Akira Top Tier

I am new to the scene and I hear that tiers are not important as they are in other games. That being said I hear Akira is the best in the game. What makes him the best? I currently maining Lion and Shun is my secondary. But, Akira I like a lot. I want to get my fundamentals good then I may seriously consider Maining Akira.

 

The better Akira.

 

Don't use him, he's a waste of time.

 

@Myke explained it perfectly.

Keep in mind that in this game the difference is made mostly by the player and to have the character's tier come into play you should know everything about your opponent's character (frame data, punish, duck and whiff punish point blank and from various distance, setup, okizeme etc) and most importantly your opponents should not have any habits to be exploitable.


A few advices for your two characters.

Lion is devastating in this game (in my opinion is up there with akira and taka): he's not hard to use at low and medium level, he has a mind fucking mixup, low launchers, low & high crushers, guard break, one of the best side game, safe launchers, great range.

He suffers high damage combos on him, big punish (depends heavily on the opposing character) if the opponent reads your options (block a low, evade most of his good moves).


Shun imo is very difficult to start with and even to learn properly.
You need first ti learn how to use him with no drinks.
Try to fight without using any moves that requires a certain number of drinks.

Then learn how to get those damned drinks.
Imo this where you can make shine more your shun compared to the other.
And beware that the opponent can sober you with a lot of their moves so often you'll find yourself in need to regain drink points.

Then you have to learn a different shun play style for every drink milestones (4, 6, 8, 10 ,12, 16 plus the number of drinks when the properties of various moves changed like becoming a launcher on CH or splatting at the wall).

Some ultra cheap moves require a certain number of drinks AND sober you a certain amount of drink points so you gotta learn when it is worth using them.

On top of that you have to learn a lot of stances and cancels.

Once you can manage a good portion of this stuff and get your drinks then you're ready to experience the true broken top tier of the game.



That being said just play whoever you have fun with but keep in mind where you need to put your effort.

Have fun!

 

If you enjoy Lion and Shun better than Akira then stick with them. Try to find a balance between playing characters you like and who you can get wins with in reality. Lion is strong in VFfs and his moves are much easier to do than Akira. Shun is decent in this version and is viable at high level play; a top player named Fuudo mains him. If you really want to main Akira though its your call,but his moves require very quick execution and he requires above average YOMI.

 

Honestly, just pick a character that you are drawn to. Whether it be style or cool factor. Don't just play Akira because he is top tier. Virtually all the characters are viable. Lion and Shun are no slouches either, Lion being s tier and shun being very good as well, so if you like those two characters more than Akira, stick with them.

 

I agree with dhaval. From my part i play vanessa and she s for me the playstyle i prefer and enjoy the most and tbh i don t care of the top tier coz in vf the most important is the player u play against not really the char. A very good player using a low tier will drive u nuts even if u play a top tier char. Keep in mind that vf is a lot of def techs char set ups combo knowledge but the most important the mind game (guess).

 

If fundamentals are what matter to you, then yes, keep playing Akira.
For easier play(along with fundamental learning), you have also Lau and Jacky.

To put it simple, Akira is top tier because most of his moves are safe on block, while heavy he is still fast and his guard breaks open to good combos.