Low tier simply means that the character's kit offers relatively less effective assistance across most match-ups than most of that game's roster. Unless you have a game where literally every MU is dead even across the entire roster, you're going to have low tier characters. With that...
One thing I notice is that many players really have no idea how relativity works. They'll say things like "no characters in this game are low tier," and what they mean is "no characters in this game are not viable in a competitive setting." The latter is usually true, especially in DOA's case...
If the implication is that DOA tournament results are largely dictated by character tiers rather than being primarily dependent on player skill, I'd like to raise a glass of "No," followed by "Stop it," and "Get some help."
Unless I'm confident that extending the combo would lead to a guaranteed round/match victory, I'm saving my meter. The threat of holding two meters alone influences your opponent's neutral and offense, and in a game where getting in your opponent's head is essential to victory, I'm going to take...
As for Break Blow, it's funny to me that everyone complains about combo damage scaling and yet they also insist that using two bars for a combo extension is economical. Having more options to control the neutral (Break Blow) or better defensive options (Break Hold) is just far more appealing to...
Interestingly, Power Launchers generally had much more utility than power Blows. Leon's Power Launcher was one of his longest range moves and could really psych people out who are used to Leon's range being rather underwhelming. Ryu's Power Launcher also crushed mids, and was great for some...