If you really want to take Akira to the next level, it is important to know how to use a stage's hidden gems to create guaranteed damage. Here is what I look for on each map and the combos they enable. I'm going to expand on this as I get time, so keep checking back.
Scramble: Easily my most favorite map, on both levels.
Top Level:
1. The scaffolding can be your best friend. If you wall splat them into it, a box will fall and reset them into another unholdable situation.
Combo: , , , , Guaranteed damage from here on out. (if you're too far away to land, , use , , , , , . If you can hit , then continue.) , , , , . (Don't break your stride in the combo. The box hits them on the head while they are reaching the ground.) , Option 1 or 2
Option 1 - Guaranteed Damage: , , , ,
Option 2 - Going For CB or GBoD: , , ( or GBoD if they slow escape well).
2. The generator can be used for a kill combo:
Combo: , , , Guaranteed damage from here on out. , , , , , , . Hold as they fly over your head to circle about 10 degrees. Once they've past your head, continue with: , , , , . This will put them underneath a falling pillar, which CANNOT be tech rolled out of. Once it hits them, use , Option 1 or 2.
Option 1 - Guaranteed Damage: , , , , ~245 dmg
Option 2 - Going For The Kill: , , , , , ~289 dmg
3. Slanted floors allow for different juggles. After the generator has been triggered, you can perform a much beefier parry combo if you're angled down hill.
Combo: , , , , , , , .
If you're not going completely down hill, you can mix it up with , , , , ,
Bottom Level
1. You can connect the PB car to the beam car. Once you perform the PB and they bounce off the flying car, input . Even though you can't see your character, they begin running. Once the camera levels out, input . It gets you close enough to continue the juggle, , , , . This knocks them into the beam car and then can be hit with the same juggle.
- Fuel: The exploding fuel tanks
- The Show: The Jack in the boxes and circus balls
There are walls that bounce an opponent regardless of how far over the damage threshold they are. Against regular walls, they will stick to the wall and the combo ends. Bouncy walls allow for the full wall combo, and can be hit into the wall again after the wall combo. This is another chunk of 40 damage.
-The Orange Barrel: Extend your combo with , ,
-Barbed Wire Wall: Aim for a wall splat into this wall and then wall combo it into another wall splat to trigger a wall jump into mix up.
-Rampaging Tank:
1. Extend your combo with , , , ,
2. Force tech mid weights with , , , , . I note to hit 3 times because in quick succession, it'll put you mentally into the correct timing.
-Exploding Door: Use to force tech them up. The move will advance you far enough forward that you're in range for the GBoD.
Sweat, Dead or Alive, Wrestling Rink:
The walls will bounce your opponent back to you if you wall splat them prior to the critical threshold being reached. When they're bounced back to you, you can take several options.
1. True guaranteed damage: , , ,
2. If not aggressively slow escaped, opponent cannot block/counter: , , .
3. Not slow escapable, but can be countered: , , ,
!Fun Fact! - In Flow's bottom jungle, if you power blow an opponent into the snake's body prior to them reaching the damage threshold, it will bounce them back, allowing you to follow up with one of these 3 options.
Home And Other Breakable Object Stages:
1. Double CB combos. When you land your first CB, be aware of your surroundings when you begin you juggle. If you're headed towards a breakable object, end your juggle with . This move gets the wall splat which breaks the object and puts them into an unholdable recovery. That finisher allows you to recover fast enough to input more guaranteed shots , to . At this point, they can hold, but risk the CB with , because it cannot be slow escaped. Juggle accordingly.
Scramble: Easily my most favorite map, on both levels.
Top Level:
1. The scaffolding can be your best friend. If you wall splat them into it, a box will fall and reset them into another unholdable situation.
Combo: , , , , Guaranteed damage from here on out. (if you're too far away to land, , use , , , , , . If you can hit , then continue.) , , , , . (Don't break your stride in the combo. The box hits them on the head while they are reaching the ground.) , Option 1 or 2
Option 1 - Guaranteed Damage: , , , ,
Option 2 - Going For CB or GBoD: , , ( or GBoD if they slow escape well).
2. The generator can be used for a kill combo:
Combo: , , , Guaranteed damage from here on out. , , , , , , . Hold as they fly over your head to circle about 10 degrees. Once they've past your head, continue with: , , , , . This will put them underneath a falling pillar, which CANNOT be tech rolled out of. Once it hits them, use , Option 1 or 2.
Option 1 - Guaranteed Damage: , , , , ~245 dmg
Option 2 - Going For The Kill: , , , , , ~289 dmg
3. Slanted floors allow for different juggles. After the generator has been triggered, you can perform a much beefier parry combo if you're angled down hill.
Combo: , , , , , , , .
If you're not going completely down hill, you can mix it up with , , , , ,
Bottom Level
1. You can connect the PB car to the beam car. Once you perform the PB and they bounce off the flying car, input . Even though you can't see your character, they begin running. Once the camera levels out, input . It gets you close enough to continue the juggle, , , , . This knocks them into the beam car and then can be hit with the same juggle.
Bouncy Walls - Fuel & The Show:- Fuel: The exploding fuel tanks
- The Show: The Jack in the boxes and circus balls
There are walls that bounce an opponent regardless of how far over the damage threshold they are. Against regular walls, they will stick to the wall and the combo ends. Bouncy walls allow for the full wall combo, and can be hit into the wall again after the wall combo. This is another chunk of 40 damage.
Example:
Hot Zone:-The Orange Barrel: Extend your combo with , ,
-Barbed Wire Wall: Aim for a wall splat into this wall and then wall combo it into another wall splat to trigger a wall jump into mix up.
-Rampaging Tank:
1. Extend your combo with , , , ,
2. Force tech mid weights with , , , , . I note to hit 3 times because in quick succession, it'll put you mentally into the correct timing.
-Exploding Door: Use to force tech them up. The move will advance you far enough forward that you're in range for the GBoD.
Sweat, Dead or Alive, Wrestling Rink:
The walls will bounce your opponent back to you if you wall splat them prior to the critical threshold being reached. When they're bounced back to you, you can take several options.
1. True guaranteed damage: , , ,
2. If not aggressively slow escaped, opponent cannot block/counter: , , .
3. Not slow escapable, but can be countered: , , ,
!Fun Fact! - In Flow's bottom jungle, if you power blow an opponent into the snake's body prior to them reaching the damage threshold, it will bounce them back, allowing you to follow up with one of these 3 options.
Home And Other Breakable Object Stages:
1. Double CB combos. When you land your first CB, be aware of your surroundings when you begin you juggle. If you're headed towards a breakable object, end your juggle with . This move gets the wall splat which breaks the object and puts them into an unholdable recovery. That finisher allows you to recover fast enough to input more guaranteed shots , to . At this point, they can hold, but risk the CB with , because it cannot be slow escaped. Juggle accordingly.