Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3/Offense

Melee

Internal Mechanics

Alignment

Character alignment is one of the more important things to consider when talking about melee play. While your opponent is facing towards you, they have the ability to make the best of gaps in your melee attacks as not all melee options are fast enough to cleanly combo. These gaps can be pointed out by blocking, counter-attacking, Auto-Countering (or Sonic Swaying) or potentially even just moving out of the way with a side step or descend/ascend. When your opponent is facing away from you, the opposite is true. Things that may have left gaps in your attacks previously may not have gaps when your opponent is backturned, one of your most notable options on backturned is Flying Kick, which also opens up routes involving ki blasts. In addition to all of these extra options that are opened up, you get an increase of approximately 20% extra damage, give or take 1%.

Momentum

Momentum is a hidden value that is filled up by attacking your opponent using Rush Attacks, and automatically drained over time as well as being drained by using Ki Blasts and Smash Attacks. As your momentum value rises, your ability to combo into charged attacks will rise as well. The higher this value gets, the faster all charged melee attacks will charge as well as some of them being more viable options due to a faster start up.

Rush Attacks

Rush Attacks are your most basic offensive option. Tapping will result in your character doing their Rush String. The majority of characters have two paths from their Rush String, Rush Finish and Rush In Attack. Rush Finish is the most common to see in (very) low level play, and is preformed by tapping seven times consecutively and will result in your character either launching your opponent either upward or downward on the sixth press, then following behind with a teleport, then smashing them forward into the distance. The final two hits of Rush Finish can be vanished. Rush In Attack is the better of the two paths, preformed by tapping 5 times, once, and then pressing down, nothing, or up while pressing once more. Depending on if you press down, nothing, or up, your character will hit the opponent with a Sweep, Mid, or Overhead type attack that cannot be vanished but can be guarded assuming the opponent guesses which attack you do properly. Assuming your Rush In Attack lands, you'll be allowed to continue hitting your opponent with another set of five button taps, none of these attacks can be vanished, this set of attacks is called your Second Rush String.

Smash Attacks

Smash Attacks are rather simple in comparison to Rush Attacks, you have five different Smash Attacks, all of which can be vanished and all (excluding Dash and Dragon Dash) having five variations with differences in strength and effect on opponent. To preform a Smash Attack, hold the button while pressing up, down, left, right, or nothing.

Light Smash Attacks (Level 1)

The first level of charge will result in a quick attack that will start your Second Rush String if you weren't on it yet and reset it if you are. If your opponent is facing toward you, they will have a chance to block between your light Smash Attack and whatever follow up you decide to use, if they're facing away from you they will not, if your character's momentum level is low enough and your animation is slow enough then your opponent will have a chance to realign.

Medium Smash Attacks (Level 2)

The second level of charge will result in a slower attack which will knock your opponent in the direction you held when charging the attack, leaving you with quite limited options to combo into.

Full Power (Level 3), Perfect, and Hyper Smash

There are three quite similar Smash Attacks which all give the same result, these being Full Power, Perfect, and Hyper Smash Attacks. The first is the most simple, being preformed by reaching the third level of charge, indicated by your character flashing white. The second, Perfect Smashes, are done by releasing the attack button at the exact moment your character reaches level three of charge, this will make your character vanish towards your opponent with a rather accurate level of tracking. Hyper Smashes are the least commonly seen of these three, being done by activating Max Power Mode and charging a smash attack to it's absolute maximum, this move comes with a short cutscene-like animation before your character attacks. All three of these attacks will send your opponent flying into the distance, leaving you with three main combo paths: (REFERENCE TO DS, VA, AND LA HERE).

Dash and Dragon Dash Smash Attacks

During a dash, you can tap or start holding your attack button to begin charging a Dash Smash. The differences between levels of charge for Dash Smashes are mainly just damage and hitstun, with more differences (that are worth talking about) being based on your character. During a Dragon Dash, you can begin charging a Smash Attack, these smash attacks have three levels of charge, the first of which leaves a block gap if your opponent is facing you, but otherwise allowing you to continue after it with a simple Rush String. The second and third levels are identical for the most part, except for the third doing more damage, both of them work the same as a standard Full Power smash.

How Smash Attacks Interact With Defense

Dash and Dragon Dash Smash Attacks can always be blocked with any of your three guarding options, and all Smash Attacks can be vanished but cannot be Auto-Countered.

• Neutral Smash

• Any Guard on Level 1 Charge
• Mid Guard on Levels 2&3
• Crushes Low/High Guard on Levels 2&3

• Up Smash

• Any Guard on Level 1 Charge
• Low/Mid Guard on Level 2 Charge
• Crushes Mid Guard on Level 3 Charge
• Unblockable against High Guard on any Level Charge

• Down Smash

• Any Guard on Level 1 Charge
• Mid/High Guard on Level 2 Charge
• Crushes Mid Guard on Level 3 Charge
• Unblockable against Low Guard on any Level Charge

• Left/Right Smash

• Any Guard on Level 1 Charge
• Crushes Low/High Guard on Level 2
• Crushes Any Guard on Level 3

• Perfect/Hyper Smash

• Unblockable

Rushing Techniques

Rushing Techniques as a whole are the bread and butter of your combos in this game, being done by either tapping during a Rush String or a Step-In. Each character has their own set of four Rushing Techniques with their own individual use cases and being accessed by tapping at different points during your Rush String

Kiai Cannon/Blaster Wave

Kiai Cannon and Blaster Wave are for the most part interchangeable as their functions are rather similar, so much so in fact that they only share one character, that being Broly with BW as his second Rushing Technique and KC being his Step-In Rushing Technique. Both of these moves are typically your most reliable option for safe combos as neither of them can be vanished and don't leave gaps on frontturned if your momentum is high enough and your character's animation is fast enough. On the first level of charge they can be blocked with any type of guard, on hit they'll give you enough time to follow up with a Rush String.