Anji Mito: Questions and Answers

[Kyoku]

He isn't ranked the worst, I think he is actually 3rd worst by the current chart, though I consider him better than that, maybe 5th worst :P I usually find myself pondering the same thing, but I suppose it comes down to things like... He is VERY dependent on bar to do damage, auto guard can be good but can be risky, he tends to lose to zoners and people who do more damage to him or easier damage (isn't that like 70% of the cast?), maybe a lack of good normals or incredibly safe moves (like 2 decent normals he has, I'd say.), mix ups are good but predictable, anybody who has played alot of Anji or someone who uses him can usually see through the tricks, ability to do good damage off of normal hits (without bar) isn't very good, and just the overall work you have to put into a match to win, being safe, unpredictable, and precise (its like the Chipp syndrome.) Don't get me wrong, I think Anji can be very good if played right (really safe or really unsafe :P). And he does well against some of the better characters (Eddie, Pot, Baiken maybe sometimes.) I mean, he has an unblockable that leads to KD that can lead to another unblockable :P Thats too good to be bottom 3. I duno, there are probably things I left out, but all in all, I have alot of fun playing Anji. I don't know if its the challenge or what, maybe its the fans.

[Chomite]

...why am I always get destroyed by eddie, pot and baiken att...man I suck

[Kyoku]

They are still high tier characters, meaning they still give trouble but Anji has niches in those fights I'd say. Eddie - Fujin everything (big drill unblockables, small eddie pressure, etc), be very safe until small Eddie is gone, then rush down ftw if possible :P Oh yeah, don't forget about 3K autoguarding the puddle unblockable >.> Pot - Be safe, very easy to escape unblockables with 6K wake-up, time 3K to take care of busters when possible for free damage, and use butterfly pressure accordingly (he doesn't like that, unless he flicks, then find ways around it.) Baiken - Is maybe sometimes... bait counters if possible. Strings ending with 2D or 2S will go under ouren, 2D will go under the P counter, if none counter attempt to punish 2D or 2S blocked can possibly Fujin on reaction. Mostly another play safe fight =/

[Makubex]

big drill unblockables can only be avoided with fujiin if the eddie player messes up the timing he just has to change the ball timing

[Tiamat]

fujin everything against eddie not really good advice, if you fujin when he's doing mowaru you get raped hardcore. also if he sets a drill right in front of you a little during poke games pick your spot and it may or may not work *shrug*

[Kyoku]

I was being as vague as possible :P I am not good at explaining stuff that doesn't happen often enough to me. Especially Eddie fights, usually so fast paced. But fujin is helpful as always against Eddie from my experience.

[Tiamat]

well there are some matchups were im pretty convinced fujin sucks badly, like sol. only time i ever hit it on him is a backdash catch, nearly all his shit recovers too fast to punish with it most matchups though you can get some decent mileage off "random" fujins

[Kyoku]

Yeah, fujin vs sol is terrible. Trying to think of who else fujin is pretty bad against. Oh yeah, Axl... but I usually try to avoid that match. Doesn't seem to work too well vs RK either, but maybe thats just me.

[Tiamat]

i wonder what matchup is decent for him where fujin is bad lol. dizzy maybe? fujin bad against axl. fujin not as bad against robo but still not very good most of the time. robo some of his normals recover pretty shitty on whiff so it can work

[Trykt]

Long time lurker, first time poster. I've been a big GG fan since X2 came out (bought it when it was new) but I've never given it serious play and am just now getting into Accent Core since I've finally got a friend or two to play against now. So, forgive me for this being an extremely n00bish question, but I was trying to learn/practice Anji's basic corner combo (listed in Tiamat's guide) last night - 5K - 5S - 5H - 2D - 236S(D) - 236H - 5K - 5S - On I can't get the KS part - Anji just does the hop followup to 236H. Is the timing just really tight (I can IAD from neutral but I'm having trouble doing that for the KS followup from FB Rin too, so my timing IS kind of terrible) or am I missing something, like a directional input that cancels the followup input or something? Thanks in advance for any input on this.

[Kyoku]

Its not a directional problem. What you want to do with that specific combo is do a "nothing" fuujin. Fuujin being your 236S/H. But instead of doing one of the follow ups (K,P,S,HS,D), you do nothing. You just need to wait a little longer. Most of Anji's basic stuff (maybe even advanced stuff) you have all day to follow up on. But this combo here, you are doing another fuujin after the Rin, which should bounce off the wall. All you need to do is wait for the fuujin attack to be over, then follow up with your KS. Its just a matter of getting used to timing. As for following up with KS after Rin, most of the time you should be able to do that pretty easily. It might involve a little running to catch the body, but there isn't much timing involved in that.

[Chomite]

Sometimes you need to use K follow up (typically after TK orb) to conttinue combo if you are starting combo far away from corner (but opponent will still bounce off so you can pick him up with 2P - P - On or whatever).

[Trykt]

Thanks, I figured it had to do with the timing but I just wasn't sure. I think the problem is the fact that you really do have all freakin day to input the followup, I felt like I was waiting a good long while and I was still getting the hop from hitting K. I can do the KS - On followup easy if I leave out the "naked" Fuujin, but of course I want to be able to dish as much damage as I possibly can

[Kyoku]

The combo I usually go for in the corner (depending on character) would be Pretty much the same set up, or slightly altered (minus the 2D actually); so 5K - 5S - 5HS into 236HS(D) - 236HS(nothing) - "5K - 5S - Sj.K - j.S - j.D - 214P - j.S (while landing)" - Land - Watch the tech direction into Air throw and do the "ed combo again. Its a more damaging set up, but On leads to knockdown leads to mix ups, etc. I personally don't really use the 2D - 236S(D) very much unless I have to. Usually if I get confirming hits on a 5k/5S/HS I will just go for 236HS(D) which usually does more damage. Not to mention 2D - 236S(D) doesn't work on heavies. Not saying its a bad option, but I only really use it if I have the confirming hit of 2D only.

[Trykt]

The combo I usually go for in the corner (depending on character) would be

Pretty much the same set up, or slightly altered (minus the 2D actually); so 5K - 5S - 5HS into 236HS(D) - 236HS(nothing) - "5K - 5S - Sj.K - j.S - j.D - 214P - j.S (while landing)" - Land - Watch the tech direction into Air throw and do the "ed combo again. Its a more damaging set up, but On leads to knockdown leads to mix ups, etc.

I personally don't really use the 2D - 236S(D) very much unless I have to. Usually if I get confirming hits on a 5k/5S/HS I will just go for 236HS(D) which usually does more damage. Not to mention 2D - 236S(D) doesn't work on heavies. Not saying its a bad option, but I only really use it if I have the confirming hit of 2D only.

Yeah, the 2D does seem a bit odd to me and I noticed the problem against heavies in training last night (was trying to combo HOS). I'll try your suggestion. Is this a corner combo (like they're pushed up against the wall) or a near corner combo?

[Kyoku]

They don't need to be on the wall, just near the corner so the J.D doesn't push them too far away for the 214P to hit. So yeah, basically just a corner combo. I believe certain characters bounce differently after the 214P and have time to tech before the J.s landing. Its not really important to the combo but sometimes it allows you to catch people who are desperate to get out of the corner. I usually just set the tech to random in training when I am playing with tech traps. Sometimes you just have to predict where they are going to tech and SJ in that direction for the air throw, its not exactly something that you can be punished for if they 1. Don't tech, because you will land again before they get up or 2. Do tech, which can just lead to a air throw break unless you mess up your air throw timing/positioning and get hit or something.

[Trykt]

Thanks for the info. Any suggestions on what I should do if they're actually IN the corner? I've found if I use KSH - 236H or KSH - 236H(D) they bounce back out the other way and I'm not sure how to chase them - should I just stick with 236S(D) - KS - On? Seems like I should be able to get more damage out of it than that, and besides I'd have to do 236S(S) on heavies which just seems pitiful.

[Kyoku]

Hmm, in the corner. If you are too close the 236H will bounce em out, and likely too far away for you to On them back into the corner. In some cases you can though after a bounce away from the corner On them back into the corner and catch them with 236S(D) and go from there. It is likely better to go for the 236S(D) while deep in the corner. But usually if you got them in the corner you want to keep them there. Usually with pressure into a CH that bounces, or pressure into 2D 236S(D) into the combo I gave you earlier which will work off of any bounce near the corner. But yeah corner is a good place for Anji to make pressure and mix up until the opponent messes up and gives you the round :P It is good to practice block strings against opponent who is cornered, butterfly stuff, etc. Some cases you will land a hit in the corner and not really have to option to do a big combo, in which case you should just go for the KD (236S(S/HS). CH is probably your best friend in the corner though (3K, 2147P for TK orb, S follow up after fuujin.) all of which can land you a nice air combo and reel in some more damage. Quick Edit: didn't include anything about heavies in the corner. Since you can't pick them up with Rin after 236S, you might as well just go for pressure until you get a CH then combo. And if you do land a 236S just go with the S follow up for KD and start over. Also, don't forget that red butterflies are your friend vs heavies :P

[Tiamat]

even against heavies you can do something like 2D 236S-S (RC) 236H 5K5S On for strong corner combos. can also do 5H 236H-S (RC) 236H 5K5S On. you can also 5S into small fujin loop from that RC, or if you did it from 236H-S FRC, you can do it for less tension. frc will not give you time for 236H like the RC does, so keep that in mind good to see so many new posts. I should add something in my guide about that when i do my long overdue update.

[MiraclePizza]

These things have probably been said elsewhere already and/or is already well-known but I thought I'd randomly bring it up before I forget . This is just random info that recently went through my mind.

5S5H combo starters always result in more damage than 5K5S5H combo starters due to the GB- on 5K not living up to its damage. It just lowers guard bar too much. At max range, 5S will not connect after the pushback from 5K, while starting with 5S into 5H would work. In this case, if you attempt to to a 5K5S, you will drop your combo due to 5S whiffing. That stuff being said, the only time you should use 5K is when you need a move that's 3 frames faster and overall a bit safer.

TL;DR -

5S5H for damage

5K5S5H for speed and safety

About the FB rin combos. If you're up against a character that you can Fuujin loop and, let's say, landed a 5S5H 236H-D 236H and you're somewhat close to the corner to connect 5S (with your opponent in the corner, of course), you can do one rep of the Fuujin loop by linking 236H into 5S 236S-K 5K5S5H into Butterfly or FB Butterfly. This option is also more guaranteed if your second 236H hits them while they're still high from the groundbounce from FB Rin, so that you have more time to input 5S without getting the S followup from Fuujin. What makes this option superior to hop KS (or P) On is that this gets you a perfect corner oki/unblockable setup.

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten that if you're close enough to the corner, hop KS On will get you a corner knockdown anyway. However, there are certain times where your hop after Fuujin will not cross up your opponent for On to produce a corner drop so it can't hurt to know that the option I just mentioned will always give you a very good corner knockdown vs characters that can be Fuujin looped.

TL;DR -

Midscreen BNB can be modified to have more chance for a corner knockdown. Fuujin loop ender gives you CORNER momentum. Very useful for Anji!

Corner 236H-D. Yea, you guys should know what I'm talking about. This is the annoying situation where if you hit with 236H in the corner and use the FB followup, it will knock them AWAY from the corner. Generally this might mean that you dash up KS into superjump combo which does not knock them down and leaves them midscreen. However, there is a far superior option against characters that are either very floaty and/or have wide aerial hitboxes. If you haven't already guessed, after the FB Rin bounces them away from the corner you can dash up P or KS into On which will produce a knockdown close to the corner with them in the corner. Prime examples of this off the top of my head are Faust, Testament, May, and Zappa. There is most likely some more characters that will fit on this list.

On this note, fangrab combo enders are always superior to superjump combo enders since they end up dealing about the same amount of damage but fangrab gives you a very good knockdown. There are a very few exceptions to this, but those will require you to be able to do the full orb combo for these options to be practical.

TL;DR -

5S5H 236H-D (bounce away from corner) dash P On or KS On. 236S followups after on is also usually possible but costs more tension for less damage.

That's all I can think of for now.

[Kyoku]

So... since this thread is pretty much dead, I thought I would attempt to bring some life into it with a question that has probably been asked before. How do ya'll like to set up your red butterfly combos? There are a lot of different things I've seen done with the combo so I was seeing if I could get some varying input on this. I personally like to do them after a throw because the distance it creates is just perfect. I'll run up with a 5s to put em in guard stun making the unblockable inevitable then I'll do the 2s as the butterfly falls on them. Usually from there I'll just do a S fujin with a quick S follow up for the KD to go back into safe pressure after the free damage. But I've seen some other cool alternatives to extend the damage a little bit. Like timing a 5S into 5HS into H fujin then H follow up for the KD. I haven't really messed with it too much (but I should); its just so second nature now for me to finish a red butterfly set up the way I do now. Maybe different people do set ups against different characters though? And lastly I was wondering if any of you were going to be going to Evo. I'm always down for mirror matches. Its a real learning experience in my opinion.

[Dawnbringer]

I think that's a 3S cancel from 2S into 5S instead of an actual basic string.Also,it's best to go into shitsu pressure as it's Anji's main risk/reward game (and has the highest reward). I won't be going to Evo,or else I'd be going there and hanging a sign around myself proclaiming to be the best Anji in North America just for shits and giggles.(And getting beef with everyone at the same time)Besides,there isn't that many Anjis in North America.There's only like 4 active in all of Canada,and I'm guessing there's around 6-8 that's active in the US.(Maybe less?)

[Kyoku]

Yeah, thats more or less why I don't mess with it at the moment. I'm not incredibly confident throwing around 3s cancels or double butterflies in tourney lately. And considering there are so few Anji players in North America, then you COULD in fact be the best :P Now that you won't be showing up, there will be no way to find out hehe.

[Dawnbringer]

Well,the current best in North America would have to be Kenji (KBKNova).He finishes near the top consistently with Anji (maybe more of Zappa from what I'm seeing). I'm probably not the best yet,but I'll be getting there...I'm still learning the BS Anji has to deal with for every match up (currently working on Mays,I eat too many random CHs)

[Kyoku]

Yeah, thats pretty much all I work on, match up stuff. Knowing what options I have to deal with what everyone else does. I honestly never worried too much about it until I sat down with Combofiend for a day and went head to head with his Slayer. His precision taught me that I should stop making mistakes, period :P But I usually lose in tourneys for various reasons: -Trying to be too flashy. -Dumbing down my combos, lowering my damage output because I am afraid of dropping more advanced combos. -Getting into a low tier mindset. -Pretty much the same thing I just listed, when I get in that mindset, I don't take the matches seriously because I'm not taking my character seriously. I think once I get over those flaws, I'll be fine. Well, and learn to deal with certain characters (Millia and May specifically.)