Damage-dealing moves in DOA come in three forms:
Strikes,
Throws and
Holds. These three types of moves have a rock-paper-scissors type relationship: Strikes beat throws, throws beat holds, and holds beat strikes.
Throws cannot connect during the startup of a strike.*
Striking a throwing opponent will result in a high counter state, increasing damage to 150%.
Throwing an opponent during the active frames of a hold will result in a high counter state, increasing damage to 150%.
Holding a strike during the early frames of the hold will result in counter states, increasing damage.
| Frames | State | Damage revision |
| 1-4 | High counter hold | 150% |
| 5-10 | Counter hold | 125% |
| 11-22 | Hold | 100% |
Some strikes when held will only cause the defender to move to the side instead of activating their hold animation. This is known as a Divert Hold.
*Certain throws bypass this rule and are known as Catch Throws. Jann Lee's
and Tina's
are examples of catch throws.
