Old Joseph

## Introduction

**Joseph Joestar** (ジョセフ・ジョースター *Josefu Jōsutā*) is the main protagonist of *Battle Tendency*, a core ally in *Stardust Crusaders,* being a grandfather of the story's main protagonist, Jotaro Kujo. The community calls him Old Joseph or Oldseph for short.

Old Joseph is one of three Weapon Type users in the game, and unlike many other characters, his primary focus is on playing defensively and making every hit count. His pseudo-grappling style attacks don't really work that well in a fast-paced game like JJBA: HFTF, thus putting him into the lower part of the tiertist. Still, he is a very honest fighter with a unique playstyle you might find interesting to try out.

Joseph is the last character in the story of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure to use Hamon, a fighting art focused on breathing to create energy waves, originally invented to fight against vampires. He combines Hamon with the power of his new stand, Hermit Purple.

### **Pros & Cons**

+ All around solid normals and good hitconfirms
+ Can run instead of performing dashes, with every dashing attack having a unique property
+ Two different and strong Guard Cancel attacks depending on his current mode
+ High defense

- Slowest recovery in the game
- Custom Combo is his only decent super
- A lot of slow attacks or ones that don't work as well as they'd seem to do
- Limited okizeme options
- Being a pseudo-grappler style character, his command grabs only work well in combos

## Movelist

### **Stand Off**

#### **Normals**

 **5B**

 **5C**

 **2A**

 **2B**

 **2C**

 **j.A**

 **j.B**

 **j.C**

#### **Dash Normals**

 **d.5B**

 **d.5C**

 **d.2A**

 **d.2B**

 **d.2C**

#### **Command Normals**

 **3B**

 **3C**

 **The worst normal in the game (6C)**

 **Guard Cancel (Stand OFF)**

**623 + A/B/C (While Blocking)**

### **Stand On**

#### **Normals**

s.5A - Joseph performs a jab, similar in its appearance to his regular 5A. Now with slightly extended hitbox thanks to Hermit Purple.
s.5B - Joseph performs a kick similar to his 5C. Comes out fairly fast but takes a while to recover. It can be canceled into Stand On Roll.
s.5B (close) - If s.5B is used close enough to the opponent, Joseph will perform a quick uppercut instead of the kick. Launches on hit, decent speed, and vertical hitbox but hurtbox placement mess with it from being a strong anti-air. Cannot be canceled.
s.5C - Joseph smacks the opponent with a very powerful backfist. Not the fastest move in his arsenal, but it does high damage and has a solid hitbox. Good to hitconfirm off.

s.2A - Joseph performs a crouching jab, now with slightly extended hitbox and low hit property! Very good poke that can lead to full combos.
s.2B - Joseph does a low kick. Nearly the same as the Stand Off variant with the same purpose aka meter build.
s.2C - A much-improved version of Joseph's 2C. Comes out faster with improved hitbox. Great in neutral and for combos. In some matchups, it can even combo into itself.

s.j.A - Similar to his j.A but with an improved hitbox. This attack becomes much more useful in both air to ground and air to air.
s.j.B - Joseph does a downward chop that makes for a very solid air to ground and air to air.
s.j.C - Same as s.j.B but with slightly longer startup for additional damage.

#### **Dash Normals**

d.s.5A - Pretty much the same as the Stand Off version, perhaps with slightly improved hitbox but cannot be canceled, limiting its usefulness.
d.s.5B - Old Joseph performs a straight kick that magically makes him slide across the ground. Compared to dashing 5B, the startup is slower while the hitbox is also placed lower, limiting this move's usefulness. It can be canceled into a Stand On Roll.
d.s.5C - Same as the stand Stand Off version. Still not an overhead and just as bad.

d.s.2A - Slide with extended arm and better hitbox compared to the Stand Off version. It would make a better option when compared to d.s.2B but unfortunately, it cannot be canceled, completely removing its usefulness and in result making the move pretty bad.
d.s.2B - Nearly the same as the Stand Off slide.
d.s.2C - Joseph performs a dashing version of his s.3C. Hits low, cannot be canceled, causes hard knockdown. Punishable on block and on hit if the opponent has their stand on.

#### **Command Normals**

s.6C/4C (Close) - Old Joseph grabs an opponent and zaps them with his Hamon, which then launches them away. Same as Stand Off version.

s.3B - The same sliding kick as the Stand Off version.
s.3C - Instead of a sliding kick, Joseph will lean into the ground with his hand extending forward with Hermit Purple reaching far towards the opponent's legs for a hard knockdown. It has an insanely long range, however, the move cannot be canceled and its startup and recovery times are very long, meaning that you'll probably die if you used it when you opponent jumped into the air. Still, it's a good move to throw out once in a while to catch the opponent off guard.

s.6C - Just as bad as the Stand Off version. Don't use it.

#### *Guard Cancel (Stand ON)* - **s.623 + A/B/C** (While Blocking)

Joseph performs his Sunlight Yellow Overdrive special. Has very little invincibility frames compared to his Stand Off guard cancel but hits 3 times, does moderate damage and has a high probability of stand crashing opponents who overextend their pressure with their Stands On if the third hit does so.

### **Special Moves**

#### *Turquoise Blue Overdrive (Stand OFF)* - **236 + A/B/C**

Joseph takes a deep breath and then cuts through the air with Hamon infused chop. A very simple special for hit-confirms with good horizontal but a horrible vertical range.

Useful mostly to end combos with and deal damage to the Stand Gauge. The C version has a much longer startup and cannot combo, however, it does more damage as it hits the opponent 3 times and causes Wall Bounce, it can be recovered from though. Some opponents can duck under it completely. Can be blocked in midair.

#### *Hermit Web (Stand ON)* -  **s.236 + A/B/C**

Joseph reaches out with his hand as Hermit Purple extends horizontally to grab the opponent. This move can be blocked normally.

Hermit Web is mostly useful during combo extensions or as a long-range punish, as it has a mediocre startup time and very long recovery on whiff. The A and B version of this move makes Joseph attempt to catch the opponent while standing, while the C version makes him do so while crouching, making it the better version of this move as it does not whiff against some low profile characters.

Once an opponent was grabbed by Hermit Purple, inputting 5A/5B/5C will make Joseph fire waves of Hamon through his stand, dealing small damage and building meter, while pressing 4A/4B/4C will drag the opponent towards Joseph where he can perform a follow-up with his normals or specials. Hermit Web can catch the opponent at two distances, close and far. If the opponent was caught at a long distance (nearly fullscreen) after dragging them back, they will be stunned for longer, allowing Joseph to follow up with s.5C/s.2C into another Hermit Web. At a shorter distance, you only get a short window to follow up after dragging the opponent towards you. Your best options are s.5A>5A>5B>3C, s.5A>[3]B>s.360+A/B/C or a chain combo string ending with either s.5B/s.5C into a custom combo.

Note that if you just keep zapping your opponent with Hamon during Hermit Web's grab, your opponent can escape it by rapidly tapping left and right. It's best to give the opponent around 4 or 5 zaps then drag them back.

#### *Sunlight Yellow Overdrive* - **623 + A/B/C or s.623 + A/B/C**

After gathering Hamon energy, Joseph performs an overhead swing downwards with Hermit Purple. If you're gonna try to go for any kind of grounded overhead, this is what you attempt to use instead of the dreaded 6C.

It has a slow start-up and recovery, but the damage and Stand Gauge damage are good, plus it has a pretty decent hitbox on it. If the A or B version of this move hits against a Stand Off enemy, grounded or airborne, a wall bounce will occur but just as 236+C, there is little to no reward to reap from it. The C version keeps the opponent on the ground and does not cause a wall bounce on airborne hit.

Doing this move with Stand On changes it ever so slightly where instead of one powerful strike, it becomes a multi-hitting move that decimates Stand Gauges, with no differences between the different buttons' versions. It can be canceled by inputting Hermit Web (s.236+A/B/C). All versions of this attack are air-unblockable.

#### *Strategist's Profession (Stand OFF)* - **214 + A/B/C**

In Stand Off, Joseph will sneakily wrap his entire body with Hermit Purple & enter a pose. If he's struck during this pose by a non-projectile move, he'll burst and radiate Hamon energy as a counter.

Joseph will take no damage from the strike that triggers the counter which means that it can work as a last ditch resort but the downside to this move is that unless said countered move strikes very deep, the counter itself will score only a hit or two for almost non-existent damage.

#### *Strategist's Profession (Stand ON)* - **s.214 + A/B/C** (Mash to deal more damage)

Stand On, this move goes from being a counter to a multi-hitting attack primarily used inside of Custom Combos, as it is very hard to land it in other combos otherwise. You can mash buttons during the duration of this attack to add bonus hits to it. If done in custom combo, if no buttons were mashed, opponent will be launched away by this attack. However, if a certain amount of hits was exceeded, this move will cause a hard knockdown instead. This move will instantly Stand Crash.

#### *Energy Tempest* - **360° + A/B/C or s.360° + A/B/C**

Joseph wraps Hermit Purple around the opponent's entire body and sends countless ripples of Hamon through them before delivering a devastating uppercut. This is one of Joseph's unblockable command grabs. It can be done by inputting 6321478 or 4123698.

At 3 frame startup, this command grab is not too good when done at its own, as it can beat by some jabs and regular grabs, not to mention it can be jumped over too whenever an opponent sees it coming, still, it can be used to end some combos with it and from certain attacks. The damage is solid, too, and it sets up for Joseph for okizeme. Stand Off version of this move does slightly less damage than Stand On, all strengths do the same damage and all share the same animation of Joseph uppercutting and leaving the opponent knocked down in front of him. Note that in order to properly land this move in a combo, you need to time yourself just as the opponent recovers from hitstun.

With the Stand On version, things get slightly different; the A and B strengths of the throw have the same uppercut animation but the C button has Joseph going ham with juicing the opponent up with Hamon energy before proceeding to boot them across the stage. Despite how cool that sounds, it doesn't do any more damage and in most situations, since it leaves the opponent far away, it leaves you with a lot less time to go for okizeme, especially against opponents with faster recovery times. The only moment where you should go for the C variant is when you want to actually build some space between yourself and your opponent, and build up meter.

#### *Stand Activation Attack (Stand OFF)* - **236 + S**

Joseph performs the Stand On version of his Sunlight Yellow Overdrive move, with the same properties of one. This move activates your Stand, and just like the Stand On version, can be canceled into Hermit Web (s.236+A/B/C). You can combo into this from 5C and 2C. If you cancel into Hermit Web super fast you can even combo with it after these normals.

#### *Stand On Roll (Stand ON)* - **s.A+B / s.B+C / s.A+C**

Joseph is the only character in the game that can roll while having his Stand On. Unfortunately, while it could be a cool gimmick to have, his rolls can be punished not only with grabs but also by regular attacks as well (mostly those that hit very low). This rolling is very risky to perform and it is advised not to perform it.

### **Super Moves**

#### *Master's Teachings* - **236 + AA or s.236 + AA**

Joseph will uppercut the enemy and hit him with a Hamon overdrive while saying the name of his mother and mentor, Lisa Lisa, while *Battle Tendency's* flashbacks play in the background.

Small horizontal hitbox, great vertical one. Hard to combo into, it's mainly used to punish dumb jump-ins. Decent damage. The Stand On version of the move has slightly better vertical hitbox. Can be blocked in midair.

#### *Super Hamon Overdrive!* - **720° + A/B/C or s.720° + A/B/C**

Joseph's infamous 720° command grab which unfortunately is a bad move overall. It can be done by inputting 632147896321478 or 412369874123698.

Its only positive point is that it deals a high amount of damage for just one stock of meter, but other than that, it has no invincibility on startup and can be easily jumped over when done randomly. Use it only when you want to be super stylish, but chances are you'll pay for that greatly. The only practical way to combo into it is after ending a custom combo with s.236+A/B.

#### *Custom Combo Rush* - **214 + S or s.214 + S**

Joseph activates Hermit Purple and performs a super-fast dash towards the opponent.

As all Custom Combo supers in this game, the startup and recovery of your normals while performing this attack is much better, meaning you can chain up some delicious combos from it, although, the damage scaling makes it harder to score any real damage. Thankfully, Joseph's Custom Combo can deal a lot of hits, meaning the damage is actually pretty good overall. Thanks to the invincibility frames during the start-up, this super can easily turn into one of the best metered anti-airs in the game. Examples of his custom combos will be written in the combos section, though as a defensive option, it is best to use s.214+A/B/C as your all-purpose anti-air.

## Combos

### **Stand On Chain Combos**

A very important note about Old Joseph's chain combos, a lot of them are VERY UNSAFE ON BLOCK AND EVEN ON HIT. Always attempt to head into a hard knockdown or end the string with s.5B or s.3C to keep yourself relatively safe if you see it being blocked. All attacks ending with s.5C or s.2C will be unsafe. Note that these properties are not the same as when you perform these moves outside of a chain combo.

s.5A>5A>5A - Joseph's auto-combo. Two jabs into a backfist.
s.5A>5C - Single jab into backfist.
s.5A>3C - Joseph performs a Hamon infused chop at an opponent's legs after jabbing them once. This does not combo. The second hit is low. Leads to hard knockdown if the second attack connects. Totally useless.
s.5A>2C - Jab into hammer punch. Quite useless.

s.5A>5B>5C - The string you'll be doing inside of Old Joseph's combos. Does high damage and can lead into the custom combo easily.
s.2A>5B>5C - Same as above but starts with a slightly slower but low hitting jab.

s.5A>5A>5B>5C/2C - Optimized string ending with a backfist. Useful as a starter for the custom combo. The 2C finisher DOES NOT lead into the Custom Combo so avoid it since it's extremely unsafe and generally just bad! Inside of combos might whiff against thinner characters, so it is advised to use the string above instead.
s.5A>5A>5B>[3]C - Leads to hard knockdown, useful combo ender. Relatively safe on block.

s.5A>3B - Jab into a sliding kick. You can use this to combo into your 360 command grab easily.
s.5A>3B>5C - Jab, slide, backfist. Useful for custom combo only, but not optimal.

s.2A>2A - Two low jabs. Relatively safe. Useful during custom combos.
s.2A>3B - Can be used to combo into a command grab.
s.2A>2C - Low jab into hammer punch. Quite useless.
s.2A>5B/2B/3B>5C/2C - Starts with a low jab and ends with the backfist. Can be used as a starter for the custom combo. Again, avoid the 2C ender. 5B does the most damage in these strings.
s.2A>5B/2B/3B>[3]C - Leads into hard knockdown. 5B does the most damage in these strings.
s.2A>2A>3B>[3]C - A series of low attacks leading into hard knockdown. Can be very useful.

s.5A>5A>5B>[6]C - Series of attacks leading into an overhead roundhouse kick that does not combo. This version of the roundhouse kick is actually positive on hit, but still highly punishable on block. If it connects, you can combo into s.5A, though it's very tight and sometimes you might be barely out of range.
s.5A>5B>[4]/[6]C - While holding 4 Joseph will perform the roundhouse kick in place. Kind of useless.
s.2A>5B/2B/3B>[6]C - Starting with a low jab.
s.2A>2A>2B/3B>[6]C - A series of low attacks into the overhead kick. Perhaps kind of useful as a blockstring for when the opponent is expecting a low to be the final hit? Who can tell?

### **Custom Combo Examples**

After confirming into a custom combo there are several ways to deal damage to your opponent, the most basic are:

214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 214+A/B/C\*n) - The basic version of the custom combo which leads to a launcher/hard knockdown. If your opponent does not recover from the launcher, it is possible to land 236+AA after the custom combo, though it is most likely that they will do that and you'll just waste your meter. Try to aim for the hard knockdown instead.

In situations where your opponent is out of 2A>2A's range, you can use 2C instead of 2A>2A to catch up to them. Sometimes two 2C will be required to land the rest of the Custom Combo. It will do slightly less damage but at least it shouldn't drop because you were out of range.

214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B/C - Using Hermit Web to end a Custom Combo can provide a follow-up after. s.5C is quite difficult to link after the custom combo ends. This is possibly one of the most optimal things Old Joseph can do to end his combos.

214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), 5A, 5A, S+2C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B/C - More flashy version utilizing a 5A link. Possibly slightly more optimal but also much harder. Hold 2 if you want to land s.2C easier to Crouch Cancel 5A. You can also use S+5C after one 5A, but it might be even more difficult.

214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), d.5A/d.5B xx (720)+A/B/C - Performing a dashing normal after a custom combo is already nearly impossible, but if you land it, chances are you might be able to combo into Old Joseph's 720 grab for some very high damage. This combo is not recommended for anyone and should only be performed if you really want to style on your opponent.

Note that against Iggy you'll need to perform 236+C instead of the A/B versions as they whiff against him. This potentially makes the combo potential vs Iggy smaller.

Old Joseph's Custom Combos are special in that they can potentially lead to infinites. Pressing an attack button at the end of a special move, a frame before your custom combo would normally end will lead to performing an attack while still being under the effect of custom combo. In theory, you can do this:

214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B/C>4, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B/C>4, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B/C>4 ... ) - You just need to hit that perfect frame.

Note that Stand Crash combos use different Custom Combos as they require a specific amount of hits.

### **Basic Combos**

For the sake of making this shorter, the Custom Combo strings mentioned above will be referred to as (CCS), while Joseph's command grabs will appear as (360) and (720).

Oldseph can start a lot of these combos from his jumping normals.

#### **Stand Off**

5A/2A, 5A/2A, 5B xx 236+A/B or 214+S (CCS) - Basic links into hitconfirm overdrive or Custom Combo. Try to use every opportunity to land the custom combo if possible. While two jabs are mostly optimal, it is possible to land a third jab in some matchups. In case you are worried about the range, you can link using just one jab into 5B, which should be fine as well. 5A into 5B is a tight but not too hard link. It may come in handy, though 2A is a move you should use more often.

5A/2A xx (360)+A/B/C - Jab into command grab. Learning the timing to correctly connect with the command grab is very important, as being either too fast or too slow will result in the grab missing the target. This applies to pretty much every combo utilizing the 360 command grab.
3B xx (360)+A/B/C - Slide into command grab. Fairly easy to do, though the timing is strict.
j.A/j.B/j.C, (360)+A/B/C - Deep jump-in can allow you to combo into your command grab easily.

5A, 5A, 3B xx 236+A/B or 214+S (CCS) - Jab into slide into hitconfirm. Can be quite useful in some situations. You can use one jab instead of two if you're worried about range.
5A, 3B xx (360)+A/B/C - Rather tight but works well when performed up close.
5A, 3C - Leads to a hard knockdown. Rather tight.
2A, 3B xx 236+A/B or 214+S (CCS) - Tight link into a hitconfirm.
2A, 3B xx (360)+A/B/C - Can be quite hard to perform hard to perform.

5C/2C xx 236+A/B or 214+S (CCS) - Simple hitconfirm.
5C/2C xx 623+A/B/C or 236+S - Not particularly useful but it's possible to combo into your overhead attack out of these two normals.

d.5A/d.2A/d.5B/d.2B xx 236+A/B or 214+S (CCS) - Dashing normals hitconfirms.

5A/2A, S+5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (CCS) - Stand Off jabs can link into Stand On s.5A.
5A, S+2A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (CCS) - And to s.2A as well.
2A, WC S+2A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (CCS) - 2A needs to be Walk Canceled for s.2A to combo properly. 2F link.

Here are moves that can combo into Joseph's 236+AA uppercut super. Note that this super scales down pretty heavily in combos, making it very weak. It's better to use Custom Combo if you're going for actual damage. Here they are anyway:

5A/2A/2B/3B xx 236+AA - Simple jab into super, don't expect much from it. If the opponent blocks it you'll be punished. 2B into uppercut might not work in some matchups.
5A, 3B xx 236+AA - Not only the uppercut move must be slightly delayed to connect, but it also might not even work in some matchups.

d.2C xx 236+A/B or 236+AA - Dashing 2C launches the opponent, this allows you to follow up with Overdrive and in some situations, with the Uppercut super (best used in the corner). Possibly the only good use of it.

#### **Stand On**

All chain combos that end with s.5B/s.3B/s.5C can be canceled into a Custom Combo. For example:
s.2A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (CCS)
s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (CCS)

Additionally, you can confirm into the Custom Combo out of s.5B/s.2B/s.3B/s.5C/s.2C/d.s.5B/d.s.3B.

s.5A/s.2A, s.(360)+A/B/C - Learning the timing for these confirms can be more difficult as s.5A and s.2A cannot naturally cancel into special moves. It is still possible to use 360 to potentially combo/tick grab opponent.

s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B/C - Very useful confirm into the command grab and one of the easier ones to pull off. Definitely worth learning as it makes for a great combo finisher. Remember that you should mainly use the A and B variants of the command grab as they lead to okizeme. C version of command grab kicks the opponent across the screen, and should only be used if you need to grind some meter.
s.2A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B/C - Same as above except it starts with a low.

s.5C/2C xx s.236+A/B/C, s.5A>5A>5B>[3]C - You can confirm into Hermit Web out of s.5C and s.2C. After that, you can choose to either go for a chain combo into a custom combo or a different combo finisher. For example, this leads to s.3C that causes hard knockdown.
s.5C/2C xx s.236+A/B/C, s.5A>3B xx (360)+A/B/C - Hermit Web confirm into chain combo that leads to command grab. Possibly the most optimal way to go without using meter.

s.236+A/B/C (far catch), s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C ... - If the opponent is caught by Hermit Web from a far distance, zap them a bit with Hamon then bring them back and smash them with s.5C into another one. Guaranteed to build some meter. Then just finish them with one of the combos mentioned above.

s.5A>5C xx s.236+AA - Two hits into the uppercut super. Damage scales badly but it can be used as an alternative combo finisher after Custom Combo and it's really simple to do as well. You'll probably want to save that meter though.
s.5A>3C xx s.236+AA - Same as above, except it uses the sliding kick. Poor damage overall but it's flashy. Can be used a combo ender.

d.s.5B/2B xx s.214+S (CCS) - Dashing normals into hit-confirm custom combo.

s.2A, s.5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (CCS) - Not very useful but it's a thing. You can link s.2A into s.5A. Against some characters. it's possible to do a full, 4-hit chain combo, but against most, it's safe to just do the one mentioned here.

### **Advanced Combos**

#### **Stand Off**

2A, 5A, S+2C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B/C - Optimal meterless BnB from Stand Off. It is very important that you learn the 5A > s.2C link as it is also the follow-up after the custom combo.
2A, 5A, S+2C xx 236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (CCS) - Optimal BnB starter from Stand Off.

2A, 5A, CrC 5C xx 236+A/B or 214+S (CCS) - 1F crouch cancel link. Totally not recommended for beginners.
2A, 5A, 2C xx 236+A/B or 214+S (CCS) - This one isn't as tight, but doing s.2C instead of 2C is better, so this is kinda useless.

2A, 2B, 5B xx 236+A/B or 214+S (CCS) - 2B into 5B is a 1F link. Does okay damage overall.
2B, 2B/3B xx 236+A/B or 214+S (CCS) - More obscure links, though this one is fairly simple to do.
2A, ID d.2C xx 236+A/B or 236+AA - 2F link which also requires a frame perfect dash start. Not recommended.
2A, 2C xx 236+A/B or 214+S (CCS) - Another 1F link. This one seems to be really hard and also quite pointless.

5C/2C xx 236+S~s.236+A/B/C>4 s.5A>5A>5B>5C s.214+S (CCS) - A very hard way to land Hermit Web out of Stand Off normals. 236+S needs to be canceled nearly instantly into Hermit Web for it to combo.

d.5A/d.5B xx (720)+A/B/C -  Dashing normals into the 720 grab super. Pretty useless but flashy stuff.

#### **Stand On**

s.2C, s.2C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (CCS) - A character specific combo that works mostly in the corner. Some characters have wider horizontal hitboxes. This allows you to link s.2C into itself. It is actually possible to land s.2C 3 times against Stand On Devo (hit Devo while he's controlling his doll in the corner) which can lead to massive damage.

s.(360)+A/B, s.5A~5B~[6]C, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (CCS) - Joseph's roundhouse overhead can be used as a "meaty" (it has whole 2 active frames, so it's a pretty poor meaty option...) after his command grabs (versions A and B). This link is 2F at best. Very hard to utilize but might still trick your opponent if done right.

d.s.5B xx s.(720)+A/B/C - Dashing kick into the 720 grab super. Pretty useless but flashy stuff. Possibly harder than the Stand Off versions.

### **Examples of optimal BnBs**

#### **Stand Off**

(j.A/B/C), 2A, 5B xx 214+S (2C, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B - Optimal vs characters with Stand Off. Instead of S+5C after the custom combo ends, you might use 5A, S+5C/S+2C, but it might be harder to link.

(j.A/B/C), 5A, S+2C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B - Optimal vs characters with Stand Off. Instead of S+5C after the custom combo ends, you might use 5A, S+5C/S+2C, but it might be harder to link.

#### **Stand On**

(j.s.A/B/C), s.5A/s.2A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B - Optimal vs characters with Stand Off. Against some characters, it's possible to add an additional 5A to the first Chain Combo, if you didn't use 2A instead that is, but you'll most likely need to use 2C during the custom combo.

(j.s.A/B/C), s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B - Optimal vs characters with Stand Off. Instead of S+5C after the custom combo ends, you might use 5A, S+5C/S+2C, but it might be harder to link.

#### **Stand Crash BnBs**

Note that you will require at least 2 stocks of super to perform these combos. The idea is to land the least amount of hits during the first Custom Combo to prevent any further damage from scaling down, but also to land enough hits to have a smooth follow-up after it (your stand gauge must run out).

Against Iggy, perform a neutral hop instead of jumping forward after Stand Crash, otherwise, you'll be unable to hit him.

**Against any character in Stand On:**

d.5A/d.2A/d.5B/d.2B xx 214+S (2C, 2B, 2B, 2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B - Dashing jab uses the same sequence for everyone (unless you damaged opponent's stand gauge earlier).

**Characters with Shortest Stand Gauge (Jotaro, Chaka, Vanilla Ice)**

2A, 5B xx 214+S (2C, 2B, 2B, 2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B - if Short Hop S+C ends up being too hard for you, you can simply use s.5C on its own. It's way easier to do, but will cost you a tiny bit of damage. Alternatively, you can also attempt to do j.C into S+5C for possible 1 point of damage more.

j.C, 2A, 5B xx 214+S (2C, 2C, 2A>2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B

s.5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2C, 2C, 2A>2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B

j.s.C s.5A>5B/5C xx s.214+A (2C, 2A>2A, 2A>2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B

s.5C xx s.214+S (2C, 2C, 2A>2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B

s.2C xx s.214+S (2C, 2A>2A, 2A>2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B

j.s.C s.5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 2A>2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B

d.s.5B/d.s.2B xx s.214+S (2C, 2A>2A, 2A>2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B

**Characters with Medium Stand Gauge**

Todo

**Characters with Longest Stand Gauge (Alessi, Kakyoin, New Kakyoin, Midler)**

(j.C), 2A, 5B xx 214+S (2C, 2B, 2B, 2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B

s.5C/s.2C xx s.214+S (2C, 2C, 2A>2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B

(j.s.C) s.5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2C, 2C, 2A>2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B

j.s.C, s.5C xx s.214+S (2C, 2A>2A, 2A>2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B

d.s.5B xx s.214+S (2C, 2C, 2B, 2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B

d.s.2B xx s.214+S (2C, 2C, 2A>2B) !SC sh.S+C s.5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>5A>5B>5C xx s.214+S (2A>2A, 2A>2A, 5A>5A>5B>5C xx 236+A/B>4), S+5C xx s.236+A/B/C>4, s.5A>3B xx s.(360)+A/B

## General Strategy

### **Summary**

Oldseph is not a very strong character overall and most fights while using him will feel like an uphill battle. As a player, Oldseph will demand very tight defense with having a very strong grasp of the games defensive mechanics to create gaps in your opponents pressure or just outright killing momentum with both of his strong guard cancels as well as solid execution in order to assure that you combo into his command grab as consistently as possible! Utilizing his unique "running" dashes will also carry you far as most of his normals performed out of running boast long active frames & slightly increased hitstun which make them rather easy to hit confirm out of; allowing for some crafty ways to punish your opponent for giving poor chase.

### **Spacing and Approach**

Spacing is extremely important with Old Joseph. You won't find much or any success playing Oldseph as a purely rushdown or zoning character. Old Joseph doesn’t exactly excel up close and is borderline useless from far away. Managing to stay in a comfortable range where you're able to poke the enemy when needed while also being able to properly defend yourself is generally the best way to position yourself. Playing methodically and patiently is key. That's not to say Oldseph can't approach the enemy for combo/damage opportunities, but you must know when you're able to do so. Playing within your effective range and maintaining it is a skill you will learn over time.

Nullifying the opponent’s attempts at closing space is important. The most exemplary normals in this field are his 5B, 66/44B, 236A/B, 2/3B/C, and J.C. Chances are, you’ll be using 5B and 66/44B the most, since they cover a good amount of space, have quick startups, and generally are the most applicable. J.C is also to be noted, acting as a strong anti-air and air to air. 236A/B covers a great amount of space, but is less safe, especially if the opponent predicts that you’re going to do it.

As for Oldseph’s approach options, most of the aforementioned normals in this section also apply. Excluding 3C, all of these can be hitconfirmed from into a full combo. His primary approach options are listed below.

66/44B: Has the same good hitbox as his 5B while also advancing the player forwards and is great for hitconfirming. Be advised, this move is punishable on block.

663/441A: A mid that covers good space and is safe. Hitconfirmed out of easily.

3B: Advances the player slightly and is one of Oldseph’s only low attacks. Can be hitconfirmed out of easily. These properties also apply to S.3B.

3C: Essentially 3B with the notable exceptions being the slower startup and that it causes a hard knockdown, which can set up okizeme.

J.C: Arguably Oldseph’s best jumping normal. Good hitbox and can be hitconfirmed out of with relative ease.

S.J.A: Oldseph’s best stand on jumping normal.

S.J.B/C: While having a smaller hitbox than S.J.A, this move hits slightly lower. Slightly harder to combo out of compared to S.J.A.

### **Anti-Airs and Air-To-Airs**

As previously mentioned, nullifying the opponent’s attempts at closing space is important, and that includes the opponent’s jump-ins. Listed below are Oldseph’s primary anti-air and air-to-air options.

5B: Quick and covers good space. Can be comboed into 236A/B.

66/44B: Very similar to 5B, with the primary difference being that it advances the player forwards. Can also be comboed into 236A/B.

J.C: Although it’s a jumping normal, Oldseph’s J.C works well as an anti-air. Notably, the short hop version of J.C. After J.C hits, you can combo either 5B or 66/44B into 236A/B.

236A/B: While covering a good amount of space, it can be punished if whiffed.

S.5C: Fairly quick and covers decent space. Can be comboed into S.236AA.

214S S.214A/B/C: While technically one of his best anti-airs since it’s air-unblockable, it comes with the downside of requiring one meter. S.214A/B/C can also be used, but without the benefits that come from 214S.

Oldseph’s best air-to-airs are his J.C and S.J.A. S.J.B/C can also be used as an air-to-air but is worse due to its smaller hitbox.

### **Okizeme**

While not the greatest in the game by any means, Oldseph's okizeme options do exist and you may find use out of them. Below you’ll find some of Oldseph’s most common okizeme options.

Oldseph’s most notable okizeme option is meaty 3B. This is because Oldseph can cancel into his unblockable command grab at any point during 3B. This forces the opponent to make a split-second decision. Either block to avoid the 3B or hold up to avoid the command grab. If the opponent blocks, they risk being caught by the command grab; if they hold up to avoid the command grab, they risk being hit by the 3B. If the 3B hits, you can hitconfirm into 236A/B or 214S (the 214S ending with S.214A/B/C can actually do more damage than the command grab).

Oldseph can also meaty with 663A/661A. The same command grab / meaty mixup applies here, but this move can be comboed into itself and other attacks like 66/44B and 3B from a meaty hit if timed correctly.

You may also want to consider doing standing 360s without the use of a normal to buffer it. Your opponent is more likely to figure out what you're trying to do if you buffer the 360 out of a normal. If they think you're going to 360 on their wakeup (made more obvious by buffering) they can hold 8 and whiff punish accordingly. You can make the opponent think you're going to 360 on their wakeup by doing moves such as 3B or S.5C and instead hit them during their jump with S.5C, which can combo into S.236AA. It's all about the mind games.

Another popular option is whiffing S.6C during the opponent’s wakeup to try and condition them to block high, and then hitting them low with S.2A. S.2A can then be confirmed into S.5A S.3C, S.5A S.5B 214S or similar. Don’t rely on this, though; the opponent will likely adapt to this quickly.

You can also cross the opponent up with 66C or other normals as demonstrated here and here. Your timings will vary depending on the character you attempt these on.

(Important note: if you do an attack as a meaty like 3B or 663A/B, you won't be able to extend any combo afterwards with S.236A/B/C. This is because you’re not able to combo into hitgrabs or command grabs off of meaties.)

## Matchup Strategy

#### Avdol

For some odd reason, this match is fairly even. Avdol's entire gimmick is having amazing normals and he lacks both good rushdown and mixups.

This entire match is just neutral. You have a decent counter to get away from jumping normals in case you can't beat them with your anti airs (or maybe 236AA punish in some situations). If you can react fast enough, you'll be able to punish Avdol's Flame Sensor and his Crossfire Hurricane projectile with s.236C, which can lead to your CC BnB.

DON'T TRY JUMPING IN AGAINST HIM. He thrives the most when the opponents jump because of his amazing anti airs.

In general, you want to look for gaps in his pressure and capitalize on it. Make sure you don't leave yourself in the open, because you'll end up taking quite some damage.

#### Chaka

Here's a tip: Don't do raw s.236A/B/C on him. Why? Because Chaka has the best hops in the game, which also means that he can punish you from near full-screen with a jump in into his bnb or unblockable reset.

So to put it short; you will have a hard time approaching a Chaka, and you will most likely lose in neutral. What you do beat him with, is damage. You can easily overwhelm him damage wise. But don't let that get the better of you, as you will still have a hard time landing that damage in the first place.

Avoid making air to air challenges against him, as his jc is one of the best air to air moves that exists in this game. If he tries to jump with with jc, you can simply run away and then do 66b which suprisingly enough, beats Chaka's jc (I don't know if that would beat s.jc yet).

Your Guard Cancel is really good against Chaka, since it beats out a lot of his pressure. But avoid being too predictable with them, as they can read you easier.

And just like every Anubis character. Make sure to not let your good buttons get countered. If they do counter them; you will suffer, simply because of the fact that they will limit your options even further and especially against Chaka.

#### Devo

Not as bad of a matchup as you think, but definetly an annoying one. Devo will most likely stay crouched in neutral because of how low his hurtbox gets.

If you do hit him while he's crouching, good luck trying to do your CC bnb. A lot of your standing normals will whiff against him because of his small hurtbox. In this case, 5A, 5B, 5C, s.5A and far s.5B (these normals won't whiff if your opponent decides to block, which enlarges his hurtbox. But during your custom combo, they will whiff regardless).

So you have to adjust it for Devo. In this case: 3B/s.3B xx 214S (2C,236C>4A,5A,5B,5C,236A/B) S+5C>236C>4A>s.5A>s.3B>s.(360)A/B. The reason you go with 236C during your custom combo is because after you pull them, your opponent is forced to stand. And in this case, it's super good against Devo, as it lets you continue the combo as usual.

Despite that, this match is pretty much skill based. The only disadvantage you have is the fact that most normals you would use in neutral will whiff against him if he crouches.

Also: Even if Devo remains crouched the entire game, that doesn't give you an excuse to use 6C/s.6C. Even if it's an overhead...

#### Hol & Boingo

Hol Horse and Boingo (Hoingo) is a zoning character, demanding you to approach and find openings to inflict damage.

Generally, you’ll want to play patiently, approaching when you can while avoiding and blocking the array of projectiles heading towards you. Be wary of rolling while stand on, since you can be hit during the roll. Making the most of every hit is important. Hitconfirming into 214s from normals and converting into combos will be how you obtain most of your damage.

A good Hoingo will know how to utilize their S bullet. This will be one of their primary tools used to zone you out, and can also act as a source of pressure. A good Hoingo player will use different S bullet patterns to adapt to your approach attempts, such as making it cover a different portion of the screen or cross up. Approaching with your stand on will nullify the chip damage Hoingo’s S bullet normally does, and the bullet cannot damage your stand. Fortunately, Hoingo’s 5S is unsafe, even on hit occasionally.

Also make note of other potential punish opportunities. For example, His command grab is punishable when whiffed. You’re also able to punish Hoingo during the startup of his “Pipe Maze” (421 + AA) super, but it can hit you if you’re too close and cause a stand crash. His 4C and 236 + AA are also unsafe.

#### Iggy

A bad and one of the most annoying matchups Old Joseph has. Just like Devo, Iggy's small hitbox makes it impossible to do your basic CC BnB route (unless he's stand on) and due to your VERY slow wakeup, he can set up his unblockable very easily.

Play defensive and be ready for grabs. Iggy will do that a lot since the grab gives him good oki, especially against you. If Iggy decides to stand on [4]6A/B/C you for some reason, you get a very easy punish. You also get a punish if Iggy does it as a combo ender, since the stand on version is unsafe ON HIT, but you have a VERY small window of opportunity to punish that.

The optimal route for the BnB against Iggy after pulling him in with Hermit Web is s.5A>s.3B>s.5C xx 214S (2C,2C,2C,2C) S+2C xx 236C>4, s.5A>s.3B xx s.(360)A/B. You can probably replace some 2Cs in the custom combo with 2A>2A but the timing between the end of the custom combo and the S+2C will most likely get harder..

For some reason, Iggy has a very weird recovery. This can be exploited to extend your combo after the s.(360)A/B ender into s.5A>s.5B>s.5C xx s.236AA which will lead to a lot of damage. The timing is very strict, however.

#### Joseph

Mirror match. If your opponent is good, he'll play equally safe as you will do.

Oh and you also know your buttons, specials, the recovery of them etc. so you should know what and when to punish.

#### Kakyoin

Arguably the hardest matchup for Old Joseph. Kak's amazing normals and net gimmicks makes the game near unplayable for you. Trying to go full turtle won't really help because of his insane mixups. The best you can do is punish whiffed normals and watching out for his nets.

Kak's s.2c is punishable yet near impossible to follow up most likely because of the fact that 9/10 times it will trade.

Once he knocks you down, you're in for a hell of a treat. Due to Old Joseph's slow wakeup, Kak has all day to set up nets and either hitting you with his 50/50 oki or simply going for a tick grab.

If you do knock him down, you have a chance to hit him with a meaty s.3b into either s.5c>CC or straight up going for the command grab, as it combos despite not looking like it. Then again, your oki game is generally weak, so do the best you can with the opportunity.

#### Petshop

You're most likely never gonna have this matchup. If you do, good luck. There's a reason he's banned in tournaments, so you don't have to worry about that.

If you somehow do fight Petshop, it's the same situation as Kakyoin, if not worse. Petshop's unblockable setups and insane damage outputs makes the game just as unplayable as if you were fighting Kakyoin.

Even if you were somehow able to stand your ground against him. Approaching him is near impossible, as he can simply just move away to the other side of the screen without effort. And during that, you can't really catch him with your normals. You're simply too slow to keep up against him.

If they play it lame, you lose. If they play super aggresive, you lose. If they don't do any of that, you might win? Altough that will probably never happen.

#### Young Joseph

This is a really bad matchup, suprisingly. Young Joseph's buttons are virtually the same as Old Josephs stand off normals, but slightly better. He can outzone you pretty easily as long as he respects your hermit grab. If he doesn't, it's a free punish for you.

And due to your very slow wakeup, literally any sweep that he has which knocks down will lead to a free Aja super which does insane damage, as long as he cancels to the super immediately after his sweep hits.

The best you can do here is to condition him to get caught with your hermit web. Poking him with some stand off normals into 236A/B/C or into your Custom Combo bnb whenever he whiffs or does a move with long startup point blank. Or hell, if he accidentally does a 6C, then you get a free punish not only on block, but on hit as well.

It's a very uphill battle, but it's not as hard as it seems, despite Young Joseph's advantages.