 -6 -7 -7 (+8) Yes Leo steps forward, striking with a vertical slash. It not only possesses a tall hitbox, but is super and special cancellable. Useful for not only anti-airs, but for blockstrings on an airborne opponent, leading to an extension dependent on orb count and distance.

2 Can be ducked. Can be ducked.	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 13-16 Mid 36 (12-4-20) 13 4 20 -7 -8 -8 (+7) Super only Honestly one of his weaker normals. The range is nice, and super cancelling is too, but most of the time 1 or cr.1 is the safer and better option. Use in fringe cases.

3 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji. 3 followup. 3 followup.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 3 14-17 Mid 34 (13-3-18) 14 3 18 -1 (+4) -6 -6 (+9) No Leo swings horizontally once again, but with a twist. In exchange for cancel ability and some range, Leo can chain into a second slash. The meat to it is that this followup is optional, as well as highly delayable. A good check option, especially if the opponent likes to jump or Ultimate Guard. Great conditioning tool, just mind the range is a bit short. 3 > 3 14-17 Mid 62 (41-2-19) 42 [minimum] 2 19 HKD -2 -2 (+13) No Will guard crush if the first 3 was blocked, allowing you to confirm into Hercules Rush at certain ranges.

cr.1

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Low 27 (8-4-15) 9 4 15 -8 -9 -9 (+6) Yes Off the bat, the range of this thing is huge. Pokes as far if not slightly less than cr.5, which is nothing to scoff at. On top of this, it's super and special cancellable, leading to some dangerous footsies if he has orbs. Be wary of a lightning orb Leo. Only drawback is that it's minus on hit or block, and as such is best cancelled into something, namely his dp.1. Even so, one can use it to bait an Ultimate Guard, and cancel into 360. Also owns the high praise of being Leo's only cancellable low. Definitely one to experiment with.

cr.2 Two hits. First hit can be ducked. Two hits. First hit can be ducked.	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 17-22 Mid 44 (13-6-25) 14 3/3 25 -12 -13 -13 (+2) No Leo swings low to the ground. While weak as a poke, it's surprisingly decent as an anti-air, hits twice, and is fairly good at keeping a cornered opponent locked down. Wouldn't advise using too often, but certainly a tool to remember.

cr.3

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 14-17 Mid 41 (8-6-27) 9 2/2/2 27 Launch -22 -22 (-7) No Slashing upwards in a pose not unbefitting of a Master of the Universe, cr.3 is a decent anti-air option due to it's wide hitbox when Leo's arm is fully extended, also causing a juggle state on hit that can be extended on a ground connect, but be warned: This move has absolutely ABYSMAL frame data if whiffed/blocked. Very committal, swing with this move and you better mean it.

cr.4

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 11-14 Mid 34 (8-6-20) 9 6 20 -15 -16 -16 (-1) No Most attacks in Red Earth are well designed, and have distinctive uses that make them at least somewhat viable in some situations. This however, is the exception that proves the rule. There is no reason to press this button. Ever. Its angle is pitiful, its damage is mediocre, you can't cancel from it and to top it off its not even a low, AND is mega minus even on hit. Assuming you LIKE having a health bar, DO, NOT, PRESS, THIS, BUTTON!

cr.5 "The Son" "The Son"

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Mid 32 (7-4-21) 8 4 21 -9 -10 -10 (+5) No A classic normal among Leo mains, Leo stabs outward, plain and simple. The most obvious benefit of this move is that it's GIGANTIC, seriously covers a good 2/3 of horizontal screen give or take, while also being a low, COMMANDING the opponent be ready for it. Pushes the opponent a decent bit back, meaning at max range it can be difficult, if not almost impossible to be punished meterless. Be wary however, this godlike range comes at a cost. A good chunk of Leos sword is also classified as a hurtbox, and the move is also pretty minus on contact, -9 on hit and -10 if blocked, meaning an ill spaced poke can be punished by everyone to some extent. A good button, make no mistake. But one that's weaknesses must be properly respected.

cr.6 6 followup. 6 followup.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel cr.6 12-15 Low 30 (11-3-16) 12 3 16 HKD 0 0 (+15) No cr.6 > 6 13-16 Overhead 66 (33-3-30) 34 [minimum] 3 30 HKD -14 -14 (+1) No Similar to cr.1 and cr.5 in that it reaches pretty far, the main distinction of this button is twofold. For one, it's Leo's designated sweep, meaning it can be pretty good for closing the distance when connected. Second, completely safe, making it an actually decent button to throw out against a grounded opponent. It also helps that it can actually be cancelled into a followup with the same input, making it an ambiguous button the opponent will think twice about disrespecting. However, due to this a savvy opponent can Ultimate Guard the second swing, and punish accordingly if you're too predictable.

j.1

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.1 12-15 High Varies 6 2 Until landing +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.1 12-15 High 27 (5-2-20) 6 2 20 +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Comes out fairly quickly. However, its only real weakness is that it doesn't really have much of a use outside of poking an opponent at weird angles. As an air to air tool, it's mostly outclassed by j.3 in basically every metric that matters

j.2

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.2 12-15 High Varies 9 3 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.2 12-15 High 33 (8-3-22) 9 3 22 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Reaches slightly further than j.1, but is also 3 frames slower. In regards to an air to air situation, j.3 is generally a safer, and thus more appealing button to press in that scenario.

j.3 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.3 13-16 High Varies 6 2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.3 13-16 High 28 (5-2-21) 6 2 21 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Definitely Leos best air to air button, as well as an acceptable jump in option. Comes out just as fast as j.1, but has the benefit of his hurtbox being substantially more squashed, and thus more difficult to trade with for the opponent, alongside the actual hitbox being fairly disjointed from it.

j.4

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.4 12-15 High Varies 9 2/3 Until landing +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.4 12-15 High 29 (8-5-16) 9 2/3 16 +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No To be blunt, one of Leo's best normals, and one you should press often. Its hitbox is excellent, in that it is really wide underneath him, serving not only as his most reliable cross up button, but making it just a solid button to press while the opponent is beneath you to keep them pinned. Does enough hitstun to comfortably link into his cancellable normals, making it his most consistent jump in tool as well.

j.5 "The Holy Spirit" "The Holy Spirit"

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.5 12-15 High Varies 10 14 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.5 12-15 High 32 (9-14-9) 10 14 9 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No A great neutral tool as it's active for 14 frames, and covers a good distance in front and below Leo. Incredibly useful for controlling space and challenging your opponents escape options. Be warned however, as Ice Super and characters with a DP can hit you out of it if you perform it too close, so don't lean on it. Excellent normal, hard to go wrong.

j.6 Staggers Kenji (+27). Staggers Kenji (+27).

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.6 12-15 high Varies 9 2/2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.6 12-15 high 34 (8-4-22) 9 2/2 22 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No High utility normal right here. Comes out fairly quick, and has 2 hitboxes (only hits once however), one that hits fairly low, and one that reaches higher in front of him. Definitely Leo's strongest jump-in, and pretty decent for guard break strings in the corner.

Command Normals

j.u+2

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.u+2 13-16 Unknown Varies 11 3 Until landing N/A N/A N/A No sj.u+2 13-16 Unknown 22 (10-3-9) 11 3 9 N/A N/A N/A No Much and such the same sort of story as j.2, only Leo reaches upwards. The angle is somewhat niche in utility, but is pretty good at hitting a retreating Kenji out of the sky, so still worth using.

j.d+5

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.d+5 12-15 High Varies 9 22 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.d+5 12-15 High 42 (8-22-12) 9 22 12 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Leo stabs directly downwards, using the same animation as his pursuit. Pretty good as a fast overhead (or at least, what Leo would consider fast) and is a solidly ambiguous option on opponents wakeup. Worth using if for nothing else than it's deceptively long active frames, and it's ability to muck with people as they get up.

j.d+6 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.d+6 12-15 High Varies 13 2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.d+6 12-15 High 31 (12-2-17) 13 2 17 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Quite possibly Leo's strangest move. He swings his sword vertically, and yet the actual attack itself is awkwardly angled more below and in front of him. Deceptively stubby, but still decent as a jump in as it's somewhat disjointed.

Special Moves

Chronos Rush QCF+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1

Leo charges forward, crashing his shoulder into the opponent, following up with a vertical swing. While he's running with his sword raised, he's immune to projectiles allowing you to close the distance on zoners if timed well. Each version goes further the stronger the button used. However, it also becomes more unsafe as well as slower the higher the strength. This makes the light/medium version more useful for confirms from weaker normals, primarily his standing light normals. General rule of thumb, 4 goes into light and medium, and 5 goes into medium and heavy. Heavy is too slow to combo from 4, and light doesn't travel far enough to combo from 5. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 1 24-30 Mid 54 (8-[20]-26) 9 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Two hits. Shortest run distance. 2 31-39 Mid 65 (10-[24]-31) 11 9/4 31 HKD -12 -12 (+3) Yes Three hits. Medium run distance. 3 37-47 Mid 78 (12-[28]-38) 13 9/4 38 HKD -19 -19 (-4) Yes Four hits. Farthest run distance.

Mars Slash DP+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1 2 hits. First hit can be ducked. 2 hits. First hit can be ducked.

Leo's primary invincible attack, Mars Slash boasts a healthy amount of invincibility starting on frame 6 for all versions while also serving as his premier air guard crush ender. Can also be used as a chip kill option, the only downside being its cumbersome startup, and the fact the hitbox is deceptively low as well as moves him quite a bit forward, making it a worse anti-air than you would expect. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 1 21-27 Mid 46 (17-6-23) 18 3/3 23 HKD -3 -3 (+12) Yes 12 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6. 2 21-27 Mid 51 (18-6-27) 19 3/3 27 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes 13 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6. 3 21-27 Mid 58 (24-4-30) 25 2/2 30 HKD -9 -9 (+6) Yes 19 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6.

Achilles Rush QCF+4/5/6 LEVEL 8 LEVEL 8

Nearly the same attack as Chronos Rush with the main distinction being that it ends low and reaches very far, making it an intimidating move to poke with and extend combos. It gives substantially better oki as well, but gives up some corner carry. It also touts one of the strangest quirks in the game, as the heavy version seems to mistakenly have the recovery of the light version, making it far safer than it should be. With all of these factors considered, heavy Achilles Rush is your go-to combo ender, as it essentially outclasses Chronos Rush. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 4 24-30 Mid; Low 54 (8-[20]-26) 9 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Two hits. Shortest run distance. 5 31-39 Mid; Low 65 (10-[24]-31) 11 9/4 31 HKD -12 -12 (+3) Yes Three hits. Medium run distance. 6 37-47 Mid; Low 66 (12-[28]-26) 13 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Four hits. Farthest run distance.

Super Moves

Hercules Rush QCFQCF+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1 Seven hits. Invincible for the entire startup. 4 frame gap between charge hitbox and sword swing hitbox. Invincible for the entire gap. Seven hits. Invincible for the entire startup. 4 frame gap between charge hitbox and sword swing hitbox. Invincible for the entire gap.

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 39-50 Mid TBD TBD 19/4 41 HKD -22 -22 (-7) Yes Leo's go-to super. Think of Chronos Rush on steroids. An invincible reversal that does a respectable amount of damage on hit, and can even lead in to devastating touch of stuns on some characters from a well placed j.6. However, it harbors two main faults. First, the recovery is huge, and the multiple hits mean this move is just begging to be Ultimate Guarded when blocked. Secondly, despite the followup swing seemingly being huge, the hitbox is surprisingly low, meaning it'll whiff on an airborne opponent more than it won't, making it a dangerous move to use on an enemy in the air. Quite powerful, but should not be used lightly.

Universal Mechanics

Ultimate Counter R.QCB+1/2/3 or R.QCB+4/5/6 Punch version. Staggers Kenji. Punch version. Staggers Kenji. Kick version. Kick version.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel Punch 3 UB 22 (0-6-16) 0 6 16 +1 (+5) UB +1 (+16) No The punch version has him swing his sword akin to the end of Chronos Rush, and it hits a bit higher than it to boot, making it a decent response to air attacks. You can even extend with an Ice Super if your opponent is higher enough as you do it. Not amazing on a ground connect, so should mostly be used for airborne attackers. Kick 14-17 Low 30 (0-6-24) 0 6 24 HKD -12 -11 (+4) No Kick UC has Leo swing as he does during Achilles Rush, making this thing humungous for a grounded Ultimate Counter. It also trips the enemy on hit, making getting in much easier. However, its fault is that it hits extremely low, and thus practically never hits an airborne opponent outside of some fringe cases. Regardless, it's one of the best UC's in the game.

Pursuit U+4/5/6

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel - - - - - - - - - - This is easily the worst pursuit in the game. You will often end up punishable on hit if you end up using this move. You have to use it in very specific situations after specific attacks with correct timing in order to connect the hit and not end up punishable. The problem comes from the size of the hitbox; if you pursuit too early, the hitbox will hit much sooner than it was meant to, making you very minus. Thankfully Kenji likes to stay on the ground for a long period of time, so there are more options for pursuit to work in that matchup. The definitive use of Leo's pursuit is for the "final blow". If the opponent has very low health, and you know that the pursuit will connect and also finish the job, go for it.

1	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Mid 26 (9-2-15) 10 2 15 -6 -7 -7 (+8) Yes Leo steps forward, striking with a vertical slash. It not only possesses a tall hitbox, but is super and special cancellable. Useful for not only anti-airs, but for blockstrings on an airborne opponent, leading to an extension dependent on orb count and distance.

2 Can be ducked. Can be ducked.	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 13-16 Mid 36 (12-4-20) 13 4 20 -7 -8 -8 (+7) Super only Honestly one of his weaker normals. The range is nice, and super cancelling is too, but most of the time 1 or cr.1 is the safer and better option. Use in fringe cases.

3 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji. 3 followup. 3 followup.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 3 14-17 Mid 34 (13-3-18) 14 3 18 -1 (+4) -6 -6 (+9) No Leo swings horizontally once again, but with a twist. In exchange for cancel ability and some range, Leo can chain into a second slash. The meat to it is that this followup is optional, as well as highly delayable. A good check option, especially if the opponent likes to jump or Ultimate Guard. Great conditioning tool, just mind the range is a bit short. 3 > 3 14-17 Mid 62 (41-2-19) 42 [minimum] 2 19 HKD -2 -2 (+13) No Will guard crush if the first 3 was blocked, allowing you to confirm into Hercules Rush at certain ranges.

cr.1

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Low 27 (8-4-15) 9 4 15 -8 -9 -9 (+6) Yes Off the bat, the range of this thing is huge. Pokes as far if not slightly less than cr.5, which is nothing to scoff at. On top of this, it's super and special cancellable, leading to some dangerous footsies if he has orbs. Be wary of a lightning orb Leo. Only drawback is that it's minus on hit or block, and as such is best cancelled into something, namely his dp.1. Even so, one can use it to bait an Ultimate Guard, and cancel into 360. Also owns the high praise of being Leo's only cancellable low. Definitely one to experiment with.

cr.2 Two hits. First hit can be ducked. Two hits. First hit can be ducked.	Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 17-22 Mid 44 (13-6-25) 14 3/3 25 -12 -13 -13 (+2) No Leo swings low to the ground. While weak as a poke, it's surprisingly decent as an anti-air, hits twice, and is fairly good at keeping a cornered opponent locked down. Wouldn't advise using too often, but certainly a tool to remember.

cr.3

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 14-17 Mid 41 (8-6-27) 9 2/2/2 27 Launch -22 -22 (-7) No Slashing upwards in a pose not unbefitting of a Master of the Universe, cr.3 is a decent anti-air option due to it's wide hitbox when Leo's arm is fully extended, also causing a juggle state on hit that can be extended on a ground connect, but be warned: This move has absolutely ABYSMAL frame data if whiffed/blocked. Very committal, swing with this move and you better mean it.

cr.4

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 11-14 Mid 34 (8-6-20) 9 6 20 -15 -16 -16 (-1) No Most attacks in Red Earth are well designed, and have distinctive uses that make them at least somewhat viable in some situations. This however, is the exception that proves the rule. There is no reason to press this button. Ever. Its angle is pitiful, its damage is mediocre, you can't cancel from it and to top it off its not even a low, AND is mega minus even on hit. Assuming you LIKE having a health bar, DO, NOT, PRESS, THIS, BUTTON!

cr.5 "The Son" "The Son"

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 12-15 Mid 32 (7-4-21) 8 4 21 -9 -10 -10 (+5) No A classic normal among Leo mains, Leo stabs outward, plain and simple. The most obvious benefit of this move is that it's GIGANTIC, seriously covers a good 2/3 of horizontal screen give or take, while also being a low, COMMANDING the opponent be ready for it. Pushes the opponent a decent bit back, meaning at max range it can be difficult, if not almost impossible to be punished meterless. Be wary however, this godlike range comes at a cost. A good chunk of Leos sword is also classified as a hurtbox, and the move is also pretty minus on contact, -9 on hit and -10 if blocked, meaning an ill spaced poke can be punished by everyone to some extent. A good button, make no mistake. But one that's weaknesses must be properly respected.

cr.6 6 followup. 6 followup.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel cr.6 12-15 Low 30 (11-3-16) 12 3 16 HKD 0 0 (+15) No cr.6 > 6 13-16 Low 66 (33-3-30) 34 [minimum] 3 30 HKD -14 -14 (+1) No Similar to cr.1 and cr.5 in that it reaches pretty far, the main distinction of this button is twofold. For one, it's Leo's designated sweep, meaning it can be pretty good for closing the distance when connected. Second, completely safe, making it an actually decent button to throw out against a grounded opponent. It also helps that it can actually be cancelled into a followup with the same input, making it an ambiguous button the opponent will think twice about disrespecting. However, due to this a savvy opponent can Ultimate Guard the second swing, and punish accordingly if you're too predictable.

j.1

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.1 12-15 High Varies 6 2 Until landing +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.1 12-15 High 27 (5-2-20) 6 2 20 +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Comes out fairly quickly. However, its only real weakness is that it doesn't really have much of a use outside of poking an opponent at weird angles. As an air to air tool, it's mostly outclassed by j.3 in basically every metric that matters

j.2

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.2 12-15 High Varies 9 3 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.2 12-15 High 33 (8-3-22) 9 3 22 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Reaches slightly further than j.1, but is also 3 frames slower. In regards to an air to air situation, j.3 is generally a safer, and thus more appealing button to press in that scenario.

j.3 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.3 13-16 High Varies 6 2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.3 13-16 High 28 (5-2-21) 6 2 21 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Definitely Leos best air to air button, as well as an acceptable jump in option. Comes out just as fast as j.1, but has the benefit of his hurtbox being substantially more squashed, and thus more difficult to trade with for the opponent, alongside the actual hitbox being fairly disjointed from it.

j.4

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.4 12-15 High Varies 9 2/3 Until landing +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.4 12-15 High 29 (8-5-16) 9 2/3 16 +15 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No To be blunt, one of Leo's best normals, and one you should press often. Its hitbox is excellent, in that it is really wide underneath him, serving not only as his most reliable cross up button, but making it just a solid button to press while the opponent is beneath you to keep them pinned. Does enough hitstun to comfortably link into his cancellable normals, making it his most consistent jump in tool as well.

j.5 "The Holy Spirit" "The Holy Spirit"

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.5 12-15 High Varies 10 14 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.5 12-15 High 32 (9-14-9) 10 14 9 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No A great neutral tool as it's active for 14 frames, and covers a good distance in front and below Leo. Incredibly useful for controlling space and challenging your opponents escape options. Be warned however, as Ice Super and characters with a DP can hit you out of it if you perform it too close, so don't lean on it. Excellent normal, hard to go wrong.

j.6 Staggers Kenji (+27). Staggers Kenji (+27).

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.6 12-15 high Varies 9 2/2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.6 12-15 high 34 (8-4-22) 9 2/2 22 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No High utility normal right here. Comes out fairly quick, and has 2 hitboxes (only hits once however), one that hits fairly low, and one that reaches higher in front of him. Definitely Leo's strongest jump-in, and pretty decent for guard break strings in the corner.

Command Normals

j.u+2

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.u+2 13-16 Unknown Varies 11 3 Until landing N/A N/A N/A No sj.u+2 13-16 Unknown 22 (10-3-9) 11 3 9 N/A N/A N/A No Much and such the same sort of story as j.2, only Leo reaches upwards. The angle is somewhat niche in utility, but is pretty good at hitting a retreating Kenji out of the sky, so still worth using.

j.d+5

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.d+5 12-15 High Varies 9 22 Until landing +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.d+5 12-15 High 42 (8-22-12) 9 22 12 +16 [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Leo stabs directly downwards, using the same animation as his pursuit. Pretty good as a fast overhead (or at least, what Leo would consider fast) and is a solidly ambiguous option on opponents wakeup. Worth using if for nothing else than it's deceptively long active frames, and it's ability to muck with people as they get up.

j.d+6 Staggers Kenji. Staggers Kenji.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel j.d+6 12-15 High Varies 13 2 Until landing +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No sj.d+6 12-15 High 31 (12-2-17) 13 2 17 +20 (+27) [maximum] +15 [maximum] +15 (+30) [maximum] No Quite possibly Leo's strangest move. He swings his sword vertically, and yet the actual attack itself is awkwardly angled more below and in front of him. Deceptively stubby, but still decent as a jump in as it's somewhat disjointed.

Special Moves

Chronos Rush QCF+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1

Leo charges forward, crashing his shoulder into the opponent, following up with a vertical swing. While he's running with his sword raised, he's immune to projectiles allowing you to close the distance on zoners if timed well. Each version goes further the stronger the button used. However, it also becomes more unsafe as well as slower the higher the strength. This makes the light/medium version more useful for confirms from weaker normals, primarily his standing light normals. General rule of thumb, 4 goes into light and medium, and 5 goes into medium and heavy. Heavy is too slow to combo from 4, and light doesn't travel far enough to combo from 5. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 1 24-30 Mid 54 (8-[20]-26) 9 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Two hits. Shortest run distance. 2 31-39 Mid 65 (10-[24]-31) 11 9/4 31 HKD -12 -12 (+3) Yes Three hits. Medium run distance. 3 37-47 Mid 78 (12-[28]-38) 13 9/4 38 HKD -19 -19 (-4) Yes Four hits. Farthest run distance.

Mars Slash DP+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1 2 hits. First hit can be ducked. 2 hits. First hit can be ducked.

Leo's primary invincible attack, Mars Slash boasts a healthy amount of invincibility starting on frame 6 for all versions while also serving as his premier air guard crush ender. Can also be used as a chip kill option, the only downside being its cumbersome startup, and the fact the hitbox is deceptively low as well as moves him quite a bit forward, making it a worse anti-air than you would expect. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 1 21-27 Mid 46 (17-6-23) 18 3/3 23 HKD -3 -3 (+12) Yes 12 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6. 2 21-27 Mid 51 (18-6-27) 19 3/3 27 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes 13 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6. 3 21-27 Mid 58 (24-4-30) 25 2/2 30 HKD -9 -9 (+6) Yes 19 frames of invincibility starting on frame 6.

Achilles Rush QCF+4/5/6 LEVEL 8 LEVEL 8

Nearly the same attack as Chronos Rush with the main distinction being that it ends low and reaches very far, making it an intimidating move to poke with and extend combos. It gives substantially better oki as well, but gives up some corner carry. It also touts one of the strangest quirks in the game, as the heavy version seems to mistakenly have the recovery of the light version, making it far safer than it should be. With all of these factors considered, heavy Achilles Rush is your go-to combo ender, as it essentially outclasses Chronos Rush. Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 4 24-30 Mid; Low 54 (8-[20]-26) 9 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Two hits. Shortest run distance. 5 31-39 Mid; Low 65 (10-[24]-31) 11 9/4 31 HKD -12 -12 (+3) Yes Three hits. Medium run distance. 6 37-47 Mid; Low 66 (12-[28]-26) 13 9/4 26 HKD -7 -7 (+8) Yes Four hits. Farthest run distance.

Super Moves

Hercules Rush QCFQCF+1/2/3 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 1 Seven hits. Invincible for the entire startup. 4 frame gap between charge hitbox and sword swing hitbox. Invincible for the entire gap. Seven hits. Invincible for the entire startup. 4 frame gap between charge hitbox and sword swing hitbox. Invincible for the entire gap.

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel 39-50 Mid TBD TBD 19/4 41 HKD -22 -22 (-7) Yes Leo's go-to super. Think of Chronos Rush on steroids. An invincible reversal that does a respectable amount of damage on hit, and can even lead in to devastating touch of stuns on some characters from a well placed j.6. However, it harbors two main faults. First, the recovery is huge, and the multiple hits mean this move is just begging to be Ultimate Guarded when blocked. Secondly, despite the followup swing seemingly being huge, the hitbox is surprisingly low, meaning it'll whiff on an airborne opponent more than it won't, making it a dangerous move to use on an enemy in the air. Quite powerful, but should not be used lightly.

Universal Mechanics

Ultimate Counter R.QCB+1/2/3 or R.QCB+4/5/6 Punch version. Staggers Kenji. Punch version. Staggers Kenji. Kick version. Kick version.

Version Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel Punch 3 UB 22 (0-6-16) 0 6 16 +1 (+5) UB +1 (+16) No The punch version has him swing his sword akin to the end of Chronos Rush, and it hits a bit higher than it to boot, making it a decent response to air attacks. You can even extend with an Ice Super if your opponent is higher enough as you do it. Not amazing on a ground connect, so should mostly be used for airborne attackers. Kick 14-17 Low 30 (0-6-24) 0 6 24 HKD -12 -11 (+4) No Kick UC has Leo swing as he does during Achilles Rush, making this thing humungous for a grounded Ultimate Counter. It also trips the enemy on hit, making getting in much easier. However, its fault is that it hits extremely low, and thus practically never hits an airborne opponent outside of some fringe cases. Regardless, it's one of the best UC's in the game.

Pursuit U+4/5/6

Damage Guard Duration Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv UG Adv Special Cancel - - - - - - - - - - This is easily the worst pursuit in the game. You will often end up punishable on hit if you end up using this move. You have to use it in very specific situations after specific attacks with correct timing in order to connect the hit and not end up punishable. The problem comes from the size of the hitbox; if you pursuit too early, the hitbox will hit much sooner than it was meant to, making you very minus. Thankfully Kenji likes to stay on the ground for a long period of time, so there are more options for pursuit to work in that matchup. The definitive use of Leo's pursuit is for the "final blow". If the opponent has very low health, and you know that the pursuit will connect and also finish the job, go for it.

General Strategy

Overview

As stated before, Leo is a blend of archetypes and thus can play in various ways. His bread and butter style of play is a big button grappler. His long range buttons in the air and while crouching make him a formidable force in the mid range, and he can leverage these buttons to keep control of the opponent's position. At close range, he can mix them up with his tick grabs, or simply apply pressure.

Leo likes to press buttons. cr.5 is one of the best pokes in the game due to its massive range and difficulty in being punished if spaced correctly, 5 is a solid anti-air and excellent pressure tool at a whopping +7 on block, and j.5 is one of the best buttons in the game with its impressive ability at controlling space. These 3 buttons alone make Leo oppressive to deal with. Along with his other tools for pressure and tick grabs, Leo excels in dominating space and forcing the opponent to respect his buttons.

Pokes

The main pokes to remember are cr.5, j.5, cr.6, j.d+5, j.6, and light Achilles Rush. These buttons cover most ranges you could ever want covered. cr.5 covers a large part of the ground, good for catching dashes and making opponents respect it. j.5 is an incredibly active, slightly downwards pointing jump-in which covers a large portion of the air, making it incredibly hard for opponents to air to air or anti-air. As a poke, cr.6 has less range than cr.5 and is slower, however it is safe at every range, being 0 on block and leading to knockdown on hit. Light Achilles Rush also makes for a surprisingly good poke. Its range is very deceptive due to Leo running forward a bit before swinging. This move goes nearly full screen, and is practically unpunishable on block at most ranges. Some other less used but important pokes to mention include j.1, with it being a solid button for hitting horizontal opponents in the air, for example a Mai Ling mid-airdash. j.u+2 is also occasionally useful for poking an opponent out of the sky, such as a super jumping opponent, or a double-jumping Kenji. cr.1 in combination with light Mars Slash is a threatening frame trap. The slash can be hard to react to, making it a decent chip option as well.

Anti-air

Leo has 3 primary anti-airs, his Punch UC, cr.3, and 5. UG can be punished if whiffed, so the other 2 are generally safer options, if more liable to result in trades. cr.3 actually hits lower than one would expect, and comes out slower than 5, but it can also hit angles that 5 can't, making it good to use on occasion. Your main anti-air however should be 5. It's fast, reaches high, and is cancellable, making it not only his most reliable anti-air, but also his most rewarding. Only real downside is that it hits very close, making Mai Ling a nightmare to anti-air. That's where cr.2 comes in, as it has a great hitbox right over his head which makes it very useful for catching Mai Ling’s airdash, as there’s no deadzone like 5. The initial hitbox of the elemental supers is also an incredibly useful anti-air, as it works well against crossups and comes out on the first frame. In addition to this, depending on which orb is used, you can get a lot of additional chip or potentially even guard breaks. The obvious downside is that it costs an orb, but another notable downside is that despite covering a lot of angles horizontally it hits relatively low compared to his other tools.

Mixups/Pressure

Leo can be a terrifying presence when he's in your face, or when you're knocked down. He has some brutal crossups, nothing to scoff at as crossups are awkward to block in Red Earth, his command grabs can be ticked into or empty jumped into, and he can break your guard if you're airborne with strings into Mars Slash.

• Crossups: Leo’s j.4 is one of the most absurd buttons in the game for crossing up as it covers a large horizontal area both in front of and behind him. If blocked correctly, a mixup involving the double crossup can be implemented. Leo’s j.d+5 also has good usage as a crossup tool, allowing for very ambiguous left/right 50/50’s for oki. Landing a crossup generally means that Leo can go into his most optimal meterless bnb since they are all jump-ins.
• Tick Grabs: Every tick setup he has works for both Gaia Driver and Gigas Driver. The safest move to tick grab with is 4, as it’s very fast and plus. Going for a grab after a j.4 crossup is a great option as well, as most opponents expect a followup combo and won’t be looking out for it. j.d+5 is a deceptively decent tick grab if done higher up, as the opponent’s hitstun should run out in time for you to land and perform the grab. All of the previous setups work if the moves either hit or are blocked, however in Red Earth it is possible to grab people during blockstun. Due to this, you can cancel from cr.1 and 1 into either command grab for an airtight blockstring into guaranteed damage.
• Air Guard Break: A cornered opponent will often try and jump away from Leo’s command grab. Leo is able to catch them in a trap if you’re looking out for it, and guard break them for guaranteed damage. A simple example of a guard break string would be j.5 (air blocked), land, 5, 1 xx dp.3. The heavy Mars Slash here is key, as the first hit will guard break and the second hit will connect before the opponent lands.
• Frame Traps: Leo boasts a few built in frame traps with his moveset using some of his followup attacks off of key normals. A prominent one is his followup after cr.6. This one can be potent as the initial cr.6 is 0 on block, so the opponent is less likely to try and challenge the followup. The mere existence of this frame trap can scare the opponent into letting you get more pressure after cr.6 even though the advantage is even. Another, albeit risker, option is the 3 > 3 frame trap. 3 by itself is -6 on block, making it a tad unsafe at distance, however this very fact may lead your opponent straight into the trap. If they try and punish with a slower move, or even just try and move in with their own pressure, the followup can catch them out, leading to a knockdown. What’s better, is that if they try and block the followup, they will become guard broken. If you’re close enough, you’re able to link into Hercules Rush after the guard break. The last frame trap to mention is cr.1 xx dp.1. Similar to the 3 > 3 frame trap, the initial attack of cr.1 is unsafe on block. However, unlike 3 it’s very punishable on block as well as on hit. This can greatly work to its advantage, as it’ll often bait the opponent to attempt a punish only to be met by an iframe’d sword. The main issue with this setup that the others didn’t have to worry about is that this is a committal option. There is no throwing out cr.1 and waiting to see if they UG, walk away, hold block, etc. When you go for this, you’re going for this.
• High/Low: Leo has to rely on high/low mixups a bit less than other characters. Not just in the fact that his strike/throw mixups are usually superior, but his overheads don't stand out aside from j.4 and the matchup specific 6. He really only has two lows worth using for mixing up with overheads, that being cr.1 and cr.6. cr.1 offers far better rewards for a correct read, but it is much more committal. On hit, you can cancel into Hercules Rush (if close), and on block you can immediately cancel into a command grab. cr.6 is a much safer low to go for, as it’s completely safe on block. On hit, you can either get a knockdown with oki or go for character specific combos into supers.

Regardless, keep it varied, mind your opponent's options and you should be geared to cause some havoc.

Matchup Strategy

Tessa

Somewhat brutal matchup for Leo, zoner vs grappler. On one hand, if you manage to hit Tessa with the bnb combo or with a ToD, her lifebar gets destroyed because of her low health, but on the other hand, her zoning is so insane that she won’t let you even touch her. You have to be really careful against her, especially with your Ultimate Guards, because if she has orbs and sees you just Ultimate Guard, you are a corpse after she unleashes her “Ice Cannon ToD”. Also you have way more advantage against her if you put her in the corner, because she has less zoning tools in that situation and you can also apply pressure with your big buttons and specials.

1. If she has orbs, she is very, very dangerous. You must not let her grab any orbs and you need to waste her existing supply, because if she doesn’t have any orbs she is way easier to deal with. The only options she will have is chakura wave zoning, full screen j.6 bird, and hcb.1/2/3 ghosts.
2. Never Jump Against Tessa Recklessly, specifically while attacking in the air, because she can punish you with her DP or even worse, with her air unblockable tricicle super to stun you and end your life with her infamous ice cannon ToD. If she uses tricicle super while you are in the air, you must steer closer to her if you can and not steer away, because while she uses tricicle super Leo is able to fit between tricicle and her. In that situation, you can either land and do 5, rush special, or instantly grab her with button 2.
3. If you manage to grab Tessa with button 2 and have at least 1 orb, you can pull off a slightly risky technique. If Tessa doesn’t tech Leo’s bite grab and you want to use this “meteor tech”, set your main orb as meteor and either prepare to use mystic force super (qcb, 1+2+3) instantly when you see the grab finish, or start mashing mystic force super (qcb, 1+2+3) AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. The opponent can mash out of Leo’s grab after a couple of bites, so by spamming mystic force super, you can use meteor super instantly after the grab finishes. Spam buttons during the super and deal massive 40-60% damage with a chance that you’ll also get a dizzy after. But if you do meteor super a bit late or the meteor rng causes them to miss her, stop mashing to end super as fast as possible because you’ll be wide open to be punished by her. If Tessa techs Leo’s bite grab, dash up and mix her up with a command grab or st.5 to catch a jump.
4. If you’re very close to Tessa and she uses tricicle super, DO NOT ULTIMATE GUARD. She can use “The Funny Technique” by using Tricicle, baiting your UG, then making Tricicle whiff. Because you’re in the Ultimate Guard state and tricicle doesn’t hit you, you can’t Ultimate Counter, and while in the recovery animation she can use ice cannon ToD which means you are dead.
5. Most of Leo’s buttons are somewhat useless or less effective in this match-up. j.u+2 is still really good, j.4 is also good if you use it correctly for crossups, 5 is decent as antiair, j.5 and cr.5 are less effective because she can punish them with her dp.1. So if you see Tessa far away and she is in a state where she can’t use her dp, use j.5 and cr.5 in that situation.
6. Since she has resistance to ice, Ice mystic force doesn’t deal enough damage and also makes her wake up even faster (so don’t use pursuit attack after ice mystic force supers unless you know that the pursuit attack will connect instantly when she lands on the ground). The only use of Ice in this matchup is to use the “HP Combo” to dizzy her. If you have 3 orbs and dizzy her with 2 orbs in the air, you can use Leo’s ToD combo or just the bnb combo if Tessa needed 3 orbs for dizzy. But ice mystic force super has its own downsides, sometimes you won’t get the dizzy, so by using 3 orbs and not getting dizzy, you basically wasted your orbs. To get a bit luckier with Ice super stun, you have to punish Tessa with the mystic force anti-air hitbox.
7. Don’t let her grab you. If she grabs you, it’s basically a guessing game for both of you. If you manage to soften her grab, she can punish you with her dp, but if you don’t tech and the Tessa player doesn’t have any dignity, she can grab you again and you both enter a guessing game. You basically have to guess what she might do: if you think she will dp, don’t soften the grab, and if you think she will go for a grab loop, soften it.

Punishes:

• qcf.1/2/3: Even though her chakura wave is an insane move and generally good against Leo, lionman still manages to punish it in specific ranges. If you are mid range and you see Tessa is about to do a chakura wave, normal jump over her projectile and punish her with a two poke combo: j.5, cr.5. If you are at close range against her in the same situation, you can start doing j.6, cr.1 xx qcfqcf 1/2/3 ToD. But in both situations, you have to do it fast enough because after chakura wave animation finishes and you are still in the air, she can still use dp or tricicle super punish, so punish her with these buttons while she is still in her recovery animation.
• sj.d+4: Divekick can be punished by Leo’s St.5 if Tessa uses divekick a bit far in the air, because if she does divekick a bit close to the ground, Leo doesn’t have enough time to use that button. This is where the mystic force anti-air hitbox is good to be used, and if you want, you can utilize the “HP Combo” dizzy technique.
• dp.4/5/6: Best move out of all cannon specials that she has, dp.4 version will not let you jump on her with j.5, so just poke her with cr.5. Only works if Leo is cornered.
• hcb.4/5/6: Don’t let her command grab you with her balloon special. This is most likely to happen when you’re on the ground in the corner: Tessa uses her command grab, and you decide to roll forward and end up getting hit by the command grab after you finish the roll. In that situation if you decide to roll forward, don’t crouch block. Instead of holding down+back, hold down+forward and punish her command grab after with standing 5, rush special. You can also choose not to roll, and either press st.4 on wake up and make her command grab stop, buffer into mystic force super and press punch on wake up, buffer into qcfqcf while you are waking up and press punch on wake up to punish Tessa with rush super, or the most insane punish would be to buffer into 360 or 720 and press punch on wake up, but that would be the hardest punish to do out of all possible variants.

Leo

The most fun matchup in the game, Leo mirrors, which might also be the fastest matchup because both Leos deal massive damage to each other. In this matchup, it’s basically a game of who presses 5 faster, who manages to grab other Leo the most and who manages to crossup other Leo the most with his "j.4 bnb combo".

1. You must avoid getting hit by tick 360 and tick 720 (standing 4 into command grab) or just getting command grabbed by him in general.
2. j.d+5 is a really good button against Leo if you use it as a crossup, and you can combo it into standing 5, rush special. Also avoid it if the opponent knows how to use it.
3. Avoid getting hit by Leo’s poke buttons, specifically st.5, cr.5, j.5, j.u+2, j.6 and j.d+5 as mentioned before.
4. if you manage to Ultimate Guard Leo’s Achilles or Chronos Rush, Ultimate Counter it as fast as possible, because at the end of last hit, your character exits Ultimate Guard, so you still get hit by the last attack if you don’t counter fast enough.
5. When it comes to Leo’s ToD combo, you have way less chance to kill your opponent with that combo than against other characters because of Leo’s really high stun resistance. If you have 3 orbs, and somehow manage to dizzy Leo by using j.6, cr1 xx qcfqcf.1/2/3 twice, use your last orb to finish Leo with 720 super for a guaranteed kill.

Punishes:

• cr.5: You can punish cr.5 with your own cr.5, even if you get hit by it or block it. You have to do it really fast in order to hit your opponent while they’re recovering, because if you do it a bit late, they will block it and might punish you with another cr.5 if they’re close enough.
• Pursuit: Leo's pursuit is not always punishable, so learning how to spot when it is can be very valuable. What you need to look out for is when the actual pursuit connects. The red flag you're looking for to determine if the pursuit is punishable is if it hits early/hits high up. There's a noticeable delay in the time the opposing Leo lands back on the ground vs the time when you fully wake up. Make sure you can recognize it. If you've determined that the pursuit is punishable, the go to punish is 720, or 360 if you're lacking orbs. Make sure not to roll on wakeup or you won't be able to punish it.

Mai Ling

This matchup is quite annoying for Leo. The matchup isn’t hard, but because Mai-Ling is short and fast, it’s quite hard to hit her (and sometimes you may encounter instances of your moves not hitting her even though it looks like it should hit, or sometimes she hits you even though it looks like her move shouldn’t). But if you know the matchup, you can win against her.

1. You must not let Mai get close to you, because she is really dangerous in that situation, especially if she corners you. She’s really fast and can mix you up with her fast buttons. Poking her from mid range is a good tactic against her. Do Not Use cr.5 if she’s very close to you, as it whiffs against her. If you are in the corner, get out of there as fast as possible, because if she jumps on you in the corner and manages to hit you, she will start doing her ToD, which kills Leo pretty easily even though he has a lot of stun resistance.
2. She has an untechable grab with button 6, so sometimes the opponent may approach you really fast, simply grab you and you can’t escape it. One of the reasons why you should not let her get close to you. On top of that, she also has a 360 command grab, so be careful if you see her waiting for you to wake up to grab you.
3. Always tech Mai’s button 2/button 3 grab. Because if you don’t tech it, either with or without softening the grab, she can punish you with her Super Fireball (Chou Kuujin Ken). Chou Kuujin Ken super in general deals quite a lot of damage, as well as deals massive stun damage. The only way to deal with it on the ground is by Ultimate Guarding it and punishing the opponent with Kick Ultimate Counter.
4. Your anti-air buttons, which are st.5, cr.3, or dp.1/2/3 are not as effective as they are against other characters. But you still have mystic force super’s initial hitbox, which is a really great anti-air against her. cr.2 is also a good anti-air button, even though in other match-ups you won’t use it.
5. Since Mai’s stun resistance is very low, you have more of a chance to ToD her than any other character. Her stun resistance is so low that Leo has a rare chance to do a No Orb ToD which only works against Mai (“j.6, st.5 xx qcf.3” 3 times), but the chance of getting a dizzy twice is very low. That said, it’s not very easy to super-jump on Mai with j.6 or in general, since she has a very good DP anti-air. Her DP is so good that the move’s first frame is air unblockable. So be careful if your opponent knows when and how to use dp properly.

Punishes:

• j.4: Very powerful button, active until she reaches the ground and even works as a crossup. Avoid it at all cost. Either run from it, or punish it with mystic force anti-air super.
• cr.6: Her sweep is easily punished by cr.5. A very consistent punish.
• j.ff: Mai’s airdash. If she does it really high in the air, normal jump smack her with j.u+2. If she does it really close to the ground, use cr.2.
• hcb.1/2/3: Either jump back and press j.5 or j.6, or punish it with mystic force anti-air super. If you are confident enough, you can also jump, hit Mai with j.6 and start a ToD.
• hcb.4/5/6: Would not recommend UG unless you have pretty much no health left. Just block it, and when she stops kicking, instantly dash and do 5 xx qcf.1/2/3/4/5/6.
• qcfqcf.4/5/6: It’s a very bad super but sometimes the opponent may misinput their combo and do this move instead. If she does it and it most likely whiffs, do not jump on her for ToD as she recovers pretty fast when she lands on the ground. So instead, when she lands, do 5 xx qcf.1/2/3/4/5/6.

Kenji

Easiest matchup for Leo, and the most unfair matchup in the game. If you play Leo properly, Kenji has a very, very low chance to even try to threaten you, because he can’t do a single thing against Leo. Everything Kenji does gets completely nullified by Leo’s big buttons. If you want to see information about how Leo is sending Kenji to the shadow realm, you can check this. Even though this is Leo’s easiest matchup, don’t get too cocky because there are still a couple of things you have to remember while fighting against him.

1. Mainly you may encounter two types of Kenji players: People who try to play lame, and people who try to play recklessly. When it comes to playing against Kenji, ALWAYS KEEP ONE(1) ORB IN YOUR ARSENAL, because if you don't have any orbs and Kenji has more health than you, he will start running away with teleports until time runs out and he wins the round. In that situation, you have a very low chance to get a health advantage. That’s why you need to keep at least one orb and don’t spend them recklessly, unless you definitely know that spending all orbs will kill Kenji guaranteed.
2. One of Kenji’s famous combos is cr.4, cr.4, cr.5 xx r.dp.4 > 1/2/3. Crouch block during the crouching attacks, and switch to high block during r.dp > 1/2/3 part, because it’s a somewhat fast overhead. So keep that in mind because you might decide to stay crouching and get punished with that last move. Also just be prepared in general against that overhead. There is also a rare possibility that Kenji will just run with r.dp.4 without doing the overhead, and when he stops, do the cr.4 combo again. Somewhat bold move if he does it, but still be prepared for that situation as well.
3. Kenji still has fast buttons, so be prepared for what he is going to do after you wake up
4. This next strategy applies against all characters, but since Kenji is weak to ice, it especially applies to him. Ice is the best mystic force super in the game, and since our ninja is weak to it, use that to your advantage for cheesing Kenji out in the air if you know that all orbs will kill him.
5. Be careful of Kenji’s “Baku Ryusho” (aka “Flame Pillar” as the community calls it) if you are very far from him. It’s basically a guessing game where the pillar will come out, but you can still block it and still slowly approach him.
6. If you are very far from Kenji, he may use Ice super. In this situation, when you go to UG the super you need to hold back during the UG because Kenji can delay the second wave of Ice super. Without holding back, Leo will end Ultimate Guard and get hit by the second wave of Ice super during the recovery.
7. Leo’s bad pursuit attack is safest against Kenji out of all the characters and you have more options to pursuit after knockdown as opposed to the other characters, so don’t be afraid to use it against him. Keep in mind that you still need to time it correctly, because incorrect timing will still make you punishable on hit.
8. Be careful of Kenji’s auto aim kunai super, specifically in the air. Similar to the method of “cheaping out with Ice super” against an airborne opponent, Kenji’s kunai cheaping out is much more effective. Unlike Ice super, the kunais will still fly even if Kenji gets hit after he summons them, while during Ice super, the icicles disappear.
9. Kenji can grab you with button 2, always soften that grab because he can combo it into poison and deal huge damage.

Punishes:

• j.3: Kenji’s greatest normal attack. Leo can nullify it with j.u+2, though you have to choose the position correctly in order to land the move, because you might end up getting hit with that button.
• qcb.4/5/6: Kenji is extremely minus here. Just block it and when he lands, punish it with standing 5, Achilles or Chronos Rush Specials.
• j.6 or j.f+6 or j.d+6: These moves are so bad that it’s punishable on hit. If Kenji ends up close to you, you can grab him, or do st.5 into Achilles or Chronos Rush Specials.
• qcf.1/2/3: Kenji’s Kunais are so weak that you can stop them with standing 5. Would recommend jumping over it and just do the two poke combo, j.5, cr.5.
• r.dp.1/2/3: If you are in the air and you see Kenji using "Tsumuji" (aka “Garlic Breath” as the community calls it) as an antiair move, DO NOT USE j.5 OR ANY OTHER BUTTON EXCEPT j.6. You have to time that j.6 correctly in the air in order to punish Kenji’s move and start the ToD. If you think you can’t land j.6, then you can still block garlic breath, it’s not like it deals massive chip damage and Kenji still can’t do anything after that.
• r.dp.4 > 1/2/3: Fast overhead as was mentioned before, but still punishable on block. When he lands, punish it with standing 5, Achilles or Chronos Rush Specials.
• dp.4/5/6: Utsusemi, Kenji’s teleport move. If you have many orbs, you want to punish Kenji for using this move. When you see the teleport animation on the ground, instantly do Ice super and Kenji will definitely get hit by it in the air, but if you do it too late, he will have the opportunity to block it.

Combos

• j.4 (crossup), 5 xx qcf.6

Basic bnb, one of Leo's only combos. You'll need to substitute the qcf.6 for qcf.5 against Tessa and Mai Ling. One last caveat is that this combo does not work on crouching Tessa for some reason.

• j.6, cr.1 xx qcfqcf.1/2/3

Alternate combo that can lead to dizzy.

• 6, 5 xx qcfqcf.1/2/3

Main punish combo.

Trivia

• Leo is the only playable character to maintain his Japanese name when ported overseas.
• During Leo's good ending, he returns to his kingdom adorned in Blades cloak, implying either Blade stole it, or Leo wears it in solemn remembrance of his fallen General.
• Alongside his move names, his stage takes place in the ruins of Greedia, it's pillars evidently inspired by Greek architecture.
• In the Darkstalkers Maleficarum, In order to regain a semblance of his humanity, the 3 Wise Men performed the "100 day ritual", offering up their lives in an effort to somewhat reverse the effects of Scion's curse upon him. This is also how the 3 Wise Men accompany Leo on his journey.
• In Capcom Fighting Jam, Leo uses a sword and shield not present in Red Earth. This is because it is actually his Level 3 Bronze Sword & Level 6 Wooden Shield, with a different palette.
• Leo has a winpose that is clearly inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan the Barbarian.