Basic Strategy
Hotaru Futaba is a rushdown and zoning character that had a good far combat and excellent close combat options, and she is a corner rush character.
She had short but quick normals and also had an excellent aerial arsenal,and she had a suggestive but a great Super Move combo ender.
Her mirror kick move is your main Break move and also her feint cancels are effective to combine with it in corner.
As a rushdown character she had low stamina of course,but she had better options for far combat with a better projectile than the Hokutomaru one.
Hotaru has good damage and is very well rounded, however she lacks a bit in range, her offense is overall easy to block has low health/guard.
Hotaru's main strategy is keep-away coupled with unpredictable frame-trap oriented rushdown.
Notable normals
st. a(far/close): close A is great due to his speed and allow punishes, far A is a bit below average.
st. b(far): Your goto footsie tool, had good range, good hitbox and good speed.
st. c(close): Slow and no horizontal hitbox, don't try to throw people on wakeup too much jump baits will easily punish you.
st. d(close): close D can prevent attempts to jump out, and it can be feint cancelled to confirm into a combo.
cr. a: Good to prevent 2AB mashing.
cr. c: A very good tool, most of the cast don't reach nearly as far, cr C cancelled into fireball is good safe damage (for this range), or you can feint cancel it into run in to maintain pressure.
j. b: Air to air poke, has the most horizontal range.
j. d: Air to ground poke, beats 2AB anti-airs.
j. a: has the most active frames and target cancellable with A to prevent most guard cancels.
j. down + b: Very annoying, has amazing priority and allows you to run away efficiently with escape divekicks.
Zoning with Hotaru
Anti-air : Cover the air with air-throw/air-jd, air normals or DP.
Full screen : You can charge meter with her reflect, D version builds more meter while B version has a greater hitbox. Toss fireballs at a range where jumpins won't reach you, not too many since they will give health+meter via Just Defend.
Mid screen : You can run/stop to get in far B range and poke with it. If you whiff it be ready to react to a jump. If it connects, buffer it with a fireball or forward+AC feint.
Close range : 2A if you fear someone mashing 2AB, clD can prevent escape jumps, mix in command grab from time to time.
