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 your attack button multiple times 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 your attack button seven times consecutively and will result in your character either launching your opponent into the air or downward into the ground on the sixth press, then teleporting in accordance and smashing them forward into the distance. The final two hits of Rush Finish can be vanished by tapping the guard button as they hit you. Rush In Attack is the better of the two paths, preformed by tapping attack 5 times, dash once, and then pressing down, nothing, or up while pressing attack 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 attack button taps, none of these attacks can be vanished, these 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 Smash) having five variations with differences in strength and effect on opponent. To preform a Smash Attack, hold the attack 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 which can all be vanished. The first of these three and most likely to be done is Dragon Smash, done by tapping dash and then either tapping or holding attack, tapping dash will cause your character to go into a Dragon Dash, tapping attack will make you instantly preform a Full Power smash with no charging time. The next of these three is Vanishing Attack, done by tapping the ki blast button, this will cause your character to teleport in the way of your opponent and instantly hit them to send them flying once more. The final attack is Lightning Attack, done by tapping guard, this will cause your character to teleport above the opponent and push them downward, usually until they land on the ground. Both Dragon Smash and Vanishing attack can be directed just like all other Smash Attacks.
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.