#03 - About Movement: A to Z
This series continues assuming you know the basics of fighting games. Virtua Fighter is completely different from other fighting games in its movement methods, so many people get stuck here.
🕹️ Manual Movement Methods
| Action | Input | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 8-way Free Walk | Free lever input | Walks very slowly |
| Run | → Neutral ▶ | Tap forward twice from a distance and hold |
| Guard | Hold G | Defends against mid/high attacks. Position is fixed during guard |
| Crouch | Hold G + ↓ | 6F to enter, crouching from 7F |
| Dash | [→or←] x2 | Virtually all movement is done with dash. Requires G button use |
| Crouch Dash | [↘or↙] x2 | 4F delay, crouching from 5F |
| Defensive Move (Evade) | [↑or↓] briefly + neutral | If input after opponent's move activation, successful evasion, otherwise failed evasion |
| ├ Successful Evasion | - | Applies to linear/half-circle moves, takes 23F |
| └ Failed Evasion | - | Occurs when move doesn't come out or against full-circle moves, takes 25F |
| Offensive Move | During evade G+P+K | Grabs opponent's side when they are not knocked down. Takes 24F |
| Jump | G/P/K + ↑↗↖ | Usually 5F until airborne (varies by move) |
📌 Basic Concepts to Remember
- Free movement is rarely used. 90% of movement and distance control is done with dashes
- During guard, position is fixed — cannot move while guarding
- If you just dash, the free movement animation comes out first, slowing you down and making you readable to the opponent
- Defensive Move transitions to successful evasion only when disadvantaged, securing the side after a 23F evasion animation
💡 Technique 1. Combine with the G button
Since dash commands start with free movement, holding G for guard while inputting dash and then releasing G can conceal the preparation animation and shorten dash time.
💡 Technique 2. Stop dashes with the G button
Forward dash/crouch dash can be stopped instantly with G. Precisely stopping at the desired distance by adjusting timing is a key point that separates beginners from experienced players.
⚠️ Restrictions on Forward Dash Guard Cancel
Forward dash has 3F vulnerability until G cancel (cannot guard any move)
Forward crouch dash has 6F vulnerability (but can evade high attacks from 1F)
⚠️ Backdash Penalty
Backdash/crouch backdash G guard cancel is not possible. All strikes hit during a dash are treated as counters, and being hit by mid kicks, etc., results in a massive -60F stun penalty.
🥊 Movement + Attack Technique 1. Cancel dash with a strike
Akira's 약보정주 activates with 666p, but if you input 6666p while releasing G, the dash is canceled, and a 약보 with increased reach comes out. Jacky's 6664p+g is also an example of increasing the range of his knee strike throw. While it slows down startup, it's an essential technique in this game where range control is crucial.
If your head hurts, you can stop here and review.
🔀 Cancellability Table (In parentheses: Uncancellable Frames / Forced Delay)
| Move (Strike/Throw) | Guard | Evade | Dash | Jump | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Forward) Dash | O (1F) | O (3F) | O (3F) | X | O (3F perhaps) |
| (Forward) Crouch Dash | O (1F) | O (6F) | X | X | O |
| (Back) Dash | O (1F) | X | O (3F perhaps) | X | O |
| (Back) Crouch Dash | O (1F) | X | X | X | O |
| Failed Evade | X | X | X | O (10F) | X |
| Successful Evade | X | X | X | X | X |
| Offensive Move | X | X | X | X | X |
📌 Advanced Concepts to Remember
- Forward dash can be canceled with evade, jump, guard, or throw/strike moves
- Backdash can only be canceled with evade, throw/strike moves, or jump
- Failed evade can only be canceled with dash, but not before at least 10F
- Crouch dash generally cannot be canceled with evade
- Successful evade and Offensive Move cannot be canceled by anything
🔗 Movement Technique 3. Cancel the cancel
Virtua Fighter's backdash cannot even be guard-canceled and is treated as a counter. However, a backdash can be canceled into an evade, an evade into a dash, and a dash into a guard, so connecting them in this way can significantly reduce risk.
Forward crouch dash cannot be canceled with evade, but if you cancel with G and then immediately evade, it can be canceled and then chained into another crouch dash.
🎯 Movement Technique 4. Movement method with minimal risk
When you want to use evade but the opponent might wait and attack, here's the fastest way to clear it:
This is the most basic evade cancel movement in the current version (FS/REVO).
⚠️ Advanced Section Precautions
- If evade cancel is used twice in a row, the second evade becomes an empty shell with no evasion properties (to prevent infinite evasion)
- Even if evade is canceled as quickly as possible, a 10F delay is fixed — it will be 100% guaranteed to be caught by the fastest throws
- Theoretically maximum speed cancels cannot always be performed perfectly by hand
🥊 Movement + Attack Technique 2. Only guard after evade cancel?
Evade(10F) → Dash(1F) → Strike — If you input dash after evade and then input a strike/throw, it cancels faster than guarding, allowing you to perform a strike quickly during evasion.
🥊 Technique 3. What if the command already includes a dash?
Evade(10F) → Strike/Throw can be canceled immediately without frame delay. If it's hard to get started, try with your character's main moves like Evade-664p+g / Evade-66p / Evade-33p+k.
🥊 Movement + Attack Technique 4. Evade 33p+k+g
33p+k+g changes the fastest cutting move (crouching jab, a fast low strike with 22F startup) during evade into a dash command. If you input it as a command, it immediately becomes Evade → 33p+k+g.
Original Source: Ruliweb (rchacha)
※ Written before the R.E.V.O World Stage update — some details may differ from the current version.