SSF4 AE Akuma Match-up Thread

Classic Fighting Games Ultra Street Fighter IV
1

Since the forum software upgrade left me unable to update the previous Matchup Thread and Arcade Edition has come out on consoles, I thought it was a good time to create a new thread. This time around I’ll spread the info across many posts.

I’ve been going through the cast and figuring out the best reaction and ‘on block’ punish for every character’s Ultra 1,2 and Super so I’ll be adding that information in as I gather it. If any of you know of better/easier punishes than those that I listed, feel free to chime in. Please note that the ‘On Reaction’ punishes assume that you’re not in hitstun/blockstun - some Super combos that are commonly cancelled into (Balrog, Rose, etc) can’t be punished if they are cancelled into as opposed to just thrown out.

Again, thanks to everyone that contributed and continues to contribute!

ABEL

Abel

[details=Spoiler]Abel
LK Tatsu>Sweep - NO
Fs. HK hits twice on on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Wheel Kick - Super
Blocked Super/Ultra 1 - Super/Ultra
Blocked Change of Direction (first hit only) - Super/Ultra (Ultra only if second hit comes out)
Ultra 2 (reaction)

Effective Options Selects
Demon Flip palm o/s sweep on wakeup
Demon Flip palm o/s throw on wakeup (if Abel is blocking on wakeup)
Demon flip palm o/s U1 on wakeup
Demon flip palm o/s HK Tatsu on wakeup (do tatsu input backwards to catch Mersailles Roll)

Offense Tips
Abel’s roll is a throw or Demon opportunity
Standing HK is an effective pressure tool
Abel has no good reversals so vortex him hard
EX Hadouken is a good way to get a knockdown (combo/cr. MP frame trap ender)

Defense Tips
Almost always avoid both ground and air fireballs (except combo enders/option select cr. MK-Hado) when he has either Ultra - both can easily punish fireballs
Be careful using teleports to escape pressure when he has either Ultra
Neutral jump or backdash out of block strings (both Akuma’s or Abel’s) if he’s using Tornado Throw often - punish whiffed throw
Do not backdash on wakeup (Akuma’s or Abel’s) if he has either Ultra

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Neutral jump & Raging Demon or BnB. On Block - Raging Demon or Walk forward slightly - BnB (U1 does insignificant chip damage)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - HK Tatsu (if Abel charges the move, HK Tatsu will whiff and cross over - do a Raging Demon or EX Demon Flip kick - BnB if this happens. Demon Flip must be done after Abel releases the move). Neutral jump or Backwards jump to Demon or BnB also works.
Super - On Reaction - Shoryuken (LP is most reliable since it always knocks foe into air) or Raging Demon*. On Block* - Raging Demon or BnB
[/details]

ADON

Adon

[details=Spoiler]Adon
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked/Whiffed Ultra 2
Jaguar Tooth (Reaction)

Effective Option Selects

Offense Tips
Effective Wakeup Options:
[LIST]
[]After forward throw - whiff st. HK or LK Tatsu, then do immediate HK Demon Flip Dive Kick. This should make all of his DPs whiff
[]After forward throw, double dash - crossup Tatsu is effective - all of his DPs whiff
[/LIST]
U2 can be useful in this match - if you block a cr. MP, do a teleport and if Adon does a Jaguar Tooth, cancel into U2
When Adon dive kicks, hit fs.HP or jump toward/back and HK on land
Jaguar Tooth can be Demon’d on reaction

Defense Tips
Get to know Adon’s st. HK range - it can be focused near the end of its range
Avoid fireballs (especially Shaku) when Adon has Ultra 1 - it can punish a fireball from nearly fullscreen
Avoid high air fireballs - Adon can dash under them and punish
Try to avoid getting chipped by Adon’s Super - it does up to 126 chip damage
Adon can make an AA DP whiff by suddenly doing an air Jaguar Kick - watch out for this.

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 – *On Reaction – *EX Shoryuken or cr. MK Kara Demon. *On Block – *Raging Demon or BnB
Ultra 2 – *On Reaction – *EX Shoryuken or Jump Back HK. *On Block – *Raging Demon or BnB (Adon tends to cross over on block, so you may have to reverse direction of inputs)
Super – On Reaction – KKK Teleport – Raging Demon or EX Demon Flip Kick. On Block – Raging Demon or cr. Mk xx LK Tatsu-Sweep/DP (The kick version of the Super causes Adon to cross over if Akuma is not in the corner. The punch version must be blocked for 5 regular hits followed by 4 rapid-fire hits.)
[/details]

AKUMA

Akuma

[details=Spoiler]Akuma
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Shoryuken
Ducked LK Tatsu (Kara Demon)
Blocked Demon Flip Sweep
Blocked LK or MK Tatsu
Blocked HK Tatsu (Super only)
Dash Under Air Fireball

Effective Option Selects
DF Palm o/s HK Demon Flip on wakeup (should punish teleport - do dive kick late)
DF Palm o/s U1 on wakeup (only if opposing Akuma does not have U2 stocked)
Jump-in attack o/s HK.Tatsu (Beats Teleport and Back Dash (Partially); Loses to U2)
Jump-in attack o/s Demon Flip (Beats Teleport, Loses to nothing consistently)
Jump-in attack o/s Ultra 1 (Beats Teleport, Back Dash, Loses to U2)
Jump-in attack o/s Teleport > U2 (Beats Teleport, Loses to nothing consistently.)
Chain OS s.LK+s.HK during block strings/close pressure (Beats backdash for full combo,
Loses to almost nothing

Offense Tips
If opponent does close air fireball, EX DP through it

Defense Tips
Work hard to not get cornered - teleports can be punished with Demon
Avoid using Demon Flip Sweep
Do not get predictable in fireball wars, especially if opponent has meter for EX Demon Flip
If teleporting is important, select U2 so your teleports can’t be punished with Demon

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 – *On Reaction – *Neutral jump or Back jump (depending on distance) & Raging Demon or BnB (Akuma will cross under at close distance, so you may have reverse direction of inputs)
Ultra 2 – *On Reaction – *EX Shoryuken (do input right before enemy Akuma yells ‘HYAAAH!’)
*On Block/Whiff – *Raging Demon or BnB (blockstun lasts a while, don’t do input too quickly)
Super – *On Reaction – *Jump back & Raging Demon or BnB (will not work at point blank range)
[/details]

BALROG (BOXER)

Balrog (Boxer)

[details=Spoiler]Balrog (Boxer)
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Dash Straight: Super, must hit deep
Blocked Dash Low Straight: Super, must hit deep
Blocked Dash Overhead: Super
Blocked Dash Upper: Super/Ultra
Blocked Dash Low Smash: Super/Ultra
Blocked TAP: Super, must hit deep
Blocked Headbutt: Super/Ultra
Blocked Super/Ultra I: Super/Ultra

Effective Option Selects
Flip palm o/s late sweep on Wakeup (Beats anything except block - will lose to headbutt if sweep is not delayed)
Flip palm o/s U2 on Wakeup (Beats anything except block)
Cr. MK o/s DP for Dash Punches (incl. EX)
Cr. MK o/s LK Tatsu for Dash Punches (incl. EX)
Jump-in attack o/s U2 (Beats Backdash, Headbutt (all strengths), Turn punch, Practically everything, Loses to nothing*. Notes:* Screwing up the timing on your palm will cause the ultra to come out)
Chain OS s.LK+s.HK during block strings/pressure (Beats backdash for full combo, Loses to almost nothing)

SPACING
Akuma is most effect either at full screen or up close. At full screen, try to bait his dash punches with air/ground fireballs, fireball feints, whiffed normals, demon flip palm whiffs and empty jumps. Take advantage of Akuma’s walk speed and constantly walk in and out of poke range to bait more mistakes (for misjudging your spacing). At close range pressure with safe block strings and tick throws; he can’t do much to you if he has no meter. For block strings, cr. MK xx Hadoken should also be avoided because it’s not a true block string and Balrog can do Headbutt – U1. If Balrog is mashing jabs, just throw him.

Stay out of midrange because that’s where all his options lie. His pokes reach the best at this range and all dash punches are safe. Balrog gets a lot of damage out of baiting and punishing throw attempts, Shoryukens and teleports so careful, patient footsies are a necessity.

FOOTSIES/ZONING/PRESSURE
If Balrog has charge you CANNOT play footsies with him - he can just dash punch for free and push you into the corner. His regular dash punches can be punished on reaction with a well-timed focus attack, and all dash punches can be punished on reaction with a well-timed 2/3 hit Shoryuken or cr. MK xx Tatsu. With the exception of the overhead smash, up-close dash punches can be punished with reversal HK Tatsu. The best punish for a blocked overhead is st. LP xx Tatsu or st. LP – Sweep. EX dash punches can also be grabbed on reaction, which puts Balrog into Akuma’s vortex.

If Balrog blocks your sweep, they will often do a dash punch. A good counter to this is to do cr.MK xx LK Tatsu right after the sweep recovers. Cr.MK causes headbutt to whiff, which makes it a good attack to use following a blocked/FADC’d DP, blocked s.HK, blocked focus or following a cr. LP (frame trap)

If Balrog has meter, be careful doing frame traps because he can EX dash punch or EX headbutt to counter.

Telegraphed TAPs can be punished on reaction with fs.HP or in some cases, st. HK (into full combo). Once U1 is stocked, buffer 2 jabs into every sweep so that if Rog tries to TAP (or EX dash) through it you can punish with Raging Demon. At close range, st. HK will also hit Balrog out of TAP.

ULTRA CHOICE
Both Ultras are viable in this matchup.

U1 can punish every EX dash punch (cr. MK xx U1) and can also make ground fireballs safe against TAP or EX dash punch (buffer the jabs into the Hadoken input, finish if you see one of those special moves).

U2 is also excellent in this matchup. Option selecting U2 off of a wakeup flip palm beats all of Balrog’s options, forcing him to block. Having U2 also enables Akuma to teleport for free. Also, crossup Tatsu-U2 works on Balrog.

ON WAKEUP
Balrog has a hard time dealing with Akuma’s wakeup pressure. Safe option selects and block strings are effective. Do not get predictable with DF throws since it can be punished with headbutt into U1, which puts Akuma into the corner and does a fair amount of damage.

Aside from the option selects listed, the following are effective vortex options on Balrog:
Crossup Tatsu.
Empty jump cr. LK (or cr.LK + cr.LP)
Safe jump HK/DF dive kick
Demon flip throw (Loses to headbutt)
Fake crossup command dive kick
Crossup air fireball
LK DF Flip Throw (after sweep combo, walk forward a bit and do it – should make headbutt whiff)

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 –* On Reaction – *Raging Demon or EX Shoryuken. *On Block – *Raging Demon (can be done after 4th or 5th punch) or Walk forward – BnB
Ultra 2 – *On Whiff – *Raging Demon or Walk forward – BnB
Super – *On Reaction – *Raging Demon or EX Shoryuken. *On Block – *Walk forward – BnB or Raging Demon (Only first hit of Super must be actively blocked – you can buffer moves for the other 4 hits – there are 5 hits total for the Super)
[/details]

http://www.zerodarkgaming.com/2013/03/thief-4-31-new-details-revealed.html

Blanka

[details=Spoiler]Blanka
LK Tatsu>Sweep - NO
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Slide (Super only if far, Super/Ultra if close)
Blocked Blanka Ball
Blocked Up Ball
Blocked Rainbow Roll
Blocked Super/Ultra 1

Effective Option Selects

Offense Tips
Patience is key in this match - mostly boils down to baiting moves and punishing mistakes/jump ins
Sweep or cr. MK are good ways to punish electricity, but some space between Blanka and Akuma is required
Upball is punishable on hit with a sweep (assuming you’re grounded when it hits)
On wakeup, try doing a DF palm whiff that lands just outside of electricity range to bait electricity
After a sweep, if Blanka has no meter, immediately do a MK Demon Flip kick - it should beat everything but block or FA
Mix tick throws into block strings if Blanka is mashing electricity during blockstun
Command dive kick stuffs electricity
Blanka can be safe-jumped, but it’s a 1-frame window

Defense Tips
Teleport when Blanka activates Ultra 1 unless you can afford to take the chip damage
When Blanka activates Ultra 2, forward jump for the first ‘hit’ and demon on landing. Another counter to Ultra 2 is to EX Demon Flip (or non-EX, if at the right distance) dive kick into BnB or cancel into Demon
Be careful throwing fireballs at less than 3/4 screen - EX balls go through fireballs and his slide hits from almost a half screen.
Don’t do air fireballs at the top of the jump arc if Blanka is within a half screen - reaction slide can punish
Focus Attack rainbow rolls (especially EX) if they look like they’re going to hit you - this avoids crossups and can get Akuma a free punish
Do not use jump-ins to begin attacks - electricity beats air attacks and does a lot of damage
If Blanka moves forward, he has ~1 second before he can Blanka Ball again
If Blanka is doing the command hop, he’s likely trying to get in for a throw/mixup, so teleport toward him

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 – *On Reaction – *EX Shoryuken (if there’s a bit of distance) or Teleport (point blank, no follow up punish but avoids chip damage). *On Block – *Raging Demon or cr.MK xx LK Tatsu – DP/cr.MK xx EX Tatsu – DP (if near corner) (At point blank, must be blocked low, then high, then low)
Ultra 2 – *On Reaction – *Jump toward or Demon flip toward Blanka, getting as close as possible. Upon landing, do Raging Demon (if close) or block 2nd hit of Ultra (if not close) and then walk forward – BnB or Demon.
Super – *On Reaction – *EX Shoryuken or cr.MK Kara Demon (tight timing). *On Block – *Instant dash – BnB or Raging Demon

[/details]

2

CAMMY

Cammy

[details=Spoiler]Cammy
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

**Guaranteed Demons **
Blocked cr. HK (Super only)
Blocked Spiral Arrow (Super for far, Super/Ultra for close)
Blocked Cannon Spike
Blocked Super/Ultra 1
Spin Knuckle (cr.MK/cr. HK kara)

Effective Option Selects
Cr. MP o/s throw tech on dive kick pressure

Offense Tips
s.MK beats far Spiral Arrow
Focus Attacks beat everything except for close HK Spiral Arrow and Spin Knuckle
On wakeup, try Demon Flipping over Cammy (just outside of DP range) to bait Cannon Spike
Safe Jump setup: After a sweep, immediately hold up/forward and do command dive kick.
Safe Jump setup: After a sweep, immediately do a HK demon flip - it should cross her up and any reversals should whiff
Wakeup DP is not effective on Cammy if she has meter because EX Spin Knuckle will make it whiff

Defense Tips
This match requires Akuma to play defensively and patiently
To deal with dive kick pressure, do cr. MP o/s crouch tech - MP will come out if they miss a block string, throw will get teched
Dive kicks can be DP’d or Focus Attacked on reaction
When she’s applying dive kick pressure, hit jump back fierce as soon as she jumps
Avoid teleporting when Cammy has Ultra 1 loaded

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 – *On Reaction – *EX Shoryuken or Neutral jump – Raging Demon (st. HK Kara Demon may be necessary if Cammy activated at close range). *On Block – *Raging Demon or Walk forward – BnB
Ultra 2 – *On Whiff – Raging Demon or Walk forward – BnB
Super – On Reaction – EX Shoryuken or PPP Teleport – Demon or BnB (tight timing). On Block – *Raging Demon or Walk forward - BnB
[/details]

CHUN LI

Chun Li

[details=Spoiler]Chun Li
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked f+MK (Super)
Blocked SBK (Super)
Blocked Hazan Shu (Only if it hits deep)
Blocked Super/Ultra 1/Ultra 2

Effective Option Selects
Demon Flip palm o/s DP on wakeup
Demon Flip Throw o/s delayed sweep ion wakeup if they’re not doing reversal EX SBK (slightly delay sweep, or sweep will be hit by reversal)

Offense Tips
EX SBK is safe-jumpable and can be beat cleanly by Demon Flip Dive Kick (delay kick in the air) if it hits in the middle or df palm o/s shoryuken
After a tatsu>sweep, step forward and do a MK Demon Flip to be put in a position just outside of EX SBK

Defense Tips
Her aerial target combo has two overhead hits, so don’t immediately block low after the first overhead
Many Chun Li players like to end block strings with Hazanshu, which must be blocked high. Learn to focus these attacks.

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 – *On Reaction – *Raging Demon or EX Shoryuken. *On Block – *Raging Demon (activate when Chun does a high-pitched yell) or Walk forward – BnB
Ultra 2 – *On Reaction – *KKK Teleport – Raging Demon or Walk forward – BnB. *On Block – *Raging Demon or Walk forward – BnB
Super – *On Reaction – *Nothing yet *On Block – *Raging Demon or Walk forward - BnB
[/details]

CODY

Cody

[details=Spoiler]Cody
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block (close)

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked/Whiffed Ultra 1/2

Effective Option Selects
Demon Flip palm o/s Sweep on wakeup (only use if Cody has no meter for EX Zonk Knuckle)
Demon Flip palm o/s EX Tatsu on wakeup (beats EX Zonk Knuckle)
Demon Flip palm or jump-in attack o/s U2 on wakeup (Beats everything except U2)
cr. LP/cr. MP o/s U2 during block strings (Beats Zonk/EX Zonk, loses to backdash)

Offense Tips
Use fireballs liberally - the rocks can’t keep up and he doesn’t have easy punishes
A good zoning strategy is to throw LP fireballs from nearly full screen, step forward and s. HP if Cody forward jumps over the fireball - it will often connect due to Cody’s large hitbox
Cody lacks good AA so pressure him on wakeup with Demon Flip mixups
Wake up EX tatsu beats all wakeup options except block
Cody is at frame disadvantage [-3] on hit when his overhead attacks connects on a crouching opponent - if Cody is close enough, this should leave time for a st. LP or cr. LP into sweep/combo.
EX Criminal Upper is throw invincible

Defense Tips
Try to keep Cody away from the knife
Be careful of Cody’s hop kick during footsies - it will punish low attacks
Both of Cody’s Ultras work as AA, so don’t jump in when he gets Ultra unless it’s safe
If Cody has Ultra 2, do not try towards jump air fireballs
Teleport is a good defensive wakeup option until Cody has U2 loaded
Do not neutral jump at less than half screen - Cody’s Ruffian Kick punishes it.

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 – *On Reaction – *Neutral jump – Raging Demon or BnB (Cody will cross under, so input direction should be reversed). *On Block – *Raging Demon or BnB (Blockstun lasts a while so don’t do inputs too quickly. U1 does very little chip damage.)
Ultra 2 – *On Reaction – *KKK Teleport (towards) – st. HK Kara Demon or fs. HK- EX Demon Flip Kick-BnB. *On Block – *Raging Demon or Walk forward – BnB (6 hits must be blocked)
Super – *On Reaction – *cr. MK Kara Demon or cr.MK xx LK Tatsu-Sweep/DP or EX Shoryuken. *On Block – *Raging Demon or Walk forward – BnB. (Must be blocked 6 times if blocking high) (If you cannot afford chip but missed the reaction, you can mash LP/LK after blocking first hit to interrupt the Super)
[/details]

C.VIPER

C. Viper

[details=Spoiler]C. Viper
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
f+MP (Super)
Blocked MP Thunder Knuckle (Super)
Blocked HP Thunder Knuckle (Super/Ultra)
Blocked Super/Ultra 1

Effective Option Selects
Demon flip palm o/s Demon on wakeup
Demon flip palm o/s SRK on wakeup
Jump-in attack o/s EX Tatsu (Beats EX Seismo, EX Seismo Feint, Back Dash, Loses to EX Burn Kick, Thunder Knuckle.)
Jump-in attack o/s LP SRK (Beats EX Seismo, EX Seismo Feint, Neutral with EX Burn Kick, Loses to Backdash)
Jump-in attack o/s HP SRK (Beats Thunder Knuckle, Mixed Results with EX Burn Kick, Loses to Back Dash, EX Seismo, EX Seismo Feint)
Recovery OS c.MP/MP.SRK (Beats Random burn kicks, Neutral jumps, Loses to Backdash, This tends to be the easiest way to OS SRK into your frame traps, but keep in mind if Viper gets a good head start on your c.MP you can get hit before the SRK has time to come out.)
Recovery OS c.LP/MP.SRK (Beats Random burn kicks, Neutral jumps, Loses to: Back dash, A much more advanced version of the SRK OS. Significantly harder to do, but if you nail it you will never get hit by a burn kick because the jab will always whiff fast enough to allow the SRK to come out.)

Offense Tips
Demon flip dive kick is a good wakeup attack - delay the dive kick slightly
Exploding Heart Technique stuffs her reversals effectively (and makes EX uppercut whiff)
It’s possible to do cr.MK kara Demon to punish a Burn Kick
For DF dive kicks, slightly delay the dive kick (wait until Akuma is above Viper’s head) to beat EX Seismo, HP TK and reset backdash and Burn Kick
n.j. HK stuffs many aerial attacks, according to Viper players (requires verification)
Reversal Whiff Setup: After landing c.s.HPxxLK Tatsu>Sweep, walk forward a bit and then do LK DF Throw.

Defense Tips
A good block string to avoid getting tagged by mashed reversal burn kicks is cr.LK, st.LK, fs.HP (i.e. Akuma’s kara throw setup)
Be careful with using fireballs to zone - Burn Kicks and Seismos can punish fireball recovery, and LP TK can go under air fireballs
Viper has good stun output, so don’t engage her immediately after getting hit by a combo
cr. MK can avoid burn kicks
Do not become predictable with crossup air tatsu - these can be punished with Ultra
Do not overuse teleports - jump in attack o/s EX TK punishes teleports. Having U2 can protect against this.
Use cr. MK instead of cr. MP for crouch tech so that instant burn kicks whiff

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or KKK Teleport-Walk forward-BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken (U2 does very little chip damage)
On Block - Raging Demon or Instant dash forward - cr.MK BnB
Super - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or Raging Demon (tight timing, distance dependent)
On Block - Raging Demon or Walk forward - BnB

[/details]

DAN

Dan

[details=Spoiler]Dan
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Koryuken
Blocked MK or HK Dan Kicks (Super only)
Blocked Super/Ultra I
Blocked Ultra II (mid screen or closer)

**Effective Option Selects **

Offense Tips
When you crouch block a Dan Knee (esp. LK), quickly tap back to fool the opponent into thinking you’re trying to punish the blocked move. This is an effective way to bait out Koryuken.

Defense Tips
Don’t use fireballs at a close distance when he has either Ultra
Stay on the ground - do not go air-to-air
Dan’s LK Knee can cross up Akuma at close range, if Akuma is crouching
AA Demon only works if Dan has already thrown out a move in the air - otherwise he can change his direction with Dan Knee
Dan’s knees are not really punishable - MK/HK are only -2 on block, and LK actually gives him frame advantage, depending on where it hits

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Not worth punishing on reaction - U1 does no chip damage
On Whiff - Raging Demon or BnB (Use cs. HP; cr. HP tends to whiff)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - Jump - Raging Demon or Jump - Pause - EX DF Dive Kick - BnB
Super - On Reaction - KKK Teleport - Raging Demon or BnB
On Block - cr. MK kara demon (during uppercut recovery) or BnB (must block until Dan does a DP)
[/details]

3

DEEJAY

Deejay

[details=Spoiler]Deejay
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
DRS (Reversal Super)
Deep Low High Kick (slide)
Whiffed Upwards Kick
Blocked MGP (Super)

Effective Option Selects

Offense Tips
Meaty attacks (cr. MK) on wakeup are effective - he doesn’t have any fast reversals
Deejay has slower-than-average wakeup, so exploding heart technique or forward throw,double dash, jumping HK will barely whiff on his wakeup. This is good for baiting wakeup moves.
To safe jump, do a forward throw, double dash, tap down and then do jumping HK.
HK Demon Flip whiffed palm is a good mixup tool in this match
Use LP Shakus to mess with his fireball game
Demon Flip Kick beats his AA special at the right angle
Start wakeup attacks with a meaty cr. LK to beat most of his defensive options

Defense Tips
Be careful attacking from the air - Deejay has good AA and his Knee Shot is a very good air-to-air
Slide beats Demon Flip Kick clean
Slide punishes air fireballs (neutral or towards jump) at close distances

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken, Raging Demon or KKK Teleport-st. HK kara Demon/st.HK - MK DF Dive Kick - BnB
On Block - Raging Demon or Walk forward - BnB (Last hit of Ultra does a lot of blockstun, so don’t do inputs too early)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or KKK Teleport - Raging Demon or BnB (Distance dependent)
On Block - Raging Demon or Walk forward - BnB
Super - On Reaction - Raging Demon (tight timing), EX Shoryuken or KKK Teleport - st. HK Kara Demon
On Block - Raging Demon or cr. MK xx EX Tatsu (Must block 5 hits, but Demon can be activated between 4th and 5th hit)
[/details]

DHALSIM

Dhalsim

[details=Spoiler]Dhalsim
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Mummy deep
Blocked Drill deep
Blocked Drill shallow (super only)
Blocked Slide
After being hit by jump back HP
Blocked point blank Super (Super only)

Effective Option Selects
Demon Flip palm o/s HK Tatsu (catches teleports)

Offense Tips
Patience is the key in this match - Sim wants Akuma to recklessly rush in and get hit by normals
Slowly advance close to apply pressure
When Akuma steps closer to Sim and is in normal range, hit focus attack and dash forward if Sim doesn’t attack.
End combos with sweep instead of HP SRK to continue the vortex - keeping the pressure on is vital
St. HP beats many of Sim’s pokes - if Sim moves forward a bit and is at normal distance, hit HP
If Sim hits Akuma with an instant jumping HP, and is just outside sweep distance, he can be Demon’d
EX Demon Flip is a great way to punish Sim’s fireballs
Sim’s can slide out of dive kick setups, giving Sim a throw/punishment opportunity. If the Sim player is using slide to escape the vortex, try using DF Palm o/s sweep

Defense Tips
Teleport out of Ultra 1 setups
Be careful with jump-in attacks - his AA knee will stuff everything
His Ultra 2 can punish teleports
Dhalsim’s fireballs do not travel full screen
Sim likes to slide+throw, so if Akuma has 2 bars, do HP SRK on the slide (block) to catch the throw attempt. Cancel if they block.
Do not jump at Sim unless he does Yoga Fire
Air fireballs are unsafe - closer FBs can be punished with his slide, and distant FBs can usually be punished with teleport > punch

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Walk up and throw or EX Shoryuken (works up to just outside st. HP kara throw range) or HK Tatsu (works outside of initial fireball area)
On Block - Seems to be safe
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - Jump - Raging Demon or Walk forward - BnB
On Block - Not Applicable (Grab)
Super - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or KKK Teleport - Raging Demon/Walk forward - BnB (Tight timing)
On Block - Raging Demon or Sweep
[/details]

DUDLEY

Dudley

[details=Spoiler]Dudley
LK Tatsu>Sweep NO
Fs. HK hits twice on low block (close only)

Guaranteed Demons
EX Machine Gun Blow
Blocked Ultra 1/2

**Effective Option Selects **

Offense Tips
Use crossups liberally - Dudley does not have effective reversals
cr. MK beats many of his rush punches and has better range than most of Dudley’s fast normals
Try to keep Dudley on defense - keep up the pressure
Buffer HK tatsu and HP Hado into cr. MK to apply pressure

Defense Tips
Don’t press buttons during Dudley’s block strings - it’s difficult to reversal him and not generally worth the risk
Try not to get cornered in this match
Backdash out of his strings
Teleports are punishable by EX MGB in either direction (Dudley can delay the input to punish Akuma for teleporting ‘towards’ him on a jump in) - don’t rely on teleports if Dudley has meter.
Dudley likes to hang out just outside of Akuma’s cr.MK range and basically wait for us to do a move to punish. Jump-ins, fireballs, tatsus and standing roundhouse are all punishable from that distance.
-Dudley has a setup on Akuma that makes MP/HP/EX DP whiff. The setup is back throw>LK Ducking>j. HK. The setup loses cleanly to LP DP, however, and can also be blocked.

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Jump - Raging Demon or Walk forward - BnB
On Block - Raging Demon or Walk forward - BnB (Must block 6 hits, but you can let go of block after blocking the first hit)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - Jump - Raging Demon or BnB
On Block - Raging Demon or Walk forward - BnB
Super - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or KKK Teleport - st. HK kara Demon/Walk forward - BnB (Wait until Dudley does 3rd uppercut)
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB (Dudley can be punished after 2nd uppercut, but use cs. HP instead of cr. HP, as cr. HP tends to lose to the 3rd uppercut)
[/details]

EL FUERTE

El Fuerte

[details=Spoiler]El Fuerte
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES (Difficult, only feasible from certain distance)
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Quesadilla Bomb
Blocked Run Slide (Super)
Blocked Super
Back Jumped Ultra

Effective Option Selects

Offense Tips
Standing HK is effective on El Fuerte

Defense Tips
Teleport out of mixups
Do not throw fireballs at less than half-screen; he can EX Run or Ultra through a fireball

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Jump - Raging Demon or BnB or Forward jump + HP
On Block - Not Applicable (Grab)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - Jump backwards - Raging Demon or BnB
On Block - Not Applicable (Grab)
Super - On Reaction - Raging Demon or Shoryuken (MP/HP/EX)
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB (tight timing) (Must block 4 hits)
[/details]

EVIL RYU

Evil Ryu

[details=Spoiler]Evil Ryu
LK Tatsu>Sweep - No
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
To be updated

Effective Option Selects
To be updated

Offense Tips
The Corner Unblockable setup works (Forward Throw (into corner)>Dash>Dash>f.j. MK (can’t be blocked properly, invincible reversals should whiff, O/S a sweep to catch backdash)

Defense Tips
To be updated

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Neutral jump or forward jump (depending on distance) - Raging Demon or BnB. If Evil Ryu charges the fireball, do aerial EX Tatsu.
On Block - HK Tatsu (Only works at close distance)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - KKK Teleport - Raging Demon/Walk forward - BnB
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB
Super - On Reaction* – *Jump back & Raging Demon or BnB (will not work at point blank range)
[/details]

4

E.HONDA

E. Honda

[details=Spoiler]E. Honda
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Butt Splash (Super only)
Blocked ex Butt Splash (Super only)
Blocked far Super (Super only)
Blocked close Super
Blocked Ultra I
Blocked Ultra I (between hits)
Whiffed Ultra 2

Effective Option Selects
Demon Flip palm o/s MP/HP Shoryuken (Beats Buttlsam and Headbutt, loses to back dash sometimes)
Demon Flip palm o/s U2 (Beats Headbutt and LK Buttslam, loses to MK/HK Buttslam)

Offense Tips
TK Fireball into mixup is a good pressure tool
AA consistently - don’t let Honda jump in
Cross Honda up on wakeup - buttslams don’t defend against this if Akuma jumps early enough
HP headbutt can be punished by walking forward a bit and sweeping - headbutt must be blocked high (difficult timing)
U2 can be helpful in this match - teleport cancelled into U2 can punish headbutts on reaction

Defense Tips
Be careful with jump-ins when Honda has EX or Ulta 1
Focus Attack buttslams to avoid crossups and possibly getting a free combo/Demon
Don’t advance too quickly on Honda - nj. HP beats out most jump attacks and headbutt is fast
Headbutts (except HP) and buttlslams (except for HK) are safe on block - try to get some distance after a blocked splash to avoid being thrown
Don’t throw fireballs at less than half a screen - Honda’s j. HP covers an amazing amount of distance

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Jump backwards - Raging Demon or Sweep (slightly delay sweep or it will whiff)
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB (Must block 1 hit only)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - Jump - Raging Demon or BnB (In SSF4, this will not work in grab range, but it works in AE)
On Block - Not Applicable (Grab)
Super - On Reaction - HP/EX Shoryuken or Jump back - Raging Demon
On Block - Raging Demon or LP Shoryuken
[/details]

FEI LONG

Fei Long

[details=Spoiler]Fei Long
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked double kick (deep)
Blocked Rekkas (Super)
Blocked Flame kick
Blocked Super/Ultra

Effective Option Selects

Offense Tips
Rekkas are unsafe on 3rd hit (blocked) - punish accordingly
HP and cr. HP beat Chicken Wing
Standing LP beats rekka
Fei can be safe jumped - Flame Kick is a 5-frame move
cr. MK kara Demon on reaction will punish Chicken Wing
Crossup tatsu on wakeup often beats Flame Kick
U2 can be useful in this match - it can punish Chicken Wing and Flame Kick

Defense Tips
Concentrate on zoning for this match - Fei has superior footsies
Only sweep at far range - blocked close sweeps are easily punished by Rekka

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Jump - Raging Demon or Walk forward - BnB
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB (Must block 5 hits)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - Raging Demon or Pause - BnB
On Block - Not Applicable (Counter)
Super - On Reaction - KKK Teleport - EX DF Dive Kick - BnB/EX DF Palm Whiff - Raging Demon or PPP Teleport Backwards - Raging Demon (tight timing)
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB
[/details]

GEN

Gen

[details=Spoiler]Gen
LK Tatsu>Sweep - NO
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Gekiro
Blocked Mantis Super/Ultra
Whiffed Crane Super/Ultra
Blocked Crane Ultra II

Effective Option Selects

Offense Tips
Punish blocked waterfall kicks
Apply constant pressure to prevent Gen from changing stances

Defense Tips
Watch out for crossups - Focus ambiguous attacks
n.j. HP should beat most of Gen’s off-the-wall dive kicks

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 (Mantis) - On Reaction - Jump backwards - Raging Demon or BnB
On Block - Walk forward - BnB or Raging Demon (At close-mid distance, Gen crosses to the other side of Akuma)
Ultra 1 (Crane) - On Reaction - Not Applicable (If on ground) - Aerial EX Tatsu sometimes stuffs it.
On Whiff - Raging Demon or BnB
Ultra 2 (Mantis) - On Reaction - Jump - Raging Demon or BnB
On Block - Sweep or cr. MK xx Tatsu (HK/EX) or Raging Demon
Ultra 2 (Crane) - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or Jump backwards - Raging Demon/BnB
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB (U2 does no chip damage)
Super (Mantis) - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or Raging Demon
On Block - Raging Demon or EX DF Dive Kick - BnB (Gen often crosses to the other side)
Super (Crane) - On Reaction - Not Applicable (If on ground)
On Whiff - Raging Demon or BnB
[/details]

GOUKEN

Gouken

[details=Spoiler]Gouken
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked cr.HK (Super only)
Blocked Dash punch (must hit deep)
Blocked ex Dash punch
Blocked Flip sweep
Blocked Tatsu
Blocked Super/Ultra

Effective Option Selects
Demon flip palm o/s sweep on wakeup

Offense Tips
Use Demon Flip Palm and Demon Flip Throw to beat his reversal move on wakeup

Defense Tips
Be very wary of throw setups and tech the backthrow
Do not abuse crouch tech during Gouken’s blockstrings - his reversal move will punish this hard.

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or KKK Teleport - HK DF Dive Kick - BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken, Raging Demon (point blank only) or Jump forward - Raging Demon/BnB (much safer than attempting reversal Demon)
On Block - cr. MK xx Hado or cr. MK xx Tatsu (HK/EX) (Close distance only)
Super - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or KKK Teleport Backwards - Raging Demon/BnB
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB
[/details]

GUILE

Guile

[details=Spoiler]Guile
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Flash kick
Blocked f+MP (Super only)
Blocked target combo (Super only)
Blocked cr.HK (do it between the two kicks)
Blocked Super/Ultra

Effective Option Selects

Offense Tips
Forward throw, fs.HK, HK Demon Flip Kick stuffs reversal Flash Kicks
Focus Attack the 2nd hit of Guile’s sweep (if 1st hit is blocked) for a free combo or Demon
Off of forward throw, do a double dash, slight pause and then MK DF Palm or Throw. Both should beat Focus Attack and make Flash Kick whiff.
Palm and whiffed palm/throw mixups are effective on Guile’s wakeup.

Defense Tips
Watch out for his target combo: cr. MK-overhead punch
Guile can easily do a grab when he’s hitting you with jabs, so may be a good idea to crouch tech if being hit with jabs
Avoid getting into a midscreen fireball war if Guile has U2 stocked - Guile players look for a trade in this situation
Avoid jump forward EX air fireballs if Guile has U2 - Guile players look for a trade in this situation
Jump back air fireballs are punishable with EX Sonic Boom, so be careful using them.
Don’t abuse teleports - Guile can often punish them with walk up>backfist - besides, you want to be close to Guile.

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or KKK Teleport - Raging Demon/EX DF Dive Kick - BnB
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB (Must block 2 hits)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken (Works up to just outside cr. MK range) or KKK Teleport - Sweep/cr. MK BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - Seems to be safe
Super - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or KKK Teleport Backwards - Raging Demon/BnB
On Block - Raging Demon or Raging Demon (Guile often crosses over)
[/details]

5

GUY

Guy

[details=Spoiler]Guy
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Whiffed/Blocked Spin Kick

**Effective Option Selects **

Offense Tips
EX Spin Kick can be safe-jumped - try to bait it out and punish. Then play mind games on wakeup.
MP/HP Hozanto are punishable with LP Shoryuken
Slides can be punished with cr.MPxxEX Tatsu
fs.HK is an effective pressure tool
Focus attack when he rushes - dash if he cancels
Guy’s EX tatsu can be safe jumped (4 frame startup) but timing is tight
Try to play defensively against Guy - he has trouble penetrating Akuma’s defense
Guy can focus the first hit of f.s. HK and dash under the second for a punish. This can be countered, however, by canceling into Super or U1.
On wakeup, do the DF dive kick at the peak of your jump to stuff EX Tatsu - doing the dive kick ‘deep’ will lose.
Safe Jump Setup: Forward Throw>walk forward>HK DF Palm

Defense Tips
Don’t overuse Demon Flip - you will get air-thrown
Don’t use air fireballs at too close a range - slide can punish on landing
Bushin flip throw does not work on crouching opponents
cr. MK will make elbow drop whiff
AA the command elbow drop with DP - cr. HP whiffs
Guy has a safe jump setup consisting of forward throw>whiff LP Hozanto>Safe jump MK.

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Neutral jump - BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - Walk forward - BnB or Raging Demon (must block 4 hits)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - Neutral jump - BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - Not Applicable (Grab)
Super - On Reaction - Raging Demon or cr. MK BnB
On Block - Not Applicable (Air Attack)
[/details]

HAKAN

Hakan

[details=Spoiler]Hakan
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

**Guaranteed Demons **
Whiffed Ultra 1/2

Effective Option Selects

**Offense Tips **
Hakan players like to slide to punish air fireballs - whiffing air normals can bait the slides out
Watch for oiling animation - EX demon flip can often punish with a BnB
Do not abuse fs. HK on an oily Hakan - he can focus the first hit and DNC into a combo
Hakan’s coward crouch can cause fs. HK to whiff completely - buffer a Demon into the HK and finish the input if Hakan crouches to counter
Rush him down

**Defense Tips **
Do not jump in if he has Ultra 2 - it has a relatively large horizontal range
Hakan likes to do crossup j.HK and o/s a slide to catch teleports. Teleport ‘toward’ Hakan should make the slide go in the wrong direction.
Teleport out of or DP wakeup oil dives - U1 usually loses to it

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Pause - Raging Demon or Walk forward - BnB (if you were in grab range you get hit, if not it whiffs).
On Block - Not Applicable (Grab)
Ultra 2 - On Whiff - Raging Demon or BnB
On Block - Not Applicable (Counter)
Super - On Reaction - Jump Backward - Raging Demon/BnB
On Block - Not Applicable (Grab)
[/details]

IBUKI

Ibuki

[details=Spoiler]Ibuki
LK Tatsu>Sweep - NO
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

**Guaranteed Demons **
Blocked Neck Breaker (Any)
Blocked Hien (Double Jumping Kick) - Kara with s.MP to knock the follow-up Kunai out of the air and catch Ibuki on the way down
Blocked U1 or U2
U2 can also be reversal Demon’d during the flash if Akuma is close enough

**Effective Option Selects **
Jump-in attack o/s HP.SRK (Beats EX Up Kick, EX Radia, Loses to Backdash)
Jump-in attack o/s EX Hadoken (Beats Backdash, Loses to EX Up Kick, EX Radia)
Jump-in attack o/s U2 (Beats Back Dash, EX Up Kick, Loses to EX Radia, Very effective o/s)
Jump-in attack o/s cr. MP - Sweep (cr. MP gives enough delay to catch Ibuki’s tripguard frames in backdash)

Offense Tips
Ibuki’s best reversal is 5 frames, so she can be safe-jumped
HP reset after LK Tatsu does not work on Ibuki
When Akuma blocks her EX DP and she does a follow-up kunai, immediately do fs. HP and cancel into U1. If no Ultra is available, forward dash under and punish with BnB
TK air fireballs apply good pressure
Don’t abuse fs. HK - it oftens whiffs and is punishable with a full combo
Don’t abuse sweep too much - blocked sweep is U2-punishable
When you block a Dragon Kick, do an immediate jump back HP to stuff the follow-up Kunai. If Ibuki doesn’t do the follow-up Kunai, a blocked Dragon Kick is punishable by Demon.

Defense Tips
Be very careful with fireballs, especially when she has meter - EX neckbreaker easily punishes fireballs
Don’t do a lot of jump-ins on Ibuki - she has decent AA or can dash under and punish
Do not go air-to-air
Neck breaker punishes teleports, so teleports can’t be used (often) to escape from her vortex
Ibuki likes to o/s her command kick into cr. MP, so don’t attempt a counterhit if you block a cr. MP
Block HIGH when she has Super loaded, since she can hit confirm her penguin kick into Super
Wakeup dashes or focus attack dashes are effective ways of escaping Ibuki’s vortex
A counter to the Kunai vortex is wakeup teleport xx U2
Ibuki’ Safe Jump Setup: Neckbreaker - j. LP - HP TC or NB (causes DPs to whiff)
Another Ibuki Safe Jump Setup: Untechable KD - cr. MP (whiff) - j.MK (causes DPs to whiff)
Don’t abuse crouch tech option selects - Ibuki’s overhead kick can punish

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or Neutral Jump - BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - Not Applicable (Grab)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or Neutral jump - Walk forward - BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - BnB or Raging Demon (Must block until Ibuki does an upkick - don’t hit her too soon or she’ll air reset)
Super - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or Teleport - BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - Seems to be safe (6 hits must be blocked)
[/details]

JURI

Juri

[details=Spoiler]Juri
LK Tatsu>Sweep - NO
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Dive Kick (Deep)
Pinwheel
Blocked Super

Effective Option Selects
Demon Flip palm o/s sweep on wakeup

Offense Tips
Demon Flip Palm/Throw are useful if Juri uses her reversal/focus move a lot
Stay on the ground for most of this fight
Focus attack throw fireballs (up close) and dash forward - Juri usually can’t punish

Defense Tips
Be careful with jump-ins/cross ups when she has meter - EX Pinwheel beats most jump-in attacks
Do not get too predictable with fireballs - dive kick punishes fireballs
Do not try to focus air attacks - command dive kick is armor breaking
Jump-in o/s HP Senpusha can punish teleports
Most of Juri’s frame traps begin with cs. LK or cr.LK - resist the urge to press buttons when you block these

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - Not Applicable (Buff)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or Jump Backwards - Walk forward - BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - BnB or Raging Demon
Super - On Reaction - LP Shoryuken or KKK Teleport - BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - Walk forward - BnB/Raging Demon
[/details]

KEN

Ken

[details=Spoiler]Ken
LK Tatsu>Sweep - NO
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Shoryuken
Blocked f+MK (Super only)
Blocked LK or MK Tatsu (Super only)
Blocked HK Tatsu
Hit by his HK Tatsu (Super only)
Blocked EX Tatsu (Super only)
Blocked Super/Ultra I
Blocked Ultra II (f. MP kara - cr. MK kara usually causes Akuma to duck under Ken)

Effective Option Selects

Offense Tips
Focus attack is a good tool against f. MK
Careful footsies and zoning is important in this matchup - try to stay just outside of stepkick range and punish with sweep.
Corner Unblockable - Forward Throw (into corner)>Dash>Dash>f.j. MK (can’t be blocked properly, invincible reversals should whiff, O/S a sweep to catch backdash)

**Defense Tips **
Watch out for kara throws - get to know distance and tech timing
Don’t try to punish a blocked f. MK (step kick) because Ken will often mash DP and hit your normal
Be careful when trying to punish LP DP (online) because Akuma will often eat a HP/EX DP done on landing. Bait the follow up DP by whiffing an attack (cr. LK) before Ken lands.
Do not try to safejump Ken - his DP comes out too quickly. He can be early jumped.
Do not teleport out of mixups often - Ken can o/s tatsu and catch the teleport. Having U2 stocked can protect against this.
Ken has a safe jump setup consisting of: Forward throw, walk back, j. HP. This causes DPs to whiff, and dashes and teleports are punished if EX Tatsu or U2 are option selected.

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or KKK Teleport - Raging Demon/HK Demon Flip Dive Kick - BnB
On Block - BnB or Raging Demon
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or KKK Teleport - HK Demon Flip Palm Whiff-Raging Demon/EX Demon Flip Dive Kick - BnB
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB (Does almost no chip if blocked low)
Super - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or KKK Teleport - Raging Demon (tight timing)
On Block - BnB or Raging Demon (Ken often crosses over, so may have to reverse inputs)

[/details]

6

MAKOTO

Makoto

[details=Spoiler]Makoto
LK Tatsu>Sweep - NO
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Hayate (super only)
Blocked Tsurugi (c.MK kara)
Blocked Ultra I
Blocked Ultra II

Effective Option Selects
Demon Flip palm o/s sweep on wakeup (Beats everything but wakeup U2)
Demon Flip palm o/s HK Tatsu
cr. LK o/s LK Tatsu during footsies (expecting Makoto to dash forward)

Offense Tips
Dash punch can be Focus Attacked
Makoto is safe jumpable
Corner UnblockableForward Throw (into corner)>Dash>Dash>f.j. MK (can’t be blocked properly, invincible reversals should whiff, O/S a sweep to catch backdash)

Defense Tips
Neutral jumping when she does a dash punch is often a good defensive option - Akuma will avoid the choke grab and will, at worst, eat one attack
Avoid fireballs from more than 1/3 screen or so if Makoto has Ultra 2 loaded

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken (other DPs and reversal Demon lose)
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB (only need to block 1 hit)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - MP/EX Shoryuken
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB (4 hits total, Akuma can Demon Makoto between 3rd and 4th hits)
Super - Not Applicable (Buff)
[/details]

M.BISON (DICTATOR)

M. Bison (Dictator)

[details=Spoiler]M. Bison (Dictator)
LK Tatsu>Sweep - NO
Fs. HK hits twice on low block (close)

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked close slide
Blocked far slide (super only)
Backstepped Stomp (Kara the demon)
Blocked Psycho Crusher (any aside from max distance lp)
Blocked/Whiffed EX Psycho Crusher (see details in Offense Tips)
Blocked MK, HK, or EX Scissors
Blocked Close Ultra I
Ultra 2 (right before Bison stomps)

Effective Option Selects
Demon Flip palm o/s LK Tatsu on wakeup (Beats EX PC and backdash, safe against other options)
Demon Flip palm o/s MK Tatsu on wakeup (EX PC usually whiffs, beats teleport and backdash, can HP DP if Tatsu hits)
Demon Flip palm o/s MP DP on wakeup (beats EX PC, Devil’s Reverse, backdash, trades with EX Scissors, loses to Head Stomp and teleport)
Demon Flip palm o/s back jump on wakeup (to bait moves)
Jump-in attack o/s LK Tatsu (Beats Psycho Crusher, Neutral with Devil’s Reverse & Head Stomp, Teleport, Loses to EX Scissor Kick)
Jump-in attack o/s HK Tatsu (Beats Teleport, Psycho Crusher, Trades with EX Scissor Kick,
Neutral with Devil’s Reverse & Head Stomp, Usually safe even if Bison uses air escapes.)
Jump-in attack o/s EX Tatsu (Beats Psycho Crusher, Loses to Devil’s Reverse, Head Stomp,
Used as a heavier punish to Psycho Crushers, but loses straight up to air escapes)
Jump-in attack o/s Shoryuken (Beats Devil’s Reverse, Head Stomp, Psycho Crusher, Loses to Teleport, You will get punished hard if he chooses to teleport)
Jump-in attack o/s U1 (Beats Teleport, Psycho Crusher, Loses to Devil’s Reverse, Head Stomp,
Not as safe as the tatsu, but devastating if the Bison player abuses those escape options)
Jump-in attack o/s Super (Beats Teleport, Psycho Crusher, Loses to Devil’s Reverse, Head Stomp, Works similar to Ultra, but can be punished with Devil’s Reverse.)

Offense Tips
Zone with fireballs until he has EX (scissors) or Ultra 2
To get the first sweep, try to bait out s. HK and sweep it. A good way to do this is to neutral jump and punch (fake an air fireball) and sweep if Bison hits s.HK
Mash a normal (cr. MK, for instance) after a mid-screen fireball to catch a Bison that focuses through the fireball
EX Psycho Crusher can be punished with Raging Demon:
[LIST]
[]Safe Jump Palm o/s Demon will catch EX PC in startup (tight timing)
[]Crossup palm into Demon will work if Bison uses EX PC to escape crossup
[]Super can punish nearly all blocked EX PC (even point blank)
[]Ultra can punish any EX PC that goes through Akuma
[*]If Bison does a point blank EX PC that goes through Akuma when Akuma is against a wall, it cannot be punished with Super OR U1 on block.
[/LIST]
Defense Tips
If Bison makes a noise after a jump, it was not a normal jump
Backwards jumping HP beats headstomps unless Akuma is in the corner
Do reaction nj. HP when Bison does a command jump (stomp or DR)
LK Scissors is safe on block, so don’t try to punish

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Jump Backward - HP/EX Shoryuken or Neutral jump - HK Demon Flip Palm Whiff - Raging Demon (Reversal DPs aren’t good punishes - Non-EX DPs either trade or lose, and reversal EX DP only does 50 damage and costs a bar)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - Jumping HP, EX Shoryuken, cr. MK kara Demon (do Demon input when Bison at at peak of jump - he descends very quickly)
On Block - Walk forward - BnB or Raging Demon (Must block 1 hit, high)
Super - On Reaction - HP/EX Shoryuken or Neutral jump - Raging Demon
On Block - Raging Demon or EX Hadoken (Bison crosses over after slide) (3 hits, 3rd hit must be blocked low)
[/details]

ONI

Oni

[details=Spoiler]Oni
LK Tatsu>Sweep - Yes
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked MK/HK/EXE Demon Slash (Usually requires Reversal timing for Ultra version)
Blocked LK/MK/EX Ground Pound (All require Reversal timing for Ultra version)
Blocked MP Zanku Hadosho (Oni usually crosses over, so input must be delayed & reversed)
Block LK/MK/HK Tatsu

Effective Option Selects
To be updated

Offense Tips
Crossup Tatsu tends to get DP’d by Oni
Forward Throw - Double Dash - Empty Jump should make every DP whiff

Defense Tips
Teleport to escape Demon Slash mixups

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - MP/HP/EX Shoryuken (Close range only) or Jump forward - BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - Seems to be safe
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - KKK Teleport - st. HK BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - Raging Demon or HK Tatsu
Super - On Whiff - Jump back - Raging Demon/BnB (can’t be avoided if jump was initiated after Super flash)
[/details]

ROSE

Rose

[details=Spoiler]Rose
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked slide (Super only)
Blocked Soul Spiral (Super only)
Blocked Soul Reflect
Whiffed AA throw
Blocked Ultra I

Effective Option Selects
J. HK o/s sweep on wakeup
Demon Flip palm o/s sweep on wakeup

Offense Tips
Rush her down
If Akuma has an EX bar, try throwing a fireball to bait an Absorb or Reflect - do EX Demon Flip to punish
Demon Flip palm and crossup kicks/tatsus are good wakeup attacks
She has a relatively slow jump so look for AA opportunities
Early jumps on wakeup can bait Ultra 2, if you want Rose to waste it

Defense Tips
Don’t use many fireballs - Ultra 1 can punish, and she can reflect/absorb them
Don’t jump in or do risky wakeup offense unless you have a safe jump opportunity - AA throw or Ultra 2 are too good
Block when she’s close - don’t try to counterhit
Only blocked spirals that hit deep are punishable (cr. LP>LK Tatsu) - if it hits at the tip, it’s safe
If Rose throws a LP fireball from a corner and follows it, just walk up and block the fireball - don’t jump or counter
Rose’s Soul Spiral, at tip range, can be made to whiff with a properly timed s. LK. and then punished. Video demonstration - [media=youtube]zqu7Sbc5VTU"[/media]

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken (Close range only), KKK Teleport - BnB/Raging Demon or Neutral jump - BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - Raging Demon (other punishes may work at very close range)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - Raging Demon (point blank only)
On Block - Not Applicable
Super - On Reaction - Jump forward - BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - Seems to be safe
[/details]

RUFUS

Rufus

[details=Spoiler]Rufus
LK Tatsu>Sweep - NO
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Messiah Kick (do after first hit, if he flips you’ll still block, so repeat)
Blocked f+MK (Super only)
Blocked Super/Ultra

Effective Option Selects
cr. MP o/s throw tech on dive kick pressure

Offense Tips
Throw a fireball or two and watch how Rufus reacts
Try to DP dive kicks
Messiah Kick can be DP’d on reaction
Fs. HP is a good tool against Rufus’ dive kicks and other offense - at the proper spacing
Rush him down when he was no meter
EX Shoryuken beats all follow-up options to EX Messiah
U2 beats all follow up options to EX Messiah

Defense Tips
Teleport out when Rufus’ pressure becomes unmanageable
Don’t jump in on him - Snake Strike is good AA or he can j. roundhouse>Ultra
Be careful throwing fireballs at less than half screen if he has Ultra 2

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken, Demon Armageddon or KKK Teleport - Walk forward - BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - Sweep, Raging Demon, cs. HP BnB (point blank range only) or cr. MK xx EX Tatsu (Must block 9 hits)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken, Demon Armageddon or KKK Teleport - Walk Forward/Demon Flip - BnB
On Block - BnB, Raging Demon or Demon Armageddon
Super - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken, Neutral jump - BnB/Raging Demon/Demon Armageddon (Must block 2 hits)
[/details]

7

RYU

Ryu

[details=Spoiler]Ryu
LK Tatsu>Sweep - NO
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked cr.HK (deep)
Blocked Shoryu
Blocked f+MP (Super only)
Blocked Tatsu (Super only)
Blocked ex Tatsu (deep)
Jumped Ultra
Blocked Ultra I (close)
Blocked Ultra II

Effective Option Selects

Offense Tips
This match comes down to fundamentals - gimmicks do not really work on Ryu
Demon Flip mix up is essential in this match up, just be careful with the spacing so as to not get AA’d
Bait j. HK - step closer and cr. HP or DP them
Command dive kicks can mess up the Ryu player’s sense of timing on AA
Use demon flip palm whiffs to get closer to Ryu
Don’t try to counterhit a lot - Ryu players often focus attack anticipated normals to advance
Focus the early fireballs to build Ultra meter
Effective wakeup setups on Ryu:
[LIST]
[]Forward Throw>st.HK>HK Demon Flip (should stuff reversals)
[]Forward Throw>LK Tatsu>HK Demon Flip
[]Forward Throw>Dash>Dash>HK DF Palm
[]Forward Throw>Dash>Dash>f.j. LK (LK must be done EARLY) (should stuff DPs)
[*]Corner Unblockable - Forward Throw (into corner)>Dash>Dash>f.j. MK (can’t be blocked properly, invincible reversals should whiff, O/S a sweep to catch backdash)
[/LIST]
Defense Tips
Don’t jump in if Ryu has Ultra 1 or 2
Ryu’s main poke is cr. MK so try to stay out of the range when moving forward
Do not try to safe jump Ryu - LP Shoryuken comes out in 3 frames

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Jump forward - BnB/Raging Demon or EX Shoryuken/Reversal Raging Demon (close distance only)
On Block - HK Tatsu, Raging Demon (close distance only)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - KKK Teleport - Walk forward - BnB/Raging Demon or EX Shoryuken (if time is a major factor)
On Block - BnB or Raging Demon
Super - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or Raging Demon (point blank only)
On Block - Seems to be safe
[/details]

SAGAT

Sagat

[details=Spoiler]Sagat
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

**Guaranteed Demons **
Blocked Tiger uppercut
Blocked close Tiger Knee
Blocked Super/Ultra

**Effective Option Selects **

Offense Tips
Make Sagat go on offense - Akuma can win a fireball war
Exploding Heart Technique is effective on Sagat - uppercuts should whiff
cr.MK is a good tool to interrupt knee loops - hit confirm for BnB or demon if he Focus Attacks
U2 is viable in this match - crossup tatsu xx U2 is effective.
Reversal Whiff Setup: After landing c.s.HPxxLK Tatsu>Sweep, walk forward a bit and then do LK DF Throw. Tiger Uppercut should whiff.

Defense Tips
Be careful of his block strings into safe Tiger Knees - use teleports and Coward Copters to escape
Be careful with jump-ins - he has decent AA and trades are greatly in his favor
Do not throw fireballs if Sagat has Ultra 2

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken, PPP Teleport Backwards - BnB/Raging Demon, Reversal Demon Armageddon, Neutral jump - BnB/Raging Demon/Demon Armageddon
On Block - BnB, Raging Demon or Demon Armageddon (Must block until Sagat does an uppercut)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken, Raging Demon (point blank only), Demon Armageddon (works over a huge distance ~ 3rd hit of HK Tatsu) or Neutral jump - BnB/Raging Demon/Demon Armageddon
[/details]

SAKURA

Sakura

[details=Spoiler]Sakura
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked f+MK (Super only)
Blocked Shouoken
Blocked MK or HK Shunpukyaku (Super only)
Blocked Ultra I
Point Blank Blocked Ultra II

**Effective Option Selects **
Demon Flip Palm o/s Sweep on wakeup (Loses to EX Shouken)
Demon Flip Palm o/s Tatsu on wakeup (Loses to EX Shouken)
Demon Flip Palm o/s Raging Demon (loses to EX Shouken)
Offense Tips
She can’t win in a fireball war, so zone accordingly
Don’t get too predictable with fireballs, or she’ll do her jumping overhead smash

Defense Tips
Her tatsu can cross you up at the end of a block string, so be careful
Sakura players often reset at the end of her EX tatsu, so don’t stop defending because you assume you’re getting knocked down

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or Neutral jump - BnB/Raging Demon (Sakara crosses over, so reverse inputs)
On Block - Raging Demon or Walk forward - BnB (Must block 3 hits, low)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken or Raging Demon (close range only) or KKK Teleport - Raging Demon/BnB
On Block - Raging Demon or Walk forward - BnB
Super - On Reaction - Neutral jump - BnB/Raging Demon
On Block - Raging Demon (Must block 7 hits, low)
[/details]

SETH

Seth

[details=Spoiler]Seth
LK Tatsu>Sweep - YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Super
Whiffed Ultra 2

**Effective Option Selects **

Offense Tips
Play hit & run offense with Seth - get in, deal damage, get out

Defense Tips
Don’t throw out random moves when he has Ultra 1

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Neutral jump or Forward jump - BnB/Raging Demon (if in range), EX Demon Flip Dive Kick - BnB/EX Demon Flip Palm Whiff - Raging Demon (outside of jump-in range)**, **Demon Armageddon (just outside sweep range) or KKK Teleport xx Demon Armageddon (if not in range for Demon Armageddon punish)
On Block - Walk forward - BnB (close distance only), HK Tatsu, Raging Demon or Demon Armageddon (close distance only)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - KKK Teleport xx Demon Armageddon, KKK Teleport Backwards - Whiff st. HK - MK Demon Flip Dive Kick - BnB/MK Demon Flip Palm Whiff - Raging Demon (Reversal EX Shoryuken loses)
On Block - Raging Demon or BnB
Super - On Reaction - Teleport forward - BnB/Raging Demon (must wait until Seth changes back to normal color - he’s invulnerable during move animation)
On Block - Raging Demon, Demon Armageddon or BnB
[/details]

T.HAWK

T. Hawk

[details=Spoiler]T. Hawk
LK Tatsu>Sweep YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

**Guaranteed Demons **
Blocked Condor Dive

Effective Option Selects

Offense Tips
All strengths of Condor Spire can be DP’d on block (tight timing on EX Condor Spire)
Blocked Condor Dive is a good punishment opportunity - Akuma may have to walk forward a bit to be in proper attack range
Anti-air with Shoryuken instead of cr.HP to avoid getting hit by Condor Dives
A good way to bait T. Hawk’s U2 is to jump in on wakeup and do an aerial EX Tatsu. The Tatsu should knock T. Hawk into the corner.

Defense Tips
Backdash or jump back at end of block string to avoid getting command grabbed

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Neutral jump - j. MK - cr. MK BnB/Raging Demon (Jump must be done before Ultra flash)
On Whiff - Raging Demon or BnB (cr. MK tends to be the most reliable)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - Not Applicable (Air Grab) (Meaty Aerial EX Tatsu can beat it)
On Whiff - Raging Demon or BnB
Super - On Reaction - On Reaction - Neutral jump - j. MK - cr. MK BnB/Raging Demon (Jump must be done before Super flash)
On Whiff - Raging Demon or BnB (cr. MK tends to be the most reliable)
[/details]

8

VEGA (CLAW)

Vega (Claw)

Spoiler

Vega (Claw)
LK Tatsu>Sweep YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block (close)

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked Flying Claw
Blocked Flip kick
Blocked d/f+MK (super only)
Blocked/Whiffed Wall Dive
Blocked Claw Roll

SPACING
Akuma has the advantage at full screen and up close but is at a disadvantage at middle (footsies) range. Try not to play footsies with Vega; his pokes outrange Akuma’s at every distance (you can stand just outside of Vega’s cr.MP range and try to whiff punish it with sweep). Take advantage of Vega’s weak AA by jumping in with air fireballs, j.HK, ambiguous crossups and empty jumps. From a hard knockdown, Vega is very susceptible to Akuma’s vortex, so keep the pressure on. Vega’s backdash and flips are his go-to tools to escape pressure, but they can be punished on reaction by walk forward – sweep, Raging Demon and others. When not attacking, watch out for Vega’s kara throw, which has a lot of range.

FOOTSIES/ZONING/PRESSURE
Zone Vega with fireballs/air fireballs and slowly push him into the corner. Space the air fireballs so that Vega cannot walk forward – sweep on reaction (i.e. do them relatively late and/or aim them at his feet or a bit in front of him just to gain ground). Vega cannot punish a tight fireball game easily, so punish his attempts to do so hard. If Vega is using U1, however, fireballs become risky.
Akuma cannot sweep for free against Vega; on block Vega can punish a blocked sweep with cr.MP xx EX Izuna for 230 damage. Don’t telegraph jump-ins too much, as Vega can air throw on reaction. If you see Vega whiff a standing poke, that’s a good time to jump.
The best frame trap in this matchup is cr.MP-st.HK because your cr. MP leaves you at +2 and your st.HK starts up in 8. This leaves you with a 4 frame gap to counter-hit Vega, who will often try to hit Akuma with a cr.MP. It’s a good idea to plink the st.HK since the timing on this frame trap is tight. If your frame trap fails, use cr. MK to put you at a distance outside his pokes

DEFENSE
When Vega is in the corner, his U1 has only 1f startup, which allows him to punish jump-ins or fireballs on reaction. If Vega is turtling in the corner with U1, advance forward slowly and try to make him give up his charge.
Vega’s j. HP has an excellent hitbox, so using Shoryuken is the most reliable way to get a clean AA. Cr.HP often gets stuffed or trades.
To defend against wall dives, use a combination of cr. HP and focus attack. Focus attack will lose to the throw if done early, but if done immediately before Vega is about to grab, it should whiff. Teleport is also effective, but don’t become too predictable because it’s punishable with EX Izuna Drop. If Vega starts ‘whiffing’ the wall dives, he’s vulnerable when he lands, so at the very least Akuma can close a lot of distance or even punish with st. HK kara U1. If Vega does his wall dive Super, teleport away.

ULTRA CHOICE
U1 is useful in this matchup, as it can punish wall dives, protects sweeps from being whiff punished and can punish Vega’s flip or backdash on wakeup if option selected. U2 is also viable, as it allows Akuma to teleport freely and can be used to punish Wall Dive as well (for less damage than U1).

ON WAKEUP
Vega has no good options to escape Akuma’s vortex, so Akuma has a lot of options :
Crossup Tatsu.
Empty jump cr.LK (or cr.LK + cr.LP)
Safe jump j. HK/DF dive kick
Demon flip throw (Loses to Scarlet Terror)
Fake crossup command dive kick
Crossup fireball.
DF Throw > EX DF Dive kick (Crosses up)
Corner-Specific Options:
DF Throw> HK DF Dive Kick (Crosses up)
DF Throw> LK DF Dive Kick (Does not cross up)

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - KKK Teleport (Just avoids damage) or Demon Armageddon (Far range only)
On Block - BnB, Raging Demon or Demon Armageddon (Does very little chip)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - Jump backwards - Sweep or Teleport xx Demon Armageddon (cancel near end of teleport) (EX Shoryuken loses, both reversal Demons lose)
On Block - BnB, Raging Demon or Demon Armageddon
Super - On Reaction - KKK Teleport (xx Demon Armageddon) or cr. MK kara Demon (tight timing)
On Block - Not Applicable (Bad idea to block, jump or DP, since these lose to grab)

YANG

Yang

[details=Spoiler]Yang
LK Tatsu>Sweep NO
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
To be filled in later

**Effective Option Selects **
Double dash- j.HK/MK Demon Flip Palm o/s U1 (On wakeup, after forward throw)

Offense Tips
Buffer Demon input when throwing fireballs - Yang’s roll can often be punished by it

Defense Tips
To be filled in later

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - HP/EX Shoryuken, Raging Demon (point blank only), Neutral jump - BnB/Raging Demon/Demon Armageddon or KKK Teleport xx Demon Armageddon
On Block - BnB, Raging Demon or Demon Armageddon (Does very little chip)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - KKK Teleport Backwards - Raging Demon/Demon Armageddon/BnB (Buffer U2 into normal) (Reversals whiff on Yang’s U2)
On Block - BnB, Raging Demon or Demon Armageddon (Yang usually crosses over, so reverse inputs)
Super - Not Applicable (Buff)
[/details]

YUN

Yun

[details=Spoiler]Yun
LK Tatsu>Sweep NO
Fs. HK hits only once on low block

Guaranteed Demons
To be filled in later

**Effective Option Selects **
To be filled in later

Offense Tips
Low-to-the-ground air fireballs are effective zoning tools
Rush Yun down - his offense is better than his defense and if you’re not pressuring him he can whiff Palm for lots of free meter
Buffer Demon into crossup Tatsu and TK Air Fireball setups - finish input if Yun uses Dragon Kick/Lunge to escape
Setups
[LIST]
[]Exploding Heart Technique (beats all regular Dragon Kicks but loses to EX)
[]Demon Flip Throw - Dash - EX Demon Flip Kick (Yun should have to block the dive kick as a crossup)
[]Throw - Double Dash - Walk Forward - Command Divekick (Beats LK/MK/EX Dragon Kick but trades with HK)
[]Throw - Double Dash - j. HK - Delayed Sweep
[/LIST]
Defense Tips
fs. HP, fs. MP and cr.LK/LP can AA Yun’s divekicks (distance dependent)
A well-time LP DP can interrupt Yun’s cr.MP strings
Backdash is effective at getting out of Yun’s pressure

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - EX Shoryuken (only hits 1 time for 50 damage, strict timing), Jump backwards - BnB/Raging Demon, Reversal Demon Armageddon
On Block - BnB, Raging Demon or Demon Armageddon (EX Shoryuken/U1/U2 can be done between 3rd and 4th hits)
Ultra 2 - On Reaction - Neutral jump - Raging Demon/HK Demon Flip Dive Kick - BnB or Reversal Demon Armageddon
On Block - Walk forward - BnB, Raging Demon or Demon Armageddon (Must block 5 hits)
[/details]

ZANGIEF

Zangief

[details=Spoiler]Zangief
LK Tatsu>Sweep YES
Fs. HK hits twice on low block

Guaranteed Demons
Blocked far long sweep (super only)
Blocked close long sweep
Whiffed Lariat (hit the recovery, not the Lariat)
Blocked Green Hand
Hit by Green Hand
Blocked EX Green Hand

**Effective Option Selects **
DF Palm o/s U1 or U2 on wakeup (This should beat late crouch lariat, U2, backdash and EX Green Hand, but will lose to reversal lariat or EX SPD. Akuma is also in an unfavorable position if Zangief blocks)
DF Palm o/s HK Tatsu on wakeup (This should work the same as Palm o/s U1/U2, and can be used if Ultra is not stocked)

Offense Tips
Bait lariats with properly spaced air/ground fireballs, then sweep the lariat
Zangief’s wakeup is a guessing game:
[LIST]
[]DF Throw beats lariat, EX Green Hand, Block, EX SPD, Wakeup Jump to U2. It loses to backdash SPD or U1.
[]DF Divekick beats reversal lariat, EX Green Hand (follow up sweep should be possible), EX SPD. It loses to late crouch PPP lariat and wakeup jump to U2. Akuma is also in a bad position if Zangief blocks.
[*]DF Palm beats late crouch lariat and wakeup jump to U2. If U1/U2 and possibly HK Tatsu is option selected, it will also beat backdash and EX Green Hand. This loses to reversal lariat and EX SPD. Akuma is also in a bad position if Zangief blocks.
[/LIST]
Defense Tips
Stay away most of the time - one missed link in a block string can mean eating a SPD
Don’t go air-to-air with him if he has Ultra 2
Be careful with the spacing on air fireballs - EX green hand can close the distance quickly
If he’s jumping in and is out of range for an AA or s.HP, teleport back to avoid being in SPD range
Don’t throw out random sweeps if in SPD range
EX Green Hand is used to get out of pressure - try to bait it out by feinting stutter stepping after block string or feinting a move (e.g.cr. LK at sweep range)

Punishing Ultra/Super
Ultra 1 - On Reaction - Neutral jump - BnB/Raging Demon (must jump before Ultra flash)
On Block - Not Applicable (Grab)
Ultra 2 - On Whiff - EX Demon Flip Dive Kick - BnB or Raging Demon (No aerial moves beat this Ultra, not even meaty EX Tatsu)
On Block - Not Applicable (Air Grab)
Super - On Reaction - Neutral jump - BnB/Raging Demon (must jump before Super flash)
On Block - Not Applicable (Grab)

[/details]

9

Oni
LK Tatsu/Sweep - YES
St. RH hits once on block

Defensive tips:
-Teleport to avoid his cross-up slash

Safe-jumps:
-You can safe-jump DF Palm his U2 if he throws it to AA you, though I doubt this situation would ever happen because he can just SRK you (3-frame).

Apologies if I’m not supposed to be posting in this thread, tell me and I will request it be deleted!

10

8 posts should be more than enough, but thanks!

Things I’m particularly interested in:
-Effective wakeup techniques against Adon, now that he has normal wakeup time
-Effective wakeup techniques against Rose, now that she’s lost U2 invulnerability
-Methods/traps to bait Oni’s DP, since it’s unsafe on block regardless of meter
-Whether or not Makoto’s buffs have an effect on Akuma’s ability to vortex her

And of course, any and all information about how to hurt Yun and Yang. :slight_smile:

11

Unblockable works on E.Ryu

12

This is what I posted on the last matchup thread:

Safe jump Option select vs Yang:

throw dashx2 j.HK/DF palm os Ultra 1: beats every option he has on wakeup. EX command dash is hit and proyectile invincible, but NOT grab invincible :wink:

after relatively close sweep immediate command divekick os U1 gives you the same result.

Safe-ish jump and Os vs Yun:

Throw, dash x2, walk, command divekick: beats everything but trades with HK dp…which is the slowest Dp he has and no one really uses it as reversal…but this setup beats all the other Dps, even Lk and EX, and also catches backdash, so no need to OS it.

Also the typical throw dashx2 j.HK os delayed sweep beats all his options, and you can punish HK dp with at least a cr.mk xx lk tatsu > shoryu

Vs Adon:

He’s 100% free on wake-up now.

Akuma’s DF divekick owns all his Dps. Any 5F safe jump Os delayed sweep will beat every option he has on wakeup.

Vs Rose:

same deal as Adon, 100% free for safe jump os immediaty sweep.

Vs Makoto:

We def need to be a lot more careful against makoto. a 5f safe jump Os ultra 1 beats everything EXCEPT EX karakusa. Also ex karakusa kills safe jumps unless its done with the DF palm. Her new LP shoryuken beats crossup tatsu and (believe it or not) DF divekick clean, and she can get another one into EX axe kick for huge dmg and stun**.**

so TL;DR version: safe jump Makoto with Df palm everytime she has meter.

13

Tried this yesterday a couple of time online and landed it. Thanks for confirming it Loyal!

Good stuff Dive!

I’d like to add (anyone correct me in case), don’t go for crossup tatsu against Rose with U2 stocked, even the new one seems to be able to hit Akuma.

Maybe it has to hit on the very first frames…

14

With the new Rose U2 you should be safe palming anyways. Cross up Tatsu loses to auto correct Soul Throw.

15

Actually a few times in Super (not AE) I did a crossup tatsu on Rose when she activated U2 and she was hit by the tatsu right after her Ultra flash finished. Seems to be extremely tight timing, though, so probably not worth trying in a match that matters.

16

I think, besides the usual stuff in the matchup spoiers, we should also add more matchup notes, like more text. because it helps more people that way, and its easier to understand

17

Vs E.Ryu

Guaranteed demons
-Blocked or whiffed U2
-Blocked Shoryuken

Defensive tips
-Careful jumping in on him with either Ultra loaded.
-U2 is fully fireball immune and has a wide hitbox: can punish your fireballs at a little past sweep range

18

I’m all for having as much information as possible, but I do like using the Spoiler tags and different ‘sections’ like Offense Tips, Defense Tips, etc as it helps to organize the info. As the amount of information increases, the importance of keeping it organized does as well. Were you thinking of something like a paragraph describing a general approach/strategy in addition to the ‘bullet point’ style tips?

Also can we get this thread stickied? I’m updating this one, not the one I created in January.

19

Yeah, in addition to the bullet point tips, which are useful, something like a parahraph will be good as well, to get more “in depth” with the matchups.

20

I’m game, but I would want input from the heavy hitters like LoyalSol, Richard N, ShinAkuma204, Superlollo, etc on the basic approach to each matchup - I don’t feel that I am qualified to write these new sections by myself.