PLAYSTYLE

In-your-face rushdown character, who abuses super-jumps to stay safe and maintain pressure.

Dio Brando is a character who uses his high speed and super-jumps to overwhelm the opponent and make them crumble under pressure. Dio’s Style is Vampirism, which allows him to end his combos with blood sucking moves that allows him to steal a chunk of health, meter, or a bit of both. Since he has no Stand, he has access to his full moveset at all times.

The true backbone of his playstyle really is his super-jump. Almost all his moves, including specials can be canceled into it on hit, block, or even whiff. This not only keeps him safe, but turns a failed mix-up into a new one. Dio has the best super-jump in the game, which leaps at angles that promote cross-ups. On top of this, Dio has an aerial chain beat that gives him high priority in the air and has the ability to change the angle and pace of decent. Another great tool he has is his HHA, which comes out super fast, goes full screen, and has potential to do 30% in counter-hit damage. This is great for smacking zoners, then closing the distance. The rest of his moves include various freezing moves, including a counter, and a straightforward rekka (aided by his super-jump). Although his damage is middling, his constant offense still finishes off opponents quickly.

Dio Brando is a very solid character who can use his simple moveset to create multiple mix-ups within mix-ups. One thing that hurts him is character familiarity. Those who lose to Dio Brando often pick him up to study his tactics, so Dio players will have to get a bit creative and study their opponent to open them up. His air chain also has the weakness of being very linear, so Dio players cannot be randomly jumping from half screen, in addition to making sure their mix-ups are air tight. Finally, he has lower health due to being able to drain health.

PROS

  • Best super-jump in the game.
  • Very safe because of super-jump.
  • Constant offense due to super-jump.
  • High cross-up potential due to super-jump.
  • Can steal 30% of a bar of meter at the end of every combo and add it do his own.
  • Fast run speed, run can go under some projectiles.

CONS

  • Lower than average health.
  • Air chain is prone to side-stepping.
  • Character familiarity can limit the potency of his offense, making him work harder for victory.