Junpei
"Honest" character (?)
Combo notes
Difficult to pick up with 2C in the corner. 2C pickup will work normally if he is high enough on [5B].
Unique responses and punishes
| Move | Response/notes |
|---|---|
Inferno Homer (no persona, can string from DP) Comeback grand slam (has persona and fireball, cannot string from DP) | On block, dash 2B full punish either Inferno homer can be dash cancelled now, so if there's no persona on superflash and it's obvious you're not attacking, you can wait for the dash and punish with 5A (non-ch) Gears on either in any situation (will catch dash cancel) IK on comeback grand slam |
Super vorpal bat | Roll > [2B] - if you just 2B he will still have super armour Gears will work but you'll lose some to armour |
j.D/5D (not as part of oki) | 2B/[2B]/j.D/j.C - jump cancel 2B if you plan to use it as Junpei can follow-up 2B can be done between hits if not being attacked by something else |
Deathbound | While the intial hits are Head attribute, the ground slam is not, so you cannot use 2B or [2B] to deal with it. Good options are rolling to avoid it completely, or IAD'ing at him, which will make SB whiff and give you a chance to hit him too. Remember, only 5A > jump cancel block and 2A > block will keep you safe from repeated deathbounds, given how fast he can throw them out. 5A > IAD can be used to deal with repeated SB deathbounds. |
Anything while Junpei has 2 outs and you're being combo'd | Reversal (blue) burst will give Junpei another out, resetting his bases |
Overview and tips
Dustloop page here
Junpei is a deceptively strong character, who when underestimated will quickly run away with a match. Many of his normals rival Labrys' but are much faster, and he has solid ranged tools to round-out his kit. If you manage to deny his victory cry then he can struggle to get going, however this is not possible against his shadow, meaning you'll spend most of your time against the powered-up version.
In neutral, his j.B is comparable to Labrys' in terms of horizontal range, and is 4 frames faster! Getting CH by it will have you eating a lot of damage and giving up runs. Equally, his solid 2B (12 frame startup, head invuln from 7) is good enough to catch 2B on reaction, so approach with care. His 5C is also a solid anti-air tool that is now stronger due to persona invuln, and lasts forever, so be careful about going in even if you think it's done. Once he's in victory cry, his damage is also very strong with long combos that will drain axe level, so do your best to not let that happen. A final note is that he can deflect any and all projectiles with his B button to hit them back at you in the form of a very fast fireball. This applies even to things like spike, gears, 5C, and even j.D, although he isn't invulnerable (but may still get a single hit on you).
In general - Labrys has slightly better range on her midrange tools that can control that space well, although in the short and long ranges, Junpei has a few extra parts of his kit that are missing from Labrys' (like a 5F 5A jab, deathbound to attack from full screen/high up etc.), which gives him an edge there. This means you should do you best to maintain spacing in that mid range, and mix between using your tools and attempting to punish his approaches or retreats into j.D/deathbound etc.
His pressure can be tricky with meter, therefore do watch for high/lows, although if you feel one coming, you can DP as they are relatively unsafe and cannot be cancelled into DP on his part. His DP has strong range, and will hit you if you try and 5C to outrange it (5C is a projectile), but can be baited by jumping out or simply holding back a lot of the time. Even if he DP's spike back at you, you still have time for a 2B punish. Just remember if he holds it, he gets extra invuln, so be don't rely on the spike to punish.
Some final quirks that you'll notice in Junpei players that you can exploit:
Junpei players love to hit your projectiles, meaning you may be able to attack them as they move to hit it if you're fast enough after sending one out.
Junpei's throw gives good damage in the corner, so expect them more often when you're there
Shadow Junpei players are likely to frenzy to gain victory cry. You should let them, as even if you burst the first one, you can't on the second.
If you're on low health, be aware of deathbound spam - especially if they have meter for SB deathbound. See below for how to deal with deathbound
Main adjustments to make
Use orb freely - just make sure you cover it as it approaches, otherwise it's just a very slow baseball for Junpei to hit.
Junpei can be safejumped cleanly, just be aware of his ability to super cancel if his DP is blocked
Junpei's pressure is fairly honest and middle of the road - so normal logic applies for DP'ing him, although do note he has good options for jump cancelling and some players do like to go for sideswaps, so choose your points carefully.
Junpei's DP is solid at 13 frames (minimum), and will hit your 5C back at you from range. Consider using 236A more often due to this. However, it doesn't have the best horizontal range, so perfectly spaced pressure (even 5AA > 5B) can become DP safe. It also doesn't have great above or behind coverage (although does hit inside himself), so crossups and jumps tend to work well too.
If Junpei DP's immediately on spike oki, he will get hit - just watch for the delayed DP as he can hit spike back at you (but you'll still get a full punish)
j.B is solid in this matchup, especially against Junpei players who like to set up j.D. Just be aware his j.B is faster than yours if you go air to air, and his 2B is good. Normal logic applies here - don't be predictable, and if you do want to go air to air in close range, use j.A instead.
Chain knuckle doesn't do too much in this matchup, and while it will ignore 5C's projectile, the persona will block it for him. 2C also goes under it as it has chest invuln, be careful.
Both Junpei's supers will allow him to deal with gears, so be careful if he has meter - although his non-awakening super will trade if he isn't at homerun distance. Equally, he can technically DP you for a trade too, but it takes a particular delay on the DP to do so.
Labrys j.D is ok, and can be used as an answer to Junpei j.D if done quickly enough or at the right spacing (if late, j.C/2B will also do). However, Junpei can use it to approach by attacking into it, so it usually doesn't create space well - i.e. don't use it without the express purpose of not letting him land, or destorying a persona move.
Note that Junpei is one of the characters that is difficult to pick up with 2C in the corner. 2C pickup will work normally if he is high enough on [5B].
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