Glossary A-H

Aerial Rave

- n. - See "Air Combo."

Air Blocking

- n. - The ability for characters to block while in the air. Some games do not have Air Blocking at all, others only allow you to Air Block certain moves, and some games let you Air Block everything.

Air Combo

- n. - Used to describe the classification of Combos that are performed when both characters (The attacker and the victim) are in the air. In Japan, this is referred to as an "Aerial Rave."

- v. - To perform an Air Combo on your opponent.

Air Dash

- n. - A Dash performed in the Air. In most games, Air Dashes cause you to move straight and forward in the air quickly.

- v. - To perform an Air Dash.

Air Reel

- n. - When struck in the air, this is the period of time your character is stuck in Animation Frames of getting hit. In most games, Air Reels end the instant the character goes from being struck into starting to Flip to land on their feet. In games without free-form Juggling Systems, the character usually becomes invincible at this point.

Air Throw

- n. - A Throw performed in the Air. See "Throw."

Alpha Counter

- n. - See "Counter Attack."

Animation Frame

- n. - All of a characters actions are portrayed through Animation Frames, regardless of whether the game is 2-D or 3-D. For example, a Crouching Short Kick from Ryu in Super Street Fighter II Turbo is composed of three Animation Frames: one where Ryu is starting to kick, one where Ryu has his leg extended, kicking at the enemy, and the last one with Ryu retracting his leg.

Anti-Air

- adj. - Describes any attack that is designed or used for attacking enemies who are airborne. When a move is described as being Anti-Air, it also implies effectiveness at doing its job. Dan's KouRyuKen, for example, looks like a Shoto ShouRyuKen, but has no invincibility. Thus, it is not really considered an Anti-Air move.

Back

- n. - Describes the position of the joystick that is opposite the direction your fighter is currently facing.

Block

- v. - To defend against an opponent's attack. Usually, doing so puts you into Block Stun.

Block Combo

- n. - Same thing as a Combo, except your opponent is Blocking the whole time. No where in the midst of a Block Combo can the opponent escape without using a form of Counter Attack.

Block Damage

- n. - Moves that cause Block Damage mean that, even though you defended against the attack, you still take a little bit of damage. In most games, Block Damage can only be caused by Special Moves and Supers.

Block String

- n. - Term used to describe a series of attacks that are good for pressuring the opponent and keeping them in a defensive position. Block Strings usually contain many holes that the opponent can escape from, making Block String patterns not particularly effective. The most effective Block Strings are ones constantly improvised while gauging your opponent for when they will try to react.

Block Stun

- n. - After blocking an attack, characters go into what is known as "Block Stun." During Block Stun, they are stuck in blocking animation and cannot do anything except block again. The length of Block Stun depends on the attack that was blocked. In almost all games, once you start blocking, you will continue to block all further attacks, even if you let go of the joystick. You still have to block high or low correctly, though. Also, in some games, players can "escape" Block Stun with moves such as Alpha Counters or Red Parrying or Burst.

Breakfalls

- n. - See "Flip."

Buffer

- v. - 1. In 2-D games, Buffering is the name given to a character's ability to cancel certain Normal Moves' animations into a Special Move or a Super. In some games, you can only Buffer moves in certain, specific Animation Frames. Also, in most games, you can only Buffer moves if they connect against the enemy, whether blocked or not. But in some games, you can Buffer moves in any frame and sometimes even if they miss. 2. In 3-D games, Buffering refers to executing a character's move before a current action completes, so that the instant the current action completes, the move you did the command for executes right away.

BYOC

- n. - BYOC or Bring your own controller is a term applied to tournaments where attendents are required to bring their own controllers to play with, as none or few will be provided.

Bread and Butter Combo

- n. - A Bread and Butter combo is any basic combo that the player has practiced and memorized for game play. Bread and Butter refers to the fact that this combo should be the staple of the user's strategy. Also known as BnB.

Chain

- v. - Used to generically describe the cancellation of any move into any other move.

- n. - The act of Chaining one move to another.

Chain Combo

- n. - The ability for certain characters to cancel a Normal Move into another Normal Move. Also referred to as a Target Combo in some games.

Chi Gathering

- adj. - See "Super Flash."

Close Up

- adj. - Used to describe the type of Normal Move in some 2-D games that can only be performed if you are within a certain distance of the enemy, usually a very small distance.

Combo

- n. - A series of hits that, once the first connects, the rest all continue to connect without giving the opponent the ability to defend at any point. Some games have moves that act as "Combo" breakers, but most do not. - v. - To perform a Combo on an opponent.

Combometer

- n. - The counter on the side of the screen that tells you how many hits your combo was. Some games have a combometer that follows the hit opponent rather than staying in a fixed position.

Command Throw

- n. - A special type of Throw that is a Special Move. That is, it requires a joystick motion to perform and has all the other properties that Special Moves have (able to be Buffered into, etc.).

Corner

- n. - The ends of the playing field, where the screens stop scrolling. The corner is the furthest to the side you can go. Some games do not have corners and in many 3-D games there are various walls that indicate the end of a stage, but are not referred to as Corners.

Counter

- n. - A type of defensive maneuver that negates an attack and automatically performs a follow-up. This technique is more common in 3-D Fighters than in 2-D fighters, though a few 2-D fighting games will have them.

Counter Attack

- n. - The ability for characters to perform a counter attack in the middle of blocking an attack. The motion is different for every game, as is the cost of performing the Counter Attack. Counter Attacks originated in Street Fighter Alpha, thus being often called "Alpha Counters."

Counter Hit

- n. - This is when you connect an attack against an opponent in the middle of their attack. Not all games give any special reward for landing a Counter Hit, but oftentimes it rewards extra damage, longer Hit Stuns, or higher Floats.

- v. - To hit the enemy with a Counter Hit.

Counter Throw

- n. - In a few games, there are ways to soften or negate a Throw your opponent attempts on you. If successful, you will often escape without harm or only take a fraction of the damage you would have had you now performed the Counter Throw. Also referred to as "Tech Throw", due to the fact that the message "Tech Hit" would appear whenever you performed one of these in the first game they appeared in: Super Street Fighter II Turbo.

Cross-Up

- n. - The type of attack that can hit the opponent behind you when you jump over them. An example of this is Zangief's Down+Fierce in the air in just about every game he's been in. It can hit behind him when he jumps over the opponent.

- v. - To land such a hit on an opponent.

Crouch

- adj. - The condition your character is in if you hold any of the three down positions on the joystick. Describes attacks done from this position. - v. - To press one of the down positions to cause your character to be in a crouching position.

Crouch Dashing

- n. - The same thing as a "Dash," but performed while Crouching. Mostly applies to 3-D games.

Custom Combo

- n. - The name of the special attack method created in Street Fighter Alpha 2 that allowed you to Chain any attack into any other attack at the expense of your entire Super Meter. In Japan, they are called Original Combos. The properties of Custom Combos vary greatly between games. Note that in Street Fighter Alpha 3, the Custom Combos available to V-Ism characters are often referred to as "Variable Combos."

Damage Scaling

- n. - The system in many fighting game where combos do less and less damage as the number of hits on the Combometer increases.

Dash

- n. - The act of making your character move forward more quickly than if you just walked. In some games, Dashing is distinguished from a Run because Dashes stop after a set distance, while Runs can keep you moving forward indefinitely. However, every game implements Dashes differently, and in many games, Dashes and Runs are the same thing.

- v. - To perform a Dash.

Delay

- n. - The period in a any move where your character can no longer hit the opponent and is still stuck in recovery time, unable to do anything except wait for the move to finish. Also referred to as Frame Disadvantage.

Directional Moves

- n. - The name of Normal Moves that require you to hold a specific direction on the joystick. Ryu's Hop Kick from the Alpha Series is an example of this because you have to hold Towards on the controller and hit Forward Kick in order to do the move. Leaving the joystick at Neutral or Back will not result in the Hop Kick.

Dodge

- n. - See "Evade."

Dodge Attack

-n. - In some games, there are certain attacks you can perform only in the middle of a Dodge. These are known as Dodge Attacks.

Evade

- n. - A type of action that causes your character to attempt to avoid an attack rather than Blocking it. This can come in the form of Dodges in Capcom Vs. SNK 2 or Side Stepping in Virtua Fighter 4.

- v. - To perform an Evade.

Exhibition Combos

- n. - Term referring to combos that have no practicality in actual competitive play, but are really funny, cool, or amazing to see. Combos that are really cool but do less damage than a simpler, easier Combo can be considered an Exhibition Combo. They are really just for show, or for gaining a psychological edge over opponents when done in competitive play. Exhibition Combos are usually what are on display during Combo Videos.

Far Away

- adj. - Used to describe the type of Normal Move that is performed at a slight distance away from the opponent. This only applies to games that have Close Up moves. If the game does not have Close Up moves, then everything, in essence, is a Far Away move.

Fighting Game

- n. - If you are reading this and don't know what this is, you are in the wrong place.

Flip

- n. - The ability to cancel out your own Air Reel and cause your character to recover and land on his/her feet. This only appears in a few select games, such as the Guilty Gear series and Street Fighter Alpha 3. Note, however, that the official technical term for Flipping in Street Fighter Alpha 3 is "Breakfalls."

- v. - To perform a Flip.

Float

- n. - Describes the condition that is created when moves pop the opponent into the air as a set-up for Juggles. This term is used mostly in 3-D games. A rough equivalent in 2D games is the Launcher.

Flying Screen

- n. - Only applies to the Versus Series of games. This is the event where the screen scrolls very quickly after a character is struck by a certain move in certain situations. The view of the game follows the person who was hit and the person who initiated the hit is scrolled off the screen in a hurry. Once the screen stops moving, the person who was hit will just lie there and the other player will hop into the screen from the side. One of the most significant things about the Flying Screen is that, once put into effect, many limitations come over the attacking character, such as the removal of the ability to Super Jump or perform Special Moves.

Flying Screen Deterioration

- n. - The Flying Screen causes limitations against the person who caused the Flying Screen. However, there are ways to get around the limitations, and pretty much eradicate all limitations completely so that your character is free to do whatever he/she would like. This is known as Flying Screen Deterioration, often abbreviated "FSD."

Frame

- n. - Unlike Animation Frames, Frames refer to the frame count of the game. Most games output at 30 Frames per second (Some more recent games output at 60.), so when you refer to a Frame, you are referring to 1/30th of a second. This is used heavily in Move Analysis, learning about which moves have Frame Advantage or how many Frames a move takes to recover and such.

Frame Advantage

- n. - This refers to having the ability to act against your opponent while they are stuck in Block or Hit Stun. Moves that have large Frame Advantage means that if you connect against the opponent with said move, you will be free to act before your opponent, giving you a lot of time, positional, and mental advantage in the fight for that small instant.

Frame Disadvantage

- n. - This refers to situations where you are unable to perform any actions while your opponent is free to perform whatever he/she likes. You are usually put into this situation when struck by a move that has Frame Advantage.

Full Parry

- n. - This refers to a situation in which all hits of an incoming combo are parried. For example, at Evolution 2004, when Daigo parried every hit of a Houyoku-Sen (Chun-Li's SA2). For more info, see "Parry."

- v. - To perform such an action.

Guard

- n. - See "Block."

Guard Crush

- n. - The act of having your Guard Meter, if one is present, depleted, leaving you vulnerable for a brief period of time to any attack.

Guard Damage

- n. - Damage done to your Guard Meter as opposed to your Health Meter.

Guard Meter

- n. - In some games, this meter is added to discourage repeated blocking of your opponent's attacks. It typically drains after blocking attacks and recovers its energy slowly. If it is completely drained, the character will go into Guard Crush, a small period of stun where they are vulnerable to any incoming attacks.

Health Meter

- n. - The Meter that shows how much energy you have left. The first person to have their Health Meter drained is the person who will lose the Round/Match, depending on the game.

High Jump

- n. - An action that causes your character to Jump higher and farther than your normal Jump. This only exists in a few fighting games, most notably the King of the Fighters Series and the Street Fighter III series. It's not quite the same as Super Jumping. See "Super Jump" for differences.

- v. - To execute a High Jump.

High Jump Cancel

- n. - In some games, there are Normal Moves that can be canceled by a High Jump, and only a High Jump. Doing so is what is referred to as a High Jump Cancel.

- v. - To perform a High Jump Cancel.

Hit Box

- n. - In most Fighting Games, there are invisible "zones" for a character that, if struck by an attack, registers a hit on the character. This also applies to the attacking moves, as well. Attacks also have invisible boxes that determine the zone that they are attacking. If an attacking Hit Box overlaps a character's Hit Box, then a hit is registered. Oftentimes, Hit Boxes are the sole determining factor to a move's Priority.

Hit Frame

- n. - An Animation Frame of your character that actually can register a hit. For example, Ryu's Crouching Fierce in Super Street Fighter II Turbo has multiple Hit Frames. He can hit with the Animation Frame with his fist still at chest level as well as the Animation Frame with his hand up in the air. The Animation Frame where he is retracting his arm, however, is NOT a Hit Frame because it cannot hit anyone in the particular frame.

Hit Freeze

- n. - This occurs in most Fighting Games, but not all (more typically in 2-D fighting games). It describes the tendency for moves that connect against the opponent to "freeze" and almost have time stop for a fraction of a second on the frame that it makes contact (Whether the move is blocked or not). Most 3-D games do not have Hit Freeze and some 2-D games, such as the Mortal Kombat series, also do not have Hit Freeze.

Hit Stun

- n. - Describes the period of animation when the character is in the process of getting hit. The character remains in Reel until he/she returns to a Neutral State and can block, attack, etc. If you can connect another hit on the opponent during Hit Stun, that rewards you with a Combo.

Hit Confirm

- n. - In most fighting games you have the ability to cancel or link attacks. The decision to do so may be based on whether the opponent has guarded the attack or if the hit connected. Visually confirming that the attack has connected in order to make a decision on how to proceed is called a Hit Confirm.

See also

• Glossary
• Glossary I-Z