Character Playstyles/How to pick right char for u

Probably will have a lot of new ppl coming here relatively soon.

What is the Playstyle for each character? Difficulty of use? This may really help new players choose a character.

Akira
Aoi
Brad
Eileen
El Blaze
Goh
Jacky
Jean
Jeffrey
Kage
Lau
Lei Fei
Lion
Pai
Sarah
Shun
Taka
Vanessa
Wolf

 

I recommend Jeffry for people starting with FS. His execution requirements is very low, he doesn't have any defensive techniques such as reverals or sabaki's so you can practice honing your "overall defensive abilities" such as blocking, hit-checking etc. As a result of that you can build a solid foundation for yourself. Jeffry is good at both close range and long range which can't be said for many characters. Also, if you love doing big combo's like me then he's your man!

 

That was my suggestion too. Altought in this version Jean Kujo seems to be another good suggestions since he doesn't have any kind of stance in his moveset.

 

Describing play-style is kinda futile for most characters can be played in one of many ways. So I`m going to outline strengths/weaknesses.

I`m going to try to do most of the characters so...

AKIRA
Strengths
----
*Some of the best mids ever. The properties of , for example, make most characters envious for an elbow of that quality.
*Punishment game. Block a low, > wall combo, 60+ damage combo.
*Combo damage, wall combos.
*Anti Step. With proper usage, Akira`s circular game is probably the most frightening. + knocks down, is delay-able, causes half-life wall combos, and is double-limbed mid. ++ covers the other side, and leads to a side turned situation...
*Side turned... Akira is quite possibly the most frightening. I`d outline further, but why help Akira players? They already have EVERYTHING going for them.
*Throws. Not the best in the game, but +, especially with a wall is fucking scary as shit. + and + have really good oki options, which I have laid out elsewhere.
*++... omg. Nerf bat please.
*Anti-jab, anti-2P tools. ++ can lead to 100 damage combos even on Taka with a wall, more on legit characters. + goes under highs, and the hit throw leads to a half-life 50/50 guessing game (can do this after + and +[?])
*Heavier than most of the cast, not the most damaging combos can work on him.

`Weaknesses`
----
*Requires practice to do everything... but FS, everything is easier, buffering is easier, and even if you don`t use all his tools perfectly, they`re among the best.
*Taka. Akira lacks the strings to punish Taka like Jacky can.
*LOL weaknesses. Linearity can be claimed, but two mid circulars, outlined above, negate this.

AOI
Strengths
----
*Cancels and sundome options. Perfect to illicit continued blocking or counter attack attempts. Very opponent dependent, but these make Aoi quite the bulldog offensively.
*Defensive options. Sabaki attacks like +, +, and are amazing attacks and each can lead to combos. ++ leads to free or +>combo. Reversals, while now the best options, can either lead to combos (rising circulars), or to ground throw attempts. Also, reversing downed attacks can lead to combos and WTF moments.
*Aoi`s throws, are pretty good. Damage wise, and ring positioning wise, and can lead to wall combos (+).
*General safety. If someone blocks a launcher, you`re only at -13. This is a big deal in a game where some characters have 14 frame combo starters.
*, one of the best panic moves. 13 frame mid, double palm, ducks under highs at disadvantage and staggers on counter hit. When in doubt playing against a sabaki happy opponent, is the (quickest) answer. The only weak point of this move is the range, but the finer points nullify this.
*Under and over attacks, the magic hitbox. over lows for a combo, / under lows and even some mids. Just a few examples.
*Punishment, not the best, but still good. /+ (this move can have it`s own thread), for frames and mind game (to do it, cancel/sundome), etc. Aoi has options.
*Ring control within combos. At an angle that will keep you from ringing out or starting a wall combo? / changes the angle of their trajectory. Very useful.

Weaknesses
----
*While she can cause damage, it isn`t all that high compared to others.
*Aside from a few moves, Aoi`s range is limited, but really, not that big of a deal.
*Aoi is light. While not Eileen or Blaze, when you get launched, expect pain.
*When playing against dim opponents, playing her can be a little boring, because it`s hard to inject fear with her tools into a `anti-switch-nationer` because they`re just ignorant of the character.

BRAD
----
Strengths
*Punishment, + is amazing, + is amazing, + is amazing.
*Slipping and ducking, with proper hit-checking while going into these, make it almost impossible to interrupt, combos can be started, lots of knockdown potential, an excellent catch throw.
*Excellent combo starters with great properties, great moves in general. , while requiring counter hit, is safe on block, and does great damage. + is 12 frames... 12 FRAMES. + is an amazing tool. + bounds, and goes over lows, and leads to a free for a combo. He has so many good moves, you technically don`t even need to use his stances as they`re just (awesome) icing on the tall cake.
*Combo Damage, with or without wall, is really good.
*While unsafe on block, the speed of is amazing.

Weaknesses
----
*Weight, as a mid-weight being launched hurts. Not as much as others, but still bad.
*Throws, they`re greatly improved, and in fact, they`re actually really good, but they`re Brad`s weakest point. Generally you want to break , but that just means the other directions are likely to land... so uhh... okay, Brad`s throws are still pretty good.
*Step to his back. Other than and his full circulars, his back is where you should step until you predict and the others.

Eileen (needs more)
----
Strengths
*Cancels, yada, yada. With proper hit-checking (as these suck if the first hit is block), these are REALLY STRONG.
*Over and under attacks with a fair number of her attacks, many of which can lead to combos.
*While not the best, her throws are underrated. s leads to damage, and + is awesome, AWESOME, for ring control.
*A large arsenal of effective pokes.

Weaknesses
----
*Because of the hit-checking requirements, Eileen is arguably the hardest characters to use well (but as tournament results indicate, if used well, she`s amazing). An opponent can interrupt all of your options post string into cancel if they block the first hits.
*You get launched, you can lose more than half you life.
*Her combo damage, while good, isn't all that high compared to other characters.

El Blaze
----
Strengths
*Throws, catch throws, low throws. All are great. Not the best damage, but good, and lots of good oki options after words, and good ring positioning. Also, ground throws are always a fun means of getting additional damage.
*Over and under attacks, like it's going out of style and being sold at a garage sale. still can go under mids, + (among others) go over lows and can start combos. El Blaze redefines disappearing hitbox, better than Pai, Eileen, Lion, Kage, and Aoi.
*El Blaze's stances... The guessing games involved in a counter attack into rocket discharge is really intimidating. Wall ++ stance is simple but a nice guessing game involved, and the catch throw from that has AMAZING RANGE. Versus a downed opponent _++ is really effective and also kinda works like an OM in that it changes your position in relation to the ring quite effectively.
*Lots of great pokes, and combo starters. + is still an amazing tool, and how you can delay it is great. is still a 13 frame alternative to but with the added benefit of going under highs, yada yada. Blaze seriously has a lot of great attacks.
*Highly subjective, but Blaze ranks up there as one of the most entertaining to watch and player characters of the cast. In any match involving him, you can be expecting to have a laugh-out-loud-WTFBBQ moment. He also has the best voice of the entire cast. It just reeks of awesomeness.

Weaknesses
----
*His damage output, while really good, doesn't compare to the heavy hitters.
*El Blaze is as heavy as a pillow stuffed with feathers and a few dried turds, so lots of really crazy, damaging combos will work on him.


GOH
----
*Throws. Great damage, good oki options. Not the best for ring positioning, but Goh is already really strong as is.
*Sabaki in the form of (now deals with high kicks (?) and knees), ++ (for and low kicks), ++ versus punches and elbows. Allegedly he can sabaki throws or something, but I don't really understand those properties yet, but throw sabaki and then going into the beefed up Tsukami.
*Crazy combo damage, while not the best, but come on, 100+ on , and while it requires counter hit, it's SAFE on block.
*While not his best feature compared to his other fine points, his punishment is really good for the most part.
*Decent abilities at going over lows with +, and going under highs (and some mids) with a lot of his lows, ++, +, etc.
*Very straight forward, simple to use. As mainly a Jeffry player, Goh is essentially a lighter Jeffry, that is safer with capable of comparable damage, and a better throw game (without walls)
*. A mid half circular... something that Goh players have been bitching for, for a long time. Oh, yeah... it puts the opponent in side-turned on hit. This is nothing to dismiss. What a fucking awesome attack.
*Not the most important tool at his disposal, but Goh's BT is pretty robust, with a nice catch throw and nice mids. It's a great tool if used well.
*+, while it has shit range, it's a 13 frame high combo starter on counter hit... it's damn good considering the speed.

Weaknesses
----
*He is a mid weight, so be wary of being launched.
*Uh... Goh is really good. Maybe the lack of a normal hit knee launcher for punishment? Naw... Goh is great. Too great.

Do it. FUCKING DO IT.

 

Best
post
ever
(or at least right now )

I was looking for something like this to introudce VF characters to our Tekken players who are interested to jump in FS wagon - they are skilled in terms of fighting games, but totaly ignorant in terms of VF.
List like this will be great for them and will help them to get into the game faster.

Will you mind if I take your post (once completed), translate it into my language and post it on our national board?

 

JACKY
----
Strengths
*Combo damage. It's quite possibly the highest in the game. Some gimmicky setups, but it is Jaw dropping, "WTF WHY IS HE MORE POWERFUL THAN JEFFRY" combo damage. Want evidence? Where are a few examples...
*Excellent pokes, excellent strings, excellent circulars, lots of attacks that go into SS stance... which now has a built in SABAKI.
*Not the best, but his punishment is pretty beastly.
*While Taka is a tough match up versus most of the cast, Jacky can almost be seen as the anti-Taka. Sure, it doesn't knock down, but SS >+> does almost 100 damage... 0_o

"Weaknesses"
----
*Inorder to play Jacky at his greatest potential, you need to get down perfectly. This will be harder for some players...
*A lot of his strings have lots of highs in them, without proper hit-checking, the opponent can go under these attacks and punish you.
*Uh... playing Jacky means you're basically picking VF's Ken Masters, and that makes you a boring cunt of a player.

JEAN
----
Strengths
*Really good combo damage
*Jean is kind of a mash up between Jeffry and Aoi(and/or Eileen), in that he has long range and great damage, but a lot of his attacks are chargeable/cancel-able into other attacks, and these charge attacks are really good. If used well, they really can mess with the opponent's head.
*Great attacks that are very simple to use. Some people talked shit about a good friend of mine using lots of ... the 50/50 guessing game behind this move is really good (block mid or low, that is the only option that the opponent has). Try it some time, you'll see why it is worth using. Jean also has a lot of really good strings that are useful for poking.
*Great ranged game. A special note to be given to +. It's a great multipurpose attack, but when used at max range when you know it's connect, make this a strong move.
*Sabaki/Parry game is really strong. +, while -13 on block, leads to a similar effect as on hit/successful sabaki, and knocks down on counter for a combo. _++ lead to great combos, awesome with a wall. ++ deals with and low kicks as well.
*Not the best, but Jean's punishment is strong. >wall is quite good, and + at -13 is awesome.
*Guard Break in the form of ++. It's quite good.
*Jean is one of the heavier characters, this is a good thing to be in FS.

Weaknesses
----
*Jean's throw game is quite good, but it isn't the best.
*Uh... Jean is really strong as well. Just need to use him smartly.

JEFFRY
----
Strengths
*DAMAGE... not the absolute best but it is there... but he needs a wall.
*Very easy to use. No input restrictions aside from maybe within some combos, but you can do it with . And even then it's not all that interesting.
*With a wall/ring edge near by, Jeffry's okay throw game becomes one of the best.
*Great range, on many of his attacks, +, +, , , etc.
*Lots great attacks, and lots of good circulars. can lead threat, leads to 60+ damage combos, and + does a fuckton of damage, and can lead to over 60% damage combos with a wall.
* is an awesome attack with it's own meta-game involved. Check out my Jeffry 101 thread for more info.
*Lots of oki options. +, , +, etc. are all really great attack when used on rising opponents.
*Great means of getting under highs with , +, +.
*Threat stance is a very scary tool is used wisely. +, +, +, lead to great damage.
*Jeffry is fat, so a lot of combos won't work on him.

Weaknesses
----
*Without a wall or ring out, jeffry's combos, throws, and punishment aren't all that great.
*In order to cause a lot of damage, Jeffry has to take bigger risks compared to most of the cast.
*Jeffry has no reliable means of dealing with lows aside from blocking or evasion. Jump or can kinda fill the void, but is slow and the opponent might have time to block, and has a funky hit box and can whiff. So blocking and step is great and sufficient... but it does get tiresome after 50+ games.
*Jeffry is lacking lows. One that at least knocks down, is a circular, or has good range that is available from standing and not from jump or +.
*A lot of Jeffry's mids have a weakness towards a lot of the vanishing hitbox opponents. Not as bad as it was in VF5 vanilla, but it is more noticeable in some matchups.
*While a lot of his attacks are great for OKI, aside from that situation, they're too slow to use.

*Overall, Jeffry is a very solid character, but compared to all the other character, he has a lot of holes.

KAGE
----
Strengths
*Great stances. ++ has great defensive abilities, ++ great offensive attacks.
*Great attacks (some of which can go into stance), great speed, great strings, lots of circulars.
*Under and over attacks. goes under highs, and leads to a combo (just hit check it well). + beats lows, is +1 on block, and is quite slow, that if the opponent evades and tries to counter attack, + can connect.
*Decent throw game, + is still a really good throw.
*Kage's BT game is great.
*Low attacks... lots of great ones that knock down. What a novelty!

Weaknesses
----
*Damage isn't all that high.
*Lots of strings are high, and can be ducked and punished.
*Very counter hit dependent on many of his combo starters.
*Kage is pretty light.

LAU
----
Strengths
*Damage... great combos, great damage with or without walls.
*Excellent circulars. +, + (great if it counters), + (into tiger stance).
*++, not as fast as Akira's guard break, but still a great attack that leads to a free combos.
*Excellent punishment. Duck a high, + is really good shit.
*A pretty good throw game. Not the best, but still good.
*Kokei stance, when entered after successful hit, the options are great.

Weaknesses
----
*Lacks a 17 frame launcher... that good though.
*Uh, he is light, that's it.
*He's BORING. BOOOOORRRRRING.

 

Really great write up Sebo.

 

keep it coming Sebo!!!!

 

Lei Fei (take with extra salt, like Eileen)
----
Strengths
*With proper hit-checking, stance transitioning attacks and the following stance based mixups are really powerful. Lots of tricky lows, combo starters, sabaki attacks.
*In addition to all his great sabaki attacks (like Koko , , and neutral +, Doku (++) is useful in eating punches and elbows of all levels.
*While his direction throw is only 50 damage, his throws do quite a bit of damage.
*Lots of decent launchers. , (be warned, does not knock down Taka), etc. Lots of really cool anti low attacks. Good damage, great on light weights.
*If you can master stance-dancing (seemingly random stance shifts and then reacting with the ideal attack in a given situation), it can be a frightening aspect to your game.

Weaknesses
----
*Unless you master hit checking, and you`re facing an opponent who knows enough about your stance transition, you will be fitting an uphill battle.
*A little slow...
*Not all that good at punishing (I think).

Lion
----
Strengths
*So much combo potential, great damage.
*Great throw game. Maybe a little too strong, especially considering how much this character has so much.
*Lows lows lows. Great pokes, some knock down, can lead to a scary combo on counter hit.
*Completely unnecessary, but Lion`s stances are pretty robust. +++ is 16 frames on block...
*Great range, great okizeme.
*Over and under attacks. Lots of this shit.
*Is annoying. Use this to your advantage.

Weaknesses
----
*Not the best punishment. It`s okay.
*Light weight.
*Is annoying. Use at your own risk.

Pai
----
Strengths
*Good combo damage
*Great pokes, is 11 frames, + is a 12 frame double palm mid that causes wall splat on counter hit, has great range.
*Over, under, and through (?!) attacks. Special mention to can go through some mids (stance, timing, yadda), and is a very strong move. +6 on hit! A lot of Pai`s lows go under highs very easily, + can both go over lows and under highs and can be canceled.
*Not the best BT, but still one of the better ones.
*Bokutai is pretty good. Go under highs with , over lows and start combos with +, or start a decent combo with +, quick knock down mid in .
*Good throw game
*Punishment is quite good. is great and simple to use.
*Some of the better reversals, as they can lead to nice ring positioning, and post stagger set ups can be scary.
*New Sabaki stance (string _++) is simple and has few options, but the cover all the bases quite well.

Weaknesses
----
*Light as hell.
*Not the most damaging.
*Arguably, her safest and best launcher +, requires a counter, her other combo starters are either high, or unsafe on block or both.

SARAH
----
Strengths
*Many of Sarah`s flamingo transitioning attacks give her advantage even on block, including + (a sabaki). Going into flamingo, you have many great options available. crumples on normal, and are quick, hit throws, circulars, a low punch sabaki that can lead to a free launcher, ability to enter into step stance which is also pretty good. Also, moves like + and can be canceled into flamingo. While you can play a Sarah without Flamingo (I`d recommend this when picking up Sarah and/or VF initially, and only initially), but flamingo is a really powerful part of Sarah`s game.
*Forward slide, back step stances are also great stances as well. Forward slide is great for oki, and back step is great to incorporate as it sabakis attacks, and at least back step is free, maybe and the others.
*Great combo abilities, good damage.
*Being a leggy blonde, Sarah good range.
*Great punishment, in the form of +, +, .
*/+ go over lows and can lead to a combo, + can go under highs.
*Another subjective claim, Sarah, like Blaze, is incredibly fun to play.

Weaknesses
----
*Throw game is good, but not great.
*Light, meaning... you probably can guess by now.

SHUN (an even less than satisfactory summary here, LA, you can have this)
----
Strengths
*Stances, sabakis, throws, with 10+ drinks, Shun becomes scary
*Due to stances, and certain attack properties, Shun`s hitbox vanishes over highs and some mids (), and over lows, sometimes over highs and lows at the same time (+)
*Great range in his attacks. Shun probably has the best range of the entire cast.
*Lots of good circulars, + is still really key.
*Even if hit out of some stances, Shun will often float too low for the opponent to take real advantage.

Weaknesses
----
*Needs to drink, and the opponent should know this, and will try to stay a moderate distance.
*Punishment is okay... (?)
*Lacks a 14 frame elbow attack. Not that big of a deal, but still a noticeable weakness.
*Light weight, big combos against him.

 

Good shit, Sebo! Is it okay if I steal some of this for another site? Obviously I'll give you credit and link to this thread!

 

If you'd like.

TAKA
----
Strengths
*Taka is a fat fuck, and while many strings are natural combos against him in compensation, launchers and the following combos do far less damage against him.
*Knocking Taka down is hard. Attacks that would knock down every single other character, don't do the same for Taka. The typical knock down strings that many characters have not only don't knock Taka down, they leave him at advantage.
*Best throw game in FS. No discussion. does 85, leads to a 70-90+ damage combo. His + low throw is also amazing. His + catch throw has decent range, and while not too damaging, has a pretty good mix up within it.
*Combos... Taka float his opponent high. While not the most damaging (?), he probably has one of the best ringout combos in the game as his attack carry the opponent far.
*Lots of quick double-limbed attacks to deal with sabaki. is 14 frames and knocks down. + functions like a side kick, but with a really wide hitbox. + is a 17 frame double limbed launcher. It isn't too hot on block, but when dealing with Sabaki, it's really powerful.
*+ while unsafe is a great low to go under highs, knock down on hit, and cause a potential low wall splat. + is a 17 frame half-circular low.
*++ is a really good stance. It can be evade and lead into a combo, hit can hit low and combo on counter hit, hit mid and knock down or start a wall combo, or can break through guard.
*+ is one of the best moves in the game. It is super delayable, combos on normal hit, leads to combos even versus crouch, and due to the delay, can hit evade-counter attack attempts. Also you can just do + and go for a throw or a poke.
*Not sure about version A, but goes through (not to mention s in general) and on counter hit leads to a combo possibility.
*With a wall, Taka's circular game is amazing. + leads to half-life+ wall combos, wall splats, >wall hit>BT leads to a crumple.

Weaknesses
----
*Harder to tech after knock downs, so sometimes you just have to eat extra damage.
*Against Jacky, and characters with long strings, being punishable leads to quite a bit of damage.
*Without a wall his circular game is okay... but that's when you want to use throws anyway, so that's fair.
*Boring as fuck to play.

Vanessa
----
Strengths
*Vanessa has all you can ever want in a character. Sabaki, inashi (into ST), tricky stances, catch throws, punishment, great launchers, low throws, strong throw game, damaging combos, amazing wall combos, etc. The trade off... you only have access to some of these options at a given time based on which stance you're in. Also, unless people will be more motivated to learn her this time around, she will probably remain a mystery due to her "complicated" nature.
Weaknesses
*Read the above. Also Vanessa is light.

<span style="font-size: 11pt">Defensive stance</span>
You trade raw damage, great launchers, a catch throw from standing, great punishment, excellent wall combos, an elbow attack (WS comes close, but getting the buffer down to a 14 frame attack is almost impossible), etc. for decent to great sabaki attacks ( is really good only against an almost dead opponent and when used wisely, + is really strong). You also get access to more full circular attacks, the fastest high attack in the game (), great throws, access to low throws, "Lazy stance" (+) is really strong if used smartly.

<span style="font-size: 11pt">Offensive stance</span>
You have access to lots of good strings (, the second being special high can start a wall combo), though many are normal highs and they can just be ducked and punished. Vanessa's punishment is really good with +, +, etc. and intruder stance is simple but really effective. Combo damage in this stance can be really high. A catch throw is always an amazing thing to have.

WOLF
----
Strengths
*Not the best throw game, but amazing none the less. Burning hammer may come to mind first but don't rely too much on such a slow throw.
*Easy and damaging combos. Like Jeffry, there is very little dexterity based limitations for performing his combos.
*Lots of great mids, great high attacks (+ and + are amazing).
*Great punishment. , +
*Great wake up options with his ability to jump over low rising kicks with +, or reverse side kicks with ++
*++, while you do take some damage, leads to a 33/33/33 good to great damage mind game, most of the choices put the opponent in a position that sets them up for doing a rising side kick, so you can start all over again.
*++ is greatly improved, with buff to , and the addition of the low catch throw.
*+ is an amazing catch throw with lots of scary options available to it. Also + has amazing range.
*He is heavy.

Weaknesses
----
*Um... if played well, he is really really good. Maybe could use more lows?

I'd like to do Dural soon if I can get my hands on the actual game on console .

 

great work! But is Lau really boring? Pity, I was about to pick him...

 

Overall? He is.
...
If he suits you? Funny as hell. Any VF character, if suits your playstyle, can be damn fun to play.
Even Taka

 

but in which sense is he boring? Few options/valid moves?

 

you are basically just pressing P and some arrows most the time, I will say?
At least that was my VF4/5 Lau experience

 

Thanx a lot for this. I'm trying to get a handle on Vanessa and this is a BIG help.

 

I really appreciate this thread. I've been trying to stick with Eileen because she seemed easy enough in VF5 vanilla, but I'm doing poorly with her. I've also tried Pai, who felt easy to use after Eileen, Shun Di (difficult to grasp), and Aoi (I love her throws and counters, but I find the hard to use in battle).

I know it's probably better to focus on one character, but I'm having trouble deciding who to specialize as I can't really judge my own fighting style.

 

Do not worry.
Basically, switching characters will help you understand the game more deeply (while yes, your "ingame" performance will not be THAT great as if you will stick just with one). But that is OK.

I was exactly like you. I was switching characters every few months back in VF4Evo. Everyone was fun, but noone really makes me completely happy. Then one day, I run (on a tourney) into foreign player using Jeffry. Actually, it was 1st time ever I saw anyone (alive) using Jeff and being good with him.
For some unknown reason, I get inspirated deeply. I never consider Jeff, as he seemd damn weak and boring to me. At least to that game. Right after loosing semifinals to this player, I sit down and start practicing Jeffry. He fits my style completely and I enjoy every single game with him. I never look back to another character.
...
Well, until FS - for some reason, I do not find Jeff to be that funny for me now. So I am back in switching characters, waiting to be inspirated again

 

Haha i am using jacky as he is fast and easy but not really satisfying to play with. I use to play with jeffrey for years and was ok with him yet he seems a little low on options for me. So tempted to play akira (who i simetimes manage to get some good stuff out of) and if you pull it off you feel like a king.

 

I want to try Akira as well, but he's too difficult for me to handle with the PS3 pad. My thumb is already in pain from trying to do combos with Eileen and Pai - combos that I can't complete due to my lack of dexterity.