My roommate Eshi mains Justice, so I've been getting a good bit of experience with the matchup. Figured I'd get the ball rolling on its thread.

Overview

The first thing you should know is that the matchup sucks. Justice is a very simple character, but her tools have anti-ABA written all over them. The matchup tends to go like this: either she keeps you out all day or she keeps you out until you get in, at which point you must go full ham and crush her. You NEED to capitalize on opportunities like this--if she's allowed to push you back out, any damage you dealt can be negated pretty easily by Justice, either by cranking up your guard gauge (which JU is surprisingly good at) and capitalizing, or by simply nickel-and-dining your tension, then health away via missiles. To make things worse, nearly any hit she connects can be confirmed into Michael Sword, which sends you flying full screen for a knockdown. If/when this happens, you're back at square one, only now you have 1/3 less gauge.

Things you have to watch out for

f.S - The long multi-hit stab. Beats all your pokes in both modes (except 5K, which it sometimes trades poorly with). Annihilates non-FB Danzai and can easily punish either version. Can be cancelled into Michael Sword for full screen knockdown. Fast for its range, tough to punish. You can Slide under it, but depending on the timing, she might be able to throw you before you recover. Fuck this move.

6P - Tall karate chop. Two hits, both overhead, the first of which comes out in 10 frames, but will whiff crouching A.B.A. The second hit also comes out fairly fast and has decent range, so watch out. Cancels into Michael Blade for full screen knockdown. Oh, and it's her upper body invincible move, so it's godly anti-air.

j.K - Poseiden trident. Giant hitbox, fast, beats your air options clean. Cancels into air Michael Sword for full screen knockdown.

Missiles - A;LSKDJFLAJEJFGL. When Justice hits 22+button, a missile comes out. There are five different ones: knee level, head level, and differing high arcs. Each has 7f startup and the button can be held upon performing the move. The missiles will explode upon direct contact OR when the Justice releases the button. This makes missiles incredibly hard for A.B.A. to get around since triggering them via button release essentially means the Justice can choose when and where to make their hitboxes huge, which gives her an AMAZING space control game. It also can lead to deceitful situations where you might appear to have enough room to maneuver past it... until the Justice makes its hitbox 5x bigger. You can Slide under the low missiles, but not their explosions, so the option is moot. All missiles are three hits and she can have up to five on screen at once. You can't slashback the first hit and block the rest--I tested this by SB'ing the first and immediately blocking. You'll still get hit by the 2nd and 3rd hits, so if you're going to slashback a hit, you should SB the third only, but even that is difficult since each hit comes in rapid succession. If you block one up close, she can have another out quickly, and if you trade with an explosion, it will likely be unfavorable. Because of this, they're a legit poke when you're close. Missiles have an untechable time of 60f. If you jump and get tagged by a missile high up, you can land on other missiles on your way down, like a game of Plinko: Fuck You edition. She can also tack on Michael Sword if there's enough time before you land. If all that's not enough, all four missiles have an FRC just as the move goes active. The one saving grace is that they all immediately disappear when Justice is hit... unless the explosion is coming out, in which case you'll still unfavorably trade. I hate these and if you play A.B.A. you probably will too.

Michael Sword - Sword swipe special, can be performed in air. Big hitbox, can be used to directly control space. More likely, you'll see this confirmed into from random hits. Sends you flying full screen for huge untechable time and knockdown. Even if you're high up, if you get tagged with this, you probably won't be teching. The air version is even worse, since it's hitbox is MASSIVE (like, 2/3 of the screen) and she can perform additional air attacks even after whiffing it (probably j.K since why not?). The air S version also has an FRC point just as the swipe is coming out. The differences between S and HS versions are mostly negligible (S versions groundslide while HS versions wallbounces), since they both do the same thing: knock you out of the park.

Counter - Justice hangs her tail forward for a catch-counter. The startup isn't immediate (frame 9), but it's got a fat catch window (frames 9-28). Only catches mids/highs, so if she's abusing it, 2D > Rekka loop to deter them.

Lightning backflip - Foot invul on frame 1, meaning she can beat meaty 2Ks for free. Yeah, I know, what the fuck. Fortunately, the foot invul is only up close; if you need to tag her with a low, just do 2D since it's too long range for her to avoid.

FB Dash - Justice does a quick offensive dash. It's mostly used to get her out of the corner once she's pinned, but if your pressure is tight, she won't have the chance. It's got a little bit of invul in the middle, but it's nothing to worry about. If you ever see a Justice do the aerial version above you while you're in Moroha, snipe her with 2S for juicy CH damage.

Michael Blade - Sword swipe super. Invincible through frames 1-15, floats. This is Justice's reversal. It's good, so watch for it when she has meter on wakeup. If she doesn't have meter on wakeup, stick to her like glue--it might be your only chance to take the round.

Cyclops beam super - A beam fires from just above Justice's head and sweeps the screen. If she does this while you're jumping in, you're either losing all your tension, taking mad chip damage, or both. Haven't seen this as much so I otherwise can't comment.

Match Flow

The typical match flow goes as follows.

Opening:

She has - f.S, missile, backdash, tk Michael Sword, counter

You have - Slide, block, jump away

Right out the gate, you're in for some shit. The simple explanation of the meta here: Justice really has no reason to open with anything other than f.S, since it beats everything you do, is fast, and can be confirmed into Mike, giving JU a chance to open with some damage and full screen KD, giving her the perfect opportunity to start setting up missile spam. The only thing you can do that can address f.S as a opener is Slide, which will go under it and put you in a position to throw > dash > Keygrab, which is beuno for ABA. The timing on the throw seems a little iffy though--sometimes it seems like ABA can throw first, other times it seems like JU throwing ABA before Slide completes is guaranteed. However, JU has options that will obviously blow up Slide as an opener; early release missile being the easiest one, as it's still useful if you didn't slide and can possibly be confirmed into f.S > Mike for advantage. As for your other options, DO NOT backdash, her f.S is so active it will clip your recovery > Mike, and even if she doesn't confirm, f.S knocks down on low air hits. Jumping away is less risky, but still bad if you were slow enough to get clipped by f.S, since you don't have barrier to chicken block at the start of the round. The opening of each round is completely out of your favor--honestly it might be best to just start off blocking and take a wait-and-see approach.

Friendzoned:

So let's say you draw the short stick and get hit with whatever > Mike. You're now waking up fullscreen, she has time to set out some missiles, and if you're in Moroha you just lost a third of your gauge. Now what? In either mode, BE PATIENT. Thinking you're gonna be slick and IAD j.H that bitch a thing or two is going to lead to you getting hit with one or more missiles > Michael Sword. At the same time, you can't afford to be too patient. Missiles can really wreck guard gauge surprisingly quickly and faultlessing through multiple three hit missiles will chew through your tension. The best option is to actively try to get back in, but be smart about it. Don't mindlessly jump or IAD, really try to pay attention to the patterns the Justice player is using with the missiles. In which order do they typically do them? Do they try to blow them up a little early so you'll run directly into it, or do they blow them up before you reach them as roadblocks to corral your movement? You have to take tiny, seemingly insignificant gaps or irregularities and turn them into great gains. You must learn to run across a tightrope here.

Up Close and Anti-Personnel

After closing the gap, you're essentially no better off than when you started, since even a single mistake is going to lead to Michael Sword and a complete reset of your progress. I think Normal mode is perhaps slightly preferable, since 1. your options are equally shitty in Moroha mode, and 2. You have access to FB Slide. Regular Slide isn't so great since you can't low-profile explosions, but FB Slide does dat work. Use it, and you're in, period. FB Slide > Throw > dash > Keygrab > you're golden, or FB Slide > command throw Keygrab if you can. You also might be able to start an offense, albeit a mediocre one, by getting close but slightly out of throw range--Justice's normals are fast for their range, but less useful against faster attacks up close. In Moroha, you can try dash > FD Brake to defend against missiles, but beware of f.S and tk.Michael Sword. ABA's f.S definitely loses a lot of its normal utility here since JU's f.S destroys it, and your new 5H is nigh useless as a footsie tool in this matchup since it's just too slow. 2D is good to keep in mind since it has enough range and speed to compete, but is far from free. Don't airdash in either mode since you'll be wide open; if you need to jump, normal/double jump is recommended, FD'ing if you get within JU's normal range. Danzai is usually a bad idea due to f.S. Also, in either mode, beware of Justice's throw range, since it's better than yours.

IT'S TIME

This is that happy place where you got in, you're in Moroha, and Justice is knocked down. Before you get to dig in, you need to keep in mind how you transformed. If you pack'd beforehand or were already in Moroha before scoring the KD, look at your bar and make a mental note of how much you have to play around with. If you landed a strike Keygrab, beware of its recovery increase in +R. You'll have time to mount an offense, but not much, and you probably won't have time for more elaborate setups (j.S fuzzy or FB Bloodball unblockable). On the flipside, if you managed to land the command grab Keygrab, you can do pretty much whatever you want since its knockdown time was increased. Whatever the case, once you're on top of her, ANNIHILATE. Fuck up her guard gauge and roast that bitch. Moroha gauge running low? Burn 50% and a Bloodpack on a Goku Moroha frame trap to refresh your bar and become even scarier, or go for command Keygrab > Keygrab. Just watch out for Michael Blade, throw, counter, and DAA; she doesn't have much else (well, backdash, but if she gets into a habit of this, use 5H more in your pressure. Does a great job of scooping her).

Random wrap-up

Odds and ends of this matchup:

- Justice's hurtbox is fat and she's a middleweight. If you land a starter, she's essentially a combo dummy.

- Her health is a hair below average.

- Unfortunately, she's tied for highest guts in the game at 5 (with Anji and Baiken). Combined with the universal health buff, this means she soaks up damage really well starting below 50%. Taking out those last few percentages can be like pulling teeth.

- Justice has a Potemkin-esque backdash: slow and mad invincible, but with slighty more recovery on the end. Plan accordingly and murder her.

- Her ground and air throw ranges are quite large.

If I think of anything else later, I'll post up.

I'm in the process of learning ABA, and the local Robo has been kicking my ass. Information on the matchup seems scarce on DL (even his matchup thread against ABA is almost barren), and good match vids are hard to come by (I've only found one match between Dogura vs. Fumo in a 23v23).

I'm having trouble getting into Moroha, anti-airing his hammers, keeping him in the corner, and dealing with his pressure/mixup in general (bazooka oki, 5k, well spaced slide, command grab, dust, and fire 5P).

Any advice or strats are welcome.

Japanese ranking: 5.5-4.5 A.B.A

Murder her once, block her mixups, and murder her again. More contribution needed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzIkrZriKG0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX2MNENa_vo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgqKEiduF3c

Since Zappa changes so drastically with each summon, I'll just split this up into summon-specific matchups.

A.B.A. vs. Naked Zappa (no summon)

What to watch out for:

-his 6P hits low, goes under a lot of shit, and gives a KD on CH.

-his 5K and 5D have lower invincibility. His 5D also has throw invincibility and can be special canceled.

-his naked f.S hits mid in the air, and the puddle it makes on the ground hits low and causes quick stagger.

-his summon is invincible for the first 9 frames, but is very punishable on block. KD on hit.

-his 5HS and 6HS both hit high.

-his j.HS hits behind him.

-his throw and airthrow both KD.

-his super is completely invincible until the recovery.

How to fight him:

While you're in normal mode, you're both at kind of an equal footing. Try to get into moroha as soon as possible, but only try for it if it's safe (across the screen or off of a 5HS). Normal mode 6HS works as an okay AA if timed right. It's not as quick coming out as 2S or 2HS, but it can combo safely into bloodpack and if you score a CH they're almost already dizzied, though he tends not to go in the air much since his air normals aren't too great. When in moroha mode, always beware of the summon or 6P, as they can beat you out clean if you're getting predictable. Do not underestimate Zappa just because he doesn't have a summon out.

A.B.A. vs. Triplets

What to watch out for:

-his P ghost toss goes straight up, then comes straight down on you no matter where you are on the screen. It hits mid though, so don't get tricked into blocking high and eating a 6P.

-2HS/j.HS KD's on hit, and it's very easy for zappa to crossover with j.HS.

-if you get haunted, the banana peel hits low and KD's.

-his 6HS hits high, and hits 3 times. he can make unblockable setups with this and the banana peel.

How to fight him:

At some point, you're going to get caught under heavy pressure by the triplets. If one is haunting you, it's going to get even heavier. You'll have to try to work your way in to Zappa while blocking everything that gets thrown out at you. 1 hit will get rid of the triplets, including any that are haunting you. Nothing zappa has in this state does too great of damage (excluding 6HS), but his ability to get hits in is very high, and as a result means he can knock you out of moroha very quickly. Play cautiously, and be selectively-aggressive. Once you get your pressure going on him, there's really nothing he can do to shrug you off except a DAA. If you get a hit in while a golf ball is coming at you and try to combo, the golf ball won't dissapear. If you throw a well timed Danzai in the combo, however, you'll just go right through it. This fight is all about patience.

A.B.A. vs. The Sword

What to watch out for:

-he has a decent SRK in this mode.

-his 5HS can outpoke your f.S, and even your 5HS if timed right.

-lots of knockdowns. CH SRK, sword slide follow up, sword swipe, sword spin, and of course throw, airthrow, CH 6P, and 2D

-decent damage.

-strong anti-air (2HS and SRK)

-j.HS has good crossup potential.

-6HS hits twice; first high, then low.

How to fight him:

Poke cautiously. If you get the pressure going, keep it on hard until he cracks (just watch out for reversal DP's). If you get put on the defensive, just wait until you catch an opening. The swords specials all have long recovery time if they're not FRC'd. Nothing too fancy about this fight, however.

A.B.A. vs. The Dog

What to watch out for:

-unblockables (the dog bite is unblockable unless it's used as a follow up attack, and it's air dive hits high, which can make for unblockable setups if mixed with a low attack).

-if you hit the dog, whatever attack killed it will not connect with Zappa. If you kill it with the first hit of f.S, that hit will not touch Zappa, but the 2nd hit of f.S still will.

-the dog attacks independently of Zappa, meaning if you have him in a blockstring, he can still make the dog attack while he's blocking and combo you into a KD.

-the dog has an uppercut that comes out fast and KD's.

-the unblockable dog bite KD's.

How to fight him:

While FB Danzai-ing Zappa/dog combos is hilarious, try to avoid danzai. Zappa can easily let the dog get hit by the first hit, and make you his bitch afterwards. If Zappa's sitting on his dog, f.S can kill any counter attempt the dog might make, and still hit Zappa afterwards. Try to push zappa away from his dog so it can't interrupt your pressure as easily. Zappa tends to be easy to tick throw in this state, so use that to your advantage. If you get knocked down, prepare to face retarded oki. The dog can unblockable you on wakeup multiple times if you aren't able to get it off of you. In this case, one of the safest things to do is probably a wakeup EX danzai. you'll probably get punished by a summon/KD afterwards, but it's better than getting KD'd by the bite again and having to wakeup into another one. Besides, there's always the chance it could connect. If you have the tension, RCing the first hit is your best bet, and if you have a burst, that's the time to use it. Just don't get burst baited and stuck in the loop again. This summon is possibly the hardest part about fighting Zappa.

A.B.A. vs. Raoh

What to watch out for:

-highest damage combos in the game. period.

-a high damage SRK with fully invincible startup.

-edguy KD's, darkness anthem KD's, and 6HS groundslides.

-DA and raoh's super do 2x chip damage.

How to fight him:

For the love of god poke safely. Raoh isn't as bad as you'd think, but if you go rushing in making stupid mistakes you will be killed, end of story. Danzai is good for beating out most of what he throws at you, but don't abuse it by any means. Also, only try to Danzai him out of moves if you have the health to cover it. Example scenario, if you run in and bait an edguy with a FB Danzai, and Zappa RC's, edguys, RC's, and edguys again, yes your danzai will connect, but you just lost 1/3 of your life. Fortunately, edguy has long recovery, so on block you can easily punish it. If you're feeling risky, you can try airdashing in and FDing a baited edguy, landing and punishing. Raoh has no overheads except for 5D and any air attacks, so block low until you see one of those. Watch out for tick throw attempts too, as one of those will take off a large chunk of your life, and once a Zappa realizes they won't be breaking through your defense, they're bound to try for one. Raoh dissapears after about 15 seconds, so if you can defend or keep the pressure going for that long, he'll be reverted back to naked Zappa. This fight is similar to potemkin, just with different areas of caution, and more at risk if you fuck up.

Well, that's all I have on this matchup for now. Long story short, you can decimate him with a couple good combos, but he has dozens of options to knock you down. I hope I didn't leave anything out. If anybody has anything to add or correct me on, please do.

Japanese ranking: 5.5-4.5 A.B.A

Basically, avoid 2D, Gamma Blade, and dealing with Chipp mixups to the best of your ability. If you hit Chipp, you really hit Chipp.

Contribution needed