Glossary

Directions are written as keypad numbers for a character facing right. 5 is neutral, 6 is forward, and 2 is down, so 2M is crouching M and j.H is H in the air. The motions 236, 214, 623 and 22 are quarter circle forward, quarter circle back, dragon punch, and down-down.

Light, Medium and Heavy. These are the shared attack buttons every character uses.

The character's identity button. 5U, 6U, 2U and j.U are different for every character, and Skill never replaces it.

A shortcut button for specials: 5S, 4S, 6S and 2S map to 236, 214, 623 and 22. It gives the same move at the same damage. S alone gives the M version, and S+U gives the EX.

A setting (on by default) that walks 5L -> 5M -> 5H -> the character's M special (the auto ender) -> finisher when you tap L or M on hit. Any manual input takes over immediately.

An input stays live for 8 frames, including during hitstop, so the next move comes out on the first frame it legally can.

Simultaneous opposite directions. Left+right means the last one pressed wins, and up+down means up (a jump).

Each jump gives you one air dash (66 / 44 or Dash) and one double jump, and landing refunds both. The air dash also works as a cancel out of air attacks.

44 or Dash + back. It is throw-invulnerable for its whole length and strike-invulnerable for its first frames.

A character's movement package: Standard, Heavy, Air, or Stance. Exact speeds are on each character's stats panel.

Instant air dash: jumping out of a ground dash gives a forward air dash right off the ground.

The few frames on the ground before a jump leaves the floor (4 for most characters). A jump cancel skips it.

Holding forward after a dash keeps you moving at dash speed until you let go. You can attack straight out of a run.

Tap down (1/2/3), then up within 8 frames, for a higher and longer jump.

A 1-5 rating on every hit: L is 1-2, M is 3, H is 4, and specials are 2-5. It sets the combo's starting scale and block pushback, and decides clashes.

Ending a move early by starting another. The cancel list on each move shows when it works: h = on hit, b = on block, w = on whiff.

Two hitboxes of the same level meeting. Neither hits on that frame. If the levels differ, the higher one wins as a counter hit.

A hit that lands during the first 4 frames of the opponent's startup, or during their recovery (a punish counter, shown as PUNISH). It adds +4 hitstun, +4 untech, +2 hitstop, and +2 Style.

Highs (overheads) must be blocked standing, lows must be blocked crouching, and mids can be blocked either way. Jumping normals are mids in Project W. 2L, 2M and the 3H sweep are lows for everyone.

Cancelling a move into a jump. It works only on hit, and only from moves flagged for it, such as the 2H launcher.

A move that knocks the opponent into the air for a juggle. 2H is the universal launcher and can be jump-cancelled on hit.

The universal gatling (normal-into-normal) order: L -> M -> H -> 2H (or 3H) on the ground, and j.L -> j.M -> j.H in the air.

A move (usually a 623) with strike invulnerability through its startup, used to escape pressure. Moves tagged Reversal can also be started out of blockstun.

Cancelling a normal or U move into a special. It is allowed once per combo leg, and a Style Cancel refunds it.

L+U or the Throw button: 5-frame startup, unblockable, and a hard knockdown. Hold back for a back throw. In the air it is j.L+U. Command grabs are throws on U or a special, and some cannot be broken.

A move property that absorbs a strike without interrupting the move. The armored fighter takes 20% damage, which cannot KO. Throws always beat armor.

The frames a defender is stuck after blocking. It is listed per move in the frame data.

Damage taken on block. Only chip-flagged specials and supers deal it, at 10% of the damage, and only EX and supers can KO with it. Normals never chip.

Holding back (4) to stand-block or down-back (1) to crouch-block. You can switch height during blockstun. A High break or Low break is a hit that beat an active guard only because of its height.

A fresh back press within 2 frames of the hit. It reduces blockstun by 2, pushes you back a third farther, and gives Style.

Frames where strikes, throws, or both cannot hit you. The frame data shows them as "Strike 1-N", "Throw 1-N", or "Full" for a warp.

While knocked down, press any attack button to get up at once (hold 4 or 6 to roll), or hold 2 to pause the wake timer.

Pressing L+U or Throw within 10 frames of being grabbed to escape. Two breakable throws that meet on the same frame break automatically.

Getting up from a knockdown. You cannot be thrown for 6 frames after rising, and there is no strike invulnerability.

The 0-100 meter. You build it by landing hits (scaled by proration), having attacks blocked, being hit, and Instant Blocking. It resets each round.

The 50-Style version of a special: motion + L+M, or S+U. It can be used once per combo and builds no meter.

The 100-Style super: 236+M+H, or S+H. You can use one super per combo.

The 100-Style "super super": 214+M+H, or 2S+H. On most characters it ends in a knockdown that cannot be picked up with an OTG.

The 8-frame freeze of the whole game when an EX, Skybound or Awakening starts. It is not counted in startup.

A 25-Style spend that cancels a connected attack (red) or a dash (blue) with a 10-frame freeze, giving control back. Once per combo.

A Style Cancel with a direction held, which hops one dash length up, forward, back, or (in the air) down. Written SDC8, SDC6, SDC4 and SDC2.

A one-stock comeback tool that fills over 8 seconds plus damage taken, with a 14-second cooldown after use. Gold Burst is used in neutral as an advancing launch. Blue Burst is used in hitstun as an invulnerable escape.

A character's personal bar or stacks (Grit, Moonlight, Stardust, and so on). It is separate from Style and explained on the character page.

Combo damage scaling. The first hit is full damage, the starter sets a 90% / 100% / 105% base (80% after a throw), each hit multiplies it by 0.95, and no hit falls below 20%.

An extra scaling on normals when the magic series restarts on a lower button (5L after 5H). The 2nd chain pays 70%, the 3rd 40%, and later chains 20%.

A section of a combo between OTG pickups. Each pickup opens a new leg, which refreshes bounce, wallstick and special cancel at a 70% damage step. A combo can have up to 3 legs.

"Off the ground": hitting a hard-knocked-down opponent with a 5L, 2L or 5M pickup. The pickup has a 2.5 m magnet so it cannot whiff on spacing.

A knockdown (from 3H, j.H, throws and similar) that keeps the victim down for 60 frames and allows one OTG pickup.

A hard-class knockdown, such as after most Awakenings, that cannot be picked up. An EX or super can still be cancelled into.

The ordinary drop: an airborne victim with no knockdown flag lands, finishes their hitstun, and stands. No OTG is possible.

Pins the victim to the nearby wall for a follow-up, once per leg. An EX wallstick makes a fake wall that works midscreen.

Bounces an airborne victim off the floor for a follow-up, once per leg.

Cancelling an air attack into your air dash. In a combo it works once per attack and scales the rest of the combo to 85%.

Startup is the first active frame, so a 5-frame move hits on its 5th frame. Active frames are when the hitbox is out, and recovery is what's left before you can act. Total = startup + active + recovery.

How many frames sooner (+) or later (-) you can act than the opponent after a hit or block. The wiki measures it in the real game simulation, from point blank.

The freeze on contact. It grows by 2 frames per combo hit (up to +8), and counter hits add 2 more.

The frames a hit victim cannot act. There is no hitstun decay within a combo.

How long a hit keeps a victim from recovering, shown alongside hitstun. A juggled fighter regains air control when hitstun ends.

The hitbox is the attack's striking area. The hurtbox is the area where a fighter can be hit, and some moves add an extended limb hurtbox from their active frames onward.

The distance the defender slides on block (and the attacker is pushed back half as far), so blockstrings eventually run out of range.