Adachi vs Akihiko

[Red]

Discuss the matchup here. Relevant information discussed in old posts will get carried over here.

Relevant footage: FT10 between Musui (Akihiko) and Damosu (Adachi). Breakdown/Analysis : https://youtu.be/HMlKEbSvlVk

Edited August 21, 2015 by Red

[Red]

If you want a more in-depth analysis about Akihiko's moves and possible answers Adachi has, please check Drake Aldan's post in the old MU thread.

The rest of the post is more about giving a general impression/advice without going into too much detail. 

There's also a TL;DR at the end of the post.

Adachi vs Akihiko is a hard MU to approach for Adachi, because he has very little room for errors. Akihiko is about as explosive as Adachi, but without needing awakening. Whiffing a DP is completely horrible, as you're likely to straight up die or lose your burst, and in the worst possible case, both. (Thanks, 10% blue health)

Because of this, one of the most important things in this matchup is to know how to manage your health properly, because unlike other characters, Akihiko does not need a crazy amount of resources to kill you and deny your comeback potential through Magatsu Mandala. You want to be in awakening in this MU, even if it costs you your burst. I will update this post with some self-awakening combos so you have an easier time surviving the two-fisted protein junkie.

2C/5D are basically useless buttons in this MU, outside of combos and resets. Akihiko should be playing a solid ground game and not jumping around.

Despite this, Akihiko does have a few weaknesses that Adachi can capitalize on. Adachi's J.C and J2.D game is somewhat effective against Akihiko thanks to his anti-air 2B covering little to no range, and his air to air pokes also cover very little range. Despite this, his 2B's head invuln kicks in fairly quickly, so reckless J.C's are going to get punished hard. 

Akihiko's DP is also a problem because Adachi does not have that many long range safe pressure options. You'll often risk yourself walking into DP range if you want to open him up. Baiting it all the time is also not a good idea, as you will give up pressure for free or worse, getting hit. If you're afraid of this, use 5C/Gun/2D or upback J.C to pressure him "safely". Akihiko's DP can turn into big damage/silence/UB setups (if you're not paying attention to B Cork), which can be a little annoying.

While I'll try to update the post with a more in-depth breakdown of how the MU goes, Anne's breakdown of a FT10 between Musui vs Damosu (top JP Akihiko and Adachi players respectively) is a must-see to get a good reference on this MU as well as some insight on the defensive options in P4U2.

You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/HMlKEbSvlVk

So basically:

• Akihiko is very explosive. Adachi either plays carefully or dies quickly. He can be just as explosive as Akihiko, however.
• Adachi's J.C and J2.D are good in this MU because Akihiko's short range on his anti air. I don't recommend "toying with him" a lot. Those fists hurt, and the head invuln on his 2B kicks in pretty fast.
• Gun/5C/2D follow the same advice as before. Use it at the risk of getting called out and dying for it.
• You need to take risks to open him up. If you get called out, it's going to hurt.
• If you're having a lot of trouble with Akihiko's DP, try to end your blockstrings with 214A/B and play at a distance with him. 5C/2D/J.C are pretty good at this. 5C is especially bad on whiff, so watch for that.
• Your main problems against Akihiko are going to be:
  • His DP, which is pretty fast, and hurts a lot on counterhit. You might need to change the way you approach him if you get scared.
  • His 2B. Although it has tiny range it's a VERY good 2B, and leads to huge damage on CH.
  • Dying off random confirms. You can't whiff anything on this matchup. Get used to dying because of it.
  • Escaping pressure after he's gotten the momentum. This can be extremely hard, and as I've mentioned before, if you take the wrong way once out you'll probably straight up lose.

Overall, my personal opinion is that this MU is slightly Akihiko advantage.The risk-reward is much better for him than for Adachi.

That said, the MU is nothing THAT crazy, but definitely a MU that needs a lot of attention and solid play, because you will die off random confirms.