P4U2R/Mechanics

This page explains the system and universal mechanics in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. Applicable frame data for some mechanics can be found on the Frame Data page.

Movement

Grounded Movement

Walking

[4] or [6] while on the ground ( or )

Walking is the most basic form of ground-based movement, which is the slowest but also presents the least risk for the character as they can change or stop their movement direction immediately, and also block immediately. The speed at which the character walks at varies based on the direction (forward or backward), which also varies based on character.

Running

6[6] while on the ground ()

Pressing in quick succession when on the ground initiates a dash, and you can keep holding to continue running forward for a run. When the character stops running, they will slide to a halt.

During the sliding animation at the end of a run, the character is considered standing and cannot block or crouch for 2 frames, but it can be canceled it into attacks (including crouching attacks) and jumps.

Paired with dashing, there is a technique known as "microdashing", which refers to quickly cancelling a dash into an attack, allowing you to link certain moves in pressure and combos by using the forward momentum of the dash to increase the range of an attack.

Backdash (Backstep)

To perform a backdash, press

quickly. All backsteps have 6 frames of invincibility at the start (Aigis's Origa mode backdash has 7), so they are useful for escaping enemy attacks if timed correctly. Backsteps can not be canceled into anything: you must wait for the entire backstep to finish before performing any further action, with the exclusion of Aigis's Orgia backdash. This means that while backsteps can evade attacks, they can be baited if the opponent performs a slow, long-reaching attack, or if the opponent anticipates the backstep and moves forward to hit you out of the backstep's recovery. Backdash recovery time varies among characters, with some recovering faster than others.

Backdashes are disabled in the following instances:

Upon wakeup: the game's engine disables backsteps for the first 4 frames after recovering from knockdown.
- Aigis's Orgia backdash is not disabled on wake-up.
When blocking: in order to backdash out of your opponent's pressure, there must be a gap between their attacks.
- You cannot backdash for 1 frame after blocking low, meaning that there must be a 2 frame gap in an opponent's string if you wish to change from blocking to backdashing. If you attempt to backdash when there is not a sufficient gap, you will change to standing block but fail to backdash, leaving you vulnerable to low attacks.
- When blocking high, there must be a 1 frame gap between your opponent's attacks.

Evasive Action (Roll)

Press A + C to perform a dodge forward that can avoid attacks and pass through the opponent, similar to a forward roll found in the King of Fighters series. This can be used to evade enemy attacks and projectiles, but not throws and command throws. There is a recovery period at the end of an Evasive Action that is punishable, as Evasive Actions leave the player in a counter-hit state. Finally, Evasive Action's strike invincibility does not begin on the first frame, so they are a poor option on wake-up, as the opponent can easily beat the Evasive Action before it gains invincibility.

In pressure, rolling allows you to create cross-up scenarios by having your persona attack from one side while you move to the other: since the opponent must block in relation to the player's position and not the persona's, Evasive Action offers interesting cross-up options. However, there are restrictions on left-right cross-ups, which are discussed here.

This is one of the few methods of movement available when shocked.

Evasive Action invincibility:

1-2F projectile invincible.
3-24F strike and projectile invincible, can pass through opponent.
33F total duration.
Counter Hit state from 3F onward.

Evasive Actions are commonly called "rolls" by players, while in Japan, they're often referred to as "Quick Escapes."

Ground Ukemi (Ground Tech)

Can be delayed.

When your character is knocked to the ground, press or hold any single button to recover, causing your character to flash white and flip off the ground. This entire animation is invincible (duration: 33 frames), but it is slow, thus giving your opponent time to set up a mixup.

You can delay when you ukemi (tech) in order to throw off the opponent's attack timing, but this carries some risk. You are vulnerable while laying on the ground, and if you wait too long to tech, your character will automatically rise from the ground. This rising animation is completely safe, but the time before you start rising is completely vulnerable and allows the opponent to start a new combo on you with damage scaling reset!

There is a 10 frame window where you can delay your ukemi, but this causes a proportional shortening of the animation so the end result is being actionable and vulnerable on the same frame regardless of this delay. If you do not ukemi "immediately" (within this 10 frame window) when you touch the ground, there is a short period of time where you can not ukemi (duration: 30 frames). The opponent can hit you during this time and continue the combo, though the HUD will show that the combo was invalid (since you could have escaped earlier) and the proration from the previous combo will carry over.

Air Movement

Jump/Double Jump: Press any of the upward directions to jump. All characters can also perform a double jump by jumping again while midair. Ground jumps have 3 frames of startup where you are still considered on the ground, are invincible to throws, can not block, and can cancel the jump startup into ground Skill Attacks. Once airborne, you will not be able to block for the first 5 frames, making jumping a risky evasive maneuver.
Super Jump: To Super Jump, start from , then quickly press any downward direction, then any upward direction. Super Jumps have startup just like normal jumps. They are used to create vertical distance between you and your opponent as well as to run away; super jump over the opponent, then air dash away! Note that you can not double jump after a super jump, so your only air option is to air dash.
Hop

Low and Throw Invincible on Frame 1! Now a combo and pressure tool.

Press + + while on the ground to perform a short jump forward.; Hops have Foot attribute invincibility and throw invincibility on startup, so they're useful for jumping over the opponent's low attacks and ground throws. Actions can not immediately be performed after a hop (you must wait a until the apex of the hop) and you can not perform air dashes/double jumps at all during a hop (but you can air turn). In addition to that, you can not block at all during a Hop, are in counter-hit state during the move, and any attack performed by cancelling into a hop can be blocked both high and low.; Hops can be canceled into from many normals, making them useful offensively to reset pressure strings and as a combo tool. Cancelling into a hop from a normal attack is considered to be a special cancel.; Defensively, hops can be used to beat opponents mashing throws and low attacks. And just like Evasive Actions, hops can performed even when shocked!
Air Turn

Press

+

while airborne to turn around mid-air. This can be used to turn to face opponents who run under you to the other side, to hit the opponent as you jump over them, as well as to perform forward air dashes away from the opponent (which not only travel a longer distance than air backdashes, but also prevent you from entering Negative Penalty).

When inputting specials, you must input them in relation to your character's direction.

For example, if Narukami is facing away from his opponent, you must input j.236A to perform Raging Lion, not j.214A.

Air Dash Forward/Backward: While airborne, press 66 to perform an air dash forward, and 44 to perform an air dash backward. Airdashes are used to cover large distances quickly, but they are vulnerable during startup.; All air backdashes are invincible from frames 1-5.; A common tactic is to perform an air dash immediately after jumping in order to cover distance quickly and avoid ground attacks; in fact, this tactic is so common that it has its own name: Instant Air Dash (IAD). IADs are performed by pressing 956 for a forward air dash and 754 for a backward air dash. The idea is that the jump includes a directional input that also counts as an input for the air dash command.

Air Ukemi ("Air Tech")

Pick a direction with

,

, or

Air ukemi when the blue bar at the bottom is empty.

After being hit in the air, a blue bar will appear under the combo counter. This bar represents how long air ukemi (air tech) is disabled. Hold any button down while you are getting hit in the air and you will air ukemi as soon as the blue bar empties. By holding left, right, or up (or no direction at all), you can choose the direction you recover.; Air ukemi takes 15 frames and you are invincible the entire time.; If you touch the ground before you air ukemi, you can then perform a ground ukemi.; Usually, you will want to ukemi immediately when possible, but opponents can take advantage of this behavior by setting up a mixup that you will be forced to block when you ukemi. A common counter to this tactic is to delay your ukemi in order to throw off the opponent's mixup timing, but this carries some risk; the opponent can simply hit you before you ukemi and continue to combo you!; Additionally, when choosing to air ukemi, be mindful of the opponent's position. After an air ukemi is performed, you are vulnerable to air unblockable attacks, allowing your opponent to catch your air tech and reset you into a new combo for huge damage.
Regaining Air Options: After air blocking, air ukemi, or breaking an air throw (or having your air throw teched) you can air dash and double jump again. Therefore, it's possible to do things like air dash, get hit, air ukemi, then air dash or double jump a second time! Or Super Jump, break an air throw, then double jump!
Prejump: Jumps and High Jumps are not instantaneous - before going airborne, your character will enter a state called prejump, where you can not block, but are invincible to throws. If you are hit during prejump, you will enter standing hitstun.; Characters have different amount of prejump frames, but the rule of thumb is that the heavier/slower your character is, the longer the prejump. Exact values for prejump can be found in each character's frame data.

It is actually possible to cancel prejump into Skills, and SP Skills, though for most characters is not used very often. The reason for this is that attacks that involve an Up input, such as Mitsuru's Bufula ([2]8C/D) can be used without doing tricks to hide the jump input (such as whiffing moves beforehand).
Landing Recovery: Some airborne moves have landing recovery like Yu's Aerial Zio.

This is straightforward; upon landing you will enter a landing animation where you are completely vulnerable.

When landing from a jump, there is still a unique 4F landing recovery that disables certain actions for limited amounts of time.

1F after landing you can cancel into all actions except forward/backward walk, all jumps, and backdash

4F after landing all actions are possible

Another quirk about landing in this game is that the frame before landing, you are considered grounded meaning you can be hit by ground throw during the last frame of jumping and getting hit on the last frame will result in ground hitstun.

Cancels

Auto Combo: Each character has a combo that can be done by rapidly pressing the A button. More information can be found here.
Special Cancel: Most normal attacks can be canceled into specials, Furious Actions, and super attacks. This is generally used to create combos, but can have other applications as well.
Jump Cancel: Some normal attacks can be canceled into jumps, super jumps, and hops. This is used in combos as well as block strings and mixups. Some attacks can only be jump canceled on hit.
One More! Cancel: Press A+B+C to cancel any attack that does not whiff (in other words, any attack that touches the opponent) to cancel the attack and bring yourself back into a neutral state. This type of cancel is very powerful for use in making new frame traps, creating and extending combos, or making your attacks safe. More detailed information can be found here.
Super Cancel: Cancel a Skill or Furious Action into a super in order to extend combos. Super Cancels convert 6.5% of your max health into Blue Health.
Dash Cancel: Some attacks can be canceled into a dash (either forward or backward), such as Chie's 5C. This is different from canceling into a run since this dash runs a preset distance and cannot be canceled into anything else.
P Combo: Normal attacks can be canceled into other normal attacks and jump. Each character has different rules as to which normals can cancel into what other actions (some attacks can't be canceled at all!). This is analogous to Guilty Gear's Gatling or BlazBlue's Revolver Action. The general flow is that attacks cancel from A > B > C > D. You can find your character's exact rules in the Frame Data section.
Clash

Clashes happen when two opposing hitboxes touch each other. During a clash each character can cancel the attack into any action the attack can normally be canceled into on block, in addition to always being able to cancel into throw, sweep, All Out Attack, Specials, One More Cancel, or Supers.

The cancel window is very small, so you must be fast to react to it. Thus when clashes happen either the players are unable to react to it because it is unexpected, or they understand how the attacks interact well enough to intentionally cause a clash to cancel out the opponent's attack, then retaliate with their own!

Input Buffer

Advanced Input

When you hold down an attack button, the game repeats the button input every frame for as long as the button is held down for up to 5 frames (speculated). This means that difficult links are easier to do by holding the button a little earlier than usual.

Example: Mitsuru can do Throw > 5A in the corner, but the timing is difficult. By holding the button a little before the end of the throw's animation, you will be able to do the 5A immediately after the throw finishes its recovery.

The technique is useful for punishing opponent's blocked attacks as quickly as possible.

Similarly, the same principle can be applied to runs/backsteps/airdashes!

If you input a run within 5F (speculated) of the end of an attack's recovery, then regardless of any directional inputs after that, you will begin dashing as soon as recovery ends. This can also be done any time while your character can not move, such as during blockstun, on wakeup, etc.

This technique is especially useful for runs because it gives your attacks more range for free; by buffering both an attack and a run, you will attack as soon as possible while sliding forward! This technique is useful for linking together combos as well as punishing things after blocking. In fact, some combos rely on this property to link a running 5A/B/C/D or else the combo wouldn't work.

Super Flash Buffer

During an opponent's super flash/freeze (when they perform a super attack, the screen freezes briefly), you can input commands and they will be executed immediately after the super freeze ends. This means that provided you are not in the middle of an attack, it is trivially easy to react to an opponent's super attacks with an attack of your own.

This buffer is often used to execute an invincible attack (such as an Evasive Action, a B+D, or your own super) that will avoid the opponent's attack! This is because supers usually have a bit of startup even AFTER the super flash. If you can have an invincible attack out before the opponent's attack becomes active, then you can avoid the attack!

Super attacks list their startup values as: startup pre-flash + startup post-flash.

Meaning an attack with startup 5+5 has 5 frames of startup, then the super flash, then 5 more frames of startup.

Supers With No Startup After Super Flash: Some supers are special: they have no additional startup after the super flash. This means that you cannot use this super flash buffer to beat these supers because the attack will already be active immediately following the super freeze.

Kanji's Super Throw (Burn to a Crisp!) is a prime example of this: you must already have some way to avoid Kanji's Super Throw prepared BEFORE the super flash if you want to beat it.

Offense

Normal Attacks

Yu's 5A and 5B.

There are two primary normal attack buttons in Persona, A and B. A attacks are primarily weak but fast, while B attacks are stronger but slower. Some normal attacks also have additional follow-ups performed by pressing the button twice (or more) quickly, similar to BlazBlue's Tsubaki.

Normal attacks can usually cancel into one another, generally following the order A > B > C > D. However, this is not a steadfast rule. Consult the P Combo section of your character's frame data for exact details.

Certain A and B normals serve the same purpose for almost every character. For example, nearly every character's 2B attack is an anti-air attack that is air-unblockable with a period of Head invuln.

All Out Attack

Time to mash!

Press 5+A+B to perform an All Out Attack. Your character will flash white, then perform an overhead attack that automatically guards against enemy attacks (but not throws and supers). This is useful to stop an opponent's mashing as well as a mix-up option. Some All Out Attacks are easy to react to (such as Teddie's), while others are much more difficult (such as Yu's). All Out Attacks have significant start-up and recovery, so if your opponent correctly blocks it, prepare to be punished (or you could One More! Cancel...).

If you hit the opponent while they are standing/crouching, then you can rapidly press A or B (or A+B) to perform an All Out Rush. The maximum number of hits is 17, after which you may perform either the Launch or Blowback ender:
- Press C (Launch) to knock the opponent into the air, allowing you to follow up with an air combo. This is usually used mid-screen.
- Press D (Blowback) to knock the opponent away. If you successfully complete the All Out Rush, the Blowback wallbounces in the corner. The final attack is special cancelable and is usually used near the corner for high-damage combos.
If you hit the opponent while they are airborne, they will bounce off the ground, allowing you to perform a very brief combo afterwards.
The C ender always places the opponent in Fatal Counter state, while the D ender only does so if you are able to fully complete the All Out Attack for a total of 18 hits -- the All Out Attack starter, the All Out Rush (16 hits), and the finisher (C or D).

Some characters do not use their All Out Attack often, if at all, while others have more use for them. Additionally, many All Out Attacks take the character airborne, allowing them to bait ground throws (but not airthrows).

Sweep

Press 2+A+B to perform a sweep. The sweep will knock the opponent to the ground, ending your combo, but allowing you time to set up a mixup. Sweeps can be cancelled with hops, Furious Actions, specials, and supers.

Auto Combo

By repeatedly pressing 5A (on hit or block, NOT whiff), you will perform an auto-combo. The subsequent 5As will use normal attacks that are unique, and these attacks cannot be performed individually (you must use your character's auto-combo). The number of followup attacks differs from character to character. After these normal followup attacks, pressing A again will cause your character to automatically cancel the last normal into a special (skill) attack. Pressing A again after the special will then cause your character to super-cancel the special attack into a super if you have 50 SP available; if you do not have enough SP, then your character will do nothing.

Using Yu Narukami's auto-combo as an example:

Normal Attacks: Narukami will perform a standing punch (5A), a kick (5AA), and an upward slice with his sword (5AAA).

Special Attack: The sword slice will be special-cancelled into Raging Lion (214A) (5AAAA).

Super Attack: If 50 SP is available, Narukami will super-cancel Raging Lion into Ziodyne (236236C); if in Awakening, he will super-cancel into Cross Slash (214214C) instead (5AAAAA).

Most characters' auto-combos retain the super regardless of Awakening or other factors, but there are a few exceptions.

If you are able to hit the opponent with the Special Attack follow-up attack, you gain an additional 13 SP and recover 1/8 of your Burst Gauge. This is important to note, as this means that you can potentially use autocombos mid-combo to build more SP from a combo than you normally would. For example, Akihiko and Narukami players frequently fit their autocombos into some of their combo routes whenever possible to build bonus SP and Burst, and in some cases this is actually optimal.

Players can stop using the auto-combo at any time and substitute their own attacks. For example, Shadow Teddie players often stop after two 5As and perform a 2B to start a more damaging combo. Other players stop the auto-combo before the super to save the SP for future use. Every character has different cancel options for each auto-combo attack, but as a general rule, cancel options decrease with each follow-up attack.

Shadow versions of characters use different auto-combos compared to their normal counterparts, but auto-combos function the same regardless of character type.

Persona Attacks

Some attacks require your Persona in order to be used, such as everyone's C or D attacks (except for Sho), Bursts, Yukiko's Agi special, Narukami's Ziodyne super, and Kanji's Furious Action. If you or your Persona is hit while the Persona is still visible, then you lose one unit of your Persona Gauge. Persona attacks can be disabled temporarily if you are Muted or in Persona Break.

Normal Persona Attacks (simply pressing C or D) are all different depending on the character, but they generally serve the following purposes:

As long(er) range attacks.
As a mixup tool by attacking in tandem with your Persona.
As a pressure tool: some C and D attacks can be canceled into another C or D attack or back into your B attacks.

Finally, during certain Persona attacks (most commonly during C attacks), the Persona may have invulnerability during their entire startup, giving them priority on their attack until it comes out so long as the user themselves are not hit during the startup. This makes them uniquely strong for neutral and footsies in certain situations as opposed to other attacks.

Persona Attacks Affected By Position

Elizabeth attacking from full screen with 2C

Some Persona attacks start from the current position of the Persona if it is already out. This can create interesting attack angles, such as the opponent becoming sandwiched between you and your Persona. There are no rules determing which attacks have this property: some Persona attacks simply do and some do not.

Elizabeth is notorious for using this to send her Persona out to attack the opponent from full-screen by using 5C > 2C!
Yukiko can send out her Persona behind the opponent with j.D, then bring them closer to her with 5D!

This also applies to supers! If a super begins from the Persona's position and not the character's, then a player can displace their Persona and use a super from full-screen. This is worth keeping in mind: if your Persona is on screen, your super may whiff if it begins from your Persona's position and not yours ... or you could use that displacement to your advantage and punish an opponent from full-screen!

Using Persona When Persona is Hit

If you input an attack that uses your Persona the instant the opponent hits your Persona, your attack will come out immediately after! This applies even if you opponent's attack would cause Persona Break.

Persona reliant characters such as Elizabeth and Yukiko should take advantage of this for one more extra Persona attack or to punish the opponent for hitting their Persona!

Skills

Skill attacks are usually performed by doing a motion plus a button (such as 236A) and typically have special properties compared to normal attacks. Normal Skill attacks come in a few varieties: for example, Narukami's Zio attack is performed by inputting 236C/D, with the D version being a close range attack and the C version a full screen attack. Most Skill attacks also deal 15% of their base damage as blue damage on block.

Attacks that require your persona will have shown on your character's movelist.

Skill Boost Attacks

In addition to the two variations mentioned above, most Skill attacks also have a third variation that is performed by pressing two buttons (that is, 236+A or B becomes 236+A+B). Skill Boost attacks consume 25 SP, are generally an enhanced version of a Skill attack, and create a light blue silhouette behind the character. For example, the Boosted version of Narukami's Zio attack causes Shock.

SP Skill Attacks

Yu performing a super attack.

SP Skill attacks (commonly called Super Attacks) consume 50 SP and are an even stronger version of Skill attacks that deal large amounts of damage or have other special properties such as invincibility or, in the case of install supers, unique effects on the character. See SP Skill Attacks for more information.

SB SP Skill Attack

Similar to SB Skills, there are SB SP Skill Attacks, powered up versions of SP Skills that cost 75 SP. These versions of attacks often have unique properties compared to normal super attacks. Their additional effects range from adding ailments to allowing for a follow-up combo after the super.

Yu Narukami's SB Lightening Flash has a brief period of projectile invincibility, while Kanji's SB Ass Whoopin' Tatsumi Style! causes the opponent to wallbounce multiple times, allowing for follow-up combos. Aigis's SB Heavenly Spear deals the same damage as the C version but is one of the fastest reversals in the game, making it harder for the opponent to react to and punish!

Throws

Throws are a special type of attack that are unblockable, but they have other restrictions in place:

Throws cannot hit characters who are in hitstun (with the exception of Stagger) or blockstun.
Throws cannot hit characters for 6 frames after leaving blockstun and hitstun (8 frames after Instant Blocking). You can be thrown on the 7th frame.
After recovering from a knockdown, for 3 frames after waking up, you cannot be thrown.
Ground throws cannot hit airborne opponents or opponents who are in jump start-up.
Air throws cannot hit grounded opponents.

If any of the situations listed occur, the throw will simply miss. Throws can be One More! Cancelled or One More! Bursted on hit, but if a throw misses, your character will be left in a lengthy recovery animation, allowing the opponent to begin a damaging punish.
Initiating a throw counts as a "hit", meaning that you can remove Naoto's traps or remove a card from the Persona Gauge by throwing, even if the opponent escapes it! Similarly, breaking a throw also counts as a "hit" and will also remove traps and remove a card from the Persona Gauge.

Normal Throws

Yosuke can escape this throw. That's what the icon represents.

Every character has normal throws and throws are a key part of your offense to stop opponents who simply block and refuse to do anything else!

Press C+D while standing to perform a forward ground throw.
Press 4+C+D while standing to perform a backward ground throw.
Press C+D while airborne to perform an air throw.
Press 4C+D while airborne to perform a backward air throw.
Throws that show an exclamation mark can be escaped by pressing C+D.
If you input a throw, then you will automatically break an opponent's throw for the next 16 frames.

Command Throws

Command Throws are a special type of throw (usually a Skill attack) that can not be escaped, such as Kanji's 214C/D.

Comboing into Throws

Certain attacks cause a spinning stagger state on standing and crouching opponents, such as Kanji's 5C on counter hit. This type of histun allows the attacker to combo into a throw, similar to Street Fighter 3's "Back Turned" state, and is generally referred to as "Spinstate." The character in spinstate can only block or Burst, leaving them vulnerable to command throws and other unblockable attacks that can neither be blocked nor Bursted!

Elizabeth commonly uses this property to cancel an All Out Attack into her Command Throw super, Ghastly Wail, for massive damage.

Priority of Strike vs Throw vs Command Throw

When two strikes hit each other, either a clash happens or both characters are hit, but what happens when throws are added to the mix?

Throw vs Strike: The throw will always win.
Normal Throw vs. Normal Throw: A Throw Break occurs.
Normal Throw vs. Command Throw: The Command Throw will always win.
Command Throw vs. Command Throw: The character with Priority will win.

Shadow Frenzy

It's combo time! Only for Shadow Type characters and costs Burst and all your SP.

Shadow Frenzy is a power up mode exclusive to Shadow Type characters that allows for powerful combos and offensive pressure for your burst. The Gauges section explains this mechanic in more detail.

Unblockable Attacks

Teddie's next attack is unblockable.

Some attacks are completely unblockable, meaning the only way to avoid getting hit is to move out of the way! You will know which attacks are unblockable when the character shows two exclamation marks in a yellow text bubble before performing an attack.

In addition to this, there are also other types of unblockable attacks that do not show the exclamation marks, but have other restrictions in place. Kanji's 236C/D can only hit airborne opponents and his j.214A/B will always whiff on crouching opponents, but these attacks are not marked as unblockable. Command throws, hit-grabs, and normal throws are always unblockable but are not marked as such.

Air Unblockable Attacks

Notice the yellow "!"

Most characters' 2Bs are air unblockable. This means that if the opponent tries to air block an AUB attack, they will be hit regardless. A yellow exclamation mark will appear when this happens.

There are restrictions on AUBs, and they are discussed here.

S Hold System

The S Hold System allows players to perform a Special or Super by simply holding the button! Hold to charge a meter that appears on screen, then release to perform an attack. Attacks used with the S Hold System may have different properties than if used normally, such as start-up invincibility. Depending on how long you've held down the attack, you will perform either a special or a super!

SHold Charge Time
Level	Charge Time	Attack
Level 0	1-59F	-
Level 1	60-134F	Gauge Appears, no attack
Level 2	135-209F	Skill
Level 3	210-284F	SP Skill
Level 4	285-359F	Awakening SP Skill
Level 5	360F	Instant Kill

Charging to Level 3 and above require that you have enough SP for the specified attack. If you do not have enough SP, then the charge bar will not increase.

This system is primarily aimed at beginners, but nonetheless it holds a few advantages that players can use in the middle of a fight. After Yu Narukami uses Cross Slash, he can easily continue the combo into Lightening Flash/Shinden Issen afterward by holding during Cross Slash.