Post by psylocke on Aug 28, 2006 15:49:59 GMT -5
EDIT 12/28/06: Added info on 623B EX Canceling, 2367A, some more mixups, and a whole new section on notable Japanese players. Also, recalculated all of the damage values for the comboes in MB:AC Ver. B.
This is an Akiha guide that I wrote up one day, hope it's helpful to any new players that want to pick her up. Feel free to add any extra info or correct me if I'm wrong anywhere.
Akiha is a pretty good character to pick up, as her comboes for the most part are pretty easy execution wise, and the usage of most of her moves are self explanatory. At high level play, she gets a lot more technical. She has the best defense in the game, has a great zoning tool in the air and in the ground with her projectiles and flame columns, has one of the fastest overheads in the game(though comboing off of it consistently is difficult), and does great damage in her comboes. Like a lot of other characters, her true damage potential arises in the corner.
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NORMALS
5A: A pretty standard jab, it can be spammed as anti-air. However, it doesn't have awesome priority like Nanaya's or Satsuki's 5A's, so don't overdo it. Also, a lot of characters can crouch under it if you choose to use it while they're grounded. This is the attack that you should counter with if you land an anti-air shield.
5B: Not a great move by itself, it knocks down crouching opponents if you land it on them for some reason. It's main use comes when you press it twice..
5Bx2: This is Akiha's primary launcher. Most of her basic comboes(that aren't in the corner) involve this. Akiha does an extra high jump after you jump cancel it. Don't use this on a blocking opponent(just end at the first 5B), as they can punish you if you whiff the 2nd hit.
5Bx2(Charged): A great normal, it is completely useless outside of comboes, but it does great damage(using it a combo does about 1000 more damage than the same combo using regular 5Bx2). It's only use will come when you land a combo on the opponent in the corner, as it's integral to Akiha's wallslam combo.
5C: Decent damage, it wallslams the opponent if you hit them in the air with it, and it has pretty good priority as well(clashes with a lot of other moves). Great to start off blockstrings with, and is vital for use in Akiha's highly damaging wallslam comboes. Also, it clashes thruogh heat activations, so use this move if you see your opponent activate heat right next to you.
4C: A great normal, it has decent priority, relatively fast startup, and does good damage. Mainly used in the groundstring portion of comboes for damage. However, don't overuse this against opponents that know how to bara cancel properly, since you can get punished pretty badly. You can also use this as a meaty to counter people who like to jump on wakeup.
6C: Great normal, it wallslams opponents if you hit them in the air with this, but it has 80% proration. Whenever you do a combo that has a 2A in it(which prorates to 75%), always incorporate a 6C(unless it's a wallslam combo) into the groundstring for some free extra damage. Also, it seems that in AC, 6C is the preferred method to do the wallslam combo instead of 5C, since 5C has been nerfed in that it has a scaled prorate of 90%, instead of a normal 90% prorate in earlier versions.
2A: Pretty standard for a low jab, it hits low, and is mainly used to hit confirm into comboes, or for tick throw setups. Unfortunately, Akiha's 2A has pretty crappy priority, and a LOT of moves can beat it cleanly, so don't get too predictable with it.
2B: An okay normal, it's mainly used for combo filler(after a 2A, into a 2C). Also doesn't hit low, despite what it looks like. However, it has better priority than 2A.
2Bx3: Don't ever, ever use this in a match. The 3rd hit is an overhead, but it doesn't combo and has really slow startup, so if opponent blocks(which is what will most likely happen), it's a free combo on you.
2C: Akiha's sweep. Good range for a sweep, and decent priority. Used in all of Akiha's comboes, usually followed by a 5Bx2. Also, despite how it might look like, it IS possible for the opponent to tech after getting hit by this, it's just only possible at certain heights. The opponent can't tech 2C if they get hit on the ground, but they can tech out of it if you hit them high enough in the air with 2C. Learning the specific height that the opponent can't tech out in the air is essential in using her damaging wallslam comboes.
j.A: A very standard air jab, it can be spammed, and it has okay priority, though a couple of moves beat it cleanly. Don't use this in air comboes, as j.B and j.C are much better candidates and do a lot more damage. j.A also puts your opponent in minimal blockstun, so it's used in her tick throw games(a very basic example being IAD j.A, land, throw).
j.B: Hits twice, it does good damage, and has awesome priority. Also, it angles downward, so it's usually better to use this as a jump-in instead of j.C since a lot of characters can crouch j.C and counter with something. Also, when using j.B in aircomboes, always let it hit twice for maximum damage, unless the opponent looks like they'll be pushed too far away for the following j.C to land.
j.C: Does good damage, and has pretty good range. You can use this to zone, as a counterhit j.C is totally untechable until opponent hits the ground, and floats them in the air for a while, so you get a free combo. Also, it angles upwards, so some characters can crouch under it, making it a really bad jump-in.
j.2C: An interesting normal, this stops all of Akiha's momentum in the air, and you also cannot do anything after you use it until you touch the ground. When you hit the opponent with it in the air, they are sent straight downwards and if they don't tech the instant they hit the ground, then they bounce straight up and fall down again, giving you enough time to continue a combo or setup the Fire Pit. However, most good opponents will tech it, so you can have a tech trap when you're near the corner with it when landing it, as landing and immediately doing 5C will catch an opponent teching out during that period of recovery where they're totally vulnerable. However, j.2C's most useful application is that it's Akiha's only overhead. Learning to do instant j.2C consistently(and comboing off of it) makes Akiha's mixup very dangerous. You can also do it after a jump-in j.A and j.C, if opponent only thinks that you're gonna hit them in the air once.
-----------------------------
SPECIALS
236A/B/C: 236A/B are pretty useless on the ground(A version comes out a bit slower and hits multiple times, B version comes out very fast and hits once), but 236C is great because it gives you frame advantage on block and is useful for pressure when you have the Fire Pit set up. In the air however, 236A/B become awesome, as they are great zoning tools and have great range. 236A preserves your air momentum, while 236B stops it. You can also do multiple 236A/B's in the air depending on how high you are, so varying double jumps, airdashes, and the flametongues makes Akiha very hard to approach. On counterhit, you also get a free combo. Also, learning to tigerknee 236A/B is very useful for okizeme, though tigerknee 236A is more useful since it's much easier to combo off of if it hits. Learning when to properly use 236A and B in the air is essential for Akiha's zoning game.
214A/B/C: 214A/B are your main zoning tools when you're on the ground. 214A has fast startup, but it has crappy recovery, so if opponent blocks it, you might get punished. Also, on counterhit, the opponent is floated and can't tech until they hit the ground, so it's a free combo for you. However, it is techable on regular hit. 214B on the other hand is unairblockable, has slightly more startup but minimal recovery, but can be combo'ed off of on regular hit(since you can jump immediately after using it), and is also untechable on counter hit. 214C is pretty useless in general, but you can use it to punish heat activations(especially if the opponent likes to backdash away from you out of range and heat activate), since it homes in on the opponent's location.
22A/B/C: Don't ever use these when you're on the ground, as the recovery is pretty atrocious. 22A/B can be used to zone, oddly enough, when you're in the air, far away from the opponent, and can't think of anything else to do. 22C is great, as it drains both life and circuit at a boosted rate, but it only lasts for 10 seconds(as opposed to 30 seconds for Akiha Vermillion), so if you have a fire pit trap set up, it's best to ignite the pit quickly after the blockstring. Keep in mind that you do not get enough frame advantage off of an air throw to safely set up a 22C, so don't use them after comboes. The main safe methods of setting up the Fire Pit are after a 2C, in a wallslam combo.
623A/B/C: Probably her most useless special, it can't be used in comboes like Akiha Vermillion's can. 623A can sort of be used as a shoryuken(it's the only one out of these three that's unairblockable), but it's really crappy as a dp. 623A has upper body invincibility(so it's good to counter people who are too reckless with jump-ins), 623B has lower body invincibility(good against people who like to hit low on okizeme), and 623C has total invincibility for its starting frames. Also, you can EX cancel 623B, which I guess is useful to make tick throw setups a bit more safe(EX cancel 623B into her arc drive).
41236C: Akiha's awesome Arc Drive, it's a command throw if you land it at close range, and thus can be used to give her tick throw setups a lot more bite. If you're farther away, though, or if opponent is still in blockstun, then you get the much more useless version, which just shoots fire forward. The Blood Heat version sets the whole stage on fire, adding some damage.
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COMBOES
In general, most of Akiha's comboes will be a groundstring->2C, 5Bx2, air combo. It changes when the combo is done in the corner, as a much more damaging variant can be used there.
Anyway, for midscreen comboes, or ones where you are far away from the corner, common groundstrings that can be used are:
2A, 2B, 2C, 5Bx2
2A, 6C, 4C, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2
The first one is obviously easier to do than the 2nd, and nets less damage, but 2A puts the opponent in very minimal hitstun, so it is sometimes difficult to make 6C combo after a 2A. Also, the 2nd one doesn't allow you to do 5Bx2 afterwards if opponent is too far away, as the second 5B will whiff.
Now, for jumpins, there are more variations:
j.AB
j.B
j.BC
j.A, j.2C
j.C, j.2C
j.C
For the first one, you might want to start the j.A a bit later than normal, since combo'ing off of j.B after landing is a bit difficult. IAD j.C, j.2C is also very deceptive since most people don't expect another air attack after a j.C.
Now, for the air combo portion:
j.BC, dj.BC, airthrow
j.C, dj.BC, airdash j.C airthrow
j.C, airdash j.C, dj.BC, airthrow
Obviously, the easiest one to do here is the first, but it nets you the least amount of damage. The 2nd one is used in midscreen situations when you want to put your opponent into the corner, since the momentum of the airdash will be preserved and thus you'll cover a lot of ground with the airthrow. You'll also want to do the j.C a bit late, so that you'll have enough space to do the airdash j.C in the end. Sometimes, I have trouble getting that last airdash j.C to land, so instead I do j.C, dj.BC, airdash airthrow, which does less damage but is much safer execution wise. The third one is the best damage wise, but it's the hardest to do, and also doesn't drive your opponent into the corner as effectively as the second one. Also, for the third one, do the first j.C as late as possible, otherwise the airdash j.C will whiff. Also, remember to let the j.B hit twice in all of these situations.
So, putting all this together, here's some sample comboes. All of these are done on Sion Tatari.
2A, 2B, 2C, 5Bx2, j.BC, j.BC, airthrow
3430 damage, this is probably the easiest combo, execution wise
IAD j.BC, 2A, 6C, 4C, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2, j.C, j.BC, airdash j.C airthrow
5590 damage, and drives opponent to corner
IAD j.AB, 2A, 6C, 4C, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2, j.BC, dj.BC, airthrow
4419 damage, the initial j.AB prorates pretty badly, but this is definitely a lot more practical than the previous combo since j.AB is a much better jumpin than j.BC.
Now, here's a special combo that can only be done either in the corner, or somewhat close to it(airdash range). Test it out in training mode to see what's the maximum range it works at, since I have no way of explaining what it is. Anyway, this combo does not involve 5Bx2, and instead involves 5C to wallslam the opponent. This combo takes some practice to do, as you want to land the IAD j.C as late as possible, and you have to immediately jump up and attack after you land, otherwise the opponent will be able to tech.
2A, 2B, 2C, 5C, IAD j.C, land, j.C, dj.BC, airthrow
3511 damage
IAD j.BC, 2A, 6C, 4C, 2C, 5C, IAD j.C, land, j.BC, dj.BC, airthrow
5137 damage
Now for where Akiha's true damage potential comes through, in the corner. These take a lot of practice to get down, as the untechable window is very tight. Generally, I find that it helps to delay the first 5C after the 2C a bit, as if the opponent is too high after the initial wallslam, then the opponent will be able to tech before 5Bx2(charged) lands. Anyway, here we go:
2A, 2B, 2C, 5C, wallslam, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2(charged), j.BC, dj.BC, airthrow
4117 damage
IAD j.BC, 2A, 6C, 4C, 2C, 5C, wallslam, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2(charged), j.C, airdash j.C, dj.BC, airthrow
5697 damage
IAD j.AB, 2A, 6C, 4C, 2C, 5C, wallslam, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2(charged), j.BC, dj.BC, airthrow
4652 damage, as usual, the j.AB really prorates, but it's more practical than the previous one.
Comboing off of Akiha's instant j.2C overhead is very difficult, but it's vital to her mixup game. Generally, you should only try to land it in the corner, or close to it:
instant j.2C, 2B, 2C, 5C, wallslam, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2(charged), j.BC, dj.BC airthrow
4554 damage
(near corner)instant j.2C, 2B, 2C, 5C, IAD j.C, land, j.BC, dj.BC, airthrow
3937 damage
It is also possible to combo into 6C after the instant j.2C, but that requires much more precision in getting an instant j.2C than just using 2B, so I don't normally try to do it.
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STRATEGIES AND OKIZEME
In general, Akiha has low priority on everything, so zoning and trying to bait the counterhit is really important. Jumping around, while making full use of the double jump, airdashes, 22A/B, 236A/B, j.C, and using 214A/B on the ground are her primary zoning game. A back airdash 236A is also very useful for people who like to jump at you with attacks, as you'll probably catch your opponent with a couple of these per round.
Akiha's best anti-air is simply to shield your opponent's jump-in. After you shield, you should immediately throw out a 5A. Most of the time, 5A will count as a counterhit, which floats your opponent a bit and makes them unable to tech until they hit the ground. So then, just catch them in their fall with 2C, 5Bx2(charged), aircombo, or you can do just do 2C, 5Bx2, aircombo if you land the 2C a bit lower to the ground.
Her 623A can also be used as anti-air, though I would recommend practicing with it in training mode to see the best opponent heights that it would work at.
Her 623B is a decent move to use if you normal shield(not EX shield) an opponent's attack on the ground, since it has lower body invincibility. However, if opponent blocks your 623B, you're in for a world of pain, since that's a free combo on you. Luckily, 623B can be EX canceled, so in the case that you whiff or your opponent blocks the 623B, just EX cancel it into 236C. Also, you can EX cancel 623B into her Arc Drive, which makes for a very awesome, but difficult to do, tick throw set up. Video example here:
Akiha 623B Tick Throw
For oki, here's a couple of things you can do:
Dash in 2A for the low hit, or dash in and instant j.2C for the overhead
Tigerknee 236A/B at a safe distance
2367A
Superjump Tigerknee 236A really close(it crosses up)
Jump forward, so that you won't crossup, and vary it either with a j.B, or landing and doing 2A for the low hit
Jump forward, so that you will crossup, and vary it either with landing and doing 2A for the low hit, or j.2C(for some reason, it's a lot easier to combo off j.2C when it hits opponent from behind than from the front)
Jump forward, and do j.236B right before you hit the ground to bait low pokes or heat activations
Jump forward so that you will cross up, and do j.236B to bait certain pokes
214B to punish people who like to jump on wakeup
Dash in 4C to punish people who like to jump on wakeup
There's obviously a bunch of other setups, but those are my favorites at the moment. Note that all of the jumping variations are pretty unsafe(except for 2367A) if your opponent has a dp(like both of the Shiki's or Sion).
On the topic of tigerkneeing 236A/B, it is very difficult to do it "properly" because most of the time if you're doing it like you do it in any other game, you will instead do a super jump tigerknee, which isn't as useful and very unsafe for two reasons: 1)regular jump startup is 4f, while superjump startup is 7f and 2)the superjump gives you a lot of forward momentum, so doing a super jump TK 236A will make you travel in front of the aerial flametongue for a significant amount of time, allowing the opponent to just smack you in the air(which is bad, since the main idea of doing TK 236A/B is to have the flametongue cover your movement/actions). However, the superjump TK 236A does have its uses sometimes, mainly in doing a crossup on okizeme. Other than that, it's very unsafe.
Thanks to TatariZar for providing some methods to get a proper TK 236A/B on the DL forums, here is his post quoted:
"
ok, there are two ways you can do this: the hard way, and the less hard way. either way, theyre both pains in ass.
1)2369a
this is way is going to give you hell. why, because a super jump will more than likely be registered than a normal jump. and in case you werent already aware, it takes much longer to attack from a super jump (something like 7f after jumping - cant remember) than from a normal jump (3f?). waiting after the 7th frame(?) to jetpack is just plain ugly looking and harder to spam. youve probably been getting just empty super jumps on occassion too .
to free you self from this hell simply perform 236>wait>8a. i find this method most effective when buffering the motion off of normals (i.e. blocked 2c>whiff 5a>236>5a recovers>8a) or buffering when decending from a jetpack.
honestly, for me its too much to think about so i resort to a somewhat "easier" technique that i discovered.
2)412369a
for some odd reason, when performing 41236 immediately followed by 9, the game fails to register a super jump regarless of how fast you pump it out. oh well, better for you. less random super jumps . so now all you have to get down is the proper timing to input A after the normal jump. mwaahahahahaaaa....good luck with that.
fyi-back in FT, i ALMOST gave up on akiha because i wasnt consistent with tk8 flames. the latter of the two methods saved my saitek from getting smashed into particles.
hope that helped some.
p.s. somebody correct me on my super jump/jump info plz.
"
Also, you can hold down 2, and then do 369A/B to make a proper TK flametongue. A sample TK Flametongue combo, if you hit someone with it on the ground:
(In corner)TK 236A, 2A, 6C, 4C, 2C, 5C, wallslam, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2(charged), j.BC, dj.BC airthrow
4906 damage
Even better than the normal TK 236A is 2367A, which is different from the normal neutral or forward jump tigerknee in that you actually jump backwards. 2367A is much more safer than normal TK 236A, since the backwards momentum allows you to dodge more attacks than TK 236A does, and if the flame hits, then you can combo off of it the exact same way you do off of a normal TK 236A. 2367A is also the safest meaty you can use on wakeup if you land a EX Flame Pit trap, and the only real risk is if your opponent shields the Flametongue and attacks you while you're trying to attack. The only problem with 2367A is the sheer difficulty of doing it consistently. It's not something that can be done on pad, as you pretty much need to be using stick to do it consistently.
On a related note, j.236B is an interesting special, as it causes Akiha to rise up a bit in the air, and she also seems to move backwards slightly. This makes for some very deceptive mixups. One practical mixup you can do is when you land a ground combo into 2C, and you're fairly sure that the opponent is too far for both hits of 5Bx2 to hit. In that case, what you can do is IAD after the 2C, and right when you're above your opponent's body, do j.236B. If done right, it is very difficult to tell if you are going to land in front of or in back of your opponent, and you can then do 2A or instant j.2C to mix them up. Also, if you do j.236B high enough in the air, you can do j.B or j.2C as you're landing to mix them up even more.
As for tick throw setups, here are some of my favorites, and some that I've noted in match vids. Assume all of these start from a knockdown.
Dash in 2A, walk in and throw
IAD j.A, land, throw
IAD j.AB, land, throw
Dash in instant j.2C, dash in and throw
2Axn, 5B, 5A(whiff), dash in and throw
2367A, dash in and throw
As I mentioned before, she has a corner tech trap that she can do with j.2C. I can't really describe the exact height it works at, but experiment with this in training mode to figure it out. Basically, in Akiha's aircombo, there's a certain height where you
can hit the opponent in the air with j.2C, where if the opponent techs when they hit the ground, you can land and throw out 5C, and the opponent will be forced to eat it since the 5C will hit them during that period of time where they're completely vulnerable in the tech recovery. Once you train your opponent not to tech when you do this on them in the corner, you can then extend your combo for free by relaunching them, or if your back is against the corner when you land a combo, you can do j.2C, and then hurry up and dash to cross them up, and recombo your opponent back into the corner, right where Akiha wants them.
Now for some safe ways to set up the Fire Pit trap. Like I stated before, the only way to get enough frame advantage to set it up safely is off of a 2C, so the best way to do it is in the corner, and using an interrupted 5Bx2(charged) wallslam combo. Here's a sample:
IAD j.AB, 2A, 6C, 4C, 2C, 5C, wallslam, 5C, 2C, 22C
3472 damage, with fire pit setup. You can also do jump 22C instead of just a regular 22C, which allows you to either do j.B or j.2C when descending in the air for the high hit, land and do 2A for the low hit on okizeme, or do j.236A to make the opponent block the Flametongue to allow you to continue pressure. Also, after the fire pit is set up, you want to keep them on it for as long as possible, so if you have meter, you can just use 236C. Generally, I like to use 5C, TK 236A, 2367A(the safest one), or 214B to start off the pressure after the fire pit.
Also, if for some reason you land a combo while the fire pit is already set up, then you can make the firepit part of the combo. Here's a sample:
j.BC, 2A, 6C, 4C, 2C, 5C, wallslam, 5C, 2C, 22C(ignites the pit), 2C, 5Bx2(charged), j.BC, j.BC, airthrow
5473 damage, getting the 5Bx2 charged to land after the 2C is pretty tough
On a related note, since 236C gives you frame advantage on block, if your opponent shields it, then you can just dash up to them and throw them for free. However, don't ever use 236C if you are right next to your opponent, as while the startup might seem to be pretty quick, you can get thrown out of it if opponent is close enough.
Here are some safe heat activation setups. Since activating heat when your opponent is near is really risky(a lot of attacks go right through the heat burst), having some safe setups are nice. Here are some of my favorites:
When landing a combo, after 5Bx2, use 214B and immediately activate heat
Similarly, if you have a lot of meter to waste, and you land a combo, do a groundstring into 2C, 5C, delay for a bit, and then use 214C. A sample would be j.BC, 2A, 6C, 4C, 2C, 5C, 214C, heat activation, which does 3907 damage plus safe heat.
Finally, on a random note, 214B is really great to integrate into your pressure strings. It's great on counterhit, it's possible to combo off of on regular hit, and you get to move almost immediately after the flame column appears. The drawback is that there's a bit of startup, so don't get too predictable with it, or else the opponent will punish you.
This is an Akiha guide that I wrote up one day, hope it's helpful to any new players that want to pick her up. Feel free to add any extra info or correct me if I'm wrong anywhere.
Akiha is a pretty good character to pick up, as her comboes for the most part are pretty easy execution wise, and the usage of most of her moves are self explanatory. At high level play, she gets a lot more technical. She has the best defense in the game, has a great zoning tool in the air and in the ground with her projectiles and flame columns, has one of the fastest overheads in the game(though comboing off of it consistently is difficult), and does great damage in her comboes. Like a lot of other characters, her true damage potential arises in the corner.
-----------------------------
NORMALS
5A: A pretty standard jab, it can be spammed as anti-air. However, it doesn't have awesome priority like Nanaya's or Satsuki's 5A's, so don't overdo it. Also, a lot of characters can crouch under it if you choose to use it while they're grounded. This is the attack that you should counter with if you land an anti-air shield.
5B: Not a great move by itself, it knocks down crouching opponents if you land it on them for some reason. It's main use comes when you press it twice..
5Bx2: This is Akiha's primary launcher. Most of her basic comboes(that aren't in the corner) involve this. Akiha does an extra high jump after you jump cancel it. Don't use this on a blocking opponent(just end at the first 5B), as they can punish you if you whiff the 2nd hit.
5Bx2(Charged): A great normal, it is completely useless outside of comboes, but it does great damage(using it a combo does about 1000 more damage than the same combo using regular 5Bx2). It's only use will come when you land a combo on the opponent in the corner, as it's integral to Akiha's wallslam combo.
5C: Decent damage, it wallslams the opponent if you hit them in the air with it, and it has pretty good priority as well(clashes with a lot of other moves). Great to start off blockstrings with, and is vital for use in Akiha's highly damaging wallslam comboes. Also, it clashes thruogh heat activations, so use this move if you see your opponent activate heat right next to you.
4C: A great normal, it has decent priority, relatively fast startup, and does good damage. Mainly used in the groundstring portion of comboes for damage. However, don't overuse this against opponents that know how to bara cancel properly, since you can get punished pretty badly. You can also use this as a meaty to counter people who like to jump on wakeup.
6C: Great normal, it wallslams opponents if you hit them in the air with this, but it has 80% proration. Whenever you do a combo that has a 2A in it(which prorates to 75%), always incorporate a 6C(unless it's a wallslam combo) into the groundstring for some free extra damage. Also, it seems that in AC, 6C is the preferred method to do the wallslam combo instead of 5C, since 5C has been nerfed in that it has a scaled prorate of 90%, instead of a normal 90% prorate in earlier versions.
2A: Pretty standard for a low jab, it hits low, and is mainly used to hit confirm into comboes, or for tick throw setups. Unfortunately, Akiha's 2A has pretty crappy priority, and a LOT of moves can beat it cleanly, so don't get too predictable with it.
2B: An okay normal, it's mainly used for combo filler(after a 2A, into a 2C). Also doesn't hit low, despite what it looks like. However, it has better priority than 2A.
2Bx3: Don't ever, ever use this in a match. The 3rd hit is an overhead, but it doesn't combo and has really slow startup, so if opponent blocks(which is what will most likely happen), it's a free combo on you.
2C: Akiha's sweep. Good range for a sweep, and decent priority. Used in all of Akiha's comboes, usually followed by a 5Bx2. Also, despite how it might look like, it IS possible for the opponent to tech after getting hit by this, it's just only possible at certain heights. The opponent can't tech 2C if they get hit on the ground, but they can tech out of it if you hit them high enough in the air with 2C. Learning the specific height that the opponent can't tech out in the air is essential in using her damaging wallslam comboes.
j.A: A very standard air jab, it can be spammed, and it has okay priority, though a couple of moves beat it cleanly. Don't use this in air comboes, as j.B and j.C are much better candidates and do a lot more damage. j.A also puts your opponent in minimal blockstun, so it's used in her tick throw games(a very basic example being IAD j.A, land, throw).
j.B: Hits twice, it does good damage, and has awesome priority. Also, it angles downward, so it's usually better to use this as a jump-in instead of j.C since a lot of characters can crouch j.C and counter with something. Also, when using j.B in aircomboes, always let it hit twice for maximum damage, unless the opponent looks like they'll be pushed too far away for the following j.C to land.
j.C: Does good damage, and has pretty good range. You can use this to zone, as a counterhit j.C is totally untechable until opponent hits the ground, and floats them in the air for a while, so you get a free combo. Also, it angles upwards, so some characters can crouch under it, making it a really bad jump-in.
j.2C: An interesting normal, this stops all of Akiha's momentum in the air, and you also cannot do anything after you use it until you touch the ground. When you hit the opponent with it in the air, they are sent straight downwards and if they don't tech the instant they hit the ground, then they bounce straight up and fall down again, giving you enough time to continue a combo or setup the Fire Pit. However, most good opponents will tech it, so you can have a tech trap when you're near the corner with it when landing it, as landing and immediately doing 5C will catch an opponent teching out during that period of recovery where they're totally vulnerable. However, j.2C's most useful application is that it's Akiha's only overhead. Learning to do instant j.2C consistently(and comboing off of it) makes Akiha's mixup very dangerous. You can also do it after a jump-in j.A and j.C, if opponent only thinks that you're gonna hit them in the air once.
-----------------------------
SPECIALS
236A/B/C: 236A/B are pretty useless on the ground(A version comes out a bit slower and hits multiple times, B version comes out very fast and hits once), but 236C is great because it gives you frame advantage on block and is useful for pressure when you have the Fire Pit set up. In the air however, 236A/B become awesome, as they are great zoning tools and have great range. 236A preserves your air momentum, while 236B stops it. You can also do multiple 236A/B's in the air depending on how high you are, so varying double jumps, airdashes, and the flametongues makes Akiha very hard to approach. On counterhit, you also get a free combo. Also, learning to tigerknee 236A/B is very useful for okizeme, though tigerknee 236A is more useful since it's much easier to combo off of if it hits. Learning when to properly use 236A and B in the air is essential for Akiha's zoning game.
214A/B/C: 214A/B are your main zoning tools when you're on the ground. 214A has fast startup, but it has crappy recovery, so if opponent blocks it, you might get punished. Also, on counterhit, the opponent is floated and can't tech until they hit the ground, so it's a free combo for you. However, it is techable on regular hit. 214B on the other hand is unairblockable, has slightly more startup but minimal recovery, but can be combo'ed off of on regular hit(since you can jump immediately after using it), and is also untechable on counter hit. 214C is pretty useless in general, but you can use it to punish heat activations(especially if the opponent likes to backdash away from you out of range and heat activate), since it homes in on the opponent's location.
22A/B/C: Don't ever use these when you're on the ground, as the recovery is pretty atrocious. 22A/B can be used to zone, oddly enough, when you're in the air, far away from the opponent, and can't think of anything else to do. 22C is great, as it drains both life and circuit at a boosted rate, but it only lasts for 10 seconds(as opposed to 30 seconds for Akiha Vermillion), so if you have a fire pit trap set up, it's best to ignite the pit quickly after the blockstring. Keep in mind that you do not get enough frame advantage off of an air throw to safely set up a 22C, so don't use them after comboes. The main safe methods of setting up the Fire Pit are after a 2C, in a wallslam combo.
623A/B/C: Probably her most useless special, it can't be used in comboes like Akiha Vermillion's can. 623A can sort of be used as a shoryuken(it's the only one out of these three that's unairblockable), but it's really crappy as a dp. 623A has upper body invincibility(so it's good to counter people who are too reckless with jump-ins), 623B has lower body invincibility(good against people who like to hit low on okizeme), and 623C has total invincibility for its starting frames. Also, you can EX cancel 623B, which I guess is useful to make tick throw setups a bit more safe(EX cancel 623B into her arc drive).
41236C: Akiha's awesome Arc Drive, it's a command throw if you land it at close range, and thus can be used to give her tick throw setups a lot more bite. If you're farther away, though, or if opponent is still in blockstun, then you get the much more useless version, which just shoots fire forward. The Blood Heat version sets the whole stage on fire, adding some damage.
-----------------------------
COMBOES
In general, most of Akiha's comboes will be a groundstring->2C, 5Bx2, air combo. It changes when the combo is done in the corner, as a much more damaging variant can be used there.
Anyway, for midscreen comboes, or ones where you are far away from the corner, common groundstrings that can be used are:
2A, 2B, 2C, 5Bx2
2A, 6C, 4C, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2
The first one is obviously easier to do than the 2nd, and nets less damage, but 2A puts the opponent in very minimal hitstun, so it is sometimes difficult to make 6C combo after a 2A. Also, the 2nd one doesn't allow you to do 5Bx2 afterwards if opponent is too far away, as the second 5B will whiff.
Now, for jumpins, there are more variations:
j.AB
j.B
j.BC
j.A, j.2C
j.C, j.2C
j.C
For the first one, you might want to start the j.A a bit later than normal, since combo'ing off of j.B after landing is a bit difficult. IAD j.C, j.2C is also very deceptive since most people don't expect another air attack after a j.C.
Now, for the air combo portion:
j.BC, dj.BC, airthrow
j.C, dj.BC, airdash j.C airthrow
j.C, airdash j.C, dj.BC, airthrow
Obviously, the easiest one to do here is the first, but it nets you the least amount of damage. The 2nd one is used in midscreen situations when you want to put your opponent into the corner, since the momentum of the airdash will be preserved and thus you'll cover a lot of ground with the airthrow. You'll also want to do the j.C a bit late, so that you'll have enough space to do the airdash j.C in the end. Sometimes, I have trouble getting that last airdash j.C to land, so instead I do j.C, dj.BC, airdash airthrow, which does less damage but is much safer execution wise. The third one is the best damage wise, but it's the hardest to do, and also doesn't drive your opponent into the corner as effectively as the second one. Also, for the third one, do the first j.C as late as possible, otherwise the airdash j.C will whiff. Also, remember to let the j.B hit twice in all of these situations.
So, putting all this together, here's some sample comboes. All of these are done on Sion Tatari.
2A, 2B, 2C, 5Bx2, j.BC, j.BC, airthrow
3430 damage, this is probably the easiest combo, execution wise
IAD j.BC, 2A, 6C, 4C, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2, j.C, j.BC, airdash j.C airthrow
5590 damage, and drives opponent to corner
IAD j.AB, 2A, 6C, 4C, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2, j.BC, dj.BC, airthrow
4419 damage, the initial j.AB prorates pretty badly, but this is definitely a lot more practical than the previous combo since j.AB is a much better jumpin than j.BC.
Now, here's a special combo that can only be done either in the corner, or somewhat close to it(airdash range). Test it out in training mode to see what's the maximum range it works at, since I have no way of explaining what it is. Anyway, this combo does not involve 5Bx2, and instead involves 5C to wallslam the opponent. This combo takes some practice to do, as you want to land the IAD j.C as late as possible, and you have to immediately jump up and attack after you land, otherwise the opponent will be able to tech.
2A, 2B, 2C, 5C, IAD j.C, land, j.C, dj.BC, airthrow
3511 damage
IAD j.BC, 2A, 6C, 4C, 2C, 5C, IAD j.C, land, j.BC, dj.BC, airthrow
5137 damage
Now for where Akiha's true damage potential comes through, in the corner. These take a lot of practice to get down, as the untechable window is very tight. Generally, I find that it helps to delay the first 5C after the 2C a bit, as if the opponent is too high after the initial wallslam, then the opponent will be able to tech before 5Bx2(charged) lands. Anyway, here we go:
2A, 2B, 2C, 5C, wallslam, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2(charged), j.BC, dj.BC, airthrow
4117 damage
IAD j.BC, 2A, 6C, 4C, 2C, 5C, wallslam, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2(charged), j.C, airdash j.C, dj.BC, airthrow
5697 damage
IAD j.AB, 2A, 6C, 4C, 2C, 5C, wallslam, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2(charged), j.BC, dj.BC, airthrow
4652 damage, as usual, the j.AB really prorates, but it's more practical than the previous one.
Comboing off of Akiha's instant j.2C overhead is very difficult, but it's vital to her mixup game. Generally, you should only try to land it in the corner, or close to it:
instant j.2C, 2B, 2C, 5C, wallslam, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2(charged), j.BC, dj.BC airthrow
4554 damage
(near corner)instant j.2C, 2B, 2C, 5C, IAD j.C, land, j.BC, dj.BC, airthrow
3937 damage
It is also possible to combo into 6C after the instant j.2C, but that requires much more precision in getting an instant j.2C than just using 2B, so I don't normally try to do it.
-----------------------------
STRATEGIES AND OKIZEME
In general, Akiha has low priority on everything, so zoning and trying to bait the counterhit is really important. Jumping around, while making full use of the double jump, airdashes, 22A/B, 236A/B, j.C, and using 214A/B on the ground are her primary zoning game. A back airdash 236A is also very useful for people who like to jump at you with attacks, as you'll probably catch your opponent with a couple of these per round.
Akiha's best anti-air is simply to shield your opponent's jump-in. After you shield, you should immediately throw out a 5A. Most of the time, 5A will count as a counterhit, which floats your opponent a bit and makes them unable to tech until they hit the ground. So then, just catch them in their fall with 2C, 5Bx2(charged), aircombo, or you can do just do 2C, 5Bx2, aircombo if you land the 2C a bit lower to the ground.
Her 623A can also be used as anti-air, though I would recommend practicing with it in training mode to see the best opponent heights that it would work at.
Her 623B is a decent move to use if you normal shield(not EX shield) an opponent's attack on the ground, since it has lower body invincibility. However, if opponent blocks your 623B, you're in for a world of pain, since that's a free combo on you. Luckily, 623B can be EX canceled, so in the case that you whiff or your opponent blocks the 623B, just EX cancel it into 236C. Also, you can EX cancel 623B into her Arc Drive, which makes for a very awesome, but difficult to do, tick throw set up. Video example here:
Akiha 623B Tick Throw
For oki, here's a couple of things you can do:
Dash in 2A for the low hit, or dash in and instant j.2C for the overhead
Tigerknee 236A/B at a safe distance
2367A
Superjump Tigerknee 236A really close(it crosses up)
Jump forward, so that you won't crossup, and vary it either with a j.B, or landing and doing 2A for the low hit
Jump forward, so that you will crossup, and vary it either with landing and doing 2A for the low hit, or j.2C(for some reason, it's a lot easier to combo off j.2C when it hits opponent from behind than from the front)
Jump forward, and do j.236B right before you hit the ground to bait low pokes or heat activations
Jump forward so that you will cross up, and do j.236B to bait certain pokes
214B to punish people who like to jump on wakeup
Dash in 4C to punish people who like to jump on wakeup
There's obviously a bunch of other setups, but those are my favorites at the moment. Note that all of the jumping variations are pretty unsafe(except for 2367A) if your opponent has a dp(like both of the Shiki's or Sion).
On the topic of tigerkneeing 236A/B, it is very difficult to do it "properly" because most of the time if you're doing it like you do it in any other game, you will instead do a super jump tigerknee, which isn't as useful and very unsafe for two reasons: 1)regular jump startup is 4f, while superjump startup is 7f and 2)the superjump gives you a lot of forward momentum, so doing a super jump TK 236A will make you travel in front of the aerial flametongue for a significant amount of time, allowing the opponent to just smack you in the air(which is bad, since the main idea of doing TK 236A/B is to have the flametongue cover your movement/actions). However, the superjump TK 236A does have its uses sometimes, mainly in doing a crossup on okizeme. Other than that, it's very unsafe.
Thanks to TatariZar for providing some methods to get a proper TK 236A/B on the DL forums, here is his post quoted:
"
ok, there are two ways you can do this: the hard way, and the less hard way. either way, theyre both pains in ass.
1)2369a
this is way is going to give you hell. why, because a super jump will more than likely be registered than a normal jump. and in case you werent already aware, it takes much longer to attack from a super jump (something like 7f after jumping - cant remember) than from a normal jump (3f?). waiting after the 7th frame(?) to jetpack is just plain ugly looking and harder to spam. youve probably been getting just empty super jumps on occassion too .
to free you self from this hell simply perform 236>wait>8a. i find this method most effective when buffering the motion off of normals (i.e. blocked 2c>whiff 5a>236>5a recovers>8a) or buffering when decending from a jetpack.
honestly, for me its too much to think about so i resort to a somewhat "easier" technique that i discovered.
2)412369a
for some odd reason, when performing 41236 immediately followed by 9, the game fails to register a super jump regarless of how fast you pump it out. oh well, better for you. less random super jumps . so now all you have to get down is the proper timing to input A after the normal jump. mwaahahahahaaaa....good luck with that.
fyi-back in FT, i ALMOST gave up on akiha because i wasnt consistent with tk8 flames. the latter of the two methods saved my saitek from getting smashed into particles.
hope that helped some.
p.s. somebody correct me on my super jump/jump info plz.
"
Also, you can hold down 2, and then do 369A/B to make a proper TK flametongue. A sample TK Flametongue combo, if you hit someone with it on the ground:
(In corner)TK 236A, 2A, 6C, 4C, 2C, 5C, wallslam, 5C, 2C, 5Bx2(charged), j.BC, dj.BC airthrow
4906 damage
Even better than the normal TK 236A is 2367A, which is different from the normal neutral or forward jump tigerknee in that you actually jump backwards. 2367A is much more safer than normal TK 236A, since the backwards momentum allows you to dodge more attacks than TK 236A does, and if the flame hits, then you can combo off of it the exact same way you do off of a normal TK 236A. 2367A is also the safest meaty you can use on wakeup if you land a EX Flame Pit trap, and the only real risk is if your opponent shields the Flametongue and attacks you while you're trying to attack. The only problem with 2367A is the sheer difficulty of doing it consistently. It's not something that can be done on pad, as you pretty much need to be using stick to do it consistently.
On a related note, j.236B is an interesting special, as it causes Akiha to rise up a bit in the air, and she also seems to move backwards slightly. This makes for some very deceptive mixups. One practical mixup you can do is when you land a ground combo into 2C, and you're fairly sure that the opponent is too far for both hits of 5Bx2 to hit. In that case, what you can do is IAD after the 2C, and right when you're above your opponent's body, do j.236B. If done right, it is very difficult to tell if you are going to land in front of or in back of your opponent, and you can then do 2A or instant j.2C to mix them up. Also, if you do j.236B high enough in the air, you can do j.B or j.2C as you're landing to mix them up even more.
As for tick throw setups, here are some of my favorites, and some that I've noted in match vids. Assume all of these start from a knockdown.
Dash in 2A, walk in and throw
IAD j.A, land, throw
IAD j.AB, land, throw
Dash in instant j.2C, dash in and throw
2Axn, 5B, 5A(whiff), dash in and throw
2367A, dash in and throw
As I mentioned before, she has a corner tech trap that she can do with j.2C. I can't really describe the exact height it works at, but experiment with this in training mode to figure it out. Basically, in Akiha's aircombo, there's a certain height where you
can hit the opponent in the air with j.2C, where if the opponent techs when they hit the ground, you can land and throw out 5C, and the opponent will be forced to eat it since the 5C will hit them during that period of time where they're completely vulnerable in the tech recovery. Once you train your opponent not to tech when you do this on them in the corner, you can then extend your combo for free by relaunching them, or if your back is against the corner when you land a combo, you can do j.2C, and then hurry up and dash to cross them up, and recombo your opponent back into the corner, right where Akiha wants them.
Now for some safe ways to set up the Fire Pit trap. Like I stated before, the only way to get enough frame advantage to set it up safely is off of a 2C, so the best way to do it is in the corner, and using an interrupted 5Bx2(charged) wallslam combo. Here's a sample:
IAD j.AB, 2A, 6C, 4C, 2C, 5C, wallslam, 5C, 2C, 22C
3472 damage, with fire pit setup. You can also do jump 22C instead of just a regular 22C, which allows you to either do j.B or j.2C when descending in the air for the high hit, land and do 2A for the low hit on okizeme, or do j.236A to make the opponent block the Flametongue to allow you to continue pressure. Also, after the fire pit is set up, you want to keep them on it for as long as possible, so if you have meter, you can just use 236C. Generally, I like to use 5C, TK 236A, 2367A(the safest one), or 214B to start off the pressure after the fire pit.
Also, if for some reason you land a combo while the fire pit is already set up, then you can make the firepit part of the combo. Here's a sample:
j.BC, 2A, 6C, 4C, 2C, 5C, wallslam, 5C, 2C, 22C(ignites the pit), 2C, 5Bx2(charged), j.BC, j.BC, airthrow
5473 damage, getting the 5Bx2 charged to land after the 2C is pretty tough
On a related note, since 236C gives you frame advantage on block, if your opponent shields it, then you can just dash up to them and throw them for free. However, don't ever use 236C if you are right next to your opponent, as while the startup might seem to be pretty quick, you can get thrown out of it if opponent is close enough.
Here are some safe heat activation setups. Since activating heat when your opponent is near is really risky(a lot of attacks go right through the heat burst), having some safe setups are nice. Here are some of my favorites:
When landing a combo, after 5Bx2, use 214B and immediately activate heat
Similarly, if you have a lot of meter to waste, and you land a combo, do a groundstring into 2C, 5C, delay for a bit, and then use 214C. A sample would be j.BC, 2A, 6C, 4C, 2C, 5C, 214C, heat activation, which does 3907 damage plus safe heat.
Finally, on a random note, 214B is really great to integrate into your pressure strings. It's great on counterhit, it's possible to combo off of on regular hit, and you get to move almost immediately after the flame column appears. The drawback is that there's a bit of startup, so don't get too predictable with it, or else the opponent will punish you.
