Shizuo is the grappler character of DFCI. With excellent normals and j.C as contender for the best charged jump normal in the game, he establishes respect with his deceptive reach and then has both command throws and universal mix-up options to run over his foes. While he is not speedy by any means, his ability to control the space immediately around him with charged j.C is able to sufficiently mask his small flaws. Unsurprisingly, his damage potential can be explosive if you hit the opponent with the right starter. Yes, that means charged j.C.
Excellent jump normals, especially charged j.C. It cannot be stressed enough
Decent ground normals, including 2C to poke at the opponent
Versatile specials, including 236X projectiles and j236X divekicks to respectively check opponents from afar and to alter air trajectory and momentum or disrespect anti-airs
Noteworthy amount of Escape Blast safe combo routes from command throw. EX j236 divekick is also Blast invulnerable
Slow start-up on normals and mediocre Impact Skills means Shizuo has issues escaping pressure
Gameplan is relatively assist dependent and generally requires a lockdown assist to mesh his toolkit together
Some difficulty against zoning characters