JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future/Rubber Soul

Introduction

Rubber Soul (Robber Soul in localized versions), user of the Temperance Yellow stand. Allied with Dio, R.Soul's stand comes in the form of a massive blob that can change shape and color, allowing R.Soul to take the form of Kakyoin in attempt to battle the protagonist group.

Though he looks like Kakyoin, the two characters play extremely differently. In this game, R.Soul is not exceptionally combo heavy like Kakyoin, but rather his Stand allows him to poke and zone quite a lot of the screen. His stand is used somewhat like a projectile, like Shadow Dio's. But unlike S.Dio's, R.Soul's ground-based Stand attacks can not be blocked in the air, and are significantly faster. R.Soul also comes equipped with a short range projectile and a catch-counter move, making him a mid-range poke and pester character. If a character with minimal and simplistic combos, plus keepaway and footsies poke game sounds good to you, then R.Soul might be a character to try.

Moves List

A1 - A quick jab to the face. This links into itself or c.A1. Hits mid, cancelable into special or stand. Moderate use as an anti-air, or if you can walk under an opponent and strike them from behind. A2 - T.Yellow appears and does a triangular strike, starting with diagonally down then angling vertically up into the air. Hits mid, cancelable into special or stand. This move is deceptively good, as it covers a huge area in front of R.Soul, reaching all the way to the floor and a large vertical area in front and slightly above R.Soul. Wonderful anti-air and bait, really easy to fish with. A good general purpose tool. A3 - T.Yellow appears and creates a short drill in front of R.Soul that hits twice. Hits mid, cancelable into specials and stand. Again, this move is incredibly deceptive. Although it appears very short, the hitbox on it is really large. Being that it hits twice it's also useful for whiff canceling and general confusion techniques.

c.A1 - A quick short kick to the shins. This links into itself or A1. Hits low, cancelable into special or stand. This is going to be your best friend when you play R.Soul, as you'll mostly be using it point blank either in combos, to push the opponent away from you, to set up a tick throw, or just as a general poke. c.A2 - Similar to A3, except R.Soul crouches down and T.Yellow creates the drill close to the ground which hits twice. Hits low, cancelable into special or stand. Although this hits low and seems really good, it's use is actually very specific. It isn't particularly fast, nor does it have especially good hitbox areas, making it something to use when you already have initiative. Being that it hits twice also makes it somewhat difficult to use as a meaty, but this can also work to your advantage at times. c.A3 - T.Yellow appears and does two quick swipes towards the ground. Hits low, cancelable into special or stand. The second swipe is a sweep and will knock the opponent down. Not an especially useful move since the hitbox areas aren't very good, and the startup is slow. But it is a decent punisher when you absolutely need a knockdown.

j.A1 - A jumping finger poke. This move is actually extremely good despite its appearance. Although the damage isn't particularly good, it can combo into your j.S or into a c.A move, unlike R.Soul's other j.A attacks. The active duration of this move is also incredibly long, making it good for meaties or short jumps. A general purpose air move and something you'll want to use quite often. j.A2 - T.Yellow appears and creates the same drill used for A3 and c.A2, except that this drill is angled diagonally downwards and only hits once. The damage is a little better than j.A1, but surprisingly the hitstun is less, so this move won't combo into j.S, but it can combo into c.A1 at the correct heights. j.A3 - Similar to j.A2, but with a bit more startup and more damage. Once again this move won't combo into j.S but it can combo into c.A1 at the right height.

dash.A1 - Same as A1. dash.A2 - Same as A2. This is a useful move for backdashing or dashing, in order to position yourself in an ideal range for an anti-air or general poke. Backdash.A2 is particularly good at stopping low air techs or high jump-ins. dash.A3 - Same as A3.

dash.c.A1 - Same as c.A1. You'll want to use this sparingly during footsies when you feel that coming in from the air is not a good option. Retains some dash momentum, making it decent for getting in close or somewhat useful for meaties as well. dash.c.A2 - Similar to c.A2 except this version only hits once. dash.c.A3 - Similar to c.A3 except the second hit will not knock down. Because the second hit doesn't knock down the use of this move changes a lot, since it can be hit-confirmed into a special or stand attack for a combo. This makes it particularly more useful than the non-dash version. An alternate move to use as a punisher, since you can get a decent combo from this move.

S - T.Yellow appears and spits out all its limbs at close range. Hits mid, launches. This move will "float" a juggled opponent, and despite its appearance it only hits once, making it good for juggles or combo enders. R.Soul regains control after 13F, T.Yellow disappears after 41F. Decent move for quick-canceling/whiff-canceling laggy normals such as a whiffed A2 or A3. c.S - T.Yellow appears and thrusts its foot diagonally toward the ground. Hits low. R.Soul regains control after 13F, T.Yellow disappears after 59F. This move is not particularly useful, especially because the hitbox area is so small and it takes so long for T.Yellow to vanish. It is possible to combo dash.c.A1 on hit, but even with three hits there is not enough time for any followup. The one benefit to this move is it hits low, but because it doesn't even knock down the use of this move is very limited. f.S - T.Yellow spits out a very long zig-zag attack horizontally that arcs slightly diagonally upwards. Hits mid. R.Soul regains control after 13F, T.Yellow disappears after 59F. Because of the huge range on this move it is great for both anti-air and punishing air techs. However, because of the recovery duration for T.Yellow, it is not a very good poke, as the stand will be vulnerable for quite some time, especially on whiff. It can be used to start initiative on block though, because the blockstun duration is substantial enough for R.Soul to dash in with dash.c.A1 to keep the opponent in blockstun until T.Yellow recovers. However, it's primary use is still as an anti-air-tech. b.S - T.Yellow shoots a zig-zag that first arcs diagonally down then diagonally upwards. Hits mid, launches. Possibly one of R.Soul's most useful stand attacks. R.Soul regains control after 13F, T.Yellow disappears after 39F. The hitbox for this is similar to A2, except seemingly even better. It hits extremely low to the ground, and also hits the area in front and above R.Soul. Great for anti-airs and air-tech punish. Combos off the first hit of any of R.Soul's normals from point blank, and because it launches it will set up for either a juggle or air-tech punish. One of your primary artillery moves, and very useful for whiff-canceling. Can also be used when dashing under the opponent since stand moves turn R.Soul around. j.S - T.Yellow appears and strikes with two limbs, but only hits once with the second limb. Hits high, blockable in the air. Can be comboed from j.A1 (but not j.A2 or j.A3). This move will turn R.Soul around in the air when jumping over the opponent or if you airtech over the opponent. If done at the right height it also gives R.Soul enough time ot land and combo c.A1. Can be done immediately after leaving the ground for a fast overhead attack. R.Soul only regains control after landing, T.Yellow disappears after 42F. This is very useful when for shorthops and jumpins and is one of R.Soul's primary means of doing high/low and left/right mixups and can also be used to combo.

Special Moves

qcf+A - "Heado Busa Hakina". R.Soul's projectile. T.Yellow appears and spits out 4 blobs of goo that travel horizontally at slightly different heights. Hits mid, blockable in the air. R.Soul regains control after 19F, T.Yellow disappears after 74F. The startup time for the projectile's active frames make it not possible to combo into, so it is mostly useful for controling space.

qcb+A - "Shokutteyaru". R.Soul's main combo special. T.Yellow sends its upperbody along the ground, trailing goo behind itself. Hits low. On whiff or block this move will continue to extend for a period of time, then retract back to R.Soul, during which time R.Soul is totally vulnerable. This move is extremely punishable on whiff or block, so it is very important to hit-confirm into it before using it. On hit, the move will wrap a blob around the opponent's legs and constrict them for several points of damage, then spit them towards the wall. If the opponent is close enough to the wall they will be wallslammed. During the constriction process, R.Soul is free to move around and use his A1 attacks to hit the opponent.

qcb+S - "Jakuten Hanai", "Do you understand?". R.Soul's catch-counter move. R.Soul will turn his back to the opponent and a blob will form on his back, exposing R.Soul's real face. If an attack connects during the active catch frames then T.Yellow around R.Soul's upper body will "explode", potentially hitting multiple times and causing an instant stand-crush to the opponent. This move will launch the opponent high into the air on successful hit. The catch frame occurs on the 3rd frame, so it is not instant startup.

Super Moves

qcf+AA - "Jam Nishitekureruzei". T.Yellow appears and spews out a bunch of blobs, much like his qcf+A except they travel full screen and he spits out quite a lot more. This move can be comboed only from R.Soul's catch-counter move or on a regular stand crush. Does decent damage and chip, but if done out in the open the opponent can potentially roll right through most/all of the projectiles and potentially even punish this move before T.Yellow disappears. Use this after a knockdown or launcher or successful catch-counter, only use randomly if you anticipate the opponent will do a very laggy attack.

360+AA (or hcb,u+AA or hcf,u+AA) - "Coconut Back Breaker". Unblockable command throw super. The opponent can jump out after the super-flash (on reaction). It can combo from j.A1. Despite it's appearance, it can not be used while T.Yellow is currently active on the screen, making its comboability extremely limited.

Combos

c.A1 c.A1 b+S

c.A1 c.A1 qcb+A

dash.c.A3 qcb+A

c.A2 qcb+A

c.A1 c.A1 f+S dash.c.A1 c.A1

qcb+S (successful catch), qcf+AA

qcb+S (successful catch), dash.A2, S, A1

j.A c.A1 c.A1 qcb+A (or b+S)

j.A1 j.S c.A1 c.A1 qcb+A (or b+S)

j.A 360+AA

guardreversal, dash.j.A1 (late), A1, b+S, A1

corner guardreversal, A1 (late), S, A1

qcb+A/b+S Followups

After successfully hitting with qcb+A, R.Soul has the option to hit the opponent while they are being constricted by T.Yellow. Generally, you can connect about 7 A1 attacks before the opponent is released. But this will also drive up the combo count, which limits your followup options.

- If you attack the opponent with A1's you can finish the juggle with S, A1.

- Or if you do not hit them during the constriction you can instead do A2, S, A1.

They both do roughly the same amount of damage, though the former is stronger.

The Basics

All of R.Soul's ground-based A-type and S-type attacks can not be blocked in the air. This is where b+S and f+S come in handy, as b+S launches and f+S has very huge horizontal distance and can punish air techs.

A2 and b+S are particularly useful for anti-air. Also qcf+A can be used to discourage jumping.

Because qcb+A is so laggy on whiff it is important to hit-conform an attack before using it. This makes 2-hit moves useful in this regard, as well as the c.A1 c.A1 link. The ideal way to hitconfirm into it is with any of the following: c.A2, A3, dash.c.A3, [c.A1]x2, or after any [j.A, A]. If you're not sure or can't confirm the qcb+A then you can instead use b+S, or choose to do a very late qcb+S.

All of R.Soul's A-type attacks can be canceled at any time during the animation into either S-type, specials, or supers. This is particularly useful for covering whiffed pokes or general baiting, such as using A2 out in the open, then whiff canceling it into b+S or qcf+A, or even qcb+S.

When T.Yellow is actively on the screen, either by using an S-type attack or special move (namely qcf+A), R.Soul will be unable to use any attack that requires T.Yellow, which includes all A2 and A3 attacks, S-attacks, throws, specials, and supers. In other words, when T.Yellow is out, R.Soul can only use A1-type attacks and will not be able to throw.

T.Yellow can be hit by the opponent's attacks when it is actively on the screen. This makes it extremely punishable to supers and long-range hitting moves. For example, whiffing f+S leaves T.Yellow on the screen long enough to be punished by an opponent's super.

R.Soul's primary high/low game involves the use of j.S. You can do a j.A1 then either do a high or a low as your next hit by choosing to do either j.S or land c.A.

If the opponent blocks a j.A in the air you can j.S to keep them in blockstun and allow you to land before they do, which can let you anti-air guardbreak them with A1.

Advanced Strategy

R.Soul can fuzzyguard by doing a deep j.A1 then land and while-rising instant j.A1. If the j.A1 connects you can combo a j.S, but this leaves you quite vulnerable even if you were jumping backwards.

R.Soul can perform a very fast overhead by doing a instant j.S while rising, but like the fuzzyguard, this leaves you quite vulnerable even if you were jumping backwards.

Alternately you can also j.A1 j.S land j.A1 for a fuzzyguard, assuming the opponent standblocks the j.S. This leaves you slightly less vulnerable since T.Yellow disappears shortly after, and you can use it again on descent (but note that it doesn't disappear fast enough for you to combo it). This essentially gives you two high/low mixups in a row, but the reward is less.

Jumping over the opponent and using j.S will turn R.Soul towards the opponent, which is useful after air-teching. But it can also be used for a left/right mixup (crossup). Ideally this would be done after knocking down the opponent so that you could potentially hit high from the left or right, or land and hit low from the left or right (creating a 4-way mixup)

Likewise, S-type attacks will turn R.Soul torward the opponent when dashing under a jumping or air-teching opponent. However, the controls do not "reverse". Therefor, if you dash under the opponent you can perform a b+S by pushing away from the direction you're facing (the way you dashed from) and hit the opponent from behind with a b+S.

Initiative/Momentum can be started with f+S, due to how much blockstun it inflicts. Such as blocked f+S, dash.c.A1 c.A1. But this is very risky on whiff, so use sparingly (when you know f+S won't whiff).

Similarly, dash.c.A into b+S may be more desirable because it is much less likely to whiff and you are still rewarded with blockstun initiative. Dash.c.A3 is particularly good for this because it can be hitconfirmed into qcb+A on hit or b+S on block.

R.Soul's guard-reversal is his neutral S. On successful hit it will launch the opponent and not disappear until the opponent is too close to the ground to followup with a T.Yellow-based attack. However, it's possible to time a dash.A1 when the opponent is near the ground and followup with either S or b+S, then A1. Or midscreen with dash j.A1 (late), A1, b+S, A1.

It's completely useless, but after a throw in the corner it's technically possible to follow-up with a dash.A2 -- though the timing is extremely strict. The reason it's useless is because the opponent can recover immediately after the A2, limiting your follow-up options and removing your chance at meaty-okizeme.

Match-ups

Vs. Mariah:

This is a relatively favorable matchup for R.Soul. You can keep her out of the air with b+S, A2, and f+S fairly easily. backdash.b+S in particular will give Mariah a lot of trouble. If the Mariah player instead chooses to play run-away and throw lots of projectiles, you can pester her back with dash f+S, but you will need to immediately dash after the f+S to put yourself in between her and T.Yellow (guarding T.Yellow as it recovers). Mariah's projectiles are also laggy enough that you can often use qcf+AA to hit her out of them, though you will most likely need to use the move on anticipation rather than reaction. If Mariah throws her silverware projectile you can ignore them by jumping vertically or rolling through them. If Mariah uses her telephone wire move, you can hit the wire to negate the move or hit Mariah with dash.f+S. You can also safely hit Mariah's stand move (the electrical outlet) with whatever move you want, provided you make sure she won't try to hit you while you're hitting the stand. It is, however, difficult to challenge Mariah in the air since her j.A's beat out yours at most heights. So it's ideal to simply stay on the ground until you gain initiative/momentum/knockdown.

Vs. Black Polnareff:

This matchup can be problematic for R.Soul. It's very essential not to whiff any S attacks while A.Polnareff has a stock of super meter, or he will most likely use his run-past super to punish it. It's also very important to learn the areas that you can anti-air his j.A3 from. Which can be difficult if the A.Polnareff player recklessly/randomly switches between regular jump, shortjump, and dash.shortjump. It's difficult to challenge A.Polnareff in the air, so it's best to just stick to the ground unless you gain initiative/momentum. However, if you are able to shut down his air game it can be difficult for A.Polnareff to advance on the ground.

Vs. Shadow Dio:

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure