Hi, everyone. Crabby here with dev blog #3. Enjoy!




As fans of Bleach know, speed is one of Ichigo’s main strengths in a fight. However, this trait didn’t transfer over to 0.7 as well as it should have. This time around, Ichigo is going to have a bit more focus on speed. His fall speed has been increased, his atrocious landing lag is gone, and his attack speed has improved exponentially. Through the use of his new physics and improved combo game, Ichigo will be a force to be reckoned with.

Ichigo is a Lightning Bruiser. He’s strong, fast, and has large range on most of his attacks. However, although his fast fall speed helps his combo potential, it also makes him very susceptible to certain combos. Furthermore, he has mediocre vertical recovery. This combined with his fast fall speed makes it difficult for him to recovery back on to the stage when knocked too low. Don’t let these weaknesses fool you, though. Underestimate him and you’re likely to get combo’d to your death.

Each of Ichigo’s tilts performs a unique role in his combo game. Many of Ichigo's best combos are performed in the air. Ichigo has many ways to set up his most damaging combos, two of his best options being his Forward Tilt and Up Tilt. Both moves knock the opponent into the air and allow for Ichigo to perform many devastating combos. Down Tilt, although slower in comparison of his other options, also sets up the opponent for short hopped aerials and even smashes at certain percentages.




Although his Forward Smash and Up Smash no longer have the overwhelming power they did in 0.7, you can still expect them to kill reliably. His Down Smash serves multiple roles. When used when the opponent is on the ground, the opponent will pop into the air. This is a great way to set up for combos, and it will even combo into Ichigo’s kill moves at high percentages. When used when the opponent is in the air, the move will spike. This can be a great way to spike opponents recovering to the ledge.




Ichigo’s air game has been vastly improved and is now one of his key qualities. Fair and Bair serve as excellent combo moves, allowing him to mercilessly juggle the opponent across the stage. Nair and Uair serve KO purposes, allowing him to KO off the side and off the top respectively. Finally, expect a powerful spike if you correctly time Dair.



His throws perform quite a few roles. UThrow sets up for aerial combos at lower percentages, placing the opponent above Ichigo in just enough hitstun for a nice Fair/Bair combo. FThrow and BThrow can put the opponent in a position to be edge guarded effectively. His DThrow is his most damaging throw and hurls the opponent in an upwards, pseudorandom direction. Your opponent will have to DI effectively if he doesn’t want to be thrown into a bad position.

Ichigo’s specials have been slightly altered to be more compatible with his new playstyle. The knockback for Getsuga Tenshou(GT) has been decreased and Ichigo can no longer retain his charge. However, one still shouldn’t take this move lightly. GT still serves as a great way to space, can effectively cancel lower priority projectiles, and, with a bit of charge, can gain some devastating KO properties. Ichigo’s flash step now only hits with the sword slash portion of the attack and serves as one of his better KO moves. For his Down Special, Ichigo flash steps upwards before rocketing downwards with a powerful spike. This is great for surprising airborne enemies or for continuing combos.



Ichigo’s combo game and speed will be the bane of your opponent. However, because of his faster fall speed, he may be more susceptible to certain combos than other characters. His mediocre recovery distance is another weakness to be wary of. Although he may be one of the more challenging characters to play, Ichigo will be a formidable fighter in 0.8.