P4U2R/Kanji Tatsumi/Strategy

General Tactics

Attack Range: Kanji specializes in close range combat, enforcing scary high risk high reward mind games with his command grabs. His auto combo keeps him on top of his opponent, with the second hit of it moving him forward and being cancellable into low options, or jump canceled for overhead pressure and corner extension opportunities. His 214C punishes his opponents for playing too patiently and can be made faster/invincible with it's SB version. His 236C and j.214B grab them trying to jump out, both granting excellent knockdowns with potential for metered extensions. 236A moves him forward and is occasionally useful as a frame trap. It nets him decent damage and okizeme on counter hit. His 236B is similar, but plus while having a longer travel distance and a higher arc. It can be useful as a pressure extension tool for people who aren’t ready for it, but it is quite reactible. Be warned that the air versions are now minus. J.C is a great button to use air-to-ground, with the amazing benefit of being Body attribute instead of Head, making it nearly impossible to anti-air. [4]6X and D buttons make it difficult to zone Kanji, as the former has projectile armor, and the latter shoots a projectile as far as fullscreen. 5B puts blocking opponent’s into an immediate guessing game, as it allows to Kanji to repeat his RPS options.

Win Condition: Kanji's win condition is to land any solid hit on the opponent. This is easier said than done due to his slow movement speed, but thanks to the threat of Take Mikazuchi, the opponent must take risks. Use these moments to analyze their habits and set up an opportunity to knock them down. From there, he can use his OTG 236A to stay on top of the opponent and put them at the full mercy of his RPS. If his opponent wants out and decides to commit to a reversal, this is where his damage and mindgame potential truly shines. Kanji is an absolute Counter hit monster, being able to delete at least half the opponent’s life bar without spending meter on even his weakest attacks. If you manage Fatal the opponent, they are more than likely eating a round ending combo. Spending even just a little bit of meter can as much as triple your damage output.

Anti Airs: Kanji's anti airs are very unorthodox compared to the rest of the cast, each having shortcomings in their own ways. Understanding when, how, or if to anti air is a large part of fighting more troublesome characters.

2B: Slow, but big. Hits behind. Leads to a great combo on CH. Hard to use on reaction: usually used as a prediction or anti-jump tool on wakeup.

236C: Fast-ish but has low head invuln and is not a strike. Motion input makes it a bit harder to use on reaction, but less so than 2B. Low reward unless you're Shadow and you pop frenzy. Kanji's safest grounded anti-air, but safe is only relative.

214D: Prophets only. Can catch certain players IADing to swag, but is not something that should be used outside specific situations. You can use this move to condition players who love to IAD, or as a hard read. (You may be noticing a pattern here: Kanji cannot usually anti-air on reaction. This is a weakness of his.) Be very certain this will hit if you use it because otherwise you look dumb. High reward- makes your opponent sad and does a lot of damage.

rising j.A: Melty tactics. Kanji's jA hits at a great angle for air to airs and is very fast. Is not really an anti-air but it is usable on reaction, kind of. You will lose if you press last against characters with big and obnoxious air buttons. Low reward, but low risk.

For a comprehensive guide of Kanji pressure, check ribbiwawa's doc (https://docs.google.com/document/d/13WP2GSn2syz_HiGw0pxLSTHql-AAeWtiPwSzlOFMs-I/edit)