Under Night In-Birth/UNI2/Movement
Grounded Movement
Walking
or 
while on the ground
Walking is the most basic form of movement by holding or .
Characters will continue to walk so long as their player holds down the directional input. 
and 
are not valid walk inputs. Each character has a unique walk speed for both forwards and backwards.
One of the main advantages to walking is that it provides fine grain control over one's positioning. By contrast, jumps lock the player into a fixed arc, and runs maintain momentum for a time after the player releases their input.
Running
- while on the ground or +
+ 
Running is conceptually similar to walking, but faster and with some trade-offs. Akin to walking, each character has their own running speed and acceleration. Some characters—such as Waldstein—cannot run at all.
Although running requires two consecutive inputs, the player can shift their forwards input into a input so long as they maintain a constant forwards input. The player character will continue to run so long as a valid run input is held.
Runs will sometimes maintain momentum when canceled into another action, and other times can have their momentum negated.
The run can also be performed by a combination input + + that will move you for a minimum fixed distance. Despite what the animation might suggest, you can still act immediately at any time during the dash.
Backdash
- while on the ground
Backdashes are movement options which provide a quick burst of backwards movement with some invulnerability.
Each character's backdash has its own frame data and physics. The invulnerability for backdashes begins on the first frame of their animation. This means that backdashes can be used to avoid attacks with good timing.
Backdashes travel a fixed distance at a set speed, are not cancelable—and are completely vulnerable for some period in the latter portion of their animation. For these reasons, they are not always preferable to backwards walking.
Aerial Movement
Jumping
, 
or 
Jumping is the most basic way to put one's player character into the air.
Players can jump while on the ground, or while in the air. When a character jumps, they are locked into a fixed arc which is determined by the direction of the jump input combined with any momentum they have at the time of the jump. Each character has their own jump physics. These determine the speed, height, and duration of their jumps. Before the character becomes airborne, there is a short Prejump Animation with some limitations, explained in its respective section. After a player jumps, they take on the airborne property, which affects what moves they can use, as well as how they receive incoming hit effects.
Most characters can only jump one time before returning to the ground under normal circumstances.
Prejump
Jumps and High Jumps are not instantaneous - before going airborne, characters will enter a standing state called prejump, where they can not block, but are invincible to throws.
Characters have different amount of prejump frames, but the rule of thumb is that the heavier/slower the character is, the longer the prejump. Most characters have 4 frames of prejump, but exact values can be found in each character's frame data.
Assault
- +
Assault is a type of homing jump that reaches further and faster than the jump, but carriers more risk. During Assault, you can only attack and cannot block. As it is a jump, it is naturally invulnerable against grounded throws frame 1.
The timing when an attack comes out after Assault depends on the move, But generally lights like jA will have additional startup in Assault before it becomes avaliable.
it will not cross up a stationary opponent even if done very close.
- Total: 41F
Air Assault
- + or or + in the air
Air Assault will cross up a stationary opponent.
Landing Recovery
Performing certain action while in the air will recovery. This recovery comes in 2 kinds: Standard Landing Recovery and Special Landing Recovery.
- Standard Landing Recovery
Certain action will apply landing recovery. There is a variable amount of recovery after landing from a jump, depending on the action done in the air (or no action at all), whether it was shielded, and whether Assault was used:
| Aerial Action | Landing Recovery |
|---|---|
| Empty Jump | 2 |
| Jump A/B/C Normal Hit | 0 |
| Jump A/B/C Normal Whiff/Block | 2/3/4 |
| Landing after Jump Shield(4D) | 2 |
| Landing during Jump Shield(4D) | 6 |
| Empty Assault | 4 |
| Assault A/B/C Whiff/Block/Hit | 2 |
| Jump/Assault A/B/C Normal Shielded | 10 |
- Special Landing Recovery
Some airborne moves will apply unactionable landing recovery which overrides the standard landing recovery. This recovery does not have a unique animation, and the length of time the character is unactionable depends on the move used. This is noted in the X on landing part of the frame data, where X is the length of such type of recovery.
Some moves that apply this special landing recovery may have their animation end and be able to recover while still airborne, or simply cancelled into another action. The special landing recovery will still apply when the character lands, unless they are hit or they override it with another move that also applies special landing recovery or has its own unique landing animation.
A landing animation is different from special landing recovery since it is still considered part of the same move. This means the landing animation could still retain things like cancel options or counter-hit recovery from an earlier part of the move.
Recovery
Knockdowns & Ground Recovery
Specific attacks in UNI2 can knock characters down, known as a knockdown state. These are either moves with a hard-coded knockdown attribute, or moves that have enough hitstun time against airborne opponents to last until they fall to the ground. There are two types of knockdowns, hard and soft knockdowns, but both leave the player with the options to either recover while doing a roll backwards, a flip in place (both of which are marked by a white flash), or a more subtle getup with low total duration (and no white flash). All options can be delayed, and they are generally referred to as "Ground Teching" or "Ground Tech Options".
Neutral Tech
To recover in place, also known as "Neutral Tech", the player has to hold a button, this is unaffected by any directional input except 4. This is the most common recobvery option, as it's fast and gives up no ground, however it often leaves the player to eat the most powerful setups the opponent has to offer.
Back Tech
Backwards recovery or "Back Tech" is done by holding a button and 4 while getting knocked down. This takes the player back a considerable distance, which can be used to escape oki on weaker knockdowns and return to neutral, however this backwards movement gives up a large chunk of GRD, so it has a severe impact on GRD Vorpal Cycles. This even applies when teching towards the corner, which makes the option redundant when holding corner offense.
Quick Tech
Lastly, a delayed getup or "Quick Tech" is done by doing no inputs whatsoever during the knockdown, animation will take place automatically after a short delay. This is generally used to throw off oki options like safejumps or meaties, however this gives the opponent potentially more time to set up or close distance, where they otherwise would've had to settle for weaker offense, and with simple meaties like 2A, it's not hard to adjust to the opponent's wakeup on reaction.
Aerial Recovery
During juggles, if a character is not knocked down before their untech time runs out, they are able to recover out of hitstun midair by holding a button during hitstun. and one of three available directions: neutral (vertical), forwards and backwards, and unlike grounded recovery, aerial tech options are identical in frame data and duration, and only vary in their direction of movement. Once a recovery is performed, the player will flip out towards the chosen direction with full invincibility until they reach the ground. These tech options are usually used in order to escape the opponent's offense when there is no knockdown available, for example: teching forwards out of the corner after a long combo to avoid setplay.
If no tech is input, the player is vulnerable to invalid combo routes that would normally drop, but without resetting combo scaling. Additionally, upon reaching the ground, there is no crossup attack protection whatsoever applied to the one recovering, which gives way to ambigous mixups performable by the majority of the cast, and as such there are situations where teching as soon as possible isn't necessarily the best option.
Cancels
There are many types of cancels. A cancel is the act of interrupting the current action and starting a different one.
While most cancels are available on hit/block, some are available on whiff, some are only available on hit, and a rare few are even only available on block!
- Self cancel (SE)
and 
can be canceled into itself.
- Throw cancel (TH)
Buttons like and + can be canceled into normal throws. This makes then a good option to
- Passing Link (Normal cancel, N)
- Normal attacks can cancel into any other other normal attacks freely, as long as the move you want to cancel into hasn't been canceled into before in your string.
- Jump Cancel (J)
- Almost all normal attacks can cancel into jump on hit. This is used in combos as well as pressure.
- Special Cancel (SP)
- Most normal attacks can cancel into Specials. This is generally used to create combos and blockstrings, but can have other applications as well.
- EX Special Cancel (EX)
- Most normal attacks and Specials can be canceled into EX Specials.
- All special cancelable moves are EX special cancelable.
- Infinite Worth Cancel (IW)
- Almost all attacks, Specials and EX Specials can be canceled into Infinite Worths (EXS).
- All special cancelable and EX special cancelable moves are IW Cancelable.
- Chain Shift Cancel (CS)
- See Chain Shift
EXS Actions
Concentrate
Chain Shift
- in Vorpal
Chain Shift is a powerful tool in Vorpal that lets you cancel most of the action and return to neutral immediately, and converts the GRD blocks into EXS at the cost of the Vorpal. Chain Shift has a 1+(40 Flash)+0 frame startup that is fully invincinble. The players can then asses the situation during the superflash and input an action in case they are both on neutral state. There's an 8 frame buffer window for the player to input an action and a 3 frame buffer window for the opponent to do the same.
In general, you can Chain Shift almost all moves except the following:
- Entire duration of Assault;
- Entire duration of Infinite Worth (and EXS version);
- Recovery of air normals that got Shielded (this includes certain ground normals that goes into the air!);
- Recovery of a blocked invincible move;
- Other moves, which is to be noted in the Cancel section.
When using Chain Shift, all the GRD converts into EXS at a rate of 80 units per frame (0.8 EXS). The Vorpal damage bonus will retain during the Chain Shift timer, in which its duration is:
- 10 frames per block if it is canceled from a move and opponent is NOT in hitstun/blockstun;
- 15 frames per block if it is canceled from a move and opponent is in hitstun/blockstun;
- 20 frames per block if it is NOT canceled from a move and opponent is in hitstun/blockstun;
- 25 frames per block if in neutral.
- The timer will have a guaranteed minimum of 15F.
Or, equivalently:
- 8 EXS per block if it is a whiff cancel;
- 12 EXS per block if it is canceled from a hit;
- 16 EXS per block if it is NOT canceled from a hit and opponent is in hitstun/blockstun;
- 20 EXS per block if in neutral.
Partial GRD blocks do not get converted into meter, but when Chain Shifting with less than 1 GRD Block, the rate is halved (40 units per frame) and you are considered having 1 Block.
Chain Shift also has other benefits, such as increase damage proration, increase Combo Points and slowing down Veil-Off.
Input Buffer
Super Flash
During an opponent's EX moves, Infinite Worths and Infinite Worth EXS, the screen freezes briefly. This is known as a super flash or super freeze. Most EX moves and supers have startup even after the super freeze, which means that provided you're not in the middle of an action and your timing is good, you can react to these attacks with an attack, or a super of your own!
In general, EX moves have 20 frames of superflash, while IW has 60 frames. Some EX moves do not trigger the superflash (usually guardpoints) until the condition have been met.
Moves that have super flashes will list their startup values as: startup pre-flash + startup post-flash. Meaning an attack with startup 5+5 has 5 frames of startup, then the super flash, then hits the opponent after 5 more frames for a total of 10 frames of startup.
