Divekick Character Breakdown – Part 2

Kung Pao

Air Special – Dimension Break

By itself, Dimension Break doesn’t have much of an impact on the match. Kung Pao kicks the air, creating a crack in space-time. When you gain enough meter to use the Crack Kick ground special, Kung Pao will be able to use the cracks to teleport around the stage instantly. It doesn’t require much meter to use Dimension Break, so you should be able to create a crack, then build meter to gain access to the Crack Kick. The Dimension Break crack is where Kung Pao will appear after a Crack Kick, so place it strategically and surprise your opponent when they least expect it.

Ground Special – Crack Kick

Once you have placed a Dimension Break, the Crack Kick essentially teleports Kung Pao to the crack created by the Dimension Break. You can use the Crack Kick to escape a corner, avoid an incoming attack when you’re in a bad position, or unleash a surprise attack on your opponent.

General Tips

Kung Pao’s dive kick attack is slower than most other character’s, but this makes it difficult to evade. Against most characters, if you stay on the ground when they kick, you have the option to jump over their attack if it looks like the kick will connect. With Kung Pao, the timing to evade her attacks is considerably different. It’s much harder to evade her attacks due to their relatively slow movement speed, and the angle of her attack. When you combine this with the Dimension Break and Crack Kick, she can keep opponents locked down and afraid to move.

Markman

Air Special – Feint / Upkick

Markman’s air special changes depending on what play mode he’s in. While in Search Mode, his air special is a defensive jump back. If an opponent has you targeted in the air and you have no way to escape, this Feint will get you out of harm’s way. Once you’ve acquired the kickbox, and both buttons for it, the air special becomes the Upkick. While the Upkick Mode lasts, Markman has the ability to change the trajectory of his aerial attack to an upward kick. He can do this multiple times in the air, but every time you do it, the Upkick Mode meter drains considerably. The Upkick attack is great when an opponent has a height advantage over you in the air. In most circumstances, you would be done for, but with the Upkick, you can still attack and win the round.

Ground Special – Search / Upkick

As soon as a match begins, you have access to Markman’s Search ground special. It enables him to search for the items to create a kickbox. If you find the kickbox shell, the yellow button and the blue button, Markman enters Upkick Mode. When this happens, using the Upkick special on the ground allows him to kick upward and use it as an anti-air attack to hit opponents out of the air.

If you do not find a part of the kick box, you will find one of five other items with varying affects that impact the opponent and Markman equally if they make contact with the item. The glue causes a character to stick to the ground temporarily, the green gas depletes your Kick meter, the oil causes a character to slide along the ground, the spring makes a character continuously jump, and the black hole creates an infinite falling loop, making it difficult to accurately attack.

General Tips

While Markman is powerful in Upkick Mode, you do not have to search for the kickbox to be able to win with him. If you execute a dive kick at the top of his jump, it becomes an Electric Wind God Foot (EWGF) that’s much faster than his normal dive kick. In addition, his defensive jump covers more ground than most other character’s defensive jump. However, when you’re in Upkick Mode, an opponent will have a difficult time mounting a defense against Markman. Use a normal divekick and see how your opponent reacts. If he jumps, use the Upkick. If he doesn’t move, the divekick will connect. Just make sure you’re close enough to the opponent to force them into that situation.

Mr. N

Air Special – Marneto

The Marneto allows Mr. N to float in the air for as long as he has Kick meter. This is a purely defensive maneuver that can get Mr. N out of trouble, or let him hover high in the air, away from most attacks. During Marneto, you can do nothing but float. However, once Marneto is no longer active you can dive kick. You cannot activate Marneto during a dive kick though.

Ground Special – GTFO

Similar to the Marneto, the GTFO is a purely defensive technique. Mr. N runs backward to get away from trouble. This works well if an opponent is closing in to attack, but it has no offensive value. Be careful not to run into a corner where you may end up being trapped.

General Tips

Mr. N’s dive kick can be performed very close to the ground, enabling you to build meter quickly by using low height dive kicks in rapid succession. You should almost always be building meter with Mr. N. Even if your opponent is closing in, until they’re within attack range, continue to build meter. Since both of Mr. N’s specials activate with minimal Kick meter, use them freely to escape danger or delay your descent to get a better angle of attack. Unfortunately, both specials are defensive in nature, so your primary offense will come from normal dive kicks and Kick Factor, which is why building meter is so important. Lastly, a unique addition for Mr. N is the ability to take one head shot without getting a concussion.

Redacted

Air Special – Cornered Beast

When Redacted is in the air near the edge of the screen, she can use Cornered Beast to bounce off the “wall” and change her descent trajectory. The fact that it can only be used when close to the edge of the screen somewhat limits the special move, especially since Redacted has such a vertical jump angle. It can be marginally useful to get out of the corner, but seems better suited when an opponent attacks just outside of their range and you need to be a little closer to punish their mistimed dive kick.

Ground Special – Feral Stance

Feral Stance serves two purposes. First and foremost, it slowly builds meter for Redacted. In addition, it essentially gives her the ability to duck. While she can still be hit in Feral Stance, there are many times in which ducking would avoid an attack, but no other character can duck. It helps Redacted even more because she normally has a very tall fighting stance, making her a large target.

General Tips

Redacted has a very high, very fast jump. However, she has very poor mobility aside from the vertical height of her jump. Even her defensive jump only moves her a short distance. It can be difficult to obtain good positioning with Redacted, so you’ll need to play a more defensive game. Use Feral Stance to duck under incoming attacks, and if you find yourself trapped in the corner, use Cornered Beast to move away a little bit. Redacted’s best asset is her speed, so use that to your advantage as you approach an opponent.

S-Kill

Air Special – Trick

S-Kill’s Trick air special move is very good. It allows him to teleport directly over an opponent’s head, setting them up for a near guaranteed dive kick assault. However, do not use it predictably. A skilled opponent can just straight up and attack S-Kill before he can do anything if they anticipate the Trick special move. Once you have enough meter to use it, vary when you use it. Use it as soon as you get meter, attack normally a few times before using it, or use it right before you reach Kick Factor. Keep the opponent guessing and you’ll land some surefire dive kicks.

Ground Special – Parry

The Parry ground special is deadly. S-Kill gains access to it with very low meter, and as soon as he has it, you cannot attack him at any normal angle while he’s on the ground. If S-Kill sees an opponent attacking, he can react to their attack with the Parry, which teleports him out of harm’s way and gives him an easy counterattack. Be very careful against skilled opponents. While this is a very good tool, it only works if S-Kill is hit above his waist. Anything below his waist will not be parried, which means a good opponent will angle his attacks to hit low to the ground. Counter this by jumping (teleporting) to avoid the low-hitting attack, then punish the opponent’s attempt with a dive kick of your own.

General Tips

S-Kill is one of the better characters in the game, but he definitely has his flaws, especially against an opponent who knows all of S-Kill’s tricks. Instead of jumping, he simply teleports into the air. This can be confusing for players who are unaware of this ability. However, it does have limitations. He can only teleport twice before landing back on the ground. In addition, if he doesn’t dive kick shortly after a teleport he cannot dive kick until after his second teleport. What this means is that a skilled opponent will see that you did not immediately dive kick after the first teleport, then start closing in with the knowledge that you will not be able to attack until you teleport again.

Stream

Air Special – Flame Bait

Stream’s Flame Bait air special shoots a fireball to the ground. When it hits the ground, it ignites a small area. If the opponent is engulfed in the flames, they’re forced to jump continuously until the flames go out. If Stream lands in the flames, his legs ignite and he gains a little wider attack area due to the flames counting as an attack if they connect with an opponent. The flames on the ground and Stream’s legs remain lit as long as Stream has Kick meter.

Ground Special – Spooby PLS

The Spooby PLS ground special causes Stream to create a transparent double where the special was activated, while the real Stream becomes completely invisible. The invisibility and body double remain as long as Stream has meter. During this time Stream can attack at will without the opponent knowing where he is. Use this opportunity to mount a surprise attack on an opponent. It’s best to wait until you have a decent amount of meter so the invisibility lasts long enough for you to make use of it without needing to rush in immediately.

General Tips

Stream has great air maneuverability with his wings giving him the ability to use a double jump. However, it comes at a price. He cannot dive kick until he has executed the double jump. This makes it harder for him to attack quickly, and also difficult to build meter. The best way to build meter is to use a vertical jump, followed by an immediate back jump, then a dive kick. During a dive kick, Stream can angle the kick up by holding dive, or down by holding kick. Use this to hit opponents that would be out of range for most other characters, or to simply escape bad situations. The upward kick is great for moving across the screen.

Uncle Sensei

Air Special – Stance Dance

Uncle Sensei has two stances. The Stance Dance air special allows him to change stances in the air. You can use this special after executing only a single attack. Because Uncle Sensei’s dive kick has a very different speed and trajectory depending on which stance he’s in, Stance Dance can come in handy to keep the opponent guessing as to which stance you’re in. However, with every attack, Uncle Sensei also changes stance, so if you prefer one stance over the other, you can maintain the same stance by using Stance Dance after each attack.

Ground Special – Super Jump

The Super Jump propels Uncle Sensei into the air with great speed. This is useful for escaping bad situations and surprising an opponent. While this is primarily a defensive technique, Uncle Sensei can use a dive kick at any point during the Super Jump. In his normal standing stance, using a dive kick at the peak of the Super Jump will get him all the way across the screen.

General Tips

The best way to play as Uncle Sensei is to know his stances in and out. His normal standing stance causes him to dive kick hands first as if he was flying through the air. It’s a wide angle with a slow attack velocity. The handstand stance gives him a dive kick that’s much faster and attacks at a steep angle. Keep an eye on your meter and alternate between stances using Stance Dance, then attack immediately. In many cases you’ll be able to attack before the opponent knows which stance you’re in. This will allow you to catch them off guard and score a win!