Picking a character – a quick guide to the roster

Overview

A quick guide to the characters, with a brief description of their playstyle and main tools.

The roster

Schwarzerblitz has a decently sized roster, counting 26 characters as of version 1.3.
While some characters overlap inside the design space, most have their own specialized gimmick.
This is a quick guide which tries to provide a short introduction for each character.
Notice that all character have the same jump height, movement speed, health max (250) and defense values, much like in Tekken or SoulCalibur – the main differences are completely due to their movesets.
Donner and Arkaneis, the arcade bosses, won’t be covered here due to the fact that you should use them only to anger your friends or feel more powerful than you should be =P

Notation

In the following guide, I will use the following notation:

7 = up/backwards
8 = up
9 = up/forward
4 = left
5 = no direction pressed
6 = right
1 = down/backwards
2 = down
3 = down/forward

c. = while crouching
r. = while running
j. = while jumping

P = punch
K = kick
T = tech
G = guard
Tg = Trigger

For example, c.3P means “press down/forward plus Punch while crouching”.

1. Mystery Johnson

Mobility: 2/5
Mixups: 4/5
Trigger-less Damage: 3/5
Trigger mode Damage: 4/5
Ring out potential: 4/5
Difficulty: 2/5
Favourite range: mid range
Playstyle: mixup, punish

Johnson is a mixup character with an extremely versatile moveset, who does his best at punishing after blocking even a weak attack, due to the amazing properties of his core tools;
1K Spiral Turban Special, his signature move, has both High and Mid invincibility, acting as a “get out of jail free” card in many interactions. You are welcome to abuse this tool of his;
3K Hat Trick Cannonball has High invincibility and is an easy Impact attack to employ for a ring out;
7K Coonskin Cap is a jumping overhead with low invincibility that can chain into 3K Hat Trick Cannonball;
His running tackle r.5P isn’t affected by damage scaling, making it useful as a Trigger Cancel finisher;
His grab leaves the opponent extremely near. A jumping kick will beat any attempts at a backwards roll, while a meaty Trigger Throw can take care of the other options, if well timed;
His Trigger Reversal is quite poor, as it can be Trigger Guarded against, due to it being a two hitter Low/High;
He has several strings that combo naturally outside of Trigger mode. His overall damage is honest, but his Trigger Cancel damage can be stellar (especially if using his r.K T string after an Impact).

2. Tiger Sambiong

Mobility: 4/5
Mixups: 2/5
Trigger-less Damage: 4/5
Trigger mode Damage: 4/5
Ring out potential: 2/5
Difficulty: 2/5
Favourite range: mid range
Playstyle: rushdown, evade-and-counter

Tiger is essentially a pure rushdown character with focus on mid-range attacks;
His main tools are his signature Scarlet Screw, in all its variants (c.1P, 214P,r.P, ukemi P, j.3P), Knee Commando (r.K, 6K) and Rising Blade (8K);
Most versions of Scarlet Screw can be also canceled into another variant of Scarlet Screw, thus greatly increasing Tiger’s mobility and giving him an additional mix-up tool;
Tiger has high-damage non-Trigger natural combos, like his Knee Commando (6K P P K or r.K P P K), which hits for 56 damage and his Knee Commando Variant (6K P P 2K P P 6K) for 79 damage.
He has both moves with Low invincibility (Scarlet Screw, 1K Ducking Comet) and Armor against projectiles (Scarlet Screw);
His 8K is an unreactable Mid with decent frame advantage on hit, that can be canceled into a short combo for 45 guaranteed damage from a stray hit (8K P K);
He lacks single hit Impact attacks (useful for ring out when the opponent has still bullets to use a Trigger Guard) and moves with Mid/High invincibility that aren’t his rolls;
His side rolls are invincible against High and Mid attacks, but lose against Lows;
His Trigger Reversal has the longest range in the game.

3. Shaz Aliart

Mobility: 1/5
Mixups: 1/5
Trigger-less Damage: 4/5
Trigger mode Damage: 5/5
Ring out potential: 2/5
Difficulty: 1/5
Favourite range: close range
Playstyle: juggernaut, pub brawler

Shaz Aliart is a heavy hitter with slow, powerful attacks – some of which with a healthy dose of super armor;
His 5P P P P Stomach Krusher is a solid 37 damage Mid/High string which is fully armored on startup against High/Mid attacks;
His j.P Body Slam is armored against projectiles and is his best tool to approach zoners, together with is r.3P Body Slam (II), which hits Low and juggles the opponent on hit;
He has access to a Low strike grab, 2T Sharknado Twister, that can be followed up by P+K Bad Digestion (Quick) and later by K 4K for a total of 62 damage. The strike grab is very punishable on block/whiff, though;
His Trigger Cancels allow him to combo into r.3P T (Body Slam into Sharknado Twister) for absurdly high damage. Even a simple combo r.K – Trigger Cancel – r.3P T P+K K 4K will deal around 100 damage – and this isn’t even the optimal route;
Shaz’s Trigger Cancel damage is probably the highest in the game bar none. A single Trigger Cancel into r.3P can and will deal more than 50% damage in one single combo. A two Bullets combo could theoretically deal around 200 damage (80% of the opponent’s life bar);
His Impact attacks are locked behind strings, except for his excellent r.K Gut Smasher;
His c.3P Jaw Bye is an i1 Mid check that can be used to punish almost every blocked Low attack in the game on reaction;
Shaz lacks fast standing attacks, so he can be pressured pretty badly. However, he can convert big damage from basically any of his starters.

4. Aylin Mary Yang

Mobility: 3/5
Mixups: 3/5
Trigger-less Damage: 1/5
Trigger mode Damage: 2/5
Ring out potential: 3/5
Difficulty: 5/5
Favourite range: short range
Playstyle: evade and counter, reset

Amy is a difficult character to master, due to her over-reliance on resets and continuous pressure by means of moves with plus frames. Her overall damage is pretty low, even when using Trigger mode;
Her best Impact attacks are 8K Wheel of Fortune, a High hitting spinning kick, and her 2P P Rising Swan string;
Many of her moves have built-in invincibility on startup to make up for her poor damage output. Many of her strings become natural combos on counter hit;
8T/2T Thousand Blossoms Dance have more or less the same properties as Tiger’s side rolls;
Her P+K Wheels of Shiva leads to her most damaging Trigger combos as a starter and has a decent amount of full invincibility;
She has a healthy amount of moves with plus frames that can be used to fish for resets, applying constant pressure on the opponent;
Her command special, 214P Piercing the Veil of Maya, is mostly a gimmick-y move in neutral, but used during a grab (after the first hit) can deal up to 70 damage for one Bullet – not too high, but can win a round;
Overall, Amy has a steep learning threshold, as mashing can put the player in harm’s way, but once mastered can offer some unique ways to approach any fight.

5. Cyphr Wolfchild

Mobility: 3/5
Mixups: 4/5
Trigger-less Damage: 3/5
Trigger mode Damage: 3/5
Ring out potential: 1/5
Difficulty: 3/5
Favourite range: mid/close range
Playstyle: mixup, rushdown

Cyphr boasts some of the best mixups in the game, with high damage potential and hit confirms into grabs;
She has no arms, thus the P button is instead associated with weak/fast kicks, while K is usually reserved to heavier kick attacks;
Her 4T Rosenhaltung stance gives her access to a wealth of tools to mix up the opponent and put them in a blender, but can require some time to get the hang of it;
Her 3K Blumenschneider is quite reactable, but it’s a Low launcher that can be used for decent juggle damage;
Her 5T throw is the fastest normal grab in the game (3 frames faster than all the others), but doesn’t hit crouching opponents. Meanwhile, her Rosenhaltung 5T grab hits Mid with a longer range, but requires you to be alredy in this stance;
The animation of Rosenhaltung 5T is the same as that for Rosenhaltung 5P, thus being a true mixup between strike and grab. Notice however that the grab can be broken by pressing T;
Her running attacks are effectively a Mid/Low mixup;
She doesn’t have many Impact tools, except for her Rosenhaltung 4K, her running 5P (unreliable for ring outs), her 4K K K Blitzkrieg Kanone string and her 6P K P Rosendorn string;
She has many standing Low attacks, much like Kiyoko, making guarding against her very hard while in close range;
Rosenhaltung moves are mandatory to unlock her full potential, as they cover mid range better than most of her remaining toolset;
8P Flugabwehr is an amazing anti-air/mir range tool that can be canceled into a run or into 3K, but cannot be canceled on whiff – use it with caution.

6. Renzo Rubecca

Mobility: 2/5
Mixups: 3/5
Trigger-less Damage: 1/5
Trigger mode Damage: 2/5
Ring out potential: 2/5
Difficulty: 2/5
Favourite range: mid/close range
Playstyle: rushdown, reset

Renzo is a fairly easy character, with high mixup potential and a very rushdown-oriented moveset. What he lacks in damage, he gains in pressure and in the always present threat of a reset;
His staple Trigger-less combos deal low damage on average. His 6P P P P K Quattro Quarti staple deals only 48 damage, but can be mixed up with 6P P P 2P P for 45 damage (Low instead of Mid);
His 2P Tenore is a very good Low attack that can be chained into his command grab 236T Voci Bianche (fast). The command grab can be teched with T by the opponent and deals 20 damage;
His grab and command grab can be followed up with a 3P Crescendo Maestoso, an uppercut Impact attack that can ring out the opponent. Since this is the only followup of the grab, a savvy opponent could Trigger Guard to avoid it and eat a Low reset instead: with the correct timing, Voci Bianche can be linked into 2P Tenore once more for 40 damage;
His best Impact attacks are the High-invincible 3P Crescendo Maestoso and his r.K Controcanto Armonico;
r.K Controcanto Armonico can be followed on hit with his r.P Preludio alla Tempesta. You have to wait until the very last moment for this cancel to hit far from walls;
Renzo is a solid character who doesn’t benefit a lot from combos but needs to keep on fishing for resets and bait the opponent Trigger guards for achieving maximum effectiveness.

7. Jenn Husler

Mobility: 1/5
Mixups: 3/5
Trigger-less Damage: 2/5
Trigger mode Damage: 1/5
Ring out potential: 3/5
Difficulty: 4/5
Favourite range: close range
Playstyle: whiff punishment

Jenn has overall a solid toolkit, but it takes time to get used to it. With decent mixups, average to low damage and no mobility options, she has to rely on reading the opponent to make the most of every match;
Her 3K Brionac is a strike grab that becomes an Impact attack if spaced at max range. The strike grab can be blocked but not teched and becomes an unblockable while in Trigger mode;
Her staple Trigger-less combos all deal around 50~55 damage, with the simplest being her close range 5P P P 3K Gáe Bolg chain for 56 damage;
Another staple combo, which requires precise timing, is 4K Claiom Solais into 3K 4P 6K, for 51 damage or 4K Claiom Solais into 3K 4P 5K for 54 damage. 4K is an unseeable Low, but cannot be canceled on whiff;
Her 4P Gáe Assail and her r.P have a series of possible followups: 5K (High juggle tool), 4K (Claiom Solais, Low juggle sweep), 2K (Mid rolling attack), 6K (Mid 2-hits Impact attack). It can also be followed by a T grab, but the range will make that whiff most times;
Her 4P 2K string offers another list of Low/Mid followups, thus making it even harder for the opponent to guess;
As for Impact attacks, her r.K, r.9K and 4P 6K are the best tools she can use for the job. 4P 6K is riskier due to the fact that – being a 2-hits attack – it can be interrupted easily by a Trigger Guard;
Her 4T and r.T Banshee Mist are a projectile she throws while jumping back, while being invincible against High attacks. This is her most elusive attack, and can be used to break the opponent’s momentum;
Her P+K K Trigger Reversal is fairly weak, as it hits late and is a 2-hitter, thus being interruptable via a Trigger Guard;
Overall, Jenn is not a bad character, but requires fine tuning and “being there”. Mashing won’t help and you will need some time to get familiar with her tools.

8. Mono Kishima

Mobility: 3/5
Mixups: 2/5
Trigger-less Damage: 4/5
Trigger mode Damage: 5/5
Ring out potential: 1/5
Difficulty: 2/5
Favourite range: close range
Playstyle: vortex, whiff punishment

Mono Kishima is a close range vortex character that relies on her signature Low strike grab: 2P+K Instant Velvet Cross – an unreactable Low that knocks down the opponent and is unblockable on Trigger;
Aside from Velvet Cross and its running version (r.P Velvet Cross), she has access to some nasty Lows like the juggling tool 2P Highrise Atelier and her r.K Mon Mignon Prêt-à-porter, which is her best Trigger Cancel tool;
Her biggest weaknesses are her relative lack of range and her lack of reliable Mid attacks, aside from her 5K Smooth Taffeta and c.K Pure Silk;
Her 4K Winter Collection, probably the attack with the longest reach, is a High. Mono is one of the few characters against which blocking Low is the best and safest option;
She has some additional mobility tools in her 8T Applause Encore and 2 8 T Magnificent Applause Encore, which can be both used after a succesful Velvet Cross to confuse the opponent and capitalize on the oki. Both can be canceled into 2P+K Instant Velvet Cross;
Her most damaging Trigger Cancel route after an Impact is r.K T P+K (Mon Mignon Prêt-à-porter int juggle grab into Velvet Cross cancel). A simple 5K K K – Trigger Cancel – r.K T P+K combo can deal up to 109 damage, which increases to 118 when the same combo is started from j.K;
With the correct route, she can deal as much as 50%+ damage from a standing 5P into Trigger Cancel, with one single Bullet (5P P P P 2P K K – Trigger Cancel – r.K T P+K);
Very few Impact attacks of note. Her ring out potential is minimal;
While she is annoying to fight, her overreliance on Low attacks and lack of running mixups can make her quite predictable.

9. Skeleton Skallen

Mobility: 2/5
Mixups: 2/5
Trigger-less Damage: 3/5
Trigger mode Damage: 1/5
Ring out potential: 2/5
Difficulty: 2/5
Favourite range: short range up close or long range
Playstyle: zoner, close range rushdown

Skeleton is an odd mix of long range tools and short range pressure. While lacking reliable mixups, he excels at keeping the opponent at his favourite range using a wealth of tools even other zoners lack;
His 698 T Aposimz Hellfire Nova is an advancing slow wall-of-death projectile that costs 1 Bullet, can be run canceled and can be used to outzone the opponent. After using one, this move is put on cooldown for a short amount of time;
His 214 T Skeleton Artillery is a decent anti air projectile, albeit relatively slow;
His 5T grab has a 6T projectile followup after launch, for 12 additional damage;
His 2T Hellfire is a High invincible Low projectile attack with immense reach. It can be used to surprise the opponent and to force a mixup. Despite its very low damage, one can use it as a combo starter, chaining into his 5T grab;
His j.T is probably the best air projectile in the game: when it hits the opponent, it reels them in, comboing into 2T Hellfire, and then into 5T~6T for 70 damage. This combo is casually referred as “one button Skeleton” and can be made a true combo by using a bullet to make the grab inexcapable;
His best mid range tool is his 4K K 6T Stomach Basher string, which is also his most reliable ring out tool;
His 6T command dash Grim Stride is invincible against High attacks, but covers too little of a range to be used effectively, aside from some gimmicky approach attempt;
His Trigger damage is nothing to write about and, outside of the corner, probably among the lowest in the game. You might want to use your Bullets for Trigger Guard, to make your throws untechable or for your Aposimz Hellfire Nova special attack.

10. Graf Shabeel

Mobility: 1/5
Mixups: 2/5
Trigger-less Damage: 5/5
Trigger mode Damage: 4/5
Ring out potential: 3/5
Difficulty: 3/5
Favourite range: mid/long range
Playstyle: mid range powerhouse

Graf’s style is fully based on raw power. His extensible arms offer extended range and he can rack up damage quite easily even without using bullets, through fairly complex links rather than chains. He has a lot of Impact strings, but only two “clean” Impact attacks: r.P Server Fault and 3P Leg Buster, a rare Low hitting Impact attack;
His 4P Surprise Punch can be run canceled on hit or block by keeping 6 pressed during the animation. This is the source of some of his best links;
His grab leaves the opponent standing, allowing for continuing pressure with a short combo;
He has a limited version of Tiger’s Scarlet Screw – 236 P Crimson Screw – that is not as versatile, but can be used to close the distance with your opponent;
P+K Colony Drop is a huge damage dealer and a core part of his gameplan;
One of his best link combos is 4P (run cancel) r.K (link) P+K 4P, which deals as much as 84 damage without Bullets, albeit requiring a rather precise timing; Alternately, 4P 4K K K 2K deals 67 damage with almost no execution required.
His 1P Server Mainteinance is armored against High/Mid attacks;
His Trigger damage can easily exceed 100 damage, thus one should use his Bullets offensively.

11. Evilobster

Mobility: 1/5
Mixups: 2/5
Trigger-less Damage: 4/5
Trigger mode Damage: 5/5
Ring out potential: 5/5
Difficulty: 3/5
Favourite range: mid/close range
Playstyle: grappler, juggernaut

Evilobster is the grappler of this game and boasts impressive damage out of his command grabs;
He has access to three different strike grabs, that can be blocked but not teched and can be comboed into;
236 T Wall Street Bubble is a Mid DDT which can be chained into 2T Winds of Glory for a total of 60 damage;
214 T Winds of Glory is a Low giant swing grab that hits also grounded opponents and avoids High attacks;
698 T Star Spangled Banner is a High command grab based on Kenny Omega’s One Winged Angel. It can be chained into 236 T Wall Street Bubble when near a wall; it is his fastest command grab;
His standard 5T grab has two followups: 2T Winds of Glory and 8T Battle of the Midways. The first is best for damage and ring out, the second for oki;
5T~8T has a 1-Bullet followup: 236 T Empire State Suplex, which boosts its damage consistently. Evilobster will spin the opponent with a giant swing before grabbing them mid air to perform a suplex. You can press 2T during the apex of the launch to instead trigger United States of Atomica, which deals less damage but sends the opponent flying in the opposite direction;
Evilobster has a special bar near his name. This bar fills up when he gets damaged. When the bar is full, you can spend 1 Bullet to activate 7T Absolute Lobster: until the bar is filled, Evilobster will have constant hyper armor and won’t get any hit stun from opponent attacks;
During Absolute Lobster, you can input 698 T during the peak of Empire State Suplex to unleash True United States of Atomica, for the cost of 1 additional Bullet. This chain grab ender can deal up to 40% of the opponent’s life bar alone;
Evilobster’s r.5P is a High armored clothesline. When in Trigger mode, it knocks down the opponent even on block;
Evilobster’s 1K is his best evasive tool: a Low kick attack that has High/Mid invincibility;
5P In Claws We Trust and 3P Strong Economy are armored against High/Mid attacks, making them the perfect answer to High/Mid block strings.

12. Lejl Kaleidos

Mobility: 5/5
Mixups: 4/5
Trigger-less Damage: 2/5
Trigger mode Damage: 3/5
Ring out potential: 3/5
Difficulty: 3/5
Favourite range: mid range
Playstyle: air superiority

Lejl boasts the best air movement in the entire game. Her 9T Whirlwind and 7T Updraft give her a lot of mobility and access to deadly Mid/Low mixups;
Her ground strings are rather limited and predictable, but she has access to some decent Mid/Low mixups;
Her grab juggle the opponent and allows her to follow up with an air combo, if well timed;
236 K Last Sunset can nullify the distances and gives her access to quite some damage;
Her strings allow her to have some nice oki options, using her mixups to force the opponent to guess while in the blender;
Lejl has issues starting her vortex, but once on it is hard to shake her off. Some of her attacks are however very punishable on read;
her 214 T Night Shock Dance is mostly a gimmick-y 1-Bullet anti air attack that can deal as much as 66 damage on a jumping opponent, but is very difficult to connect unless timed right;
Her lack of string variety could make her hard to stomach for beginners, due to how she is supposed to play;
Her j.3K Storming Stinger is an aereal Low, making her and Krave the only two characters with access to such a tool;
She has a Mid/Low running mixup (r.K, r.3K). The second hit of r.K Monsoon is a Low and – while not being a natural combo outside of Trigger mode – can be canceled into a Mid followup to allow for a true 50/50;

13. H-168 Krave

Mobility: 5/5
Mixups: 3/5
Trigger-less Damage: 3/5
Trigger mode Damage: 3/5
Ring out potential: 5/5
Difficulty: 2/5
Favourite range: mid/close range, opponent in the corner
Playstyle: rushdown, corner monster

H-168 Krave has the single highest number of Impact attacks and wants the opponent to stay in the corner;
Many of his moves, including his staple 4P Mr. Driller, propel him forward towards the opponent;
His 2T Spider Stance give him excellent mobility and low profile, effectively shutting down all the opponent’s High attacks. In this stance, Krave can zoom around the stage and close in on the opponent from any range;
Krave’s aereal attacks are all Lows and have to be crouch blocked or jumped;
His 4P Mr. Driller can be followed up indefinitely by mashing P and using 1 Bullet. One could cancel it 6 times into itself for a very long drilling sequence which is more a way to troll the opponent than to win around. To each his own, I guess;
His 5T grab can be Trigger Canceled into a running attack;
4P – Trigger Cancel – r.P is his best 1-Bullet combo for sending the opponent to the other side of the ring and – potentially throw them in the corner from almost anywhere on screen;
While in the corner, his high amount of Impact attacks can literally overwhelm the opponent and make short work of them; as a Krave player, you WANT them in the corner;
His G + T Taunt has two 1-Bullet followups, that are more for show than actual utility.

14. Elena Marea

Mobility: 4/5
Mixups: 4/5
Trigger-less Damage: 4/5
Trigger mode Damage: 3/5
Ring out potential: 2/5
Difficulty: 5/5
Favourite range: mid range
Playstyle: rushdown, whiff punishment

Elena is an elusive, hard hitting character which can be classified as the hardest to use effectively due to her reliance on her Killer Loop Cancels;
She has a vast arsenal of moves, with crazy mixup potential, but most of her moves do not combo naturally outside of Trigger mode;
Mashing with her equals a tactical blunder: her strings and cancels are very unforgiving and can leave her wide open;
She can deal as much as 72 damage without any Bullets (5P K K 4T K 8K); she usually relies on short combos with averagely good damage (35 to 40 damage). Her usual staple combos are 5K 4T K 8K, for 49 damage (61 from a j.K starter), 4G K 8K for 37 damage and 6K 8K for 36 damage;
Her Killer Loop can be performed from the air (j.T), while running (r.T) or standing (4T). She can use up to one of each version of Killer Loop in any of her combos, so it is suggested to start with the running/jumping version OR with 4G Killer Lock, which gives her access to two of the Killer Loop followups;
Killer Loop can be canceled into: 5K, a Low hitting dash kick; 8K, a Mid hitting Impact attack; 5P, a High hitting lounging punch with Low invincibility; 5T, a less powerful version of her standard grab;
4G Killer Lock can be canceled into either 5K or 5P;
Her most reliable Impact attacks are r.P Bismarck Cannon and (Killer Loop) 8K or (Killer Loop) 5K 8K;
On Trigger, one can follow up her grab with a guaranteed K Old Rod (II) into 3K New Rod;
She can cancel her r.K Megalodon into a version of Killer Lock that allows her to perform only her (Killer Loop) 5P;
She can cancel her run with r.3G to access the same version of Killer Lock as above, for throwing off the timing of the opponent;
Her corner damage can be stellar and get to about 50% of the opponent’s life bar with just one bullet.

15. Kiyoko Nanabi

Mobility: 1/5
Mixups: 5/5
Trigger-less Damage: 5/5
Trigger mode Damage: 3/5
Ring out potential: 2/5
Difficulty: 2/5
Favourite range: close range
Playstyle: rushdown

Kiyoko is a short range rushdown character with tons of strings and mixups and probably the highest Trigger-less damage in the game;
Her strings have a lot of possible variations, making guarding against her basically impossible, while in the corner;
She doesn’t have any special mobility option, except her 4K advancing kick, which leaves her plus enough to confirm it into a combo easily;
Her Impact attacks are fast to come out, but extremely punishable on block. 4P is a very solid ring out option, and can be used even without a combo;
Mashing-friendly at first, but learning when to use which string can be harder than with other characters. Not closing her strings with an Impact or a move with good frame advantage exposes her to easy counter attacks;
Her Trigger combo damage is relatively sub-par compared with that of the other characters, so it is best to keep bullets for Trigger Guard and Trigger Reversal.

16. Wally Alba

Mobility: 3/5
Mixups: 2/5
Trigger-less Damage: 5/5
Trigger mode Damage: 4/5
Ring out potential: 1/5
Difficulty: 5/5
Favourite range: long range
Playstyle: zoner

Wally Alba is THE zoner of the game, boasting a huge amount of projectile-based moves and projectile chains. He has a unique “gun overheat” mechanics, that prevents him from keeping his zoning full throttle all the time, requiring him to instead stop shooting for a couple seconds to avoid depleting his resources;
His 4T Brisbane Hold allows him to have access to his best projectile moves (5T Welcome to the Outback, 9T Shooting the Pigeon, 2T Dingo Dongle, 6T Cheap Trick) and his best evasion moves (8 8/2 2 Brisbane Roundabout), which have full invincibility for 8 frames;
Wally has stellar damage up-close, in both his gun and gunless stance. His 5P 6P K PPP gunless combo deals, for example, as much as 59 damage, while 5P 6P K T 9T deals as much as 75 damage;
He can switch to gunless stance by pressing 3G while standing or using some attacks, like 6K Jurassic Pressure;
He can don his gun by using moves like 4T Brisbane Hold, 2P Melbourne Sun or j.T Sharp Shot;
He can cancel the recovery of any of his Brisbane moves by using 2 2/8 8 Brisbane Roundabout, which in turn can be canceled into another Brisbane move;
2T Playing Possum with a Gun avoids both High and Mid attacks on startup – same for his r.T;
He has no Trigger Cancelable moves, as his Impact attacks all require the use of his gun;
He doesn’t have access to his grab while donning his gun;
Wally is fairly hard to get for a beginner, due to him having access to what amounts to three stance (gunless, with gun, with gun in Brisbane Hold);

17. K-069

Mobility: 1/5
Mixups: 2/5
Trigger-less Damage: 3/5
Trigger mode Damage: 3/5
Ring out potential: 2/5
Difficulty: 4/5
Favourite range: long range
Playstyle: power-up character with focus on zoning

K-069 is a power-up character. In her starting state, she has access only to a fraction of her moveset and is dealt increased damage. With each level of power up (up to 3) her attack and defence values increase and she unlock progressively more moves;
She can power-up using her 214T special move. Power-ups are reset at each round, so that you will start every time at level 0;
The first level of power-up will turn her 8K Sky Tearer into a juggle tool and add a special T Impact finisher to many of her chains;
The second level of power-up will give her access to the projectiles 6T Echatoncheir: Attack System and 8T Echatnocheir: Antiair System;
The third level of power-up will grant her access to her last additional move: j.T Echatoncheir Antiground System, an air-to-ground projectile which propels her backwards;
K-069’s moveset has an overlap with Jenn’s, and they share some of the moves, but with different button combinations. For example, Jenn’s 4P~6K Impact move is simply 4K Twin Mantas for K-069. Moreover, she lacks some of Jenn’s tools, such as her 4P~5K, r.K, 4K, and Banshee Mist;
K-069 has access to two additional moves that have each their own cooldown bar: an orbital bombing (236T T-14 Bomber) and a three-layers shield (2T Quantum Shield), that can be used to fend off attacks but can be easily side-stepped and punished;
The basic strategy with K is to send the opponent away with an Impact attack to get enough time to achieve power-ups up to at least level 2, where she gains her zoning tools;
At level 0, K-069 is arguably the worst character in the roster. At level 3, she is a force to be reckoned with and among the best characters altogether, both for her damage and the arsenal of tools at her disposal.

18. Doll

Mobility: 1/5
Mixups: 2/5
Trigger-less Damage: 3/5
Trigger mode Damage: 3/5
Ring out potential: 2/5
Difficulty: 2/5
Favourite range: mid/long range
Playstyle: trap character, zoner with good rushdown tools

Doll shares some of her moves with Kiyoko, but lacks her impressive mixup skills, which limits her effectiveness as a rushdown character outside of corners. However, she makes up for it with powerful zoning tools and a unique dreaded counter attack: 8T Paper Doll;
Doll’s main tools are her array of projectiles (6T Threadless Needle, 3T Needle Shower, j.T Steel Rain), her long range strike grab 4T Motionless Marionette and her 8T Paper Doll counter attack;
4T Motionless Marionette is a “MK Scorpion grab” that brings the opponent near and opens them up for a combo. It comboes naturally into 8P Arc Scythe Needle or it can be used as a setup tool for a 5T Trigger grab. Motionless Marionette has a long recovery animation, so whiffing it will leave you wide open;
8T Paper Doll is a unique counter. Doll gets replaced by a white simulacrum. If the simulacrum is hit by any attack other than a grab or a projectile, Doll will strike down the opponent for 55 damage. During Paper Doll, she receives the whole damage of the opponent’s attack, but the counter makes up for it;
4K Violent Crack is an invaluable tool to close-in and delete the distance with the opponent;
Other than that, she has access to some nasty staple tools like 4P Patchwork, a deceptive Low attack which is very plus on hit and has considerable range;
The best way to maximise Doll’s potential is to be able to switch between ranges at will and throw out a surprise Motionless Marionette to bring the opponent into rushdown range.

19. Lazor Loyra

Mobility: 3/5
Mixups: 2/5
Trigger-less Damage: 3/5 (5/5 with active blazes)
Trigger mode Damage: 4/5 (6/5 with active blazes)
Ring out potential: 4/5
Difficulty: 3/5
Favourite range: close range
Playstyle: power up character with focus on brute force single attacks

It isn’t a typo: Lazor’s Trigger damage is out of this world. He has access to a sort of High death fist, 47896 T Ultimate Diamond Crusher for the cost of two Bullets. Normally, this attack deals 75 damage, but, when his Blaze Generators are active, it turns into an instakill for 350 damage;
Lazor’s gimmick is related to his Blaze Generators: by using his 2T Diamond Shine special move, his fist are wrapped into a layer of energy which increases the damage of each and every of his punch attacks by 1.5 times;
He has a variant of his 2T, called Diamond Shine Forever, that can be used at the cost of 1 Bullet to cancel most of his attacks and activate Trigger Mode, much like a V-Trigger activation in SFV;
While his blazes are active, Lazor gains access to additional explosion attacks: 2T Atom Heart Mother, a 40 damage Low projectile, and j.T Diamond Blast, an air-to-ground 50 damage Mid projectile;
Lazor has two quick rolls in his arsenal: 214 and 236 Lazurite Road. He can also use a roll while running by pressing 3. He can follow up his rolls with any of his damaging running attacks;
Lazor’s strings are more Tekken like, in which the last hit is sometimes a mixup between an unsafe Mid and a safe High;
He has a charge-back punch in his 4T Diamond Crusher, that can be canceled into a faster punch (5T), into guard (5G) or “stored” for the cost of a bullet (2G). Once stored, the punch can be used for 55 damage by pressing 4T again. The storage lasts for a limited amount of time, shown as a bar below his Blaze bar;
Lazor is a very solid character for both newcomers and veterans, and his difficulty is “just right”. He can deal a metric ton of damage, but is very resource hungry.

20. Mira Knef

Mobility: 4/5
Mixups: 3/5
Trigger-less Damage: 4/5
Trigger mode Damage: 2/5
Ring out potential: 3/5
Difficulty: 4/5
Favourite range: mid/close range
Playstyle: power-up, rushdown

Mira is a rushdown character with two power-up skills: one for her punch attacks and one for her kick attacks. She has also access to insane mobility options;
Some of her moves will “consume” buffs, that will have to be applied again;
Her 4P+K buffs her kick attacks, improving her 2K and c.K to give them either a new followup or making them juggle the opponent;
While her kick buff is active, she has access to a forward dash, 6T Nebelschritt, that can be used to cancel from buffed attacks and keep the buff active;
Aside from her 6T, she has three additional boxeur evasion moves: 4T, 8T and 2T Phantomschritt, all with invincibility against High attacks. 8T/2T have also invincibility against mids;
Her 9+P/j.P is an anti-air grab that knocks the opponent down. It gives her a lot of horizontal movement and can be used as an extremely good movement tool too;
Her 214P Blitzangriff is an half screen ramming attack that also acts as an Impact tool if well spaced. If it’s not spaced correctly, the attack won’t Impact the opponent;
Her P+K Maschinengewehr will apply a punch buff, while also being a very good corner tool. P+K can be also canceled into the buffed version of P+K, which allows her to achieve godlike damage in the corner for the press of just two buttons;
Her P+K Trigger Reversal also applies the punch buff and is technically identical to P+K Maschinengewehr;
Mira requires some tuning: without her buffs, her damage is very subpar. Once the buffs are up, she can compete with the heaviest hitters in the cast.

21. Leo Fizeau

Mobility: 5/5
Mixups: 5/5
Trigger-less Damage: 3/5
Trigger mode Damage: 4/5
Ring out potential: 3/5
Difficulty: 5/5
Favourite range: any range is fine
Playstyle: rushdown, high speed character

Leo is another tricky character, as his full potential can be unlocked only by making use of his fairly complex teleport combos. However, with the help of his teleports, he has the longest reach, the best mobility and the best mixups in the game;
Before reloading with P+K, Leo can perform up to 5 teleports. His grab consumes 2 of them, but can be performed even when the teleport energy is at 0;
He has access to several different teleport options: forward (6T, r.T), sideways (2T/8T), backwards (4T), ground-to-air (214T), air-to-ground (j.T, j.2T);
Almost all of his moves can be canceled into teleports, and teleports can be canceled into any of his damaging moves. This means that he can potentially chain his whole moveset in one big massive combo;
When his teleport gauge is empty, Leo is almost a sitting duck. In that case, use his 4P or 9K to Impact the opponent away and have enough time to refill the gauge;
Leo’s teleports are a free equivalent of Trigger Cancel, allowing him to score high damage and long strings, by sacrificing his resources. As for Lazor, resource management is the name of the game with him.

22. Sir Rattlebone

Mobility: 2/5
Mixups: 3/5
Trigger-less Damage: 3/5
Trigger mode Damage: 5/5
Ring out potential: 2/5
Difficulty: 3/5
Favourite range: any range is fine
Playstyle: mid-range character with strong zoning tools

Sir Rattlebone is a sort of jack of all trades with few weaknesses. He has access to a significant number of projectiles and gimmicky special attacks that make him hard to face without some tactics;
He has three different Spinal Axe projectiles: 7T/8T/9T. Each of them throws his axe in a parabolic trajectory with a different angle and reach. 9T is a fullscreen projectile;
For reasons of priority, his axe will eat through Skeleton’s 698T Aposimz Hellfire Nova;
His 4T Shield Bash is fully armored on startup and armored against projectiles while ramming. This move is almost a “get out of jail for free” move, and can be followed up by a sword whirlwind attack by pressing 8 on hit or block;
His 2T Skull Toss is a juggle tool in which he throws his skull in an arc. All versions of Skull Toss are on cooldown (1T, 2T, 1T 5K, 1T 6K) and have different effects;
His P+K Skeletal Spinner is a strike grab super which costs two bullets and deals significant damage as a combo ender;
A simple combo into super is r.P Haunted Slash into j.K Metatarsal Dive, 6P Skellington Slash and super on juggle;
His 4K Shake a Leg is perfect as an approach tool, as it covers a very long distance and can be used as a combo starter;
His 5T grab deals subpar damage and has no canonical follow-up, but sets up for a juggle if the timing is correct;
Overall, Rattlebone can dish out a lot of pressure with both his close range and long range tools, making him one of the trickiest fighters to face at any range.

23. Tutorial Man

Mobility: 2/5
Mixups: 3/5
Trigger-less Damage: 2/5
Trigger mode Damage: 2/5
Ring out potential: 3/5
Difficulty: 1/5
Favourite range: mid/far range
Playstyle: jack of all trades, master of none

Tutorial Man is a beginner friendly character with a composite moveset, plus some original moves created exclusively for him;
His 4T / 6T Photon Wave with different velocities and his j.T Photon Wave (56k) can be used effectively for zoning. While he lacks the full range effectiveness of other zoners, he can be a threat to be reckoned with at mid range or in small stages;
He has some of Johnson’s tools, like a semi-functional 1K, but not as good as that of the original. It leads however to a chunky 30 damage guaranteed punish;
His r.K Maximum Speed Fan is armored against projectiles, making it perfect to close in on zoners;
He has access to Tiger’s 8T/2T side rolls, but his followups from those are a bit underwhelming;
His 9K Zero Day Exploit is an extremely good long range anti-air that deals serious damage and his decently safe on block if used at max range;
He has access to fast jabs and strings that all end into a spinning Maximum Speed Fan for easy Impact cancels;
His 214 P Nuke It From Orbit has hyper armor but is extremely vulnerable on whiff – and has litle to no tracking; on hit, though, it can be canceled into 8P Virtual Machine Galore for 57 damage;
Overall, Tutorial Man has fairly low damage but a wealth of tools that can be used to face any opponent. Good starter character with decent skill ceiling, but several minor shortcomings that prevent him from being top tier in any category.

24. Random

Mobility: 2/5
Mixups: 4/5
Trigger-less Damage: 1/5
Trigger mode Damage: 2/5
Ring out potential: 4/5
Difficulty: 3/5
Favourite range: close range
Playstyle: jolly, lethal joke character

Random is the joke character of the game. You need to unlock him by clearing arcade with Tutorial Man. After that, you can select him by keeping Trigger pressed while your cursor is hovering on the “?” mark;
Despite his status as a joke character, Random has quite a solid and tricky moveset.
His 214P Screw the Rules is a gigantic Impact attack with super armor that covers much of the screen and is his main ring out tool.
His 5T grab has invisible startup and can be used as a combo starter;
He has access to two side rolls (8T/2T) much like Tiger and Amy, but without followups;
His 236T Megiddo Extinction Cannon projectile is pretty avoidable, but can be used as a combo ender without much trouble. During the animation, Random has armor against other projectiles, making it a good counter-zoning tools;
His combo damage is overall low, but the craziness of his moveset can make up for it, by surprising an opponent with little to no previous match-up knowledge.
A quick insight on his moveset can be seen here:
Remember that this is a real character, now with *his own arcade ending* and a moveset trial! BOW TO THE POWER OF THE FLOATING RANDOM❔! #indiedev #gamedev #FGC #fightinggames #schwarzerblitz pic.twitter.com/mMCzikQrob
— Andrea Demetrio (@AndreaDProjects) October 27, 2020

Picking a character – a quick guide to the roster – Steam Solo (2025)