VF5FS Akira - Overpowered??

Yes. Yes, Akira is overpowered. Move for everything, GB's, above average speed, above average damage, there is nothing this man can't handle. Unless you're a character with a decent or GOOD sabaki *cough* Aoi *cough* and the player has like "Spidey Sense" to predict what he's gonna do to reverse it with the sabaki(or dodge it); Akira pretty much has the advantage on everything and everyone. Like no offense to the Akira players, I just feel like with all the things Akira has riding for him, he seems like an easier character to dominate with rather than like, Lei, Eileen, or Jeffery.

 

You sure about that?

What?

Yeah, sure compared to the shittest of the shit he's overpowered but so is everyone else that's not called Lei, Eileen or Jeff ...right?

 

Nailed it. (unfortunately :/)

 

I understand why people complain, he's hellishly strong in certain areas (not all, contrary to popular belief). But what I cannot see is why people are content on bitching about the character and not figuring him out.

Not singling anyone out, but next to one punishes me for the shit I whiff, which is the biggest thing to do anti-akira. If you're not gonna do anything about it, and or not know how he if unsafe, of course the character is going to seem broken. It's just like Jacky players and people not knowing his high-string enders.

The shit that people of VFDC brainlessly spout about Akira/jacky being "on another plane of existence" from other chars or being "auto-win" is stupid, old, and SOLELY based on what they may have heard from JPN players. I bet you dollars to donuts they don't go into the dojo to crack the character open or learn how to beat them, and they don't evaluate their own playstyle to see what they may or may not be doing wrong.

Bottom line, you have to work to be good at a fighter, regardless of which one you play. Expecting not to work because all chars are supposed to be balanced is utopian, and it ain't gonna happen.

/end rant

 

i'm with you but can't let you go on a rant like that without mentioning vs Akira matchups, he's surprisingly weak to quite a good chunk of the cast.

 

To tell you the truth, I don't feel that way anymore. I thought that he was weak against Kage and Goh, but with experience and focus, I've found ways to beat them.

I honestly feel that it's all about the amount of time you put into it.

 

Yah, experience will make it easier but he's definitely weak vs certain characters. Sure there's ways round it, like you alluded to earlier skill >>>> tiers.

 

If a Scrub can pull off Akira combos wiith ease... Then he is'nt a scrub. Akira/Jacky has to work the hardest for their damage.. Akira is Strong but not op. Jacky too. You dudes are making excuse for your own short comings. Akira combos require buffering and strict timing and the damage is just about right for it. Couldnt hold it in no more. Flagship Character thats hard as fuck to use should be strong.

 

You make good points, but I think you mixing up the arguments between good players and good characters. This is the "Sarah is too weak" argument that was all the rage a few months ago all over again.

Akira, the character, is overpowered as explained by MJ a few post back. He has a toolbox that can pull him through any situation with any opponent. Guard breaks (GBoD!?), reversals, sabakis, etc. He has normal hits that lead to crumples, throws that lead to guaranteed damage, I could go on and on.

The great equalizer is Akira the player. He's a yomi character. If you can't read your opponent or get into their head, you're going to have a difficult time dominating your opponent. A bad Akira player that doesn't know what to do does not mitigate the OP-ness of Akira just as much as a poor Jacky player that doesn't know about Iageri doesn't mitigate the fact that Jacky has Iageri.

This topic is "Is Akira overpowered?", the answer to which is a resounding "yes" when you consider the VF5FS system mixed with his toolbox. However, if the topic were "Is Akira overpowered in the hands of 90% of players?", hell no...

 

This is why I hate these topics, we can't discuss anything without a mass of uninformed bullshit flying around.

Akira doesn't have every tool, far from it and all those things you mentioned there's characters with the same tools but far superior.

Also, wth is a throw that leads to guaranteed damage? :/

 

I don't think I'm mixing arguments up at all. Crying, regardless of how educated or valid it is, is still crying. One can be absolutely right about the reasons they feel a character is OP, but it doesn't negate the fact that they are complaining about the character. I just feel that people here are more educated (system and experience wise) about the whole situation.

Akira does not have all the tools necessary in my opinion. He would not have to be such a heavy yomi character if he did. Having a massive amount of tools or having all encompassing tools decreases the amount of times a player has to think before using a resource, IMO.

Honestly, I'm just tired of hearing anything along the lines of: what my opponent does has no effect on the outcome of the match, implying that Akira cannot be beaten or something. The FS system may benefit him more than others, but it's not like the system can't be used to beat him as well.

 

I'll respectfully disagree with a lot of what you just wrote BG.

Crying and analysis are two different things. I'd like to think that a large amount of users on this site are above and beyond the crying stage at this point. But it is not crying to point out that Akira has more tools and the system benefits him more than most characters.

Crying would be saying that's unbeatable. I don't think many have said that.

Then what tools is he lacking? He might not have all of them, but her certainly has more than most. Speaking as a Sarah player, I wish I had a guard break

No one is implying that he can't be beat (atleast I'm not). But, again, I think you're getting the player mixed with the character.

 

I guess I should have said a throw that leads to guaranteed follow up damage?

, though I guess this is more of a knock against the Lazy Throw Escape system than Akira.

 

Is there something special about that throw?

Still escapeable right? Damage wise it gets mid 70's at max too, he hardly has the best throw game out there.

And yah I said in my first post standing holding vs Akira isn't the wisest way to deal with him.

I'll let someone else reply to that "Akira has more tools than most" thing, no way you're serious.

 

Notice how I said that that was more of a comment on the TE system than Akira? ...No? ...Didn't think so...

 

The Fact Akira has no full Circular Highs, Mids or Low means he doesn't have all the tools. Hee is basicallly a "One hitter Quitter". His standing Gb's is basically a throw damagewise. You can backdash and damage this guy if its not SDE Or DP. Akira has weaknesses. Jean should be the character your worried about concerning all tools

 

Did you not notice how I did reply to that part (and agreed) even ignoring the fact that you earlier listed it as a "tool that can pull Akira through any situation"?

You cut that part out when you quoted me so I guess you just ignored it

 

Dingo, It's a shame, but people still do cry. Analysis is what people should do more. Instead, they just analyze why he's so strong, and ignore what they can do to stop him. Maybe I have a "Put up or shut up" mentality, but I'd rather learn how to beat a character than to complain about him.

Maybe the fact that you're not an akira player makes you see all of his strengths and none of his weaknesses. Makes no sense reiterating it, so i'll just leave it alone.

VF is the first game when I truly realized that the player means much more than the character. No matter what people say, this game is not like Street Fighter. There's no function of my character that completely counters and shuts out another. (execpt Taka v Sarah, that one I'll give you lol), and how a character is determined to be strong or weak is not related to how many match-ups he/she wins.

That's why I drive home the importance of the player. D tier player + S tier character = D tier player.

 

That is 110 % true. Character tiers means less in VF that in other games out there. Much less.
...
But that does not mean the tiers does not exist. They do. And Akira is in the top one. What is what this discussion is all about.

But you are right in fact that it should be empathized much more here how "much" the tiers means in VF, especially in compare to what peopleare used to from SF and such.

It should also be noted that the tiers are changing with the level of your game. Leifei is S+ on noob level, while on top level he is not. Akira is opposite. The stronger the player is, the stronger Akira becomes in compare to other chars.