Akira's most practical new move is...?

In my eyes it's + . Being a beginner, I rely on this move as a combo ender heavily, since I still have big problems doing mDblplm.

For instance, , , + is a nice, easy float move that works on everyone, has no stance issues, and does a respectable 65 pts on normal hit and 80 on Mc.
A variation that works nicely is , , , + which is a tad more powerful and looks cool. I know mDblplm is a staple combo ender in either combo, but since it's tough for beginners like myself, I think the + option is a great substitute.
+ also works nicely after , doing a respectable 50 pts on normal hit, more or less the same as the staple , followup, which looks cooler but is tricky in the heat of battle, well for me anyway.
After a LBF Mc, , + works nicely, although I suspect it's TR'able. But still, it takes 59 pts and leaves the opponent with their head right at Akira's feet, which could mean a free down attack if they're a bit slow in getting up.
I like this combo, and it does the same damage as a Djk after the LBF Mc, but makes the (possible) down attack more likley.
So yeah, to me, this move has been invaluable, certainly more so than any of his other new moves, which to be honest I don't use a lot.

Agree or not?

 

I'm afraid I'd have to say I think his best new move by far is . It one of those moves that opponents are never too sure about. Some will always wait for the elbow to come out some will always fall for it. Its got good range and distance too and is very useful after on MC or .

is also very useful. It allows Akira to be played quickly and fluidly whilst provoking attacks and then avoiding them.

Like you say + is a very good move for beginners because it has a wide range of uses in combos ( normally where you would end with a dbpm/DJK or DLC say ). What is also useful about it is the fact if you mess up an knee you'll get the + modified knee out instead of whiffing a high kick.

I have found ++ handy too provided you put a little delay on the elbow. If you do catch your opponent and then follow with a SDE you can often catch them on MC. The kick and sabaki-reversal follow I use less often but they are still there to be used.

Also what is useful is the new hit detection on the knee and in that it can be made to scrape the floor like a DBC. Very welcome after wall combos.

Somethings you missed;

Its also possible to to stuff like

>>>+ sometimes even 3 jabs on MC
(MC)>>+>+ will give you 92 points or there abouts
Also the good thing for players starting to use Akira is the fact you can float crouching opponents and still connect with + some cases even after a jab too for decent damage.

 

looks to be very useful, but I'm still struggling with the timing of the move. But damn, I have to get good at it, because with now being throw counterable, I tend to get thrown a lot /versus/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
A friend of mine has gotten more than a bit handy at doing Wolf's giant swing right after a blocked , so I'd love him to eat a followup elbow.

Is any good in combo's? I'd imagine it to be, but as I struggle with it, I haven't really experimented...

 

Oh yes, something I wanted to know - does + have flucuating damage, depending on range or something.

For example, >>>+ does 69pts if the last hits as the opponent touches the floor, but does 73 pts if you can complete the combo before the opponent touches the floor, and does 77 pts of damage to all female characters?!!
(all normal hit, not Mc) I find it quite strange...

 

Hmmmm fluctuating damage...I'll check it out for you.

If you're continually being chucked about by Wolf I suggest you try some of the throw escape challenges. Buffer + after your sgpm if he's throwing you all the time.

If you watch any match of Minami Akira you'll see the importance of as a sort of poking tool. I like to throw out a few 's and then nail a . Strangely enough I done it so much now I don't think of timing or reaction any thing like that it. Basically if you practise it enough it'll just "come" as it were. In combos it's maybe not quite as useful as you'd think. As I say its one of the best ( if not the best ) follow up to a MC hit with a SDE ( > gut collpase ) and it can be useful after say yoho>p>... I'll check out stuff in training and say what its useful for mainly.

EDIT:

Okay the combo you're talking about >>+>+ will scale on damage depending on what weight of opponent you use it on.

Vs LWs you'll get 77
Vs MWs you'll get 73
Vs Akira,Jacky,HWs you'll get 69

Vs Akira,Jacky and HWs the combo is not a true combo. You're basically replacing a dbpm with the + but the dbpm won't hit Vs these chars. The combo will only work Vs theses chars provided they don't TR/QR. If you do the combo near a wall on a MW you'll get 77 but normally its 73 as thay float through the air less and the knockdown punch at the end will do slightly less damage.

 

this move rocks!

i am not a VFveteran but i am a big fan of the series since VF2. i cant seem to do any of these goddam combos that akira has. i am seriously considering getting a new pad with turbo buttons cuz i cant stand this crap no more!
i have found the +++ combo to be a lifesaver. but i cant seem to get the "cool-looking" combos out. i have trouble getting the combo out!! i know that sounds crazy but i cant even do it once. what the hell am i supposed to do. and please dun tell me some crap like "practice till ur thumbs fall off!'' or sumthin' cuz that doesnt help. if there is actually an ezier way to pull off this rediculously ez move and the other combos, like palm or doom or dragon lance, then please offer some advice. thanks.
and does anyone know what this means in quest mode: "evade 10 times with an evading throw escape, with at least 2 successful throw escapes!" tell me the details. i escaped throws by doing while i was being grabbed n i did manage to escape but the number didnt go down. please explain.

 

Re: this move rocks!

To do , press , but dont just smash the buttons! Slight delay after first and it should work. You have to enter commands accurately, if you smash like most players it wont work.
New best move:+--/. I love turning around! /versus/images/graemlins/smile.gif
And about throw escape quest: enter two throw escapes while evading, even a normal evade is enough. You dont have to escape your opponents throws, just do the commands.

 

Re: this move rocks!

Ok what you wanna do is the sgpm-DE move yeah?Its . The elbow will only come out on hit or guard of the sgpm move. Basically I think you have about 16-17 frames ( 1 frame = 1/60th of a second ) to press punch again when the first part of the move connects. Try going to training and slowing everything down or even watching the COM do the command to show you WHEN you need to press punch. Try to do it on reaction first. What I find easiest to do ( and I've used it so often now I don't worry about timing ) is to do the sgpm but keep punch HELD DOWN. Upon contact with your opponent release and tap the punch again very quickly. You'll hopefully start to get a feel for the timing in your head. The timing should get easier the more you try it. I try to thing of it as Bang BANG as it were which probably doesn't help you. What I mean is that the sgpm connects Bang and BANG the second punch has been pressed and the DE comes out. Keep trying and let me know how you get on.

Not to be really petty but if you write a combo down it helps to space things out a little:
>>+


EDIT Okay yeah the evading TE quest...basically all you need to do is evade a move and as you are evading it enter 2 TEs. Probably the easiest ones are + and + or something. Basically as your opponent goes to make a move evade it and enter 2 Throw Escapes. You don't need to actually escape from any throws , just to ener the commands correctly.

 

Re: this move rocks!

hey thanx for the tip. i always thought that the sgpm-dn depended on how fast you could input the command. the problem is...i'm not used to the speed so i can only perform the move in training mode /versus/images/graemlins/frown.gif. i still dont know what you meant by the evade and throw. i did + but it doesnt connect. are u supposed to press immediately after ?
also, i wanted to ask about a 3hit combo that begins with + > +. i want to know how it finishes. it is a blow to the head like the + attack. it looks really cool and i wanted to know if you knew how to do it.

 

Re: this move rocks!

Haha sure...

Just for reference Akiras infamous three string attacks are as follows:

SPoD ( Stun Palm of Doom )
++>+>

DLC ( Dragon Lance Combo )
+>>+

AS3 or ABC ( Akira Special 3 or Axe Blade Combo )
+>>

The last command of AS3 is like a stpm but the motion is that of the overhead smash which is usually . AS3 and DLC are mainly used to end combos. Heres some ideas that they are used in:

>AS3 ( possible ground attack if opponent fails to TR at right time )
(MC)>AS3
+(MC)>AS3
knee/+>AS3
btw MC stands for Major Counter and this is where your attack interupts your opponents attack.
>>DLC
+>DLC ( closed footing )
knee>DLC
>DLC etc...

Are you able to do the move? It does take practise to get the timing right so try to persevere with it.

If you're having trouble with E-TEs ( Evading Throw Escapes ) try out the TE part of the challenge section of practise or better still find the appropriate section of tutorial training to go over it. Basically here what you should be doing for the quest:

Opponent goes to attack> evade ( ie or ) the move> + > + for example. The direction in which you escape the second throw does not matter. As long as you enter a direction as well as neutral TE you'll score 1 in the quest box. So you should be aiming to press + after a successful evade and then quickly + or + or + etc. The second TE must be done smoothly and quickly and the direction should be pressed at the same time as the punch and guard buttons. btw are you using a stick or a pad? Let me know how you get on.

 

akira's axl blade combo

sup dude,
oh man, i finally finished all those evade-throw-escape quests! thanks for the detailed explanation. going to tutorial mode didnt hurt either. /versus/images/graemlins/grin.gif i learned a whollata stuff in training mode. i didnt even know that there were multiple throw escapes. EVo is so much different from plain ol' VF4.
it took a while but i can finally perform the axl blade combo. it looks pretty cool but it doesnt take as much damage as i thought. the +>> does 50 damage while the +>ABC does 47 damage. /versus/images/graemlins/tongue.gif i know its supposedly the easiest combo and maybe thats why its the weakest.
now i think i am on the road to finally learning a few of akira's devastating combos. i pulled off a few Stun palm of dooms, though they were very few. i remember that i couldnt get a single one out when playing VF2. i couldnt do a single dragon lance combo though. the needs to be dun quickly but also efficiently. i think itll be a while before i can do that combo. do u think i should even practice the new combos? the > serves me pretty well. and do u think that i should just learn the dragon lance combo and abandon trying to learn SPoD, since it does less damage?

 

Re: akira's axl blade combo

what you learn/donot learn, is totally up to yourself. Personally, I`m struggeling with some of the same problems, but in my opinion you should make an effort to learn them. It`s not that you need those moves, but the more moves, the more varied (and better) gameplay. Combo enders, such as the DLC is IMO esp. useful. If you got friends you play against reglulary, I think you will see that you are kicking ass more often when having practised them. Good luck

 

Re: akira's axl blade combo

Hey glad its going well...but throw escaping is just the same as in vf4. This means multiple TEs, evading TEs and the best form of defence against throws ( in most situations ) evading TEs guard were all in vf 4. (This is where you quickly release the punch command at the end and keep guard held down so that you don't whiff any throw animation.)

Now about those moves...

AS3 is useful since its last hit is a beatdown. This means your opponent needs to TR accurately and if not you have a free down attack. Before trying to use say >AS3 you should master the staple combos:
> in open footing
>> up to mid heavies I think. Vs HWs use >>.

DLC and 2/3 DLC work well to end combos like I say. You should first practise the movement on its own until you are happy with it and then start using it after floats eg practise
+>DLC
>DLC
then build up the difficulty like
>>DLC etc before trying out stuff like
(MC)>>+>DLC etc

SPoD is a good "anti-throw" move. The only way it can be evaded is by Akiras back so if an opponent dodges to your front and you pull it off you'll have nailed them. The opening move is a slowish mid that is throw counterable but the good news is you can hit crouchers with it or people coming out of a TR. It is very useful near a wall or in a corner as the move ends your opponent off at 90 degrees to yourself and if they hit the wall you can follow with knee or + or even an AS3 /versus/images/graemlins/cool.gif.

You'll find + invaluable as a beginner to Akira because of its easy use and nice damage. This too like the DLC and AS3 can be used to end an awful lot of things. Overall what I'm suggesting is learn everything he has and know how and when to apply it. Good luck with the practise.

 

Re: akira's axl blade combo

Nice stuff csnape. I think the SPoD is evaded to the front though, isn't it? I also think It's Akira's only move that has to be evaded to the front /versus/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

 

Evading a SPoD

Hmmm I'll double check an all but evading to his front would mean you'd evade INTO his ++ part which is why I think you evade to his back ie OUT of his ++. I'm planning to start a thread soon on evo Akira for beginners so I'll check this out for it.

EDIT Yes sorry my bad. SPoD is only evade-able if you evade towards Akiras front. Thanks for pointing that out to me!

 

how to make this move useful

Hey is there a useful way to use the other than as a poke and escape attack? is there a combo you can follow it up with? also can the move be followed by combos?
and finally, is there a technique to make the move come out faster? i cant seem to get it out effectively; every time i try to do it out of the blue, comes out instead. /versus/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

Re: how to make this move useful

[ QUOTE ]
ZenMasterZ said:

Hey is there a useful way to use the other than as a poke and escape attack? is there a combo you can follow it up with? also can the move be followed by combos?
and finally, is there a technique to make the move come out faster? i cant seem to get it out effectively; every time i try to do it out of the blue, comes out instead. /versus/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

There is no particular combo after , but you can
force your opponent into 2 way guessing game after hits(Throw or SDE). is typically used at the end of a round to provoke your opponent to do something. can be a combo starter on counter. You can follow up with Double palm or DLC generally. ( I am not sure about the max damage combo after it) Regarding the input of double palm, you need to get used to the input of it. Buffer or quickly and make sure you are tapping and . Single palm comes out when you don't input correctly. Good luck.

 

Re: how to make this move useful

The fastest and surest doublepalms (for me) come when I modify using a backwards crouch dash. & are surer motions for me than (I get here too often) & (let's play twister!). The only combo wherein I rely on my 1P doublepalm nowadays is stpm, p, dblm...occasionally for ST>sgpm>dbpm I'll use a forward CD on the dbpm just in case (thinking about getting greedy with a yoho or another throw means I'll need a forward CD ).

For your MC floater, p, refloat, dbpm type combos you buffer the refloat in immediately upon punching and generally have a reasonable window into which you can dbpm...practice to get some solid, quick and sure dbpms and you won't feel like you need to rush things (rushing things = bad input = something I've had my share of struggles with).

Of course, you also need your & doublepalms for regular fighting (ie dbpms used for "pursuit" & range or ones that come from movement) but for combos you basically want to use whatever motion(s) you have found to be surest & quickest.

Let's make this more complicated. Empnova was good enough to link a 1/60th movie featuring akira doing a full backdash into a doublepalm. This is done with (or lp>) & akira backs up and stands before releasing the palms. Make sure you do this quickly & keep held while you so you don't get standing palm. This is not without it's uses in fights, especially since upon backdashing you needn't pull the trigger on the doulbepalm if you see it is going to be blocked.

I suppose this is enough about modified doulbepalms...have a blast!

 

Re: how to make this move useful

Okay I think this topic has been covered well enough but for the record I always use a backwards CD for mdbpms ( ie ) except when in "open space" fighting ie when I want to close distance to my opponent and after the RBC throw + as forward CD helps me here. I also use backward CD for shrms and for no logical reason always use forward CD for sgpms.

Its funny you should mention and ++ as these two can be strung together in a nice flowchart.

Firstly like madagascar pointed out is useful for poking purposes and set ups etc...It is also useful for provoking attacks. I think theres a vid somewhere of Western Lariat ( I think its him ) doing >evade>mshrm into combo which is a very good way to use the move.

Secondly I like to use it like this:
>++>...
Hopefully the step in mid will draw your opponent out and make them whiff a jab or something. The ++ should take you out of harms way and the elbow should come as a suprise. If you're lucky the SDE follow up will counter hit and you're free to follow with or or > etc.

++ can be useful when stood near a rising opponent too. The animation will take you out of way of the rising attack ( if you're stood in the correct position ) and if you counter with an elbow you can follow with or DLC. /versus/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

Re: Evading a SPoD

Are you sure SPoD is evaded to the back man /versus/images/graemlins/smile.gif? I am almost sure it's evaded to the front, although it looks weird but I think it was deliberately made that way to make it harder on people who just evade to the back against Akira /versus/images/graemlins/smile.gif. (By Evading to the front I mean evading away from the leading leg).