BBCF/Makoto Nanaya/Strategy

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All this notes are not supposed to be rules set in stone to fight a matchup but they might guide you in The Jorney of improvement.

VS Nine

This sucks. Getting in is very hard against, as she has very good screen control with her normals. Her 5B and 5C are relatively fast for how long they are, the ground game becomes very hard. Once you block either of these normals, she begins to stock up on spells, which leads to her gameplan. I'll talk about as many as i can understand > to this, if you don't get hit by a normal, she can't build stock. Her anti air game is also god like. I would iad back round start and i got caught by the large fire(6C?), and ate a full combo into the corner. Her air game is also pretty good, mostly between her awkward dash movement and spells that cover multiple angles. All 3 Nines like to do falling j.2C(45 angle downward fire)or j2A(trapezoid water, hits everything below her). Different nines pressed different buttons based on spacing, and whiffed sometimes,either wayherbuttons are good. SPELLS Reading tips: W=water, A=air F=fire What do you do against things she does? Specifically specials(sorted by importance)

Metorite:Gotta block this lol,it's a pressure reset though. +22 all day, The thing with the meteor from all the nines, was that they did the exact same block string to build the meteor(A, C, C, ). EDIT: Fuck meteor. Kasou did fucking Meteor into ANOTHER METEOR he had in stock. Mega dick. From Nick(PINKU?LITTE?THEBULLY): On the Ground it is air unblockable, so you can fuzzy jump this shit if you think it's coming? On the air, it is air blockable, but much faster, and can do ambiguious crossup if she's right above you W+F+F, so off of ameythsy it can be builts, and it's really damn good. +22 oops.

Amethyst, ball:Worst nightmare button. Drop an orb to stop it.Slow and Active for years Made of w+f, really easy to start

Grass Roots: Setups up unblockable(God Hand/Rock/Instant j2c/j2a + This) Be ready to up back barrier, otherwise watch the unblockable, not particulaly useful in neutral and rather obvious F+F+A

God Hand: Beats Oki orb toss. Becareful. This forces you to move around. Good news> you can catch nine's trying to god hand and they whiff and you blow em up., as they cannot RC on whiff, freeCH punish Bad news> GOD HAND RC GODHAND. Block high holy christ, and don't roll,it will auto catch

Fast wind: after 1 air normal, they try fast wind? full screen mid. IB by luck, but it's fast and full screen. Very dominating spell that control the screen very well. Be careful about ground approach against this.

Fast wind : AxN has 14f startup, so be sure to watch.

Fairy: Hits three times, goes away if she blocks?/is hit. Lets her setup up hits and time, becareful In neutral, it's not strong because you can move away from the fairy, and it will miss it's 3 hits. In the corner, it will hit foward, behind, and then above. As such, the behind hit is "unseeable".

if you are caught blocking nine however,consider yourself done. start blocking.

WWF

Ice: WxN, this ice special is mostly used as a good ender for nines, and helps setup dirty instant overheads or resets for her Important,as this is the indicator in the combo, that the reset will occur soon.

Giant Rain: Is slow to setup, I usually just run otherwise you eat "unseeable" mixup. Not impossible to call out options, but it's a good setup(crossup/highlows)

in the corner, it's very... scary,but you have to block nine,so watch the mixup

AAF

Clock: WAF, the clock puts a timer on you and counts down into superflash that hits you. You MUST barrier after the superflash as this spell will break guards. The clock will go away if nine is hit, so make it your priority to move in SAFELY

This move also forces the opponent to act against nine, so it is in their favor to anti-air/zone you.

Be ready to barrier if you can open the nine Also, for a throw, as many projectiles will disappear if people are thrown, even with teching.

Mauvett Road(214B) This is a very fast anti air with good head invuln, however is very unsafe many Nines treat this as the real DP, a good option that is actually unsafe lol. They will sparingly use this due to how unsafe it is, but it is a strong anti air option she has besides 6+ any button she feels like.

The Cross: Shoots a ball, then from the balls position, a cross is made that eats the screen. YOU CAN HIT THE CROSS BEFORE IT STARTS UP, If you can hit the ball before the cross appears, do so. otherwise, block/barrier,it does a large chunk of chip damage. In the corner, this may be dangerous, as i have fought pinku, where he would use the cross to bait me into hitting, and then punishing me with C normal( he was airborne i was not?)

Crimson raider(Dash): this move is two hits, very active(15(6) into 3) but has a good chunk of recovery, 24f ground/33f airbone This move is ambiguously punishable based on spacing, and i recommend 5a/2a to be safe. Mostly the "ender" for nines if they cannot end with Ice(wxN) spells

Mirror: punch it, DO NOT THROW ORB Hittible, does not do an actual hit AEGIS REFLECTOR however, so it's very scary, will reflect any projectileand she canmove it,but a jab removes it A+F

Fire Skull: FxN, typically a combo extender for nines to use to confirm stray C normals. Genrally ok in neutral as it has a disjointed hitbox from nine, though it is a projectile. Hits away from her, so the space between this move and her is a deadzone for you to strike pretty safe, since it hits far is is difficult to punish, but use it as an opportunity to approach.

Goat Skull: WA, gives nine a guardpoint effect? on certain normals, generally anoying, but nothing special.

Gravity: WWA, in this small field you can jump, and if you're airborne, will force you onto the groudn with a hit. Not used often, most people will simply Dp or run out of it, so not particulalry good. Nines to throw this simply to get rid of the spell and create a new one, which does not use air since this spell uses air.

Notes: If you're not sure about a certain projectile, block, get the hit, or throw the nine to force the projectile to disappear This is important in many matchups as throwing the opponent gets rid of many delay projectiles or annoying ones like: Arakune's cloud, Es' crests, and many others.

Neutral So how do we get in? All three of them like to play in the air and jump/dash around alot, so it's up to makoto to get in. Rushdown vs. Zoner pretty much

If they go for the anti air fire/water/ice, 214A~D was really good for getting in. 3C also goes through certain normals (5B and 5C are the big ones i went under ) Naturally j.C is also a good tool for getting in if they're weak on the anti air game. If they dash,treat it like azrael dash and just try and 2a/5a em. She has a wakeup super, don't forget.With a stock, she has a slow burst-esque DP. Seems bad, but it's there. Run and barrier brake is the most impotant movement option to safely approach. Good barrier jumps also help close the distance safely 214BD or 214B into j.c is an effective option, but should be used sparringly as this puts you into CH state. 214AD(mappa) is also a good option as it has low invul and closes gaps on the ground really well( good against 2A/B/C and 3C), will lose to 5A/B/C etc.

Despite this, they spend like 3/4 of the game in the air running their shit. j.a is really good for starting pressure, since j.a(xn) into dp gets the knockdown and some damage. 6a is also very important, but somewhat risky. Depending on her height, her j.2C would beat it, where as other situations 6A can win( mostly depends on if head invuln kicks ain and the active frames hit her). All three of the nines though, stayed in the air so a well placed 6A really helped control the game. Stagger 2A is always good, keep the pressure on them Should the opponent dash in stagger pressure, fall back to dealing with teleport dash > dealing with teleport dash in pressure is simpler as her movement distance is limited.

recently after watching sets 10/20/2016...

5a is a very important button to stop nine's invlun dashes. 5a covers both the recover of her 2nd dashin any direction because: if she is on the ground, she is in a standing state recovery, meaning 5a will connect and she will block at the least. this means you can mount ground offense, 5a xn into 6B will probably open her, though she will most likely dash at any frame trap because they will rely on this to get out of any pressure, or any of her multiple options.

HOW DO DEAL WITH DASHES: if she dashes, then into the air, 5a will anti air her recover if timed correctly. you should be able to beat any button she throws out after the 2nd teleport if she goes into the air, and subsequently perform an antiair 5a combo. otherwise, to deal with her dashes generally speaking: run into the space she can possbly be in and 5a. Her first two dashes will be horizontal (left/right) Her 2nd set of dashes can be in all cardinal directions(up/down/left/right) she cannot teleport down if she is on the ground. She must commit to 1 or 2 teleports when inputing the first teleport regardless of the number, both 1 /2 teleports have 7* frames of recovery This 7frame recovery gap is important to punish with 5a ( a 5f button) in a good spot between both teleports.

STOCK: Important, is to always watch what the nine has in the ACTIVE slot, as those are the moves she can pull. Moves in the stored slot tend to have little to no effect in neutral as she must switch them out into the active slot These stored spells tend to be used mostly for dirty setups(grass roots, rock, fairy or cloud are the options they'll use.)

DP: Important to watch her stock as this allows her to "DP", so if you knock her down without stock, her only wakeup options become standard ie: block/backdash/super or counterassault with meter. Blocking is the ideal situation and backdash will be covered later. Dealing with dp if she does have stock tends be simple as the invuln kicks in early but the active frams of the DP come very late, 22f startup Because of this safejumping is simple, however she's -4 on block( Safe with respect to BB), so IB is necessary to punish. Along these lines, meaty j.C works will as she tends to whiff with it's small hitbox, and j.C punish tends to be good. Another proper punish is a delayed and spaced 5B, though this forces a simple jump from the nine and can be difficult. Doing pressure strings with 214C>D in the corner also work well as the delayed timing allows for fatal punishes. midscreen, this moves tends to be strong, and even though you may bait it and not IB, undertstand that pressure is still in your favor.

From Shado_Onikkisu:

Using shooting star(236B) on her wakeup will auto beat her Dp on reaction Will also beat her wakeup stomp super (which sounds really useful, since they'll be tempted to use this to getout in the corner) Backdash: Her backdash is 1-4f projectile invuln, 5-21?f invuln, so meaty oki will not work if she decides to teleport dash In my opinion, you should use it orb oki only until the nine realizes to dash/roll out of it( many players in generally will roll too often or ONLY neutral tech) this will help against the later half of players who only choose to neutral tech( myself included) otherwise, 2a meaties into dealing with her wakeup options are very important, since the 1-4 f of her backdash can be hit.

Things to do dp/parry Many of nines normals are very long and do not have extended hurtboxes, which is one of the reasons many consider her broken. As such, dp is very difficult to use in the matchup since she can meaty and pressure safely without risk. Parry is extremely risk as it will only work on the 4/5/6 series of normals. 4 series are used to eat projectiles or to whiff cancel, while the 6 series are used for anti airs. Typically, nines will there poke with 5a/b/c to control the ground, and those normals could be parried. However the nine played could do 2a,b,c or 3c and get a free counter hit. Another scenario would be the nine player using projectiles to cover the ground, forcing you to block or jump. Only use the parry if you are confident in partying a 5a,b,c, or 6c.

VS Arakune First is neutral, understanding the mindset of this character, their gameplan, and how to work around it. So arakune's ground options are rather weak, as he has a teleport foward and backdash, meaning it becomes difficult to properly space himself into the opponent. As a result, most arakunes will prefer to be airborne and fly around to build curse.

Your goal is to NOT LET HIM CURSE YOU. YOU DIE IF YOU GET CURSE. play with that intention. I shouldn't have to explain this , but your goal is to not let him start, and kill him before letting him start. Ideally this won't happen, and it is up to you as the player to adapt accordingly when shit hits the fan, but we can start with neutral into pressure.

In the event that an arakune attempts to approach you as a makoto, he's being "reckless" or confident in his ability to approach and your weak defense. The typical approach will the be unusual triangle dash into j.B( the multi hit air move)

It is important to understand the angle at which arakune apporaches to this normal and to be able to 6A this move. Due to this tricky movement, if you don't feel confident in 6A, avoid blocking j.B since it allows arakune to start his pressure. While most of his pressure becomes structured around landing j.B, understanding his other Air normals become important as well as he may use them to bait. j.a is another good air nomral, mostly used to air to air, but another decent starter for trying to approach. j.6a/b/c are normals that move him directly horizontal, which help adjust his spacing and allow him to avoid anti airs from the air or just stick situations. Finally there is j.2a/a/b/c, which moves him in a parabolic motion up, then down left/straight/right. This move is important to baiting our your 6A as it stalls his air momemntum and whiff punishes accordingly.

Clarification, what i mean by avoiding blocking j.b is to avoid positions where you have to block it, ideallly making it whiff

this implies that you can backdash if he jumps in on you and whiff punish, or do a fast run under and crossup when kune makes his air apporach.

A big answer in beating almost all of these air normals is to air to air with makoto j.B. Genrally speaking, arakune should not try to approach you, and smarter arakunes will play the lame game against makoto to build curse and sparingly apporach her with air normals. j.B is a very important button in trying to just deal with arakune, so be sure to mix good air movment with j.B in order to get the necessary knockdown/combo( you'll get lots of CH j.b if you're smart in the neutral) Remeber you have: asteroid vision b/c, jump, double jump, super jump, and airdash. also DP. be sure to cover the air.

Generally speaking, neutral is won with strong air to air options, as arakune will do air specials. Ground movement into air to air wins, j.B is their go to button with 10f startup. Air to air with j.a/j.b to control the pace of the match.

If they're on the ground game, i should not have to explain how the ground game will work, but i'll talk about the importnat buttons to watch out for later,how it works,etc.

but yeah arakune will be in the air, and use his various specials and normals, so be sure to understand his buttons here: http://www.dustloop.com/wiki/index.php/BBCF/Arakune

Specials to talk about and how to deal with them, with a neutral focus, and other tips: 236B he goes invisible, not really a threat until curse time, so that will be discussed in cursed.

236D= cloud( they WILL do this in the air) cloud lasts 15 seconds, does not hit but summons a random cloud that helps build curse. There are 3 different clouds and each one builds curse at a different rate. This helps get arakune's game started, and tends to be the crux of their neutral play Natrually the arakune WANTS YOU IN THIS CLOUD. he'll move accordingly to the given random cloud he made REGARDLESS OF THE CLOUD, FORCING A THROW REMOVES THE CLOUD.if you throw or hit arakune the cloud will disappear(best situation) if you can't get that hit, attempt an air/ground throw and even if arakune tech the throw, the cloud will disappear, and he will have to resummon another cloud (25f startup). That becomes an opportunity to use makoto j.a/j.b to air to air to start your game. Cloud type A: The cloud types are on that homes in on you, so be sure to be mobile and utilize your air options and run speed. this cloud builds curse the slowest, so don't be afraid to run through it and give him a little curse meter if it puts you in a good position against arakune. Cloud type B: Ring cloud that follows arakune, makes approaching arakune difficult since approaching him with this on will give him curse. With this on, arakune will probably play the hard zoning game and wait for the cloud to run out and use zoning tools we'll talk about later to start his game. Best thing to do when you do get in on arakune with this cloud is to throw in order to remove this cloud asap. The secondary option is to go for a strong mixup, being go straight into 6B immidiately since the longer your blockstring lasts, the more curse he gains. Cloud type C: Flat cloud that stays above your head.This builds curse EXTREMELY fast(the fastest) and deters you from jumping. This is the worse cloud imo: as you have to risk building his curse meter and controls your movement options the most. Genearlly, this cloud forces high risk/high reward from both players as makoto must make the jump COUNT.(one jump builds 1/3 of curse holy fuck) if you choose to jump, make it count. THROW HIM, HIT HIM, other wise you're going to be blocking his other moves which will ALSO BUILD CURSE. once again, do what you can to get the hit.

j.236C Multi hit move that stalls arakunes momentum and makes him into a pinwheel. This move is unsafe(11f recov on landing) but super scary and good damage, and only thrown out with the meter to RC.If they throw this out without curse or meter, PUNISH. usually used in pressure to keep the opponent in blockstun for curse building, or in curse combos, hardly for neutral.

Since it is a multi hit move you can IB the subsequent 7 hits after blocking the first hit for free meter(turns like 1/2meter into 4 meter, so it's somethingi guess lol)

22/ab/c(spider) Arakunes will stay in the air and use this move to the max inorder to build curse(1/3 on hit, 1/4 on block) Spider comes from the air and comes straightdown, arakune stalls his air momemntum. This button also punishes rolls, but you're gernally able to run though it. A is close( next to him), B is somewhat midscreen distance, C is far from him. In the event that he does C/B spider, you can run through it and straight into him and anti air with 5b/6A A spider prevents you from running into and under him, which is the scariest spider, so you can avoid this by running near him, BUT NOT DIRECTLY UNDER HIM OR IN THE PROXIMITY. The recovery of these spiders is pretty long, so if he whiffs a spider, you can guarantee the punish as he falls.

One of the best answers is to CROSSUP arakune if you can, since if you run under him no spider will auto correct, allowing to you to whiff punish accordingly.
Fun fact, you can see around 10f of startup which spide arakune chooses if you look above the health bars, though its' difficult to react to arakunes'

positioning while looking at the spider, do so at your own risk.

214A/B/C(wierd teleport) These are the very specific teleports, i'll come back to these later, but learn how they move him They have invuln and throw invuln at wierd times as well.

Negating 214A/b/c strike teleport counter grab(also fatals) What. A new special for arakune as of CF. You see arakune's walk animation, and then you get grabbed. Usually done in pressure after 3C. According to brkrdave, Neutral jump then delay airdash foward when arakune teleports back after the walking animation and punish with j.C Still trying to understand where is works, but this punish does work if he goes for it. Arakune's are fucking cheeky when they fake this and they straight up walk into you.

Wall teleport(j44 against the wall, not necessarily corner) When you push arakune to the corner, or if he's in the corner, he can teleport out of the corner,which he probably will. Can teleport so long as the wall is present(you're at a full screen distance or corner) Always had this, and has invuln, but puts him toward the middle of the screen. Arakunes do this to regain neutral, so run back toward the center of the screen and 5b/6A/j.b/j.a. PUNISH THIS. Don't forget that if he is pressure HE WILL TRY AND DO THIS. WATCH FOR THIS WHEN PRESSURING.

Those were all the specials, i'll do the normals later Normals(Neutral focus, combos are combos and i can't really explain them beyond, knockdown>curse bugs): 5A: 6F startup, hits crouching, actually a pretty good normal in his arsenal, and can anti air pretty well. Is a low damage starter, but the point is if you're hit by anything, even this jab, thats curse. And Curse means your're fucked.

5B: Drill normal, 11f startup, kinda sucks, but used as combo filler/blockstring/frametrap. Nothing to be scared of by itself, but if he goes 5A>5B, expect curse times

5C: 4-25 Head Invul(holy shiet), his tounge. Realest of anti airs, avoid getting hit by this, . If you're jump ints are too obvious, too predecialbe, or whatever else youll get hiit by this. Very punishable on block, and has lots of recovery, so treat it like baiting any other anti air( i shouldn't have to explain it, but if someone asks' i'll write a guide on it.)

Can cancel into 6C, which is an overhead, or into 2D or 6D, also jump/dash/specials, making it very good if blocked.

2A: Crouch jab, 10 f so it's kinda slow, but it's pretty long so be careful. IS AN ACTUAL LOW, MOST 2A's aren't lows but hey. this is a mixup, j.A/2A mashing is a real mixup, avoid getting hit.

2B: Disapears and hits you with his puddle/claw/mouth/thing(wat). However, 8F startup low and low profiles a shit ton of things in the game.( Legit has anti air j.C, so be ready for this as well)

This button is the true arakune mixup, since when arakune goes for empty jump low, This is the starter. Recognize it, and get ready to block cause this will kill you more times that you realize.

2C: Shark, is only a low for the 1st hit, the rest of the sharkhits are mids. Is extremely unsafe on block(-27) so please punish this if arakune does not have the meter to RC(rapid cancel) this. Decent arakunes will only use this when they have meter, and it allows for some very good combos. Don't get hit, block and punish or block if they have meter.

6A: Spike to your face, 25f startup, standing overhead. This button is core to arakune's mixups, and doing this overhead will lead to curse/death if they're already in curse. Common route is 6A>2B, which is an airtight high/low mixup, so also be ready to eat that lol.

6B:Pelvic thrust 10F startup, mostly use as combo filler but it does have 4-11 Guardpoint against BODY attacks( like makoto 5A/5B/5C) so he may use this in neutral to guardpoint through your normal

4B: Millpede/Centipede/Insect comes from his feet, and is a low with 19F startup., is -7, but can be canceled into 6A/6B/6C/3C, so it has a variety of uses while being a slow low. Part of his mixups, and is a good move now asof CF

6C: Overhead Spike rekka,really slow(27F), is foot invuln since he is airborn for this first hit of the rekka, and by holding C continues the multiple hit rekka. THe rest of the rekka howver, are not overheads bur are air unbloackable so do be careful to not airtech into them. Usually these rekka chains used to be common without curse, but i rarely see them done outside of curse combos.( I assume netplayers use this since lol 8+ frame delay or some razzle dazzle)

3C: Arakune teleports and breaks your knees, is a low, tracks to your location, and has invuln on Frames 13-16. Hits about 1/3 the screen, and is unsafe but can be special canceled, so its not as bad anymore. Brkrkdave liked to do 3C> negating teleport, and that blewup my asshole for a while.

j.A:Air to air, looks like his jab and hits horizontally. Is pretty fast(7F), but the true fear is that this will put you into curse. Brace your anus.

j.B: His godly normal, 10f Starutup and his athousand missiles onto your face, and super fucking active. The bread and butter for kunes, this move is very active, and very difficult to deal with, but Makoto 6A and various air to airs are important in dealing witht his normal.

j.C: Fatals, Is an overhead, 12F startup,. bounces up and hits downwars with a spike. This move is kinda tricky since it hits straight down but is mostly used as a combo tool to go from air normals>curse. Becareful, but you can air to air this normal to stop him from landing on your head.

j.6 A/B/C. Arakune becomes a bird/pelican/eagle/whatever and closes distance via air to air. Again, is an air to air normal since it moves him horizontally, and the buttons change the distance that he flies. A very good button to deter you from jumping into him, but this move isn't particularly fast and keeps him in the air so you can 6A him. Also combo filler in curse combos and pre-curse combos so yeah.

j.2A/B/C Arakune Is in the air and then does a 2nd/third jump esque move before falling down with an overhead.. A version moves him up, then foward, B version moves him up then straight down, and C version move him up then backwards. These are divekick like since it alter his air momentum, and punish any anti air. However, these moves are extremely unsafe(19f recovery atleast), and if you just move yourself out of his downward range, you can whiff punish these. Mostly combo filler in curse to do long combos.

WIP

So i got the hit, he's blocking, he's not being an annoying shit. what now? PRESSURE and confirms: Lets assume you get the arakune blocking, so now you have to access the situation as to where he's blocking. At this point you should discern whether or not cloud is on you or near you, at which point i recommend the two options: 1. Open him up. 6B>RC6B, anything to open him up and immidiately, as he builds curse with cloud on you 2. Go for the throw, it forces the cloud to disappear. If they don't tech, even better. Beyong that, pressure is up to you and how you play, some people like to stagger, some people go all in. Ideally take him into the corner, get the knockdown, rush his asshole. Combos to take note of: 2D(2)>236A>6A may not work as arakune is super floaty, and may airtech when you 6a. Becareful Recommend midscreen route: 5D(1 or 2)> 214ACB>5A>5CC>etc works on arakune because he's flaoty, and his a confirm at maxrange 5B. Highly recommended to do this midscreen route. 6C>214ACB>66 5CC also works, but is a bit finicky I still recommend it though. Corner: Most things seem to work well in the corner, and i don't seem to have a problem with my routes ie: 5D>66 2C confirms or 5D>2B confirms. 6B>5C>2C also works after 2D, so no problems in the corner.

Arakune's escape plan and wakeup options: When you put anyone in the corner, they're gonna try and fight back so it's important to understand what options they might pick. On knockdown midscreen (assuming dp ender, meterless.), arakune has no dp, so he has to perform standard wakeup options.

These include: neutral tech(meaty), rolling( punish these with a hard call, or let it happen), quicktech 2A,delay tech, or backdash. Neutral tech: i don't have to explain this hopefully, and he probably is gonna block or backdash or do another option. Rolling is something you should learn how to punish. Avoid letting him roll through you as then you're back to neutral, which is actually a minus. Rolling towards the corner is actually a positive since it puts him into a bad spacing while giving him more options. Sounds crazy, but it makes his decision making a bit more linear, and both of you can play the mindgame with the wall teleport.

After these comes universal defense options. Backdash of his is pretty good, moves him really far, and really invuln( 1-24 holy fuckarooni), but 8f of recovery(24-32). Continuous 2a and punish this, a good ball, a meaty 2B into 5B, 6Cetc, you can punish this backdash well if you're ready.

Besides backdash is counter assault (CA), which mimics his 6B. Good news is that his CA sucks and has little range, so you can easily bait it with simply jump cancel options or even space it out. I've seen situations where arakune will barrier 2aaa, and then 5B punishes the CA dues to spacing.

Third is the spider super. This super is frame 1 invuln(1-15 ) and arakune CAN MOVE ON BLOCK after the super occurs. Wait for the super to run for a little bit, then punish. My preferable punish is 6C since i've been in situations where i ran up 5C, and got fucked cause it was still active lol. It's not a super big hitbox, but it surprisingly wide and the laser is pretty accurate. This super gets bigger and faster in OD, so keep that in mind. Otherwise, you can treat it as any other wakeup super and be cautious.

Fourth is bee super, where arakune floats from the ground and summons bees from the floor. frame 1-16 and he's airborne, but you mostly see this super in neutral or pressure for arakune to build curse. Ideally, avoid and punish arakune for using this super and don't get hit by the bugs. It's also NOT a low.

Moth super can happen in curse, but it's not real and mostly used during his turn, good luck Don't make me talk about astral.

Last is OD and EA. I shouldn't have to explain these since these are universal mechanics. If you want me to just DM i'll write one up, otherwise:, these are his defensive options.

Arakune's OD forces curse equal to how much curse he has, and reduced it's reduction rate and increases it's production. If he has no curse, he gets a little bit then is forced into curse cooldown. Otherwise, if does overdrive, it's his turn good luck. What a character. Bait the EA.

I did good pressure, so this is how i will win. But what happens if he gets out? Then, Go back to neutral

But Brando, he hit me and now he has curse, what do i do? YOURE FUCKED. But lets try to unfuck yourself. As a not arakune player, i can't elaborate too well, but here are broader tips i found out. 6A is a scary overhead, but it is your opportunity. Mash/throw/OD/ fight. He has a guard crush bug, watch for the bug on the floow and be ready to BARRIER. if you don't know what to do ALWAYS BARRIER. Practice noticing when they do and do not use C bug(Guardcrush) and then learn to save your barrier for when you do need it. He has many fuzzy jump setups, crossup setups, etc. WATCH arakune to the best of you abilities. Inviisibility isn't that real, you can focus ont he hologram with practice. WATCH HIS CURSE METER, if arakune is low on curse meter he may try and go for a reset, be ready. AFTER CURSE METER RUNS OUT, HE CAN"T BUILD ANYMORE. Curse meter has a cooldown mechanic, so his next mixup outside of curse isn't as strong, but another hit WILL put you into curse again. Take that opporunity when he runs out of curse to win. He can ALWAYS crossup. Even in the corner,outside the corner, Arakune can always do bulsshit crossup setups stay on your toes. DP Rc isn't so bad to use JUST TO GO BACK TO NEUTRAL. Any resource that gets you out of curse is kinda worth it. DON'T CALIBURST. If you have low life, he has near perfect, and you have another round, don't fucking waste your burst. Take the loss.