GGST/Anji Mito/Strategy

Overview

Starter Guide

Combos

Strategy

Matchups

Counterstrategy

Okizeme

Frame Data

Resources

General Strategies

Anji is a character who gets lots of mileage out of being able to call out the opponent, generally starting out by playing mostly reactively, then taking more initiative once the Anji player has a better idea of the opponent's habits in neutral and on defense.

Once you have developed an understanding of your opponent's habits, you can begin to take initiative and start taking risks to call the opponent out on their habits. Start using things like your autoguard specials to try punishing the opponent's poke attempts or to gain ground, or make use of your long airdash to take the opponent off guard when approaching.

Suigetsu No Hakobi Usage

The duration of the autoguard window for held Kou and held Fuujin is determined by how long the button for the move is held. It may be any length from 1 frame up to 16. 236K is used to scare an opponent into expecting Fuujin or Kou, allowing you to reset pressure, set up grabs, or gain ground. Make sure to be careful when using this move as it puts Anji into CH state for the startup and recovery of the move. 236[K] has a longer Autoguard window than any other move Anji has, which will catch people trying to preempt held Kou or Fuujin.

When Anji guards a projectile, Anji goes through the 38-frame invulnerable animation, but the opponent does not suffer a 28-frame freeze. This gives the opponent time to safely approach. Because Anji does not receive throw protection when exiting the animation, the opponent has an opportunity to run strong strike/throw offense as the animation ends. An opponent can also give themselves this opportunity by using a Purple Roman Cancel when Anji guards one of their moves.

The amount of advantage Anji gets after guarding a move depends on which move he guarded. The frame advantage can be calculated using the formula: Advantage frames = remaining active frames + recovery frames - 10

• Anji is in counterhit state for the 9 frames before the Autoguard begins and the 9 frames after it ends.
• Autoguard starts on frame 10, lasts for 16 frames, and can be held to extend it to 32 frames. When K is released, Autoguard ends immediately, and 9 frames of recovery begin.
• Vulnerable to Throws.

When Anji successfully guards a move:

• Anji moves forward and enters an animation for 38f where he is fully invulnerable. Anji is actionable immediately afterward, so guarding a move cannot be punished. Unlike when exiting blockstun, Anji gets no throw protection when exiting this animation.
• If it is a non-projectile move, the opponent will be locked in hitstop for 28f before continuing their move. They can use a Purple Roman Cancel afterwards to avoid being punished.
• The guarded move is treated as though it whiffed. Unless it has the special property that it can be whiff-canceled (e.g. Chipp 2SGuardAllStartup10Recovery17Advantage-7), it cannot be cancelled into other normals or special moves.
• Anji gains the ability to use Midare(214P), a fast, invincible counterattack that grants a hard knockdown on hit and leaves Anji at a significant advantage on block. This allows Anji to punish the opponent if they are in range of Midare and trigger Autoguard with any non-projectile move.
  • If they trigger Autoguard with a projectile, Midare can still be used to stop the opponent from starting pressure after autoguard ends, but doing this puts Anji at risk of whiffing the move, which has 30 frames of counterhit recovery which cannot be canceled with a PRC.

There are many exceptions, but these guidelines will apply in most circumstances.

What Punish Anji Gets

The Move Anji Guarded	Frames of Advantage	Punish
any projectile	Usually Very Minus	Midare if they're close
j.X / jump-ins	Usually Minus	Midare
5P, 2P	-1 to +1	Midare
5K, 2K	+2 to +4	Throw
c.S	+5 to +6	Throw
other S moves, H moves, 2D	+11 to +20	c.S, f.S, or 2D

Neutral

At closer ranges, 5K, 2S, and f.S are major players for Anji.

5K is a low risk, low reward poke that is effective at stopping reckless grounded approaches, with 2D and 6H gatlings that provide opportunities for Anji to either convert into a knockdown or begin pressuring the opponent. Anji will generally want to position himself just outside of the range of this move, giving himself time to react to and stuff a sudden approach, while still being able to fish for counterhits and whiff punish with 2S and f.S, which always combo into FuujinGuardAllStartup16 [32]Recovery21Advantage-8 [-6].

f.S will likely want to be used just outside of 5K's effective range, due to its comparatively slower startup. If it is used as an approaching normal from a dash, it can either gatling into a 5H frametrap at closer ranges or a Fuujin frametrap at longer ranges from a special cancel.

If Anji wants to fish for more rewarding counterhits, he can use riskier pokes like 5H and 2D, which both have the large counterhit property. The former has better range and comboes on normal hit while the latter can low profile and gives a hard knockdown on regular hit.

• 

  5K

• 

  2S

• 

  f.S

At f.S range or a bit further, Anji can make use of his autoguard spins to help him get in by threatening a variety of options that are difficult to respect all at once. His ideal positioning in these situations is around maximum held Fuujin (236[H]) range, from which he can do short, empty 236Ks to establish presence outside the opponent's threat range. By gradually introducing longer spins and pre-emptive cover options like held kara Shin: Ichishiki (236[H]~P), Anji can take note of how the opponent reacts and gauge opportunity for subsequent approaches:

• if the opponent acts defensively, Anji can start to claim more space towards the opponent;
• if they try to approach aggressively, he can go back to doing shorter spins and stuff approaches with, for example, 5K;
• if they take to the air, he can control that space with held Kou (236[S]);
• if they're acting too passive overall, a held Fuujin or kara followup should keep them on their toes.

Kara Shin (236H~P) in particular is a solid approaching option because of its long range and safety, allowing Anji to get back in near the opponent and granting him an advantageous situation if it connects. Kara Nagiha (236H~S) is also on the table if the opponent isn't expecting it due to it being a far-reaching low. The key here is that the autoguard spins on the held versions of Fuujin and Kou are initially indistinguishable from 236K, so the opponent needs to make a decision as to which option(s) they actually want to respect. Alternatively, if the opponent is giving Anji a lot of leeway, he can use Shitsu (236P) to cover him as he approaches.

• 

  236K

• 

  236H

• 

  236H~P

• 

  236P

Anji is generally a very grounded character, and it's important for him to keep the opponent on the ground as well so he can safely use options like 2D, f.S, and Fuujin followups. Kou, 5P, 6P, j.D, and even his airthrow are great tools to dissuade the opponent from hanging out in the air, which is very important against characters like Ramlethal, Millia, and May that love to jump. Once the opponent becomes more hesitant to leave the ground against Anji, he can begin pestering them with kara Shin: Ichishiki (236H~P) to begin pressure situations.

• 

  Kou (rising)

• 

  Kou (extended)

• 

  6P

• 

  j.D

Round Start

Anji's safest bet against an unknown opponent will likely be a defensive option, e.g. a backdash or jump back.

• 2K (Frame 7) - is Anji's quickest round start button, and can gatling into 2D for a knockdown. Beats  May S DolphinGuardAllStartup7Recovery20 (24 OH)Advantage-3 and  Sol f.SGuardAllStartup10Recovery13Advantage+2, for example.

• 5K (Frame 8) - is a frame slower and hits some moves that 2K can't, such as  Giovanna 5HGuardAllStartup10Recovery19Advantage-5 (can 2D after) and  Ramlethal f.S.

• 6P (Frame 10) - is a strong counterpoke against moves like  Leo 2DGuardLowStartup12Recovery19Advantage-8 and  Nagoriyuki f.SGuardAllStartup16Recovery28Advantage-17, but has more recovery. Launches the opponent towards the corner and can be followed up with Fuujin (236H) → Issokutobi (K) to close the gap.

• f.S (Frame 11) - is a decent proactive option that will counterhit long but slow pokes (e.g.  Nagoriyuki 5HGuardAllStartup20Recovery27Advantage-14) and combo into Fuujin.

• 

  2K

• 

  5K

• 

  6P

• 

  f.S

• Autoguard is also an option, albeit a very risky one, to get a bigger punish against most frame ≥10 buttons. Use sparingly or not at all.

Pressure

TL;DR

Anji's pressure revolves around the threat of his throw and his massively damaging counterhit starters, allowing him to get away with resetting pressure whilst being minus 8 or more on block. Anji has massive cancel windows on the majority of his gatlings, and almost any hit he can land will lead to potentially incredible meterless damage depending on positioning, making his staggers very scary to defend against. Another big aspect of Anji's pressure is what he does at around max Fuujin range; at this range, Anji can mix in a held 236H and a 236K, since the difference between the latter half of the attack's animation isn't easy to discern if at all. Thanks to the fear of Fuujin, you can get away with doing an empty 236K and reset pressure or even run up and grab if the opponent is giving you a lot of respect. Once the opponent is no longer inclined to respect 236K, they will either mash, run up and grab, or jump, which all can be answered in their own way. If the opponent mashes or tries to run up throw, you can do uncharged/half charged Fuujin and land a counterhit. If the opponent jumps you can answer with Kou, which either gives you a combo leading to a knockdown or will place you back at point blank to continue pressure.

Strike / Throw Mix-Up

There are several ways to initiate strike/throw mix-ups. Connecting c.S on hit or block is one of the simplest ways of doing it. Another option is 2S, which is likely to cause the foe to play patiently after blocking it due to its short recovery frames and frame trap potential. You can also meaty their wake-up with strikes like c.S, or a ground throw. If you connect a move and knock them down, meaty them again. They will eventually block a strike on wake-up, which allows you to transition to blockstrings to frame trap them.

Sample Blockstrings

The following are Anji’s best blockstrings due to their versatility and ease of use. If you're a beginner, start with these and practice other sequences later.

• f.S / 2S > 5H > (Fuujin Followup)

f.S and 2S are good midrange pokes due to their speed and range, making this an effective blockstring when used at mid range. If you want to special cancel, you can use FuujinGuardAllStartup16 [32]Recovery21Advantage-8 [-6] into NagihaGuardLowStartup15 (28 with early cancel)Recovery20Advantage-7 (236H ~ S) to finish the sequence for safety and give a knockdown on hit or Shin: IchishikiGuardAllStartup30 (43 if early cancelled from Fuujin)RecoveryTotal 43+6 after LandingAdvantage+7 (236H ~ P) to reset presure but possibly get punished. Do note that 5H whiffs if 2S hits at tip range. In this situation, skip the 5H and go straight for specials. You can also reset after a 2S because the opponents will likely expect a follow-up. The fact that 2S recovers so quickly makes resets from it hard to react to. If either 2S or f.S score a counterhit, confirm Fuujin into RinGuardHighStartup21 (34 with early cancel)Recovery24Advantage-9 (236H ~ H) for a closer knockdown.

• c.S (dl) 2S > 5H > 236H ~ (dl)S

A variant of the former blockstring that works best from a meaty c.S. Dash momentum makes all three hits connect more reliably, allowing for three frame traps. Due to the combined pushback of the three attacks, NagihaGuardLowStartup15 (28 with early cancel)Recovery20Advantage-7 is usually a safe way to end the string due to it only being -7, giving a knockdown, and having the ability to be heavily delayed to catch jump outs and abare An attack during the opponent's pressure, intended to interrupt it. attempts. 5H can also be delayed and c.S can be staggered for a strike/reset mix-up. If 2S scores a counter hit, 236H ~ H for a closer knockdown.

• 2P * n > 6P > (Fuujin Followup)

This blockstring starts from Anji's fastest move, making it useful in many situations. 2P can be staggered for a strike/throw mix-up and can be confirmed into 6P if a 2P hits. On hit 236H will likely not be an option as Anji's 6P knocks the opponent away.

• 5K / 2K > 2D > (Special)

Starts from Anji’s fastest midrange poke or low depending on if you start with 5K and 2K respectively. You can stagger buttons for a strike/throw mix-up. You can also delay 2D for a frame trap or replace it with 5D for a mix-up. If the lows connect, you can hit-confirm into ShitsuGuardAllStartup29RecoveryTotal 52Advantage-6 (236P) for better okizeme or OTG Fuujin into IssokutobiGuardStartupRecovery22+6 after LandingAdvantage- (236H ~ K) for corner carry. On block cancelling 2D into Fuujin creates a natural 3 frame gap, which only  Sol and  Chipp are able to challenge with their 5KGuardAllStartup3Recovery25Advantage-16 and 5PGuardAllStartup3Recovery10Advantage-2 normals respectively.

• c.S > Link 2P > 6H > (Fuujin Followup)

Starts from Anjis primary meaty and gives a 4 frame gap as a link, do be aware that  Baiken's 5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery10Advantage-2,  Giovanna's 5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery9Advantage-2,  May's 5PGuardAllStartup4Recovery8Advantage-1,  Millia's 2PGuardAllStartup4Recovery10Advantage-2,  Sol's 5KGuardAllStartup3Recovery25Advantage-16, and  Chipp's 5PGuardAllStartup3Recovery10Advantage-2 can challenge this part of the blockstring. The 2P into 6H part of this string naturally combos, while on block it carrys a 3 frame gap, which can catch most abare. However, you lose your turn if the opponent successfully blocks all of it.

Fuujin, the Good and Bad

Fuujin is a defining part of Anji's gameplay that has been a famous part of his character since his inception, and unlike how it was in Slash through +R, it is (thankfully) not the memeworthy special move it once was, as the move and it's followups are not nearly as good. But this is not to say Fuujin and it's followups are not without their applications. Using Fuujin properly in Strive requires intentionality and a good sense of risk/reward in any situation where you would use it.

Pros	Cons
Fuujin is a very quick burst movement option for Anji, allowing him to catch the opponent off guard in midrange or when expecting a different autoguard special Fuujin's hitbox is deceptively long, allowing Anji to threaten a decently long ways away from him on the ground Charging Fuujin adds an autoguard spin to the startup, allowing opponents attacking in anticipation of Anji gaining ground to get punished and/or put into a defensive position Low risk when properly spaced on block, as Nagiha and Shin: Ichishiki are near impossible to punish meaningfully by the mass majority of the cast	Fuujin and its followups are susceptible to airborne opponents, as the positioning of the hitboxes of these attacks are all fairly low to the ground. If the opponent does a jumping button and you do Fuujin, they will almost always win or put you on the backfoot most of the time There is a small window on charged Fuujin where Anji is vulnerable in between the autoguard and the actual attack, meaning the move can easily be stuffed if you're unlucky Has a higher possibility to be punished when spaced too close to the opponent without 50 meter, pretty much any followup you do has a chance to be beaten thanks to your close proximity in a variety of ways Reward on normal hit (for both Fuujin and its followups) is underwhelming at best, save for when you have 50 meter

Fuujin "Mixup": Fuujin has a variety of followups that you can use on block or hit, allowing for an extra level of versatility. All of the followups are punishable in their own way (given the circumstances), but attempting to play around and punish one followup can make them susceptible to the others, this is the secret behind Fuujin's "mixups" as you entice the opponent into punishing a specific followup while you punish that expectation with a different followup. Because of how conditioning heavy the followups of Fuujin are in order to function, it doesn't really count as a mixup and is more of an RPS situation that you end your pressure with. The followups and the mindgames behind them are like so:

Nagiha: GuardLowStartup15 (28 with early cancel)Recovery20Advantage-7 Fuujin's guessing game primarily revolves around Nagiha (S after Fuujin). Nagiha is the safest followup Anji has at his disposal after Fuujin and hits low, it is minus 7, meaning that he is essentially safe thanks to the move's high pushback unless spaced badly. There is a wide cancel window on Fuujin, meaning that you can delay Nagiha for frametraps and catching jump startup, granting you at worst a soft knockdown, which leads to a repeat of the Fuujin situation. Once the opponent has started to block Nagiha to let your pressure end or is trying to punish Nagiha by instant blocking, you can move on to using the other followups.

• 

  Safe, unless spaced badly.

Shin: Ichishiki: GuardAllStartup30 (43 if early cancelled from Fuujin)RecoveryTotal 43+6 after LandingAdvantage+7 Once you've conditioned the opponent to respect and play around Nagiha, you can now more safely use Fuujin's other followups. The next safest option you have access to is Shin: Ichishiki (P after Fuujin), which will reward you with plus frames if the opponent blocks it, allowing you to throw out a f.S or 5K to stuff an attempt to poke out from the opponent and continue pressure. The point of using this move is primarily to pester the opponent into trying to jump up and either punish you or escape the situation or reset pressure. Once they start to try and jump out, you can return to using Nagiha to stop this behaviour. When the opponent shows that they don't wish to participate in the RPS between punishing Nagiha and Shin: Ichishiki by continuing to block is where the other two followups can come into play.

• 

  Plus on block, but reactable if used too much.

Issokutobi:GuardStartupRecovery22+6 after LandingAdvantage- So what do you do when the opponent is just downbacking? This is where Issokutobi (K after Fuujin) comes into play. Issokutobi moves you directly next to the opponent, allowing you to land a grab and go into butterfly oki. This followup is where you can start to put yourself at some serious risk, since if the opponent is looking out for this followup, they are able to punish you on reaction. This move is a prime example of what the Fuujin mindgame is about, as while this move is technically reactable, it is not reactable enough to punish every time unless the opponent is looking out for it specifically, which allows you to get away with all of the other possible options. Using this when you think the opponent isn't prepared for it is essential to keeping the opponent on their toes and opening themselves to the other followups.

• 

  Use this to catch the opponent blocking.

Rin:GuardHighStartup21 (34 with early cancel)Recovery24Advantage-9 Rin is a quick, but unsafe on block overhead option that is useful for pestering the opponent into getting uncomfortable whilst blocking Fuujin, since the mental stack created by the other followups makes this 21 frame overhead essentially unreactable. This makes Rin very important in Fuujin offense, since people will grow more and more motivated to attempt to escape the situation instead of be satisfied with just blocking and waiting for you to give them an opening, so make sure to use this on opponents who are trying to wait and block after Fuujin

• 

  Quick overhead.

Nothing: Sometimes when you have conditioned the opponent well enough with your Fuujin followups, it is possible to get away with not using a followup at all and resetting pressure from there, even though Fuujin is minus 8 on it's own! Make sure to use this especially against opponents who are fuzzy blocking/jumping after Fuujin, since they'll be expecting delays and other tricks in an attempt to call out their defensive habits. Usually when this happens, it can signal to your opponent that they are being too patient with you and can persuade them to be more aggressive, therefore allowing you to try frametrapping with Nagiha again, or shift the opponent's focus off of your other options.

REMINDER THAT YOU SHOULD NEVER RELY ON FUUJIN TO OPEN THE OPPONENT UP. WHILE FUUJIN IS IMPORTANT THINK OF IT MORE AS A PRESSURE ENDING RPS AND NOT A MIXUP.

Defense

Defensive System Mechanics

Faultless Defense (FD), Psych Burst, Deflect Shield, and Yellow Roman Cancel (YRC) are cornerstones of defense in Guilty Gear, as they are quite handy for breaking out of pressure. Using them well is essential for mastering any character. They all cost a resource though, so think about how you use them.

• Faultless Defense
• Yellow Roman Cancel
• Psych Burst
• Deflect Shield

Anti-Airs

Anti-airs, as the name suggests, are moves that are useful against aerial opponents. They are typically either fast, high-reaching, protected by invulnerability of some kind, or a combination of these traits. Anji has several effective anti-airs: 6P, 5P, j.K, Kou, and air throws.

6P is a safe and reliable option due to its upper body invulnerability. It can combo into Fuujin into Issokutobi (236H ~ K) for a lackluster knockdown. A useful option in many instances.

5P is faster than 6P but lacks upper body invulnerability. It can catch opponents trying to jump during close range brawling. It is still very rewarding on air hit as it can link into c.S for a rewarding juggle.

• 

  6P Hitbox

• 

  5P Hitbox

Kou is a massive anti-air that grants a full combo on hit and starts Anji's turn if blocked. Do note that Kou does not hit grounded opponents and can be reactively whiff punished, so only use it if you know it will hit or if the opponent isn't prepared to punish it.

• 

  Kou first hitbox

• 

  Kou second hitbox

j.K is also a great air to air you can do to catch opponents in the air. You can even combo off of this move depending on the height of the opponent. Finally, air throws are a good way to stop opponent's air buttons and approach in their tracks and get an easy knockdown. This will require you to be in proximity and has a lenghtly whiff animation, though, but the reach makes it still fairly effective.

• 

  j.K hitbox

• 

  A successful Air Throw.

Abare

Abare An attack during the opponent's pressure, intended to interrupt it. means to attack during an opponents frame advantage with the intention of interrupting their pressure. Naturally, fast moves work best for this task.

2P - At 5 frames, this is Anji's fastest move and best abare option by extension. At close range, it combos into 6P, followed up by a Fuujin (236H into Issokutobi for setups. Alternatively, it can combo into 6H, which gives a decent knockdown by itself. 2P is preferred over 5P because the latter has a nasty tendency of whiffing against opponents that crouch or use low profile When a character's hurtbox is entirely beneath an opponent's attack. This can be caused by crouching, certain moves, and being short. moves.

2K - Slightly slower at 7 frames, but can lead to more rewarding Oki setups due to its ability to combo into 2D. Also hits lower to the ground.

• 

  2P Hitbox

• 

  2K Hitbox

Anji's reversal can also be used for abare due to its 1st frame guardpoint. Do note that Kachoufuugetsu Kai (632146S) loses to throws in some situations where attacking will not.

Reversals

Invincible Reversals are moves used to steal your turn back by force. They can be used during holes in an opponent's blockstrings or during your wake-up to punish sloppy oki. Anji has one reversal to choose from in Kachoufuugetsu Kai (632146S), however this costs 50% meter so it will not be available all of the time. He also has another invincible option, but it is not usable as a wakeup option and requires him to be studious in how large of a gap his opponent puts in their strings in Autoguard.

Kachoufuugetsu: Kai (632146S)GuardStartup1Recovery10Advantage- - Kachoufuugetsu (632146S) is a frame 1 counter reversal, and an opponent who swings into the active window will find themselves put into a blender cutscene, allowing Anji to get them off his back and deal a good chunk of damage.
Also, because it's a counter instead of a plain invincible reversal, it will beat safejump setups. However, it is throwable, will not do the full damage when triggered by projectiles and large disjoints, and does not follow crossups. These don't invalidate the move by any means, but are some things to keep in mind against characters like  Nagoriyuki,  Zato,  Leo, etc. An opponent who respects the threat that Kachoufuugetsu poses may opt to frametrap less often in favor of trying to bait this move by tick throwing. Because of this, holding onto 50% meter to threaten the counter can be more effective at weakening the opponent's pressure than outright using it.

AutoguardGuardStartupRecoveryTotal 34~50Advantage- - Anji's autoguard spins are not exactly a reliable defensive tool due to their 10-frame startup, during which the opponent can smack him for a counterhit or just walk up and throw. That being said, there are some situations where spinning during gaps in pressure can be beneficial. For example, after blocking  Ramlethal's Sword ThrowGuardAllStartup20RecoveryTotal 43Advantage+3 in the corner, if she doesn't cover the explosion with a normal, spinning with 236[K] immediately afterwards will allow Anji to autoguard it and force the opponent to adjust their pressure accordingly (keep in mind you don't actually gain any frame advantage from this). Such scenarios should be listed under the relevant Matchups section.

• 

  632146S Hitbox

• 

  A successful autoguard.

External Resources

• A google doc with a very comprehensive collection of various Anji tech.
• Kachoufuugetsu Guide: By Klaige

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