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.

Close Range Poking

Up close, Bob's poking game is a mixed bag. While his range and tracking on close-range pokes is generally excellent, he suffers from poor frame advantage and/or startup on many key tools. Most of his options at this range are somewhat situational- however, he has a lot of said options, and can thus cover most situations. This "large toolbelt of situational tools" design brings Bob's close-up poking more in line with that of Jin or Nina rather than a traditional Mishima.

Jab Strings

Bob's 1 jab has much better range than average. This gives Bob an advantage vs chars like Zafina, whose ws1 he can punish with much greater consistency compared to most characters. It also makes his poking difficult to backdash out of. Use f1 to add slightly more range to his jab- this is necessary to make certain combos involving his jab work properly.

1,1 is the start of Bob's main i10 punish, 1,1,2- his budget Mishima Flash Punch Combo. 1,1 on its own is only -1 on block and jails, so it's good for poking. Beware that both hits are quite linear.

Unlike the real deal, 1,1,2 is not hit confirmable (although it is twitch confirmable) and does not knock down. In fact, it's only +3 on hit, which means that a df1 check after 1,1,2 on hit is interruptible. The last hit is also a jailing -13 high rather than a -17 mid, which overall makes it much more akin to a Mishima 1,2,2. It's a solid whiff punisher up close.

1,4 is a solid alternative to 1,1,2. It has more frame advantage on hit (+5), which makes df1 and df2 checks much stronger afterwards. It is also safe on block, and while the last hit does not jail, it is fast and thus difficult to duck and punish on reaction. 1,4 is useful versus opponents who like to go for iws moves up close to steal turns, as the second hit will launch on counterhit. It too is a strong whiff punisher up close, especially for situations where you're not fully confident in your punish.

1,d4 is a useful poking string up close, as it's nc and ends in a -12 on block low. This string is inversely useful relative to the frequency at which it is used- it's great until your opponent starts to expect it and low parries you. This string makes for sneaky and effective round ender.

1,2 is a good alternative to 1,1. It has worse frame advantage on block (-3 instead of -1) but has two perks: The second hit has better tracking, and it has a counterhit launching extension.

1,2,1+2 is not nc from 1,2, which means that 1,2 lacks the twitch confirm utility of 1,1. What it is, however, is a highly delayable, mid, counterhit launching extension that's -13. This is best for dealing with buttonsy opponents, people who see -3 on block and start foaming at the mouth. The last hit should be used judiciously depending on the matchup- some characters like Megan will hurt you very hard if they block it, while others like Anna get much worse punishes on it. It will jail if not delayed, which is almost never a good thing since it isn't nc. Try to confirm that 1,2 was blocked and then occasionally throw this out ONLY if that was the case.

2,1 rounds out Bob's lengthy list of (good) jab strings. 2 doesn't have as much range as 1, so keep that in mind. The extension here, (2),1, is unique- unlike all the extensions from Bob's 1 jab, (2,)1 is a safe mid. It's only -4 which means Bob can still f1+2 to beat jab retaliation and bf1 to beat just about anything else.

2,1,4 is another safe mid extension, and a powerful one at that. It knocks down for a guaranteed b3 on hit and is ncc from (2,)1. The kryptonite of this extension is that it can be universally evaded via SSR, leaving Bob launch punishable. It cannot be interrupted, however, and will trade with jabs- a trade that's in Bob's favor. Editor's note: The best way to use this string, imo, is as a counterhit twitch confirm from (2,)1, either against people who are attempting to hit you with an iws move after ducking your 2 jab but are too slow on the draw, or against people who try and fail to whiff punish you after standing 2 whiffs- usually after backdashing their way out of your pressure. (2,1),4 use after a blocked 2 jab should only be done very, very sparingly vs competent opponents.