Key Neutral Tools

Adachi's main goal in neutral is to get in and start his offense, or score neutral hits and confirm from there. The tools listed in this section are a summary of your primary tools used to achieve this goal, but understand that all of his moves have some practical use. Experimenting with said tools and figuring out how they all come together is vital to an effective neutral game.

5B

Long range backhand that can hit from a good distance but make sure to use it wisely

On whiff, you automatically move forward while poking at the enemy

While 5B might have bad whiff recovery, it is still a decent button to use due to it's range and how easy it is to convert into a combo thanks to the follow up hits. If 5B whiffs, then you'll automatically move forward when doing the follow up, so it can surprise people when you land a hit and then cancel it into 5C if they were trying to mash out of it.

While 5B doesn't posses the range of Adachi's persona normals, it's faster than average speed for the reach it has makes it a viable button to contest your opponents with up close.

j.B

For when j.C might not be enough, j.B gets the job done

j.B will be one of your main air buttons for neutral. You can contest your opponent in the air very well with just this button alone, and since it's also faster than j.C, j.B is one of your best air-to-air buttons for when j.C might not be fast enough. It is also good for approaching and catching the opponent out of the air, and on hit or block you can start your offense from there

While j.B may be outshined by your other air button, it should not be ignored as it can help you in a pinch and start your offense with it's quick speed and long reach.

5C

Tempting, but rewarding persona button

Giant button with easy convertibility, what more could you possibly want?

5C is an important button for Adachi that contests the space in front of him where other buttons would miss or fail horribly. This normal is good to contest against opponents that are just outside of their effective range, or to catch the opponent out of their predictable approach. And with the big vertical hitbox and startup invulnerability on Magatsu Izanagi, it can be used as a preemptive anti-air to catch people jumping or airdashing at you. On ground counter hit, it can lead into high and rewarding damage with just 25 meter

While the startup and range are great, be careful being predictable or careless with 5C, as it can be low profiled or rolled through and with the move's high recovery frames you can get easily punished for whiffing this move

j.C

You'll probably be using this button, a lot

Adachi players when "their neutral is nice" when they only press j.C

Adachi's most infamous move, and a solid one at that. j.C controls a large amount of space both to the ground and in the air, while also keeping your momentum and not halting your movement at all, making this one of your best jump-in and air-to-air buttons. With the giant hitbox and persona startup invulnerability it has it can snuff out jumps and anti-airs, making it difficult for the opponent to contest against you if they're on the ground. If you're low enough to the ground when doing j.C you remain plus if it was blocked, meaning you can start your pressure after you land

j.C is a button that defines matchups, so be creative how you use it and be cautious to strong anti-airs

5D/j.D

Useful button to approach the enemy with and to control neutral

5D creates an active multihitting fullscreen projectile which you can run in. If the opponent blocks the projectile you can start your offense for free and take them to the corner while they are in it, but this can be easily avoided by the opponent superjumping and destroying the persona with their own move or by hitting you if you are inside the beam. j.D fixes that issue and fires the projectile in the air, controlling the airspace and forcing the opponent to stay on the ground or forcefully be taken into the corner if they are already in the air

This move should be used carefully as it takes a long time to startup the projectile and you are completely vulnerable during this state, and if the opponent sees it coming you can be punished and lose a card. It is also very easy to IB 5D and gain free meter while inside the beam.

2D/j.2D

Can be used to control and check in on your opponent and punish them from afar if they are doing anything reckless

Surely they won't see it coming again, right?

Matchup and opponent dependent tool. 2D can be used to check in on the opponent, and tracks the opponent's location. It is recommended to use this move around midscreen distance and beyond that range. Use this move to stop fullscreen zoning, setups, anti-airs and gain your turn back. On CH, it forces Fatal and does the most damage out of any normal in the entire game, but it cannot be used to start combos.

Avoid overusing this move in neutral. Even though it is the strongest normal damage-wise, being predictable with 2D can lead into a punish or a persona card being broken.

Scared? (214A/B/AB)

Occasional ranged low to check-in on the opponent

While the A version isn't recommended for range purposes, B and SB gunshot are good moves to check-in on the opponent if they like to play more grounded against you than being in the air. It can be used to see if the opponent is blocking and then trying to lock them down so you can start your offense from there.

While B & SB gunshot are good moves to see if the opponent is patient, if the opponent is in the air or if they're nearly next to you, it is recommended to not use gunshot and instead try to go for something else.