Mortal Kombat 1/Darrius

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+50 Health Overhead Mixups Kombo Extension Ambush stun/crumple Hard-to-blockable setups Jump-cancellable armored launcher	Full gauge Ambush cost (K) Slower startup Longer cooldown and/or recharge rate Dependence on setups Conditional/restricted Ambush (D+K)

Darrius, a resistance fighter against Seido’s oppression and advocate for Havik’s message of Chaos, is one of the game’s most cooperative rushdown/mixup Kameo Partners; many of his moves/animations feature the lead character interacting with him by performing back-to-back or dual attacks, flipping him over the opponent or swinging him in a circle by his arms. Darrius mostly specializes in kombo extension, as well as overhead mixups and block pressure.

His “Tornado Kick” (K) assist is an Ambush that slowly calls out Darrius to spin in a roundhouse motion and kick the opponent, leaving the opponent reeling mid-air in a stun/crumple state on hit which can be converted into kombos (usually by interrupting moves that normally do not allow for follow-up hits or kombos); this attack is also highly advantageous on block. Tornado Kick costs a full Kameo Gauge to perform and has several built-in follow-up attacks that can be performed only when the initial kick connects on hit or block, as long as the lead character is close enough to Darrius when inputting the commands. Some of these follow-ups include “The Double Whammy” (K, B+K), an armored uppercut that is neutral on block (which can either be followed by one of two safe additional built-in enders or jump-cancelled into a launcher for 2 bars of super meter), as well as his other Summon abilities (Volleyballistic/Eat Dirt after “Tornado Kick” or Twister Kicks after “Double Whammy”). Using Tornado Kick by itself will have a longer cooldown and recharge rate, while using the enders will have a more generous recharge.

His “Volleyballistic” (F+K) assist is a Summon move where the lead character turns around and flips Darrius backwards over their head, kicking down onto the opponent as an Overhead if close enough to connect. This initial kick will knockdown on hit leaving the opponent close, but can keep the player safe or plus on block, from -4 to +1 depending on the active frames (has 9 active frames, will mostly always connect on the 4th at earliest). There is a built-in follow-up kick (“Eat Dirt”), an Overhead launcher that will come out automatically after Volleyballistic connects and is highly plus on block; however, holding the Kameo button will delay this attack or cancel it if held for the full 3-second duration. This can allow the player to set up hard-to-block overhead/low mix as well as create strike-throw mindgames (enforcing a guess between stand-blocking the Overhead or neutral-ducking the Throw). Characters with stun or freeze abilities may be able to easily kombo into Volleyballistic as a kombo ender in order to guarantee this setup on oki. He has also gained a new “Heelturn” (D+K) assist, an Ambush version of “Eat Dirt” that calls Darrius onscreen behind the opponent to perform the same animation ; however, this version will cause a knockdown instead of launching, and can only be performed when the opponent is knocked down or about to land on the floor after being hit. This move is equally plus on block and can be used to further his potential for overhead mixups. A successful Up Block against “Volleyballistic,” “Eat Dirt” or “Heelturn” will add 15 more frames of block disadvantage; Up Blocking “Volleyballistic” will also prevent Darrius from performing “Eat Dirt” and cause him to immediately run offscreen, leaving the player at -19 on block and increasing the cooldown period before the Kameo Gauge begins refilling.

His “Twister Kicks” (B+K) assist is a Summon where the lead character grabs Darrius by the arms and swings him in a circle to kick the opponent three times into a slight knockback. This assist has very good range and can keep the player safe at -7 on block with slight pushback; however, it can be Flawless Blocked at any point of the move to nullify pushback, and Flawless Blocking the last hit will add 10 more frames of block recovery (-17). This attack gains invulnerability on its first frame when used as a Getup.