Basics

Every attack in Virtua Fighter 5 fits into one of three categories: high, mid, or low. When learning a new character, it is important to know which attacks hit at which height so that you can effectively break your opponent's guard.

HIGH // A high attack will only connect with an opponent that is standing. High attacks can be defending with a standing guard or with a crouching guard. In general, high attacks are the easiest to defend as they don't require any special reaction. An opponent can simply hold the guard button in any position and the attack will not connect.

MID // Mid attacks, on the other hand, will connect with an opponent that is either standing or crouching. More importantly, they can only be defended with a standing guard. If an opponent is crouching in guard, a mid attack will hit regardless as the crouching guard does not defend against mid attacks. Mid attacks then are among the best in your arsenal.

LOW // Finally, low attacks will also hit either standing or crouching opponents. Where they differ from mid attacks, though, is that they can only be blocked with a crouching guard. A standing guard will have no effect versus a low strike.

The key thing to remember with all this is that mid and low attacks must be defended in different ways. Guarding against a mid attacks means you are vulnerable to a low attack, and the opposite is also true; guarding against a low attack means that you are vulnerable to a mid attack. Because these attacks require the strictest defense, mix them both into your striking game to keep your opponent on his toes.

Most throws will only connect with opponents that are standing, making them much like high attacks. The difference here is that throws cannot be guarded against (though it is possible to cancel them with a throw of your own or a well-timed strike). Throws make a good tool for bullying opponents that like to defend a lot. After throwing an opponent a couple of times, he'll frequently start guarding low, at which point you can tag him with a mid launcher to move into a juggle combo.

Some characters have throws that will connect with crouching opponents (usually / + P + K + G ) and even pick up opponents off the ground. With these, it's important to note that the low throws will not connect with standing opponents.

Different strikes have different effects. Most strikes are pretty solitary, though others work well together, starting combo opportunities. An important thing to remember is that a single strike can have a different effect depending on how it hits. A simple punch might normally have no effect other than damage, but if it hits as a counter that same strike might launch the opponent for a juggle, stagger him, or simply drop 'im in a way that doesn't normally occur.

STAGGER // If a move connects and causes a stagger, a joystick icon will display behind the victim as he recovers. During the stagger, the victim is unable to defend against incoming attacks. Use attacks that stagger to start combos and add extra damage to strings you already use. But keep in mind that opponents can shorten the time they spend in stagger by wiggling the control stick left and right.

LAUNCH // All characters have launchers, some better than others. Effectively, attacks that launch will, when connected, knock opponents into the air high enough that you can follow with a juggle combo. Most launchers tend to hit mid, though it's worth noting that some low strikes will launch opponents if they connect as counters.

DROP // Some strikes, when connected, will simply drop opponents to their knees. When hit with one of these attacks, an opponent will sort of go limp and curl up as he falls to the ground. You can usually follow these attacks with attack strings for quick combos. Note that most attacks that drop opponents come from counter attacks.

Depleting your opponent's health bar is only one way to win the battle. You can also win a round by knocking an opponent out of the ring, as long as the arena you're in has low walls or no walls at all.

Each character has different attacks that are good for causing ring outs. Some characters, like Wolf, have excellent throws for tossing opponents out of the ring. Others, like Akira, have simple jumping kicks or lunging strikes that knock opponents backwards and into the air.

You can push a ring out ending by moving the battle to the edge of the ring. Either move your back to the edge of the ring or push the opponent backwards until he's near the edge. The different attacks from characters are good for pushing opponents forwards or sometimes backwards, so know which way you want the opponent to go. Most characters have throws that will swap positions with the opponent, letting you put yourself near the edge of the ring so that you can swap and put the opponent at the edge of the ring. Just keep in mind that you're also putting yourself in danger of a ring out when you get near the ring's limits.