P4AU/Offense

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Normal Attacks

Yu's 5A and 5B.

There are two primary normal attack buttons in Persona, A and B. A attacks are primarily weak but fast, while B attacks are stronger but slower. Some normal attacks also have additional follow-ups performed by pressing the button twice (or more) quickly, similar to BlazBlue's Tsubaki.

Normal attacks can usually cancel into one another, generally following the order A > B > C > D. However, this is not a steadfast rule. Consult the P Combo section of your character's frame data for exact details.

Certain A and B normals serve the same purpose for almost every character. For example, nearly every character's 2B attack is an anti-air attack that is air-unblockable with a period of Head invuln.

All Out Attack

Time to mash!

Press 5+A+B to perform an All Out Attack. Your character will flash white, then perform an overhead attack that automatically guards against enemy attacks (but not throws and supers). This is useful to stop an opponent's mashing as well as a mix-up option. Some All Out Attacks are easy to react to (such as Teddie's), while others are much more difficult (such as Yu's). All Out Attacks have significant start-up and recovery, so if your opponent correctly blocks it, prepare to be punished (or you could One More! Cancel...).

  • If you hit the opponent while they are standing/crouching, then you can rapidly press A or B (or A+B) to perform an All Out Rush. The maximum number of hits is 17, after which you may perform either the Launch or Blowback ender:
    • Press C (Launch) to knock the opponent into the air, allowing you to follow up with an air combo. This is usually used mid-screen.
    • Press D (Blowback) to knock the opponent away. If you successfully complete the All Out Rush, the Blowback wallbounces in the corner. The final attack is special cancelable and is usually used near the corner for high-damage combos.
  • If you hit the opponent while they are airborne, they will bounce off the ground, allowing you to perform a very brief combo afterwards.
  • The C ender always places the opponent in Fatal Counter state, while the D ender only does so if you are able to fully complete the All Out Attack for a total of 18 hits -- the All Out Attack starter, the All Out Rush (16 hits), and the finisher (C or D).

Some characters do not use their All Out Attack often, if at all, while others have more use for them. Additionally, many All Out Attacks take the character airborne, allowing them to bait ground throws (but not airthrows).

Sweep

P4Arena Sweep.png

Press 2+A+B to perform a sweep. The sweep will knock the opponent to the ground, ending your combo, but allowing you time to set up a mixup. Sweeps can be cancelled with hops, Furious Actions, specials, and supers.

Auto Combo

By repeatedly pressing 5A, you will perform an auto-combo. The subsequent 5As will use normal attacks that are unique, analogous to the followup attacks that BlazBlue's Tsubaki has, and these attacks cannot be performed individually (you must use your character's auto-combo). The number of followup attacks differs from character to character. After these normal followup attacks, pressing A again will cause your character to automatically cancel the last normal into a special (skill) attack. Pressing A again after the special will then cause your character to super-cancel the special attack into a super if you have 50 SP available; if you do not have enough SP, then your character will do nothing.

Using Yu Narukami's auto-combo as an example:

Normal Attacks: Narukami will perform a standing punch (5A), a kick (5AA), and an upward slice with his sword (5AAA).
Special Attack: The sword slice will be special-cancelled into Raging Lion (214A) (5AAAA).
Super Attack: If 50 SP is available, Narukami will super-cancel Raging Lion into Ziodyne (236236C); if in Awakening, he will super-cancel into Cross Slash (214214C) instead (5AAAAA).


Most characters' auto-combos retain the super regardless of Awakening or other factors, but there are a few exceptions.

If you are able to hit the opponent with the last normal follow-up attack, you gain an additional 13 SP. If both the last normal follow-up hits as well as the subsequent special, you recover 1/8 of your Burst Gauge.

Players can stop using the auto-combo at any time and substitute their own attacks. Shadow Teddie players often stop after two 5As and perform a 2B to start a more damaging combo. Other players stop the auto-combo before the super to save the SP for future use. Every character has different cancel options for each auto-combo attack, but as a general rule, cancel options decrease with each follow-up attack.

Shadow versions of characters use different auto-combos compared to their normal counterparts, but auto-combos function the same regardless of character type. Just like Normal-Type characters, Shadow-Type characters receive ~13 SP from hitting an opponent with the last normal attack of their auto-combo, in addition to the SP gained from the combo itself. Shadow Naoto is able to take advantage of this with her 5AAA, as hitting the opponent with her auto-combo both boosts her meter gain as well as gives her a safe-jump!

Persona Attacks

P4Arena personaAttack.png

Some attacks require your Persona in order to be used, such as everyone's C or D attacks (except for Sho), Bursts, Yukiko's Agi special, Yu's Ziodyne super, and Kanji's Furious Action. If you or your Persona is hit while the Persona is still visible, then you lose one unit of your Persona Gauge. Persona attacks can be disabled temporarily if you are Muted or in Persona Break.

Normal Persona Attacks (simply pressing C or D) are all different depending on the character, but they generally serve the following purposes:

  • As long(er) range attacks.
  • As a mixup tool by attacking in tandem with your Persona.
  • As a frame trap: some C and D attacks can be canceled into another C or D attack.


Persona Attacks Affected By Position

Elizabeth attacking from full screen

Some Persona attacks start from the current position of the Persona if it is already out. This can create interesting attack angles, such as the opponent becoming sandwiched between you and your Persona. There are no rules determing which attacks have this property: some Persona attacks simply do and some do not.

  • Elizabeth is notorious for using this to send her Persona out to attack the opponent from full-screen by using 5C > 2C!
  • Yukiko can send out her Persona behind the opponent with j.D, then bring them closer to her with 5D!

This also applies to supers! If a super begins from the Persona's position and not the character's, then a player can displace their Persona and use a super from full-screen. This is worth keeping in mind: if your Persona is on screen, your super may whiff if it begins from your Persona's position and not yours ... or you could use that displacement to your advantage and punish an opponent from full-screen!

Using Persona When Persona is Hit

If you input an attack that uses your Persona the instant the opponent hits your Persoma, your attack will come out immediately after! This applies even if you opponent's attack would cause Persona Break.

Persona reliant characters such as Elizabeth and Yukiko should take advantage of this for one more extra Persona attack or to punish the opponent for hitting their Persona!

Skills

Skill attacks are usually performed by doing a motion plus a button (such as 236A) and typically have special properties compared to normal attacks. Normal Skill attacks come in a few varieties: for example, Narukami's Zio attack is performed by inputting 236C/D, with the D version being a close range attack and the C version a full screen attack. Most Skill attacks also deal 15% of their base damage as blue damage on block.

Attacks that require your persona will have Persona Required shown on your character's movelist.

Skill Boost Attacks

P4Arena SkillBoost.png

In addition to the two variations mentioned above, most Skill attacks also have a third variation that is performed by pressing two buttons (that is, 236+A or B becomes 236+A+B). Skill Boost attacks consume 25 SP, are generally an enhanced version of a Skill attack, and create a light blue silhouette behind the character. For example, the Boosted version of Narukami's Zio attack causes Shock.

SP Skill Attacks

Yu performing a super attack.

SP Skill attacks (commonly called Super Attacks) consume 50 SP and are an even stronger version of Skill attacks that deal large amounts of damage or have other special properties such as invincibility or, in the case of install supers, unique effects on the character. See SP Skill Attacks for more information.

SB SP Skill Attack

Similar to SB Skills, there are SB SP Skill Attacks, powered up versions of SP Skills that cost 75 SP. These versions of attacks often have unique properties compared to normal super attacks. Their additional effects range from adding ailments to allowing for a follow-up combo after the super.

Yu Narukami's SB Lightening Flash has a brief period of projectile invincibility, while Kanji's SB Ass Whoopin' Tatsumi Style! causes the opponent to wallbounce multiple times, allowing for follow-up combos. Aigis's SB Heavenly Spear deals the same damage as the C version but is one of the fastest reversals in the game, making it harder for the opponent to react to and punish!

Throws

Throws are a special type of attack that are unblockable, but they have other restrictions in place:

  • Throws cannot hit characters who are in hitstun (with the exception of Stagger) or blockstun.
  • Throws cannot hit characters for 6 frames after leaving blockstun and hitstun (8 frames after Instant Blocking). You can be thrown on the 7th frame.
  • After recovering from a knockdown, for 3 frames after waking up, you cannot be thrown.
  • Ground throws can not hit airborne opponents or opponents who are in jump start-up.
  • Air throws can not hit grounded opponents.

If any of the situations listed occur, the throw will simply miss. Throws can be One More! Cancelled or One More! Bursted on hit, but if a throw misses, your character will be left in a lengthy recovery animation, allowing the opponent to begin a damaging punish.
Initiating a throw counts as a "hit", meaning that you can remove Naoto's traps or remove a card from the Persona Gauge by throwing, even if the opponent escapes it! Similarly, breaking a throw also counts as a "hit" and will also remove traps and remove a card from the Persona Gauge.

Normal Throws

Yosuke can escape this throw. That's what the icon represents.

Every character has normal throws and throws are a key part of your offense to stop opponents who simply block and refuse to do anything else!

  • Press C+D while standing to perform a forward ground throw.
  • Press 4+C+D while standing to perform a backward ground throw.
  • Press C+D while airborne to perform an air throw.
  • Press 4C+D while airborne to perform a backward air throw.
  • Throws that show an exclamation mark can be escaped by pressing C+D.
  • If you input a throw, then you will automatically break an opponent's throw for the next 16 frames.


Command Throws

P4Arena CommandThrow.png

Command Throws are a special type of throw (usually a Skill attack) that can not be escaped, such as Kanji's 214C/D.

Comboing into Throws

P4Arena Stagger.png

Certain attacks cause a spinning stagger state on standing and crouching opponents, such as Kanji's 5C on counter hit. This type of histun allows the attacker to combo into a throw, similar to Street Fighter 3's "Back Turned" state, and is generally referred to as "Spinstate." The character in spinstate can only block or Burst, leaving them vulnerable to command throws and other unblockable attacks that can neither be blocked nor Bursted!

Elizabeth commonly uses this property to cancel an All Out Attack into her Command Throw super, Ghastly Wail, for massive damage.

Priority of Strike vs Throw vs Command Throw

When two strikes hit each other, either a clash happens or both characters are hit, but what happens when throws are added to the mix?

  • Throw vs Strike: The throw will always win.
  • Normal Throw vs. Normal Throw: A Throw Break occurs.
  • Normal Throw vs. Command Throw: The Command Throw will always win.
  • Command Throw vs. Command Throw: Both throws whiff for that one frame, meaning the Command Throw with more active frames will win in the end.


Shadow Frenzy

It's combo time! Only for Shadow Type characters and costs 100SP.

Shadow Frenzy is a power up mode exclusive to Shadow Type characters that allows for powerful combos and offensive pressure for 100 SP. The Gauges section explains this mechanic in more detail.

Unblockable Attacks

Teddie's next attack is unblockable.

Some attacks are completely unblockable, meaning the only way to avoid getting hit is to move out of the way! You will know which attacks are unblockable when the character shows two exclamation marks in a yellow text bubble before performing an attack.

In addition to this, there are also other types of unblockable attacks that do not show the exclamation marks, but have other restrictions in place. Kanji's 236C/D can only hit airborne opponents and his j.214A/B will always whiff on crouching opponents, but these attacks are not marked as unblockable. Command throws, hit-grabs, and normal throws are always unblockable but are not marked as such.

Air Unblockable Attacks

Notice the yellow "!"

Most characters' 2Bs are air unblockable. This means that if the opponent tries to air block an AUB attack, they will be hit regardless. A yellow exclamation mark will appear when this happens.

There are restrictions on AUBs, and they are discussed here.

S Hold System

The S Hold System allows players to perform a Special or Super by simply holding the A.png button! Hold A.png to charge a meter that appears on screen, then release to perform an attack. Attacks used with the S Hold System may have different properties than if used normally, such as start-up invincibility. Depending on how long you've held down the attack, you will perform either a special or a super!

SHold Charge Time
Level Charge Time Attack
Level 0 1-59F -
Level 1 60-134F Gauge Appears, no attack
Level 2 135-209F Skill
Level 3 210-284F SP Skill
Level 4 285-359F Awakening SP Skill
Level 5 360F Instant Kill
  • Charging to Level 3 and above require that you have enough SP for the specified attack. If you do not have enough SP, then the charge bar will not increase.

This system is primarily aimed at beginners, but nonetheless it holds a few advantages that players can use in the middle of a fight. After Yu Narukami uses Cross Slash, he can easily continue the combo into Lightening Flash/Shinden Issen afterward by holding A.png during Cross Slash. Akihiko's Kill Rush with the S Hold system gives it invincibility, giving him an additional reversal option!

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