DNFD/Defense

This section is still being written. It may be wildly inaccurate or missing significant data.

Please feel free to make edits, but include edit summaries and sources where applicable.

Blocking

Ground Block

Blocking is an integral action to keep yourself alive.

Hold or to block high and hold or+ to block low.

High block will not block lows.
Low block will not block overheads, such as jumping attacks.
Air blocking is not possible.

After blocking an attack, characters enter a state called blockstun where they are unable to do anything except block or guard cancel.

Guard Crush

Blocking attacks depletes the Guard Gauge. When the Guard Gauge completely empties, the defending character will enter a Guard Crush state, leaving them temporarily vulnerable to attack.

Unblockable Attacks

Finally, some attacks are completely unblockable, meaning the only way to avoid getting hit is to move out of the way.

Roll

Performed by inputting +. This moves your character forward while avoiding attacks, but is vulnerable to throws. They are not invulnerable immediately on startup making them susceptible to meaty attack Hitting an opponent to cover the moment as they lose invincibility. The most common one is performing an attack early on okizeme to gain frame advantage and bait reversals.s, but after their short startup they are strike and projectile invulnerable for a significant amount of time until their recovery. Using rolls to move through big attacks with slow recoveries can guarantee punishes.

Rolls cannot be performed by holding and pressing , but can be released and pressed again while holding to roll.

Guard Cancel

Performed by pressing ++ while blocking. An invincible attack that launches the opponent away on hit. It costs 100 MP and cannot be performed without at least 100 MP. The damage it deals is minor and cannot K.O. the opponent.

Punish

Sometimes "Punish" will appear on the HUD. This means that a character was hit during the recovery of their attack.

Attacks are punishable on block if the defender has enough time to hit the attacker after blocking the attack. Each character's frame data lists the amount of time to punish an attack on block. Of course, just because an attack is fast enough does not also mean it has the range to reach the opponent, so knowledge and practice are still necessary even when a player knows the numbers.

While the concept of punishing exists in all fighting games, the HUD indicator is helpful for learning while mid-match. Did you actually punish the opponent's attack or were they just not blocking?

Reversal

Reversal is a term used to refer to either performing an action on the first possible frame after recovery or actions that would be used in such a context, such as moves with invincibility during start-up. The HUD displays the word "Reversal" when performing a special immediately after recovering from blockstun, hitstun, or knockdown. This message is useful to tell when an attack is performed as fast as possible.