The Complete Anji Mito SLASH Guide

[Koozebanian Fazoob]

This is a guide for SLASH Anji written by Klaige.

This guide is designed to be a help tool in using Anji from a beginner’s level all the way to a very advanced status. In here I will attempt to cover everything from moves, combos, and basic strategy, to advance concepts and tactics that I have developed in the years I have played with Anji. What you should keep in mind at all times is that much of this guide is based of my experiences as well as input from other high level players. You should not take this guide as an end-all-be-all bible. No strategy and ideas are perfect in Guilty, and I encourage you to challenge my thoughts and add to this guide as if you wrote it yourselves.

Special Thanks goes out to 722 for his help on this guide and to all the Midwest players who drive me to be a better player myself.

Without further Ado let us begin.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction

Part 1: Moves

2. Normals

2a. Standing Normals

2b. Crouching Normals

2c. Jumping Normals

2d. Normals Summary

3. Throws

3a. Ground Throw

3b. Air Throw

4. Specials

4a. Specials

4b. Specials Summary

5. Overdrives

5a. Overdrives

5b. Overdrive Summary

Part 2: Tactics

6. Defense

6a. Blocking

6b. Faultless Defense

6c. Instant Blocking

6d. Dead Angle Attack

6e. Defensive Bursting

6f. Backdashing

6g. Zoning

6h. Counter Poking

6i. Defensive Throws

6j. Defensive Autoguards

6k. Defensive Tactics Summary

7. Offense

7a. Get the Knockdown

7b. Poking

7c. Basic Mix up

7d. Getting In

7e. Butterfly Pressure

7f. Non Okizeme Butterfly Pressure

7g. Non Butterfly Okizeme

7h. Baiting Defensive Counters

7i. Offensive Tactics Summary

Part 3: Combos

8. Ground Combos

9. Basic Air Combos

10. Jump Install Combos

11. Dust Combos

12. Comboing off Rin

13. IAD Combos

14. RCing Orb for extra damage

15. TK Orb combos

16. Momentum Preserved Jump Installs

17. Combos Summary

Part 4: Closing

18 Do’s and Don’ts of Anji

19 Final Thoughts

Character Introduction

This is about as basic as this guide will get, I’m writing it with the assumption that everyone on this forum understands the most basic concepts about the game (what normals and specials are, what an FRC is, etc).

Anji in slash has moved on from being a one trick trap pony to a better rounded character. He still relies on his butterfly for his basic offense and mix up but Anji now possess a strong offensive rush-down game and a very powerful okizeme on top of his good zoning and air game. If you liked Anji in #R odds are you will like him even more now with his improved tools and strengths. At this point Anji is consider to be in the A tier. Keep in mind I am only telling you this so there aren’t a billion questions on it, this isn’t a tier thread, and match up discussion is more important anyway (and that will get covered in another thread). Anji is a fairly easy character to pick up with relatively simple combos to learn. His learning curve is more difficult than people will admit and it is very easy to get into bad habits playing Anji. Even I will admit that parts of his game have gotten very scrubby, but if you think picking up Anji is going to guarantee wins in Slash, you should think again. It takes a lot of work to bring Anji’s game to its highest level and this guide should help start you on the path there.

Normals:

This section will break down all of Anji’s normals in great detail, Anji has a great set of normals and you would be well served to learn them and put them to good use.

5P Level 2

Frame Data: Startup: 4 Active: 3 Recovery: 6 Advantage: +3

Standing punch is a great all around normal for Anji. It’s a worthwhile poke on the ground with good frame advantage, you can use it for some very basic frame traps in the corner and it of course gatlings into almost any of Anji’s basic ground combos. 5P’s primary strength is when you use it as an Anti-Air. When scoring an anti-air counter hit Anji gets a free air combo which in slash guarantees a knockdown (read: Great for Anji). It is not an unbeatable anti-air and moves like a deep J.H. from Sol can easily put a hurt on you. Learning the proper range and timing of 5P is a must and it should be a staple in your game.

5K Level 1

Frame Data: Startup: 5 Active: 5 Recovery: 6 Advantage: -1

Standing Kick is your basic ground normal, nothing special, nothing bad about it either. Its main use is starting ground gatlings or juggles but it can also prove to be a useful poke with only have a minor disadvantage on block. Simple strings like 5k, 5k, 6h, are useful in the corner and can get opponents to freeze long enough to let Anji build a little guard gauge. The hitbox at the tip of Anji’s foot goes surprisingly far and you can occasionally use it like a 5P to stop characters running at you who would run under a 5P (I.E. Sol, Baiken). For the most part stick to using this in combos and juggles, but don’t overlook it’s poking and tick throw usefulness.

5S Level 4

Frame Data: Startup: 7 Active: 4 Recovery: 10 Advantage: +3

Standing slash can now be used at any range since Anji’s far slash has been changed to a command normal. It is your primary juggle starter (S, S, air combo) and is a great move for frame traps. It is a potent +3 on block and is perfect for following up after a move like Rin which allows Anji to keep advantage over his opponent for long strings at a time. It does solid damage is and is a mainstay in any of Anji’s combos that begin on the ground. It can also be used as an Anti-Air but I consider 5P to be far superior for that task. Learning to use 5S followed by autoguard moves on the advantage is a very useful tool and one of the more overlooked strengths of the move.

5H Level 5

Frame Data: Startup: 15 Active: 4 Recovery: 21 Advantage: -6

Autoguard: Frames 4-11

Standing hard is the first of Anji’s normals with an autoguard that I will discuss. This move is all about taking up space and is a prime example of Anji’s zoning capability. Since standing hard hits on both sides of Anji (as well as having a decent size hitbox above his body) and is a great move to use as a deterrent against opponents wanting to move in against him. It is a very solid autoguard to use against opponents trying to drop down on top of Anji, but keep in mind that the autoguard does not start until frame 4, meaning that you will have to time it faster than you would a 6H. Netting a counter hit with 5H can get Anji a huge chunk of damage. On a ground CH you can hit confirm into HS Fujinn, and in the air it is untechable giving you plenty of time for a follow up juggle into an air combo. Because the fans start at the top of Anji’s body and are pulled down you may be surprised at how many moves can out poke this on occasion. It is certainly not a spammable move, but it is invaluable in helping Anji to control the screen. Using it sparingly, but effectively is a must in improving his defensive zoning game.

6P Level 5

Frame Data: Startup: 18 Active: 4 Recovery: 16 Advantage: -1

Anji’s forward punch can be very difficult for a new player to learn to use but is extremely effective when handled properly. 6P has upper body invincibility on the first 21 frames, making it ideal for anti-air against instant air dashes (IAD). In the air a CH will float the opponent for a free juggle and combo, and on the ground the CH causes a stagger that should allow for at least a knockdown. 6P has a few useful gatlings such as 5S that allow for a mini loop (6P, 5S, 6P, 5S) on a crouching opponent. It also has only a minor disadvantage on block, so gatling into 6K is a tricky string to try and net a counter hit or autoguard. 6P will feel very clunky at first due to its slow startup, but after you learn to understand where the reach and where anji is invincible you will find it an invaluable tool for out poking people who are prone to IAD too much.

6K Level 3

Frame Data: Startup: 11 Active: 6 Recovery: 13 Advantage: -5

Autoguard: Frames 1-7

FRC-able

Forward kick is simply a solid all around move, its autoguard makes it useful as both a ground poke and a decent anti-air against moves that have a long range (I.E. Sol’s Bandit Bringer). None of Anji’s autoguards have a faster startup, so if you are looking to try and sneak an autoguard into a tight spot it is the better choice over 6H. On any CH 6K floats the opponent very high, giving Anji a free combo. Because of the autoguard, netting a CH is a frequent occurrence when the move is used properly. 6K is also a great move to throw at the end of a pressure string as the Autoguard can often catch an opponent looking to swing quickly after Anji is pushed back. Forward Kick is arguably the safest of Anji’s autoguards because of the ability to FRC it and its faster recovery. 6K can be used in various situations, but its strength really shines when you utilize it as a counter poke. A CH almost guarantees Anji 150+ damage in Slash, and knowing when to throw it is vital to improving your game both offensively and defensively.

6S Level 3

Frame Data: Startup: 13 Active: 4 Recovery: 17 Advantage: -7

Autoguard: Frames 7-10

Anji’s far slash how now become a command normal and can be performed at any range. If S, S is used in a gatling it will act as it has in past versions of XX (close slash, then far slash). The ability to use 6S at any range has turned in into a valuable tool for controlling space against an air attacker. 6S has a long hitbox up and diagonally out in front of Anji, it is particularly useful in catching characters that like to double jump a lot in an attempt to gain better position. It has decent startup, but lacks any invulnerability and only a scant 3 frames worth of autoguard, thus you should be careful about spamming it at a close distance. If you connect against an opponent in air you can follow up with a combo even without a counter hit if you jump cancel it quickly enough. 6S thrives when it is used in conjunction with Anji’s other zoning and anti-air pokes to cover various angles that an opponent may use to try and get in against you. 6S is also incredibly useful in butterfly strings as it can force the opponent to remain in block stun long enough to use IAD pressure or Fujinn mind games. Even though the autoguard on 6S is a very small window, if you connect with it you will almost always be able to link it into a kou due to the fact that your opponent will have likely thrown a move in the air with enough recovery to allow kou to hit cleanly.

6H Level 3

Frame Data: Startup: 13 Active: 18 Recovery: 18 Advantage: -12

Autoguard: Frames 1-11

FRC-able

Perhaps the most infamous normal move in all of Anji’s repertoire is the spinning fans of 6H. While being a very powerful move when used correctly, 6H is often the bane of new Anji players and becomes a crutch. 6H is the easiest of Anji’s autoguards to use as it begins the moment the move activates and has a huge 11 frame window. Using this autoguard is a very important part of Anji’s game and there are more than a few valid situations that you will find to throw 6H in hopes of connecting with an Autoguard. Using it on wakeup is an option to beat certain okizeme, however it’s always a risk (just like any wakeup attack), and it works well against IAD strings that are too high or quick to take out with a 6P. The key to 6H is not letting it become your panic button, which is very easy to do. Even the best Anji players can get in a rut where they spam 6H too much in an attempt to get out of a bad situation (I am no exception, I’ve done it more than my share of times). Beyond autoguard and space control 6H is an excellent pressure tool. It can be canceled into almost anything (specials, certain normals, and jump cancels) on the first 2 hits, and if it is blocked this is the ideal tactic as it leaves Anji at a terrible disadvantage on a full block. You can cancel into overheads (orb), crossups (p stomp), or pressure specials (fujinn and butterfly). The FRC is very tricky to learn as it comes extremely late in the move’s animation (after the final hit), but if you can hit it consistently this opens up more mind games and options for 25% tension. Using 6H is a must in strengthening Anji’s game and using its autoguard properly will strengthen your defensive game to a top level. 6H will either be a great asset or one of your biggest detriments, don’t let this move become a crutch and you will be well on your way to being better than 90% of the scrubby kids who try to pick up Anji.

3P

Frame Data: Startup: 20 Active: 3 Recovery: 11 Advantage: 0

Anji at last has a normal hitting overhead for the first time since the days of X. Before we all rejoice let me explain that 3P is not a godly move like Testament’s 6P or Millia’s 6K. 3P is a slow and very situational overhead that in all honesty does not have a whole ton of uses. The primary strength of 3P comes when using it during butterfly strings, since the butterfly no longer hits high people will almost certainly start blocking low and try to react to your decisions. Because of its slow startup (Even for an overhead) reacting to the move is not as difficult as you may imagine, so you will have to be somewhat creative in how and when you throw it out. 3P will not gatling into ANYTHING, so the only way to combo off of it is to Roman cancel it, combo it with a butterfly, or net a CH. On CH 3P gives a huge ground bounce, leaving more than enough time for a solid air combo. You can gatling into 3P from a few different moves or link it off things like 5P. For the most part you are going to be using this to play mix up games during your pressure strings, but 3P can be especially useful in trying to score a round ending hit on a turtling opponent. On occasion you could even throw this as your okizeme poke if a good butterfly is not an option. 3P has a good sized hitbox and reaches a long distance despite the animation being so close to Anji’s body. Use this move sparingly, but do not forget to add it to your mix up and pressure strings. Even though it is slow you are likely to catch more than few players snoozing when they try to block it on reaction.

5D Level 3

Frame Data: Startup 25 Active: 6 Recovery: 26 Advantage: -18

Autoguard Frames: 19-24

Anji’s standing dust has never been one of the better ones in the game and though it has gained some autoguard in slash, it takes a bit of skill and trickery to use. 5D is decently quick for a dust, but it is loaded with frames of animation that set off a big siren that says “Hey look, I’m using DUST”. Good dusts like Jam’s have very subtle animation and it makes them more difficult to block, so to hit with Anji’s dust you’ll need to have very solid mix up and throw it in the right spot. The autoguard comes very, VERY late, and it is rather difficult to time against an attack, but if the autoguard hits you can pretty much guarantee you are going to get a CH dust. All of Anji’s dust combos can end in a knockdown and we’ll cover all of those in the combo section later in the guide. In general Anji’s dust has its uses, but it is far from an abuse-able overhead, sneak it in when you have your opponent under a barrage of pressure and you can catch your opponents off guard.

[Koozebanian Fazoob]

Crouching Normals

2P Level 1

Frame Data: Startup: 5 Active: 4 Recovery: 6 Advantage: 0

Crouching punch may be one of the most underrated normals in the game from my perspective. It’s fast, has a plethora of different uses, and is surprisingly safe to use. The first thing you should realize is that the hitbox on this move is deceptively large considering how close it is to Anji’s body. You can knock people out of moves from a full body’s length away and sometimes even further on characters with extending hitboxes on their movements. 2P is an excellent anti-tick throw, and anti-poke string move. It can hit any character (where as 5P can wiff if various situations) and on counter hit it will easily combo into a knockdown. (It’s not hard to get a knockdown off a normal hit either, especially if you spam the move a couple times). 2P is an excellent move for tick throws and gatlings into essentially any move you would like to use. This is one of the few normals Anji can actually spam and not get in a lot of trouble for doing so. 2P is the move you should reach for if you are looking to knock people out of strings where they chain into a slow overhead or go for a tick throw. It will also be a staple in your basic pressure games off the butterfly. If you haven’t used this move often in your arsenal, consider throwing it some more in tight situations, you might be surprised how effective it can be.

2K Level 3

Frame Data: Startup: 8 Active: 2 Recovery: 6 Advantage: +6

The first low hitting normal we’ll discuss is the powerful low kick of Anji’s arsenal. 2K is an excellent poke, sporting great range, speed, and an absolutely ridiculous +6 advantage on block. This is Anji’s primary poke for hitting with frame traps and it especially useful in slowing down over-zealous opponents who like to swing too much. 2K is the move you should reach for when you go for a low poke or counter-swing as it is much safer on wiff and block than a sweep. This little poke works great in pressure strings (especially off butterfly where you can throw it, dash forward and start a 2nd string), and in general it is one of the better all around normals in the game. Any hit off 2K should be chained into a knockdown off sweep (or sweep into fujinn) so that Anji can start his basic offensive game. There’s really no trick or special talent to using this move, poke away and abuse the advantage it gives you and you can’t really go wrong. I wouldn’t call it spammable, but you can certainly throw it out at a steady interval without being punished. Just remember…+6.

2S Level 3

Frame Data: Startup: 8 Active: 6 Recovery: 14 Advantage: -6

2S is a very solid low normal that has exceptional range and a quick startup. Much like 2K it works as an excellent counter-poke and actually reaches a bit further and higher with it’s hitbox at full extension. It’s very useful when tossed out against characters trying to run in as a hit leads to a knockdown. 2S is a solid part of Anji’s offense as well as it is very useful in butterfly strings, and is probably his best poke for okizeme. If butterfly is not an option, 2S can be thrown meaty and out of throw range, you can’t really ask for more than that from your okizeme pokes. In certain match-ups 2S is something that almost becomes spammable simply because there are so many things it can out poke. To really harness 2S at it’s strongest point you have to learn what you can beat with it (granted that is the case with most moves, but 2S is very much a counter poke in my eyes, even though it is a mainstay in the offensive game). Once you start deterring people from running in at you due to the fear of eating this low, you will know you are really using it to its fullest potential. Always keep in mind that Anji only has 3 low moves, so you will use them often. Don’t get too discouraged if it seems like you are using 2S more than your other normals, you need this poke to be successful.

2H Level 4

Frame Data: Startup: 20 Active: 5 Recovery: 15 Advantage: -3

Autoguard: Frames 1-15 (lows only)

Here we get to one of the strangest moves in all of Anji’s arsenal. 2H is not a low when it hits, however it is the only autoguard that will work against a low hitting move (screwy I know). This is in all honesty Anji’s least useful normal, and its sole purpose is to autoguard those low moves. 2H doesn’t combo into much and it really is there just to give Anji the option to beat low moves. This autoguard is by far the most difficult one to use, mainly because most of the low pokes people throw are very fast and 2H doesn’t reach terribly far. You must not write off the move however, as the ability to beat a low and punish it with kou can be a complete turnaround for the match up. 2H can and WILL beat things like Jam’s 5K, Sols 2K, and other good lows when you hit the autoguard and cancel into kou. I have been known to use this tactic on wakeup against players who predictably start their okizeme strings with low moves. 2H is incredibly situational, and if you try to whore it, you’ll be punished. Treat 2H like you would treat a slower low parry in 3S, that is, do not throw it unless you are confident your opponent is going low, and you feel like kou is going to hit them (either due to the lag on their move, or the fact that they will chain after their low poke). Beyond this use, 2H will rarely see the light of day in your matches, and until you get very comfortable with how it works, I don’t recommend going for it more than once or twice a match.

2D Level 4

Frame Data: Startup: 7 Active: 3 Recovery: 25 Advantage: -11

Anji’s sweep has improved somewhat as it now has a smaller vulnerable hitbox in terms of its height. Sweep is an average poke in that it is very fast, but suffers from horrible recovery. If you wiff this move, you will be in trouble, so don’t throw it out recklessly hoping to score a knockdown. Yes I know, some of us aren’t lucky enough to have a sweep we can spam to net big damage off of (I’m looking at you Badguy *shakes fist*). Sweep is one of your main ground combo enders to go along with Fujinn. Using sweep to properly space your knockdowns and set up butterflies and okizeme is one of the most basic, but most important parts of Anji’s offensive game. Cutting a ground combo short with sweep to set up a meaty butterfly is a must learn, and I strongly suggest you take notes on how to utilize it properly. Because of its smaller vulnerable hitbox it can go under moves now (such as baiken’s stab counter) and works well as a counter poke. Sweep has also become a major air combo starter now that fujinn does not float high on a combo from sweep. Roman canceling sweep into the S,S juggle is one of Anji’s Bread and Butter combos now. Sweep is a move you will use often because knockdowns are of vital importance to Anji, but you must use it properly. Because of it’s long range and quick startup it’s easy to find yourself throwing it out all the time, and while it can be a strong counter-poke and net you those all important knockdowns, it can also wiff a lot and cost you half your bar. If sweep is blocked you should be canceling into fujinn or a butterfly as those create a better mind game and more safety than simply letting the move recover will. Abuse it in your ground combos and strings, use it in moderation as a poke and you will be on your way.

Jumping Normals

J.P Level 1

Frame Data: Startup: 8 Active: 3 Recovery: 3

Anji’s J.P has gotten a bigger hitbox on the end of the fan making it more practical for IAD pressure strings and for out poking anti-air attacks. This move really has 2 primary uses: IAD and air combos. Because J.P. reaches farther now, IAD strings have become more valuable in Anji’s game. Strings like, J.P, J.P, J.S, land are quite useful and provide a new method of pressure for Anji’s offensive game. J.P. is a decent air to ground poke, but we’ll cover the best move for that a little later. Learn the new range on this move and understand it’s place in air combos and you’ll be using it to its strongest potential right out of the box.

J.K Level 3

Frame Data: Startup: 6 Active: 6 Recovery: 10

J.K is Anji’s fastest jumping move and is an excellent tool for air to air combat. Super jumping immediately followed by a J.K is a great way to meet your opponent in the air, especially if they are attempting to gain positional advantage or are air dashing. J.K also serves as one of Anji’s primary air combo starters (along with J.S.) and should be your choice if the timing to link into the air combo is tight. Keep in mind that even though this is a great air to air poke, Anji is often better served utilizing his ground anti-air pokes. If you do catch an opponent with a J.K you should be going for a knockdown by comboing into Orb. Using J.K and conjunction with Anji’s other tools for controlling the air is a great way to boost both your offensive and defensive games.

J.S Level 3

Frame Data: Startup: 7 Active: 9 Recovery: 18

What some people will call the most obnoxious air move ever created, J.S is a beautiful tool with a lot of different uses. As an air to ground poke J.S is an elite move, it extends far in front of Anji and reaches at least half his height below his hitbox. You can use this in runaway, air to ground pressure, crossups, or just to pester the hell out of your opponent. It really becomes a powerful weapon when you combine it with J.D. to throw off the anti-air timings of your opponent. Do keep in mind that in guilty gear, swinging from ground to air is always dangerous. Most characters boast very strong anti-airs, and there are times where you simply need to swallow your pride and faultless defense until you arrive safely on the ground. If you are going to swing on the way down however; this is the poke you should be throwing. Mastering the use of this poke in conjunction with J.D is a staple in Anji’s air zoning game. If you score a CH as you are coming down, you will often have time to combo on the ground, so take advantage. J.S is also a mainstay in his Anji’s air combos and learning some tightly timed cancels with it lead to his biggest damage in slash (we will discuss this later). Like all good pokes, predictably throwing this will get you punished, but this should be your move of choice if you are looking to poke in the air against an opponent below you.

J.H Level 3

Frame Data: Startup: 13 Active: 6 Recovery: 15

J.H lacks the utility that Anji’s other air normals provide, but that does not mean it is without its uses. J.H has one of those strange hitboxes that encompasses most of Anji’s upper body, and thus it can be used in backdash crossups (if you don’t know what that is, fear not we’ll explain later). J.H mostly serves to end combos, pressure strings, or to try and crossup an opponent as you fall to the ground. I do not recommend using this as a primary air to air poke, or as an air to ground attack unless J.S. is unlikely to connect. J.H is slow and wiffing it leaves Anji rather vulnerable. J.H. has its uses but we will cover them in stronger detail in the combos/offensive sections of the guide. You will rarely find use for J.H in any sort of defensive situation, so don’t get too attached to it in hairy situations.

J.D Level 3

Frame Data: Startup: 10 Active: 6 Recovery: 17 (3 frames landing recovery).

Upper body invulnerable: Frames 1-11 and 22.

Jumping Dust has always been a major part of Anji’s air positioning game, but it’s greatly increased recovery in Slash have made some nice improvements to its utility. If you didn’t already know, J.D completely stops Anji’s momentum in the Air (he does open an umbrella after all). Because of Anji’s long ranged super jump, this allows for some very quick movement and positioning at Anji’s disposal. The recovery is so fast on J.D now that from the top of the screen you can conceivably throw the move 4 or 5 times before landing. J.D used with J.S is a fantastic air to ground poke as we have already discussed. J.D can stop any momentum from a regular jump, to an air dash. This allows Anji to manipulate his position in the air better than almost anyone in the game. This sort of positioning is crucial to many of Anji’s match ups against zoning characters and in general it gives him more control of the screen when he uses it properly. Beyond the spacing and air to ground game it provides, J.D is a solid air to air poke. On CH it nets a huge wall bounce that should give you plenty of time to start a big combo with. J.D used to be a primary ender for air combos, but with Orb giving a knockdown it has been relegated to use in very character specific air combos. Like all of Anji’s normals, learning the proper uses of J.D is an absolute must in making him a winner.

Normals Summary:

If there is anything you should take away from this first section on normals it is that Anji can and should utilize every one of them to be an effective fighter. Because none of his normals are godly, they must be combined effectively to give Anji his balance on offense and defense. What makes Anji a strong character in slash is that he has so many tools to work with, by the some token it means that you need to learn how to effectively use all those tools to take him to his highest level. If you properly learn how to be effective with Anji’s normals you will have one of his biggest strengths already conquered in your game. Mastering these things should be the first basic goal of a new Anji player, and the focus of a veteran player who needs to refine his game.

Throws

Anji is blessed with two great throws for his air and ground game (as well as his command grab On which will be discussed in the specials section). What makes his throws so effective is that they will both flawlessly set up the strongest part of his offensive game: butterfly pressure.

Ground Throw

43 Dot Range

Anji’s ground throw is very simple, it tosses the opponent out in front of him for a knockdown that will perfectly setup a meaty butterfly. Because of this you should be looking for throws at every possible opportunity. Like all characters, Anji can throw as a defensive mechanism for characters that try to use okizeme too close to him (wakeup throw), and against characters who land too close (throwing them out of landing recovery). I will not going into the basics of throwing games in guilty gear, but you should know that throws have essentially no active frames, this means if you throw when your opponent is in range and is throwable (i.e. not in hit or block stun) then the throw will execute. For Anji throw opportunities are plentiful due to his offensive game being so strong now. Basic tick throws off 2P or 5K all work well, throws off butterfly pressure are extremely difficult to stop when mixed up properly, and there are a variety of other ways to score a throw with various roman cancels, setups, and what not. When you score a throw, you should almost always follow it up by tossing a meaty butterfly. The only exception to this would be when you throw your opponent deep in the corner and do not have proper spacing, in which case an OTG or other setup may be more beneficial to your game. Throws don’t net Anji a ton of damage, but they set up the strongest part of his game, so attempt them freely, and use them as a major part of your mix up.

Air Throw

110 Dot Range

Much like his ground throw, Anji’s air throw will lead him directly into butterfly pressure. It will score a knockdown all on its own, but it is at its most effective when you combo after it. The most basic combo is to land after the air throw and juggle into On. (I’ll give specifics in the combos section). Like a ground throw, On leaves Anji at perfect range to throw a meaty butterfly. Because of Anji’s excellent air mobility he has a variety of ways to set up air throws. Because air throws have a ridiculous range in guilty gear (nearly 3 times that of ground throws) air throws are an incredible defensive tool. Because Anji’s air throw puts him in complete control of the match, you should make a priority to learn how to hit them as frequently as possible. Simple tactics like crouching against a swinging air opponent into a jumping air throws are things all guilty players should learn. Air throwing is very much an artsy part of playing guilty, and while I can tell you all kinds of setups that I have used, the best way to execute them is to learn it for yourself. It takes time to really learn how to utilize air throws, but once you do you have given Anji a very strong tool that will lead straight into Anji’s strongest offensive weapon. Use your throws wisely and you will greatly increase your chances of winning matches.

[Koozebanian Fazoob]

Specials

In this section we will break down all of Anji’s special moves and their basic factors. Since Anji’s special moves are mostly offensive we will go further in depth with many of them later in the guide’s offensive sections.

Shitsu 236P (Aka: Butterfly) Level 1

Frame data: Startup: 21 Active: Projectile Recovery: 46 (from time of startup) Advantage: -5

The butterfly, the staple of Anji’s entire game. Shitsu has gone from being a gimmick projectile that created pseudo-unblockables to a very strong zoning/pressuring projectile. Instead of being a one hit overhead after being blocked, shitsu now transforms upon ANY hit, be it a character, a projectile, or a minion (Eddie, zappa's summons, dizzy fish, etc). Even though the butterfly no longer hits as an overhead it has VASTLY improved from its previous versions. Because butterfly pressure is such an important part of Anji’s game, I will wait to discuss it in a separate section. Beyond the butterfly pressure game, Shitsu has become a reliable zoning tool. Since it always transforms on a hit, opponents are more reluctant to be near the butterfly, and it is incredibly useful in canceling out projectiles due to its faster startup and recovery. This move is what makes Anji…well Anji. We will discuss everything about it in depth in the butterfly pressure section.

Fujinn (slash) 236S Level 3

Frame data: Startup: 15 Active: 3 Recovery: 27 Advantage: -16

Fujinn has improved in utility in Slash due to the buffs that come from its follow-ups. The slash version serves as one of Anji’s primary combo finishers as it will score him a knockdown if comboed into from sweep and can be followed up effectively by a butterfly. Fujinn no longer floats very high on a hit, and thus fujinn loops and most of its roman cancel combos have been lost in this version. Fujinn while a quick move loses to EVERYTHING, jabs, sweeps, grabs, and small breezes will all knock Anji out of this move, do NOT use it as a counter move/poke. Since Fujinn cancels into so many different things now, its real strength lies in utilizing it with all its follow-ups which we will discuss shortly. It is a staple in your offensive game, but it does have a couple defensive uses now as well. Fujinn can cancel into any of its follow ups on wiff now, so Anji is blessed with some more zoning options that he did not have previously. Just keep in mind that while the follow ups can counter your opponent in certain situations, Fujinn itself never will. Don’t throw it recklessly outside of your offensive game and you will do well.

Fujinn (hard slash) 236HS Level 3

Frame data: Startup: 23 Active: 3 Recovery: 27 Advantage: -16

Invulnerable to strikes: Frames 1-12

HS fujinn works much the same as its slash counterpart with a few key difference. It will reach father, and has invulnerability on its startup which allows anji to sneak by various pokes and projectiles. This is key because netting a counter hit with HS Fujinn scores a wall bounce, and in slash this can lead to some retarded damage for Anji. The invulnerability is odd because it is only for the start of the dash, not for the finish. Opponents can still poke Anji out of this move with virtually anything at the connecting point, but learning how to utilize its invulnerability is absolutely key for characters that can zone Anji from half-screen away. If you are very risky you can attempt this on wakeup, but keep in mind Fujinn is not a DP, and you can very easily get raped for doing so. This is a very situational moves, but knowing when those situations arise and utilizing its strengths gives Anji and very high risk/high reward option that you must learn to capitalize on.

Shin: Ichishiki P after Fujinn (Aka: Fan needles) Level 3

Frame data: Startup: 36 Active: Projectile Recovery: 7 (on landing) Advantage: -6

FRC-able

The punch follow-up to Fujinn has gotten a nice buff in slash due to the fact that it auto jump installs. After throwing the needles Anji is free to double jump or air dash as he likes, allowing for air dash pressure or a safe retreat depending upon the situation. The follow-ups to Fujinn are all part of a larger guessing game that Anji has gained in slash, and for the most part it gives him the advantage. Keep in mind however that with all these follow-ups Anji can be punished if you are outguessed by your opponent. Certain characters like Millia can even react to needles on reaction and hit you for a nasty combo, in situations like this the FRC (which is done at the height of the jump) can be used as a defensive bail out. The needles also act as an effective zoning tool now that they can be thrown even on a wiffed fujinn. This is especially useful against characters like Eddie, because it provides a way of attacking the puppy from a safe distance. The needles have gained a lot of utility because they are more than just a defensive choice after a blocked fujinn. Using air dash pressure to follow them in, and zoning with them are all solid additions to Anji’s game, but this is still a slow move so use it wisely.

Hitoashitobi K after Fujinn (Aka: Hop)

Frame Data: It has no startup or active frames since it is not an attack and has 6 frames of recovery upon landing.

The hop creates a major part of the guessing game that Anji has gained on a blocked Fujinn. This move has been improved in Slash in that it now has a much smaller hitbox for Anji’s lower body. What this essentially means is that the hop will beat low pokes and allow Anji to counter from behind his opponent. The primary use of the hop is to score a throw after landing and restart the butterfly game, but you can also throw autoguards or other mix ups afterwards if your opponent guesses wrong. Keep in mind that if your opponent doesn’t swing they can easily throw you on the recovery or hit you with a high move. The hop is most effective when you mix it up with the other follow-ups, if you use it predictably you’re making yourself a sitting duck. It beats a lot of moves now, even things like Baiken’s stab counter, but you must set up the guessing game for it to be effective.

Nagiha S after Fujinn Level 3

Frame Data: Startup: 10 Active: 6 Recovery: 27 Advantage: -19

The low hitting piece of the Fujinn mind game is in the slash follow-up. Unfortunately this move is very limited in its use. If you outguess your opponent it will score you knockdown or can be roman canceled for a solid air combo. The best way to use this move is to delay the follow-up in the hopes that your opponent might swing or decide to not block low. If this move is blocked I typically like to roman cancel it to keep pressure on and avoid retaliation on the poor recovery. The fan blade reaches farther now and can actually swipe some characters out of backdashes and such, but it is again a situational move that’s success relies upon you having good mix up with Fujinn guessing game. Use it sparingly as it offers Anji the fewest options and only nets solid damage with a roman cancel. Also keep in mind that if you hit with Fujinn you can combo into Nagiha for your knockdown if you think you will need the spacing it provides.

Rin H after Fujinn Level 5

Frame Data: Startup: 27 Active: 8 Recovery: 8 Advantage: +5

Autoguard: Frames 8-26

Throw Invulnerable: Frames 1-31

Anji’s new move in Slash is a potent one to say the very least. Rin is a wide sweeping, hard hitting move that has autoguard, nets big damage, and gives Anji and huge advantage on block. With all that going for it you may be wondering why you wouldn’t throw this move every single time after Fujinn, well the answer lies in the fact that this is the final piece of the puzzle in the Fujinn mind game. Rin will lose to a low move and Anji will fall flat on his face, and yes it can be beat on reaction by characters with extremely quick lows. That being said, this move is still an absolute monster when you mix it up with the other follow ups. On a normal hit you can follow up with a free super jump combo and score a knockdown with orb, or in the corner follow up with an On. On counter hit you can actually juggle into an air combo, and the damage is going to be insane. Simply put if you hit with Rin you just shifted the match in your favor; that is how powerful this move is. If your opponent swings high you can take a safe autoguard cancel into kou, or you can let the move finish and try for a CH. Even if it’s blocked Anji is at full advantage and gets to follow up with more pressure or a mix up attempt.

Because Rin is throw invulnerable you can actually use it as a pretty reliable okizeme attack, but it is best served with you use it sparingly and force your opponent to block it, or make the mistake of swinging at it. Rin is a very solid anti-air as it covers a ridiculous amount of the screen and must be FDed by a jumping opponent since it is a ground move. This really is a scrubby move to be perfectly honest, I’ve watched the damn thing change direction after a wiffed Fujinn because my opponent swung at me from behind. On top of that, it’s burst proof due to the fact that it has autoguard on it. The key to utilizing Rin is mixing it up with the other follow ups. If your opponents start swinging low to stop Rin, you start hopping and punishing them. If they start waiting for the hop or a fan blade, you throw Rin to keep the pressure on. Much like 6H this move can become a crutch, and it will get you in a load of trouble. It’s a fantastic move, but don’t overuse it and you’ll be doing quite well.

Kai (p version) 214P (Aka: P stomp) Level 3

Frame Data: Startup: 28 Active: 3 Recovery: 9 Advantage: +2

Ah, nothing as classic as a good old crossup stomp from Anji. In all seriousness though Kai is a move that can net a lot of damage, but must be used in moderation. It has a little advantage on block, but it can be air throw on reaction, or instant blocked and punished readily. This is the move that will beat scrubs all day long because it can crossup and it counts as an overhead. You can use it in pressure strings but again be cautious with how often you throw it. If it hits you should almost always be juggling into an air combo for a knockdown. Having a crossup overhead is never a bad thing, but please don’t abuse this move, it simply will not work often on good players, just be sure you take advantage of the damage when it does hit.

Kai (k version) 214K (Aka: K stomp) Level 4

Frame data: Startup: 32 Active: 10 Recovery: 8 Advantage: +1

FRC-able

K stomp is another one of those situational moves that has gained a bit more utility as Anji has evolved throughout XX. The big stomp can be used at the end of pressure strings to try and net a crossup, and now that you can follow up on a normal hit as well as a counter hit it actually provides a bit more reward for the risk you take. Like P stomp it has just enough advantage to keep Anji in control, but if it is instant blocked you can be punished. The FRC on this move is mostly for shenanigans in various pressure strings, but it can net you throws if you use it in conjunction with a butterfly or a good poke string. With both stomps, don’t abuse them, but do not forget they are there, as they net very good damage when they do connect.

On 623H

Frame data: Startup: 11 Active: 18 Recovery: 20 (6 frames upon landing)

FRC-Able

Anji’s air command grab is a prime tool for setting up butterfly games since it is untechable and creates excellent spacing. On has lost a bit of its use simply because Orb now also gives a knockdown and can be used in bigger damage combos. Still, On will be a major part of your game and if you can’t end an air combo in Orb, you should be trying to finish it with On. The move has gotten a buff as it ascends faster, reaches farther, and has a smaller vulnerable hitbox in slash. For my money, On should only be used inside combos and the occasional crossup shenanigan off the FRC. Trying to use it as an anti-air is just too risky and Anji has enough tools to cover that section. I highly suggest you master the FRC on On because it is essentially a built in option select for the move. If you always buffer the FRC, you will only get it when On will not connect on a combo. This is great because if your opponent bursts you easily get to air throw them out of it, and if they tech you have a chance to attack or block their counter in the air. Just make buffering the FRC part of your motion when doing the move and you’ll option selecting it like a champ in no time.

Shin: Nishiki 214P while in air (AKA: Orb) Level 3

Frame data: Startup: 12 Active: 8 Recovery: 6 (On landing) Advantage -37

Perhaps no move has buffed Anji’s game in slash like the changes to orb have. This move now guarantees a knockdown regardless of where it hits, and the ground bounce it gives offers a plethora of new combos for Anji to play with. This move is your primary ender for any and all air combos, because it allows Anji to get big damage and a knockdown (this is the basic recipe for a good character in guilty). Because the orb is a bit slower to actually connect now, many of the older combos (I.E. J.K, J.S, J.H, orb) now will not hit. Jump install air combos are now the method of choice for Anji to make sure orb always connects, and to be a successful player you must learn them. The majority of his air combos that end in orb are weight specific, but there are some smaller ones that will work universally and will be discussed in the combo section. Regardless of the situation, you should almost ALWAYS be trying to finish your air combo with Orb. Orb offers even more utility as an almost instant overhead that provides Anji with more of his mix up game. Tiger-kneeing an Orb (2147P) is a must learn tool, and once you know where to throw it you can add a whole new dimension of options to Anji’s offensive game. Going for a TK Orb without meter to Roman cancel it is a risk, as on block it is incredibly easy to punish. If you happen to wiff the move, Anji is in Counter hit state for a VERY long time, so do not throw this thing out randomly. The mix up utility of this move is incredible, and if you RC it you are guaranteed a big damage combo from anywhere on the screen. On a CH the bounce is very high so compensate by delaying your juggles. Orb will put fear into your opponents and force them to open up their feet to your offensive mix up. Using it wisely and canceling it when it fails is one of the most important parts of Anji’s game. Get to know this move well, you’re going to be putting it out in a lot of situations.

Kou P during Autoguard Level 3 1st hit, Level 5 all others

Frame data: Startup: 4 Active: 1st hit – 2, 2nd-7th hits – 6, 8th hit – 12 Recovery: 11 (8 upon landing) Advantage: -41

Invulnerable to strikes: Frames 1-6

Kou is of course the counter-attack that results from Anji autoguarding an opponent’s attack. Think of it as something like a weak parry into a dragon punch. To properly utilize Kou you should be using it when autoguard connects against a slow recovering move. If you try to use it against quick pokes or throw it out too often it will be blocked or baited, and you are in for a painful retaliation. When Kou connects it nets Anji a nice chunk of damage and a knockdown, but perhaps even more important is that if all 8 hits connect it will give Anji 50% or more tension. When you do hit you can either let the move finish and start okizeme, or roman cancel it around the 5th to 7th hit for a nice combo. Keep in mind that Kou has priority over other commands, so if you try to cancel a 6H into a P stomp or a butterfly during autoguard, Kou will come out instead. Like autoguard, kou is a major part of Anji’s defensive game, but it should not be used recklessly. If you find yourself hitting it 5 or 6 times in a match, you are probably using it too much (and while that happens on scrubby kids, the same tactic will kill you against a solid player). Kou can change the momentum of a match, but if it’s blocked or baited expect the momentum to go to your opponent. If it is blocked and you have meter roman cancel it to avoid the punishment that will follow. It’s difficult to explain how to effectively use Kou because it is such a situational attack, but in general you should throw it when your opponent is predictably using slow recovering moves that will allow you to get an easy counter. It’s particularly good against many air attacks as well, just don’t use it against quick air characters like Chipp or Jam too often. Learning when to cancel autoguard into Kou, and when to simply let the normal finish is a key in making Anji’s autoguard game stronger.

Specials Summary

Like any good well rounded character, Anji is blessed with specials that play both to his offensive and defensive games. Many of them are the core of his basic mix up games, while others bolster his abilities to turn back an opponent’s offensive onslaught. Anji does lack any real reversal special moves, which means you have to be more selective in how and where you throw them in comparison to some characters. Most of his Specials are combo/offensive tools, stick to them for that purpose, while utilizing the situational utility of things like autoguard, HS fujinn, and wiffed fujinn follow ups and you will have taken another step to strengthening your overall game.

[Koozebanian Fazoob]

Overdrives

Overdrives are the supers of guilty gear, requiring 50% tension to execute. Because of the overall utility and damage output of roman cancels, many characters supers are borderline useless in the majority of situations. Anji will rarely throw his overdrives in Slash, and when he does it is usually to finish off a round. Overdrives are not burstable once they connect, so if you think comboing into an overdrive will finish the round, it is the safest way to do so. Overdrives freeze the screen after their initial startup, then sometimes have additional frames of startup after the flash. During this freeze time projectiles will continue to function, however this has little use for Anji, it is just something to keep in mind.

Issen Ougi: Sai 632146H Level 3

Frame Data: Startup: 10 (+3 after OD flash) Active: 56 Recovery 63 Advantage: -40

FRC-able

Issen Ougi got a major tone down to its overall damage output in Slash and sadly has become a rather useless overdrive. Anji can no longer follow up this super with a combo or a juggle into On without FRC-ing it, however it does always knockdown if it hits. Because it does so little damage and has incredibly poor recovery now you should never throw this overdrive unless you are positive it will end the round. If you are going to use it, always combo into it, trying to throw it on reaction to your opponent is suicide.

TenjinKyaku [2],8+K (Aka: Stomp Super) Level 5

Frame Data: Startup: 18 (0 after OD flash) Active: 7 Recovery: 20 Advantage: -11

Anji’s stomp super is most likely his most useful now that Issen Ougi is so much weaker. This is very much a defensive super, used to catch opponents out of pressure strings or IAD’s. Because the super has no startup after the flash, if the opponent is not blocking by the time the OD flash occurs they will be hit by the move. This thing has horrible recovery on block or wiff, so you need to have a very good feel for if it will hit. It’s most useful on characters like Potemkin who have a large hitbox and can be caught easily out of pressure strings. This thing is useful for getting out of the corner, provided you know when and how to throw it. Just looking for a random hit will get your killed. A nice risk/reward tool to escape pressure, but not nearly as safe as a DAA.

KachouFuugetsu 63214S during autoguard Level 5

Frame Data: Startup: 7 (0 after OD flash) Active: 78 Recovery: 75 Advantage -61

Throw invulnerable: Frames 1-21

Anji’s autoguard super is one I personally rarely use, but it certainly is not without its merits. The super is much better about connecting all 4 hits in slash, and if you are good at autoguard counters this is an excellent way to end the round. Keep in mind kou has a faster startup, so this is slightly less safe to throw, but it also is not burstable just like any super. Be VERY sure this will hit if you throw it, if it’s blocked it’s your ass. Whether you use this super is up to you, but again I suggest not throwing it, unless it will end the round.

Overdrives Summary

Pretty simple stuff here, don’t throw them often, and when you do use them to end the round. Stomp super is nice escape tool, but is very risky if you don’t know the proper timing to throw it. For the most part stick to your RC’s, DAA’s and FD for tension use.

[Koozebanian Fazoob]

Tactics

Now that you know all the tools Anji has at his disposal we will now start discussing how to put it all together and actually play Mr. Mito. In these sections we will outline the formulas for a successful defensive and offensive game. I suggest you pay VERY close attention to the defense section, it is by far the most important part of this guide.

Defense

I’m going to let you in on a secret about playing Guilty Gear in America, are you ready? Here it is: If you block and play good defense, you are ahead of 98% of the nation in terms of playing ability, congratulations. Defense (namely blocking) is the bane of the vast majority of the American players, and is honestly the main reason we are behind Japanese players in terms of overall skill at the game. Due to Anji not having potent reversal moves, having a solid defense with him is an absolute MUST. If you cannot block or hold out when the pressure is on, you are going to be in for it. This section is all about showing how to sure up your game when your opponent has the advantage. Learn this section like it was your Bible, I promise it will improve your game.

Blocking

The single most important skill in all of GG is the ability to block well, no I am not kidding. Because the characters have so many offensive options and various attack patterns, you must learn how to stop swinging and hold your own against your opponent’s attacks. Learning how to block high or low, and how to withstand a strong pressure string should be one of the highest priorities in the game. If you can’t block your feet well, or you eat the same overhead every time it is thrown, no amount of offensive execution is going to save your ass in the long run. Sadly, even the greatest guide cannot teach you how to be good at blocking, it is simply one of those things you have to learn through experience and trial and error. Improving your blocking is one part execution (speeding up your reaction time, having a steady hand to go from high to low and vice versa) and one part knowledge. The better you learn your opponent’s character, and their tendencies as a player, the better you can start to block their attacks. Knowing which characters have good overheads, as opposed to those who have good throw games, as opposed to pure lockdown characters is tantamount to learning how to block against different situations.

This is a very general guide on what blocking means, for Anji more specifically it means knowing when to pick your spots and simply let your opponent attack as opposed to swinging a counter poke or an autoguard. I do not recommend turtling up with Anji, because he lacks a good reversal move, and simply getting pushed to the corner is going to put him at a huge disadvantage. You need to utilize good blocking, because some times that is all you will have at your defensive disposal. For Anji to really sure up his defense he will need to utilize some other defensive tools.

Faultless Defense or “FDing”

Faultless defense is done by holding back or down back along with two attack buttons. FD increases pushback, which is a huge factor in Slash due to the general increase of pushback during attacks. FD also nullifies chip damage on special moves, which is a must for things like Venom’s Dark Angel super. Sometimes the best way for Anji to get out of a bad situation is to simply FD until the opponent has been pushed far enough away that he can escape with a super jump or attempt to throw a counter-poke or autoguard.

If you are having trouble blocking long, complex pressure strings, then your best bet is to FD and create some space to work with. Keep in mind that FD will not push your opponent back on projectiles or minion attacks, so wait until your opponent is physically swinging at Anji before you activate FD. FD will drain your tension bar rather quickly, so if you whore it out every time your opponent swings, expect to be running low on tension throughout a lot of the match.

FD MUST be used while blocking in the air against a grounded opponent. Any move swung from the ground counts as a “ground move” and it will hit you unless you FD while you are in the air. This is one of the most common problems for GG players, and it makes for some very easy resets. If you are blocking in the air, or you tech, you should train yourself to be FDing until you are safely out of attack range. FDing in the air is the single safest place in all of guilty gear, it only loses to one thing, and that’s an air throw (or an air command grab like On or Heavenly Potemkin Buster). If you need to escape some nasty pressure, jump up and FD until the coast is clear.

When you combine strong blocking with FD, you give Anji the ability to get out of his opponents pressure and start his own offensive game. Learning how to block is the most important skill, but learning where FD will improve your situation is also very high up on the list.

Instant Blocking or “IBing”

Instant block is very similar to a Just Defend technique from CvS2, by tapping back or down back just before a move hits Anji it reduces the hit stun of a move and earns some tension to boot. Learning how to time an IB is very difficult and awkward at first, but if you can master it you can give Anji outs in situations that would normal require him to simply sit and block. Ibing is a powerful, but risky defensive tool, obviously waiting till the last possible second to block means you open yourself to a mistake and taking a hit. It becomes even more risky if your guard gauge is built up since you will take heavy damage from the ensuing combo.

For Anji IB is usually combined with 2 things to make it especially useful to his defensive game. Depending on the position of his opponent and what kind of string they are using, Anji should look to either throw, or autoguard after a successful IB. IB into throw is a great defensive tool because it not only stops the opponents attack, but sets up Anji’s offensive game as we have discussed before. If you IB an air to ground move like Bandit Bringer or Bad Moon you practically guarantee yourself a free throw. When you learn how to block particularly laggy moves in attack strings you give Anji the ability to sneak in an autoguard and turn the tables quickly on your opponent. IBing is the tool for quickly transitioning from Offense to Defense, but it also one of the most risky defensive tools at Anji’s disposal (the most being autoguard). IBing can greatly improve your defensive game, but it’s an advanced tactic that you shouldn’t focus on until your blocking skills are solid and up to snuff. IB benefits certain characters more than others, Anji can really gain some potency from it due to his lack of a good reversal.

Dead Angle Attack or “DAA” 6+2 attack buttons after a successful block

Frame data: Startup: 12 Active: 6 Recovery: 12 Advantage: -4

Invulnerable to Strikes

Sometimes your opponent’s pressure will put you in a particularly bad situation and you will need to escape it as quickly as possible. Anji needs his DAA more than the average character since eating pressure and getting knocked-down puts him a very poor situation. DAA is the Guilty Gear equivalent to an alpha counter and it is really Anji’s only option for a “get out of my face” move. DAA’s take 50% tension to use, but there are more than a few situations where that is tension well spent. Anji players should not be shy about throwing out a DAA to turn the tide of the match and get back on the offensive. A DAA will net a knockdown and can even get a wall bounce in the corner allowing Anji to combo off of it. Knowing when to throw a DAA is best learned through experience in match ups and knowing when your opponent has put you in a bad situation. Keep in mind that just like a burst, DAA’s can be baited and punished, so you cannot throw it predictably. Use it in strings when your opponent is going to throw a slower move that will allow the DAA ample time to connect. DAA is a powerful defensive tool, and one Anji is forced to utilize to prevent himself from getting rooted into the potent okizeme games of his opponents.

Defensive Bursting or “Blue Bursting” HS+D while in hit or block stun

Bursting is the “combo breaker” of guilty gear and can be a lifesaver if you use it properly. Defensive bursting is best utilized to stop an opponent while they are in the middle of a pressure string or during a combo. Much like DAA’s bursting is one of Anji’s best way to get his opponent off him and allow him the chance to get back on the offensive. There are two good places to throw a defensive burst: 1 is during a “burst safe” move, or a move that has long enough active frames and recovery to allow the burst to connect. The 2nd place is the place where your opponent doesn’t expect it. This sounds very general but good players will bait a burst until the cows come home. Think of burst as a tool in your mix up game, if you throw it at the same place all the time, your opponent is going to catch on and start blocking and punishing it. If you don’t see a burst safe move in the string, wait until the time where you think you will outguess your opponent and knock them out of the offensive. Newer players tend to focus on hitting their combos rather than watching for burst, experienced ones will do the opposite. Wait for the safe spot to burst or suffer the consequences. Keep in mind that Anji has a big hitbox, and thus is somewhat of a combo-dummy. If your opponent has just started one of their strongest combos, look for the first safe opportunity to burst out. Don’t do a panic burst because you’ve been hit by a big move you know leads to a hard combo (I.E. Counter Hit Bandit Bringer), good players know when they hit a big move, and they’ll make sure you don’t burst instantly and ruin their chance for really good damage.

Backdashing

Anji is not blessed with the greatest of backdashes, but like all of them in guilty gear it does have invulnerability on it. Backdashing is great tool to create some space or to try and turn the momentum in your favor if you are stuck in the corner. Reversal backdashes will get you out of a few okizeme strings, but they’re not easy to learn and good players will readily punish them. When you are in the corner backdashing and throwing will beat a lot of laggy pokes or command throw attempts and it is worth your time to learn how to time this maneuver. It’s especially useful against characters like Sol and Eddie whose corner strings are designed to offer up an easy command throw opportunity. Because Anji’s backdash is not loaded with invulnerability like some characters you won’t be able to abuse it, but you will need it to get out of some hairy situations, so learn the where the invulnerability is and how to properly sneak it in to get out of a nasty pressure string.

Zoning

Zoning is the tactic of throwing moves to control various parts of the screen in an attempt to keep your opponent away from you, as well as improve your position. Anji has decent zoning tools as we have discussed in the individual moves sections. 5H and 6S are his primary zoning pokes, while the butterfly is also a good tool for controlling the screen with its “transform on any hit” property. Using 5H forces your opponents to respect the 3-4 character width range of the move and can keep them from trying to rush in on the ground. 6S does much the same in the air and both of these moves on counter hit allow Anji to start a combo and begin the offensive game. The butterfly is always a scary move, and because it is so slow it takes up a good chunk of the screen for a large period of time. Forcing your opponent to back up, or jump over the butterfly will improve your position and allow you to start taking control of the match. Wiffing a slash fujinn and throwing fan needles is also an excellent way to zone out your opponent and usually opens a path for Anji to get better position, again it can be punished on reaction by certain characters, so use caution. Zoning is not Anji’s greatest strength, but he’s in a much better position when he is keeping his opponent out as opposed to dealing with it right in his mug. Zone to improve your position, but don’t do it out of fear of getting close to characters with strong reversals.

Counter Poking

Because Anji has solid normals he has a lot of options for out poking his opponent from the ground or the air. 6K is a great all around counter poke due to its large hitbox and autoguard. 2K, 2S, and Sweep are all very solid for slowing down opponents as they run in or simply out poking them due to their solid range and speed. Out poking jumping opponents (AKA: anti-airs) is as easy as throwing 5P and 6S depending on the position of your opponent. 6P will handle opponents trying to rush in with an IAD, while 5H and 6H are great for stopping opponents trying to come down on top of Anji’s skull (typically cancelled into autoguard).

So Anji has good pokes for just about every defensive situation, so you should throw them regularly right? No, not really. Counter poking is something that takes very careful timing and a lot of patience. When you swing, there is always the chance you get hit, when you block properly, you won’t. If your opponent is a swing-happy, aggressive player, consider counter poking in the right situation over blocking all day and waiting to get opened up. Balancing your counter pokes with good blocking is the recipe for a great defense, work on both aspects diligently.

Defensive Throws

We’ve discussed the merits of throws a bit already, but because of their lack of a startup they are an excellent defensive tool. You should learn how to wakeup throw against players who like to hover over you on okizeme, and to practice that just go into a training mode, and program the dummy to knock you down, and throw a poke as you wakeup. Learning the timing on a wakeup throw forces your opponent to respect the space on his okizeme games, and eliminates a few more options from his game. We’ve already discussed the merits of using throws in conjunction with an IB, so don’t forget to incorporate that into your strategy. Whenever your opponents land they will have recovery, if they land next to you after an attack string, try and throw them. Learning when your opponent is going to mix up their pressures and go for a throw is part of being a good defensive player, so when they do it, try and out guess them and land your own throw. Remember some moves like Potemkin Buster have throw invulnerability, or will out range your own throw like Wild Throw. You can turn your opponents tick throws against them well if you guess right, but just remember that if you miss a throw you’re going to get either 5 or 6 H, which normally is not a good thing if it isn’t intended. Air throws are an excellent defensive tool as well, and they can stop an awful lot of things if you get extremely good at executing them. Something as simple as ducking under air moves then jumping and air throwing can be a powerful counter against a lot of attacks. Air throws are incredibly fast and far reaching, and as we have documented Anji’s leads straight into his offensive game. Learning where to throw on offense is a must in your mix up game, learning how to throw your opponent out of their own offensive game can save your ass and turn a match around. Know when and how to throw, and don’t miss an opportunity to turn the match around for Anji.

Defensive Autoguards

We’ve touched on autoguards a lot in the various sections but this is worth noting again. Autoguards are a risk/reward defensive tool. They are not infallible, they are baitable, and whoring them will get you killed. 6K is the safest, while 6H is the easiest to use. 6H is also probably your best choice for stopping IAD’s that can’t get hit by 6P, but if it wiffs you are in trouble. Don’t forget that you can in fact use your autoguards as reversals, but they are much riskier and more difficult to pull off than say a reversal DP or a reversal throw. If you are going to reversal autoguard use 6H for non lows and 2H for lows, but be very sure of yourself before trying this, it’s just too easy to get hammered for it. There really is no way to explain how to precisely use Anji’s autoguard as a defensive tool, but in general you should only be going for them against predictable, slower attacks. Autoguarding really is the stereotypical double-edged sword in Anji’s game. You need them to improve Anji’s game defensively, but they can get you in more trouble than almost any of his other moves or tactics. Use them in moderation, and really force yourself to learn the best place and timings to use them. If you find yourself reaching for them as a panic button, stop yourself and rethink your strategy. If all Sol did was throw DP every time you got close, you would eventually start working around it, the same goes for an Autoguard. When you utilize them properly you boost Anji’s game to another level, and simply put it is going to take a lot of time and experience before you really start to understand how to throw them against various opponents. A lot of learning how to use Autoguard well comes from learning proper character match ups. Get your defensive basics down first, then start learning how to add in the autoguard portion of the game. They are not a replacement for good blocking, poking, or throwing, but they are a must have supplement to round out the entire formula.

Defensive Tactics Summary

Playing solid defense with Anji is of incredible importance. If he gets knocked down and put into constant okizeme, he is going to be on the worst end of it. Anji should focus on trying to keep the opponent at bay with his zoning abilities and get on the offensive from the outset if at all possible. That being said, you are going to face pressure, and you are going to have to learn how to block, and how to hold your own under that pressure. Characters in guilty gear simply have too many offensive weapons to keep on lockdown, and sooner or later your opponent is going to get the chance to make you stand the test of fire if they are a good player. Mastering blocking is the single most important thing you can do in guilty gear, then start gaining experience with FD, IB, and properly using your DAA’s and bursts. Always keep in mind that the point of a good defense is to prevent your opponent from running you over long enough to turn control of the match back in your favor. Learn how to handle the pressure, and how to turn your opponent back. Then use the tactics in the offensive section to put them on the defensive

[Koozebanian Fazoob]

Offense

While defense is the most important part of having a good game, you can’t win if you don’t actually do any damage. A good offense in guilty gear obviously strives to put a hurt on your opponent, but if there is one thing that is the key to a good offense, it is control. Guilty Gear is a game where controlling the match to favor the strengths of your character is the key to being successful. In Anji’s case, control means that he gets the opponent on the defensive long enough to score a knockdown and start his incredibly potent okizeme game. We have touched many times on the fact that Anji’s weakness is a lack of a reversal move, and when he is constantly blocking or being knockdown, he has little to no control over the flow the match. When you knock down your opponent and force them to start blocking butterflies and mix-ups, Anji has control of the match. Butterfly Pressure is Anji’s strongest offensive weapon, but his pokes and counter moves (autoguard, HS fujinn, etc.) are very effective tools as well. We will discuss how to make Anji an offensive beast, and how to keep your opponent under fire.

Get the Knockdown

Nothing is more important to Anji than scoring a knockdown, it doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you can get it done and allow yourself the opportunity to start butterfly pressure. As we have discussed, Anji has a plethora of ways to get a knockdown in slash: Sweep, Sweep into Fujinn, On, Orb, Nagiha, Kou, and both of his throws. When a match starts you should be looking to position yourself in the best way to hit a poke or throw to get your opponent onto the ground. Zoning with butterflies and zoning pokes, or positioning in the air is the typical Anji dance while he waits for the opening to occur. Once you get the knockdown Anji’s offensive game really begins.

Poking

As we have discussed Anji has some very solid offensive pokes. 5P, 5K, 2K, 2S, and 2D should be your primary offensive pokes and when any of them connect you should be comboing into a sweep for a knockdown. 5P and 2K are by far the safest one, while 2D has the best range. Poking is a fundamental fighting game tactic, and it’s one that improves greatly with experience against real opponents. When you have your opponent willing to block these are the moves you need to be throwing out, if they are being more aggressive, review what we’ve discussed in the counter-poke and defensive auto-guard sections. If your pokes or basic ground gatlings are blocked, you should be looking to cancel into a fujinn to start that guessing game, canceling into a K stomp for crossup mind games, or trying to sneak in a butterfly and start the pressure game from a closer range. Keep in mind poking doesn’t mean just looking for ground combos, you can set up frame traps with 5P, 5S, and 2K very effectively. Practices your pokes until you are extremely comfortable with them, you won’t out poke your opponent in every match up, but you should at the very least be able to use them to start the most basic of offensive games.

Basic Mix up

You can’t expect to get a knockdown simply by poking at your opponent all day, so in this section we will go over the basic mix ups that Anji has at his disposal.

The High-Low game: The most simple of mix ups is to alternate between high hitting (overheads) and low hitting moves in your pressure game. Remember that Anji has 3 overheads: 3P, 5D and TK Orb, and 3 Lows: 2K, 2S, and 2D. For the most part any competent player is going to guard their feet during your gatlings because it is so quick and simple to gatling into a low move. So when your opponents start to block low consistently, break off your gatling and toss out a TK Orb, or frame trap into a 3P for a counter hit. Don’t forget about 5D, because as we talked about, getting tricky with it can catch your opponent off guard. Once you get them worried about the overheads, their feet start to open up and you have planted the seed for the most basic of all fighting game mix ups. Keep in mind that basic does not mean ineffective. A good High-Low game is the foundation to most good offensive output, and Anji’s is no exception.

Throws and Tick Throws: Some opponents are very good at blocking basic mix up, luckily there is that neat tool that beats blocking called a throw. When you get your opponent turtled up, that is the time to start tossing them to the ground. If your opponent lacks a good reversal or has some type of counter, catch, parry, or autoguard they are more likely to let you swing at them. Against these situations something as simple as running up and throwing will net you a knockdown. Remember that you cannot throw during dash animation, so you either have to learn how to let your dash momentum carry you into throw range, or use FD break (Executing an FD while dashing) to set up your throw. In other situations a tick throw is more likely to catch your opponent off guard. Tick throwing is where you tap your opponent with a fast recovering poke and throw them after the block stun expires. 2P and 5K are Anji’s best tick throwing moves. With 2P you simply delay slightly and hold forward and throw, with 5K you will usually have to run in a bit after it to get into throw range. Using some roman cancels can also score you throws. Something as simple as 6H, RC, walk forward throw, or Fujinn RC, run in throw will hit much more than you would expect. We’ve discussed how good Anji’s throws are, so go for them liberally and create situations that force your opponent to be afraid to swing. Once you get them worrying about throws, your poking and other mix ups become stronger, it’s all pieces to a larger puzzle.

Crossups: Anji has a few crossups he can look for when he hasn’t been able to get his okizeme going. Both of his stomps can be used for crossups, but the K version is much more useful for basic pressure games (p stomp is more effective as an okizeme or butterfly pressure tool). Anji can also try and crossup using his positional air game with J.D and J.S to try and score a counter hit and combo as he lands. For the most part Anji’s crossup game is at its best when combined with okizeme or butterfly pressure. But you should always keep your opponent honest and sneak in a crossup here and there with the K stomp. It just gives them one more thing to worry about, and allows you more mix up options to play with.

IAD games: Though I don’t recommend going for IAD’s without some protection (butterfly or fan needles) very often, it too can play an important part in Anji’s basic mix up game. If your opponent throws a laggy move or projectile you might have an opening to get in with an IAD. With the increased range on J.P this is a more viable tool in Slash, and IAD's have their own high low game built in. All jumping attacks are overheads, so pestering with an IAD string forces your opponent to try and guess the result. You can end and IAD string by landing and going low (or throwing if they are very tentative), or throw out an orb at the end of the string if your opponent expects your landing time. Keep in mind your options are bit more limited since you will only be in the air for so long, but IAD is yet another mix up that offers a way to get in and try and get Anji a knockdown.

Autoguards: Though it’s hard to mix up with them so to speak, keep in mind that using autoguards in your pressure strings is an excellent way to catch your opponent off guard. Combining them with a frame trap or as reversal bait can get your opponent to do the work for you by having them swing while you end up with the knockdown. Whether you choose to wait for the counter hit on an autoguard move or cancel it into Kou should depend on the situation, but either way will get you a knockdown. Again, don’t whore your autoguards, but remember that they are always a tool at your disposal.

Getting In

Sometimes the hardest part of getting Anji’s offensive game started is getting in against characters with good zoning capabilities or who have outstanding pokes. To get in offensive range Anji will have to take some careful steps along the way. Obviously one of his biggest strengths is his fast and far reaching super jump. As I have discussed, using this in conjunction with J.D is a great way to get Anji some position and hopefully improve his placement on the screen. Following a long range butterfly or fan needles can help provide Anji a shield to move forward into better attacking range as well. For characters with long range pokes or projectiles don’t forget to utilize the invulnerability on HS Fujinn. Sometimes this will be your best tool for getting in especially against characters like Venom and Axl who can cover both the ground and Air extremely well in their basic zoning game. Perhaps the biggest trick to getting in on an opponent is to have a little bit of patience. If you stubbornly rush or jump forward you are very likely to get knocked around and lose most of your bar before you even get close enough to try some offense. Part of a good zoning game is utilizing the fact that it frustrates opponents, keep a cool head as you try to get in, and pick your spots wisely when jumping. Don’t forget that you should utilize FD breaks and FD in the air if you make a mistake or expect a counter poke. There's no shame in halting the charge so you can find a better opening.

[Koozebanian Fazoob]

Butterfly Pressure

So when you get that elusive knockdown what do you do? You start making Anji earn his keep with the staple of his entire game, butterfly pressure. As stated before, Anji’s okizeme has become incredibly potent due to the changes in the butterfly, and when you score a knockdown putting it on your opponent should always be your first choice if at all possible. This is a long and complex section, because it is so important to Anji’s offensive game, so pay close attention.

Setting up the meaty butterfly: To set up a good butterfly game, you should make sure you space your knockdowns properly. The easiest ways to do this are by landing a ground throw, or comboing into On. Either one of these will provide you the proper spacing to put out a meaty butterfly and start the okizeme game. Nearly perfect spacing can be attained by gatling into sweep, or sweep into slash fujinn followed by the k (hop) follow-up. To find the proper spacing just visualize the area where your opponent would be after a throw, that is where you want to finish your ground combo and go into sweep. After a Throw, On, or Fujinn hop you want to throw butterfly immediately, but after a sweep you may need to delay the timing a bit to ensure a meaty one. Keep in mind that these are not always absolutes, if you finish and extremely long Combo with On on certain characters you may need to run forward a bit to guarantee a meaty butterfly. After awhile the spacing and timing will become second nature, so just work on getting it down until you are comfortable with it.

After the butterfly hits: Once your butterfly is out and on the opponent, you have a plethora of ways to start the pressure game. Now I could list every last string on here, but that would serve very little purpose for two reasons. 1. I want you to think for yourself: the butterfly is all about mixing up and confusing your opponent. To put them in a poor situation you will need to be creative and constantly changing up the strategy. 2. It’s much easier to break down your options into specific styles rather than string by string. So let us go through the different options Anji has.

Basic Pressure Strings: These are the most simple of strings where you alternate your mid and low pokes in the hopes that your opponent may be outguessed and eat a low hit. These can either be long gatlings or broken up strings that utilize the block stun of the butterfly hits to allow Anji to stay on the opponent longer. If you do open up your opponent on a basic string, the easiest thing to do is get your knockdown and repeat the process. (we’ll discuss how to hit bigger combos in later sections) These simple strings allow you to get a feel for the timing of the block stun hits and how you can utilize them.

Examples: 236P, 66, 2P, 2K, (Transformed butterfly hits), 66, 5K, 2S, 2D

236P, 66, 5K, 2S, (Transformed butterfly hits), 66, 2S, 2D

(Fujinn into hop can be put at end of these strings if desired)

Overhead Strings: Since the butterfly isn’t an overhead, opponents are typically going to block low. Use this fact to hit them with overheads in your butterfly pressure to open them up. 3P, TK orb, and 5D all become useful and very safe with used with the butterfly. To combo off Orb you will still have to roman cancel it, and keep in mind that if 5D connects the butterfly will likely hit and screw with the launch of your dust combo. If your overhead is blocked, the transformed butterfly will cover you and allow you to continue with another string. Your overhead can come before the transformed hit, or after it. It is best to think of butterfly pressure as offering you two different strings. The initial pressure string, and another one after the butterfly falls.

These strings assume you score a hit on the overhead

Examples: 236P, 66, 3P (Transformed hits), 66, 5S, 6P, 5S, 6P, 2D or 236S, S

236P, 66, 2P, 2K, (Transformed hits), 66, 2147P, RC, juggle into air combo or On.

Throw and Tick Throw Strings: Throwing with the butterfly gets to be downright cruel when you mix it up properly. Your opponents have to block because it is so much easier to keep them in constant hit stun, and thus this opens them up to all sorts of throw games. Blatant throws and tick throws are things you will get away with because of the freedom the butterfly gives Anji in his offensive game. You can even tick throw off the stun of the butterfly transformed hits if you are feeling especially bold.

Examples: 236P, 66, throw

236P, 66, 5K, 5S, (transformed hits), 66, 2P tick throw

236P, 214K, FRC, land, throw

Crossups: Butterflies also improve Anji’s crossup game by allowing him to keep the opponent in stun while jumping or throwing a crossup. You can use P stomp, or a running jump, or a J.D, or even and FRC’ed On to try and cross up your opponents. If a P stomp hits you will go for your juggle into an On or air combo, for the others it is best to take a knockdown. These are not quite as safe as some of the other strings, but they will get your opponents head spinning and provide you even more options.

Examples: 236P, 66, 214P (transformed hits) juggle.

236P, 66, 5P, 5K, (transformed hits), 214P, juggle.

236P, 669, Air dash backwards, J.H. (transformed hits), land, 5K, 2D, 236S, K

236P, 66, 6H, SJC, J.D, J.S, land, 5K, 2D, 236S, K

Guard Gauge Strings: These strings are designed to build up the guard gauge and offer Anji the ability to just keep some straight forward offensive pressure on in the hopes of opening up his opponent for big damage later. This is done by comboing into Fujinn and using Rin while the transformed butterfly keeps them in block stun (making them unable to stop Fujinn by swinging low). After Rin you are at advantage, so typically throw something like 5S or 2S, or toss out an autoguard if you think they might swing, 6K works very well there.

Examples:

236P, 236H, H, (transformed hits while rin activates), 5S, 5S 2D, 236S or 236P

236P, 66, 5K, 236S, H (transformed hits during), 5S, 5S, 2D, 236S or 236P

IAD Strings: After butterfly hits you can toss out a 6S to keep your opponent in block stun and allow for IAD games. Keep in mind this is only for taller characters, but you can use 6S in conjunction with jump in games on shorter characters. I like to let 6S finish before I start the IAD game, but you can cancel into it if you would like to apply pressure more quickly. If 6S connects in the corner on these strings you can cancel into 214K and it will all combo.

Examples: 236P. 6S, (transformed hits), 99, J.P, J.P, J.S, land, 2S, 2D

236P. 6S, (transformed hits), 99, J.P, J.P, J.S, 214P (RC to land and juggle into ON or air combo if possible)

A basic, but shitty guessing game for them: This is a string that if it hits allows you to put your opponent into a shitty 50/50 in the air, and if it is blocked works as a simple guard gauge builder. What you do is run in and immediately throw sweep, then cancel it into Fujinn. If you hit use the K follow-up, and if it’s blocked go into Rin and start your guard gauge game. When you hit, you do the hop follow up as the butterfly combos after the fujinn hit. What this does is force them to a decision, if they tech you can easily get a free air throw and go from there. If they choose not to tech (hoping you go for the throw) you can stand and do a 5P into an Air combo and knock them down with Orb. You’ll have to guess, but they are the one at the disadvantage. This is a very solid and safe string that will hit more than you might think.

Examples: 236P, 66, 2D, 236S, K, (transformed hits), jump up air throw the tech

236P, 66, 2D, 236S, K. (transformed hits), 5P, air combo. (if no tech)

Autoguard Strings: These strings are primarily used as counter or reversal move baits for characters that want to get out of the butterfly pressure. In essence all you do is run in and throw 6K or 6H to beat their swing and then cancel into Kou. If they end up not swinging, let the butterfly hit on 6K and follow up, or cancel out of 6H into a crossup or Fujinn. Keep in mind you can always bait counters and reversals in other ways, this is just giving you another option to do so.

In the Corner: Once you put your opponent into the corner you will lose a couple options in your butterfly pressure, mainly crossups and IAD’s (unless you still have proper spacing). To compensate for this you should try to out poke your opponent while using the butterfly as cover if you chose not to do one of your other options. Tossing 2K after the butterfly if you are at close range is a great way to catch opponents trying to run out or swing to get out of the corner. If they jump you can score a free On after the transformed butterfly puts them in block stun mid air. In general your throw strings will be more effective in the corner simply because players turtle up on instinct, knowing their options are limited. Some players will swing more out of panic and in those cases use your autoguards and safer strings to punish them. It can be difficult to hold your opponent in the corner with the butterfly, but just remember you don’t need to get as close, simply poking them when they try to escape can be just as effective as getting in their face behind the butterfly.

Tying it all together: Now that you know all the different options you have for butterfly pressure, what is the best way to go about applying it? The simple answer is mix…it…up. Use combinations of these tactics in a single string to make butterfly pressure most effective. If your first overhead is blocked, try another after the transformed butterfly hits, or go for a throw. I look at each butterfly as an opportunity for 2 possible mix ups, before the transformed butterfly hits, and then again after. The more you mix things up, the more likely you are to score some damage and another knockdown to start the process all over again. You have to watch for characters that have reversals or counters as they have more options for escaping than the rest of the cast. Always keep in mind that with a butterfly on, you have the advantage, put your opponent to the test and force them to make the right guess.

Butterfly Pressure (non okizeme)

You can use the butterfly to try and start pressure outside of Okizeme but keep in mind that it is very risky and much more difficult to do. This is typically done by canceling into the butterfly off of a pressure string or poke in the hope that your opponent freezes long enough to take the butterfly hit. If you are too close they will often have time to swing at you after the initial hit and nail you on the recovery. The optimal time to do this is when you have your opponent in the corner but are not scoring a knockdown. Strings like 5P, 5P, 236P can sometimes work, as well as canceling into the butterfly off of sweep or even 6H if you’re really ballsy. This can work on occasion, but you must remember it is far more dangerous and doesn’t offer near the options that a meaty okizeme butterfly will. Use this tactic sparingly and save it for when your opponent seems to be turtling up.

Non Butterfly Okizeme

Though a butterfly should always be your first option for okizeme, the spacing will not always be there and you may be forced to go to a different option. Anji’s okizeme loses some potency without the butterfly to protect him, but he still has plenty of options. For the High-low game you should alternate between a meaty 2S and a TK Orb when your opponent wakes up. This is hard to do if you don’t have tension to cancel Orb as it makes it very risky to go that route. You can also just throw 3P as your okizeme poke and see if you get a counter hit out of it for a combo. For crossup options you can toss out a P stomp, or use an FRC’ed On or running jump crossup like the one discussed in the pressure section. If you think your opponent is going to swing on wakeup, stick out an autoguard and punish them readily. You can use a wiffed Fujinn into Rin as a solid okizeme tool since it is throw invulnerable but if they wakeup and go low it can still be beaten. For the most part make your opponent guess when they wake up and put some kind of okizeme on them, but be weary of baiting reversals and keep in mind that you can be wakeup thrown if you are in range.

Baiting Defensive Counters

Obviously your opponents aren’t going to sit there and take Anji’s pressure on the chin all day long, and thus you must learn how to bait there defensive counters. These can come in the form of Bursts, DAA’s, Reversals, Catch counters (Axl/Testament), or Baikens Counters. For baiting Bursts and DAA’s the best thing to do is shorten up your gatlings with faster hitting pokes and try and wait for them to throw their move out. If you bait a burst you can score a free juggle and air combo, and DAA’s can almost always be punished into at least a knockdown. If you suspect a burst use a lot of punches or kicks to try and wait it out, then stop your attack and punish. For DAA’s you can simply stop your string and block it, or try to get around it with a P stomp (only certain ones) or an autoguard. For reversals like a DP you simply need to swallow your pride and just run up and block your opponent when they attempt it. It takes a lot of discipline to break off your attack, especially during butterfly pressure, but once you start punishing people for throwing out big DP’s or other reversals, they will be more reluctant to do so and you can resume your strong pressure game again. For catch counters you just need to run up and throw instead of swinging and that will get your opponents to stop trying to hit with them. Baiken’s counters are difficult for everyone at first and you simply have to be patient and not use long gatlings with a lot of laggy moves. Keep in mind that Anji’s sweep will beat her stab counter now and that gives you another option to try and outguess her. You can also challenge her counters with an autoguard, but as always this is a risky proposition. You have to get very comfortable with Anji’s offense and combos before you’ll start actively looking to bait out defensive counters, which is a reason you must get very good with always hitting your execution on offense. Once you play people enough and feel comfortable that you can hit your offensive strings without thinking about it, you’ll be able to pay more attention to bursts, DAA’s and so on. It’s rare that your opponent won’t have some kind of defensive counter at their disposal, so to take Anji to an elite level you have to learn how to work around these things.

Offensive Tactics Summary

As you can see Anji has become quite an Offensive beast with his potent okizeme and a very good mix up game that keeps the opponent under control. In an ideal match you could get someone into butterfly pressure and just run them over with it, but that is rarely going to be the case. Anji’s offense is a combination of strong pressure and very good mix-ups that must be used with a lot of caution. Anji thrives when he is offensively in control of his opponent, and any time you get a knockdown you have a chanced to take control. To keep Anji’s offense at its peak you have to be constantly mixing up your game and not let yourself get in a rut, especially during butterfly pressure. Anji has all the offensive tools needed to be a real beast, and you will need to use all of them wisely to take him to the highest level. Your most difficult task will be handling characters with strong zoning and strong reversal abilities, these matches can get very frustrating and they will test your patience. If you lost your patience and wildly swing hoping to start some offense you will get demolished. Once you get the okizeme game going, it can almost run itself, as long as you pay attention and don’t let yourself get lulled into stagnate patterns on the pressure games.

[Koozebanian Fazoob]

Combos

Obviously you can’t get much damage if you don’t know the combos, so here we will lay out the foundation for getting the most out of opening up your opponent with that Offensive Pressure. Remember that the best combos for Anji are the ones that not only net him big damage, but score him a knockdown. You won’t find any super flash Combo video combos here, these things are designed for utility and damage, so I’m only listing the combos that are worthy of being used in a serious match.

Ground Combos

Your ground combos should strive to get decent damage and then put the opponent on the ground in position for a meaty butterfly. Remember that means ending them in 2D, or Fujinn followed by the hop. You won’t get real fancy with these until we discuss ending them in launchers for air combos, so here are some basics.

5K, 5S, 5S, 2D, 236S, K

5K, 5S, 2S, 2D, 236S, K

5K, 5S, 5H, 2D

On crouching opponents

5K, 2S, 5H, 2D, 236S, K

5S, 6P, 5S, 6P, 2D (or 236S, S if opponent is too far)

Basic Air Combos

Basic Air combos will always end in an Orb or On to get a knockdown. To start an air combo you will first have to use a move that launches. Here is a list of the moves that will launch your opponent and allow you to follow up with a juggle or just a super jump combo :Stomp (P or K), Orb (Roman Canceled), Sweep (Roman Canceled), Sweep into S Fujinn (Roman Canceled), HS Fujinn (Roman canceled), CH HS Fujinn followed by hop (With wall bounce), Nagiha (Roman Canceled) Rin, CH 3P or 6K, 5P(CH), 6P(CH), 6S, or 5H(CH) when used as Anti-Air.

After connecting with these moves you will either juggle using one of Anji’s primary juggles (5K, 5S) or (5S, 5S), or superjump cancel the move straight into an air combo. For the most part the first juggle is to connect to an On, and the 2nd is for air combos ending in orb. Here’s an example with each launcher.

214P, 66, 5K, 5S, 623H

214K, 5S, 5S, Sjc, J.S, J.P, J.S, 214P

2147P, RC, 5S, 5S, Sjc, J.S, J.P, J.S, 214P

5S, 2D, RC, 5S, 5S, Sjc, J.S, J.P, J.S, 214P

2D, 236S, RC, 5S, 5S, Sjc, J.S, J.P, J.S, 214P

236H, RC, 5P, Sjc, J.S, J.P, J.S, 214P

236H(CH), K, 5K, 5S, 623H

236S, S, RC, 5S, 5S, Sjc, J.S, J.P, J.S, 214P

236H(CH), H, Sjc, J.S, J.P, J.S, 214P

3P(CH), 5S, 5S, Sjc, J.S, J.P, J.S, 214P

6K(CH), 5S, 5S, Sjc, J.S, J.P, J.S, 214P

Anti-Airs

5P(CH), 5P, 623H

6P (CH), 66, 5S, 5S, Sjc, J.S, J.P, J.S, 214P

6S, Sjc, J.K, J.S, 214P

5H(CH) 66, 5S, 5S, Sjc, J.S, J.P, J.S, 214P

Note that depending on the weight of the character you may have to change the air combo portion from S,P,S to K,S,orb or K,S,H,orb for it to connect. For the most part you won’t have to worry about this though because we will discuss Jump installs.

Jump Install Combos

Guilty Gear has a strange system property that allows you to cancel a jump cancel by quickly imputing another ground normal before the Jump cancel Activates. What this does is allow you to “store” your jump cancel and use it as an extra action in the air, in short this allows you to jump cancel on a super jump. This is especially useful for Anji because of his far reaching super jump, and it leads to some of his biggest combos. The easiest juggle to jump install on is his 5S, 5S juggle. To do this you simply tap up between the two presses of Slash. The notation looks like this:

5S, 8, 5S, Sjc.

This allows Anji to extend his air combo from just S,P,S, orb into S,P,S,jc, P,S,orb. It’s more damage and still gets Anji the knockdown he desires. Let’s look at an example using the k stomp combo. Rather than the basic air combo, we jump install the juggle and get ourselves some extra damage. The notation would look like this.

214K, 5S, 8, 5S, Sjc, J.S, J.P, J.S, jc, J.P, J.S, 214P

This can be applied to any of the combos in the air combo section

, however depending on the height of the juggle and the weight of the character you may not be able to get orb to reach, in which case you should end the combo with a jumping dust rather than wiffing the orb.

Dust Combos

Anji has a variety of dust combos at his disposal, many of which are impossible dusts. There’s plenty of variations but I’ll just post the two I use.

5D, [8], D, D, S, P, S, P, S, jc, P, S, 214P

5D, [8] D, (release 8) D, land, 5K, 5S, 623H

Comboing off of Rin

A brief but important note about how to combo off of Rin. You will only be able to combo into Rin off a HS Fujinn. If you are too close to the corner when you throw Rin the move will cross through your opponent and will either wiff, or will hit too far away for you to follow up with a super jump combo. When you are looking to combo off rin make sure you have the spacing down properly and are not too close to the corner. Also remember that on a CH HS Fujinn you’ll get wall bounce, which may change the spacing you need to properly connect Rin. Note that if you get a CH Rin you will have time to do a juggle into an air combo instead of immediately super jump canceling into it.

IAD Combos

If you connect with an IAD string you can combo when you land, a simple one to score a knockdown is:

99, J.P, J.P, J.S, land, 5P, 2D

You could get fancy and extend it into an air combo, and add an jump install for extra damage, this will not work on some characters however. Here’s a rather long one

99 J.P, J.P, J.S, land, 5P, 2D, RC, 5S, 8, 5S, Sjc, J.S, J.P, J.S, jc, J.P, J.S, 214P

Roman Canceling Orb for extra damage

If you have tension to Roman Cancel orb in air combos you can get extra damage and still score a knockdown. These combos should always end in On due to the fact that it prorates very well and will still do solid damage at the end of a combo. If you are not in the corner, you cannot use a jump install as you will be unable to air dash (your air actions are all used up) to finish the combo properly. In the corner you can jump install and land to simply juggle into On.

Non Corner

214P, 5S, 5S, J.K, J.S, 214P. RC, 66, slight pause, J.S, land, 5P, 623H

Corner:

214P, 5S, 8 5S, J,S, J,P, J.S, jc, J.P, J.S, 214P, RC, land, 5S, 623H

This air combo ender: J.K, J.S, 214P. RC, 66, slight pause, J.S, land, 5P, 623H is particularly useful and can be used after things like Rin, an impossible dust, or after an air throw where your juggle won’t connect to On. Learn this ender well, it’s big damage for a roman cancel and still gets you back on the spot for butterfly pressure.

Comboing off TK Orb

Off of a TK orb you will have two options if you roman cancel it. You can either do a juggle into an air combo, or you can combo into HS Fujinn, into Rin if you are at the proper spacing (I.E. not too close to the corner). The Orb to Rin combo looks something like this

2147P, RC, 236H, H, Sjc, J.K, J,S, Orb

[Koozebanian Fazoob]

Advanced Combos: Momentum Preserved Jump Installs

You have probably noticed that when you use a jump install combo, all the momentum of Anji’s super jump is lost after the jump cancel. There is a glitch in the game that allows you to maintain the momentum of your jump during a jump install. This is difficult to master and it took me about 2 months before I finally got it to a comfortable point. To do this you have to jump cancel on the same frame you cancel into the move after the jump cancel. This has to be done with a move that would gatling in the air, in Anji’s case it is the cancel between J.S and J.P.

The timing is going to feel very awkward at first, but to get these momentum preserved combos to hit you need to input your jump install combo without any breaks what so ever.

Typically you would do J.S, J.P, J.S. tap 8, wait a very brief second and then do J.P, J.S, 214P

To get the preserved jump there can be no delays between the 2nd jumping slash and the 2nd jumping punch. In other words the timing in your button presses should be exactly the same all the way through. This is really hard to explain on paper, but imagine the sound you make when you do the combo, you should hear something like this. Tap, Tap, Tap,…Tap,Tap. To get this momentum preserved version your taps should sound like this Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap. Each at the same interval with no delays. You have to sneak the jump cancel in right around the time you have finished the 2nd jumping slash input. So the notation would look something like this, with absolutely no changes in the pace you tap the buttons:

J.S, J.P, J.S+8, J.P, J.S

What this does is allow you to extend the combo after the jump install by adding in a Jumping hard slash and sometimes even a jumping dust before the orb. This vastly increases the damage of Anji’s air combos and leads to some of the biggest damage he can hit in the game. These combos are extremely character specific, and require that you juggle different characters at different heights to connect. Below is a chart to help guide you in hitting the biggest combos you can with a momentum preserved jump install:

All combos are tested off of 214P each combo is done using S©, S(f), as the jump install juggle.

Delay is the delay before starting the juggle each amount refers to the character being at a certain point on Anji's Body.

None = Around Anji's Head.

Slight = Chest level with Anji.

Long = Waist level with Anji.

Very Long = Last possible instant before the character hits ground, usually at Knee or feet level with Anji.

Format

Character

Delay (non corner) Combo (non Corner)

Delay (corner) Combo (corner)

Sol

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Robo

None S,P,S,jc,P,S,Orb

None S,P,S,jc,P,S,Orb

HOSS

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb

None S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Ky

Slight S,P,S,jc,P,S,Orb

Slight S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Slayer

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb

Slight S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Axl

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Slight S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Anji

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Baiken

Very Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,Orb

Very Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Eddie

None to Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,Orb

None to Slight S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Dizzy

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Zappa

Slight S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb

Slight S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Millia

Very Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

ABA

Slight S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb

Slight S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb (Timing is VERY tight, when in doubt, do jc,P,S,orb instead)

Chipp

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb

I-No

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Testament

Slight to Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb

None S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb

Faust

Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

None to Slight S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Pot

None S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

None S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Venom

Slight S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb

Slight S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

Johnny

None S,P,S,jc,P,S,Orb

None S,P,S,jc,P,S,Orb

Bridget

Very Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,Orb *

Very long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,Orb

* S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,orb will work, but it will cross over and bridget will go far behind anji's landing point, meaning no okizeme can be used afterwards.

Special Case Characters

Jam: On launching Jam Anji must run up as close as possible to her and start the launch just before she hits the ground, this is due to jams unusual falling hitbox which is too thing to juggle from long distances.

Jam

Very Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,Orb

Very Long S,P,S,jc,P,S,H,D,Orb

May: Jump install combos will not hit may because she is a cunt and has a tiny hitbox in mid air. Simply use K,S,H,Orb

May

Very Long K,S,H,Orb

Very Long K,S,H,Orb

These combos can be done wherever you can jump install them, provided you can get the proper height for the juggle, these are difficult but learning them will increase Anji’s damage output a great deal. This is the hardest thing you will have to learn in terms of combos, and with some practice you will hit them without even thinking about it.

Combos Summary:

Anji’s combos are not terribly difficult to get down until you get to momentum preserved jump installs, and even those are more of learning a gimmick than they are difficult. When you have tension you should freely be using these big air combos and launchers in conjunction with your connected butterfly strings. Overall you shouldn’t spend a lot of time on combo practice with Anji, as they should be easy enough for even the most average player to handle. Just make sure you get your knockdowns and hit your combos when you get the chance. Fixing a combo you drop is easy to do, work on your fundamentals before you spend a lot of time focusing on combos.

Closing

We’ll wrap up this guide with some general hints and tricks and a few parting words.

Do’s and Don’ts of Anji

The Do’s

Do work on your defensive skills, all of them, especially blocking.

Do learn your character match ups inside and out

Do mix up your offense at every opportunity

Do learn your combos until you don’t have to think about hitting them

Do work on your execution, it’s important and can overcome weaker areas of your game.

Do abuse the power of Anji’s okizeme

Do throw people until they get pissed

Do always end your combos in a knockdown when possible

Do play Anji because you find him fun.

The Don’ts

Don’t whore autoguard

Don’t poke with Fujinn

Don’t whore rin

Don’t WHORE AUTOGUARD

Don’t pass up a knockdown for a flashy combo

Don’t waste tension on supers unless it will end the round (Stomp super is the exception)

Don’t get stagnant with your mix up

Don’t get stagnant with your butterfly pressure

DON’T FUCKING WHORE AUTOGUARD

Don’t be afraid swallow your pride and bait out reversals

Don’t steal my color (SP kick).

Don’t whore autoguard (Especially don’t whore 6H)

Don’t play Anji because you think you can scrub out wins with him

Final Thoughts:

This guide has been a ton of work and I still feel like I haven’t done it enough justice. That is where all of you come in, if you feel like something is wrong, something should be added or removed, or you want clarification then by all means tell me in this thread. I want your input, and I want it often. Nothing is set in stone here so do not be afraid to talk to me about making amendments. I hope this thing really helps out all you Anji players of all levels. This thread and the new match up thread will be the major points of interest in this forum. Let’s use them well.

[Klaige]

this guide is hella old, but i do thank GB for reposting it, there is a ton of stuff i would rewrite on this if i still played the character reguarly. Guide is very outdated at this point tho, with no doubt.

[Tiamat]

methinks Dan posted this cause he was studying evil potemkin vs anji strats so he could beat my ass in a money match but I will have my revenge! eventually