DBFZ/Android 18

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Overview

Overview

Android 18 is a mix-up character who uses her plethora of options to crack down the opponents' defense while using Support Attack to keep her safe. 18 doesn't enter the field alone, as her 214X series Support Attack allows her to summon her brother Android 17, who doubles as both an effective assist and the most dripped out character on the roster. Each one of the attacks that Android 17 can do are designed to help with 18's goal of slowly mounting pressure and pushing her opponent into the corner.

Once her enemy is nice and tucked away into the corner, Android 18's true worth comes to the forefront as she becomes a true mixup machine. Properly utilizing assists, Support Attack, and her own Back Grapple special can drown her opponent in a veritable ocean of moves coming their way, and 18 can capitalize on this immense pressure to open up her opponents and lay the smack down. Properly mastering the android siblings in tandem with each other can allow for some very long and damaging combos as well, and even create some unique situations such as a meterless snapback opportunity to continue the chase against fleeing opponents.

18's biggest weakness is her mediocre neutral presence, which informs many of her other weaknesses as well. Due to the fact that 18 has no strong neutral tools for closing the distance, she is incredibly reliant on her allies' assists to open the way and initiate a scramble. This means putting 18 on point is almost a must, and pairing her with assists designed to synergize with her moveset is the key to success. At the same time, a smart opponent who can successfully keep their distance from 18 nullifies many of her strengths, and she is hit particularly hard by anyone with even remote zoning potential, like Z Broly or Janemba.

Though 18 has a tough time getting into the range where she's most effective, it's not for nothing that she's remained a consistent pick in the competitive and casual scene alike - there's nothing quite like watching this blond-haired buzzsaw slice through any opponent unlucky enough to be in the corner next to her.

Android 18

Android 18 thrives off lock-down pressure in tandem with 17 to make opponents crack.

Pros

Cons

Extra Assist: Support Attack is a powerful offensive tool with several good lockdown, combo, and mix-up qualities. It also has great oki and corner damage.
Suffocating Mix-ups: 214HGuardAllStartup14RecoveryTotal 32Advantage- grants a unseeable 50/50 mix-up during a corner blockstring when done twice, for a total cost of 1 bar.
Unorthodox Assist: Assist AGuard-Startup10Recovery-Advantage- protects against most buttons and lets you steal a turn.
Command Grab: 236LGuardThrowStartup17Recovery24Advantage- is a fast command grab, and the other versions, although very slow, can be followed up with a combo.
Level 3 Oki: After her level 3 super Android 18 can get a 50/50 mix up anywhere on screen similar to pre-patch Android 21.

Poor Range: Normals have short range, resulting in lackluster neutral and approach options without assists. Particularly weak to Reflect > Raw Tag.
Aerial Game: No aerial abilities outside of Support Attack pressure at close range.

Normal Moves

5L

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block
5L	400	Low		6	3	13	-4
5LL	700	All		10	4	16	-4
5LLL	1000	All	U3+	12	5	17	-5

5L

6-frame normal, second fastest meterless attack 18 has.
Hits low.

Tied with Adult Gohan for the fastest low in the game. Great for stagger pressure, but its low hitbox means that some characters can jump out after she uses vanish.

5LL

Medium button in disguise.
Good frame advantage for stagger pressure.
Higher hitbox than 5M, some jump cancel combos will require this.

5LL moves foward after 5L to stay close, decent filler in pressure.

5LLL

Always Smashes. Combos into superdash.

5LLL is a knee that moves her forward.

5M

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
700	All		10	4	18	-6

-6 on block: staggers are possible but not recommended.
Jump cancels on hit.
Great horizontal range.

Moves her forward with a running elbow. A decent normal to close some space.

5H

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
850 / 1000	All	U1	15	4	22	-10

Combos into Superdash midscreen with Smash or without in the corner.
Sets up rejumps under the same conditions.

Moves forward and does a roundhouse. Follows into super dash so it's pretty good on hit or a delay gatling. Especially in corner to setup j.214M oki off soft knockdown.

5S

(Hold OK)

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
300×5	All		13		Total 36	-3

Can be repeated up to 5 times.

Good for controlling space. Has one more Ki Blast than the average of four, and if the opponent can shoot more than her she can cancel into 22S to stay safe. Also good to set up a downward-aimed Destructo Disc.

2L

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
400	Low		7	2	14	-4

Hits low.
Fast and good frame advantage makes it a good pressure tool.

Crouches and kicks at their feet. While not as fast as her 5L, it's still a good button to use to challenge pressure. Has abnormally low pushback, which can make it difficult to use crossups after.

2M

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
700	Low		11	6	18	-8

Slides if done out of dash.

Sweeps at their feet. Similar to Goku's, a generic but good low starter. Can low profile attacks, but this isn't likely to happen.

2H

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
850 / 1000	All	U1+	13	3	27+3L	-17	4-15 Head

Anti air that kicks upwards. Leaves her airborne so her followups are less than stellar. Has head invulnerable like any other 2H, use well.

Mainly used for 2H properties to anti-air or for 2H > j.214M for combos on the ground. Can be made safe on block with j.214L.

2S

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
600	All		32		Total 44	+8

Jumps into the air first, then fires.
18's movement is stopped while firing.
Cannot be true-stringed into without assists.

Blockstring reset tool with pretty generous plus frames, however it's arguably worse than other plus frame normals as it can also be superdashed through along with still being susceptible to reflecting, reversals, and mashing.

6M

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
850	High		24	6	4+6L	±0

Standard universal overhead strike.

j.L

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
400	High		6	3

Taller than it looks.

Decent air-to-air button, but mostly useful for combo filler.

j.M

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
700	High		11	3

Can cross up with IAD for a good mixup, and solid jumping normal. Has a deadzone in terms of where it can and cannot cross up.

j.H

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
850 / 1000	High	D1+ [D3+]	13	4

5LLLLLLL Dynamic hit can wall bounce.
j.H Smash hit causes a sliding knockdown.

Good for an instant overdash overhead opener or for pressure on block.

j.S

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
600	All		15		Total 35+3L

A ki blast at a sharp angle below 18.
Stops 18's movement while firing.

Not really useful. Combos into lvl3 without smash but that's about it.

j.2H

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
850	All	U1+	14	8

Combos into superdash with Smash.
Can be jump canceled.

Mostly delegated to combo filler. Enables j.H's sliding knockdown property and adds good damage to combos.

Special Moves

Back Grapple

236L or 236M/H (Hold OK)

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery
236L	600, 1000	Throw	D2	17	1	24
236M	600,1000 / 600,1100	Throw	U1+ → D2	30	1	24
236H	600,1200 / 700,1100	Throw	U1+ → D2	28	1	24

All Versions

Switches sides on connect.
Hold L/M/H prevents 17 from coming out.
17 also won't come out if he was used recently.

236L

Stomps opponent into a sliding knockdown.

236M

Throws opponent to 17, who then knocks them into a sliding knockdown.
Hold version corner splats.
Non-Smash version stomps into sliding knockdown like L version.

236H

Ground bounces the opponent into 17, who then launches them upward.
Jump and special cancelable.
Non-Smash version stomps into sliding knockdown like L version.

Support Attack

214L/M/S (Air & Hold OK) or 214H (Air OK)

18 fixes her hair while 17 does the work.
Different buttons correspond to different actions 17 take.
Holding down your button of choice will make grounded 18 get an air 17 call, or an airborne 18 get a grounded 17 call. She has access to every version anywhere.
Regardless of version, 17 will retreat if 18 gets hit or tags out.

Because 17 is attacking and not 18, this makes pressure off this move reflect-proof, since 18 herself isn't pushed back.

L Support Attack

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
214L	700	All		14	8	Total 39	-5
j.214L	700	All		20	3	Total 39

Ground Version

Does a knee strike to the opponent.

18's safe blockstring ender. High pushback when used midscreen which will generally put you back to neutral. Can also be used to setup assist pressure, but the usefulness varies depending on the assist.

Air Version

Does a launching kick.
Start-up is sped up when the opponent is in hitstun.
The spawn position changes when the opponent is in hitstun mid-air.

Useful as a frame trap from a blocked 2H, but not much else.

M Support Attack

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
214M	400×3	All		32	4(13)4(18)9 [4(8)4(18)9]	Total 39	+27
j.214M	450×2	All		23+	4(15)4	Total 32+7L

Ground Version

Startup for 2nd attack is reduced if 1st connects.
3rd attack only comes out if the 2nd hits.

Excellent for stealing turns and safely setting up mixups with an assist. 32 frame startup means you only need 17 frames of blockstun to make this a true string from 5H.

Air Version

17 appears in the air, falls closer to the ground and does a 2 hit string on the opponent.
Additional startup frames based on altitude, minimum of 23 frames.
Has Head attribute.

Primarily used for oki off 5H > SD > j.LLL > j.214M(oki) and from j.H sliding knockdown.

H Support Attack

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block
214H	117×10, 137×7	All	14	300	Total 32
j.214H	117×10, 137×7	All	14	300	Total 32
214H > 214H	117×10, 137×7	All	30		Total 39	+29
214H > j.214H	117×10, 137×7	All	30		Total 39+7L

Strikes a devastating conversation.
Stays on screen for slightly longer than 5 seconds, and is invulnerable to all projectiles during the TED talk.
Goes away if you call your assists. If the opponent calls their assists, 17 will teleport above the assists and fire an Energy Wave. If they tag out, he attacks in front of you. If they DHC, he tracks the new point character.
This attack can be manually triggered by inputting 214H/j.214H again and spending another 0.5 Gauge with, though this version doesn't track.
Unlike other versions, 18 can cancel this move into any other Support Attacks, or Back Grapples with 17.

The manual trigger for this move is absolutely horrifying, and is one of 18's most important pressure tools. You can set up 17 after a j.H knockdown and then time it so that this hits super meaty, allowing 18 to get pressure that is basically unseeable due to the explosion covering the blast - and even if you do nothing, you're still plus. Good for neutral as well, especially against opponents running lots of assists that are strong in neutral (such as beam assists), as it forces them to hold back or risk a character and possibly themselves getting hit by this move.

S Support Attack

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
214S	300×3	All		43		Total 39	+38
j.214S				26	40	Total 32		32-65 Non-throw, non-Super

214S

Appears behind 18 on the ground and fires 3 horizontal ki blasts.

j.214S

17 appears and does barrier.
Barrier is active from frames 32 to 65.
Blocks hits for 18 and any of her assists. Doesn't stop throws and supers.
Gains 25% Ki gauge each hit absorbed.

214[S]

17 appears and does barrier on the ground.

Destructo-Disc

236S

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
1000	All		18			-3

Can be controlled with holding and .
Explodes if it hits the ground, leaving Android 18 highly plus on hit or block.
Deals high chip damage.

Useful in both neutral and corner combos. Its aiming property means you can threaten from full screen, even if the control isn't that great. Aiming it into the ground results in an explosion that can extend 18's pressure in the corner, or even hit-confirmed into a combo. Deals high chip damage on block, a property shared with other disc-type moves.

Barrier

22S (Air OK)

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
22S						Total 48		4-39 Non-throw, non-Super
j.22S						Total 48		4-39 Non-throw, non-Super

Absorbs all strikes and projectiles. Loses to throws and supers.
Also blocks hits for assists.
Active from frames 4 to 41(?) and longer if a move hits it.
Successful absorb extends active frames and can be canceled into supers with L+M for lvl1 or 4L+M for lvl3.
Gains 25% Ki gauge each hit absorbed.
If Guard Cancel hits the shield they cannot act until they hit the ground. can now perform special moves while barrier is active.

Z Assists

Assist A

Barrier

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
			10				13-53 Non-throw, non-Super

Doesn't gain Ki for blocking attacks like the point version...
Shows up in front of the point character. Absorbs hits for both the point character and any other assists.
The barrier will NOT cover for you if you aren't inside it. Staying around the edge and attacks with large coverage will go right through 18 directly to you.

Android 18's assist is her barrier special that defends against incoming attacks. It can be a more situational assist but its ability to defend your point character from ranged attacks like beams can be pretty useful for setup characters like Beerus and Nappa to allow them to safely set up.

Assist B

Destructo-Disc

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
800	All		25			+26

45 frames of hitstun.

Very solid assist all around. Quick startup, beam properties, combo-friendly juggle, full screen, and decent blockstun. Certainly an easy choice if you aren't feeling barrier assist, but also a very good assist in its own right, on pretty much any team.

Assist C

Support Attack

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
450×2, 400	All		35 [20]			+55

Android 18 teleports to the opponent and begins to attack, does not track in the air

Super Moves

Energy Wave

236L+M (Air OK) or 236H+S (Air OK)

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
236L+M	130×10, 170×7	All	UDV	24~27+4	40		-27	10-?~37 All
j.236L+M	130×10, 170×7	All	UDV	24~27+4	40		-27	10-?~37 All

Costs 1 bar.
Minimum damage: 44*10, 54*7 (818)
Teleports forward about half screen, firing a beam down. Always moves upward unless the opponent is in range.
When in range:
- During combo: 18 tracks the opponent's current location and beams them down.
- Outside of combo (raw): Will teleport to their current X coordinate and slightly above the ground. Does not track vertically.
18 recovers before she has fallen halfway.

Meteor Moves

Accel Dance

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

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
214L+M	4218	All	UDV	9+3			-14 [+30]	1-? All
j.214L+M	4218	All	UDV	9+3		Until L		1-? All

Costs 3 bars.
Invulnerable from frames 1 to 23.
1718 minimum damage.
If Krillin is on your team and not on-screen, 18 will perform the super with the best boi Krillin instead of Android 17.
Can pick up multiple characters, meaning you can punish a poorly called assist character along with the character on point.
Drops in the perfect range to summon medium 17 for Oki

Invincible startup super. Reaches about 3/4ths screen distance, and can connect after almost any combo leaving the opponent in front of 18. Most of the damage is done during the last part, meaning the opponent can recover a fair chunk of blue life if Sparking Blast is active.