Normal Moves
All characters have a set of 18 normal moves. Each button represents a distinct normal move for standing, crouching, and jumping normal states. Normal moves can chain cancel in combos, making many of them useful only in a sequence of attacks instead of on their own. Although normal moves usually represent a punch, kick, or an otherwise less complex action than other attacks, some of them have unexpected properties that make them more important than more advanced techniques.
Command Normals
Some characters have command normals, additional normals that require a directional input with the attack button. Command normals will generally work exactly like the same button normal in a chain combo.
Normal Throws
All characters have a normal throw and air throw with LP+LK. Normal throws will miss aerial opponents and normal air throws miss opponents on the ground. A back throw (← + LP+LK) switches sides with the opponent. All normal throws are unblockable, but have start up, active, and recovery frames on whiff like any other move. On hit, a throw starts animation that cannot be interrupted by any other characters or attacks on screen. Both characters in the animation are invincible, even if it is an assist character throwing a point character. Throws deal 100% recoverable damage and are subject to the same damage scaling and meter gain per hit as any other move. Recovery after normal throws, or the animation after the hits, cancels into special and super moves.
All normal throws will miss opponents while they are in hit stun or block stun, meaning combos into a throw are not possible under most circumstances. Opponents in a stagger or crumple stun can be hit with a throw as a combo. Characters are vulnerable to throws on the first frame after hit stun or block stun. There are no additional frames of throw invulnerability, but holding up will avoid ground to ground throws that hit on the first frame after the stun.
A typical normal throw has a 5f start up with a 8f tech window starting 2f before the throw hits and ending 6f after it hits. Characters with slower normal throws have additional frames of start up before the same active frames and 8f tech window.
It is possible to cancel the start up frames of normal move into a throw, but only LP and LK. The popular kara throw technique, as seen in other 2D fighters with a 2 button normal throw command, is possible but considerably more restricted than in older games. Throws cannot cancel the active or recovery frames of any move.
Special Moves
- Stuff goes here
Special moves that are also throws usually have a LP+LK in their command. Most cannot be broken, but if they can it's also with LP+LK. Many command throws can be blocked (Throw On Hit) and you can even combo into some of them. If two special or super throws connect on the same frame, one randomly chosen throw will succeed.