BBCF/Makoto Nanaya/Starter

Should you be playing

Makoto Nanaya?

You should pick Makoto if

You want to be the one adjusting and reacting to your opponent in neutral
You want to stick close to the opponent and chase them down if they run
You like to condition your opponent to do what you want them to do, in order to open them up
You know when to back down instead of overcommitting during pressure

You Should Avoid Makoto if

You want to be the one dominating neutral
You don’t like being patient in choosing when you approach
You want to run gapless mixups

Key Moves

236A: stationary projectile for creating a wall in neutral or oki tool.
236AD: midrange projectile. Range increases with D level
6A: Antiair
2A, 5B: Primary pokes
2B: Low, catches rolls and picks up from the ground.
6B: Standing Overhead
214A / *214B *214C: command dash / jump. 214AA is often used as a feint.
623C: DP

Neutral

Makoto’s buttons are kinda stubby, so you just have outmanouver your opponent.
Use 5A, 2A and 2B as pokes, since they recover faster than 5B.
5B and 5C have lasting hitboxes, use them with forward momentum to intercept an advancing opponent on the ground. (5C also has a decent disjoint on the first active frame)
6A is a very fast and high-reaching antiair with rather easy confirms. Use it to intercept an advancing opponent in the air.
Become the master of jumping with dash momentum and barrier breaks
Jump over pokes and j.C
Don't crossup, makoto doesn’t have crosusp hitboxes (unless vs Tager) except j.2C, which is super slow.
If you see you will crossup, just block until you land (happens quite often)

Whenever you have time to kill in neutral and are sick of standing still, just do the airdash shuffle:
Run > jump > airbackdash > repeat
(this can make your opponent less willing to antiair preemptively)

Using orb in neutral

Orb is your friend, the biggest disjoint makoto has.
Place it for the cowards antiair (block or cross under while the orb is active)
Shoot it level 1 to cover midscreen (can confirm from it with 665B on specific ranges
Shoot it at level 3 to cover almost fullscreen (fatal coutners if opponent did something stupid, happens more often than you’d think)

Other tricks in neutral

66 > 214B > j.C - actually good enough to not be called a meme - fling yourself across the screen into hard-to-react jumpin.
214AA (feint). Faint the jumpin or cosmic ray manouver. Use to make it all more ambiguous. Risky at midscreen range, use at far ranges preferably
214AD(3 or lower level with RC) - F invul advancing special that *can* be + on block. Oddly low profile, very short recovery
3C - HB invul for over 20 frames. Very situational (for example hard read on mid pokes, or punish against Naoto’s j.[D])
5D(3) (RC) - just a big punch, along with RC offers an interesting way to force yourself in.

Offense

Basically any possible combination of 2A, (sometimes 5A), 2B, 5B, 5C and 5CC is a valid pressure string and often even combo starter
Reset (and go for throw?) after any button, preferably after 2A or 2B (-1 on block)
Go for overhead after 2A or 5C (you can also do 6B after 6A)
6A is jumpcancellable, but it doesn’t see much use in pressure because of short range.
j.CC can open people up as they’re trying to switch to crouch after blocking j.C.

Use any of Makoto's specials during pressure as you see fit. I would rank them in terms of effectiveness as such:

Rush (214AC…) frametrap that enables no. 2 and 3. End with B or D(1) for safety
Rush (2 hits) RC 2B and Mars Chopper highlow (makoto’s only true unreactable 50/50)
Asteroid Vision Feint (214AA) 2B or throw (tied for first spot)
Spaced Orb placement
Asteroid Vision B > j.C in corner
Asteroid Vision B > j.2C > (RC) midscreen (2C hits crossup)
Comet Shot (236A~D), various levels. Level 3 fatal counters.
Asteroid Vision C > j.C or j.D (it’s slower than B version)
Asteroid Vision AB sideswitch (it’s great after Rush ender though!)

Beginner - Intermediate Tip:

New players tend to come up with a single gatling string and will default to it, such as 5B 5CC 5D into rush, which will get obvious really quickly.
To help with this, (dash) 2A > 2B is a very simple but effective hit-confirm.
Get used to dashing before2A to close the gap to make sure you are in range for your offensive options.
2B is only -1 on block so it is a decent reset point, while still retaining good gatling options such as 5B and 5C to either frametrap or simply extend pressure.
Doing a short string for a confirm should help with preventing autopilot and force to think about how to counter the opponent's defensive habits.
Simplest, but effective mixup options with this setup are:
- Tick Throw: 2A > dash 5B+C
- Overhead: 2A > 6B

In summary:

Makoto’s pressure is generally full of gaps and doesn’t typically utilise unreactable mixups, so she has work with building mental stack and conditioning.
Always try to react to how your opponents habits are shifting throughout the match.
If he’s mashing to stop you from mixing, use more frametraps to punish him for it.

If he’s happy to turtle until you overcommit, go for more ambiguous mixups, potentially with asteroid vision or throws at different timings.

Defense

Of course, Makoto can naturally rely universal mechanics such as Barrier, Instant Blocks and Counter Assaults on defense like any other character.
Technically Makoto has a 5 frame 5A, but usually 2A is used for mashing out of blockstun
Backdash isn’t the best, but it can avoid jabs fairly well. Also useful at the tip of your opponent's range.
6A gets H invul on frame 5 and 3[C] having both low profile and HB invul are some of the options to escape rejump pressure.
3C can also beat slow mids, such as Es 5D.
Corona Upper (623C) is tied for fastest DP, but it has a poor hitbox and can be low-profiled or just spaced away from.
Shooting Star (236B) and Space Counter (214D) offer more reversal options to specific hit properties (F invul and B invul respectively)
Particle Flare (236 236D) on level 2 is startup 7. Can convert into full combo after second hit
Makoto notably has a weird hurtbox, it might cause some combos to drop. You can use delay teching and various

Of course, Makoto can naturally rely universal mechanics such as Barrier, Instant Blocks and Counter Assaults on defense like any other character.

Combos

Panic 2A mash confirm

(2A) 2A 2A > 5B > 5CC > 5D(2) > 214ACC

Far Poke confirm:

(ground hit) 5B > 5D(2) > 214ACC

Classic BNB:

(2A, 2B, j.C etc) > 5B > 5CC > 2D(2) > 236A > 6A > 2D(3) > 6B > 214AC > 665B 5CC > j.B > j.B > 623CD(3)*

(after 6B you can 6A into default air combo ender if you don’t like rush microdash routes)

Throw combos:

Forward throw: B+C > 214A dl C(C) > 66 5B 5CC > j.C j.B > j.C j.B > 623C.D
Backthrow: 4B+C > 41236C > 66A > 6B > 214AC > 66 5B 5CC > j.C j.B > j.C > j.B > 632CD

AntiAir Combos:

6A > j.C j.B > j.C j.B > 623CD
6A > 2D(3) > 6B > 214AC(C) > 66 5B 5CC > (j.C) j.B > (j.C) j.B > 623CD*

Corner Combos:

XXX > 5C > 214ACC > 5CC > 2C > 236AD(3) > 6A > 5D(3) (orb oki)
(antiair) 6A > 2D(3) > 6B > 5C > 2C > 236AD (3) > 6A > 5D(3) orb oki
(antiair) 6A > j.B > j.D(3) > 66A > 2D(3) > 5D(3) orb oki

OD Combos:

(antiair) 6A > j.B > OD > 623CD > 66 2C > 214BD > 3C > 214AC > 665B > 5CC > j.B > j.B > 623CD**
5B > 5C > OD > 66 5C > 236AD > 214BD > 4C > 214AC(C) > 66 5B 5CC > (j.C) j.B > (j.C) j.B > 623CD

Consult the Combos section in the combo page for more details.

Post-Knockdown

Makoto's default meaty tool is 2A. You can hit-stop OS with it by buffering 2B early.
2B catches forward rolls well, it can also blue beat opponents trying to delay tech (confirm into air combo with 2B > 5CC > (2D(3))... )
Orb oki in corner, usually done after 5D(3) ender.
3C can work as a weird late meaty / rollcatch. 3C or 3[C] can also cause many reversals to whiff, preventing the opponent from RCing on block.
After grounded Rush ender (214AC) you can go for a safejump or sideswitch mixup with 66 214AB (or 214AA to feint it)

For a more in-depth view of Makoto's options on okizeme, it is best to consult the Okizeme section on the strategy page.

Overdrive Utilisation

While Overdrive give's Makoto very powerful level G Drive moves, it is best reserved as a defensive tool or combo extensions.
Makoto can use Overdrive to extend her combos and lead into corner and potentially orb oki from anywhere on screen.

For more precise strategy scenarios and ways to extend combos with Overdrive, it is best to check the respective Strategy and Combo pages.