Adachi
Midrange murderer
Combo notes
Health: 9,500
Fuzzy target, requires delay j.C
Unique responses and punishes
5C
Jump towards rising j.A falling j.B to beat this on roundstart. Can single jump dash over this, but must airdash at max single jump height.
2B > j.C
Common pressure reset that Lab can't DP even though there's a gap. Instead, you can backdash after 2B and be roughly even with Adachi on his j.C whiff.
j.C
Cannot be directly constest by Labrys as it's 13f, large, and has persona invuln. Can be beaten by 2B only if launched lower than it needs to be, otherwise 2B will clash. You still need to try to 2B, just don't try and press it on reaction.
2D/j.2D
This is a single hit high, so you can 2B or hold 2B to invuln though it (therefore hold 2B is a good way to deal with j.C/j.2D scenarios)
DP
23f high > low. On block, can microdash 2B CH punish at most ranges, although is tight. Slow enough that you have to be careful not to press too early after safejump. Can technically be safejabbed with 5A > 5B while holding 4, but this loses to all other reversals. Watch for super cancels.
Gunshot
Cancellable into itself once per string. A and B are -3, SB is +13. Be aware of the 2nd shot, and SB in neutral. SB shot can string into DP when close, so block high after the shot if you can react to it.
Heat riser
If you're in neutral state, you can roll then 2B for a fatal punish against all version, although note this is tight. If cancelled into from a blocked DP (either hit), this will usually be B version, which is -7 on block, pushes you away, and is a blockstring (unless you IB'd the DP hit, in which case, DP him). To punish, you need to instant block, then do a perfect microdash 5A, which gets you a 5A FC.
Atom smasher
Single hit full screen projectile that triggers additional hits if you block or get hit by it. Can be beaten by roll: against any version, look at your character, and as soon as you see yourself move, roll. If you roll immediately, you will be hit by D version, so the delay is necessary. Give you fatal punish of your choice, including 2B. D and SB versions are +2 so be careful on block, C version is -25. Can be IK'd or Brutal impactect'd at any range, at long as not too high in the air.
Mandala
On whiff, can 5C or chain knuckle to punish any version. If you're close, A and SB versions are practically unpunishable on block (-10 and -1 respectively, with significant pushback, even on IB), so DP or super it if you can. Other punishes can exist (A can be rolled, B punished), but you can't tell which version is which on startup, apart from SB. Can't be OMB or OMC'd though, so reversal works well. Can be IK'd if very close (would have been hit by it).or on SB. A Brutal impact also work if you trigger the counter.
Ghastly wail
Awakening command grab, C version is 0 after flash, so no response available, be aware of this if he has access to it, and stay of the ground close to him if you can help it.
Overview and tips
Dustloop page here
This is quite there interesting matchup, and very dependent on you getting a good read on the type of player your facing. Adachi has a ton of knowledge checks in all aspects of his game, which you both need to known the answers too, while also figuring out how much you can get away with. His neutral is better than yours at practically every range, and his defensive options make capitilising on wins hard, but he does have to put himself in harms way to properly threaten, so it's doable if you make the right moves at the right time.
Neutral can go a lot of ways depending on the type of Adachi you face. Some like floating in the air, playing a 50/50 game with j.2D and j.C, which you can generally deal with with good positioning and charge 2Bs. Others keep lower to the ground, using 5C, IAD j.C, with sprinklings of the slower long range buttons - this is harder to deal with, and requires very specific movement to counterplay. SB gunshot and 2D/j.2D prevent safe use of spike and orb, so you are forced to play neutral on pretty even terms. If you can call out his slower options with IAD j.B, you can hit him, but his 5C, 2B, j.B all deal with it well, so don't be obvious about your attempts. His 2B is very good given its range and damage on CH, but is punishable on bait, so stay on your toes.
Pressure here is a mixed bag for both parties. Adachi has lots of ways to jump and/or DP cancel his pressure, so DP is even worse than normal. Note that has 2A isn't a low, so it's just sweep and gunshots that hit low, and DP (23f) and AoA (32(?)f) that hit high. Just remember that when he's in corner, sweep leads into a lot of damage, so expect it. SB gunshot is +13, so is a full free pressure reset but can also be cancelled into a DP as a blockstring high. He also has a command grab (SB is invuln to throws) and an awakening super which is a 0 after flash command grab. Being aware of these options make them somewhat manageable, but it's surprisingly strong.
When you're pressuring Adachi, there's a lot to keep track of. His DP, while slow, is fast enough to deal with Labrys due to her slow buttons, and has a ton of range (including some height), meaning only if you're at max 5C range will you outrange it. It does lose its invuln during the 2nd hit, but remember it's a high then a low, with good super cancel options. He also has atom smasher at all times, and mandala in awakening, so there's a lot to consider when pressuring him. His sweep is also excellent at dealing with Lab 5C, and leads into insane damage if he's in the corner, so watch out for that.
Some final quirks that you'll notice in Adachi players that you can exploit:
When they get close to awakening, watch for DP as a mix (23f overhead and puts them in awakening)
After SB gunshot while close, DP is a string, so watch for it.
In neutral, SB gunshot is more common if they have lots of meter to burn
There are multiple reset points that you need to get used to - the main one is when he uses 2A when you're in the corner into a delayed 2B to catch your air tech - either don't tech or neutral tech to deal with this. The other is using his 2C after the return tennis hit to catch a tech, which you can also beat with delayed or neutral techs.
Main adjustments to make
Orb isn't great here as it can be responded to with j.2D or 5D, although if you have lots of space, you can send out orb and attempt to punish the response.
Safejump works fine against DP, just remember to wait long enough as his DP is slow. In awakening, remember that A Mandala is 7f, and SB Mandala is 5f, so some safejumps won't work, or will require perfect timing.
DP is generally not great, but can beat hit slower ranged options, and you do get to play held DP RPS if he response with his own DP.
Oki works pretty normally on him, just note that his DP moves him forward, so don't place the spike far if you want it to catch it.
j.B loses to pretty much all of Adachi's options in neutral, but you don't have much else to threaten him with, so be smart about usage. Doing higher than IAD height can get you over 5C, but it's slow enough that sometimes he can 2B after the whiff 5C. It's tough, but you have to deal with it.
Chain knuckle isn't great here as usual, with the exception of calling out his 2C, which will get you a fatal. It will usually get jumped over or stopped by the persona. Spike will just force a superjump, and as Adachi is fine in the air with his air delays, this doesn't help you, unless you happen to catch a low j.2D or 5D with it.
Gears can work, but Adachi has both meterless and metered punishes, even if it's already in the air (via atom smasher into full punish). As always, be careful.
j.D doesn't protect you from much of what Adachi wants to do, and his j.C will usually hit you through it anyway, while taking the card. Not unusable, but not really good enough to use a lot.
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