DBFZ/Kid Buu/Strategy

General Tactics

Kid Buu is a ruthless, sticky mixup character. His damage is lower than average, but you're usually getting enough hits in that it doesn't matter all that much. On top of his mixup ability, his range and diverse toolbox have made him a top-tier character, even after being nerfed in several patches. His mixups are some of the most powerful and the most consistent in the game because of how well 214S synergizes with assists. His neutral is also above average, with his 5M and j.M having both great range and the ability to pull him in like a grappling hook, on top of having 2M and it's variants which allow for pressure with lows from almost full screen. To top it all off, Kid Buu has a pretty good Ki Blast in 5S and 2S, as well as having a beam with j.236S. Overall, Kid Buu is the complete rushdown package and a reliable addition to any team.

Team positioning

Kid Buu really works anywhere on your team. He can use assists really well and has a good assist, but is also blessed by being a decent solo character with fast pressure resets.

Point

This is where Kid Buu is most potent. Having two assists for 214S pressure means your opponent is definitely getting opened up if you get them to block, and Kid Buu doesn't need many resources to get the pain train rolling. The only real downside about point Kid Buu is that no other characters on your team get to use his assist.

Mid

Kid Buu is also a good mid, mostly because it allows your point character to abuse his assist. While it may take some creative routing to work it into your combos, it is worth the reward. Kid Buu is also able to use pretty much any assist in the game to get mixups from 214S, so that also helps him a lot. Kid Buu also gets a lot of mileage from 236H, and being mid usually gives him more meter to play with.

Anchor

Kid Buu's toolbox is varied enough that he makes an effective anchor. He has good Ki Blasts, a beam, and very easy ways to continue and reset pressure. You have to condition the opponent a lot though, because raw 214S is really easy to reflect and punish. Kid Buu is also hampered by the fact that he has no real reversal outside of his level 3, and his anti-air game in general is pretty suspect.

Picking Teammates

Kid Buu works with everyone and assists everyone, but his assist is harder to use in combos than most others. That usually isn't the reason you're using this assist though, as it is really good at lockdown and making your opponent hate life. Every character in the game gets a neutral jump mixup off of his assist, which makes it very potent and outweighs it's difficulty to use in combos.

Using the Assist

The neutral jump mixup is simple. Call Kid Buu and blockstring into a move with decently low recovery (like Bardock's 2M/SSJ Goku 214L), then simply hold up. The mixup happens when you start to fall because you can airdash early for a crossup, airdash later to stay same side, or land and go low/DR.

Blockstrings

... 5H > 214S (covered by assist)

Gumball (214S) allows for Kid But to use pretty much any assist. It's blockstun allows for some pretty dirty mixups too, which is why Kid Buu is such an effective point character. Here are some examples with a superjump IAD to get you started:

Usually you would either do a mixup like that or an Instant Air Dash mixup, consisting of:

2L (no overheads)
j.L > 2L (1 overhead)
j.LL > 2L (2 overheads)
j.LM(1)H > 2L (2 overheads, visually different)
j.LM(2)H > 2L (3 overheads)

On top of those, 2L can be substituted for a Dragon Rush and j.S can be added to any air route besides j.LL for an easier confirm.

... 5H > 5S > 2M

The 2M doesn't blockstring, but the distance that 5S pushes midscreen means 2M can punish pretty much any button the opponent presses.

Tips and Tricks

Using a Tiger Knee motion (2369) allows you to fire Kid Buu's Kamehameha close to the ground. It's recommended to do that instead of using Candy Beam as j.236S has less endlag.

If you start your air combo with j.M(1)LL2H, delaying the superdash gives you an incredibly easy sideswitch.

j.236H is REALLY good.

Fighting Kid Buu

Fighting against Kid Buu can be difficult, but it can become easier once you understand which tools he uses the most. Kid Buus will use their 5M or 2M to try to call you out in neutral, but these can be punished if you jump a little beforehand. In the corner, Kid Buu players will sometimes use 236M as a way to get airborne in a blockstring, but anything he does afterwards can be 2H-ed or reflected if he uses an assist. The trick is to reflect before the 236M hits. Otherwise, 214S is a devastating lockdown tool, but it can also be guard canceled pretty easily. Just be wary about your timing, because if you do it wrong you're gonna eat a ton of damage.

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