Dead or Alive 5 Last Round/System

The Triangle System

Just like in the previous Dead or Alive games, the Triangle System is back in Dead or Alive 5 Last Round as well. This system is the core of DOA5LR's gameplay and anyone who wishes to learn the game should be familiar with it. In the Triangle System, the 3 types of attacks players can perform will beat each other in an RPS fashion.
and will always beat , which will beat , which will beat and .

This, of course, is a bit more deep and complicated at a higher level and will be explained in more detail below.

Strikes

Strikes in DOA5LR are performed with the and buttons, or a combination of multiple buttons, such as or . Strikes are the most common way of damaging and pressuring your opponent in DOA5LR, and combined with movement serve as the primary way of navigating the neutral. Strikes can very often extend into strings performed by inputting a sequence of buttons in a specific order. Strikes will ALWAYS beat throws, as long as you can get one out. You cannot be thrown as long as your strike is in it's startup or active frames, but can be thrown during the recovery. Striking someone during their throw animation will inflict Hi Counter, which will grant your strike 50% more damage and possibly additional properties, such as more frame advantage or a juggle opportunity.

Throws

Throws can be performed by inputting or the macro, which can be set in the button config. Each character will have multiple throws that can be performed by inputting a throw with a directional button or a combination of directional buttons. Aside from the neutral throw (5) throws in DOA5LR cannot be broken and are guaranteed as long as you land them. Throws also have differing startup, with the neutral throw having 5 frames of startup (4 frames for grappler characters). Every character will have at least a 5f throw, a 7f throw, a 10f throw and a 12f throw. Because most throws are faster than strikes, and because they cannot be broken, they are usually used to punish opponents who are at frame disadvantage. Landing a throw on an opponent attempting a hold will inflict Hi Counter and grant your throw 50% more damage.

Holds and blocking

The , if held down, will make your character assume a blocking stance and block the incoming strikes, save for low strikes, which can be blocked by holding down 2, but exposes your to mid strikes. Because lows in DOA5LR are usually slower and less threatening than mids, standing block should be the default method of blocking. For those who aren't used to blocking by holding a button, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round offers the standard method of blocking by holding back or downback. The other defensive option the button is used for are holds. If a strike connects with a hold, it will act as a parry, usually granting some damage and knockdown, although sometimes it can open up a juggle opportunity or put you at enough frame advantage to start a combo. To parry an incoming strike, you will need to input a hold corresponding to the type of strike your opponent is performing. These inputs look as follows:
4 - Mid punch strikes.
6 - Mid kick strikes.
7 - All high strikes.
1 - All low strikes.
If you manage to hold the incoming strike with a proper timing, the game will reward you with a Counter Hold or a Hi Counter Hold, depending on how on point your timing was, granting either 25% or 50% more damage respectively. Some characters, usually the defense oriented ones, will have access to special holds. These are performed with character-specific inputs and usually open up a combo or a juggle opportunity but require better reads, as many will counter - for example - specifically only high punches or high kicks. Other types of special holds can be holds that cover even more options, parrying - for example - all mid punches and high punches, but will usually only put you at frame advantage without opening up a combo.

Offensive Holds

Abbreviated as OH, offensive hold is a special type of attack that combines the properties of a throw with the properties of a hold. Usually possessed by grappler of defense oriented characters, offensive holds are strong options both offensively and defensively. These attacks mostly look and function as throws, but will also hold strikes, allowing you to beat both blocking and striking. However, because most offensive holds are slower than normal throws, they can be thrown before they connect, and because they count as holds, throwing them will inflict Hi Counter. OHs are also divided into low and high OHs, meaning you can crouch under high OHs and then punish them as they recover.