Angrynord

Yep, indeed you can. Oh, and by the way, the timing on the 5C after a dash cancel 214C is a bit tricky. You have to do the 214C towards the end of the dash in order for Hakumen to land fast enough, otherwise they have the opportunity to tech and you'll get a black beat. However, on counter hit the untechable time seems to be a bit longer, and the timing is much easier. Oh, and I never realized how much of a bitch negative penalty was in this game until today. It doesn't come up very often, but pretty much any of Hakumen's combos will kill just about any character. I've never had it come up in a real match, but I'll be damned if seeing 10k+ damage on a simple combo doesn't give one an incentive to be offensive. Hakumen can milk more damage out of such a quirky occurrence than any other character, but I must comment that Tager is downright scary: His B Tager Buster does something like 9k to a character in negative penalty.

After experimenting somewhat with dash cancel and TK 214C, I've found the dash cancel to be rather useful. Hakumen lands quickly enough that you can hit a 5C if it connects, and can combo from there. He has several half life combos outside of the corner using it. In the corner you can simply do 214C > 5C > 623AA and then go into the normal j.2C loop for 5k+.

There is actually a pretty sizable start up time on bursts in this game compared to GG. If one hits the buttons to burst, one can see the life bar display "WARNING" almost immediately, while the burst actually comes out much later. If one is doing a combo that can be done on autopilot (i.e. a combo that doesn't require specific timing based on opponent height, etc.), then one can simply keep an eye on the opponent's life bar, and simply stop attacking as soon as it displays "WARNING". I find that there is enough lag between initiation and actual performance of a burst to react to this if I am paying attention. Of course, one can also simply learn to read one's opponent, which isn't all that hard to do if they burst only when a combo could kill. Most players, due to the loss of barrier and the increase in damage taken after a burst, will only burst in that instance. So, if your combo can kill, start paying attention. I've also noticed that Nu players, from watching player behavior in videos, seem to be more wiling to burst earlier in a match, especially against Hakumen. It probably has something to do with getting raped on life from just about anything, and getting position back being more valuable to them. What part of the combo is failing? Is the move not coming out or is it not comboing? Mugen probably has some restrictions placed on it beyond what is advertised. Another thing: I've noticed that Hakumen doesn't seem to be able to perform the same special twice during a special cancel series. They seem to have to be spaced by a normal, or he must return to neutral. For instance, I've tried 236A, 41236C, 214B, 236A, 6C, and the second 236A will not come out. As for throws...beats me. All I know is that the opponent has a longer throw break window should a throw be attempted during their hit or block stun. Off of anything? I thought he couldn't cancel his specials off of 6C...hm. Or do you mean canceling specials off of each other? Also, yeah, I'm aware more damage can be netted, I was just throwing that out there as a gimmick thing, and to get some feedback on RCs in general. It's not really a combo I aim to land, but should I hit a random 6C, and 6C, RC, 6C, 632146C will kill them, I'll do it.

Has anyone messed around with RCs yet? I killed a friend's Ragna today by doing charge 6C, RC, charge 6C, 632146C when he was at 90% health. Amazing how a simple thing like that will learn people real quick that bursting doesn't work like Guilty Gear.

<3 6A and 6B. I've been using Hakumen's A and B attacks more and more frequently as pokes to get out of pressure. They actually stuff a surprising amount of attacks, and have found them to be rather effective against Bang, especially if you predict a low attack and use 6B. You get a nice floor bounce on counter hit. As for strategy...I play this one way more defensively than normal. I don't particularly fear Bang's damage or mixup...but FRKZ is a major problem. If he uses it and has life lead, he pretty much has the match if he's not an idiot. Since Bang can pick up all four symbols in one combo, I don't like to take much risk with him. Then again, I'm not too confident in my pressure yet, so that does play a part in my feelings on the matter.

Indeed...and because of that property Litchi can avoid that super more than other characters, as a surprising portion of her normals while holding her staff count as projectiles. The astral counter doesn't seem to work at all against projectiles either, so Litchi can just smack you out of it half the time.

Heh, that's exactly the sort of thing I was hoping that it could be used for. Rachel is a pretty mobile character, so I suppose that one can only hold her down for so long. That string though would likely cause all sorts of hell for characters like Tager (without shot) and Hakumen.

Duly noted. Like I said, my bad. I'm going to test this out tomorrow and report back with findings, unless someone beats me to it. It might count as a projectile though, like Litchi's staff. I had noticed that Hakumen's astral finish will not counter projectiles, and found that several of Litchi's staff normals will not get countered by the astral, so they probably act as projectiles somewhat. It wouldn't surprise me if some of Arakune's attacks are treated in a similar manner by the game.

*shrug* I dunno. Overheads are nice to have, but to me it never seemed like a character was missing something if they lacked one. Then again, my main game has been ST for years, so I'm just used to characters not having overheads. It's somewhat odd coming to BB and seeing that everyone in the whole cast has at least one overhead. I'm unsure if that was the case in GG as well, as I have not played it extensively enough to know the entire cast. That said, I don't think Hakumen needs a normal overhead. Sure, it would be nice, but Haku already has a severely damaging overhead on the ground that leads into big damage, and another one that can be tigerkneed and comes out wicked fast. Yes, they cost stars, but that's a small price to pay when you can take half a life bar from a combo off of them. Really though, we should have this discussion in the general thread, not here. Sorry guys for starting it >.<. Still hate Arakune.

Indeed. When I first got my hands on the game, my feelings on Haku's mobility were not exactly elated...that is, until I started doing IADs. Yeah, Haku's design is just concise and elegant. He has nothing that he does not need, nor does he really lack anything. He might seem wanting on the surface, but he has certain traits that cover his flaws. Can he get rushed down easily? Yes, but he can make an ass out of anyone who doesn't respect his Drive. Can he be zoned easily? Yes, but he can destroy projectiles at will (gaining meter!), and when he catches zoners, he tears through them like wet tissues. He lacks mixup, but he doesn't really need it. I really think folks are sleeping on ol' Hakumen. Hopefully one day we'll all chuckle at thinking that Arakune was a hard matchup.

Ach, just...no. Seriously, Nu isn't that bad. I would rather fight Nu than Old Sagat (ST) or Sagat in SFIV any day. That is the nice thing about Hakumen: One can afford to be patient. I normally don't sit too idle during matches, but if I choose to sit on a lead, that aspect of Hakumen is extremely helpful. Hakumen just strikes me as a character who rewards strong basics, and who should be played patiently (that's not to say passively). The fact that he has counters as his drive I think speaks loudly of what the designers intended for him. As to the matchup...yeah, I must say that I hate this one. I don't feel too threatened when Arakune doesn't have me cursed, but the difficulty just really amps up when he finally lands it. This is one matchup where I'm completely content to idle and grant the opponent a wide berth. Buh, I hate the little bastard.

I know Nu has some heavy delay on some of her projectiles...I wonder if 236236D might be effective for closing the gap. It's sad that if it shows efficacy that it burns half a meter, though at this point I'm perfectly willing to blow meter to get a hand on Nu. Thoughts? Note: I am aware that the counter super doesn't work the same way when it counters projectiles, that's why I'm wondering.

Thanks for posting this information. Good stuff.

Just an observation, and a quick question. So, today I was messing around with Nu in training mode, as I will likely end up using her as a secondary character. I was trying various things with her "variant" specials, where one presses C to have the special take on different properties. I noticed that her variant j.214D cancels the attack, and was trying to see what I could do with it, as it reminded me of Johnny's mist cancels. Namely, I was doing her Throw > 5DD > 6DD > 2DD > j.DD > dj.DD > 214D combo, and instead of hitting with the attack, I hit C to cancel and manage to connect with another j.D. I did not carry on due to my surprise at having connected with it. I had to leave shortly thereafter, so I haven't had the chance to play with it some more. Forgive me if this has already been mentioned, I just wished to post before I forgot about it. So, the question: Is the j.214D cancel useful for anything, be it for combos or for Mist Cancel-esque shennanigans? The combo aspect is why I chose to ask this here.

I've been having a similar issue, but for me it is that I get a black beat when I go to do the land 2C. Any advice? I think I might be hitting the j.C too early. It's supposed to hit when Hakumen is closer to the ground, right?

Yeah, there is an option to set health to regenerate.. You can also put Hakumen into his Mugen state permanently. You can also just set his "heat" guage to 100 and it'll regenerate when you use it up. This training mode has lot of the same options that Guilty Gear's training mode had, and that's definitely the model to go on when it comes to 2d fighters. However, I'm with you on this one qwerty (love your SN, its quick to type). I wish they had done more than emulate the options, and had actually emulated the layout that GG had.

One of the criticisms of Dustloop that I have heard is that it is not beginner friendly. I'm not saying that this community is unfriendly, as I find it rather welcoming here. What I mean is that for people who have never played fighters before, it can be difficult to wrap one's head around even the basic introductory character guides, due to the large amounts of jargon. Now, I don't find information here difficult to digest, as I've been playing fighters for quite some time now, but to an absolute beginner, dustloop would be a nightmare. So, that said, I believe a guide thread should have the following: A link explaining the notation used on DustloopA link to a thread that explains basic Blazblue System MechanicsA section explaining any additional abbreviations or terms that are usedBrief descriptions of every attack, so even people who are confused by the notation can understand the guideFrame data for moves, for intermediate and advanced players. If this is included, perhaps have a link explaining frame data.A list of character pros and cons so players know what they're getting intoA section listing and describing combos (when to use, etc.) Videos would be good. Basic match up strategies, with videos showing good examples of good Hakumen play during that match up. A guide thread really shouldn't be a "general character discussion" thread. It should be a thread simply where the guide exists, and posts should pertain to making the guide better. If you guys wanted to have something like this, I'd be willing to help out. Like I said, I don't have the game yet, so a lot of those things I cannot help with. However, once I get it, if you would like me to do move descriptions or any formatting work, I'd be happy to do it.

Meter isn't the point. Zangief in ST built cubic shit tons of meter just by whiffing lariats while trying to get in. Yes, he was extremely dangerous with a full meter, but that doesn't matter if he can't ever reach his opponent. That's why I made that remark. Just a note on theory fighting: Yes, everyone does it at some point or another. It is especially tempting when one doesn't yet have a game. That said, I think it can be quite constructive. I do it in a general sense by making observations and comparing what I see to what I know from previous experience. I do this to fish for confirmation or rejection of my present perceptions, which allows me to have a better idea of how to approach a character once I do have the game in my hands. However, theory fighting becomes bad when one doesn't differ to the judgment of those who have already played a game for some time. Experience doesn't always make one correct (I've been playing Street Fighter for 15 years, but there are plenty of people who have only been playing for five years who have far more knowledge than I); however, if one has absolutely no experience, then one can only be correct about general things, or through luck. The point is, I'm agreeing with you Darago: One should differ to those with experience until one has some of his/her own. That said, I hope that comments I have made come across as "This is how I see things", not "Things are this way". If any of my perceptions are incorrect, let me know ^_^.

I'll preface my comments by saying that I have not had the pleasure of playing Blazblue yet, as I live in central Florida, which is devoid of any establishment even remotely close to a proper arcade. However, my observational faculties are well intact, so I am attempting to do some informed speculation. My background in fighters comes mainly Street Fighter, though I have been a long time fan of Guilty Gear, but have lacked the time to really devote to the series. My tastes are somewhat shifting though, and I have been playing GG fairly often, and plan to play BB extensively. I generally prefer to use characters that can be played patiently, waiting for an opportune moment to strike my opponent for high damage. Hence, I play Bison (Dictator) in ST, and Slayer in GG. Generally I always take a grappler as a secondary character, such as Zangief in ST and Potemkin in GG. This pattern will continue in GG with Hakumen and Tager. High risk, high reward (though I think Slayer lays far more with the "high reward" aspect), and absolute patience being required are traits I admire in a character. Sorry for the paragraph, but I think it will help shed some light on why I perceive things the way I do. Now, I'd say Tao is a special situation. Technically, she IS a projectile character, but I don't think I have ever seen anyone use the actual attack. This leads me to believe that the attack probably isn't so useful. So, because of this, I don't classify her as such. However, she has the same traits that made Chun-Li somewhat of a pain in the ass for Honda: She's mobile. Very mobile. Mobility and zoning wreck Hakumen's game plan. However, just like Chun vs Honda, it seems that if you can catch her, she'll be in a lot of trouble. If one could stop her rush down, or make her afraid to be reckless with it, then really it just becomes a matter of patience. You'll catch the kitty eventually. It is in this way that Hakumen reminds me of my main in ST, Bison. Bison had to be played with patience as well, and could be rushed down HARD by a lot of characters. He was straight fucked in the corners if he didn't have meter. However, that didn't matter to Bison. All a Bison player needs is one solid opening, and he wins. I've won matches before when the opponent was on their way to a perfect, and I managed to land one deep jumping HK, stealing the match from out of their mouth. Hakumen is very much like this. He spends a lot of the match getting walked on until he gets his opening, and then it's game over. However... Unlike Bison, who must generally wait for an opening, Hakumen can create openings from the lovely gift of counters. I think those counters are really going to be the key to Hakumen, and I bet he'll climb in the rankings because of them. Good counter use would really neuter his vulnerability to rush down tactics. Even a merely lucky, unintentional counter can put the fear back in an opponent, letting them know that you can, and will, fuck them up if they dare to grow careless and go on autopilot. So, just to clarify my position a bit: I don't think Hakumen is much like Honda at all. What I meant by my comment was that as a general rule of thumb he can execute his game plan much more easily on characters who can't zone him full screen. The "rape" reference wasn't so much comparing him to Honda's absurd rapings of non-fireballers, but moreso just what Hakumen does to life bars when he gets the chance to start doing damage.

Heh, FRKZ time outs (à la Dora vs Buppa) just got way funnier, if not downright epic.

^ heh, agreed. Yes, Hakumen's game plan is pretty straightforward, but I'm sure there is more to figure out, namely figuring out which of his BnBs is the most efficient (i.e which one does the most damage per orb spent). Hell, it took years to figure out that Dee Jay was actually worth a damn in Super Turbo. There are probably numerous baiting strategies as well, just waiting to be found, so that one can exploit his counters. Frankly I don't think I'm seeing counters used enough, but then again the game is only in arcades right now, and risk-taking behavior usually doesn't see too much light in a pay per play environment. Personally I think Hakumen is going to be another ST Honda situation: Having it tough against characters with projectiles, but raping the rest of the cast.

Wow, that was epic. My PC actually bluescreened during the video. That attack seems to be a counter. Exactly what it counters, as well as the input difficulty, will definitely determine how useful it is.