[Ver. 2.03] Patch Notes (September 24, 2026)

Previously, the time window to activate Counter Blitz after a counter hit was short, making it difficult to use unless the counter hit was anticipated in advance.

In this adjustment, Counter Blitz can now be activated until the recovery of the move that caused the counter hit ends.

This makes it easier to visually confirm the counter hit before deciding to activate it, while also expanding the situations where it can be utilized, such as following moves that incur recovery upon landing, such as Zato-1's → + HS or Leo's Jumping D.

Additionally, because the extended activation window increases the likelihood of the move being blocked by the opponent, we have also improved the situation when it is blocked.

We have removed directional inputs from the command, allowing it to be activated using only P + D or K + D simultaneously.

In addition to making it easier to input, this change makes it more useful as a defensive option against attacks that force players to switch between guarding forward and backward.

In the Ver. 2.00 major update, we re-evaluated the risk and reward of various actions throughout the game, aiming for a balance where the results of mind games are more accurately reflected in the match progression.

In this update, while maintaining this fundamental policy, we reviewed how matches have played out since Ver. 2.00 and adjusted specific characters, focusing on areas where performance exceeded expectations or where characters struggled to express their intended strengths.

In Ver. 2.00, the recovery time for certain invincible moves was increased to heighten the risk upon being blocked.
As a consequence, for some multi-hit invincible moves, even if the first hit connected, subsequent hits would sometimes fail to connect, leaving the attacker vulnerable to a punish.
In this patch, by adjusting the blowback of the first hit, follow-up hits will connect more reliably when the initial attack hits normally, reducing unintended punishes.

For Sidewinder Ignited, we expanded the effective range of the Clean Hit to make it easier to land Clean Hits.

Previously, the activation timing varied easily depending on the combo structure, making it difficult to consistently secure a Clean Hit even in intended scenarios. With this adjustment, the conditions required to trigger a Clean Hit have been relaxed, making it easier to reliably aim for high returns upon success.

For Mr. Dolphin (Vertical) (S Version), its long movement distance made it easy to reach the opponent, while also creating situations where May could easily maintain offense even after being blocked.

In this patch, when blocked, May now moves significantly farther backward than before, making it harder to sustain offense directly after block.

In addition, part of the descending hitbox has been replaced with a follow-up hitbox. As a result, she is now easier to intercept with anti-air moves such as → + P during descent.

This replacement with a follow-up hitbox has similarly been applied to Mr. Dolphin (Vertical) (HS Version).

Winter Mantis was a powerful move in a wide range of situations, not only restricting opponent actions from mid-to-long range, but also serving as an offensive starter due to its Guard Crush effect.

In this update, we adjusted its hitbox to make it easier to evade via backdashes or jumps.

Additionally, Crouching P had short recovery despite being a long-range low attack, making it a low-risk poke for keeping opponents from approaching.

Therefore, we increased its recovery time to raise the risk particularly when whiffed.

F.D.B. was a move capable of covering multiple actions simultaneously—including projectile responses—with low risk across various situations.

In this update, we increased its recovery time, making it easier to punish on whiff. Furthermore, when used within strings, players will need to choose their situations more carefully.

→ + HS was an attack capable of covering a wide range of scenarios, poking broad areas on the ground while easily catching airborne opponents.

We adjusted its hitbox so that it is now harder to hit airborne opponents than before.

Millia is a character who excels at throwing off opponent anti-air timing using her high aerial mobility.

Among her options, Kapel frequently created scenarios where she could alter anti-air timing while maintaining offense, yielding high rewards from relatively low risk.

In this patch, we added a downward hurtbox, making her more susceptible to anti-air interception than before.

Additionally, we increased recovery time and adjusted the move so that Jumping HS cannot be performed after executing Kapel at low altitudes. Players will now need to be more mindful of execution altitude and timing.

Regarding the Eddie Life Gauge, we reduced the gauge recovery speed after unsummoning Eddie using ↓ ↙ ← + HS or similar inputs while active.

Zato-1's major strength lies in constructing varied pressure through simultaneous actions with Eddie.

However, unsummoning Eddie to recover the gauge while sustaining strings allowed players to easily maintain powerful offense for extended periods.

With this change, securing sufficient gauge after unsummoning Eddie will take longer than before, making Eddie Life Gauge management more critical when sustaining pressure.

Zweites Kaltes Gestöber allowed Leo to easily transition into powerful offense from Brynhildr Stance by forcing the opponent to block while passing behind them.

In this update, when blocked, the distance between Leo and the opponent increases significantly, preventing K during Brynhildr Stance from reaching directly.

Consequently, initiating low attacks immediately after a blocked attempt becomes more difficult, requiring Leo to close distance first if aiming for a low mix-up.

Sultry Performance (K Version) and Sultry Performance (S Version) previously resulted in unstable rewards on hit against grounded opponents, as I-No could easily end up at a frame disadvantage depending on the hit height.

In this patch, we added a stagger effect so that I-No is in an advantageous position whenever these moves hit a grounded opponent, regardless of the height at which they connect.

On the other hand, because knockback on hit has also been adjusted, sustaining pressure directly after may prove difficult depending on the impact position.

To enhance the rewards obtained from Testament's favored mid-range neutral play, we increased the launch height when Stain triggers.

As a result, even when pokes such as Far Standing S connect near their tip, it is now easier to transition into a combo after Stain triggers.

We shortened the startup of Kick Start My Heart, making combos such as Crouching P > → + K > Kick Start My Heart connect more consistently than before.

Furthermore, because the overall animation duration was shortened with the faster startup, post-combo situations—such as utilizing it as a movement tool after landing Standing HS > Command Normal 5—have also been improved.

We have only made universal adjustments to multi-hit invincible moves.

We changed Jealous Rage so that A.B.A can now block opponent attacks during the recovery when the mode ends automatically because the Jealousy Gauge is depleted.

Because Jealous Rage is an extremely potent state, blocking was previously disabled during forced recovery to impose heavy risk for failing gauge management.

However, in actual matches, the risk incurred upon depletion proved larger than intended, leading us to ease this penalty in the current update.

We have only made universal adjustments to multi-hit invincible moves.

Choukyaku Kouryuumon possessed performance that easily allowed it to interrupt attacks from relatively distant positions as a reversal utilizing its long reach and invincibility.

In this patch, we reduced its horizontal reach, making it harder to interrupt opponent strings when positioned at a distance.