P4AU/Offense

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Normal Attacks

P4Arena NormalAttack.png

There are two primary normal attack buttons in P4:Arena; A and B. A is primarily weak fast attacks, and B is primarily strong slow attacks. Some normal attacks also have followup attacks if you press the button twice (or more times) in a row like Tsubaki from BlazBlue. Nearly every character's 2B attack is an anti-air attack.

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.

All Out Attack

P4Arena AllOutRush.png

Press 5+A+B to perform an All Out Attack. Your character will flash white, then perform an overhead attack that automatically guard against enemy attacks (but not throws and supers!). This is useful to stop mashing opponents as well as a mixup 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 lots of 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 to do more hits (max 17) and do the following:
    • Press C to knock the opponent into the air and allow for you to followup with an air combo. This is usually used mid-screen.
    • Press D to knock the opponent far away and will wallbounce in the corner if you get all 17 hits. The final attack is special cancelable and is usually used near the corner for big 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 followup always places the opponent in Fatal Counter state, while the D followup only does so if you are able to get all 17 hits.


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. Some characters can also cancel their sweeps into jumps, specials, or other normals to set up okizeme.

Auto Combo

By repeatedly pressing 5A, you will perform an auto-combo. The first few followup 5As will use normal attacks that are unique, analogous to followup attacks that BlazBlue's Tsubaki has. The number of followup attacks differ from character to character. For example, Yu Narukami will perform a punch, a kick, then a upward slice with his sword.
After these normal followup attacks, pressing A again will cause your character to automatically perform a Skill attack. For example, Yu Narukami will cancel the slice into Raging Lion (214A).
Pressing A again will automatically cause your character to Super Cancel the attack into a Super Attack, assuming you have 50 SP available (if you do not have enough SP, then your character will do nothing). For example, Yu Narukami will Super Cancel Raging Lion into Ziodyne (236236C).

If you are able to hit the opponent with the last normal followup attack, you gain 13 SP as well as recover 1/8 of your Burst Gauge.

Players can stop using the Auto Combo at any time and substitute their own attacks. For example, Shadow Teddie players often stop the Auto Combo after two 5As and perform a 2B to start a more damaging combo. Other players often stop the Auto Combo before the Super Attack to save the SP for future use.
Shadow versions of characters use different Auto Combos compared to their normal counterparts, but otherwise function the same.

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, Yu's Ziodyne or Kanji's Furious Action. If you OR your persona get 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 can be used to do the following:

  • 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 lead to some interesting attack angles, such as the opponent becoming sandwiched between you and your Persona. There are no rules to determine 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!


Using Persona When Persona is Hit

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

Persona reliant characters (like Elizabeth) should take advantage of this to get one more extra persona attack in or to punish the opponent for hitting your persona!

Skills

Skill attacks are usually performed by doing a motion plus a button (such as 236A) and generally have special properties compared to normal attacks. Normal Skill attacks come in a few varieties: for example Narukami's Zio attack is performed by 236C/D, with the D version being a close up attack, and the C version being 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 2 variations mentioned above, most Skill attacks also have a third variation that is performed by pressing two buttons (ex: 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 one of his supers

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 like invincibility or powering up the character. See SP Skill Attacks for more information.

SB SP Skill Attack

Similarly, there are powered up versions of SP Skills called SB SP Skill Attacks that cost 75 SP. These versions of attacks often have unique properties compared to normal super attacks ranging from adding Status Ailments to being much easier to combo from.

For example Yu's SB Cross Slash does more damage than the regular version and inflicts Shock, while Kanji's SB Ass Whoopin' Tatsumi Style! causes the opponent to wallbounce multiple times, allowing for followup combos.

Throws

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

  • Throws can not hit characters who are in hitstun (with the exception of Stagger) or blockstun
  • Throws can not hit characters for 6 frames after leaving blockstun and hitstun. Meaning you can be thrown on the 7th frame.
  • Ground Throws can not hit airborne opponents or opponents who are in jump startup
  • Air Throws can not hit grounded opponents

If any of the situations listed occur, the throw will simply miss.
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; 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
  • 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.
  • An odd exception to this is Aigis; her throw will beat opponent's throws, though the opponent can still break the throw once the exclamation mark appears.


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 5B and 5C on counter hit. This type of histun can combo into throws, similar to Street Fighter 3's "Back Turned" state.

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 get 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 Rampage

File:P4AU ShadowRampage.png
It's combo time! Costs 100SP

Shadow Rampage 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.

For example: Kanji's 236C/D can only hit airborne opponents, and his j.214A/B will miss on crouching opponents.

Air Unblockable Attacks

Notice the yellow "!"

Most character's 2Bs are air unblockable. This means that if the opponent tries to air block an AUB, then they will get hit. 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 for free 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 (for example, Labrys's S Hold Guillotine Axe has invincibility during startup). Depending on how long you've held down the attack, you will get either a special or a super without even expending SP!

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

This system is primarily aimed at beginners and isn't used much in high level play, but nonetheless it holds a few advantages that players can use in the middle of a fight.