Under Night In-Birth/UNI2/Akatsuki/Strategy
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Disclaimer: This is a community written page and may contain opinions that not all players may agree with. Use at your own discretion.
General Gameplan
Akatsuki is a rushdown character who wants to get in close and open the opponent using strong close normals with amazing frame data, the ability to keep his pressure going with well spaced fireballs and fast horizontal moves to catch backdashing or jumping out like 66C and 214B. On the other hand, Akatsuki struggles in neutral because of his small moves compared to the rest of the cast, so he must rely on dashblocking to get in his effective range or cover his approach with fireballs. In a nutshell, Akatsuki's gameplan is "Get in, and stay in".
Neutral
Dashblock
Approach
Akatsuki's main tool for approaching opponents is his dashblock (66~1 or 6AB~1). Due to it being a set dash instead of a run, Akatsuki will always travel a set distance or until he blocks an attack, making it one, if not the best dashblock in the game. Aside from this, dashing forward and blocking attacks gives a lot of GRD passively, giving him plenty of chances to win Vorpal during the match. The set dash, however, is pretty slow compared to the running speed of the rest of the cast, so Akatsuki has to do a series of dashes to travel the same distance as them, at a much slower speed.
To complement his dashblock, fireballs can be used to cover his approach, providing a hitbox on the screen that the opponent has to evade or block. His 236A is very useful for this, due to it being slower, so Akatsuki can dash right behind it and confirm into combo if the opponent gets hit by it. If you have won the Vorpal cycle, you can make use of 236X into CS, to cancel the fireball's recovery and give you a strong approach option.
Once you have resources, 214B can be used as a strong tool to force your way in due to it's fast horizontal movement and active hitbox, which can be made safe by the use of CS or meter into j.236C/236C to set up plus frames. As strong as this tool is, it still can be stuffed by preemptive normals, projectiles and counters, so use it with caution. If you use 214B without resource and get blocked, the opponent can always punish with a throw at point blank range or shield the third hit to make it -7; if you know the opponent is going to strike back, you can use FF as a last attempt to keep your turn. This strategy however, can be baited and leads into a bigger punish, so it should be used sparingly and won't help you in the long term.
To challenge projectiles, Akatsuki can use his FF to parry them and keep his movement or shielding them, both providing him with GRD, with FF giving a better frame advantage for Akatsuki. If you have meter, his 214C and j.214C both have projectile invulnerability from frame 4, traveling quickly through the screen to hit the recovery of the opponent's projectiles. For this purpose, j.214C is the better option due to it's knockdown.
Keep Away
Although Akatsuki's main objective is to be at a close distance with his opponent, he can still play keep away like a traditional shoto if he needs to. His fireballs provide both a slow and fast projectile (A and B version respectively) for the opponent to jump or dashblock his way in. He can deal against jump ins and far assaults using 22x, f.5C and even 6C against really obvious air approaches.
Offense
Pressure
- Because Akatsuki’s high/low mix up game is not strong compared to other cast members, you will want to create frame traps based on your normals that you can use to bait your opponent into taking a risk, or you can throw them when they become too respectful!
- Examples of such normals are
- Large stagger windows (2a/5a, 2b, cl.5b~f.5b, cl.5c)
- Good frame data (2b, cl.5b, cl.5c)
- Your best normals in pressure are cl.5c (+1 on block), cl.5b (0 on block), 2b (0 on block), 2a/5a (-1 on block, large cancel window for stagger, self cancellable)
- It’s good to start pressure with these or use them somewhere in the middle of your pressure when you want to keep your ender ambiguous.
- You can “no cancel” cl.5c because it is plus 1, and it is still your turn. If you are close enough, not canceling 2b or cl.5b on block can let you keep your turn because you have two 5f normals (2a/5a). The frame advantage also allows you to beat mashing with things like 236x and 214x.
- cl.5b chains into f.5b, allowing for an easy frame trap.
- 5aa is an amazing tool because the second hit pulls you in close to your opponent, allowing you to use your close great close normals (cl.5b, cl.5c)!
- 2a, like 5a, has a huge cancel window and it is cancellable into itself. You can chain successive 2a’s very slowly on offense in order to bait your opponent into mashing. 2a is a weak starter though, and merits combos with low reward.
- When you get pushed out to tip 2c/f.5c range, that’s when you use 236a to make yourself minimally minus (safe) or even plus, or you rebeat to an A normal you haven’t used to make yourself safe. If you’re minus you can try to be risky on a respectful opponent and get back in with dash blocking. After a well-spaced 236a, you can do something like dash f.5b, 214x, or 66c as examples.
- Like all of your options, vary them. Make sure you don’t overly rely on ONE of your tools, even if each has its own great utility.
Okizeme
As Akatsuki's ability to Okizeme is largely dependant on the combo ender chosen, refer to the Combo Ender FAQ to get an understanding of the situations Akatsuki may be left in post-combo. For most purposes, Akatsuki is limited to meaties and safe-jumps and does not have many tricks up his sleeve. Due to his playstyle, when ending a combo, deciding between the ability to further pressure post-combo or corner carry to where Akatsuki is at his strongest is a large decision factor.
Meaty Options
As pressure is mostly free-form due to the rebeat system, Akatsuki can meaty with any option. Be wary when trying to meaty back tech as the combination of being able to tech at any time, Akatsuki's short limbs and the distance on back tech, the opponent may be able to escape pressure if a poor choice is made. Listed below are some examples of notable buttons to meaty with
- 2A - Fast, hits low and self-cancellable. Good to use when late reacting to an opponent's tech to ensure you're still meatying.
- 2B - Long active frames with short recovery makes this a great button to meaty whiff. As it's normally neutral on block, hitting as a meaty can allow this to be up to +4 and its whiff recovery is not too punishing
- 2C - Good range and reach can allow it to chase backtech midscreen, stopping just short of the opponent if performed from a standstill. Dashing against a grounded opponent to have a dash buffered 2C allows this to hit backtech reliably
- cl.5C - +1 on normal block but has noticeable pushback on block
- 22A~CS - Because CS can be used on the first active frame, by timing this correctly, Akatsuki will be able to use the CS to confirm whether the 22A hit against a mash for high reward, 22A on block and is at significant frame advantage or whether the 22A whiffs due to a reversal and can punish appropriately
- 6B - Can be useful if the opponent is buffering dashblock on wake-up. If attempting to block overhead while buffering dashblock with 6AB, the input will be read as 4AB and the opponent will backdash. The recovery of 6B is less than the total frames of most backdashes, leaving Akatsuki able to act first, albeit spaced further away than ideal. If CS is used on the first active frame, similar to 22A~CS, Akatsuki will be able to react to the situation and punish backdashes/reversals.
Safe Jump Setups
- AT > 9J~8DJ > j.A - Crossup safe-jump setup
- AT > 7J~8DJ > j.6C - Safe-jump vs most 5f+ DPs
- 214B j.236C > 8j.6C - Easy metered safe jump
- 214B j.236C > 6D j.6C - Alternate metered safe jump (Safer than 8j.6C)
- AT > cl.B(whiff) > 6D j.6C - Frame kill > safe jump setup
- j.2C VO > 9j.A (rising,whiff) > j.B - Safe jump off corner VO. Use j.A vs Vat
- ..6C 214B(2) j.214C > 6D j.6[C] - Timing is combo scaling specific
- IW > 9(hold) > 6D j.6[C] - Only works midscreen and doesn't catch backtechs
Gimmicks & Tricks
Offensive Chain Shift applications
- 214B(3)~CS - Useful to confirm stray 214B hits in neutral to a damaging combo or on block to keep 214B safe
- 214B(2)~CS - Use 214B’s good advancing hitbox to approach then chain shift for + frames to be in an advantageous position. By chain shifting on the 2nd hit, Akatsuki can do a falling mixup but with proper fuzzy timing, these can be blocked without fear from the opponent.
- .. j.B > j.A - Double overhead
- .. j.6[C] - Whiff (Can throw)
- .. j.C > j.A (whiff) > 2A - Overhead > low
- 22X~CS - A fast, throw invul attack that can be confirmed with chain shift into a very high damage combo. Using 22A is safe as the first active frame can be chain shifted to make it safe. Using 22B is much higher risk as it cannot be chain shifted on block but leads to similarily high damage combo
- 236A~CS - Taking advantage of his fireball's slow travel speed, Akatsuki can chain shift after and use it as a shield to approach. As his fireball does not go away on block, Characters with limited movement and projectile nullification options may have difficulty stopping this apporach.
Post-CS 22A
22A is an extremely powerful tool when both players are in neutral at point blank as a result of chain shift usage
- Its 5F startup means that it will trade with only the fastest normals. Trading with 5F normals is more beneficial than winning the exchange as it will actually let Akatsuki combo meterless midscreen
- Throw invulnerable from the first frame means that it won't ever lose to faster attacks
- With 100 meter, 22A can be EX cancelled into 236C to confirm. On hit it will combo, on block, Akatsuki will be at heavy frame advantage
Defense
Defending with Akatsuki is a matter of patience. In many matchups he generally succumbs to his largest weakness, his short range. As a general strategy, being patient on defence, understanding the opponents frame data and knowing the range of Akatsuki's normals are some of the most important aspects to consider. Many characters are able to stay out of Akatsuki's effective range, limiting his options to mostly dash blocking but at these ranges Akatsuki may be able to challenge some of their subsequent options if they attempt to reset pressure. Due to his abundance of good reversal options, a patient defence to win Grd and Vorpal to CS and then threaten reversing momentum with fast normals or one of his multiple reversals is a fairly solid strategy. As his effective range is amongst the shortest of the cast, his answers to many options of characters who outrange him may be more character specific and can be susceptible to their initiative and momentum.
Reversal Tools
This is a brief overview of some of Akatsuki's attacks to use in defence and some general situations to use them in
5B
- 7f startup making it a generally good button of choice when challenging opponent's negative frames
- Be aware that when challenging farther normals at tip or counter-poke range as Akatsuki's short range kit limits combo ability
2B
- Shorter range than 5B but still a fast (8f) button.
- Sometimes its short range lets it down as many characters can effectively hold their space outside of the range of 2B
- Low and neutral on block, getting an opponent to block this generally leads to a good situation for Akatsuki as he can easily mix up between frame trap or approaching
2C
- Quite a long range button for Akatsuki but has longer startup than his other options (11f)
- Lowers Akatsuki's hurtbox during the attack, allowing it to sometimes slide under or trade with horizontal pokes
- Very long untechable time on counter-hit. On trades, it's almost certainly in Akatsuki's favour, being comboable or at least being able to take his turn after.
214B
- Fast (9f) option with a large hitbox. Reaches further than Akatsuki's other options and can catch some opponents off guard
- Akatsuki is airborne from 3F+ after startup and is invulnerable to Foot property attacks during the active frames. This can lead to him jumping over or simply being invulnerable to many lows attacks, usually beating them outright.
- Attacks beating this out can sometimes be hard to combo off if the opponent isn't ready due to Akatsuki being airborne but close to the ground.
- Moves Akatsuki forward significantly. Coupled with CS or 100 EXS, it can be an effective way to approach the opponent while reversing momentum.
22A
- Not a reversal but has 5f startup and throw invulnerability from the first frame.
- Is Ex cancellable (i.e into 236C) from the first active frame.
- Great as a throw OS as EX cancel into 236C functions as either + frames on block or a combo on hit.
22B
- Standard DP. Good for beating out moves.
- Reaches high and moves horizontally slightly throughout the animation. Against those unfamiliar with the matchup, on block, can get out of the corner (although taking a hit and combo in the process).
- Great when coupled with CS if a guaranteed attack is required
FF
- Counters the opponent's attack
- Input can be done with 1B+C or 4B+C and is good for using on reaction to also buffer block if the input was performed too late
- Great reward on hit against strikes as if Akatsuki is cornered but within range, he can do a combo into side swap and shift the momentum of the match completely
- Can be used against slower or predictable projectiles, changing the blockstun significantly. Sometimes making safe moves (e.g Eltnum 236[X]) very risk heavy against Akatsuki
CS
- Pauses the game for 40f
- Reward for blocking and shielding correctly, doubly so for Akatsuki as he can handle the post-CS situation extremely well
- With fast normals and multiple reversal options, Akatsuki has a number of favourable choices he can make on reaction to the situation and the opponent may have to play extremely safe or structure their pressure differently to avoid this.
Anti-Airs
Akatsuki's short limbs leave his anti-air game more to be desired. Many of his attacks are very specific in nature. Below are some general explanations of some of his tools that can be used to anti-air.
5A
- Fast (5f) with a relatively high hitbox and good horizontal range for a 5A.
- Can be used to catch close assaults but may lose to late assaults and attacks which shift the opponent’s hurtbox upwards.
- Can be hitstop and throw OS’d with 4A(~D)~C
cl.5C
- No invul.
- Has a relatively high hitbox and is good at beating assaults.
- Can sometimes come out when attempting to f.5C, usually in an undesirable situation.
f.5C
- One of Akatsuki’s dedicated anti-air buttons.
- Hitbox is a bit lacking in comparison to anti-airs from other characters but has invul from 7f onwards.
- Good for beating far assaults.
6C
- High risk, best reward.
- Moves Akatsuki low and forward before the hit, this can make the anti-air whiff. Use only with good judgement.
Air Throw
- Effectively 7f startup from grounded (4f Jump+3f AT).
- Very high risk as Akatsuki has significant landing recovery on whiffed throw but its side swap and high damage reward can make it worth going for.
- Will naturally throw OS due to the throw input.
- Generally only used in guaranteed situations.
22A
- 5F startup with Head/Throw invul from frame 1, but not fully invulnerable.
- This will usually at worst result in trades.
- Can combo without CS off some trades or CH on an airborne opponent in corner.
- Can be useful when combined with Throw OS (22A~D)
22B
- Invulnerable DP.
- Has a surprisingly good hitbox and good vertical reach to anti-air with. Use when a guaranteed hit is needed.
- Can combo into a high damage combo with CS.
tk.j.214B
- Unorthodox anti-air.
- Air unblockable with a high reaching 2nd hit and can lead to a combo anywhere on screen at most positionings.
- Good for catching opponents attempting to jump back or at a far, difficult to anti air height.
(j.)214C
- Air unblockable.
- Travels across the screen quite quickly. Very good at controlling mid-range air space.
- Usually leads to little damage without CS but 214C can lead into very high damage(4k+) with the right spacing from corner.
Option Selects
4B+C/1B+C
- Holding back while performing these inputs will mean that failure to press B+C in time will allow Akatsuki to still block.
22A~D
- While Akatsuki is throw invulnerable from frame 1, by inputting it as 22A~D this can cover the off-chance that he was thrown before the input is completed
- On hit/block, 236C can be buffered to make this safe / combo from
4C~AD
- Anti-air OS.
- Although cl.5C lacks head invul unlike f.5C, its 9f startup and good hitbox means it can still be used effectively to some degree
- Be aware as this is a standing normal, Akatsuki will be vulnerable to delayed lows or be hit earlier by jump-ins due to his standing hurtbox
17~1AD
- Air-throw OS. Because Air Throw shares inputs with ground throw, when attempting to perform an air throw, a ground throw can also be teched in the same window.
- Consider doing the input as 19~1AD in some situations as the jump back may make the air throw whiff against opponents who are not yet in range.
- High risk as there is significant landing recovery upon air throw whiff.
Counter Strategies
- Akatsuki is a relatively short-ranged character compared to the rest of the cast. Characters who can outrange Akatsuki can play a defensive game, keeping him outside the range of his furthest normals such as 2C and F.5B, and forcing him to take risks to get in. Be aware of many of his longer ranged tools such as 214B, 66C and his strong ability to use CS as the reward can be potentially quite high for Akatsuki.
- Shielding Akatsuki at the right times can make it very hard for him to maintain pressure as, without gambling, his short range makes it difficult to establish threat once pushed out. To counter this, he has very good frames on many attacks on block, easily making green shields risky on defence against his heavy stagger-based pressure. Be sure to judge the spacing and resources appropriately as over-use of failed green shields to accidentally give Akatsuki CS can allow him more chances in pressure.
- 214B (B Tatsu) is a very strong neutral tool for Akatsuki. It reaches farther than any of his other options and cannot be hit by lows while still being relatively safe (-4). As it's multi-hit with easily discernable gaps, learn to 'shield the last hit' to make it -7, by shielding between the 2nd and 3rd hits. From there, many character can punish it for significant damage. Be wary of when he has Vorpal as he can CS on the 2nd hit and punish a green shield with a Grd Break throw. Although at a hefty cost, Guard Thrust can be used to avoid the throw. Be wary as if it's baited, Akatsuki gets his highest damage punish with 6C.
- 214A 2A vs 214B is a very common trap that players unfamiliar with the matchup lose against. When attempting to greenshield the last hit of 214B, they are faked out by 214A and eat a Grd Break 2A. To deal with this, input fuzzy-mash/shield as (4A/2A)~4D at the same timing as the 2nd hit. 214B will solid blockstring at all but the utmost tip range (midscreen) preventing 4A from coming out and automatically timing a shield against the last hit. If it's 214A, Akatsuki will be negative and a button will automatically be buffered to challenge his negative frames, almost guaranteeing a trade/lose to Akatsuki if he decides to press a button.
- 66C 236A is a common blockstring trap into + frames in the corner. To deal with this, consider shielding the fireball on reaction it will give a number of indirect advantages. Safe easy Grd gain to obtain CS, Will pushback Akatsuki further, possibly outside of the effective range of his fast normals and reduce blockstun, allowing characters the ability to reasonably challenge his options. Due to his step-dash and speed vs 236A, even with CS, Akatsuki will never be able to Grd break throw punish a greenshield against 236A fireball.
- Some Akatsuki's may attempt to steal back their turn by parrying on guranteed negative frames (ex. after 214A or j.2C on block) where the opponent might feel comfortable to press a button. Be wary of this tactic and be ready to whiff punish the parry. The risk-reward is not in Akatsuki's favour, average 2-2.5k while most characters can achieve far more by counter-hitting parry. A delayed button to hit after the parry window may work but this can also lose to greedy Akatsuki players trying to push on their disadvantage. Some other characters have answers which can beat parry and counter-attack attempts (e.g special > CS > Throw parry)
- 236A has a small hitbox relative to the animation. If reacted to mid-screen, it's not uncommon to easily assault over and punish Akatsuki if he does not have CS or 100+ meter to keep safe with.
- Triggering Akatsuki's Parry (B+C) is treated as whiff. Whiff cancellable specials (e.g Eltnum with Vorpal or many specials) can be made safe with CS or other options. On block, Akatsuki is fully strike invul but can be kara-thrown as a punish if close enough
