DBFZ/Bardock

Overview

Overview

Combos

Strategy

Frame Data

Resources

Overview

Bardock is a character that changed the future of DBFZ. He exploited the system so hard that his tools had to be standardized across the cast, and the techs he abused got completely removed from the game. Throughout the years, this old dog has been ridiculously powercrept with characters now doing things he used to, but better. Everything that was unique about him is now the norm.

With that said, being a character that directly shaped the game means Bardock's playstyle is the DBFZ playstyle. He likes to turn himself into a projectile and punch his opponent in the face with his famed "lariatGuardAllStartup7Recovery20Advantage-4". Once he gets in, Bardock has great stagger pressure thanks to good frame data, and a pressure reset moveGuardAllStartup24~32Recovery21Advantage+4 that can double as a devastating combo starter. He has a simple gameplan and that's all he needs. Picking Bardock means learning and mastering the fundamentals of DBFZ.

Bardock

Fastest Attacks

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Reversals

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 Bardock is a brawler character who excels in the neutral game with his fast and far-reaching attacks.

Pros

Cons

• Rebellion Spear: The special move that started it all, also known as "lariat". These are still the fastest, forward-advancing, neutral skip moves in the game, and are Bardock's main approach tools due to their efficiency.
• Strong Pressure: Excellent stagger capabilities with almost every normal being safe on block. Also has the ability to make himself plus on block with Tyrant LancerGuardAllStartup24~32Recovery21Advantage+4.
• Autocombo: L autocombo is a string of 3 solid normals boasting great range and properties, allowing him to go wild with them during scrambles.

• Honesty: Simple and predictable gameplan. Defending against Bardock is often described as "easy".

Normal Moves

5L

• 
• 
• 

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
5L	400	All		6	3	16	-3
5LL	700	All		11	3	18	-5
5LLL	1000	All	U3+	13	3	17	-4	1-15 Head

5L

This button is utterly amazing. It's one of the few attack level 2 jabs in the entire game, which gives it some unique properties. Its massive range lets him re-assert easily after spacing himself out, and being a higher level than most jabs, it will leave you at advantage on trades. His tick DR is about 4 frames slower because it has more blockstun, but this is only a slight inconvenience. You also have more time to delay a 2L and keep the string true, making it even easier to space yourself out. Its speed and range also makes it a good check to superdash if you happen to catch a raw tag.

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5LL

• Ground bounces on hit.

Infamously large hitbox and its ability to bring down airborne opponents along with the ground bounce property gives Bardock a very easy conversion. He can "unga bunga" mash in scrambles to great effect, and to great reward being an unscaled starter. Its only real downside is how slow it is at 11 frames, meaning you'll be relying on 4L in clashes instead of this button.

This is also a very important enabler for Bardock's more complex combos like Sparking! and Sparkless loops as well as for optimal corner routes.

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5LLL

• Invincible to jumping attacks.

Just like the other two attacks in his auto combo, this move also has a massive hitbox that can snipe airborne opponents. Though the reward from this isn't as severe.

5M

• 

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
700	All		12	4	16	-4

• Great frame advantage.
• 2L > 5M is Bardock's main antireflect string, but it only works up close.

Mostly combo filler and a way to get Bardock close to the opponent, as it will almost always leave him point-blank if used in a blockstring. Bardock can space himself out quite easily, and a fully spaced 5M can be -1 on block. This lends itself very nicely as a pressure tool to stagger back into 5L.

5H

• 

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
850 / 1000	All	U1	15	3	21	-8

• Disjointed hitbox swing.
• Mostly blockstring filler.

Useful in corner combos and can be linked off of if it hits meaty. Can be used midscreen as Bardock has a force SKD tool, but not recommended due to how little frame advantage he has afterwards.

5S

• 

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
500	All		13		Total 34	-1

• Launches on hit.
• Great frame advantage when even slightly spaced out.

One of the stronger 5S in the game when used in pressure, and in neutral can confirm into 236H at any range. 5S > 236H can frame-trap from full screen while converting into a combo with an assist. Even if he doesn't have multi Ki Blasts, it's still a great Ki Blast in its own right.

2L

• 

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

• Hits low.

Integral part of Bardock's pressure/mixup in conjunction with 5L since it can stagger into itself and gatling into other normals.

2M

• 

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
700	Low		10	3	18	-5

• Bardock's party starter.

Another surprisingly good stagger tool. Doesn't advance Bardock forwards very much, which can set up threatening spacings after 2L.

Will whiff after 5L>LL at max range so be careful not to autopilot your strings when spaced out.

It's also important not to use this in your blockstrings if you want to do the corner Superdash 50/50 because it spaces him out in such a way that the low option after SD (2L) will whiff against most characters. Basically, don't do 2M > SD or 2M > 5M > SD and you're good.

2H

• 

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
850 / 1000	All	U1+	13	3	28	-15	4-15 Head

• Go to anti-air.

Privileged hitbox, can sometimes even anti air a vanish regardless of the opponent's vanish placing themselves behind Bardock.

6M

• 

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

• Universal overhead.
• If blocked, 4LL 236x clash beats nearly anything that isn't invincible, making Bardock's 6M uncontestable for a lot of characters

Bardock's privileged jab having medium hitstun and blockstun makes him more of a threat after 6M than usual in the corner. He's usually +5 after a trade and will beat the slower 7f normals clean.

j.L

• 

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
400	High		6	3	13

• Low horizontal range, and nerfed vertical range.
• Can gatling into itself using j.4LL.

Hits very low thus can be used for IAD overheads and cross-ups (Confirm cross-ups with j.LS). Easy to confirm with j.LL as an air-to-air, but the hitbox is lacking nowadays. Usually tacked on after a j.M connects for a second overhead.

j.M

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Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
500×2	High		8	2(8)2	13

• Hits twice, both are overheads.
• Chains backwards into j.L.
• Faster than usual, but also higher commitment.
• Can crossup, but only at the base of the kick.
• The first hit can combo into j.214M everywhere on screen. It's also possible to combo j.M(1) jc j.DR at low hitstun decay.

Arguably one of Bardock's stronger air buttons. Fast and has disjointed hitbox at the tip of the kick.

j.H

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Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
850 / 1000	High	D1+ [D3+]	13	4	19

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

Prime jump-in overhead. Mostly safejump material due to the high hitbox and chunky blockstun, although it cannot be converted out of if it hits an airborne opponent.

j.S

• 

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
500	All		13		Total 34+5L

• Pauses his air momentum during the shot.

Great neutral tool and combo bridge for Bardock, but the angle leaves a lot to be desired. Great for converting out of j.L, as IAD j.LS is a combo on hit and around +17 on block. Can true string or frame trap into a grounded 236H depending on the spacing.

j.2H

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Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
850	All	U1+	12	4	22

• Pushes Bardock up and forwards.

Combo filler. Useful midscreen as it enables his best knockdown with j.H, but 214X is much more useful in the corner. Can be used to setup mixups on oki with a beam assist in a similar fashion to Base Vegeta.

Special Moves

Rebellion Spear

236L/M/H (Air OK)

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• 

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
236L	900	All		7	7	20	-4
236M	300,600 →1100	All	U1+	8	6(3)5	21+7L	-16	4-21 Head
236H	300,600 →300,1100 →1100	All		6	3~7,3,5	24	-5
j.236L	900	All		7	7	17	-4
j.236M	300,600 →1100	All	U1+	9	Until L(2)3	28	-5
j.236H	300,600 →300,1100 →1100	All		6	3~7,3,5	24	-5

236L

• Attacks straight ahead.
• Keeps the opponent in place on grounded hit. Sends opponent flying horizontally on air hit.
• This version specifically jails into Vanish. Oh, the memories...

Bardock's iconic Rebellion Spear, often called his "lariat" by the DBFZ community - a nickname which spread to other advancing moves in the game. Travels incredibly far and incredibly fast, allowing it to be used as an ability to dominate neutral. When combined with an assist, can be used to instantly start pressure and turn the blocked attack into his favor. If it hits, Bardock can get a full combo afterwards.

Due to its extreme speed and threat, opponents will generally refuse to be in a horizontal line from Bardock, or will constantly be attempting to sniff it out and punish with a backwards IAD.

As a little extra, this move alone makes Bardock a huge pain to deal with after blocked 6Ms. Every version of 236x is so fast (with 236H notably being 6 frames) that doing 5L > 4L > 236x is basically unbeatable by any other strings opponents might do.

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236M

• Damage depends on distance.
• Both ground and air versions are the cornerstones of Bardock's combos.
• Aerial version jails into Vanish. On Smash hit, ground bounces and spikes the opponent back up.
• Grounded version has Bardock recover airborne, leaving him in SJ Install and allowing for some left-right mixups.
• Air version is integral to his left/right mixup game; Bardock doesn't have a good cross-up button at point blank so he can use j.236M for cross-ups instead in those situations. It's also very strong as a same side fakeout.

Ground version is a very fast anti-air but with low reward in mid-screen. Smashless version can link into j.L or j.M anywhere on the screen, allowing for extra corner carry and some very silly optimal corner loops.

Air version is used at the start of midscreen combos and can be used for things like SD confirms as well, since the Smash version bounces opponents up to where Bardock is no matter how high up he is. Smashless version meanwhile has a small groundbounce that allows for easy and consistent assist extensions.

Finally, both versions can combo into DR in the corner, allowing for snap if you want it, or a way to get a knockdown after a raw 214x starter should you ever land one.

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236H

• Damage depends on distance: midscreen → midscreen to almost fullscreen → exactly fullscreen.
• Moves straight ahead, crosses up on hit or block.
• On hit, can followup with an additional attack by pressing L/M/H. This attack is identical to 236M/j.236M and doesn't cost Ki.

Six frame startup, goes even further, hits twice and will blow through a lot. If 236L wasn't enough to get in, this is a great use of meter. Mostly handy as a potential full-screen conversion off of 5S.

Tk.236H + assist can setup for a high/low/crossup in the corner. You can also solo-convert specifically the TK'd version of this move, so if your execution allows it, make sure to do that.

Raging Meteor

214L/M/H (Air OK)

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Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
214L	50×4, 1000	All×4, High	D1	10	10(4)5	16	-5
214M	50×6, 1100	All×6, High	D1	8	15(4)5	16	-5
214H	50×6, 1300	All×6, High	D1	7	14(1)5	16	-5
j.214L	50×4, 900	All×4, High	D1	11	8(4)5	15
j.214M	50×6, 1000	All×6, High	D1	19	13	21
j.214H	50×6, 1200	All×6, High	D1	8	13	15

All Versions

• Smash effect occurs on the last hit.
• Every version's last hit is an overhead.

Don't use any version as a mixup by itself, the multihitting properties of the move make it extremely easy to react to. However, this can actually play in Bardock's favor: since opponents must block it standing, Bardock gets to do fuzzy mixups off it with the right assists (i.e. Baseku A, 17 A).

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214L

• Smash hit causes a very short sliding knockdown.

Grants next to no oki from midscreen, but is a decent combo ender in the corner. Gives a superjump IAD safejump in said corner.

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214M

• Smash hit causes a ground bounce SKD.

j.S > j.214M is Bardock's preferred corner combo ender at low hitstun decay, as the ground bounce gives lots of time for easy assist extensions, supers, or simply better oki.

Some players also prefer ending combos with ground 214M over j.214L due to having better oki, though at the cost of damage and meter. Ground 214M also sets up an assist-regenerating safejump with 214M > 5M (whiff) > IAD j.M. If it hits, you can convert with 236M.

This is also your ideal blockstring ender thanks to its corner carry, speed and safety but it can be a bit weak against some guard cancel options.

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214H

• Smash hit causes a ground bounce SKD.

j.S > j.214H works from midsceen with all the pros of corner j.214M.

Aside from being a combo ender, it's a great air-to-air option with very fast start-up and relatively little recovery. As well as this, Bardock can score a triple overhead with it after an IAD jump-in, but requires resources to get any more damage off of it afterwards.

Tyrant Lancer

236S (Hold OK)

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• 

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
236S	1000 / 600×2	All	U1+	24~32	2	21	+4
236[S]	1500 / 800×2	All	U1+	33~46	2	21	+8

236S

• Wall bounces, can only followup without resources in the corner.
• Jails into Vanish.

Bardock's best combo starter in the corner and is commonly used as a reset tool in blockstrings as it's plus on block. Cancelling from any normals will leave a big mashable gap. Despite that, opponents attempting to beat this on reaction will get hit more often than not. Mixing this in with superdash + assist is a great way to horrify opponents into either mashing preemptively or respecting way more than they should.

This is also a good combo ender alternative to grounded DR when possible, as it builds a lot of meter and supers will always connect after it.

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236[S]

• Big wallbounce that can be followed up anywhere.

Even higher reward on hit, commonly used after popping Spark for midscreen Sparking combos. In blockstrings, can be used to scare opponents from Reflecting uncharged 236S.

Note that you don't actually have to hold this down the entire way to get the upgraded properties! You only need to hold it until you see smoke rise from the ground near Bardock's feet (or until frame 33 more specifically, according to the chart above).

Z Assists

Assist A

Rebellion Spear

• 

Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
800	All		20			+27

• Swiftly performs 236L, covering a large distance.

Bardock A is solid, and is always a good choice if you're looking for something that can quickly get a hit in during the mid range. Launches at a nice angle for combos and travels the screen very quickly, making Bardock A an assist that can cover several bases all while remaining simple to use. You can't go wrong with this.

Although there's a minor caveat, with seasonal powercreep many characters now have strike assists that are similarly fast but have better blockstun or other strange properties that would make them more favorable than Bardock A. If you have one such character on your team, you may want to use Bardock's B assist instead. This isn't to say Bardock A is in any way bad, quite the contrary, you just may cover more bases with B should the aforementioned situation come to light.

Assist B

Tyrant Lancer

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Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
1000	All		35			+46

• Somewhat slow, but very high blockstun and hitstun.

While you're giving up the fast, strong tool of A assist, the benefits that B offers are titanic, as it grants plenty of time to start a combo on hit, and automatically enables mix-up pressure on block. Since both A and B assists are great for combos, which assist you want to choose will depend on your team and what gameplan you're going for. Between this and his A assist, Bardock can fill any niche you need.

Assist C

Rebellion Combination

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Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
300, 600, 400	All		45 [20]			+35

• Teleports to the opponent and performs a two-hit combo. Causes groundbounce sliding knockdown on hit.
• Tracks anywhere on the screen

Not really worth it. While Assist C can be good in it's own right for many characters, Bardock's other two options are just much too good to really give up. It does track anywhere on the screen - even in the air, so it does have some utility there, but even then it's hard to give up the options of assist A's fast reach and versatility, or assist B's incredibly high blockstun and easy confirms on hit. Your other characters probably have better Assist C options than Bardock does, anyway. It's not a bad option in any means - his other assists are just much better. If you absolutely want to run a C assist and you like the potential that Bardock's teleporting C assist brings, it's not a bad call, but you're giving up a lot in comparison to his other assists.

Super Moves

Riot Javelin

236L+M (Air OK)

• 
• 

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
236L+M	2200 [1100]	All	UDV	5+4		Total 72	-21	10-21 All
j.236L+M	2200 [1100]	All	UDV	5+4		Total 72		10-21 All

• Hold [9] or [3] to aim the ground version upwards, and air version downwards. Downward version causes a ground bounce.
• Normal version has minimum damage of 814, downward is 748.
• As Saiyan Spirit follow-up, only does half the damage.
• If you Ultimate Z-Change into this move in the corner, Bardock will be pushed out of the corner, seemingly to allow you to aim it easily.

Saiyan Spirit

236H+S (Air OK)

• 
• 

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
236H+S	1318, 1590	All	UDV	4+6	1(2)2	33 [41]	-19 [-26]	1-14 All
j.236H+S	1318, 1590	All	UDV	4+6	1(2)2	Until L		1-14 All

• Minimum damage: 395, 318.
• Goes just over half screen, only does 1590 if hits at the tip.
• Can be followed up with Riot Javelin by pressing L/M/H/S on hit. This version can also be directed up or down.

Although invincible on start-up, opponents can Vanish on reaction to the super flash, making it a near-useless reversal against normals. The forward movement does make vanishes whiff, so it's more of a get-out-of-jail-free card as opposed to a damaging reversal.

Also to note that if this super is used midscreen, 2nd hit > lvl2 still does less damage than his other level 1.

Revenge Assault

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

• 
• 

Version	Damage	Guard	Smash	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	Invuln
214L+M	4248	All	UDV	9+3	12	27	-14	1-23 All
j.214L+M	4248	All	UDV	9+3	12	Until L		1-23 All

• Charges straight forward.
• On hit in midscreen, Bardock is left a full screen away from the opponent.
• H+S version sideswitches.
• Minimum damage: 1718.

Easy Super for solo combos or to DHC into. +39 and almost fullscreen on hit. Midscreen, Bardock barely gets a j.H safejump off it and it doesn't even actually hit meaty. In the corner, however, he can do a superjump IAD float 50/50. A far cry of what it used to be, but a decent super nonetheless.

Colors

• DBFZ Bardock color1.png

  Color 1

• DBFZ Bardock color2.png

  Color 2

• DBFZ Bardock color3.png

  Color 3

• DBFZ Bardock color4.png

  Color 4

• DBFZ Bardock color5.png

  Color 5

• DBFZ Bardock color6.png

  Color 6

• DBFZ Bardock color7.png

  Color 7

• DBFZ Bardock color8.png

  Color 8

• DBFZ Bardock color9.png

  Color 9

• DBFZ Bardock color10.png

  Color 10

• DBFZ Bardock color11.png

  Color 11

• DBFZ Bardock color12.png

  Color 12

• DBFZ Bardock color13.png

  Color 13¹

• DBFZ Bardock color14.png

  Color 14¹

• DBFZ Bardock color15.png

  Color 15¹

• DBFZ Bardock color16.png

  Color 16¹

¹Seasonal colors that can be unlocked at different times of the year.

Navigation

 Bardock

Overview

Combos

Strategy

Frame Data

Resources

To edit frame data, edit values in DBFZ/Bardock/Data.

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