Divekick Character Breakdown – Part 1

The Baz

Air Special – Mighty Swing

The Mighty Swing is the first special you get as you gain meter. It enables The Baz to use his rope to swing across the stage ala Tarzan. The longer you hold Dive and Kick, the shorter the swing will be. During the swing is the only time The Baz’s feet actually count as an attack. If the opponent comes in contact with The Baz’s feet during the swing, it will count as a hit. Use the Mighty Swing to approach an opponent from a distance or when you expect an aerial confrontation. Changing the arc (and in turn the length) of the swing can easily throw off an opponent.

Ground Special – The Shocker

The Shocker is basically The Baz’s anti-air attack. If the opponent touches his body while the ground special is active, it counts as a hit for The Baz. As soon as you have enough meter for The Shocker, it won’t be too difficult to bait the opponent into thinking you’re vulnerable, and catching them off guard with The Shocker.

General Tips

The Baz is unique in that his feet do not actually count as an attack unless you use the Mighty Swing. In every other instance, the lightning that follows The Baz is what attacks the opponent. This can be very tricky for players who think it’s safe to attack The Baz after he seemingly misses with his attack. The lightning isn’t on screen for very long, but the small delay between The Baz’s kick and the following lightning is long enough to throw people off. He can also pause in the air by holding the attack button. While the button is held, The Baz changes the angle of his attack. Use this to escape corners, with the following lightning preventing an opponent from immediately following. His Kick Factor is essentially a slightly longer version of The Shocker. If an opponent touches The Baz while it’s active, they lose the round.

Dive

Air Special – Terminal Velocity

Dive’s two specials are fairly similar. Terminal Velocity causes him to descend from a jump much faster than normal. He can still execute a kick at any point during the speedy descent. There are many times in which you choose a poor time to jump, leaving yourself open to a potential attack. This is a great time to use Terminal Velocity to get Dive back to the ground as quickly as possible. This can also work well to catch an opponent off guard if they’re very close to Dive while he’s in the air. Dive’s jump is so high that a quick descent, followed by a kick, can do the job.

Ground Special – Parabolic Arc

Parabolic Arc is essentially a short hop. Instead of Dive’s normally high jump, he takes a short hop toward the opponent. At any point during the hop he can execute a kick. This is great when you’re at an odd distance that’s too far away to attack effectively, but too close to use Dive’s normal attack angles. It also works well when an opponent is closing in and trying to find the best angle of attack. They’ll see Dive jump into the air, but the short hop will cause a split second of confusion that could create the opening you need to land a kick.

General Tips

Dive has a great jump, but his kick is fairly slow. You’re almost forced to play defensively until you have enough meter to use his specials, but with his high jump you can keep yourself out of harm’s way against most opponents. When Dive gets Kick Factor, his increased speed coupled with his high jump make it very difficult for opponents to evade if you approach cautiously. A few low altitude kicks to move in closer work very well during Kick Factor to push an opponent back into the corner.

Dr. Shoals

Air Special – Death From Above

Death From Above allows Dr. Shoals to hover in the air until she runs out of meter. You can stop hovering at any point by activating the special a second time. This is a great tactic to get better positioning against an opponent. Jump into the air and activate Death From Above, then use the Dive and Kick buttons to move forward or back until you have the positioning you want, then drop down and execute your attack. This works especially well when time is running out and you need to get closer to the red line to win the match.

Ground Special – Brilliant Escape

On the ground, Brilliant Escape launches Dr. Shoals into the air. She can stop at any point to attack or transition into Death From Above. This is great to escape a corner, or when you want to move in at a low height. Dr. Shoals normal jump executes a little faster compared to some other characters, so using Brilliant Escape can get you to lower heights with more precision than her normal jump. Activate Death From Above and get the attack angle you want.

General Tips

Dr. Shoals has a very high normal jump, but it’s hard for her to build meter as fast as some of the other characters. She can’t attack from her backward jump like most of the other characters, so you’ll have to use it only as a means to back away from an opponent. Her ability to kick twice in the air, with the second kick changing her attack angle can really confuse an opponent. Time your attack so that if the opponent jumps, the initial kick will hit them, but if the opponent stays on the ground, the second kick will connect. Be careful not to soar over an opponent’s head, if you do, Dr. Shoals is easy to attack from behind, before she lands.

Jefailey

Air Special – Disqualification

Both of Jefailey’s specials serve the same purpose, they drain the opponent’s Kick Meter. Disqualification is done in the air and must be close enough to make contact with the opponent. If it does not, the special fails and no meter is drained. In addition, if the opponent is in Kick Factor and is hit with Disqualification, they are knocked out of Kick Factor. This is a great tactic to use when an opponent is close to Kick Factor. Close in, use Disqualification, then kick after the air special to catch the opponent off guard.

Ground Special – Timer Scam

Timer Scam serves only one purpose. It pauses the game for two seconds while the clock is still running. This is best used toward the end of a match to get an easy win if the opponent is too far from the red line. Because it pauses both characters, it can also be useful to throw an opponent off in the middle of their attack (especially opponents with multi-part attacks like Dr. Shoals). However, its  main function is to scam time off the clock.

General Tips

Jefailey can be a difficult character to win with. With each round that he wins, his head grows in size. By the time he has three or four wins, it can be difficult to avoid head shots from the opposing player. However, he has fairly good kicks, with the ability to charge them up by holding down the kick button. At a full charge, Jefailey lunges across the stage at a moderately quick speed. You can also start charging before the round begins. The charge won’t activate until the round begins, but you won’t have to jump first to initiate the charge. Keep your charge for as long as possible until you see an opening, and don’t be afraid to get close enough to use Disqualified if the opponent is close to Kick Factor. Otherwise, be very careful as your head grows and try to stay in the air to avoid head shots.

Kenny

Air Special – Spirit Bullet (Homing)

Kenny fires a small bullet while in the air. The bullet homes in on the opponent. It does not travel full screen, so if the opponent is on the far side of the stage it stops just before it reaches them. If the bullet connects, it freezes the opponent in the air for a brief moment. Use this opportunity to connect an attack. Use this as soon as you have access to it and you’re within range. While it can be evaded, it causes the opponent to make predictable moves to avoid the attack, giving you a chance to take them down.

Ground Special – Spirit Bullet (Pulse)

The ground version of the Spirit Bullet does not move very far and does not home in on the opposing character like the aerial version. Instead, it remains fairly close to Kenny, serving almost as a shield. If an opponent attempts to attack Kenny and hits the bullet, they will be suspended in the air for a short time. Use this opportunity to take them down with an attack. This works very well when you’re trapped in the corner and the opponent is closing in.

General Tips

Kenny is unique in that he’s basically a mimic character. He randomly switches between characters with each new round. He always keeps his default fighting stance, so you won’t know who he’s mimicking until you begin the round and start moving around. He plays identical to the character he’s mimicking, copying their jump height and speed and kick speed, but he cannot copy certain unique abilities. For instance, when he’s copying Jefailey, his head size does not increase.

Kick

Air Special – New Angle

Kick’s air special is a very fast dive kick that attacks at a slightly different angle than his normal kick. It can easily catch opponents off guard and give Kick a win. Learn the range of New Angle so you know when an opponent is close enough to use it. While it won’t reach too far, it has a longer reach than Kick’s normal attack.

Ground Special – Party Starter

Party Starter is unique in that it causes a nearby grounded opponent to be knocked into the air, stunned for a short time. When you use this, be ready to jump into the air and finish off the opponent if it connects. It only works on opponents on the ground and has limited range. Learn the exact range of the attack so you can use it at the max range to catch grounded opponents.

General Tips

Kick’s jump isn’t great, but he has a relatively fast kick. Use his backward jump and kick as close to the ground as possible to quickly build meter. Once you have enough for New Angle, slowly move in with low height dive kicks, or wait for the opponent to approach. You’ll have to play somewhat defensively with Kick because he doesn’t have some of the more elaborate techniques of the other characters. However, he can build meter very quickly and has enough tools to make him difficult to approach.