Free Step Dodge

Some fighters train day and night exclusively for their opportunity at a big prize or payout in the FGC, but professional fighter, Hoodless will keep his momentum going regardless if it's the Dead or Alive 6 World Championship 'Main Event' in Japan hosted by Team NINJA or a side tournament located in a small suburb of Chicago. Despite a primitive recording of Top 4 coupled with low attendance, 'Frosty Fausting XII' is a prime example of hard work in the community, and this hard work will show itself to the tournament organizers and fighters from different communities.

Just several weeks after winning 'Frosty Fausting XII' Hoodless is able to collect another victory at 'Juicy Monday' as Dead or Alive 6...

Team NINJA is starting this year off with a promise to the community to make Dead or Alive 6 the fighting game you want, but unfortunately they have held off with Version 1.18 to begin this conversion to that. To accompany the few balance changes & bug fixes made in 1.18 is the Season 4 Pass that launched on the 21st of January. Before release, Team NINJA previewed some of the new Cyber costumes on Twitter to launch the new pass, and there is no questioning that these are among the coolest looking DLC outfits in the game. The string of revival costume DLC will also continue separately sold from the season pass owners on the 21st starting with maid outfits.

While the season passes can get...

Longtime Dead or Alive veteran & commentator, Shade Swifteye, was victorious at Kumite in Tennessee; which was the first Dead or Alive 6 offline tournament of 2020. Peruse the complete bracket at KIT's Smash.GG and also explore our exclusive report for this event together with the VOD replay of Top 8. Despite the staggering aftermath from the hustle and bustle nature of yearly holidays, roughly 50 players made it out from the community to Tennessee, hoping their skills were enough to obtain the elusive KIT Hayabusa 1st place trophy.


A lot of newcomers showed up to compete at KIT this year, and while it may show in their combo tech, new players typically respond with different kinds of damaging opportunities. Even if good combo implementation is preferred in...

Team NINJA has released Version 1.17 patch notes and the update includes the highly awaited return of Rachel to Dead or Alive 6 and will also bring in the regular bug fixes, game changing balance adjustments, Season Pass 3 DLC and another free costume as a nice stocking-stuffer from Team NINJA. Rachel's debut to DOA6 was showcased by Famitsu and her base price will cost you just 5.99 USD with premium options for those that want more costumes. Take a look at Team NINJA's official website for her biography, and start a discussion in her newly opened forum here at Free Step Dodge!
All of Rachel's unique...

Cyber is a multi-converged player that regularly attends offline tournaments for Dead or Alive 6, creates content, organizes tournaments and hosts a popular stream on Twitch. He's here at Free Step Dodge for the promotion of his next Cyber Monday, but also reveals himself to the players of the FGC that have clearly made a positive impact on his life. Get to know Cyber better in this exclusive interview, and you can choose to support the community & DOA6 by getting involved with Cyber Monday whether it be spectating or making a donation to the prize pot.

Cyber Monday could be the first live tournament to showcase Rachel's return to DOA6 and starts on the 29th of December and concludes a day before New Year's Eve. This online...

Dead or Alive 6 has been nominated for 'best fighting game of the year' via the Video Games Awards show streaming now. Players had all of the time in the world to vote for their favorite fighter at the official website for the event, and even if DOA6 has one of the smaller communities and will likely not win against Smash Brothers or Mortal Kombat, it is nice to see our game considered for a GOTY award. Did you vote for Dead or Alive 6, and do you think it's GOTY material?

Despite having a mixed reaction, Dead or Alive 6 won a plethora of awards at last year's E3 and has been downloaded over 2 million times through their FTP system since the release date earlier this year. Team NINJA encourages newcomers to play and support the game and they are offering free characters, frame data and access to all of the stages & modes (but story) through Core Fighers. The community & Team...

Team NINJA has been releasing patches weekly instead of bi-weekly which is kind of out of the norm for them, but also makes sense this week given it's December and the last 'Revival' pack is Christmas themed. If you are not feeling the Christmas spirit this year, consider accepting a gift from Team NINJA anyway, with next free costume celebrating 2+ million Core Fighters downloads. Version 1.16 patch notes have been released, and outside of stuff already mentioned in this news post, there is nothing new to report for the gameplay.

Some players are already reporting to have the new 'Revival' available to download, and this pack includes 28 costumes! Some of these costumes are color swaps from red-black; the black Santa being coded "Bad Santa" for Bass in Dead or Alive 5. The free outfit included with this update will be the fifth outfit given away in Dead or Alive 6, previous...

@LordXav1er managed to absolutely dominate his opponents with Hitomi at Big E Gaming's NEC 20. Not only did he make Hitomi look like an S-tier superstar, but he crushed some of the strongest players in the game today. Congratulations to Lord Xav1er as he has proven that hard work will eventually pay off if you remain dedicated to it. Stay tuned for the replay, check out the bracket and congratulate your new NEC 20 champion!

For those desiring to experience DOA6 at it's best quality, have no fear, as the tournament will run on PCs thanks to the dedication and commitment from Free Step Dodge's own Matt Ponton! Big E Gaming commits to this event with a beautiful seating arrangement and has the tournament hall emitting a stunning green glow that characterizes the NEC brand. The event is completed by the fighters that showed up and commentary from players that know...

Team NINJA has released yet another new patch for Dead or Alive 6 including free game changes & paid DLC for all platforms! Players discovered new gameplay adjustments hours before the patch notes dropped at Team NINJA's official website. New 'Training Gear' DLC has been released, and Team NINJA has a free Kasumi outfit prepared for all players to celebrate 2 million Core Fighters downloads.

While Diego and Rig's 1P commands remain intact, Black Moon & Emery Reigns quickly discovered that most low-tracking 1Ps have been nerfed. Some players could consider this a very good thing for the game considering the strength of these moves, but others may wonder why on earth Momiji would be nerfed of her natural combo from this input when she's already near the bottom of the tier list. Hayate was beginning to build momentum in the offline scene with an impressive showing from Perfect Legend, but his 1P...

The Dead or Alive Festival begins with Team NINJA's 'Last Chance' Qualifier while Main Event matches are currently being streamed. Expect to see a lot of scattered DOA productions throughout the event stream and check out our compendium for the complete time table & report. Follow our new Free Step Dodge Facebook page for the latest DOA announcements & news!

Because of stream scheduling the first two matches at the 'Main Event' are yet to be reported in this article but will be after the replay is posted by Team NINJA. Please check out the official bracket to see the complete results and continue to our report for the 'Main...

Rachel finally makes her long-awaited return to the Dead or Alive series being formally announced at the end of Dead or Alive Festival 2019! Alma's sister looks to transition to Dead or Alive 6 beautifully with a sleek & sexy design combined with new intoxicating moves. A lot of her original trademark attacks from Dead or Alive 5 are still intact as made evident by the trailer that also showcased outfits and purchase options.


We technically can't say that all of these moves are original to Rachel since her move-set is modeled from super-fun guest character Spartan-458 in Dead or Alive 4. That being said Rachel is an official Team NINJA character, and we will not have to worry about her being excluded from DLC outfits like Mai and Kula have been. Rachel's presence was so strong in NINJA GAIDEN and her compelling story and beauty made her a Team NINJA fan favorite overall.

Some of Rachel's past moves...

For over a month Dead or Alive players have been submitting their original costume artwork for DOA6 to Team NINJA with winners finally announced at DOA Festival 2019. Players can observe a ton of the submitted designs at the DOA6 Design Contest 2019 thread, and watch the results of the contest at Team NINJA's Official Twitch. This designer contest is complemented by a creative cosplay event with special guest Bass... I mean Matt Ponton.


The cosplayers put on an entertaining show and all have cool & individual character designs. @Matt Ponton brought back his Bass cosplay for DOA6, and it was incredibly detailed. There was a Hayabusa complete with a Dragon Sword, an identical twin of Brad Wong, and even some of the girls from Venus Vacation. The character variety at this contest was...

Team NINJA announced the three winners of the Dead or Alive 6 Photo Contest at DOA Festival 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. This event had hundreds of participants photographing the game within the rules & three categories: coolest photo, cutest photo and the best gimmick. This event gave players that don't normally compete in tournaments a chance to get their name and contribution out there with exclusive prizes from Team NINJA for the winners.

Dead or Alive Festival 2019 has started and Team NINJA's annual event will close the first Dead or Alive 6 World Championship live from Tokyo, Japan! Not only will you see the absolute best fighters slam fists for the $30,000 prize pot, but there will be design contest announcements, and big game news for Dead or Alive 6 & Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation. Dead or Alive Festival 2019 can be spectated via Team NINJA's official Twitch.

• Last Chance Qualifier (Not Streamed)
• Main Event Stream Begins at 8:30pm EST

The 'Last Chance Qualifier' has attracted 125 players, which is not only good for the game, but shows that there...

Since Dead or Alive 6 couldn't be delayed the community has since been treated to minuscule bi-weekly updates that provide simple fixes and additional content for the game. Patch notes have been released via Team NINJA's official website and Summer continues this Fall with the 19.99 USD 'Hot Summer' Bikini pack. This is the third consecutive DLC pack to completely shutout the male characters and the second set not included in a Season Pass.

Our report for Version 1.13 was adamant about bringing back tournament notifications to the news box located at the main menu for DOA6, and Team NINJA has quickly responded to this coincidentally with notices pertaining to the Main Event of the Dead or Alive 6 World Championship this month at DOA Festival. To make things even better, Team NINJA's offline...

Team NINJA has released Version 1.13 Patch Notes for all platforms at their official website and have launched Season 3 with Halloween-themed Witch costumes exclusive to the female cast. The Season 3 Pass is priced at 79.99 USD and will include additional costumes from now through December. One additional character will be added in December, wildly believed to be Rachel who was found in the database by expert DOA modder, @gatto tom.

The bizarrely structured menu of Dead or Alive 6 is slightly improved in Version 1.13 as you can now quickly access your Wardrobe at DOA Central, but it's also one of the many ways costumes are advertised through individual purchase. Version 1.12 added one additional store link to the left panel of the main menu, and the news box on the top-right is easily the better view, but sends you to the exact...

East Coast Throw-Down was imperative to Dead or Alive 6 World Championship competitors considering it was the final major before Team NINJA's Last Call Match and Main Event in Tokyo, Japan on the 23rd of November. You can spectate a paid replay of players in pools fighting for qualifying points and 5,000 USD prize pot at KPB, or watch the individual matches at KPB's YouTube channel for free. Witness the Top 8 & Grand Finals replay for yourself at Team Sp00ky's free Twitch video archive. Be sure to congratulate your Top 8 players and XcaliburBladeZ for winning ECT and read our full FSD report for all the details at your fingertips.

Even though he is already DOA6WC...

Team NINJA released version 1.12 for Dead or Alive 6 on all platforms yesterday and followed up their update today with official patch notes listed at their website. Version 1.12 fixes various bugs and makes adjustments to the balance of the game that can be discussed over at the DOA6 system & character boards here at Free Step Dodge. Team NINJA improves the quality of the game with additional fixes that don't directly impact gameplay, and also begin their 'Revival' DLC series with bunny costumes for the female characters.

Dead or Alive 6 World Championship competitors are strongly encouraged to check out the patch notes Tuesday as...

The Dead or Alive 6 World Championship concluded at 8pm EST with exciting Top 8 matches at The Fall Classic live from North Carolina. Despite being qualified already for the main event, Killy competed with Tina for his share of the 5,000 dollar prize pot. Hopefully the competitors are ready next time for one of the strongest players in the competitive scene and spend more time studying the most brutalizing character in Dead or Alive 6 as the chase for qualifying points will soon come to an end.


Some annoying technical issues with the stream didn't deter from the quality of fights that took place during...

The beginning of October is a busy one for Dead or Alive players marking the second double feature tournament weekend for the Dead or Alive 6 World Championship! Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019 is live streaming the competition from Paris France, and The Fall Classic will continue the circuit starting at 2pm EST. You can follow the live bracket at Smash.GG and follow us here at Free Step Dodge for coverage of both events!

This DOA6WC tournament features high level players from all around the world, and it's incredible how active BBoyDragon, XcaliburBladeZ, Kwiggle, Siologica & Teru Rock have been throughout...

EmeryReigns continues to support the Dead or Alive community in his way by hosting a special weekend tournament complete with a 50 dollar starting pot, and he also accepts donations as a pot bonus via his Twitch channel. This online tournament has so far been a success attracting a wide array of players both veterans and newcomers alike with a growing pot bonus bonus thanks to the community that has exceeded 300 USD! Day 2 will begin Sunday at 6pm EST and you can observe the match history by checking out the live bracket at Challonge.


The quality of the event is exceptional for an online tournament, and throughout pools leading up to top 8, the game runs really smooth and is complemented by rules to keep the connections at their highest and excellent commentary giving extra...