

Startup | Active | Recovery | Cancel | Damage | Guard | On Hit | On Block |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
17 | 4 | 21 | SA3 | 1200 | LH | KD +36 | -5 |
- Upper Body Armor (1-hit): 5-10f
- Cancel Hitconfirm Window: 21f (Super)
- Can hold button to charge; armor time is extended, but ends upon early button release
- Holding button 11-12f can extend armor time by 1-2f without increasing startup
- Startup after partial charge release: 5f (frames 12-19); 4f (frames 20-25)
Startup | Active | Recovery | Cancel | Damage | Guard | On Hit | On Block |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
19 | 4 | 21 | SA3 | 1400 | LH | KD +36 | -5 |
- Upper Body Armor (1-hit): 5-12f
- Cancel Hitconfirm Window: 21f (Super)
- Can hold button to charge; armor time is extended, but ends upon early button release
- Startup after partial charge release: 7f (frames 12-19); 6f (frames 20-28)
Startup | Active | Recovery | Cancel | Damage | Guard | On Hit | On Block |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
22 | 4 | 21 | SA3 | 1600 | LH | KD +36 | -5 |
- Upper Body Armor (1-hit): 5-15f
- Cancel Hitconfirm Window: 21f (Super)
- Can hold button to charge; armor time is extended, but ends upon early button release
- Holding button 33-34f results in uncharged 236HP with slower startup than full-charge version
- Startup after partial charge release: 10f (frames 12-19); 9f (frames 20-27), 8f (frames 28-34)
Startup | Active | Recovery | Cancel | Damage | Guard | On Hit | On Block |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
19 | 4 | 21 | SA2 SA3 | 1700 | LH | KD +36 | -2 |
- Upper Body Armor (1-hit): 1-22f; Armor Break
- Cancel Hitconfirm Window: 21f (Super)
- Applies 30% damage scaling to next hit when beginning a combo (100/70/60...)
- Can hold button to charge; armor time is extended, but ends upon early button release
- Startup after partial charge release: 8f (frames 11-12); 7f (frames 13-19), 6f (frames 20-28)
An armored straight punch that "stabs" the opponent, Gladius has multiple applications for offense, defense, and neutral.
Marisa can harass opponents in the mid-range and chip away at their Drive gauge while taking advantage of the high pushback to keep herself safe. This is fairly easy to do, as even a ranged 5MP~MP canceled into Gladius is usually safe on block. Higher strength versions have more range in exchange for slower startup; it's important not to whiff in neutral, as Gladius is easily whiff punished. If the opponent has a strong cancelable low poke, the lack of lower-body armor makes this move much risker to use in neutral; it still remains effective in combos and blockstrings, however.
The most important attribute of Gladius is its ability to charge into a more powerful version by holding the button. A fully charged Gladius breaks armor, rendering Drive Impact useless unless they predict an early release. The OD version even breaks armor without charge, making it the best version to use if you want to guarantee safety. Partially charging the attack also makes it harder for the opponent to Perfect Parry on reaction, somewhat mitigating one of Marisa's biggest weaknesses. Be aware that charging gives the opponent more time to react with something like an invincible Super, which will break Marisa's armor and interrupt any gap in the blockstring.
Gladius's armor only covers the upper half of her hurtbox; any attack with a low enough hitbox will hit Marisa out of startup. She also loses any remaining armor the moment the button is released. The punch release starts up surprisingly fast after a partial charge, allowing Marisa to punish absorbed jump-ins or projectiles fairly consistently on reaction to the armor activation. This makes it a semi-consistent anti-air, though it's more easily baited by an empty jump than her other options like 214LP.
As a combo ender, Gladius is highly damaging, but pushes the opponent far away. Marisa thrives off momentum, so it's important to pick combo routes that will take you to the corner, or use an alternative ender midscreen. It is cancelable into SA3 (and SA2 for the OD version), and can potentially even be single-hit-confirmed on reaction. Be aware that these Super cancels can whiff midscreen from farther ranges, so they should only be done in guaranteed combo situations or in the corner.