Normal Moves
5L
- Larger range than average.
- 6 frames.
- Good forward momentum for long range confirms.
- 2 hits, which also helps with confirms.
- Gimmicky place to sneak in a command grab, but you can also sneak in a low with 236L/M.
- Has enough blockstun to safely switch Tien out to another character while the move is still active.
5LLL is a standard fair LLL launcher, does 9 hits allowing more time to think through next step than LLL usually allows if you ended up mashing it out. Usually you got this by accident.
5M
- Good forward reach.
- Reaches opponent on roundstart.
Excellent stagger pressure tool due to it's reach and frame advantage. Also a very consistent combo tool.
5H
- Has good horizontal reach.
- Can link into 5L in the corner with Smash.
Mostly used in his optimal corner combos, otherwise does not see much play. Good as a blockstring tool and advances far forward.
5S
- Single projectile.
Good pressure tool due to it's frame advantage and leads to a mindgame. 5S > delay 5H will catch buttons, and 5S > 5L will reset your string for more pressure. Not all that great in terms of neutral, as Tien has stronger projectiles in the air anyway.
2L
- Can chain into itself.
This normal can sometimes whiff the 2nd time after a specific air normal, or depending on the size opponent you're facing. Otherwise, a good pressure button and helps Tien get mixups with lockdown assists.
2M
- Fast startup, but short range.
- -7 means you can stagger, but it's not recommended that you do it often.
Punishes with this normal can be sometimes difficult due to it's short reach, but it gets the job done.
- Incredibly active, making post vanish combos very easy to land.
2H
- Frame 4 anti-air.
- Combos into SD on Smash hit.
Tien's main and only ground anti-air. Can cancel into j.236L or Dodon Ray to stay safe if it is blocked.
6M
- DBFZ Tien 6M.png
Forehead Palm Smack Attack is my favorite tien attack
- Universal overhead.
j.L
- Once a hit has been blocked, the remaining hit can be blocked low.
Both hits count towards scaling, and subtracting one of them can even enable slightly more damage early in a combo. Subsequently, should only be used late into a combo to mitigate the extra scaling.
j.M
- Good air to air normal.
j.H
- [] is on Smash hit.
Not used much as a combo ender, as j.2H > j.236M combos without smash and will always result in a sliding knockdown on it's first use. If you don't want the sliding knockdown, j.2H > j.236L has you covered too. j.H's only real purpose is as a high damage jump-in.
j.S
- Stops Air momentum
- Has decent angle.
- Has enough hitstun to combo into superdash and Dodon Ray.
j.2H
- DBFZ Tien j2H.png
- Combos into superdash on Smash hit.
- Combos into j.236X on non-Smash hit.
Usually followed up by 236M for a sliding knockdown at the end of air combos. It's not fast enough for neutral use so you'll mostly see it in combos.
Special Moves
Volleyball Fist
236L/M/H
- 236L performs a sliding low attack.
- Press additional buttons on hit-confirm to extend the special.
The quick version of the Volleyball Fist. Useful for catching opponents off guard or spamming high attacks.
- 236M strikes a pose, gaining guard point before doing a sliding low attack.
- Press additional buttons on hit-confirm to extend the special.
- Guard point does not activate on frame 1, but it’s very early.
- Blocks projectiles, mid, low, DP and overhead attacks. loses to supers
- Due to having guard point, this version will scale your combos and followups more than L version.
- Reaches full-screen.
- If used during your blockstring, it will block the opponents buttons if they attempt to mash out.
Guard point is active when Tien enters the pose and remains for the very beginning of the slide. If Tien is hit while his guardpoint is active it extends to cover the rest of the move, allowing him to slide through beams and other large attacks. due to the move being unpunishable on block, this makes 236M good for stagger pressure or calling out an opponents offense.
- 236H is a short ranged command grab that costs half a bar.
- Follow-up hits are automatic and cannot be vanished out of.
- Stays same side.
- Causes a sliding knockdown.
- Scales like 236M.
- Possesses a guardpoint like 236M, which blocks all the same types of attacks too.
An honest grab which is incredibly powerful thanks to its guardpoint, it can be used to create powerful conditioning on your opponent when combined with 236M and j.236H, forcing them to respect your blockstrings.
Volleyball Fist Follow-up 1
Volleyball Fist L/M > L/M/H on hit
- L/M switches side.
- An important tool if you want to reposition yourself behind the enemy. Usually most useful if the "wall" behind you is closer than the one in front of you.
- H leaves Tien enough time to land j.M.
- By delaying button press so that Tien doesn't do Follow-up 2, you can start air combos with this. Very useful when you want to get a sliding knockdown with good oki, along with some relatively decent damage off a special move.
- Damage depends on what the starter is. 236L will scale better and do more damage than 236M.
- All version launches the enemy vertically and follows them into the air.
- Pressing an additional button will cause Tien to slam the enemy to the ground.
Volleyball Fist Follow-up 2
Volleyball Fist Follow-up 1 > L/M/H on hit
- L knocks the opponent straight down.
- M knocks the opponent a little further away than the L version.
- H knocks the opponent even further away into a sliding knockdown.
- Using this after the H version of Follow-up 1 will keep Tien grounded for additional combos. Given that the cost for an EX special is now half of a bar instead of a full bar, and the damage done by this alone is considerable, it's probably worth going for this now.
- Damage depends on what the starter is. Starts with 236L will do more damage than 236M.
- If you time it perfectly on any version, it does extra damage and has Smash property.
- [] is on just frame.
Air Volleyball Fist
j.236L/M/H
- L causes a soft knockdown.
- M causes a sliding knockdown.
- Brings Tien higher in the air to hit, whiffs if opponent is directly in front of Tien.
- Can link from j.2H.
- Has a guardpoint on frame 4 which blocks overheads, lows, DP, projectiles, ki blasts and superdash. Loses to supers and 2H.
- H causes a sliding knockdown.
- Has a guardpoint on frame 4 like j.236M, which can block all of the same attacks.
- Nearly unreactable overhead during Sparking! if you TK the move, but you can only continue pressure or use a Super if it lands since this immediately puts the opponent in sliding knockdown.
Being a decently sized attack and possessing a guardpoint, this move can be used as a dominant air option beating an opponents buttons outright, or it can be used in blockstrings as an overhead by TK'ing j.236H when in sparking!. Like 236X on the ground this move can be used to heavily condition your opponent, forcing them to respect your buttons rather than attempt to mash out.
Crane Strike
214L/M/H (Air OK)
- Light version pops Tien back upwards on hit.
- Medium version pops Tien foward on block, allowing for a potential high low mixup with airdash
- j.214M crosses up on block if it hits high enough on the opponent, sometimes allowing for a left right mixup with airdash
- Heavy version also pops tien foward on block, allowing the same mixup.
- j.214H is also able to switch sides in the same way as j.214M
- Causes a sliding knockdown.
- Brings Tien higher in the air to hit, whiffs if opponent is directly in front of Tien.
- All versions connect following j.S in combos, only whiffing if the combo is too long.
- All versions are 2H'able making them unsafe without assist.
A useful overhead which can lead to mixups, it should be used sparingly as all versions are 2H'able on reaction. this can be used as you condition your opponent with guardpoints, in order to occasionaly steal turn or confuse them with a new attack. (still 2H'able).
Dodon Ray
236S (Air OK)
- Pops up the opponent.
- Despite only being 1 hit, this will still clash with other beams.
Dodon Ray while having a thin hitbox Tien can fall in the air while doing it making it a scary neutral tool (you can stop him from falling by holding down while doing the move). Being one hit, it also is harder to confirm than the average beam.
Telekinesis
214S
- Tracks the opponent anywhere on screen. Deals very high hitstop and hitstun on hit.
- Won't perform the move if Chiaotzu is still on screen or after he self-destructs.
- Every third use will not work and will leave Tien vulnerable.
- Beside the Ki gain on hit, normal calls also build 10% Ki gauge even on whiff and 25% on failed call. This special Ki gain is not affected by Ki gain penalty.
On hit, can be converted into a solo combo anywhere on screen.
Can be used after every knockdown, but best at the corner.
Z Assists
Assist A
Dodon Ray
- DBFZ Tien AssistDodonRay.png
- Is very unique as a beam assist, since it pops the opponent up instead of sending them towards the wall, allowing for better midscreen confirms.
- Allows for longer combos due to the single hit compared to other multi hitting beam assists.
Better for combos than other beam assists, but much worse for blockstrings. Generally the preferred assist, but there are characters who like the tracking of Assist B.
Assist B
Telekinesis
- Does 214S but unlike the point version, this assist doesn't fail every third use.
- Builds 10% Ki Gauge each call. Is not affected by Ki gain penalty.
- After Chiaotzu self-destructs, Tien does not attack and only shows up to build meter.
Similar to Gotenks A assist as it holds opponent in place, allowing for vast utility to expand combos full-screen, help get sliding knockdowns or meterless snapbacks, and fortify pressure with its high blockstun. Rather slow start-up and has worse tracking than his own 214S, so needs some labbing and getting used to.
Assist C
Volleyball Fist
- Blockstun C assist.
- Tracks to the opponent.
- Spikes the opponent towards you on hit.
Arguably the best of his assists. The tracking of Assist B may be better for some characters, but almost everyone can use a high-blockstun tracking assist.
Super Moves
Tri-Beam
236L+M or 236H+S (Air OK)
- Deals unrecoverable 750 damage to Tien. Tien cannot die from self damage, and can use this even at 1 HP.
- Self damage decreases during Sparking or Limit Break, and becomes 0 with both activated (See here)
- Minimum damage: 1032.
This is the second highest damaging Lv1 Super at max scaling, losing only to Base Goku's Kaioken x20.
- Hold L/M/H/S during Tri-Beam's startup for this version.
- L or M keeps the Tiens lined up on the same side, H or S shoots from both sides.
- Minimum damage: 1426.
Can whiff sometimes on DHCs or high hitstun decay combos.
Neo Tri-Beam
214L+M (Air OK)
- Holding L/M/H/S allows Tien to tack on additional damage at the cost of one meter per extension. Deals unrecoverable damage to Tien per use.
- Self damage decreases during Sparking or Limit Break, and further decreases with both activated (See here)
- Minimum damage: 1872, followed by 600 for every subsequent use.
Tien's high damage combo ender super. Tracks the opponent and puts Tien next to them.
Farewell, Tien...
214H+S
- Travels in a straight horizontal line, level with the enemy when the move is initiated. Whiffs on crouching characters.
- Cannot be cancelled into.
- Won't come out if Chiaotzu is still doing Telekinesis. Chiaotzu also goes away if Tien is hit during the attack.
- On hit, Telekinesis, B Assist, and this super become unavailable for the rest of the match.
- Minimum damage: 2610.
Absurdly high damaging combo ender but lacks the versatility of his other Supers.
On hit, plays a really long grieving animation after the explosion that doesn't freeze time, allowing Sparking opponents to regenerate their health. This along with the low raw damage makes the Super useless for damage if they survive.
Colors
- DBFZ Tien color1.png
Color 1
- DBFZ Tien color2.png
Color 2
- DBFZ Tien color3.png
Color 3
- DBFZ Tien color4.png
Color 4
- DBFZ Tien color5.png
Color 5
- DBFZ Tien color6.png
Color 6
- DBFZ Tien color7.png
Color 7
- DBFZ Tien color8.png
Color 8
- DBFZ Tien color9.png
Color 9
- DBFZ Tien color10.png
Color 10
- DBFZ Tien color11.png
Color 11
- DBFZ Tien color12.png
Color 12
- DBFZ Tien color13.png
Color 131
- DBFZ Tien color14.png
Color 141
- DBFZ Tien color15.png
Color 151
- DBFZ Tien color16.png
Color 161