What Hitomi Need To Become Stronger On DOA5U

[Chaos]

Hitomi

Hitomi is a monster when it comes to whiff punishment, spacing and deadly mix ups. Thanks to TN the current patch had significantly increase her output damage which made The karate warrior more vicious than ever before and of course, we can't forget that they gave the magnificent Hasai (33T) and Goka (33T) a wonderful damage boost. However, she is one of the weakest characters in game because she barely have any real guaranteed sit down stuns and force to play the DOA4 stun game, not to mention lack of frame avantage on block is her biggest weakness. Well, technically you can get your opponent in a unholdable situation from using and but unfortunately 8K can be slow escaped and :K/SS K can be so inconsistent sometimes. Also, most characters can easily shut her down just by interrupting ANY attacks she throws out. It doesn't help that Hitomi can't really slow down certain characters like Kasumi, Jannlee, Ayane, Helena, Zack and especially Leifang since they have superior crushing moves. Although that doesn't mean it's impossible to win with her in a tournament, only if the player know how to use her correctly and can maintain good offensive pressure. In other words, Hitomi isn't garbage.

Now don't get me wrong, she's a very strong character who could give players a difficult time. It just that some of her tools doesn't have enough guaranteed set ups compare to other DOA characters. Plus comes out too slow and it's easy for people to see it coming.

So I decided to create a thread about what she needs and what could possibly make her a balance character. Anyway, what do you think? I think Hitomi need:
-frame advantage
- more guaranteed tools
- major frame advantage from her punch parry
-a few guard break attacks without charging
-viable tools

 

[Saber]

Hitomi does have tools that bypass the stun game, particularly her whiff punishers and a lot of her moves that wall-splat on neutral which boosts her wall game.

Although, I don't think she's weak because she's forced to play DOA4 stun game and doesn't have much sitdown stuns. It's because she doesn't have viable tools, like her punch parry (which Leifang has one superior to Hitomi's), low kick hold and 6T that guarantee jack shit.

I agree she needs her frame advantage and general move safety back, but only to the extent of her frame data in the Alpha demo. (If I had to ask, if you compare Alpha Demo Hitomi to Sarah, who has more frame advantage?)

Other buffs for Hitomi should also include a major increase in frame advantage for her punch parry (and 6T) that at the very least GUARANTEES 236P.

From the looks of the trailer with Ein, it does look like she's getting new moves, which I presume gives her better mixup options than just 50/50s.

 

[FlamingMuffin]

The majority of the cast lacks frame advantage on block. Should Hitomi receive some? Of course. Most of your suggestions seem to be random strings though.

Why should her sweep in string be +2 on block? Why should PPP be +8? 46P -1? It's a i12 40 damage whiff punisher. Look at your changes for her 6P string. Every option leaves her either at + or super safe. That's just too much.

The strings that should end in frame advantage are either slower mids or highs, in my opinion (like the last kick in 3KKK or PPK).

I agree with Saber, in that she should receive something guaranteed after her parry (even if it's just a free stun) and low kick counter. Her 6T I'm less inclined to agree with unless they nerf the damage to compensate for say +12 or whatever (like Zacks).

 

[Chaos]

Hitomi should get something guaranteed from her mid punch parry and should be +1 not -2. Also, her need to be +3 on block .

 

[Tenryuga]

Hitomi isn't weak by any means. She can definitely slowdown Kasumi with her punch parry idk why you guys refuse to use it as much as you should. And you guys should know that it is pretty easy to get a punch parry off with HItomi vs certain characters. I don't think punch parry should guarantee anything but it could definitely use some more frame advantage so the opponent cant jab out of her tracking options. I also believe that if you want 6T to get followups you have to nerf the damage of it. Her sitdown stun could use a buff so she could get her mid kick launcher.

EDIT: Forget what I said about the punch parry. It could use something guaranteed. It wouldn't be fair for her to be the only one that doesn't get ridiculous stuff off of a parry. Then again she doesnt need to guess for her parry. If it's a high or mid punch toss out the parry and get your reward.

 

[SilverForte]

6 p+k should be +1 on block and 3 h+k should be + on block like it was in the alpha.

 

[Chaos]

6 p+k should be +1 on block and 3 h+k should be + on block like it was in the alpha.

She was one of the best characters on the alpha version but sadly right before the final built TN decided to tone her down I understand they had to make sure DOA5 is well balanced but why take away some of her frame traps/frame advantage? Was she OP? I never played the alpha version btw.

 

[Tenryuga]

If TN was smart enough to make a competitive game she would not be OP by her alpha demo standards. But 10 months in this community has caused me to learn that I shouldn't expect much from TN since I'm not Japanese or a casual player.

 

[Chaos]

If TN was smart enough to make a competitive game she would not be OP by her alpha demo standards. But 10 months in this community has caused me to learn that I shouldn't expect much from TN since I'm not Japanese or a casual player.

After all the retarded shit TN has done (nerfing good tools for no reason) it makes me wonder if they're gonna nerf Hitomi. This is starting to worry me.

 

[Raansu]

She just needs her tools to not force her into a reset all the time. If she had proper frame traps I wouldn't care so much, but a lot of her tools forces constant mix ups and most of her "good" options in those mix ups leave her in a negative if blocked.

6f+p needs to go back to how it used to be. +10 on normal throw and +15 on hi-counter throw. It leaves the pressure on normal throw and rewards with unblockables for reading the hold and getting a hi-counter throw.

The old 2p setups need to return where on hi-counter hit she got an unblockable 46p.

3f+k needs to have its frame advantage back. 3.1 all variations of 8k were frame advantage. Personally I'd put them on different attacks but I'd still take that over nothing.

6f+k needs to cause a back stagger.

Her low kick hold needs to stop being useless and allow her to get a BT combo off of it.

46k/SSk/3kpk/ppk need to lose the open/close stance BS and make the damn move consistent.

Remove the follow up attacks on her open punch parry and allow her to open up the stun game on the parry. Leifang gets access to the stun game and a OH mix up that guarantees a feint stun and other characters have parries that give full blown BT stuns. Is it really too much to ask just to get one free stun out of it?

Not asking for a free launcher or a feint stun, just a stun in general so I don't have to deal with that reset. Yes its +7 but I still call it a reset because you can block every option thus its just a 50/50 mix up. The parry itself slows you down, but there's no real threat to it. The only way I would be fine with it staying at +7 is if thye changed 6f+p to guarantee a follow up. I'd take one or the other as I'd agree that both would be too much imo. If neither, then give her back her OH so she can at least create an actual frame trap with the parry like she could in DoA4.

Give her back her guard break from DoA4. It was a high attack so it was easy to avoid, but it was still a strong move as it had decent evasive properties and it didn't need to be fully charged to make 7p unblockable.

Be nice if her bounce strings worked like they did in 4. Even on normal hit you could still pull off a 46p. DoA5 you need a counter hit to do anything which is ok I guess, but the risk for finishing that string is pretty high so I don't see the problem in bringing that back. Or they could make her axe kicks untechable making the risk of finishing 7pkkk strings worth it. Or make them into sit down stuns. There is a lot of potential to make those strings worth the risk as right now they are pretty easy to counter and are extremely unsafe on block basically forcing her into going into the obvious low sweep or free canceling and hoping to throw your opponent off guard which goes back to the fact that she can't properly pressure a player as her neutral game is terrible. she lacks a lot of options to open up the stun game. If the game still used DoA2/3 stun system it wouldn't be an issue, but in a stun heavy game she lacks to tools to play the stun game and she has even less tools to avoid it and get guaranteed damage. She gets screwed in both departments.

The only thing she really shines in is that she completely shuts down side stepping and she has arguably some of the best whiff punishment in the game with high damage making her wall game fairly strong, but lets face it, most of these stages are huge squares. Good players rarely get pushed near a wall.

 

[xINFINITELIGHTx]

JESUS IS GOD HAVE A BLESSED DAY EVERYBODY!


6k is a 13 frame move that gives me +19 stun
Give me another move like 6p that is 13 frames and gives me the same stun on non counter hit like 6k

Make 6k 12 frames same properties

Moving on to 46p
It is 12 frames leave it alone but make it so that the opponent cannot tech out of it optionally and make it a force tech move

236k or THE UNBEATABLE KICK needs to be +1 on block instead of -1

That's it
Ill settle with the current 6k being 12 frames and everything else going away that's the most important move She has. Everything else is fine she's one of the best chapters in the game IMO.


JESUS IS GOD HAVE A BLESSED DAY EVERYBODY!

 

[Crext]

Hitomi simply needs "something", it doesn't really matter what tbh. Though while we are at experimentation thoughts, wouldn't it be cool if they simply boosted her damage even more? She'd be like a battlemage. Fair defenses with insane damage, but not much more.

 

[Zeo]

Well, incredibly boring in the world of DOA at the moment. 5U is sleeping and this forum is all but dead. I was bored so I did some Hitomi dojoing and a few things I do think she should get.

- Should have about 10 or so more frames in it's sit-down stun so she can get a guaranteed launch off it. Even would be nice.

- should be +1. Anything more would be a little much.

- Should be a +2 GB. It's an unsafe 17 frame high kick that causes a knockdown. It basically has NO use. It tracks but why use it instead of ever?

- Shave about 7 or so frames off at the fastest charge.

- should guard break without charging. +1 ~ +3 would be nice.

- should give +15 on HCH.

- should guarantee at least .

- Bring back and and make them safe and also add .

- Either make +15 or more on block or give it back it's tracking. It's too easily avoided and you should
be rewarded if you actually manage to land it.

 

[DR2K]

I hope they bring back the old animation from DOA4 of her 7 F+K iirc. Weird they went back with the DOA3 version.

 

[Raansu]

Hitomi simply needs "something", it doesn't really matter what tbh. Though while we are at experimentation thoughts, wouldn't it be cool if they simply boosted her damage even more? She'd be like a battlemage. Fair defenses with insane damage, but not much more.

Her damage is fine. She has some of the highest damage in the game. The problem is she lacks any real tools to get an opening.

 

[phoenix1985gr]

- Either make +15 or more on block or give it back it's tracking. It's too easily avoided and you should
be rewarded if you actually manage to land it.

Judging from lei fangs treatment you should be happy if it stayed with frame advantage...

 

[KingGhidorah]

I'll take anything that gains advantage in the frame department, but as is I am rather content with her current build. Now let the madness rain down upon me for my foolish train of thought.

 

[UpSideDownGRUNT]

We now know that she has a new string as confirmed by the dev match TN uploaded today. (and a totally cute/awesome tiger rawr taunt)

However, the input and whether it's safe or not is unknown atm.

YouTube

18 3 2,687

2:42

DoA5U Dev Match: Hitomi(GAKU) Vs. Leifang(Shimbori)

2:16

 

[Aven Kujo-Gin]

I agree with Zeo ideas, specially with and to be a decent GB. But If I have to ask, I would like to be +12 in NH so you at least can follow with .

 

[Saber]

I agree with Zeo ideas, specially with and to be a decent GB. But If I have to ask, I would like to be +12 in NH so you at least can follow with 46P.

As Raansu mentioned, +10 on NT and +15 on HCT would work just fine. You can pressure the opponent in neutral and if you punish a hold, you get rewarded for it.

Frame advantage has to be two frames more due to DOA5's weird 2-frame delay for strikes and 1-frame for throws.

But anyways, Hitomi does have some new strings confirmed. Other than that, she seems largely unchanged, which is unfortunate.