Invictus Maneo/Tifa

**“**This'll be a nice warmup!**”**
— Invictus Maneo selection quip
**Tifa** served as a member of Avalanche, an eco-terrorist organization that aimed to prevent the planet's misuse of Mako energy and take down the Shinra Electric Power Company before they could do any additional damage, enlisting her childhood friend Cloud Strife to help her in her mission. Later on, she would team up with him once more to take down Sephiroth in the Jenova War. She is an empathetic and kind person, providing encouragement and moral support for her allies as well as serving as a voice of reason. Though shy, she won't hesitate to put her fists to good use.

Tifa originates from the 1997 game Final Fantasy VII, and her home stage is Midgar.

## Fighter Info

### Basics

Tifa is a middleweight rushdown character that's designed to always be on the offense, making use of her knuckles to tackle her foes from up close, jabbing them to death through her martial arts techniques. Even though Tifa lacks projectiles, she hardly needs them given her dexterity and overall great frame data, making her difficult to punish.

Throughout her battles, Tifa makes use of the leather knuckles or metal knuckles depending on whether her basic attack commands are tapped or held, which help her combo enemies or outright KO them respectively. Tifa's leather knuckles attacks deal minimal damage and knockback so Tifa can keep her combos going as long as possible with noticeably simple attacks. Her metal knuckles deal much more damage and knockback, allowing her to launch her foes pretty reliably, especially with moves like her dash attack and her forward air. Tifa's heavy tilts do not utilize either weapon, instead she uses her dragon claw weapons to deal a lot of damage and knockback, which help her end combos. Meteodrive and Meteor Strike are good alternatives. In her pummel attack, Tifa will trap the enemy with her foot and smash them and then suplex them before throwing them.

While Tifa can be a relentless menace once she can get a combo going, she has some flaws. Her lack of a projectile means she can be zoned out by intelligent opponents, her range is so poor that she is outmatched by the entire roster, and finally her recovery is very subpar.

### Specials

* **Special A: Beat Rush**
Tifa will rush straight forward after a brief pause, delivering a one-two combo to the enemy that doesn't deal a lot of damage but stuns the enemy temporarily, giving Tifa just enough time to follow up with almost any other attack. Pressing the button slightly delays Tifa's approach, but gives Tifa plenty vertical launching power.
* **Special B: Somersault / Waterkick**
Tapping the command lets Tifa leap towards an enemy, trap her foot on them and then do a backward somersault mid-air that launches them with a high kick. Holding it instead lets Tifa perform a circling sweep kick that serves well for horizontal edge knockouts. Both can lead into more attacks on healthy foes.
* **Special C: Dolphin Blow**
Tifa will leap a bit into the air with a harsh uppercut, which is accompanied by a dolphin leaping into the air and above her, with the dolphin capable of dealing damage on contact and especially on the moment where it leaps out of the ground (or from an air wormhole). The move does not leave her helpless.
* **Special D: Meteodrive / Meteor Strike**
Tapping the command lets Tifa pick up her enemy and swing them overhead, creating a small explosion that launches them at high percentages. In the air, Tifa can use it to bring her enemy down into a Tifacide. Holding the command has Tifa do a Meteor Strike, which is identical but deals much more damage and ends combos.
* **Showstopper: Final Heaven**
Tifa charges an immense amount of energy in her fist before dashing straight forward, making them get launched up in the air before landing back on the ground in a massive explosion that deals a lot of damage. Though used as her Showstopper, she can use a weaker version of this as a combo finisher albeit it resets the meter.