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| {{Character Subnav HFTF|name=Alessi}} | | {{Character Subnav HFTF|name=Alessi}} |
| == Overview == | | == Trivia and Random Glitches == |
| Alessi is a rather unorthodox character and it can be difficult to get a grip of his learning curve. He's a surprisingly easy character to learn but optimal play at higher levels require more abstract solutions to his glaring problems. This section isn't a definitive "How to play Alessi" but rather a starting point for people picking up the character to understand his mechanics and to get a small understanding on neutral. Build your neutral and game sense based on experience, and come back to here for refreshers or for important tech. Alessi is also a "just good enough" mid-tier, so be prepared to get your ass handed to you on a silver platter a few times. | | === -Hiding From View- === |
| | On stages with foreground elements, Alessi can conceal himself partially or even entirely while crouching. Here's an example of this in a really good set that you should watch anyway: https://youtu.be/1L45Qx3IUd0 |
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| === Things to Know === | | === -Most Number of Stances- === |
| Alessi is Capcom's magnum opus. He is full of weird bugs and oversights that will plague you throughout your entire time playing him; like a bad knee always making its presence known as you bend down to pick up the morning newspaper off your doorstep. Most fights will be an upward battle of cat and mouse, so be sure to capitalise off ANY opening you get, you probably won't get another one soon. It's important to keep these things in mind when playing as they'll shape how you play the character. | | Alessi is the only character with technically 5 stances. s.On and s.Off, Alessi Mode s.On and s.Off, and Child Mode. While he can't toggle between all of them freely, it's still a cool record. Now he has half as many moves as a Tekken character! |
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| 1. '''Alessi's stand extends after grabbing'''. Having an extended stand gives you more reach but opens up a deadzone right in front of Alessi where moves and combos may whiff entirely. After grabbing you should prioritize resetting Sethan's length as soon as possible. You can reset it by turning Stand ON without holding any directions (it also works if you're mid air) or doing s.63214A/B/C. Holding a directional input as you turn Stand ON also keeps its length.
| | === -Standing Hurtbox on Wakeup- === |
| | After getting up from a knockdown, Alessi's hurtbox is forced to be standing even if he's inputting crouchblock. This allows some Okizeme routes to work on Alessi when it normally shouldn't. One notable example is in the {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Young Joseph}} matchup, where he can get a true Aja setup off a 2S Stand Crash even if you crouch. |
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| 2. '''Alessi's landing is always vulnerable while he is Stand ON.''' Normally characters in HFTF are all able to block on landing if they haven't performed any offensive aerial actions (such as attacking or turning their stand on/off) but Alessi's Stand ON landing (and in some rare circumstances his s.Off landing) is always vulnerable. Be careful when jumping or turn your stand OFF when you do it.
| | === -Infinite Baby Mode on Devo- === |
| | In the {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Devo}} matchup, you can get a taste of a manga accurate Alessi Mode. If you are facing both Devo and his doll, doing your standard metered BnB and using s.63214+C as your ender while still in custom combo makes Devo's child mode last until he dies. Make sure Devo is kept in hitstun and s.63214+C does not hit the doll, otherwise it wouldn't work. |
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| 3. '''Some child modes cheat with iframes and are generally annoying to pin down.''' Consistently getting the most out of your Alessi mode is important but some child modes like Baby Vanilla Ice are more difficult to meaty than others. Certain character-specific quirks are also important to keep in mind, which will be listed in the matchups page.
| | The glitch only works if the doll does any action (move, jump or be mid-air, block an attack, get hit, attack, or even taunt) during the period of Devo transforming back. Crouching doesn't count as an action. Unfortunately, there are a few ways this glitch could break. If you stand crash his doll before the normal child transformation time runs out, Devo will revert back to his adult self. Devo pressing S during the initial s.63214+C would also prevent the glitch from happening. The glitch doesn't work on the other remote mode characters. Don't go for this in serious matches, although it is pretty fun against clueless players. |
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| 4. '''Alessi has no anti-airs'''. You have to force your opponent into an air-to-air exchange, guard cancel their jump-in or be patient and block. A core aspect of your gameplan is to position yourself in a way that minimises how vulnerable you are to consecutive jumps in pressure, both with good spacing and conditioning.
| | === -Silver Chariot Requiem Hurtbox- === |
| | If {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Polnareff}} successfully does his s.63214+X super, Alessi's hurtbox upon sleeping becomes absolutely massive. Check it out in-game for yourself! |
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| 5. '''Alessi is mechanically janky.''' Stuff like large preemptive hurtboxes, not being able to have a crouching hurtbox on wakeup, characters randomly falling out of your supers, s.On characters air teching out of your gun, Alessi's dash having inconsistent framedata depending on which direction you're dashing, proximity normals not caring about vertical distance etc. are all poor quality of life stuff you have to deal with. But it gets slightly easier to manage with time.
| | === -- === |
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| == Neutral Notes == | | == References and Resources == |
| Alessi should be taking advantage of his normal moves trying to control space as much as he can. Both Stand ON and Stand OFF. Your s.Off standing normals are embarrassingly stubby, but function as fast counterpokes that you can confirm into your BnBs. Use Stand OFF for approaching and Stand ON for poking/footsies/defensive play. j.A, j.C, 663A and 663C are all decent approach options. j.A can crossup easily, 663C and preferably 663A act as good crossunder moves, and as decent grounded pressure moves, an j.C is good for spaced out approaches.
| | === Some Japanese Matches === |
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| If you have to approach try to consider if you can use gun instead. If they're in s.Off or are a passive stand and is not moving erratically you might gain more from shooting their block through chip than to risk your life approaching them. Harassing your opponent with 41236+A/B/C is also great at getting them to be more cautious when approaching you, although be sure not to be too predictable or use it when they're too close as you can get punished rather easily. Since you can cancel gun with a press of S, practice the timing of pulling gun away as soon as possible to make sure this doesn't happen.
| | https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqTV142e-A6pM6hLME32BZR6DJ7RSCg8d - A discontinued playlist full of Japanese matches. Most of the notable videos in the playlist will be featured below. Eventually I'll make an updated playlist with western Alessi's, but this will do for now. |
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| In this game, most pressure relies on turn taking and turn stealing. In layman's terms, if you keep the opponent under constant pressure with your normals and specials, leaving as little gaps and moments to breath for the opponent as possible. Alessi's gameplan focuses a lot on conditioning the opponent by faking habits and then breaking those habits to punish a poor attempt at turn stealing by the opponent. Some ways to do this includes baiting out a roll, getting the opponent to whiff a guard cancel or move, and stuffing out approaches with your better normals.
| | https://youtu.be/xUf3sIvzV1Y - Great match vs Yoshida (Polnareff) with some screaming casters. Demonstrates a lot of what Alessi can do (good usage of normals, a variety of confirms, Alessi mode bnb, even a Custom Combo loop!) in one short match. I implore anyone who wants to pick up Alessi to watch this. (Can also be found [http://sp.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm5080205?ss_id=9e3c63dc-3a64-4401-81de-8ef89b2a8320&ss_pos=5&&cp_in=wt_srch here]) |
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| ===Simplified Gameplan===
| | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARXIqfUEepo&feature=youtu.be&t=441 - Matches against an Abdul, Alessi, and strangely Khan that showcases some incredible usage of s.63214C. A very good example of defensive Alessi play. |
| Be patient and expect to be put under pressure due to your lack of anti airs. Use Stand OFF for approaching and Stand ON for poking/footsies/defensive play. j.A, j.C, 663A and 663C are all decent approach options. If you have to approach try to consider if you can use gun instead. If they're s.Off/passive and not moving erratically you might gain more from shooting their block through chip than to risk your life approaching them.
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| During footsies throw out s.5C. Take note of when it works and when it gets stuffed out and use this to determine when you should press it. If they're gonna jump press s.5B instead. If you block their jump in, you can pushblock into 2C to outrange their grounded followup or roll cancel if your 2C whiffs because they went for another jump. Ideally avoid having your opponent jump at you for free. Use your movement to space yourself to meet them horizontally in the air with j.C or run away if you're not cornered. If they get super obvious with their jumps you can do 214AA/236AA but it'll be a callout move so be careful. Your short height helps versus jump ins because your opponent may overshoot their aerial trajectory and land behind you, opening them up for a 5A 5C into CC (even when you're stand ON).
| | https://youtu.be/c5jFXZkjNKA - Earrape ass, flaky VCR ass recording of an actually great match! Featuring Tonkotsu vs SQ, a more offensive Alessi who displays multiple stand crash combos. |
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| Alessi has a pretty quick wakeup and prejump. When you're feeling overwhelmed either to pressure or waking up and facing okizeme, just hold upback and hope for the best. Getting hit in the air and teching out is much better than eating a mixup. Be careful of where you airtech as Alessi has no way of altering his jump arc, meaning you're open to tech chases. Read up on the different tech directions and what advantages they give and keep them in mind.
| | https://youtu.be/3eAPyONm7e8 - A great match pitting two children against each other. Watch for immpeccible child mode neutral, or for shits and giggles. |
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| === Good Moves === | | === Random bits of documentation === |
| {| class="wikitable"
| | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo9uei-ytM8 - A demonstration of all the child forms using the special mode in the Dreamcast port. |
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| ! Move !! Notes
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| |'''5C''' || 5C is your main confirm tool: it's 4 frames startup, and has an abnormally long cancel window, so it combos into Custom Combo from most ranges. Pretty good at interrupting strings after pushblocking, but should be used smartly and not mashed. It's also ok as an anti-air.
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| |'''2B''' || Your main method of building meter. When the opponent isn't at a range to reach you and you don't want to use gun, spam this to build a good amount of meter. This usually comes up after a gun carry to full screen, although do try to squeeze one or two in whenever you can, even after something like a s.5C (far).
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| |'''2C''' || Can cancel into a roll and gives you a knockdown into okizeme. Very strong and safe move, both for offense and defense, but be careful as it'll whiff on most prejumps. Keeps your low crouching height, so punish combos won't always be as optimal. After you pushblock, 2C is extremely strong at catching the opponent in the middle of doing a blockstring, similar to 5C, if not better. If anyone reverses through your 2C with a super or jumps at you just mash roll. Although, if you're feeling feisty, cancel it into any of his supers depending on the situation, but be aware you may eat a fat punish for playing your hand. Know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.
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| |'''s.5C (far)''' || Long-range poke primarily used for controlling the ground. Also whiffs on most prejumps so don't mash it out if you expect your opponent to jump. It has large preemptive hurtboxes so if your opponent is throwing out moves often be careful when counterpoking with s.5C.
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| |'''s.66C''' || Dashing version of s.5C. More recovery and generally more punishable but extends your effective range and may catch people off guard. Good poke for when your opponent is careless when standing outside Sethan's range.
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| |'''s.5B''' || Decent. Use it similar to s.5C except it deals less damage but makes up for it by having more vertical reach. Throw this out instead of s.5C if you expect your opponent to jump. Don't forget that committing to any s.On normal can mean death if the opponent has a strong punish available.
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| |'''s.6B (far)''' || Quick overhead that doesn't lead to much damage but stops your opponent from holding down-back on top of your shadow. You can't abuse it but startling your opponent once in a while helps you aggravate them in neutral. Nice little mixup as a finisher as well, especially on oki or when the opponent is approaching with a jump. No one ever expects the grounded overhead!
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| |'''j.A''' || Good jump in that confirms into your BNB and can cross your opponent up. Also a decent air-to-air if you're above them. Make sure you input this a bit lower to the ground.
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| |'''j.C''' || Better horizontal air-to-air. This is your primary tool for controlling the aerial space. Also works for jump-ins if you're further away. Try predicting the opponent's rising jump, and always input this a bit earlier than you think the opponent will. Don't forget that the pre-emptive hurtbox exists within this move too, so be prepared to lose trades.
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| |'''41236+A/B/C''' || Gun. Alessi's most useful move as it does a huge amount of chip damage. Absolutely oppressive against passive stands, both as an anti-air and in general, but also works well against s.Off too. It's prone to getting punished, especially against airborne s.On opponents, as they can tech out after 4 hits guaranteed, so be careful. You can cancel it early by pressing S and pray you recover in time to block. Practice the timing of this as it'll save your bacon if you pull gun out at a bad time. If your opponent is turtling, knocked down or predictive in general pull this out and blast them.
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| |'''Guard Cancel''' || Boasting a very strong hitbox and serving as a reliable "get off me" tool, it's one of the better Guard Cancels in the game, and absolutely crucial in higher levels of play or against the top tiers. Also serves as your best anti-air, as there's no input overlap with any of Alessi's specials on an empty jump.
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| |'''a.66C''' || Alessi mode exclusive move. Your primary means of doing damage in that mode, but not the only one. Read the combo page for more information.
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| === Anti-airing ===
| | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzM7JY4mSN8 - Useful visual representation of many of Alessi's combos. Not everything is on here, but most is. |
| As stated in the notes section, Alessi has no real anti-airs. His short and barely accurate s.Off normals, combined with his large pre-emptive hurtboxes and proximity normals in s.On leaves much to be desired in Alessi's ability to fight jumpers. One round against an upback happy DIO is enough to show just how much defensive laming affects Alessi. Be patient and expect to be put under pressure due to your lack of real or working anti-airs. If the opponent knows to exploit your weaknesses and constantly approaches from the air, be prepared to deal with a LOT of jump-ins. Despite this, Alessi has some just passable ways of fighting aggressive offensive jumpers if the opponent is conditioned enough and you're smart enough with your options. Remember to never be predictable, and to always adapt to your opponent instead of abusing any of your moves, because one missed punish will result in a full BnB or hefty punish. This is especially important, as Alessi's recovery is actually pretty sluggish on most of his "anti-airs".
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| {| class="wikitable"
| | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH6ACCWkjK0 - An addendum for the previous video. A few optimisations are showcased here, and this should cover all of the essential stuff featured in this wiki page for budding Alessi's. |
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| ! Move !! Notes
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| |'''5C/cl.s.5C''' || Used most often if the opponent falls into breath breath-smelling distance from either an unteched (s.)j.A hit or block, or a (s.)4C option select against an attacking jumper. 5C is surprisingly good against {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Rubber Soul}}, as Alessi's short height allows him to duck j.A reliably, and 5C displaces his hurtbox so it doesn't get hit as often by Rubber's j.A. Can be beaten often by j.B/C though, but it's overall a win for you as j.A is infinitely more oppressive than Rubber's other aerials.
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| |'''j.B''' || In Heritage, characters can block aerials if they themselves are airborne. Despite this, most players won't block while they're in the air, as they believe they can beat your buttons. If you surprise an approaching jumper with j.B, it can get them to reconsider their air approach, which will be a benefit for you down the line. j.B has slightly more reach vertically on its hitbox compared to Alessi's other aerials, and is especially useful in the {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Shadow Dio}}, {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Midler}}, and {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Polnareff}} matchups.
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| |'''j.C''' || Having the most horizontal reach out of Alessi's aerials, if spaced properly, j.C can cleanly beat out quite a few character's aerial approaches. Do remember that Alessi's pre-emptive hurtboxes are active here as well, including j.B, so be very smart about trying to beat aerials if the opponent has a strong tech chase. If the opponent block j.C, or any of your aerials, and you reach the ground first, do 4C so you either anti-air 5C or grab the opponent the moment they fall to the ground.
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| |'''41236+A/B/C''' || Game defining in some matchups. Against any character with a weak aerial game and limited approaches, you are able to consistently get a large amount of chip while keeping them away. One of the main reasons Alessi is able to curb stomp characters below hiim. Remember that s.On characters are guaranteed to tech out after 4 hits no matter how hard you mash, so don't use gun against opponents that know this.
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| |'''s.5B (far)''' || As Alessi's s.On moves all have pre-emptive hurtboxes, what looks like a great anti-air actually loses against most aerials, especially active ones. Best used when the opponent is standing on Sethan and you predict they will jump. The recovery is also somewhat sluggish, so only use this when you think the opponent is conditioned enough or you think you are going to catch their jump when it's still rising.
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| |'''s.2B (far)''' || Almost never used. This is only mentioned to prevent people from using it. In fact, due to Alessi's proximity range for normals not caring about vertical distance, most of the time you won't even get s.2B (far) and instead get cl.s.2B that'll miss and just get you killed. Please don't use this. Just option select or guard cancel.
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| |'''s.63214+B/C''' || Only use if the opponent has poor air mobility and you predict their jump. Make sure the opponent is far away, as s.63214+X is punishable due to its recovery if it whiffs. Very ballsy to go for, but has the potential for the most damaging followup depending on the character if the opponent is caught by it. s.63214+X is one of Alessi's only s.On moves that can anti-air and has no pre-emptive hurtboxes. It's hitbox is quite low to the ground as well, contrasting the move's sprite.
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| |'''Guard Cancel''' || If only the hitbox on this baby was on one of Alessi's normals instead. Alessi's GC can reliably smack the opponent out of the air, and since people like to abuse their aerials against Alessi, this just means even more easy GC's for you. My preferred method of jump option selecting, but don't tunnel for this as empty jump grab will usually beat this out. Always use the A version, as it's the least punishing button to whiff both in s.Off and s.On. Can also potentially give you a combo in s.Off if it connects on the opponent.
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| |'''214+AA''' || Despite looking like an extremely strong anti-air, there are many issues with this move that hold it back from truly being good. Not only is the hitbox of the move way too small for the sprite, it also opens yet another dead zone in front of Alessi, making the move almost always whiff against opponents that are upbacking in the corner. They also have the tendency to fall out of the super before it finishes, and since only the final hit transforms the opponent into a child, makes you lose out on valuable Alessi Mode damage. It also takes a full second to start up, so only a perfect read will allow this move to shine properly.
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| |'''214+S {214+AA}''' || Mostly used to bulldose through aerial camping with the amount of iframes you get. If the opponent likes to upback constantly, you can try this to catch them in the air. Requires very specific spacing and timing, but is very strong if used correctly. Very useful and consistent against Iggy's air hover for example, but might not be as reliable on other characters.
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| |'''214+S {5B (far), 41236+C (mash), (214+AA)} || Used even less, but can squeeze out a round if you're desperate for damage. Does extremely pitiable damage, and has the tendency to be stuffed out by any aerial move as Alessi's pre-emptive hurtboxes come out even if you're still supposed to have iframes from custom combo. You can try adding a 214+AA after gun, either from mashing or cancelling to catch the opponent off guard. 214+AA in CC recovers fast enough but is still very risky to throw out.
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| == Alessi Mode ==
| | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymciMy15uXc - Slightly outdated visual representation of child mode jump mixups, by Grisha. Once I get off my ass and record all the undocumented stuff, I'll upload it here and replace this link. |
| When certain specials or supers connect, Alessi will (or will not) do a small taunt as the opponent transforms into a somewhat hapless child version of themselves. s.63214+A/B/C and (s.)236+AA both have guaranteed poses after a successful connection, while 63214+A/B/C and (s.)214+AA don't. However, 63214+A/B/C only skips the pose if it hits a s.On opponent. Doing s.63214+A/B/C or 236+AA in CC will significantly lower the pose's speed.
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| Characters in child mode only have access to k.5X and k.j.X, with some having a k.2X. They cannot roll, use specials, supers, or even turn on their stands. Most opponents will hold jump to minimise their damage taken, as children are fully invincible during their falling state after they get hit mid-air. However, across every character, there exists 1 single frame right when they land where they cannot do anything at all, as children cannot block either. By connecting an attack on this frame, you are able to keep them grounded and get a full combo afterwards. Some characters have longer pre-jump frames, which allows more damaging combos to be done. What combos work on who and specific information is given in the Alessi Mode Combos section.
| | https://imgur.com/a/KboJi3T - Alessi's hitboxes, collected by guruslum |
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| Alessi is the only character in the game with technically 4 stances. He has his standard s.On and s.Off modes, and accessing Alessi Mode with certain specials or supers turn both modes into slightly or entirely modified versions of themselves. You will primarily be using he s.Off version of Alessi Mode, as it's a lot more consistent and gives higher damage. However, s.Off's range is a bit short and won't work as well in meterless child transformations, so you will be using s.On to chase down freshly transformed children more often. Do be aware that a large amount of children can use their aerials to hit the pre-emptive hurtboxes of your s.On normals, so just build meter with a.2B if you don't think you can chase them down.
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| {| class="wikitable sortable"
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| |+ Child Mode jump startup
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| ! Character !! Frames !! Character cont. !! Frames cont.
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| | {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Alessi}}|| 1|| {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Khan}}|| 6
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| | {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Avdol}}|| 1|| {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Mariah}}|| 1
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| | {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Black Polnareff}}|| 1|| {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Midler}}|| 1
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| | {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Chaka}}|| 1|| {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|New Kakyoin}}|| 4
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| | {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Devo}}|| 1|| {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Old Joseph}}|| 4
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| | {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Dio}}|| 9|| {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Pet Shop}}|| 1
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| | {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Hol & Boingo}}|| 5|| {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Polnareff}}|| 1
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| | {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Hol Horse}}|| 1|| {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Rubber Soul}}|| 5
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| | {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Iggy}}|| 5|| {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Shadow Dio}}|| 1
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| | {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Jotaro}}|| 1|| {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Vanilla Ice}}|| 1
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| | {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Kakyoin}}|| 4|| {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Young Joseph}}|| 1
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| |}
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| == Grab Game ==
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| Alessi's grab is also quite good for his gameplan, as depending on where the opponent techs, it either opens up a tech chase for you, or it resets the game state back to neutral, the state where Alessi shines the most if he has a lifelead. His tools punish approaches while maintaining a strong defense, slowly whittling down the opponent's health bar and patience, leading to more mistakes for you to capitalise off of.
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| An important and often successful way to bait out a response is through fishing out a roll, by staggering your pressure moves to get a failed pushblock attempt. Most people will pushblock with a bit of autopiloting, especially if you condition them to expect a certain blockstring, such as doing 663C 663A. Instead, hold off on doing 663A, and sit back. You don't lose anything except pressure (that was kind of unsafe to begin with) if the opponent doesn't roll, and if they do, you get a free grab. Remember that many of Alessi's moves can be baited from, such as j.A, s.66C, and more.
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| === Tick Grabs ===
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| Alessi's tick grabs are quite strong, as all of them count as regular pressure strings, roll bait setups, or tick grab setups. His moves are also just fast enough to allow you to safely block or even guard cancel afterwards. Any of these options can also convert to a full BnB if the opponent fails to punish accordingly, so the threat of whiffing buttons is another level of mind games you can use to control the opponent's options. Remember to crouch after any of these options if you don't feel like grabbing, as Alessi's tiny crouch hurtbox allows him to duck under many optimal BnBs by the cast. Also, be prepared to super through a whiffed grab attempt if the opponent tries to reversal you, such as with a {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Black Polnareff}} 214+AA.
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| '''Some basic tick grab options include: '''
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| - 5A
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| - 663A
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| - 663C
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| - j.A
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| - s.66C
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| Mix up your options to potentially bait a roll, or a failed grab tech. 663A j.A is especially strong, as most people will try to punish you for using your main pressure tool. They will either whiff a punish, allowing you a full BnB off j.A or recover in time but get crossed up by j.A into a full BnB or tick grab. Worst case scenario you get hit mid-air by a few smacks, or they block/guard cancel j.A. No matter what, it's still a heavily lopsided risk vs reward interaction in your favor if you play your cards correctly. Don't overextend, block, and play safe as much as you can.
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| === Grab Followups ===
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| Depending on which way the opponent techs after your grab, you have quite a few options to get some cheeky damage off. They can down tech, neutral tech, forward tech, or back tech. Most open up tech chase opportunities for you, or reset the game back to neutral.
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| (Opponent neutral techs) 41236+B - You have just enough time to hit the opponent mid-air with gun if they neutral tech. A bit more of a committing choice, as they can tech towards you and do a full BnB since, even cancelled, gun will still be in recovery.
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| (Opponent down techs) s.4B - Since Alessi's stand extends after a grab, even in s.Off, s.5B (far) is the perfect distance to catch an opponent. Holding a direction keeps Sethan's extended length, so make sure to hold 4 and not 6, as you would get s.6B (far) instead.
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| (Opponent forward techs) 7B/C - Doing a short hop back to meet the opponent with an air-to-air is usually effective at making them less willing to tech towards you, forcing them to approach you in neutral again. Use j.B if they're a bit too high for j.C. Make sure not to contest a very active aerial, as pre-emptive hurtboxes are still here. GC instead against moves like {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Polnareff}}'s j.B.
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| (Opponent back techs) - Not much you can do at this point. Since it resets the game state back to neutral, you either force them to approach if you have a lifelead or go in yourself if they have the lifelead. You can whiff 2B a few times to gain some guaranteed extra meter when they're still in the air.
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| == Resets ==
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| As stated in the combo page, Alessi has access to a volatile stand crush reset against stand characters. Learning these resets are crucial for maximizing Alessi's true damage. Against most characters, the crush reset combo can deal around 50% without including Alessi mode damage. With Alessi mode, however, he can deal around 75% to 90% depending on the character. The setup for the reset is listed in the combo section, but all you need is the '''663A > S+6C''' with 13 points of stand gauge health remaining for the opponent. This is essentially Alessi's robbery mechanic. Read the combo page for a guide on the combo and the notations.
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| == Important Tech ==
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| ! Move !! Notes !! Extras
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| |'''Guard Cancel''' || Most often your best way of getting out of pressure is with Guard Cancel. Make sure you do many of these against jump-ins, or against predictable pressure strings. Examples include GC'ing the 214+A of {{CharacterLabel-HFTF|Dio}}'s 2A, 2A, 2[A] xx 214+]A[. Always do the A version and block accordingly (usually downback) after the DP input, as if you don't manage to GC properly, 5A is the least punishing normal to whiff or you will continue blocking. Be aware that grabs will usually beat GC attempts, and doing a GC from a low block can sometimes result in 41236+A/B/C appearing, which you don't want. Don't tunnel vision for GC's, as it can be baited, and pushblocking is more safe/more generally applicable.
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| |'''1C''' || 2C is an incredible move that catches people not low blocking, is relatively safe on block, has fast startup and good enough recovery, is quite far-reaching, and can even be roll-cancelled. If the opponent tries to grab you, 1C also techs their grab. It also maintains your low crouch height, so even if you get hit the opponent can't do optimal combos 100% of the time (depending on the character). The s.On version is less safe, as it can't be cancelled with supers or rolls, but is also good enough. Be aware of the pre-emptive hurtboxes however.
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| |'''s.4ABC''' || A good option select against many kinds of jumps. Jump-in? Pushblocked. Empty jump? cl.s.5A into combo or worst case scenario s.5A. Empty jump grab? Techs the grab or jabs them out before hand. You might even grab them yourself. Be aware that s.5A can miss the opponent if they are too close. Unfortunately, it is susceptible to moves that stall or delay their air momentum (such as passive stand j.S, double jumps, air supers etc).
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| |'''s.664C''' || All of Alessi's dashing normals have their range dependent on his speed the moment the button input is done. Essentially, the slower you are, the faster the move will end. Holding 4 after a dash and timing the heavy input allows you to have better frame advantage and positioning at the cost of range, but it is usually a very worthwhile trade. ||[[File:S.664C Demonstration.mp4|thumb]]
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| ===Summary===
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| Press s.5C, s.5B and 2C in neutral to keep your opponent away. Jump and press j.C to keep them away when they jump over your other buttons. Approach with j.A, j.C, d.2A or d.2C and confirm it into your BNB. Learn the BNB, some confirms into it and practice child mode a lot. You'll naturally get child mode practice in real matches so don't worry about spending a billion hours labbing it out. When in doubt either mash 2C or jump out with up+back. Use gun to annoy your opponent and for okizeme.
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| Although Alessi has several "Stand" attacks (meaning they can break Kakyoin and New Kakyoin's 214 nets, Mariah's 623 wire, and slow down Abdul's 214 projectile) only s.j.A is useful for "Stand" purposes, really. If you are in proximity to hit the other ones the benefits aren't gonna matter at that distance, and even for nets where it would show promise, either of the Kaks would already be in range to either block the hit and prevent it from destroying the net, or get hit and have it disappear anyway. The only real situation where you could use the proximity normals to break stuff is if the opponent is jumping and within proximity, so good luck applying those...
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| Alessi's Movement options are pretty good, his run and dash can be canceled into blocking and crouching at any point, giving him a much more fluid and precise spacing game than other characters, which is important for him given his set of normals: most of them keep your forward/backward momentum, so remember to always account for that, or to crouch cancel. Be particularly careful to not mistakenly input half circle motions while dashing around, as unwanted specials will leave you open for a long time.
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| | https://imgur.com/a/1qCfabg - Baby hitboxes, also collected by guruslum |
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| {{NavboxHFTF}} | | {{NavboxHFTF}} |
| [[Category:JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]] | | [[Category:JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]] |
Trivia and Random Glitches
-Hiding From View-
On stages with foreground elements, Alessi can conceal himself partially or even entirely while crouching. Here's an example of this in a really good set that you should watch anyway: https://youtu.be/1L45Qx3IUd0
-Most Number of Stances-
Alessi is the only character with technically 5 stances. s.On and s.Off, Alessi Mode s.On and s.Off, and Child Mode. While he can't toggle between all of them freely, it's still a cool record. Now he has half as many moves as a Tekken character!
-Standing Hurtbox on Wakeup-
After getting up from a knockdown, Alessi's hurtbox is forced to be standing even if he's inputting crouchblock. This allows some Okizeme routes to work on Alessi when it normally shouldn't. One notable example is in the 
Young Joseph matchup, where he can get a true Aja setup off a 2S Stand Crash even if you crouch.
-Infinite Baby Mode on Devo-
In the 
Devo matchup, you can get a taste of a manga accurate Alessi Mode. If you are facing both Devo and his doll, doing your standard metered BnB and using s.63214+C as your ender while still in custom combo makes Devo's child mode last until he dies. Make sure Devo is kept in hitstun and s.63214+C does not hit the doll, otherwise it wouldn't work.
The glitch only works if the doll does any action (move, jump or be mid-air, block an attack, get hit, attack, or even taunt) during the period of Devo transforming back. Crouching doesn't count as an action. Unfortunately, there are a few ways this glitch could break. If you stand crash his doll before the normal child transformation time runs out, Devo will revert back to his adult self. Devo pressing S during the initial s.63214+C would also prevent the glitch from happening. The glitch doesn't work on the other remote mode characters. Don't go for this in serious matches, although it is pretty fun against clueless players.
-Silver Chariot Requiem Hurtbox-
If 
Polnareff successfully does his s.63214+X super, Alessi's hurtbox upon sleeping becomes absolutely massive. Check it out in-game for yourself!
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References and Resources
Some Japanese Matches
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqTV142e-A6pM6hLME32BZR6DJ7RSCg8d - A discontinued playlist full of Japanese matches. Most of the notable videos in the playlist will be featured below. Eventually I'll make an updated playlist with western Alessi's, but this will do for now.
https://youtu.be/xUf3sIvzV1Y - Great match vs Yoshida (Polnareff) with some screaming casters. Demonstrates a lot of what Alessi can do (good usage of normals, a variety of confirms, Alessi mode bnb, even a Custom Combo loop!) in one short match. I implore anyone who wants to pick up Alessi to watch this. (Can also be found here)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARXIqfUEepo&feature=youtu.be&t=441 - Matches against an Abdul, Alessi, and strangely Khan that showcases some incredible usage of s.63214C. A very good example of defensive Alessi play.
https://youtu.be/c5jFXZkjNKA - Earrape ass, flaky VCR ass recording of an actually great match! Featuring Tonkotsu vs SQ, a more offensive Alessi who displays multiple stand crash combos.
https://youtu.be/3eAPyONm7e8 - A great match pitting two children against each other. Watch for immpeccible child mode neutral, or for shits and giggles.
Random bits of documentation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo9uei-ytM8 - A demonstration of all the child forms using the special mode in the Dreamcast port.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzM7JY4mSN8 - Useful visual representation of many of Alessi's combos. Not everything is on here, but most is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH6ACCWkjK0 - An addendum for the previous video. A few optimisations are showcased here, and this should cover all of the essential stuff featured in this wiki page for budding Alessi's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymciMy15uXc - Slightly outdated visual representation of child mode jump mixups, by Grisha. Once I get off my ass and record all the undocumented stuff, I'll upload it here and replace this link.
https://imgur.com/a/KboJi3T - Alessi's hitboxes, collected by guruslum
https://imgur.com/a/1qCfabg - Baby hitboxes, also collected by guruslum
Game Navigation
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Young Joseph matchup, where he can get a true Aja setup off a 2S Stand Crash even if you crouch.
Devo matchup, you can get a taste of a manga accurate Alessi Mode. If you are facing both Devo and his doll, doing your standard metered BnB and using s.63214+C as your ender while still in custom combo makes Devo's child mode last until he dies. Make sure Devo is kept in hitstun and s.63214+C does not hit the doll, otherwise it wouldn't work.
Polnareff successfully does his s.63214+X super, Alessi's hurtbox upon sleeping becomes absolutely massive. Check it out in-game for yourself!
