Mitsuru

Why are they always so angry? Maybe because you actually stand a chance here

Combo notes:

• Mitsuru hurtboxes cause chain into j.A to whiff if you started far, so get as close as possible during [5B], and abandon route with 236A~A if there's too much distance.

• Fuzzy target, requires delay j.C

Unique responses and punishes

Move	Response/notes
5A	Sweep
Coup	Be above it and j.B. Chain will clash, so be ready with a 5A/2AB if you try it.
5C > backdash 5C	Super jump after the first, air dash over and hit her. Equally, you can IB during 5C which creates gaps to super
DP	If she has meter, 5A > j.A > ... or 5AA > 5B > 236A > winch dash j.A > ...to punish If she doesn't, standard 2B CH punish
Myriad arrows	Dash 2B on block, but can be OMC'd if she touched you. Cannot be rolled Can be IK'd on first super flash, but not 2nd
Bufudyne	Roll on superflash, -19 with pushback on block, air unblockable Can be IK'd on super flash
Mabufudyne	Can be destroyed if left out and you're not in combo. Teleports behind Mitsuru if she fires and Artemisia isnt' on the screen

Overview and tips

Dustloop page here

Mitsuru is an interesting case of a stronger character who can usually bully most of the cast with relative impunity, but Labrys' tools specifically allow her to fight back, which most Mitsuru's aren't expecting. You actually get to be the aggressor for the most part, as Mitsuru is actually slower than you on most fronts, despite having more range. Therefore, if you're good with your spacing, you can end up advantaged in a surprising amount of scenarios. You still have to be wary of coup (especially SB coup) as it will still beat everything you do if you're standing in the way of it, and some of Mitsuru's ranged tools like 2D can catch you in what is usually a safe range, but don't be afraid to get in there and keep up the pressure.

Neutral in general tends to be a bit of a standoff - you both have excellent range tools, but these can be called out by the other if too obvious. Mitsuru 2B isnt' the best, but is perfectly functional and has high payoff on CH, so while you should use IAD j.B, be careful and both space it well and don't be too obvious with it. Coup tends to beat most things you can do at range, so only really send out an orb if you're absolutely full screen, otherwise just hover in IAD range and fish for hits.

If you manage to get her blocking, remember that her fastest mash is 8f (5A), so pressure resets work very well, and oftentimes her only way out is via a reversal (DP/Myriad), so you can force her to take big risks. Her DP, while it covers all around her, isn't very active and is punishable on block without risk of getting supered, so be ready with a 5A, although do still go for 2B if she doesn't have the meter.

Mitsuru pressure and knockdown isn't all too scary until you start pressing buttons - holding downback and being ready to tech throws will keep you mostly safe, and even on knockdown her main option to meaty you is 5A, with little payoff from anything that hits you quickly. You also have a fairly good DP for dealing with her due to the effective range from Labrys stepping forward during the hit. This makes Mits pressure even weaker, meaning you will often be left gaps to jump out, as long as you aren't too hasty or predictable

Some final quirks that you'll notice in Mitsuru players that you can exploit:

• If you're blocking in corner, 5C > backdash cancel 5C can be beaten by superjumping out then dashing over it to hit Mitsuru

• If they have a bufu in front of them, a coup is likely coming, stay above its height and j.B for a decent chance of punish, and just to prevent it

• Instant overhead attempts get more likely the more meter they have due to it costing OMC to confirm, so watch their meter and be ready, getting hit low doesn't lead to much anyway (unless shadow)

Main adjustments to make

Orb tends to not be great here due to it losing to coup, but if you're all full screen and she jumps or isn't charging coup, go ahead and throw one out.

Safejump works well here due to a single hit 10F DP, and you even get to safely punish. Be aware that Myriad arrows (236236A) is 6f on startup, so keep your safejumps extremely tight, or maybe consider baiting it even on safejump setups.

Your DP is slightly better than normal due to the range it has and Mitsuru buttons being somewhat slow, but she can still DP you back in most circumstances, and be careful trying to use it against multi hit moves like 5C as you'll get slowed down. She'll go over if you if you try to hold DP and she's close, most of the time it doesn't end up in your favour.

Again, oki options tend to be good due to her slow mash. Her DP covering all angles does make crossups worse, but she doesn't move too far and it's a simple block, so feel free to experiement with caution.

j.B is fine here, it loses to both j.A and 2B from Mitsuru, but both moves have flaws (significant recovery, requires specific spacing), so don't be too afraid. Use enough to be a threat, but not enough to be predictable.

Chain knuckle is a nice answer to 2D as you'll get a fatal (and 5D if you press yours first), but not much else. It'll clash with coup, at which point be ready to press something else like 5A or sweep as a clash cancel. Spike can work well if you're given time, but it's rare that you're not risking getting hit by coup by doing this.

Gears is mostly fine - Mitsuru does have multiple answers, both metered and meterless, but it's nice that it works even at max 5A range.

j.D tends to be bad here due to it losing to both coup (on trade, it's very bad for you too) and j.A, which are the main moves you want to prevent anyway, so probably don't bother in most circumstances.