Bob strategy

Neutral is when both players can act freely. It makes up most of the game, so learning how to play it is critical. There's no point mastering all the combos and setups if you can't use them in an actual game.

This page contains a brief overview of this character's key neutral tools followed by advice for putting them together.

Midrange Poking and Wavedash Mixups

Bob's wavedash grants him excellent midrange space control.

Like the Mishimas, wavedash into ws4 is a great way to safely control space. While ws4 is linear, wavedashing allows Bob to realign. Compared to a Mishima ws4, Bob's has worse frames on block and no extensions but deals more damage (20 dmg) and has greater pushback.

ff2 is Bob's Demon's Paw, and can be used just like Jin and Devil Jin's equivalents. It can be done from a wavedash via f,n,d,df,n,f+2. It's a safe, long-ranged mid that knocks down and deals 25 dmg. Unlike the other Demon's Paws, Bob's doesn't need to wallsplat to give him guaranteed followups- simply hitting the move close to the wall will grant a guaranteed d3+4 or b3 from slightly further away. It is weak to sidestep left.

cd4,1+2 is Bob's hellsweep. It lets him mix the opponent up from a distance. It deals 33 damage and is weak to sidestep right, meaning that cd4,1+2 and ff2 cover each other's weak side.

cd1 (aka the Electric Wind Bob Fist) is a -4 launching high with some pushback on block. It's two frames slower than a true Mishima EWGF, has worse range and tracking, and is much worse on block, but doesn't require a just frame. This is weak to sidestep right, meaning it also covers ff2's weak side. It is a solid whiff punisher and has very low whiff recovery itself, making it strong for keepout.

Midrange Whiff Punishment

Bob's strong midrange game is cemented by his excellent ranged whiff punishers.

uf1+2 has huge range for a 16 frame mid, making it an essential whiff punisher, especially near the wall. Do note, however, that it has an infamously poor vertical hitbox, and generally cannot be used to whiff punish moves with high evasion or crushing. It has two extensions- one of which is a delayable, launch punishable, knd mid, and the other of which is a -1 on block, ballerina stun high. Both are nc and will wallsplat, although the mid option is not nc if delayed more than a tiny amount. Mixing between these two extensions will make it harder for you opponent to choose the correct option to punish you should your uf1+2 whiff or get blocked. Editor's note: I generally recommend using uf1+2,1+2 over uf1+2,4 as it does 5 more damage.

d2,4 is a frame faster than uf1+2,1+2, gives a knockdown with much better okizeme on hit, and most importantly, has a much better vertical hitbox. However, it deals much less damage. This is most useful in matchups where uf1+2 cannot whiff punish key moves, such as the Zafina matchup.

db1+2 has nearly as much range as uf1+2 with a much better vertical hitbox. Unlike uf1+2, it launches. Bob is very adept at whiff punishing big whiffs from far range; it's hard to use keepout moves from afar vs him compared to other characters. Note that db1+2 is normally does not lead to particularly damaging combos (bnbs range from 59 to 65ish dmg), but grants much higher damage potential than average when Bob is in rage.

f2,3 is one of the longest ranged i12 punishers in the game and is useful for whiff punishment vs relatively small whiffs. Note that the second hit is launch punishable on block, so be careful when using it.