Nexus Heroes / Ash

Ash is a playable character in Nexus Heroes, hailing from the Titanfall series. Her design is taken from Apex Legends, a game set within the same universe of Titanfall, where she debuted as one of the playable legends in Season 11.
==Who is Ash? ==
===THE APEX PREDATOR===
Dr. Ashleigh Reid was a scientist within a mercenary group known as the Apex Predators, which tasked her with the dangerous mission to infiltrate a laboratory on the planet Psamathe and steal a precious resource from it. However, things went south when the lab self destructed, while Leigh was still inside. Her body, on the brink of death, was recovered, and her conscience was uploaded into a simulacrum, an artificial body that would serve as a host her mind. But all that was left of Dr. Reid to take over the new body was simply 'Ash', the calculating, cruel and perfectionist side of Ashleigh, who now seeks to get rid of every trace of 'Leigh' from her mind, though her persona is still split between her human and artificial side.
==Gameplay==
===Overview===
Ash is a tall lightweight fighter who excels in mobility, being a very fast character, and favors a "hit and run" approach because of her incredibly fast and precise attacks. However, she is also fairly susceptible to combos and KOs because of her light weight, and poor gravity.
Her Normals mostly consists of very fast kicks and slashes with her blade, which are excellent for combos. Her attacks also tend to have a pretty good range, although not nearly as much as that of other fellow sword wielders within the game, as Ash favors fast execution over slower hits with greater reach. This, in turn, leaves Ash with a generally poor damage output on pretty much her entire moveset, meaning that she may struggle with landing KOs, as her options for a finishing blow are somewhat limited. Her Specials are also very much oriented on the speed over power trait : she has a pretty unique counter type of move, where she'll flail her blade around to deflect incoming projectiles, trading the risky aspect typical of counters for the inability to parry physical hits. Her Side Special is also worth mentioning, as it's Ash's premiere option for approaching and initiating combos ; she'll toss an Arc Snare in front of herself, which travels a medium distance and traps foes, opening them up for follow-ups.
For players who are patient enough to endure longer games due to her poor damage, Ash is an excellent pick, as her fast attacks and excellent mobility may prove to be just enough to overpower impatient foes.
===Movelist===
  	Name  	Description
Neutral Attack
,,...	Predator Slash I/ Predator Slash II > Piercing Kick	Two slashes with her blade. If button mashed, it becomes a rapid jab where Ash repeatedly kicks forward with her right leg, piercing foes multiple times with the pointy end of her leg.
Dash Attack
Dash,	Winds of the Storm 	A quick slash with her blade, from low to high. Has very low start lag, making it a good combo starter.
Side Tilt 	Lightning 	A 180° sweep with her blade, very quick and good for combos, despite its abysmal damage output.
Up Tilt 	Eruption 	Points her left foot and lifts up her right one above herself, stabbing with the bladed end of her leg right above herself.
Down Tilt 	Cutting Edge 	A quick, low to the ground sweeping slash with her blade.
Forward Strong
+	Synthetic Huntress 	Rears back, then performs a vertical rotating kick forward, followed by a quick front kick.
Up Strong
+ 	Eye of the Storm 	Swings her blade in an arch above herself. It can hit at both sides, if opponents are close enough, though it doesn't deal much damage for being a Strong Attack.
Down Strong
+ 	Cyclone 	A 360° sweeping kick. Very quick, and has a good reach.
Neutral Aerial
Airborne	Predator's Kick 	A rapid flying kick, which hits in front of herself.
Forward Aerial
Airborne	Top of the Chain 	Swings her blade in an arch in front of herself. Has a good range, and is useful to space opponents or extend combos, given its low damage and knockback.
Back Aerial
Airborne	Twin Needles 	Two rapid rotating kicks, aimed behind herself.
Up Aerial
Airborne	Bird of Prey 	A reverse somersault, where she hits with her knee pointed upward. It's a bit slower than the rest of her moves, but it also boasts better kill power.
Down Aerial
Airborne	Death from Above 	Kicks below herself three times in quick succession with the bladed ends of her legs.
Grab 	Grab 	Holds the opponent with one hand, with the other one staying behind her back.
Pummel
, 	Razor Knee 	Hits the opponent with her knee.
Forward Throw
,	To Ashes 	A reverse side kick which knocks the opponent away.
Back Throw
, 	Sight Unseen 	Slashes the opponent with an upward hit of her blade, ending at their back. She then stabs her blade behind without turning, knocking the opponent away with the stab.
Up Throw
, 	Cutting Wheel 	Launches the opponent above herself, then hits them with a reverse cartwheel kick, knocking them upward.
Down Throw
, 	Ratted Out 	Downs the opponent with her leg, points her blade at them, then knocks them into the ground with a slash.
Floor Attack
Grounded >	Split 	Kicks upward, then performs a 360° sweep, before getting up.
Edge Attack
Ledge >	Corkscrew Kick 	Climbs up and performs a corkscrew dropkick.
NEUTRAL SPECIAL	Reflection 	Quickly moves her blade at blinding speed in front of herself from low to high, and if the button is pressed again, she'll perform another one from high to low. This move barely deals any damage, and has pitiful reach, but its true purpose is its ability to deflect incoming projectiles.
SIDE SPECIAL 	Arc Snare 	Tosses a spinning snare in front of herself, which damages and traps enemies in a series of hits, allowing Ash to follow up with any attack.
UP SPECIAL 	Phase Breach 	Performs a cut in the air which opens a portal. She'll then reappear at a distance with a powerful slash in whatever direction the control stick was tilted in at the activation of the move. It's a great anti-air move, which also serves as a pretty safe recovery, because Ash is invisible and intangible when teleporting.
DOWN SPECIAL 	Bladed Dive 	Leaps upward while spinning, then lands into the ground with a powerful divekick. In the air, it becomes a simple divekick, lacking the initial leap.
FINISHER 	Thousand Cuts 	Ash dashes forward with a slash while disappearing, saying "Let's have some fun". If she intercepts anyone with her dash, the victims will be locked in position, and Ash will unleash several slashes at them from all directions, teleporting in and out of view with every cut, ending with one final dashing slash which knocks the opponents away.
===Intro Animation===
Lands in from above, on top of her blade. She'll then dismount, taking the blade and spinning it around before getting into position.
===Taunt===
Points her blade in front of herself, while her tiny pet rat will run across its edge and to the tip, all while Ash says "You're mine". She'll then shake the blade, while her rat quickly climbs back into hiding inside of her hood.
===Idle Poses===
*Puts her blade behind her back, while slowly performing a ninja-esque movement with her other hand.
*Skillfully twirls her blade around.
===Quotes===
====Selection Lines====
*" Cross me and my blade will cross you. "
*" Focus. Fight. Win. "
*" Do you fear me, Heroes? "
====Successful KO====
*" Perfection can't be taught, nor programmed. "
*" My skills are honed. Yours are dull. "
*" You're pathetic. "
*" Too bad you lack a pulse now. "
*" Came to terms with your imperfection yet? "
*" Admire .. flawlessness. "
*" Watch me. Maybe you'll learn something. "
*" Even a rat can be taught. You .. not even that. "
*" My blade claims another one. "
*[Leigh, glitching] " Run! Run or she'll ki-" --[Ash]"-ll you all."
*[Leigh, glitching] " No! No this isn't-" --[Ash]"-fair. For you. "
*[Leigh, glitching] " Get out of-" --[Ash]"-my way. Idiot."
====Respawning====
*" A stroke of luck cannot best skill. "
*" You might be worth something. "
*" Thanks for the practice. Now I'll get serious. "
*" Promising. Do not disappoint me now. "
*" Ashes to ashes. "
*" The weak .. shall be executed. "
*" I'm done toying with you. "
*" Come, my prey. "
*" That's right. No holding back. "
*[Leigh, glitching] " Damn it! How's she not-" --[Ash]"-dead? [Chuckles]".
*[Leigh, glitching] " Listen! You need to st--" --[Ash]"-op me. Let's see you try."
*[Leigh, glitching] " No! You need to-" --[Ash]"- do better than that."
*[Leigh, glitching] " She'll always be-" --[Ash]"- one step ahead."
===Victory Poses===
*UP : Puts her blade away and performs several kung-fu inspired poses, ending with her open palm against her fist. During this, she says "Learn the difference between the hunter and the hunted".
*SIDE : Slashes the air with her blade while striking several poses, while saying "Ashes to Ashes."
*DOWN : Looks down at the camera while pointing her blade to it, with her pet rat climbing on it, much like in her taunt. During this, she says "Have you learned your lesson yet?".
==Arcade Mode==
In her Arcade route, Ash faces a series of opponents who all share traits with other Legends from Apex Legends.
Firstly, she fights Chell, who represents Wraith, another character who is able to open two interlinked portals, much like the Portal Gun can. The second round, then, is against Snake, who shares some traits with Bangalore, another expert of weapons and veteran soldier.
After a Bonus Stage, Ash fights Master Chief, who represents Gibraltar : much like the gentle giant of Apex Legends, Chief makes use of energy shields to defend himself, and can therefore take a lot of damage before being knocked out. The following match is based on Bloodhound, who is played by the similarly skilled huntress Aloy, who also makes use of technologically advanced tech to hunt.
Following a second Bonus Stage, Ash faces Lifeline, another fighter hailing from the same universe as Ash (a fairly rare sight in Nexus Heroes). Finally, before she fights Kerrigan, Ash can go head on against 2B, her Rival. As the name of the battle, "Artificial Blades", suggests, their rivalry is based around the fact that both characters are artificial constructs who are proficient in the use of swords.
Round 	Opponent 	Stage 	Music 	
1 	Chell 	Mako Reactor 	One Winged Angel - Rebirth	
2 	Snake 	Installation 04 	In Amber Clad 	
Bonus Stage 1	Bonus Stage 1	Bonus Stage 1 	Bonus Stage 1 	Bonus Stage 1
3 	Master Chief 	Mission 1 	RIDGE 256 	
4 	Aloy 	N. Sanity Island 	Bone Yard 	
Bonus Stage 2	Bonus Stage 2	Bonus Stage 2 	Bonus Stage 2 	Bonus Stage 2
5 	Lifeline 	Kings Canyon 	Ash 	
6 	2B 	Amusement Park 	Weight Of The World 	
7 	Kerrigan 	Kerrigan's Leviathan	Conscience 	
==Alternates==
===Alternate Colors===
*BLUE : Default appearance, based on her design from Apex Legends.
*ORANGE : Based on her design from Titanfall 2.
*GREEN : Based on her "Chaotic Emerald" Legendary skin from Apex Legends.
*RED : A mostly original color scheme, though it is inspired by her "Bloodline" skin from Apex Legends.
===Alternate Costume===
File:PN ASH RENDER.png|"Default" Costume
File:PN ASH ALT.png|"Fallen Angel" Costume
*Default : Based on her appearance in Apex Legends.
*Fallen Angel : Based on her "Fallen Angel" Legendary skin from Apex Legends.
==Trivia==
* Ash and Lifeline are the only playable characters in Nexus Heroes who hail from the same universe, although Ash is classified as hailing from Titanfall, while Lifeline specifically hails from Apex Legends.
Category:Project Nexus
Category:Project Nexus / Movesets
Category:Movesets