Alternate title: “Wait, this is the Ries that reflects projectiles, right?

By: tenpai!! (@ch_tenpai), with contributions from Dogysamich (​@Dogysamich​)

You can find me on YouTube ​here​; subscribe for tutorial videos and other Melty content!

Unfinished / unsatisfactory sections are marked in red.

Opinions may differ!

The purpose of this document: Melty Blood has 31 characters, each with 3 moons that
drastically alter their playstyle, creating a total of 93 unique characters. In addition, Melty
Blood’s unique game mechanics and virtually unknown source material mean that newer
players likely have little context for what any of these 93 characters do, or which of them may fit
their own playstyle best. To address this potential information overload, we present this cheat
sheet for all of Melty Blood’s characters, describing their general playstyle as well as all 3 of
their moons. There is no substitute for playing the game, ​watching match videos​, and thinking
critically, but we hope this guide can help you keep track of Melty’s enormous roster of
characters, as well as provide a point of reference for newer players looking to get into this
wonderful game.

Remember: you can always play your waifu or husbando, and that’s OK.

← CHECK THE OUTLINE ON THE LEFT IF YOU WANT A PARTICULAR CHARACTER

Character Nicknames

Tohno refers to Shiki Tohno, never Akiha, Nanaya, or Ryougi.

Archetype: Earth = Hime
Sion TATARI = VSion
Kohaku&Hisui = Maids
Akiha refers to the one wearing the long dress to the left of Arcueid on the character select
screen. Seifuku refers to the character to left of Satsuki wearing the shorter skirt. They have the
same name in-game.
Arcueid = Arc
Powerd Ciel = PCiel
Red Arcueid = Warc
Akiha Vermillion = VAkiha
White Len = WLen
Neco Arc Chaos = NAC
Kohaku&Mech-Hisui = Kohamech
Mech-Hisui&Neco = Necomech
Warachia = Wara
Riesbyfe = Ries
Neco-Arc is often just called Neco, but “Necos” refers to both her and Neco-Arc-Chaos.

OK THIS GUIDE IS 50 PAGES CAN YOU JUST GIVE ME A GENERAL IDEA OF WHO DOES
WHAT

I want to play aggressively and mix people up:​ Nanaya, Sion, V.Sion
I want to dominate neutral:​ Nero, Warachia, Roa, Red Arcueid, Seifuku Akiha
I want setplay:​ Akiha, Hime, Kohaku, White Len, Hisui
I want high execution and lots of wild combos: ​Arcueid, C-Roa, P.Ciel, V.Akiha

Moon System Overview

Each character in Melty Blood comes in three different Moon styles, and each moon has
different rules for meter management, defensive options, Max/Heat/Blood Heat activation and
more. Fully discussing the moon system is far beyond the scope of this already overly-long
introduction, but at the risk of information overload, the very very brief explanation is:

Crescent:​ “Default” moon, and probably the best moon in a vacuum, although different
characters have different needs. Can activate Heat (small unblockable burst) when not in
hit/blockstun and above 100% meter, making it the only moon with a universal on-command
reversal. Generally has the most utility, with access to almost every system mechanic. Can
cancel their shield into anything, giving them good rewards off a clean defensive read. If you are
playing a Crescent Moon character, you have access to all of the main system mechanics that
have made the game iconic through the years.

Half:​ Usually the “aggressive” momentum-focused moon with lots of “autopilot” system
mechanics. All H-Moon characters have a 5a6aa series of command normals for easy confirms
and pressure. Poor meter management due to only being able to reach 200% meter total, but
automatically enters into the powered-up Heat state when their bar fills, healing red health
without losing momentum. Automatically performs a special counterattack when shielding an
attack, and automatically bursts when hit in Heat. Cannot EX Guard (instant block). Shield
Bunker (alpha counter) is much faster and fully invincible, which in practice means that Half
Moon characters have a universally amazing way to beat extremely oppressive pressure,
though it costs more meter to use.

Full:​ Normals are usually + on block, but ​CANNOT Reverse Beat​ their normals, giving their
blockstring pressure and combos a more traditional anime game feel. Can hold their shield for
roughly 3 seconds max (if guard quality is at “best” and you have enough meter). Typically this
is the “good footsies, high damage, and clean conversions” moon. Can Initiative Heat in Max,
immediately cancelling almost any move on hit, block or whiff - good for sweet combo videos,
but also useful for cancelling a move’s recovery to avoid whiff punishes, chasing a projectile in
for free rushdown, or many other creative uses.

It is worth considering that individual characters vary drastically between each moon, with large
changes in their frame data, movement options, special moves, and even defense values. As
such, each character+moon combination must be evaluated on its own terms -

Tier List
(no order within tiers)

Best: F-Hime, C-Roa (break the game)

S: C-Nero, F-Nero, C-Arcueid, C-Seifuku, F-VAkiha, C-Maids, C-Kohaku (extremely powerful)
Good enough: Everyone not listed is a strong character in at least one moon
Ehhh: Miyako, WLen (very able to win but have prominent flaws)
A cat is not fine too: Neco Arc, Neco Arc Chaos (joke characters)

It is worth considering that the tier list in Melty is very flat relative to other games of its era.
Although there are certainly some difficult 3-7 matchups, every character besides Neco-Arc and
Neco-Arc Chaos has at least one moon that can fight everyone in the cast relatively well.
Generally speaking, the “low tier” characters usually still have exceptional damage output or
neutral but have big weaknesses that must be accounted for. Besides, everyone outside of
Japan is definitely not skilled enough for this to matter: the strongest North American players
include a Nanaya and a White Len in addition to Arcueid, Kohaku, Hime and Maids, so it really
doesn’t matter what you choose.

Although every moon is very different and it is strongly recommended you focus your efforts on
one moon when starting out, you may find it useful to pick up a second moon for certain
character matchups, especially for ‘weaker’ characters that may have extremely difficult
matchups. In general, Crescent Moon has very good overall system mechanics, while Half’s
powerful Shield Bunker is well-suited to fight extremely oppressive pressure like C-Roa, but find
the answer for your own character - some moons you wouldn’t expect are actually very strong
counterpicks for some unusual matchups.

Glossary for newer players

abare - Trying to “mash out” an attack during your opponent’s pressure. Characters with good
abare have fast attacks with good range that they can try to sneak out during their opponent’s
blockstrings. Characters with poor abare options are usually forced to block during opponent’s
pressure since they have no good way to attack out.
shoto - Descriptive of Ryu and Ken’s “shotokan karate” fighting style from Street Fighter. Shoto
characters are usually basic and should have strong normals, a shoryuken/invincible attack to
break out of pressure, and (usually) a projectile to control space. Shotos are usually considered
the best character for a starting player, as their tools are straightforward and they encourage
strong fundamentals.
frame trap - A small gap put into your pressure while an opponent is blocking, trying to bait them
into attacking so that you can catch the startup of their attack and score a counterhit.
okizeme - Mixups and pressure applied to an opponent who has been knocked down. This is
part of the broader concept of “setplay”, which refers more generally to safe mixup-based
offense against opponents who must make a guess to escape.
gorilla - A character that has large, powerful attacks that tend to cleanly overwhelm their
opponents and bulldoze through their defense. Azrael from BlazBlue and Order-Sol from GGAC
are classic examples.

--

Characters

Note on moon rankings:

All moons for each character are ranked. Think of it as: “If I could choose only one moon style,
which one has the overall best match-up spread and has the best tools overall?” Although many
players will disagree with some of the finer points of these rankings, they are generally the
community consensus and can give you a good baseline understanding of what moons are
considered strongest for each character. If you’re playing multiple moons already due to
character favoritism or Japanese arcade play, this doesn’t really apply to you. It is worth noting
that “character locked” tournaments always give you the option to change moons after winning,
same as the arcades, so learning multiple moons may be useful to cover bad matchups.

Legend:
>>> - Significantly better
>> - Notably better
> - Slightly better, but the difference is distinguishable
>= - Overall nearly even, but one wins out in overall utility by a subtle margin
= - Dead even

Aoko
shoto, gorilla, zoning, pressure
Tohno’s sensei who helps him control his powers. One of the best characters at zone control in
the game. Focuses on placing small orbs on the screen to constrict movement, especially in the
corner where it can create hopeless situations. Has multiple projectiles and good range on her
pressure, with extra movement options in all three moons. Overall very solid, but a
momentum-heavy character. High mid tier or bottom of top tier.

F >= C > H
C: Most technical moon, plenty of weird gimmicks and extra options. High mobility and large set
of options give her lots of opportunities in neutral. Really abuses characters that rely on dashing
around in neutral since her orbs and mobility make it hard to cleanly start pressure.
H: Good pressure game. Pure rushdown, losing some of her orbs for additional approach tools
and speed. Has a great corner tech chase, forcing lots of risky tech situations during her
combos. This Aoko feels just like a good Melty Blood character with some extra tricks when she
knocks you down. A great overall choice for a fun rushdown character.
F: Best moon for corner pressure, with plenty of oppressive options and mixups/frametraps.
Great zoning game overall with good buttons and projectiles. Feels very much like a traditional
shoto, with a DP, good fireballs, safe pressure and strong zone control. The simplest Aoko with
a strong gorilla feel.

Tohno
shoto, footsies
The protagonist of Tsukihime. Great range with his infamously long 2C, Tohno is a methodical
character that holds space well and plays a relatively honest game. Defined by his great
footsies and simplicity. Bad at moving long distances quickly, but his amazing dash and
airdashes are great for making small adjustments in footsies and pressure. Generally low
damage midscreen and required to take risks to really get in, he really wants to force the
opponent into the corner where his combos, okizeme and pressure game are enormously
amplified. A good choice for a straightforward Melty Blood ‘shoto’ character, especially C,
though has a lot of depth for advanced players. Mid tier.

F = C >> H

C: Most utility of all 3 moons, with arguably one of the best neutral footsie games. Great DP
gives full combo on trade or counterhit, and although his air mobility isn’t especially fast he can
put big buttons anywhere on screen. Big rewards for being proactive, with a great ability to set
up counterhits in neutral, and his ability to convert off his long-ranged 2C makes him hugely
threatening, which can create opportunities to zoom back in with your amazing dash to start
pressuring again. Huge arsenal of decent tools to choose from, and can win any situation if you
choose the right one, though he has a tendency to expose himself to risk on offence. He can
usually find some way to finagle random hits into damage, though his midscreen damage tends
to be on the lower end and his oki is generally quite mediocre. Best choice for Tohno in terms of
overall strength.
H: Pressure-oriented, slight Nanaya feel with forward-moving normals plus a quick horizontal
airdash, as well as a slightly faster walkspeed. Relatively poor choice compared to Crescent as
he loses most of his conventional high-damage conversions (low damage character), several
special moves, and has poor meter management, though worth considering as a
counter-character for matchups where Half’s system mechanics are desired. Also a decent
choice for matchups where you feel he can oppress with 5a6a and 6c as they let him move
forward and mix up his Reverse Beat pressure, but overall you should stick with Crescent
unless you really want a Shiki for the Nero and C-Roa matchups - he has to work way too hard.
F: Least mobile moon which hurts footsies considerably, but high damage and phenomenal
frame data. Good anti-airs - one of Melty’s many “anti-jump” characters, with good punishes for
opponents who try to jump away from his big buttons. Lots of great buttons like 5B that fill up the
space in front of him, though he is rewarded much less for hitting with 2C and has less robust
confirms from stray hits in general. Great at stopping “braindead” opponents who just want to
IAD at you all day, and exposes himself to less risk in neutral compared to the other Tohnos due
in part to his great 236b and safe Full Moon normals. Powerful and simple.

Hime 

footsies, zoning, setplay, damage, mobile

The final form of Arcueid, Archetype: Earth (affectionately - or perhaps not so affectionately -
referred to as Hime) is Melty Blood’s quintessential top tier, with huge normals and some of the
most legitimately broken specials in the game. Hime’s extremely fast walk speed, unique ability
to float in midair at the cost of meter, devastating okizeme and oppressive neutral combine to
make a truly awe-inspiring monster of a character. Can rushdown zoners like a dedicated
rushdown character, keep out basically anyone with her enormous normals and specials, and
generally adapt to any situation. At least she can’t fly off the top of the screen and timer scam
any more.

F >> H = C

C: High damage character with interesting guard crush strings using wind mines. Good normals
and ambiguous pressure but has difficulty confirming off random hits well. High mid tier
character.
H: Technical rushdown character with auto-detonate wind mines and is a fusion of Crescent and
Full Moon. Weak meter management hurts her as she depends on float for neutral and optimal
conversion. Otherwise, no real faults. Difficult to play but very stylish.
F: The best character in the game alongside C-Roa. Amazing normals in both range and frame
advantage. 2C and 236x, combined with the fastest walk speed in the game, make grounded
neutral basically impossible for the opponent as well as forcing dumb frame trap/anti-jump
mixups at over half a screen away. While C-Roa is broken because he’s not playing the same
game as everyone else, F-Hime is basically doing what every other character does, just better.
Monstrous damage output off of anything, large bag of gimmicks, great reversal and amazing
zoning. Able to adapt her playstyle to any situation and be either an abusive zoner with massive
normals or a fast rushdown character with enormous damage, great frame data and dumb
mixups. In every way a character could be good (besides life total), F-Hime excels. Praise be.

Nanaya 

setplay, pressure, divekick

Dark Tohno. Nanaya suffers generally in neutral due to his poor mobility, but once he can force
the opponent to block, his pressure is among the best in the game. Normals push him forward
to continue pressure indefinitely, with a series of teleport specials for setplay. Able to fastfall in
midair by inputting 22, creating more options on offense. Nanaya is often forced to take risks,
but his phenomenal high-reward DP means he’s always one read away from seizing the
initiative. Mid tier.

F >= C > H

C: Bad normals but has the “best” setplay of the Nanayas. Highly momentum-dependent, even
as far as Melty Blood characters go. Has 236A slashes for pressure and frame traps. It’s hard to
confirm into big damage off dirty hits. Has an EX DP corner loop combo and a homing 22[B]
teleport you can control by holding the stick direction.
H: “Donkey kick" 214x specials can keep opponents guessing in terms of jumping or trying to
mash out. Good anti-jump character with excellent frame trap blockstrings. Very simple to play
but a tad slow at times. Does a lot of damage. Good choice for players who want a basic “shoto”
playstyle while still having a little of that Nanaya flavor (fastfalls and teleports).
F: Has a powerful all-purpose divekick. Able to convert DP into full air combo for large damage.
Mediocre range on normals but his are the fastest of the three, making him scary in scramble
situations and frame traps. Has the best mobility, but low damage ceiling without Initiative Heat
combos.

Kouma 

grappler, gorilla
Angry demon man, distantly related to the Tohnos. One of the game's two dedicated grapplers,
with a focus on rekkas and super armor to move across the screen. Decent normals, and a
reasonable ability to tick into his command grab, but generally considered one of the worst
characters in the game since people can just disrespect him. Bottom of mid tier/top of low tier. H
and F Kouma are inexplicably unable to combo in the air with the same rules as other
characters (cannot cancel normals into each other or into airthrow).

F >= C = H

C: Has the best air game of the three. Converts into high damage but his normals have poor
reach. The only moon with an overhead, as well as sort of possessing reversals (not very good
ones, but Crescent’s ability to burst is very welcome). Great ability to stagger with 5bb and
reverse beats. Momentum-dependent.
H: Most mobile moon. Can't charge any normal for stagger pressure, but many of the normals
move him forward, and his specials are good for getting in and staying in. Arguably has the
worst confirming ability in the game, but has high damage potential on clean hits.
F: Most common moon. Sort of has a reversal in 22C. Best pressure, capable of bulldozing his
way across the screen with armored moves. Surprisingly technical BnB. Inexplicably OK
matchups against some actually good characters (Nero) because he has a God-given right to
get in if he really wants to commit. Best setplay of the three and can keep momentum going
indefinitely. Poor damage conversions on air hits, however, and generally has to work hard for
his wins.
Miyako 

damage, pressure
Typical small “kung-fu” character that has difficulty closing the gap versus most of the cast but
becomes scary once she gets in. Her normals are small but fast and have long-lasting hitboxes.
Her air game is actually very good but she’s outclassed in many situations. Low tier but still
threatening to most of the cast.

F >> C >= H

C: High mobility and extremely ambiguous blockstrings. Good meter control and clean hits can
net decent damage, but her average damage output is somewhat low. Somewhat
underwhelming due to her poor reach.
H: Amazing meter gain means Half is extremely momentum-centric. High (7000+) damage off
optimal metered combos and her blockstrings are equally ambiguous as C’s. Average damage
is somewhat low but the meter gain into auto HEAT makes her a good choice in oppressive
match-ups.
F: Arguably the best Miyako but she is extremely linear. Huge damage off any conversion and a
true 50/50 mix-up in the corner means she only needs two clean hits to finish the round. She still
has poor range and her blockstrings are very predictable, even for Full Moon standards.
Ciel 

shoto, zoning
One of the heroines of Tsukihime, often referred to as ‘Curry’. Jack of all trades character. Most
similar to a SF shoto in that she is above average at everything: good, above average normals,
good damage, decent projectiles, and decent mobility. Her mix-ups are very basic but her
neutral is versatile. Mid tier with a good match-up spread against almost everyone.

C > H >= F

C: The most common moon and often called the best for Ciel. Good normals and frametraps
with Reverse Beats, command normals, decent projectiles, good mobility and a great,
low-profile dash. She is decent in all respects. Notably, her 236C can punish anything due to its
fullscreen hitboxes, plus it’s a reversal too. With meter, she also has very high damage
potential. Great character with every option you would want in a solid shoto character.
H: Often considered the worst moon, but is generally a more offensive C-Ciel with stronger
stagger pressure through her 5A. C-Ciel’s special moves are generally more versatile for the
neutral game, but H-Ciel has some tricky pressure resets and solid tools to play a more
fast-paced style. She has a faster walk speed and dash, making her neutral space control quite
good. She still has C-Ciel’s 236C.
F: Strong, technical character. Usually seen as the best Ciel that “doesn’t play like Ciel.” She
loses her C/H 236x series in exchange for high-damage punches that you can link in combos to
get high damage (this is the execution part). She also has a command throw series and her
j.214C (EX Black Keys) forces hard knockdown on hit and must be blocked low, making her
okizeme game impressive provided you have meter.
Sion 

shoto, pressure
The true protagonist of Melty Blood. A “jack of all trades” very aligned with offensive play. Great
air normals and a very versatile special moveset. A very high damage character that requires
some technical prowess but is very threatening in the right hands. Good neutral, a very fast DP,
and decent mix-ups. Her only weakness is she doesn’t have strong scramble options outside of
DP. Mid tier.

C >= F = H

C: The best moon. Amazing damage off optimal j.C loop combos, simple but scary frame traps,
and C moon meter management make her a good, balanced choice. Her EX bullets cause
Circuit Break. Decent neutral (especially in the air) but her ground normals lack range. Once
she gets in though, it may be over in a flash. The most difficult to play well.
H: Rushdown with ambiguous frame traps and her whip loop combos allow you to go for resets
if necessary. Her meter gain is decent for half moon and her bullet series ricochet at an angle
and can net huge damage on counter hit. Arguably the easiest moon to play.
F: F-Sion trades the ability to Reverse Beat to get good, meaty ground normals with range.
Lower damage ceiling than C, but her frame traps with her normals rely on the great reach and
frame advantage of her 5B/2B in tandem with 5A/2A. Also has a command throw series. Great
straightforward character.
Riesbyfe 

damage, pressure
Sent by the church to hunt evil with her big cello pilebunker. The heavy hitter character, and
Melty’s obligatory “religious girl with a big weapon”. She’s slow, but each hit hurts, and although
her normals tend to have some really bad hurtbox problems they cover a lot of space.
Cumbersome and momentum-dependent, she requires some finesse in neutral to really shine.
Low tier but of course can give almost any character a run for their money, and once she gets
you in the corner her pressure and damage are some of the best.

F > C >= H

C: A heavy hitter with relatively weak frame data on her normals. She’s all about using her
shield specials. Her 236x series can bypass projectiles and if charged, can create frame trap
situations. 63214x can go through opponent’s moves and launch them away. Frame traps are
decent but very weak mix-up. Her normals also have large hurtboxes on start-up, unfortunately.
She doesn’t have to sacrifice damage to go for okizeme (and she gets a somewhat decent
50/50 mix-up afterwards).
H: The best moon for high momentum match-ups. Like C, she has large hurtboxes before active
frames, so she can get hit out of her frametraps in silly ways sometimes. She has knockdown
and a corner loop with 63214x, which can also reflect some projectiles. The loop builds a lot of
meter and gives you a strong okizeme ender.
F: The most common moon and arguably the best all-purpose moon. Her normals are extremely
good now and her most basic combo of 2A>5B>5C>236A nets you ~3.5k damage and sends
the foe to the corner. 6C is both an overhead and your pressure reset move. She’s dependent
on winning neutral, doing huge damage, and opening up the foe in the corner until they die - her
pressure against cornered opponents is extremely oppressive if you can get them there. Has
one of the lowest execution requirements to play competently. Extremely simple power
character.

VSion 

pressure, divekick, mobile

Sion who has succumbed to her vampiric impulses. She loses her gun and opts to use her
claws to pound on the opponent with ambiguous blockstrings, versatile normals and frametraps.
She has summons to set up tick throws, make overheads safe, etc. Great run and walk speed
let her keep up the attack, plus a very useful divekick to keep the pressure up. Only has a
reversal with meter, which can be hard to come by. Although her strengths are mostly on
offense, her speed and great frame data on normals like j.C let her rumble in neutral quite well.

H > F >> C

C: The weakest moon although very tricky. She has the best summons as you can summon
them behind the opponent as well and good okizeme. Has difficulty getting started and her
damage is rather low. Very dependent on meter to get going, making her extra reversal (Heat)
rather costly to her in particular.
H: The pure rushdown moon and often considered the best one. Basic summons but great
movement and good damage with corner carry means once she gets going, you have to wait
your turn. Good, basic tools overall with a great divekick and overhead mixups but not exactly a
straightforward character. H moon meter means meter management is extremely important.
F: Loses her summons but get tons of frame traps and great normals that are up to +4 on block.
Instead of a run, she has a command dash that has an extremely laggy startup, making her
ground mobility very poor, though her good air movement, decent walkspeed and
forward-moving attacks help alleviate this somewhat. New series of rush punch specials and a
Wara-esque drill 22x series give her some tools to fight at midrange. Lots of tricky tools, good
abare, strong ability to convert any hit into hard knockdowns with which-way mixups and a
decent metered reversal for pressure situations mean she still has the ability to win. Good
damage but executing consistently can be tricky. A good combination of gimmicks and solid
tools, a strong understanding of how to win “scramble” situations is necessary to do well with
this character.

Warachia 

footsies, mobile, setplay

The "author" of the events of Melty Blood. Warachia is a spooky vampire character defined by
his high mobility, long range, high meter gain, and powerful summons. Suffers once forced to
block with his poor reversals and exceptionally slow normals for abare, but generally great in
neutral, particularly at zoning. One of the fastest characters in the game on the ground and in
the air, Warachia is best when he can keep his movement ambiguous and hunt for counterhits
with his big air normals. Due to some weird hurtboxes, many characters have Wara-specific
combos, which can hurt him at the highest level of play (and in combo videos). Generally
struggles against zoning characters that can restrict his movement, but has the tools to
overcome any matchup, and once he lands a hit his setplay and corner pressure are truly
fearsome. Top of mid tier/bottom of high tier (C) to mid/low-mid (H/F).

C >> F >= H

C: The best moon. Can call summons in midair. Filthy opportunities for setplay on knockdown.
Great range, phenomenal mobility with special command dashes and good antiair with 2B. Only
real weakness is he can suffer greatly in scrambles due to his mediocre reversals and arguably
the worst abare in the game (painfully slow normals, and even with meter not a great ability to
reverse situations). C-Moon’s ability to burst is extremely useful as Wara is very good at building
meter, and as an added bonus Wara has the largest burst hitbox in the game, making it even
more useful than usual.
H: A poor man's C - loses too many of C's best options with only marginal gains (different 5B,
5a6aa series, speed increase). No real reason to play it over Crescent other than pure speed,
although his unique 5B and 623x series offer situational antiairs you may find useful in some
matchups, especially against Nero or when Half’s system mechanics are desired. Cannot call
summons in midair. Fewer options overall and his most optimal combos are very difficult to
perform - generally more effort and trouble than he’s worth, but maybe a fun secondary?
F: A completely different character, sharing few normals and specials with the other Warachias.
Can't call summons and loses Katto specials in exchange for a Morrigan dash (lifts him slightly
off the ground), slow fireballs, improved abare and a slow but fully invincible reversal. Focused
heavily on very fast instant overhead high/low mixups off his dash. Simple combos and some of
the best, most straightforward okizeme outside the top tiers (extremely long knockdown times
on any hit, meaty fireballs and ambiguous dash mixups). Good ability to convert stray hits into
damage and knockdown. Arguably the best meter building ability in the game, though he has no
real way to spend it in neutral. No real dash hurts him immensely and his neutral is extremely
vulnerable to characters with good buttons to disrespect his aerial approach. Gimmicky but
some good options.

Roa 

pressure, zoning
The main villain of Tsukihime with a distaste for pant buttons. Roa is hard to generalize as his
moons are very different, but in general he has average stats, OK normals, above-average
mobility and most importantly a great ability to zone using his lightning specials. All moons are
OK for serious play, though F is kind of eh (low mid tier) and C is straight busted (arguably the
best character in the game).

C >> H > F

C: The best character in the game alongside F-Hime. Can place orbs on screen that detonate in
a line for massively oppressive air-unblockable pressure. Cancels specials into each other for
flashy, technical and borderline inescapable blockstrings and damaging combos. One of the
best "get off me" buttons in the game with 236C, which can whiff punish anything and is also air
unblockable. Opponents are basically unable to press buttons in the air when you have 100%
meter, which lets you place orbs that make neutral basically unwinnable. This character is a
fucking war crime, and the only real counterplay is to somehow always stay right next to him,
bait all of his diverse (though admittedly not stellar) reversals including an abnormally large Heat
activation, and never, ever let him play. Hope you like pressing buttons fast because he does
require work to optimize.
H: Fastest moon in terms of mobility, with a very powerful and simple ability to punish techs.
Great ground game with 236B “soko darou” and on-block jump cancellable 6[C] as ways to stay
in on opponents that just want to block. Decent pressure and strong ability to convert punishes
into damage, his strengths are focused on his ability to quickly close distance and force
situations where he has an advantage. Somewhat poor scramble options if the match gets out
of hand and his air to air game is relatively lacking, although his 214x lightning is a great tool
against air approaches that aren’t too high up. A strong high mid tier character with tools for
almost every neutral situation and great frame traps and resets on offense, and a great choice
for beginning players looking for a character to understand pressure in Melty while still having
good depth for advanced play.
F: In stark contrast to C-Roa’s enormous toolbox and H-Roa’s speedy pressure game, F-Roa is
a very straightforward and simple footsie character with some decent zoning tools in 214x
lightning and his obscenely enormous j.[C]. Simple combos and pressure with a few gimmicks
for okizeme, he has a decent ability to confirm hits, OK buttons, and is all in all a pretty vanilla
character. Good reversals with meter, decent midrange footsies and great vertical lightning for
space control gives him an honest shoto sort of feel, though his 236x dashing slashes can be
used for some simple pressure (like C-Tohno). Not very strong due to his low damage output
and nonexistent mixup game, but his ability to limit movement can give him a fighting chance
against most of the cast if you have a good eye for neutral, and is an OK choice if you just want
a simple shoto character to play.

Maids
setplay, pressure, footsies
Kohaku and Hisui team up to form one of Melty’s most powerful characters! Maids can be
played with either Kohaku or Hisui on point, and they play very similarly to their solo
incarnations, usually sacrificing a few specials or command normals in exchange for their
partner’s assists. With more of a focus on dominating neutral and creating mixups with their
assists while still retaining the setplay both characters are known for, Maids are Melty’s iconic
“team” character. C-Maids are easily an “S” tier character, while F and H are significantly
weaker but still interesting choices for people who may want to expand on the solo versions of
Hisui and Kohaku.

C >> F >> H

C: One of Melty’s best characters, typically played with Kohaku lead. By sacrificing her
command grab, molotov specials, and 6C, C-Kohaku (already an S-tier character in her own
right) gains access to a very powerful Hisui assist, which adds huge opportunities for mixups
and continuing pressure. Retains C-Kohaku’s phenomenal combo game, and she still has her
plants as well for okizeme mixups that get even better with the addition of overhead Hisui assist.
Pressure can feel infinite and inescapable. Hisui lead is less common but focuses significantly
more on mixups and okizeme, trading off a fair amount of neutral control in the process (Kohaku
assists are great okizeme tools to have but not nearly as dominant in neutral as Hisui assists).
H: H-Maids can largely be called an unexplored phase because you lose the reasons why you’d
probably want to play either maid in Half. Kohaku suffers the least as she still has her 623C
reversal, but she loses her command throw (which is now Hisui’s AD). Hisui loses her “throw
stuff”, but also has a harder time leading into the oki where Kohaku is worthwhile (she pretty
much has to forgo damage for the hard KD’s into it.) Both of them lose each other’s 214C
summon from Crescent in lieu of gaining a 6AAA assist. As a person who doesn’t like to openly
deter people from playing a character, I honestly can’t even theorycraft a reason to play
compared to C-Maids, or instead of their solo Half versions. Very uncommon.
F: Full Moon is, deceptively, the oddball. While the Maids, by themselves, are still playable in
the solo/assist style commonly seen by Crescent, the mechanics of F-Maids will easily coax you
into playing them as a team. This is, in short, caused by the sisters having a bond meter in this
phase. While you can keep a sister out and recharge it, one of the common ways to recharge it
is to just tag the other one. Both Maids lose all of their command normals (except the
standard-issue Full Moon launcher, 3C), and they lose all of their specials except 22x (there’s a
technical exception for Kohaku, it’s weird), and they gain the ability to either tell their other half
to move, jump, or do a specific move. The point maid winds up being able to have their sister
move and do one of 6 moves. With that, you’ll be able to create all sorts of nutty scenarios such
as Hisui pinning people down with full charged chair FROM BEHIND, Kohaku doing corner
pressure with a throne in front of her, Hisui pressure with a Cactus, and some more craziness.
This is the kind of pair that a person who loves making a bag of tactics (gimmicks) would really
enjoy. Unlike Melty’s other puppet/team characters who generally don’t have to worry too much
about their partner outside of some pressure resets and combos, F-Maids is for players that
really love the idea of playing two characters at the same time.

Akiha 

setplay, footsies
Tohno's sister and one of the heroines of Tsukihime. Boasting the most health/defence in the
game, Akiha is a setplay monster who reaps enormous rewards once she gets the opponent in
the corner. She has very respectable tools for neutral, including disjointed hitboxes and some
truly fantastic normals, but all she really wants to get you in the corner and drown you in fiery
hitboxes more than anything, regardless of moon style. Full is universally considered the best
choice (typically considered on the higher end of mid tier), but the other moons are also
respected mid tier characters in their own right and can really shine in certain matchups where
Full might struggle. Despite her large health pool, Akiha’s reversals are quite bad (even with
meter), though she has very strong abare, generally good shield options, and her high HP gives
her some leeway when it comes to making defensive guesses. Her midscreen pressure is also
mediocre and she can rarely bully people into the corner with a prolonged string. A somewhat
unusual character with diverse strengths, Akiha is a good choice for players who like to control
the flow of the match.

F >> H >= C

C: This Akiha excels at controlling space in the air with her ribbons and normals, and due to the
high hitstun on j.C, she can easily turn her zoning into damage. Her 22x pits drain the
opponent’s meter over time and can be detonated to lock the opponent in blockstun, giving her
some great options for okizeme, and she has one of the fastest overheads in the game that can
be converted into a full combo. Unfortunately, she lacks a reliable air to ground move, and her
offense in general can leave you feeling wanting with very little comeback potetntial.
H: H-Akiha is a fantastic character on paper, with great footsies, powerful simple combos that
have long corner carry, amazing health, great meter gain, and overall an amazing normal
moveset. These fundamental attributes come at the price of situational special moves while also
retaining Crescent’s poor blockstring options, however - you will have to rely on normals for any
meaningful space control, and against characters with normals that can efficiently challenge
yours you’ll find that she doesn’t have much else to fall back on. Her pits automatically detonate
for simple, powerful okizeme, though her corner pressure is a little straightforward and lacks the
“hopelessness” that the other Akihas can instill.
F: The character of choice for GO1, often considered the best player in the world and a legend
of the game. Good normals and some of the most brutal corner setplay in the game, F-Akiha
may have to work a little to get you in the corner due to her relatively slow speed and simplistic
midscreen pressure, but once she taps you with any normal, she can easily confirm into a full
corner carry and never lets you go. Can place pillars that she can release with negative edge to
control space, with a wide variety of long-ranged specials for both neutral and in her corner
setplay.
Arcueid 

pressure, damage, gorilla

The main heroine of Tsukihime, Arc is a powerful gorilla character with huge range on her
specials, high damage output and consistent corner carry. Playing Arc requires a large
commitment to learning all the intricacies of what Melty will let you get away with during a
combo, but if you can overcome the execution barrier, Arc rewards you like no other character
can. C is top tier, H is just outside top tier, and F is high mid.

C >= H > F

C: S tier character. Powerful "Sonic" air special lets her fall quickly to continue pressure. Difficult
but highly damaging meterless confirms anywhere on screen that put them in the corner.
Rekkas take up large amounts of space, are difficult to punish, can be charged for mixups and
can be confirmed with meter into full corner carry and corner combo. Inexplicably boasts one of
the best meterless DPs in the entire game because why not. The character of choice for gorilla
enthusiasts. Unga unga.
H: Significantly improved ability to frame trap with her normals compared to C and gains a true
big dumb downward-angled jump-in normal (one of C's few weaknesses), but loses many of her
key mixup tools. H is very good at forcing the opponent to respect her pressure, and great at
staying in by stacking Reverse Beats, but not fantastic at breaking open their guard if they just
want to down-back all day. Retains Arc's high execution requirements and high damage output.
Slightly less range than C or F.
F: Loses her rekkas in exchange for a large energy blast special. Loss of reverse beat hurts her
pressure game, but has new tools for frame traps like 5b. Still requires a minimum execution
skill level, but not nearly as bad as C or H. More of a midrange poke-and-punish type character
with good pressure if she wants to go in for a bit.
PCiel 

pressure, zoning, damage

Powerd Ciel (not a typo) is the armed and dangerous version of Ciel, wielding a huge pilebunker
and with a completely new moveset focused more on aggression. With highly damaging and
corner-carrying combos in all of her moons, great conversion ability, good okizeme and the
ability to convert her normal throw into a full combo, PCiel has all of the tools for a good
rushdown game. Unfortunately, although she has many options, her approach to neutral can be
somewhat linear or “gimmicky” due to having arguably the worst movement in the entire game.
This character is a lumbering tank with a huge gun that kills you if she can run her setplay, so if
that appeals to you, you’re going to love PCiel. Either the best mid tier or the worst top tier
depending on who you ask.

F = H >= C

C: This character has some of the best corner pressure in the game, the only concern being
how does she get her opponent to the corner to begin with. Crescent has horizontal lightning,
meaning her lockdown game is slightly weaker than Half’s, but she does have access to
Crescent meter management and Heat mechanics, which are crucial given her polarizing
gameplay. C-PCiel sports high damage combos loops with high meter gain and corner carry,
but has extra difficulty getting out of pressure herself.
H: Half sports vertical lightning, making her anti jump game quite powerful. This augments her
lockdown game to a high degree as opponents will have difficulty jumping away to safety. Her
corner loops sport high damage and she also has easy access to an unreactable left/right drift
mix-up from it. Furthermore, access to Half Moon Shield Bunker affords her an extra chance at
neutral, while auto Heat augments her purely offensive strategy. Half Moon mechanics
complement this character quite well, making Half the next best choice over Full.
F: The most electrifying woman in airdash entertainment, F-PCiel loses access to her thunder
and dash specials for a questionable missile attack, but more importantly she gains THE ROCK,
one of the most powerful all-purpose tools in Melty. She can kick it across the screen for neutral,
toss it up for okizeme, use it to set up tick throws or for many other uses. F-PCiel has a stronger
focus on playing neutral and corner setups instead of running in, as her ability to control space
with her specials is generally higher and more nuanced than her other moons. Great damage
ceiling if you can master her rock loop, and overall a powerful character if you can handle her
weaknesses.

Red Arcueid 

mobile, footsies, zoning

Arcueid who has given in to her vampiric side. Red Arcueid (or Warc) has many normals and
tools that are aesthetically similar to Arcueid but serve a dramatically different purpose. Warc is
a powerful zoning character with arguably the best air-to-air normal in the game in j.B as well as
an extremely large and active projectile that can be used both in the air and on the ground. She
covers strange angles that most other characters don’t really deal with well, and in general can
be considered to have one of the best neutral games in Melty Blood with the ability to sit on a
life lead for 99 seconds. Unfortunately, Warc lacks a good way to approach opponents on the
ground, as her run is mediocre and she has no real air-to-ground normals, and without a strong
reversal she can struggle to reverse bad situations.

C>F=H

C: A unique character with dual strengths as a runaway zoner and scary frametrap-based
pressure character. In neutral, C-Warc is one of the best keepaway zoners in the game, with
great movement, enormous blood ring specials to control space, arguably the best suite of
air-to-air normals in the game (particularly j.B), and good teleports to move around the screen.
Once she gets in, her 5B and 6C can be used to move forward with powerful hitboxes that can
be partially or fully charged to create frame traps and armored overheads - once Warc’s
pressure gets going, she forces the opponent to make a risky guess as she excels at moving
forward with her attacks and stopping jump-outs. Her biggest weaknesses are her lack of a
good reversal, mediocre hitconfirms outside of point blank, and extremely poor air-to-ground
attacks, which all combined mean reversing momentum and overcoming life deficits is very
difficult. Overall a great character at controlling the opponent - just don’t lose that life lead and
make them hang themselves!
H: H-Warc trades in C-Warc’s 6C pressure, teleports and meter management to focus on
projectile zoning. With the addition of a grounded reppuken-style projectile and the ability to use
her eye glare special on the ground, H-Warc is comfortable out-zoning any character in the
game with her enormous toolkit. She also has also an improved ability to hit confirm if her
technical combos can be mastered. Unfortunately, her pressure game is weaker than
Crescent’s, her normals are generally inferior, and overall, most Warc players feel that she
sacrifices more than she gains, though she’s a fine counterpick against other zoners.
F: F-Warc is the least mobile Warc and loses her amazing j.B, though her new air normals are
still decent and she gains a great close-range antiair with 5A. Though her pressure seems to be
even better, with a sliding 2B and specials that are extremely plus on block, losing the ability to
reverse beat, worse mobility and some problematic frame data means that she actually has
quite a difficult time keeping up her offense. She can still zone with air rings and her new 236x
specials make hit confirms easier, and 63214C is a fantastic way to get out of blockstrings. On
top of that, her execution requirements are significantly easier and her damage is consistently
quite high.

VAkiha 

mobile, footsies, zoning, setplay

The incarnation of Akiha’s inner demonic powers, brought about by Warachia. The fastest
character in the game but the one with the lowest health (below even the Necos), VAkiha is the
ultimate glass cannon. She has phenomenal control over the air with huge normals, an
unrivalled ability to move with her airdashes and control space with her large specials, many of
which are jump cancellable. F-VAkiha is the real attraction, with one of Melty's few true infinite
combos and some setplay that would make even Millia jealous, although C and H are
respectable mid-tiers in their own right. Amazing normals for abare, specifically 4C.

F >> H = C

C: A rather unique character that is all about knockdown. Her j.C causes hard knockdown and
her 5B is a great frame trap normal. She’s all about knockdown into 22x (which drains life) and
forcing the opponent to stay blocking with tk236x and detonating 22x pits. No real issues, just
simply outclassed by F. You need to learn the momiji (623b) loop with her for damage and
meter.
H: One of the fastest characters in the game. Her air speed is absurd. Her 22x pits immediately
detonate and force the opponent to respect. Her basic combo is a guaranteed corner carry and
her air normals are the best of C and F moon (j.B and j.C respectively). You need to learn the
momiji (623b) loop with her for damage and meter. If you just really, really want to go super fast
and not care about anything else, H-Vakiha is the character for you.
F: Truly savage. F-VAkiha is extremely dominant in the air, with some of Melty's best movement
options once she's at the top of the screen and a powerful ability to control the ground with all of
her specials. Her high speed combined with j.C creates good mixup opportunities that leave the
opponent guessing. Once she lands a hit, her setplay is second to none and is among the most
hopeless-feeling situations in Melty. Tricky confirms, but boasts one of Melty’s few infinites.
Devastating in neutral and okizeme, her only real weakness is her low health. In theory she
could be considered one of the SS tiers like F-Hime and C-Roa, but in practice her pathetic life
pool, high execution requirements for optimal combos and highly demanding playstyle means
that a single tiny misstep at any point results in death.

Mech-Hisui 

zoning
A robot made by Kohaku with a vendetta against Neco Arc. The traditional “long range and
good projectiles” zoner of the game. Boasts good setplay and aggravating neutral, but her
damage is often low without a clean hit. Also lacks a reversal without meter, which you need for
other uses. Extremely technical and unorthodox, making her difficult to grasp for beginners. Low
mid tier.

C > F >> H

C: The best moon simply due to her versatility in neutral. Has an overhead and jetpacks to
control significant air space, with long-reaching normals and a huge arsenal of tools to zone.
Has laser beam loops and decent corner carry, but has issues getting large damage without a
clean starter in the corner. Very high execution requirements for mediocre damage can feel
discouraging.
H: The weakest moon and often considered one of the worst characters. Absolutely terrible
mobility but huge Dhalsim range and extremely focused on controlling space at long-range. Her
623x series is her best tool. Terrible meter gain combined with poor abare options makes her
defensive games one of the worst, which is her true issue. Somewhat decent against slower
characters so she can complement C/F Mech.
F: This mech uses guns and is setplay-centric. Her setplay is about mixing up resetting pressure
or going for tick throws. Her average damage is low but her metered corner combos can easily
surpass 5k. Rather momentum-dependent as she’s lackluster if she can’t get started and her
neutral is only average. Her j.A is one of the best air pokes in the game due to its speed and
range. Can be extremely oppressive against characters with weak reversal options.

Seifuku 

mobile, zoning, footsies, setplay, damage

An alternate version of Akiha wearing a shorter skirt. A footsies and zoning based character,
Seifuku has almost every tool you could ever want in Melty - great speed, good normals, great
zoning potential, a command grab and good damage. C-Seifuku is an order of magnitude more
powerful than H or F, with an extremely powerful zoning game and very simple confirms that
corner carry and lead to great okizeme and fuzzy opportunities.

C >>> H >= F

C: One of the best characters in the game. C-Seifuku has j. 214A/B "soko de", one of the most
dominant zoning tools in the game, as well as multiple other large hitboxes to dominate both
grounded and aerial footsies. Once she can force an opponent to block, she has powerful fuzzy
guards, a command grab that can carry corner-to-corner for massive damage, and
straightforward, highly damaging combos with phenomenal okizeme and generally great
pressure with her long limbs. Can confirm basically any random hit into her main BnB combo,
which means any win in neutral ends up with full corner carry, huge damage, and nightmarish
okizeme. そこでそこでそこで
H: A character completely outclassed by C. Terrible special moves with the exception of 22x
(which F also has). Decent normals but lacks a real mix-up other than command throw. Her
main strength is having faster movement than the other two. Technically has the highest
damage ceiling but the optimal combos are absurdly difficult to perform.
F: F-Seifuku is a deceptively bad character. At first appearing to possess many of the favorable
attributes of C, including a large zoning/okizeme tool in 236x, F-Seifuku regrettably does far less
damage and has far less options deserving of respect. With significantly worse footsies,
damage, and pressure, F-Seifuku should only be considered if you really enjoy her "onion ring"
special and are willing to work extra hard to win. Technically, she might be considered a strong
character if her difficult 22x loops could be thoroughly mastered, but the work is almost certainly
not worth the reward.

Satsuki 

damage, grappler, gorilla

Poor forgotten kouhai girl who’s turned into a vampire. Melty Blood's other grappler, in contrast
to Kouma, Satsuki is a powerful mixup character with a great combo game, brutal okizeme,
decent footsies and an altogether robust gameplan with some great unique options for neutral in
all three moons. Although she isn't especially reliant on or even especially good at ticking into
her grounded command grab, she has more than enough tools to get in and stay in, with huge
damage rewards once she gets a hit. Catsuki is solidly top tier, Fatsuki and Hatsuki are
somewhere around mid tier.

C >> F >= H

C: Play this one! With what can easily be considered the best anti-air in the game in 623C,
C-Satsuki is comfortable in almost any situation, with great buttons and a great combo game.
C-Satsuki is a complete package for someone looking to play a rushdown character, with many
good options and ways to get in, great okizeme, high damage, a metered reversal, and just
good utility overall. Easily top tier, though she requires a dedicated player to master her long
combos as well as a good understanding of Melty’s OTG mechanics.
H: A basic rushdown character with high damage off optimal combos. Her normals are quite
good for pressure and to punish jump-outs. Her j.[B] is similar to an air Sonic Boom that can net
counter hits into damage. Her 22x series allows her to reset pressure. Has command throws but
that’s not her focus. Run in there and hit them.
F: Similar to C but trades in anti-air options for stronger corner pressure with her normals and
22x. She emphasizes mix-ups and has a stronger ground presence than C. Her 236C allows
her to hop through projectiles, making her a strong pick against Nero.

Len 

setplay, pressure, mobile

A little catgirl who rarely speaks. j.C the character. Nearly always on the offensive, Len is rather
sluggish on the ground but she has huge, oppressive air moves and some of the scariest corner
pressure, including borderline unreactable double overheads vs high-low mix-ups. Her cat form
can also allow her to low-profile air approaches. With no real reversal and little health, she can
become just as oppressed if not careful. Feast-or-famine playstyle - if you let neutral get out of
your control, things can get bad very fast. Can combo off of her regular throw in the corner and
can actually combo off of non-gold (comboed-into) airthrows in the corner as well under certain
circumstances, so she has great combo ability. High mid tier.

H > F >= C

C: The trickster moon. She has the best teleports of the Len moons, as they all mimic her
normal movements as a feint to her real intentions. She also possesses charged 4B, which
OTG relaunches opponents, giving her an extra edge in Len’s extremely scary knockdown
game. Heat proves to be a much needed reversal and while she doesn’t lack anything in
particular, she’s seen as gimmicky without any clear strengths compared to H and F.
H: The offense-oriented Len and considered the best. Her main strength is her ridiculous meter
gain, which allows her to quickly seize momentum and heal red health from auto Heat. Her
playstyle is greatly complemented by Half Moon mechanics and meter management is often not
an issue for her unlike other Half Moon characters.
F: Full has the best ground game of the three and the highest damage ceiling, with even her
simplest BnBs doing enormous damage. Her “Doritos” allow you some space control and
breathing room against projectile zoners but their main focus is to allow you to gain amazing
damage off of any confirms, even midscreen throws. EX Dorito is Aegis Reflector. Her corner
setplay with doritos also affords you some nasty mix-ups if done correctly, especially since
doritos placed behind enemies will scooch them forward, making F-Len one of the few
characters with a true “corner crossup”. Also the only Len with a real projectile, and although
linear it’s quite useful. Very neutral centric, even by Len standards, and her mixups are
generally much weaker than her other grooves without significant setup, though the payoff on hit
is well worth the extra struggle.

Ryougi 

footsies, mobile
Melty Blood's dedicated "rekka" character, the female version of Tohno is generally considered
to be on the weaker end of Melty's roster but still more than capable. Ryougi has good
long-ranged normals, and in all of her moons her rekka series is a simple, powerful way to apply
pressure, confirm combos, and control space. Unfortunately, besides taking a huge risk on a
parry, Ryougi generally has very poor defensive options, even with meter, and must always be
working to stay in control at a good range lest she get overwhelmed. If they get in or whiff
punish one of your big sweeping normals, she can die in a flash. Great frame trap pressure with
long strings, and she’s got some pretty quick air movement to keep opponents afraid of getting
counterhit by her air normals. Usually considered on the lower end of mid tier.

F>H>C

C: Has a unique "Genei Jin" super and the most unblockable attacks. Good confirms with meter
and great combo ability in general. No real mix-up and the “worst” grounded normals of the
three moons, but her air neutral is among the best in the game.
H: Focused on throwing and catching the knife (22x), which cancels your airdash momentum for
mix-ups. Strongest blockstrings with great normals (improved from C), but lacks a real mix-up.
The only Ryougi with no unblockable attacks. EX knife throw can be used for pressure or as an
emergency reversal. The only moon that can catch the knife in midair after being thrown, which
is as stylish as it sounds. Has a corner knife loop for okizeme, damage, and meter. The most
execution-heavy version, with lots of neat loops. A stylish character overall.
F: The parry and rekka moon. Has an extra set of parries for added versatility, although it still
requires a hard read. Good rekka followups, simple and powerful normals that can really control
space. Certain rekka follow-ups can be charged to create frame traps and guarantee frame
advantage. The most straightforward and powerful moon, this is a great character for beginning
players due to her simple and powerful gameplan.

White Len 

footsies, setplay, zoning

Evil Len and Nanaya’s strange pal. A zoner-type character with good ground normals and relies
on her big bag of tricks to open up opponents. Her j.B can be delayed to create double
overheads, whiff into throw/command throw, low, etc. Of particular interest is her ground dash
which allows her temporary invincibility and can pass-through opponents. Air mobility is
mediocre, so unlike Len she generally prefers working on the ground instead of jumping around.
One of the trickiest characters to play, but also is tricky to understand as an opponent - even if
you know all of her options, it can still be hard to overcome her many options. Often considered
the worst non-joke character (between her and Miyako) due to her generally mediocre damage
and poor mobility, but like most mid tiers she really rewards creative players and has the tools to
overcome any matchup, especially if you master both Crescent and Full moons.

C >= F > H

C: The “best” one in terms of versatility and mix-ups. Her dash allows you to trick opponents
which-way and your projectiles mostly control space rather than keepaway. Her goal is to get
the foe in the corner and set up ambiguous blockstrings and mix-up command throws, where
she can easily loop the situation back into itself forever. Great and varied okizeme setups lets
her keep the offense up, and although she’s slow her normals and j.[C] “basketballs” are more
than acceptable for a rounded neutral game. Her teleport dash does mean she is absolutely
terrible at approaching opponents, so if her zoning is outclassed, it’s an uphill battle.
H: A huge departure from White Len. H may as well be a separate character. You lose the
teleport dash for a very fast run and your 236 icicles can be used to force respect and zone in
their own right. You also get a meterless reversal. Her command throw has amazing range but
her normals are cumbersome and awkward to work with. She is particularly strong against other
zoners, making her a counterpick complement for C/F.
F: Similar to Crescent but has a much stronger keepaway game. She can also set traps to deter
reckless approaches. EX Ice Throw can be used as an almost free “get in” move, and EX
Snowflake can stymie most aggression. Main weakness is her lower average damage off of
most confirms, but she has generally stronger neutral than Crescent and overall a good
defensive game.

Nero 

footsies, setplay, zoning

One of the main villains of the game, Nero is a dominating character with specials exclusively
designed for setplay, okizeme, and brutal control of neutral. With his iconic and enormous j. C to
dominate the air, huge powerful grounded normals, and a literal zoo of summons that control
the ground (often persisting even if Nero himself is hit), Nero is fundamentally unfair, with his
only weakness being slightly low damage for standard confirms compared to other top tiers and
somewhat mediocre reversal options, though his abare is phenomenal if he gets a window. If
you enjoy unfair long-range setplay with huge broken normals and the ability to combo break
while getting hit, or if you just want to play Eddie, Nero is your man. Top tier as both C and F,
mid as H.

C >= F >> H

C: Considered the strongest moon and one of the best characters in the game. Negative edge
mouth summon, deer summon, crows to avoid getting zoned or dashed at on the ground, j.c to
avoid getting zoned in the air - even if they can get through the zoo, negative edge summons
and deers can combo break easily as they don’t disappear when hit. C-Moon burst is a great
reversal option that shores up Nero’s defensive weaknesses, and is the most mobile moon
since he can airdash-cancel j.c. Phenomenal normal moveset. 5[c] is arguably the most broken
normal in any game that has ever been taken seriously - fast, huge completely disjointed hitbox,
great damage and sets up strong advantages on block or hit, it must be seen to be believed.
Mixups are purely frame-traps with no real high/low mixup.
H: A poor choice relative to the other moons. He is unique in that he has a forward dash unlike
the other two, allowing him basic dash throw mix-ups. H-Nero has a few good tools from C and
F, but his options don’t easily overlap into brutal checkmates in neutral like in C and F, and his
normals are generally a weaker selection. 236a crow special has a downward angle, catching
low dashes but not going full screen. Has a unique “bee” summon to pester opponents, as well
as a unique 22x series of black pools. Technically he’s probably a mid tier character, but feels
very meh compared to the other Neros and overall not really worth playing.
F: Also one of the best characters in the game. F-Nero’s 214x antlions, unlike C’s snakes, shoot
up into the air and are air-unblockable, being less comboable but catching jump-outs and having
more overall utility than snakes. 421x sludge specials offer another option for setplay, and 236b
crow waits until an opponent approaches to activate, offering great control of neutral and setplay
opportunities. Has a great grounded overhead in 6[C]. Less mobile than C-Nero, and he has a
very unique set of weirdly angular normals that are less obviously strong (no C-Nero 5[C] or 2a)
but that still add good utility. His setplay is arguably stronger due to his greatly improved mixup
potential.

Neco Arc Chaos 

nya nya
The worst character in the game. He’s a joke version of Nero and while he appears to possess
Nero’s moves, they all contain huge hurtboxes on start-up, terrible proration, and low base
damage. If he gets a clean hit (good luck) it’ll hurt, but his confirms generally yield low damage.
He also has the worst health next to V.Akiha, even worse since he has weak reversals and no
real strengths other than being small. He can backdash cancel certain moves and his general
gameplay usually ends up being timer scam.

C >> H >> F

C: The best moon. Has the best normals, a much needed Heat reversal option, somewhat
useful special moves (“HEY TAXI”, ground Neko Beams) and can yield the highest damage.
Combine backdash cancels with Reverse Beat and you can somewhat resemble a Melty Blood
character in pressure.
H: Half trades in being a Nero ripoff with being a Neco Arc ripoff. He also loses his good
backdash. Half plays almost like C-Neco Arc but arguably worse in most cases. His gameplan is
to get the opponent in the corner with his combo into j.2C, which does a soft knockdown that
you can either chase with 2B if the foe techs or pressure further if they don’t. Terribly small,
awkward normals and if you charge them to get the ranged ones, his small air normals don’t
allow him to convert. He does have a good command throw series but no one is going to
respect this character.
F: Arguably a worse version of Crescent. His 214x sludge can be used as a high-risk/low-reward
mix-up on block and he can backdash cancel 5A/2A, and jump cancel the first hit of 5B. He is
unique in that his normals are the long-ranged versions you have to charge in the other moons
(but he loses the ability to backdash cancel them). Mediocre damage and probably the worst
special moves of the three moons. He does have a metered reversal with 22C, but meter can be
hard to come by without the Full Moon meter charge mechanic. The absolute worst character in
the game.

Kohamech
pressure, setplay, footsies
What happens when you staple a low tier to a top tier? As it turns out, you might get one of the
best characters in the entire game or one of the worst, depending on the moon. Kohamech is an
oddball pairing that has powerful options, with an emphasis on controlling space with Mech
while still retaining many of the “dumb” options that make solo Kohaku so powerful. Compared
to solo Kohaku, KohaMech’s air dashes are different and slope upward slightly, her j.B and j.C
have different properties, and you can charge her 2C to slide further and create more frame
traps.

H >> C >>> F

C: C-Kohaku’s normals combined with C-Mech Hisui’s specials makes for an offense-oriented
character that emphasizes airspace control so that Kohaku can lock down the opponent and go
for typical C-Kohaku things (such as double overheads). Has a corner to corner loop with
charged j.C and the Mech throw assist that can start from her command throw! Specializes in
meter management and conversion off favorable trades. High mid tier.
H: The best pair by far. 22A is an air unblockable, groundbouncing, hard knockdown projectile
with absurd frame advantage on block that allows you to convert into huge damage for basically
no effort while destroying shield attempts and serving as a safe okizeme tool; this thing is the
Swiss Army Knife of special moves, and if it connects you’re riding it to huge damage and
okizeme. As you can imagine, this character is extremely oppressive and forces the opponent
into risky situations fairly quickly, especially since she can punish opponents that stay grounded
with her command grab. Her assist calls are also virtually lagless in this moon, making her the
most gorilla-like Kohaku. Her only real shortcoming is the Half Moon meter system. Truly a
fearsome character, and probably the best “bang for your buck” in terms of execution-to-power
with low technical requirements to perform well.
F: A very weak character in comparison to C and H. You still maintain most of F-Kohaku’s
impressive normals and neutral strategy but you lose the 5[C] that throws a sword out and gain
the sliding charge 2C. The biggest loss is that your plant set is now gone for a F-Mech assist
series. The assist calls are very laggy and rather gimmicky, but 623C is a great conversion tool.
You can control the trajectory of the rocket launcher projectiles by holding the stick left or right
per each ball. You’ll be left wanting with this character, as she feels very incomplete.

Hisui 

pressure, setplay, footsies

The calm and collected half of the Maids duo, Hisui’s personality fits her playstyle as a strong
zone control character with great mobility and disjointed hitboxes on her dust and stuff-fu
specials. Like her sister Kohaku, Hisui has versatile normals and phenomenal setplay, with
slightly less grounded range and no command grab but very strong tick throw mix-ups, an
amazing Arc Drive, and great ability to punish techs. Dust specials are amazing all-purpose
tools for pressure, okizeme, or extending combos. There are notable differences between some
of the normals and specials in each version, but ultimately she’s the kind of character that
functions very similarly in all 3 phases. Main difference between the moons is how her aerial
conversions flow and what kind of stuff she can put on the ground. In all moons, her pressure is
terrifying in the corner if you can get them there. High mid tier.

C >= F > H

C: C-Hisui is a well-rounded character, with very good airdash speed, great normal moveset and
decent zoning tools. Her greatest strength is her ability to aggressively control space with her
stuff-fu that can cover many angles and most importantly her dust, which can be used to control
both the air and the ground, as well as quickly switching between defense and offense when
she gets the enemy to block anything. She lacks a real wake up reversal and can have a hard
time escaping pressure without meter, though she gets pressure that can be quite strong due to
EX dust and moves that move her forward while also covering against jumping out, as well as
decent high/low/throw mixup due to her overhead which is part of her 6C rekka. Her arc drive is
also amongst the best in the game and unlike many other characters’ it can be used
aggressively in neutral. She typically goes for a lot of tech-trap-setup enders thanks to her j.BB
book. This move also allows her to do her “yayaya” loops to build a bunch of meter. Brush up on
your tech punish game as her hard knockdowns options outside the corner are quite situational
and/or require meter. Great okizeme game with her bentos as well. The one special to Crescent
is the EX bento, which poisons the foe and is untechable until knockdown on hit.
H: Her fastest moon in movement speed. Half Moon loses some of Crescent’s combo tools,
namely she trades her j.BB book for j.B pail-and-water. The end result is that she generally
leaves somebody in neutral whenever she’s finished with them, unless she wants to forgo some
of her damage or meter. Her item throw can’t be varied (thankfully the options are improved
versions of the best C-moon ones and are some of the better options anyway) and instead of
having EX bento, she has her ol’ reliable stool from Act Cadenza and beyond. She can plant up
to two stools on the ground that clash with enemy hitboxes. Half’s 5a6aa string improves her
pressure game somewhat, but overall H-Hisui can feel like a less versatile version of C that is
only particularly useful in match-ups where her speed and Shield Bunker are necessary.
F: This moon retains Crescent’s variable item throw but forgoes the dust specials for a true
wakeup reversal (has an enormous hitbox but can be crouched under). Her j.B becomes
chargeable, and she trades her j.C table for a huge lamp. The lamp’s heavy enough to give her
meterless hard knockdowns from just about any conversion (as long as you charge it). F-Hisui
doesn’t have any bentos; she went to Office Max and got a bunch of chairs. 22A and 22C have
active clashboxes like Half’s stool, but bigger. Her has strong and unique okizeme game
revolves around these chair specials, which can keep opponents cornered and which will clash
with enemy hitboxes, stuffing wakeup abare and setting up F’s strong poke and tick game. Has
to work a little more in neutral without dust, and loses some of the more abusive and “automatic”
knockdown setups of the other Hisui, but overall a very strong character.

Neco Arc 

nya nya
A joke character that could mean real business if she ever gets in. Neco Arc specializes in
punishing techs with huge damage. You just need to play Crescent Moon to actually do
anything. All three moons have 63214C, which on successful hit, forces both you and the
opponent to have all directional inputs flipped (down becomes up, left becomes right, etc.) for a
short period of time. For opponents not familiar with the situation, this character is a true
menace.

C >> H >> F
C: The only one you want to play, she’s almost a real character. Legitimately no range, but once
she gets in, it might be over. Her corner combo route involves a 50/50 situation from the j.2C
ender: no tech and it bounces the foe back up, allowing you to continue the air combo for two
more reps (~5000dmg) or if you tech, she can read the tech with 421C, which allows her to
react to tech directions with 2B or charged 2B. Oh, sometimes she summons Neco Hime with
421C. Unlike Hime’s pillars, Neco’s are air unblockable. Fun!
H: You lose j.2C and the cell phone super in exchange for the universal Half Moon 5A6AA
series and an air version of the laser beam series. Overall, a much weaker and less complete
character, but having two laser beam series isn’t so bad. You also get a good jump-in j.C that
stretches downward, but you really should just play Crescent.
F: Somehow worse than Half Moon even though it doesn’t appear that way on paper. This moon
has a special air dash where Neco Arc rockets either forward or back, giving her some real
aerial mobility. That said, Full Moon’s linear pressure system doesn’t work well for her. Her j.C is
similar to Half’s but goes upward, and her 5C is an all-purpose move. She can burrow
underground...she still has no j.2C, nor does she have the 421X cell phone series.

Kohaku 

setplay, footsies, pressure, grappler

The hyper and cheery half of the Maids duo, Kohaku’s personality fits her playstyle as an
aggressive, highly technical rushdown character with oppressive normals and some of Melty’s
most disgusting setplay. With some of the best anti-jump normals in the game, arguably the
best okizeme in the game with plants and molotovs, a powerful command grab, and decent
damage in all of her moons, Kohaku (at least in C and H) is one of Melty’s most infamous top
tiers and a great choice for anyone who loves brutal setplay. It’s worth noting that “team”
characters like Kohamech and Maids will usually have many of the normals and properties of
solo Kohaku when she’s on point, so these guidelines are useful for players looking to play a
team character (though the teams often lack some of her special moves or command normals).
Top tier as C and H, low mid tier as F.
C > H >>> F

C: One of the best characters in the game. C-Kohaku can put plants on the screen that create
some of the most terrifying and helpless okizeme setups of any character. Phenomenal and
very fast A normals for pressure, and jumping out against her can be almost impossible due to
5a and 5b. Her plant okizeme has no real answer and the ensuing mixup must be blocked
honestly, with none of Melty’s defensive mechanics giving the defender a way out, so she’s one
of the few true “setplay” characters in the game. Good command grab/tick throw game,
especially with plants, and her combos are extremely damaging. Long range on her normals
can make it difficult to find spaces to jump out of her blockstrings. Only major problem areas are
lack of a great reversal and high execution requirements that require a library of difficult
character-specific combos for optimization.
H: Arguably the best grappler in the game. Compared to C, H-Kohaku sacrifices plant okizeme
and some utility on her normals for the ability to combo off of her command grab for enormous
damage, a great metered reversal, and bombs that can be used to set up tick throw situations.
With huge damage off of any poke or command grab, H-Kohaku is a very threatening character
when in close who can win off of only a few reads. One of the scariest characters in the game
when she’s going to work, as the command grab skews the risk-reward of blocking greatly.
F: Although she retains C’s plants and H’s command dash, F-Kohaku must give up significant
damage to get strong plant okizeme, loses all ability to whiff cancel (a core part of C and H’s
combo and pressure game, the absence of which alone is damning), and is generally weaker
than C-Kohaku in almost every respect. She does gain an interesting series of parry specials,
and does reasonable damage if you forgo oki, but with basically none of the “unfair” play of C or
H there is little reason to choose her.

Necomech
this is a real character
hit the cat, acquire setplay. nya nya.

C >> F >> H

C: The best moon, and despite being two “joke” characters stapled together, they demand a
great deal of respect as a high tier character. Great air mobility, decent corner carry, fantastic
pressure, and you can hit the cat to force favorable trades, get tick throw set-ups, and all sorts
of dirty things. Her lightning series also causes Neco to become a hitbox, meaning you also get
air unblockable set-ups. Her damage ceiling is low unless you get a very clean counter hit
starter, and she becomes immediately less impressive if she cannot set-up Neco Arc (read:
good luck versus C-Roa).
H: The worst one. A speedier version of Half Moon Mech Hisui. At first this seems like it can
only be a good thing, but all her specials have been replaced with objectively worse versions.
She has a basic mix-up with setting down 22A and using ground dodge to get a which-way
situation. Oh, 22C summons Neco Hime, which is air unblockable and allows you to go for a
high-low as the foe is blinded by the pillar of light. You have no meter gain though. Just play
Crescent.
F: You get F-Mech Hisui’s 623X series and her normals. Her corner carry is also quite good
from her BnB. Her unique trait is that Neco Arc can be called to burrow and pop up in a set
location depending on which button you used. While it sounds impressive, this character lacks a
lot of pressure and neutral tools to get started. Combined with mediocre damage, it’s difficult to
see what niche this character has. DISCLAIMER F-NECOMECH MAY CAUSE CRASHES ON
THE STEAM VERSION OF THE GAME PLEASE BE CAREFUL IF YOU DECIDE TO PLAY
THIS AWFUL LOW TIER

You made it to the end! Or just scrolled here, whatever. As a reward, check out this great
combo video by Red Melon, the legendary C-Roa player:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg0JpP5Z8LQ

Thanks for reading and have a great day! Remember, the Melty scene only exists because of
people like you, so if you’re ever at a big tournament wanting to airdash you heart out, just ask
WHEN’S MELTY on Twitter and French Bread’s gift to the world will come to a parking lot near
you.