Arlong

## Introduction

Arlong is a shark fishman with a big nose, detachable teeth, and a big sword.

In gameplay, he's a slow character with a lot of mobility attacks that have slow start up but cover good distance once the attack comes out. His slow attacks means he's very easy to pressure but in the right situation, he can do incredible damage thanks to his DoT and strong supers.

### **Pros & Cons**

+ Good HP
+ Has one of the easiest and strongest wall combos in the game
+ Has some good tools to continue juggles and catch landings
+ Three assists that each have their own use in different matchups
+ His AB super is one of the most damaging supers in the game
+ His DoT does a lot of damage and slows while it's active

- Decent jabs but slow recovery even when lag cancelled
- Worst unblockable in the game
- All of his mobility attacks are unsafe on block
- Big hurtbox
- Limited damage in combos if he has no meter

## Movelist

### **Mod Edition Changes**

#### Buffs

* His mobility attacks including his dive now OTG
* X>X>A now does very high vertical knockback allowing for followups
* His R+B knocks down
* His AX super's last hit applies the R+B DoT and is unblockable

## Supports

### **Choo**

Ranged support. With a fair amount of range for a ranged support, Choo will attack by shooting three water bullets rapidly. These water bullets will knock the opponent up slightly but not enough to make the following bullets miss. On shield, this gives Arlong a lot of pressure to work with, and the chip damage from Choo isn't too bad either.

### **Hachi**

Dash support. Hachi runs around with good speed and will attack the opponent, doing some moderate knockback. Hachi is regarded as his worst assist since he has no synergy with Arlong's combos, and he also doesn't attack as often as you'd like. He has some niche use in certain matchups thanks to his speed, but you're usually better off with Choo or Kuroobi.

### **Kuroobi**

Jump support. Kuroobi jumps into the air and drops down to attack. If you aren't using Choo, this will be your other option. He works well with Arlong's punish game since he's the only assist Arlong has that doesn't do knockback. He has a large HP pool as well, so the opportunity for him to connect is decent. As with most jump assists, he's quite slow, so he adds very little to the neutral game unlike Choo.

## Combos

* A>A (LC), A>A>X
* A>A (LC), A>A (LC), Grab
* A>A, L+(A>B)
* X (OTG against wall to wall bounce), L+(A>B) (loop this until you have no more meter), X>X

## Strategy

### **Vanilla**

Arlong's mobility options are great for abusing chests and boxes. When Arlong has enough meter or a good buff, he can spend it for big damage and retreat back to farming coins and buffs. The attack buff or accel heat is great for Arlong as it makes his AX super a homing unblockable. Be careful because using these can also put him in a bad spot since his slow neutral tools will make him struggle.

### **Modded**

Arlong has to *fish* for a good opening to begin his strong punish game. Because a lot of his moves have slow start up, this means you will be lag cancelling often and jabbing at max range to stay safe. Once you get them in the air, he has a much better time thanks to his large hitbox on X>X and X aerial. R+B is a great tool to catch landings as well. You will always want to use his directional grab as it allows a followup unlike neutral grab. Look for any opportunities to hard knockdown next to a wall if you have meter as AB super loops are going to be your best damage as Arlong.

## Matchups

### **General Information**

Arlong doesn't have the best neutral in the game because of his slow attacks and will struggle to open up a character with strong disjoints or pressure. Because Arlong's not very disjointed, he has a difficult time getting through traps and projectiles as well. Arlong's best damage comes from his AB super loops at wall meaning it can be risky to fish for OTG wall bounce combos against characters who have strong utility or combos with walls themselves.

#### **Kuina**

This matchup can be a nightmare for Arlong. Her safe moves and quick attacks abuse his poor neutral tools and it's very hard to get anything going. Her HP pool makes this somewhat doable and you can win with one or two punishes if you manage to build some meter, but getting through is difficult.