DBFZ/Gotenks

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Overview

Starter Guide

Overview

Gotenks is a character that likes to get up in your face and make you block for a very, very long time, and he can open you up quite easily off of it. He's really strange to play at first, but once you figure him out, you'll find a bunch of crazy mixups for both him and his team off of his A assist, as well as some very strong tools all-around such as his 236HS super, which sets up what is referred to as "Ghost Oki". Because of these tools, Gotenks can be a character that can constantly keep your opponent on their toes, guessing when and how they should be blocking something, and even if it's their turn to do anything. He can really force your opponent to be afraid, and you can take full advantage of that with his plethora of tools that'll control where the opponent goes and how you keep them down. He can even still utilize post-snap okizeme, which is a rarity (due to patches).

However, Gotenks must get in first. While this definitely isn't an issue for him, he can still struggle with it due to some stubby tools that can make it difficult if the opponent spaces themselves correctly. Moreover, Gotenks often struggles to get his game started without resources, which includes meter or assists (sometimes both). Despite these flaws, he's still able to output some frightening situations for the opponent to be in and can be an absolute monster when he's in his best scenario, as well as have some strong support value due to his assist lineup.

Gotenks is the character for people who like constant rushdown and pressure, with many ways to keep the opponent guessing and/or blocking once they get the hit.

Gotenks

Gotenks hits strong and fast. His range is lacking due to his short limbs, but once he's in range, he can put pressure on his opponents and force them to go on the defensive.
Pros	Cons
Pressure Monster: strong mixup and pressure game, many of his specials are safe on block and can lead to tricky resets, as well as being able to set up very long blockstrings that can be mixed up in various different ways. 236H is +1 on block, allowing him to maintain pressure solo. Small Stature: Gotenks' small frame can make it so certain combos do not work on him, and can help him avoid certain moves Powerful Assists: Gotenks' assists are very powerful, all offering different things but all very good at what they do, giving him incredible support value on any team no matter the assist. Okizeme: Gotenks has incredible okizeme with 236H+S, allowing Gotenks to set up incredible pressure or reset scenarios for 1 bar. Snap Pressure: Gotenks is one of the few characters in season 3 to still have post-snap oki thanks to 214H, which allows him to still keep opponents in check with it. Corner carry: With his rejumps, Gotenks can easily drag an opponent from corner to corner to set up Ghost Oki and/or DHC synergy.	Dysfunctional Autocombo: A bug with his 5LL limits its usage in stagger pressure, as well as being an annoyance that you're not in full control of the character Poor Tracking: Assist A is not great in neutral, as it's tracking is rather lackluster, which also may hurt it in certain midscreen blockstrings. Also has a skill floor, requiring a bit of labbing to implement in a team. Small Buttons: Being small is a double-edged sword. His buttons are a bit stubby, they can easily whiff or be beaten out. Resource Hungry: Two of his better pressure tools require meter, which can cause him to burn a lot of meter. Mixups without 236H+S or assists present can be a little weak.

Unique Mechanics

Special Canceling

Many of Gotenks' Special Moves can be canceled into one another. While this isn't exclusive to Gotenks, there is one unique property regarding his special cancelation.

When Miracle Super PunchGuard:
AllStartup:
9Recovery:
16Advantage:
-2 or the spinning portion of Great Special Rolling KickGuard:
AllStartup:
10Recovery:
19Advantage:
-5 is canceled on hit, there will be a hitbox connecting them to the next attack. This facilitating hitbox has startup of 1F, deals 10 damage, and has ground bounce property. This doesn't affect combo scaling and the extra damage is negligible, but it serves to make Gotenks' combos easier, as well as enable a few advanced routes utilizing the ground bounce.

Normal Moves

5L

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block
5L	400	All		6	3	12	-3
5LL	700	All		9	3	18	-5
5LLL	1000	All	U3+	14 (22 if 5LL whiffed)	9	25	0 (in air)

5L

A standard poke. Gotenks' fastest grounded button used for starting pressure, abare, and tickthrow.

5LL

Short ranged blockstring and combo filler.

† Bugged as of Version 1.31: If 5LL is delay canceled into and makes contact with an opponent, then once it enters recovery frames, 5LLL will be performed automatically. This makes 5LL nigh unusable for stagger pressure.

Stick to one of these to avoid the bug:

Don't delay cancel into 5LL
Don't delay cancel out of 5LL. Always immediately cancel into another button to override the queued 5LLL
Don't use 5LL in blockstrings, period. If you're a Teen Gohan main, should feel just like home

5LLL

Mostly a combo filler. Can be followed up into SD, 214M, 214S, etc.

Puts Gotenks airborne during recovery frames, so on block, Gotenks can airdash forward j.L to keep up the pressure, or backdash j.6S to bait and punish the opponent's anti-air attempts. This is best used sparingly as there are clear answers to both options.

5M

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
700	All		9	6	16	-5

Can be a stagger point, but technically punishable on block.
Important for combos due to it's jump cancel.
Can be up to -1 on block if spaced.

Standard 5M with decent forward momentum but nothing to write home about. Mostly a combo tool instead of a neutral tool.

5H

(Hold OK)

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
850 [1275]	All	U1	13 [40]	6	18	-8 [+1]

5H > 5S generally has great frame advantage and can be up to 0 on block at max 5H range.
Leads to above average damage with rejumps, but does not allow for sliding knockdown.
[] is fully charged.

Gotenks' strongest grounded normal. Has great forward momentum and a solid hitbox, but loses strongly to aerial approaches.

If charged fully it is +1, does increased damage, and causes a strong wall bounce midscreen. Use the charged version sparingly as the startup is massive and the reward is minimal. The advantage on block is dependent on the distance Gotenks was before 5H. An uncharged 5H at its maximum distance can be up to -3 on block. A fully charged 5H at its maximum distance can be up to +6 on block.

5S

(Hold OK)

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
350×1~4	All		14		25	-4

Can be repeated up to four times.

Your standard Ki Blast, not too much different from how other characters use it. Good for long range pokes. Gotenks also has easy ways around Ki Blasts himself with his 214X moves, which helps against characters that can out-zone him on the ground.

2L

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
400	Low		7	3	13	-4

Fast low for pressure.
Good stagger tool.

Gotenks' primary grounded mixup tool. Most often used in blockstrings as it's small size makes it a poor neutral tool.

2M

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
700	Low		11	6	17	-7

5L > 2M or 2L > 2M is anti reflect when used point blank

Important tool as it's the most forward momentum Gotenks has on a normal (aside from charge 5H), but still not to be pressed in neutral. Can be used as a stagger point, but it's on the dangerous side being -7.

2H

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
850	All	U1+	14	7	25+L	-16	4-16 Head

Unusually high reward due to rejumps.
Hits high and on both sides of Gotenks.

Very slow 2H, but with a lot of active frames. Mostly used to punish aerial approaches and super dashes. This move whiffs hard, so make sure it's going to hit if you throw it out. Cancels into air special moves, but all that means is you can't cancel into 214S.

Will occasionally hit people who try to vanish behind him due to the lasting hitbox

6M

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
850	High		24	6	4+6L

Standard overhead.

j.L

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
300×3	High [All]		7	1(3)1(3)1

Very active. You can usually just throw it out there.
Once a hit has been blocked, the remaining hits can be blocked low.

Amazing air-to-air option, probably his best. On block, it is very easy to just drag your opponent down to the ground and either continue pressure or reset them with a Dragon Rush.

j.M

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
700	High		9	3

Weak hitbox, but high active frames.

Mostly hits above him, useful as an air-to-air on opponents higher than you. Decent as a mixup tool but not all that great overall as it's overshadowed by it's heavier cousin as a jump-in.

j.H

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
850 / 1000	High	D1+ [D3+]	13	6

Smash hit causes a sliding knockdown

Incredible hitbox and priority, can hit crouching opponents from almost apex of normal jump height. Standard combo ender and Air to Ground neutral tool.

The move brings Gotenks to the ground more quickly, allowing for extremely ambiguous mix ups.

j.S

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
600	All		15		Total 32+3L

Pushes Gotenks back.
Hold to roll forward.

j.S[6] is very useful for certain assist extensions and super jump combos, as the roll allows him to link into j.L.

j.2H

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
850	All	U1+	13	4

Standard combo extender, jump cancellable.

Vital for combos as it leads to the most damage Gotenks can get while keeping Sliding Knockdown. Nothing to write home about but it gets the job done. Usually outshined by j.214M in the corner.

Special Moves

Miracle Super Punch

236L/M/H (Air & Hold OK)

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block
236L	100×4	All	9	{2(2)}×3, 2	16	-2
236M	50×8	All	9	{2(2)}×7, 2	12	whiff ~ +3
236H	50×8	All	9	{2(2)}×7, 2	12	+1

All Version

[] is on hold.
Can cancel into other special moves on whiff or hit, including itself. Moves cancelled into will be their air versions, and you can cancel as soon as the hitbox comes out.
Deals above average chip damage.
Moves forward.

236L

Moves forward.

Mostly blockstring filler. Good frame advantage at -2, allowing you to safely backdash away.

236M

Moves in an arc as if Gotenks jumps forward.
Although has 16 maximum hits, Gotenks will stop punching once he touches the ground.
Plus on block.
Allows air actions afterwards but adds landing recovery.

Yeah, it's plus, but not really worth going for. There's a gap because of how it moves that leaves it vulnerable to getting 2H'd. Your opponent should not be letting you get away with this move.

236H

Partial held does 16 hits.
Can control speed with left and right, holding left makes you go less distance while holding right sends you much further.
Can combo into 5L.

Really good in blockstrings, as it is the only plus on block move in the entire game that can be performed gaplessly from a blockstring with no strings attached. It's also pretty good at catching Superdashes, but this depends on positioning. The air version has no landing recovery, so you can use it after using another special on whiff to avoid said recovery frames. Due to the speed, it can also be helpful to allow you to try and escape the corner by doing 236H[6].

Great Special Rolling Kick

214L/M/H (Air OK)

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
214L	40×7, 600	All		10	14 (8) 2	19	-5	10-23 P1
214M	40×11, 800	All	U1+	10	22 (8) 2	18	(airborne)	10-31 P1
214H	40×11, 800	All	U1+	10	56 (8) 2	18	-4 (airborne)	10-55 P1
j.214L	40×7, 500	All		8	Until Landing (8) 2	19	-5	8-Landing P1
j.214M	40×11, 600	All	U1+	8	22 (8) 2	18	-4 (airborne)	8-29 P1
j.214H	40×11, 600	All	U1+	8	83 (8) 2	18	-4 (airborne)	8-90 P1

All Versions

Deflect Ki Blasts and have head property.
All versions can be cancelled into other special moves on whiff or hit, including itself. You can cancel as soon as the hitbox for the move comes out. Moves cancelled into will be their air versions.
Air versions can only be used once in the air.

L Versions

Ground version hops forward very fast.
Air version spins diagonally downward. Stops spinning once Gotenks lands or if he gets all 7 hits in.

Ground version can be used as a lariat, and with assists you can convert off of it. Not a great roundstart because it connects on frame 17. Most things will stuff it..

Air versions can set up for advanced rejumps. Can be good for getting to the ground quickly as well, though you still suffer the recovery. Not as useful as it's grounded version in terms of neutral but makes a wicked fake crossup.

M Versions

Spins in an arc upward.
Last kick wall bounces in the corner if Smash hasn't been used.
Allows for air actions afterwards but adds landing recovery.
Usful for very damaging combo routes in the corner

Can set up a left/right mixup by cancelling into 214H. Great combo filler as it enables j.H's sliding knockdown and therefore Ghost Oki.

H Versions

Without additional inputs, will slowly move straight forward.
Can be directed with . This gives Gotenks extreme high mobility.
Last kick wall bounces in the corner if Smash hasn't been used.

Really good tool to annoy your opponent in neutral, however, it is unsafe and can not be used to reset pressure like 236H can. Gotenks can airdash or double jump once it is done. It can also be used to get you out of a corner situation if you can somehow pull it off, or just using it as a general retreat/stall tactic. Gotenks can only go so high with the move though, so be careful.

Vengeful Shout

236S (Air & Hold OK)

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
236S	262×5	All		17	25	20+L	-16+L
j.236S	262×5	All		17	25	21

Gotenks leaps into the air and fires a beam from his mouth.
236[S] will feign the beam. Feign has 7 frames of landing recovery.
Cancels into SD.

Useful tool for Gotenks in neutral, while it isn't as good as Super Saiyan Goku's Kamehameha, it still is nice to have, especially because it is air OK. Can be useful for catching buttons from afar, or just to keep pressure on from full/midscreen. Still is somewhat slow though, so try not to get too reliant on this one.

Feign beam can bait out reflects, but it will lose to most 5L/5Ms, so try to use it with caution. Getting too predictable with it can lead you to getting blown up very easily. It also has landing recovery, making it difficult to use as anything other than a pressure reset.

Galactic Donuts

214S

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
600×2	All	U2+	29	1 (29) 1	3	+5

Gotenks forms a ring that appears around the opponent as well before binding them with it.
Tracks the opponent, it will spawn where they are when the input comes out.
"Beats" super dash should it ever hits.
Holding up during the move causes the donut to move upwards, allowing you to catch opponents who might jump out of it. Not entirely that useful, but it's something.
Can cancel into other special moves as soon as the 2nd hit connects.
You can get a superdash followup just by pressing S as the second hit connects.

Can have some applications in some weird blockstrings that take advantage of your opponent being focused solely on defense. It can beat some buttons as well, as mashing 5L will most likely lose to donut, but will lose to most reversals. Some buttons will even trade, and most will just hit Gotenks right out of it, such as 2M. Some will whiff (SSJ Vegeta 214H), but this is small compared to the amount of them that will hit Gotenks out of it. However, it is plus, so if you can perhaps scare your opponent into doing nothing but blocking, you might be able to get away with this. You can space this pretty well so that you might not get hit with 5H in blockstrings as well, so with that it functions well as a sort of blockstring reset, but it comes with some weaknesses as well. Use with caution.

In combos, it ends up being a lot more useful. While tracking is somewhat messy for some other options, it will always connect after Gotenks' 5LLL, and you can either cancel it into 236LM (or 236HS for some cool corner combos) or get an easy superdash followup. It's a very strong option for post-vanish combos anywhere on the screen, as it allows him to extend his damage.

DIE DIE Missile Barrage

j.214S

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
130×12	All		12	[P(5)] ×11, P	36+5L

Gotenks fires a series of Ki blasts similar to Vegeta's Air Consecutive Energy Blast.
Can be superdashed/reflected on block.

Does slightly more damage than j.214X in level 3 combos, but that's about all it's useful for. You can't really stop superdash with anything other than lvl3 and there are far better uses for your meter when playing Gotenks.

Z Assists

Assist A

Galactic Donuts

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
450, 315	All		47	1(30)1		+46

Great combo extension tool.
Incredibly high blockstun.

On hit, will bind the opponent and hold them in place for an elongated period of time. This can be very useful as a means to expand combos, especially in the air, and has incredible utility in mix-ups and resets with its whopping 46 frames of blockstun.

It can also be useful in neutral but the tracking is poor. Quick movement can dodge this assist so you'll have to use it in more specific situations.

Assist B

Miracle Super Punch

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
190, 133x5	All		25	21		+40

Incredibly strong combo and pressure tool.
Give the gift of Hands.
Has Head property, making it hard to use to cover your landings.

Yamcha A assist, but on Gotenks. Neatly covers all the bases that Assist A does not, as it's helpful for characters that don't rely on blockstun as much. Sadly it's still not a true neutral assist, but it covers a good amount of the screen for how fast it is. Can stuff superdash.

Assist C

Vengeful Shout

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
200, 140×4, 280	All		33 [20]			+30

Beam assist.
On hit, adds a strike that knocks the opponent back towards you.
Values in [ ] is when the opponent is in hitstun/untech.

Completes the holy trinity of assists. Having a beam assist, C Assist or not, fills the last niche that A and B do not.

While you give up some of the blockstring potential that A and B have due to having slightly less plus frames to work with, the neutral potential for this is strong, especially due to this beam allowing for explosive damage on hit if you play your cards right. Keep in mind that because it is a C assist, it will be available less often, so it can be a bit of a detriment if it doesn't actually end up hitting the opponent, either on block or on hit. Despite this, it is still a very legitimate assist choice. Play this with characters that need the help in neutral or can get a ton of mileage from a C Assist.

Super Moves

L+M Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack

236L+M

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
400×6	All		9+4	[1(9)] *6		-30

Gotenks spits out 6 ghosts, which immediately home in on and explode on the opponent.
Minimum damage: 120*6 (720)

Somewhat low damage for a super, as well as it's speed being a bit of a detriment as it can tend to whiff midscreen, but with a Z-Change into a faster super, the ghosts can connect easily. Certain characters can get a Dragon Rush off of their super with ghosts, such as Tien or Videl.

H+S Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack

236H+S

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
600×4	All				57 Total	+20 (per Ghost)

Gotenks spits out 4 ghosts, taunting the opponent as he does.
Minimum damage: 180*4 (720)
All 4 ghosts stay in place until the corresponding button is released, allowing you to do blockstrings and combos with the ghosts covering any opening.
Ghosts will wait for inputs for about 4 seconds before attacking by themselves.
Ghosts are affected by negative edge, which can be buffered by holding buttons during the super animation. This allows Gotenks to throw out the ghosts without having to actually use a button, at the cost of not having the button available.

Very strong tool for Gotenks, both for combos and for pressure. For combos, it allows Gotenks to set up solo snap and additional damage, and for pressure, it gives him a lot of freedom to work with and mix you up in ways that leave you constantly guessing and afraid of the ghosts. They can beat vanish on wakeup, as they will simply teleport into the ghosts, so it's useful for that as well. Usually Gotenks' best option post-sliding knockdown, even midscreen as he can superdash with ghosts to force the opponent to block, giving him a somewhat free approach option.

Charging Ultra Volleyball

214L+M (Air OK) or 214H+S (Air OK)

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
214L+M	3930	All		9+3			-30
j.214L+M	3930	All		9+3

Go-to meter dump for max damage combos, as being air OK allows Gotenks to fit in more attacks before ending with this. Due to the animation not resetting landing recovery, frame advantage on hit will fluctuate slightly depending on which moves were used in the combo. Gotenks will be +34 at best (no landing recovery) and +27 at worst (used after j.214S). Either way, it's still good enough for a safejump or simply maintaining pressure.

Is a projectile level 4, but only has 1 clash hit, so will lose against most other projectile Supers.

Minimum damage: 120, 140×3, 1120 (1660)
If Piccolo is on the team and hasn't been K.O'd, he will help out, and then afterward complain about how unnecessary that was