PLAYSTYLE

Play the neutral game until the opponent makes a mistake, then drown them in okizeme.

Caesar is a character that wins by chaining as many mix-ups on wake-up as possible. This means his main goal is to control the mid-range until his opponent makes a mistake, then get down to business. Being a Hamon character, he has access to his whole moveset at all times. He can also charge his meter. Furthermore, Caesar is one of the super-jump characters, which provides an easy means of safety and pressure.

His main special for both controlling neutral and okizeme is 214A (lasers). Setting up laser turrets makes the opponent weary of rushing Caesar down, and eliminates potential options they can take. Once Caesar gets his chance for okizeme, the lasers can be arranged in different angles and timings to create near endless variations of mix-ups. Chaining multiple okizeme mix-ups can quickly drain the opponent’s life, although each mix-up individually tends to be low damage. Caser’s lasers and uppercut are decent anti-airs, his Hamon Kick (46A) can be a good punisher or reversal, and his SD counter allows him to parry without guard gauge.

Meter management is torn between adding more damage, or Caesars EX moves, which are his only way of truly overpowering his opponent. Running out of meter can happen often, and leaves Caesar to fend with only lasers or his slow, awkward normals. This drawback can make comebacks difficult. As a result, beginners will have moments where they feel Caesar is unreliable in a match. Creating a large repertoire of okizeme set-ups takes time as well, so Caesar’s mix-up potential is going to start off low. The growing pains can leave new players looking at other characters, but a skilled Caesar player can go on a major tear and make his opponent second guess what they can do against him.

PROS

  • 214A allows him to lock down mid-range.
  • 214A gives him huge okizeme potential.
  • Jumping L is a good multi-hitting air-to-air and cross-up tool.
  • A handful of options for anti-air at different ranges (214A, 623A, 46A).
  • SD parry.
  • Taunt combos help round out his moveset.
  • Super jump can keep him safe, and be used for offense.

CONS

  • Low damage without meter.
  • Meter hungry.
  • Periods where Caesar has to ‘pause’ his game plan to build meter.
  • Slow, awkward normals.
  • Throw has very short range.
  • Certain moves give the opponent a lot of meter.