Under Night In-Birth/UNICLR/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

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

Match Ups

Matchup difficulty and ratings may vary significantly between players and skill levels.

Matchup rating is the opinion of Juushichi and is only an opinion of a single high level player. For a breakdown of his thoughts, check out Juushichi's blog post.

Hyde
Uni hyde icon.png
Hyde[No Data]
(Slight Disadvantage)
[character page][match videos]
Linne
Uni linne icon.png
Linne
(Even)
[character page][match videos]
  • Linne's hurtbox can make some combos drop unexpectedly. Be sure to practice against Linne to ensure your routes work as some may require delays or variations.
  • Notable examples that may need review are j.bca in the corner, or any combos involving fireball juggles.
Waldstein
Uni waldstein icon.png
Waldstein
(Advantage)
[character page][match videos]
Against Wald, it is a battle of control. Wald wants to maintain a spacing further than Akatsuki's buttons to make it difficult for him to approach until he can capitalise on hesitation and defensive gameplay with his threat of command grabs. Inversely, Akatsuki wants to be close range to take advantage of his relatively faster frame data and options to ensure Wald struggles on defence.
  • A patient playstyle is also viable as Wald has poor movement options, generally limited to a very short dash or jumping/assaulting, leaving him vulnerable to anti-airs. When airborne, he can influence his air movement slightly with j.2C to catch opponents off guard.
  • Maintaining vorpal control is incredibly strong for both players. With CS, Wald can use his 236A as a fast and large approach tool while Akatsuki is able to use it with 214B to force his turn
  • Waldstein's fastest normals are 8 and 9 frames (5/2A and 1A respectively). This makes a properly spaced B Tatsu unpunishable by Waldstein, even when he shields the last hit. His A normals are too slow, 360A is too short, 360B can be teched and 360C/IW can be jumped.
Carmine
Uni carmine icon.png
Carmine
(Advantage)
[character page][match videos]
  • Carmine lacks good buttons for rebeats both as and post-rebeat. If in range, be ready to challenge him with a fast button such as f.5B
  • Parrying 22x can lead to a 6C/66C punish. Shielding will make him -1. Be sure to not let him get away with it as its a good pressure reset for Carmine.
  • Akatsuki can parry Carmine's 6B/j.6B as a projectile, giving Akatsuki GRD while his foe loses health, discouraging Carmine from using it as a zoning tool.
  • Once Akatsuki gets in, he can safely pressure using 236A>66C loop, as Carmines dash is slow. Requiring him to take risky shields to try and push Akatsuki out and gain GRD
    • If Carmine is able to get Vorpal, he is able to do FF>CS as it hits on frame 7 and travels a long distance. This allows him to clip the startup of 236A.
  • Carmine lacks a reversal that beats airborne opponents outside of IW and VO, so you can meaty Carmine with 214B relatively safely. Should they use either VO or IW, you can CS to either block the VO, or cause the IW to whiff
    • Alternatively, Akatsuki can do 22A (or 22B) on super flash to beat all non-IW reversals. In the corner, this can net a combo against 63214C and 214C and still beat out 623C before it becomes active.
  • Because of Akatsuki's hurtbox, he is able to avoid rising j.A fuzzy. Carmine has to assault j.A to hit Akatsuki quickly, giving Akatsuki more time to react and block.
  • Carmine 5BB is -5 on block, and cancelling into anything besides 214A(-2) and 623B(-10 without puddle, -5 with puddle) allows Akatsuki to 22B for a punish.
    • If 5BB is shielded, Akatsuki can reversal between 214A and 5BB.
  • Carmine j.FF is only +1 unless lower to the ground, allowing to Akatsuki to 22B if Carmine is higher up, or 22A 236C is Carmine is lower to the ground.
    • Carmine can assault j.FF, which is still +1, but allows him to dodge 22X with j.236X. Watch out for certain spaces where Carmine does j.FF to know if it's possible to DP or not.
Orie
Uni orie icon.png
Orie[No Data]
(Slight Disadvantage)
[character page][match videos]
Gordeau
Uni gordeau icon.png
Gordeau
(Advantage)
[character page][match videos]
A matchup where Gordeau tries to control neutral to set the pace and keep Akatsuki out. His slower/shorter buttons means he has a rough time escaping Akatsuki's pressure.
  • Gordeau has good counter-pokes with 4B and 2B, as these occupy similar ranges to Akatsuki's f.5B/2B. Be wary of Gordeau's hurtbox retractions when using these at max range.
  • Gordeau has limited far buttons. Only 5C, 236x, 623x, FF and 3[C]. It is fairly safe to buffer dashblock at long range. Be aware of being caught out by his slide.
  • Fireballs used at long range can be used as a wall to approach Gordeau as he lacks good ways to invalidate them. His lack of large jump normals make navigating around them a hard task as well. Be wary of using fireballs within Mortal Slide/FF range.
  • Exercise caution when using fireballs up close to pressure Gordeau, as he can easily punish them on reaction with FF, more-so if he has Vorpal as the move's startup decreases, while both range and size are significantly increased.
  • Know the difference between 623A/623B. Akatsuki has a guaranteed 6C punish on 623B and will interrupt 623B~6x. 623A~6x has a 3f gap (6f on shield) and 6x is punishable by 6C. Buffer dashblock as caution or Shield > 5A for a safe punish.
  • Gordeau lacks a reliable quick anti-air. 2C's initial hitbox is short and it's head invul frames are late, so he's forced to commit to 623x or 214B. Neither lead to great reward on hit. Judicious use of j.6C/6[C] to abuse + frames can put him on edge.
  • Conversely, be wary as Gordeau's 2C is a fast, moderately far button. He'll often use this proactively to stop approaches behind a wall. Frame trapping or whiff punishing it can dissuade him from using this.
  • Know the difference between 623C and 214C, as they are punished by blocking > 6C and j.2C respectively.
Merkava
Uni merkava icon.png
Merkava[No Data]
(Even)
[character page][match videos]
Vatista
Uni vatista icon.png
Vatista[No Data]
(Disadvantage)
[character page][match videos]
Seth
Uni seth icon.png
Seth
(Slight Disadvantage)
[character page][match videos]
While Seth has total control of neutral with his air mobility and orb pressure, making him capable of quickly steamrolling his way into a victory, Akatsuki's high damage can quickly turn the game around, ripping through Seth's low health.
  • Seth's 5B and 2B provide him with quick abare tools to stop Akatsuki from resetting pressure. In CLR however, the active frames of both of these moves have been reduced, making it easier to whiff punish them and discouraging Seth from abusing them.
  • Since Akatsuki's dp is a 22X motion, it can be used as a reversal against Seth's ambiguous crossup options (close 66C into 623X or 214X~A, 214X~B side switch, 214C at various distances). However, he can bait this leading into a High Counter punish.
  • Seth's j.214A has no dive property in CLR, allowing you to anti air it with 22A, 22B and f.5C into a punish if flowcharted.
  • Seth has no meterless reversal to use during Akatsuki's pressure. 623C and 214C can be punished by blocking > 6C and j.2C respectively.
  • It's possible to use j.A to destroy orbs and then take advantage of its low recovery with another air option (e.g double jump, j.2C, 214B...) to remain unpredictable enough that Seth may have difficulty contesting
  • Katatobi's anti-seth countermeasures document. UNIST but still relevant, it covers some situations and answers to Seth's tools
Yuzuriha
Uni yuzuriha icon.png
Yuzuriha
(Disadvantage)
[character page][match videos]
With large hitboxes and an absurd amount of mobility, Yuzuriha is one of Akatsuki's toughest matchups. Akatsuki needs to take advantage of any opportunity and prioritise control to maintain momentum and keep her from slipping out of his reach.
  • When midscreen, Consider going for enders such as j.C and AT to avoid Yuzuriha teching out of Akatsuki's effective range and losing momentum
  • 4B will no longer vacuum an in-range opponent when catching a Projectile. Instead she will gain invulnerability for the remainder of 4B and the ability to special cancel. She will lose the invulnerability if she special cancels. Pressuring her with a button can prevent or punish her from special cancelling.
  • While Yuzuriha has both a 5f 2A and 5A, they lack range and her next fastest button is 2B at 9f. Establishing a range where can't poke out can put her at a heavy disadvantage, especially with enough lows to dissuade her from using 4B.
  • Yuzuriha's metered reversal can always be punished on block with 5A. It will also whiff when Akatsuki is crouching close to Yuzuriha. Punish with 6C
Hilda
Uni hilda icon.png
Hilda
(Even)
[character page][match videos]
Overall a fairly momentum heavy matchup. Due to Hilda's design, Akatsuki's forced to play at Hilda's pace and is subject to a lot more risks. However, once he corners her, Hilda struggles at dealing with Akatsuki's offence.
  • Patience is king in this matchup. Take advantage of Akatsuki's far step-dash to approach safely as any slip-up can lead into being reset to full screen and/or forced to block an unfavorable mix-up situation.
  • Hilda lacks a reversal without 200 meter and will instead rely on universal defensive options against Akatsuki (e.g Shielding / VO). Knowing how to play around these is key. Practice Hitstop OS (e.g 1A~4B) to bait out VO.
  • A lot of Hilda's normals are classified as strikes but do not extend her hurtbox far. It's quite often possible to parry and whiff the follow-up attack
  • Only Pin([x]), Skewer (236x), Gloom (214x) and 22x are considered projectiles. 623x is an object but parrying it will not cause a follow-up. Be careful with usage of 214C/j.214C.
  • Almost all of Hilda's specials are negative on block and lack cancel options. Be sure to know the window to safely buffer dashblock after blocking them. 623B and 214x are the exception.
Chaos
Uni chaos icon.png
Chaos
(Even)
[character page][match videos]
  • All of Azhi's attacks are considered objects or projectiles. This means that parry will not perform a counter-attack.
  • Chaos is unable to reverse-beat Azhi attacks on a successful parry without vorpal. Take advantage of this by using Parry-OS to punish close summons with a normal or punish Azhi.
  • Lacks reversals without 200 meter. Roll is not a reversal. Punish roll on reaction with f.5B/6C
Nanase
Uni nanase icon.png
Nanase[No Data]
(Slight Advantage)
[character page][match videos]
Byakuya
Uni byakuya icon.png
Byakuya[No Data]
(Slight Disadvantage)
[character page][match videos]
Phonon
Uni phonon icon.png
Phonon
(Slight Advantage)
[character page][match videos]
  • Akatsuki's prime position in the matchup is to be within his B normal ranges (5B/2B). Using normals with good frame data such as 5B (fast and large range) or 2B (0 on block) while staying out of the reach of Phonon's 5A/2A can give her a hard time in escaping pressure. At similar ranges, Phonon will also struggle dealing with fireball pressure and will be forced to block it.
  • When defending against phonon, be aware of her ability to easily corner steal to create backwards space for herself.
  • If phonon uses 6FF~B, you can green shield the second hit, then high parry the followup. If done correctly, you will either parry the B followup, or block the rest as its gapless.
  • 66C is a good check against 4B 2Aw > buttons as Phonon is negative and 66C has good distance coverage.
  • Against Phonon's 22x/j.22x/j.236x be sure to use the strengths of both Parry and Shield.
    • Parry will provide a lower amount of blockstun compared to shielding and lock phonon out of her cancels from 22x/j.22x. Depending on the spacing from Phonon, this may also open up alternative punish routes
    • Shielding will allow Akatsuki to play the GRD war.
    • It is possible to use Akatsuki's fireballs to neutralise Phonon's fireballs however if Phonon wants to commit to a fireball war, jumping can put her at a disadvantage (if she doesn't have meter)
Mika
Uni mika icon.png
Mika[No Data]
(Slight Advantage)
[character page][match videos]
Wagner
Uni wagner icon.png
Wagner
(Slight Disadvantage)
[character page][match videos]
Wagner wants to quickly escape Akatsuki pressure with a variety of tools that she has available, and run her pressure game using large staggers, very good rebeats, metered plus frames, and an overall scary strike throw.
  • Wagner has many fast and strong pokes, allowing her to poke at a farther range than Akatsuki is able to challenge with his own normals
    • While she does have very strong buttons, she has to be more committal with her air coverage as certain normals are more committal if she wants to cover people jumping
  • Wagner FF is able to delete Akatsuki fireball, and allows her to cancel the move into any special. This allows her to punish fireball pressure, and fireball in neutral if the Akatsuki isn't prepared with meter or is spaced too close.
    • Alternatively, if Wagner is not in range for a punish she can instead opt for going for a buff, allowing her to get a large advantage in the Match Up
  • In fireball pressure, Akatsuki should switch between using 236a and 236b to keep the fireball timing ambiguous so Wagner can't FF 214x to escape
    • On top of that, voiding out the fireball entirely to redash back in wouldn't be a bad idea to get a better punish on Wagners that predict the fierball coming
  • At certain spaces, Akatsuki is able to run fireball pressure without having to worry about FF 214x, as he is able to recover in time before the 214x connects
    • This can also allow him to FF after, getting a punish
  • If Akatsuki is able to react, generally you should be able to FF the Wagner 214x as it has a good amount of startup, and makes sure that the Wagner is not able to freely get back in with plus frames should they have buff or spaced it correctly
    • Generally around tip 5C range is where Wagner wants to reset her pressure with 214x so she can get plus frames
  • Wagner 214C is Projectile invuln, so if she is close enough and Akatuski has no resources to defend against it, she can freely take her turn back and even get a punish
    • Should Akatsuki have meter, he can 22C afterwards to beat the 214C
  • If Wagner does 236x midscreen with sword buff, you can buffer DP to punish the follow up
    • Should wagner do the normal jc instead of j[c], Akatsuki can still block in time to not get hit
  • Wagner 6C does count as airborne, so it is possible to air throw it, though it can be difficult to time
  • Wagner Shield Buffed 214x gives Guard point, and if Akatsuki ever hits the Wagner during it, you can cancel the normal into a DP to escape/win the scenario
    • If close enough, can also cancel the normal into throw
  • Should a Wagner do 623a and its blocked, she can cancel it into j236c to stay safe or get her turn back. On the Superflash of j236c, Akatsuki can backdash to get a true punish as Wagner is ~-22
  • A majority of Wagner combos are able to end in VO Strip, so beware of holding Vorpal on defense for too long
Enkidu
Uni enkidu icon.png
Enkidu[No Data]
(Even)
[character page][match videos]
Londrekia
Uni londrekia icon.png
Londrekia
(Slight Disadvantage)
[character page][match videos]
  • 4C can be punished by a buffered IW, beating 80% of his options. His only escape is 214A>CS, 214[B], and using his own IW. High risk punish.
Eltnum
Uni eltnum icon.png
Eltnum
(Even)
[character page][match videos]
  • Many of Eltnum's normals have a low hitbox. This can make it hard for her to deal with airborne attacks such as 214B. However, she can easily shoot Akatsuki out of the sky.
  • Assault j.B/j.6C/j.6[C] at Eltnum's max 2C range is a good option to close the gap against her, as her other moves are too slow or too short to challenge it. However if done too obvious, she can challenge this option with 3C or an early read 236X.
  • 236[X] can be parried at close range for a guaranteed punish with 6C/66C. 214C can be used at far range to pass through through her projectiles (236X and 236[X]) as she has considerable recovery.
Akatsuki
Uni akatsuki icon.png
Akatsuki[No Data]
(Mirror)
[character page][match videos]

Videos

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Page last edited on: 2021-06-30 by SaltyGoku.

93% complete
Page Completed To-do Score

Overview

  • Created base page with basic formatting
  • Add gameplay summary, frame data and new moves.
  • Added descriptions to all the moves
  • Added notable changes to frame data based on patch notes and testing
  • Missing minor frame data
48/50
Strategy
  • Outlined basic strategy and tools
  • Added detailed strategy section
  • Added some matchup tips
  • Add general matchup summaries
  • Add extensive matchup tips
23/25
Combos
  • Added basic bnbs for beginners
  • Added combo FAQ and okizeme theory
  • Complete combo encyclopedia
  • Complete beginner combo 'Akatsuki Trials' video
22/25
General
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Hyde
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Chaos
Nanase
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Phonon
Mika
Wagner
Enkidu
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Eltnum
Akatsuki
Frame Data
Hyde
Linne
Orie
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Hilda
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Mika