Introduction
Practically all his moves have had property changes, and he has new moves; he is substantially strengthened from OG.
If you have gauge, his defense is strong, making him safe, more or less.
Move list
At a glance
| Normal throws | |
|---|---|
| Jigoku Otoshi | (throw) f/b + C |
| Ippon Dzuri Nage | (throw) f/b + D |
| Command moves | |
| Daikaiten Geri | f + A |
| Bōtakatobi Geri | f + B |
| Special moves | |
| Senpūkon | A repeatedly |
| Shūten Renpakon | C repeatedly |
| Sansetsukon Chūdan Uchi | hcf + P |
| ┗ Kaen Sansetsukon Chūdan Uchi | (during Sansetsukon Chūdan Uchi) qcf + P |
| Kyōshū Hishōkon | dp + K, (f/b) |
| Suzume Otoshi | qcb + P |
| Karyū Tsuigekikon | qcb + K |
| Super special moves | |
| Chō Kaen Senpūkon | qcf hcb + P |
| Salamander Stream | qcf qcf + P |
| Guren Sakkon | qcf qcf + K |
Normal moves
- cl.C – cancelable.
- cr.C – cancelable, faster to get out than cl.C. Use this as much as you can get away with. though beware of its range since you cant whiff cancel this also it has some recovery.
- cr.A – abnormally long reach. Powerful in zoning.
- cr.D – no longer has the kick portion (so now it’s just a staff hit). It’s quick to get out, and it leaves you less open now, making it easier to use. can whiff cancel as well.
- st.C – now has an attack hitbox at startup, so that it can hit opponents in midair.
- vertical j.B – functions as an overhead if you use it while ascending.
- j.A – has high priority, so use it for air-to-air.
- j.D or j.B – okay for jumping in.
Command moves
- Daikaiten Geri
- f + A
- Billy does a spin kick. It combos from weak moves, and even if it’s blocked, the pushback is such that you aren’t open, unless they guard cancel roll the first hit. The hitbox also happens to have good priority, so you can go on to use it for zoning or combos.
- Bōtakatobi Geri
- f + B
- Billy pole-vaults into a kick. It’s so slow to get out, it doesn’t even combo from strong attacks. It is now an overhead, but if the very tip doesn’t touch, you are open.
Special moves
- Sansetsukon Chūdan Uchi
- hcf + P
- Billy pokes with his staff. The recovery has been shortened, so with its reach, it is even possible to use it for zoning.
- Kaen Sansetsukon Chūdan Uchi
- qcf + P during Sansetsukon Chūdan Uchi
- If hit or blocked, the recovery is long; use hit confirmation.
- Senpūkon
- A repeatedly
- Billy spins his staff, surrounding himself with an attack hitbox. It has the capability to extinguish projectiles, the hitbox has good priority, and it doesn’t leave you very open.
- Shūten Renpakon
- C repeatedly
- Billy pokes forward rapidly. If blocked, the opponent is pushed back a lot, so you can use it to get some distance. Though, if they manage to get behind you or something, you can count on getting punished.
- Kyōshū Hishōkon
- dp + K, (f/b to adjust landing position)
- Billy rises above the screen with a kick that will launch the opponent if it hits, and descends with a multi-hit assault (which can whiff, be blocked, or juggle off the first hit). It is possible to juggle after hitting. The first step has neither high priority nor invincibility, so you can’t really use it as an anti-air. This move combos from strong attacks, but the strong version does not do so safely.
- Karyū Tsuigekikon
- qcb + K
- A new move for EX Billy; unlike normal Billy, EX Billy skips the trap part and cuts right to the striking part. It doesn’t do knockdown, but the weak version combos from weak moves and the strong version combos from strong attacks. The recovery is short. When it does a midair hit, it leaves the opponent juggleable for a very short period.
- Suzume Otoshi
- qcb + P
- Billy thrusts his staff diagonally upward; it can only hit opponents in midair. Although it has no invincibility frames, the reach is long, so you can safely smack the beginnings of jumps. It does two hits when it is a counter-hit. The startup has been made faster, and the hitbox has been made wider.
Super special moves
- Chō Kaen Senpūkon
- qcf hcb + P
- Billy spins his staff with a whirling blaze, covering his whole body with a projectile hitbox. After a bit, he then sends this giant ring of fire forward. The reach is short, but for UM he now has invincibility at startup. Other than as a juggle from Kyōshū Hishōkon, you can use it for interruption. After the MAX version hits, the opponent is now left with a hitbox as long as they’re still rising; in the corner, Guren Sakkon will combo.
- Salamander Stream
- qcf qcf + P
- Much like Chō Kaen Senpūkon, Billy surrounds himself with a flaming ellipse (which has a projectile hitbox). The reach is long (well, long compared to characters that are not Billy), and the damage is extremely high. It is now faster to get out, and it now combos from weak moves.
- Guren Sakkon
- qcf qcf + K
- Billy rises while surrounded by a ring of fire. This has invincibility at startup, and has a hitbox until just before it descends.
- For the MAX version, Billy fires the flames downward, which will hit opponents launched by the rising portion.
- This has invincibility at startup, but the damage is low for a midair hit, and can easily trade hits if used as an anti-air. Use this move for interruption or as an early anti-air.
Combos
Basics
- (cr.B > cl.B) or cr.C or cl.C >> Daikaiten Geri (f + A) or weak Karyū Tsuigekikon (qcb + B)
- Pretty simple combo. It doesn’t do knockdown, but it’s safe even if blocked.
- j.D > cr.C >> weak Sansetsukon Chūdan Uchi (hcf + A) >> Kaen Sansetsukon Chūdan Uchi (qcf + P)
- This does knockdown, so you want to aim for this when you know you’ll get it.
- cr.B > cl.B >> weak Salamander Stream (qcf qcf + A)
- Useful super combo.
- ( Extra guage, Corner ) cr.B > cl.B >> Daikaiten Geri (f + A) >> weak Salamander Stream (qcf qcf + A)
- one of your best combo really.
- cr.C >> weak Kyōshū Hishōkon (dp + B) > j.C or st.C or Suzume Otoshi (qcb + P) (out of the corner) or qcf hcb + A (corner)
- (corner) cr.C >> weak Kyōshū Hishōkon (db + B) > MAX version Chō Kaen Senpūkon (qcf hcb + AC) > Guren Sakkon (qcd qcf + K)
- Only for Advanced Mode. Use qcf hcb + AC to activate the Chō Kaen Senpūkon.
The Basics
At mid-range, cr.A may seem a given, but it is slow to get out, and it would not be odd at all if it were dealt with severely. Thus, being careful not to throw it out there too much, play it so that the very tip will touch. Bear in mind that you should occasionally switch out vertical j.A, Sansetsukon Chūdan Uchi, or one of the command moves to mix up the rhythm.
When you see the right moment, close the gap by zoning with something like j.C or j.CD, then continue to push and turtle up the opponent with mainly Daikaiten Geri, cr.B, and j.C. When it seems the opponent is going to try interrupting, you’ll want to remember to block immediately.
When you do not have gauge, you will be unable to use Guren Sakkon, and in this situation Billy’s defense isn’t strong, so you’ll want to look ahead as much as possible and following up with what will work. In particular, during cr.A, there are a lot of patterns in which the opponent will jump over, so when you use it, you have to watch out for those.
First, look at the jump-checker, st.B. It is defenseless to foot-level hits, so don’t throw it out too much; just show it every once in a while. If you’re pretty sure the opponent will jump in, you should tap the jump’s startup with the first hit of Daikaiten Geri. It’s safe even if blocked, and it’s quick to get out, so as long as you don’t overuse it, it can hardly be interrupted.
Also, showing off Suzume Otoshi is extremely effective. It leaves you seemingly very open, so you may just catch the opponent by spamming it. But the risk is also extremely high, so don’t get caught up in it.
To some extent, if you’ve got the room, it can be helpful to flash st.D. Even if this gets jumped, it will generally win out; unless the opponent has a rushing move that’s quick to get out, it’s hard to counter. That being said, it leaves you pretty open, so naturally, you must not overuse it.
In UM, EX Billy can now actually do meaties. It’s high-risk, but you have Bōtakatobi Geri, and if you won’t use gauge, you have the combo from cr.B (though it doesn’t do knockdown). If you want a knockdown from the low hit, you could go for the cr.D instead.