Fighting games and the Fighting game community use very specialized language when talking about games. This language is so specialized that talking with an experienced player or watching a broadcast can be like hearing a different language.

Below is a list of commonly used fighting game terms. Understanding these terms will help things make sense when you hear people using them.

Inputs

The instructions that are sent from the controller to the console or PC and are interpreted into in-game actions and animations. These instructions can vary from game to game but are mostly separated into three groups: Attacks, which are instructions that translate to the basic combat interactions within that fighting game. Directional, which are instructions that translate to the basic movement with that fighting game, and when paired with attacks can create instructions that result in special attacks and super moves. And Auxiliary, instructions that control the basic game and console functions outside of the game itself (pause, share, etc)

Directional Notation: Movement directions vary from game to game and from console controller to an arcade stick. A common notation is to use the ASCII number pad on a keyboard to represent the 8 directional movements of an arcade stick, plus one for neutral/no movement. This is represented in the image below.

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Directional Inputs

Block: Holding back 4, while being attacked by an opponent will cause the character to defend. This input is only effective against high attacks. Holding back 1 while being attacked by an opponent will also cause the character to defend, and is effective against low and high attacks, but not any basic attack or special move with the overhead property. Blocking does not stop any basic throw or command grab special moves.

Dash/Run: An input of 6,6 or 4,4 that causes a character to move very quickly across the screen. This input often has to start up and recovery animation and makes the character vulnerable to attack if performed at the wrong time. Depending on the game this movement either happens for a short distance, or for as long as you hold the button down after the second input.

Input (Buffering): Originally a bug in the original Street Fighter 2, this common feature of fighting games is where directional and button inputs are stored and processed even while action and animation is being executed. For example, Zangief’s Spinning Piledriver has an input of 6,3,2,1,4,7,8,9 (or one full revolution of a control stick) + Punch, which if performed incorrectly will cause Zangief to jump instead of performing the move. Historically, players discovered that they could perform a crouching light kick, and perform the full circular motion of the Spinning Piledriver while the animation for the kick was being performed. The input for the punch would be timed just as the animation for the kick would end. The console/arcade/pc would read all of the stored inputs as one complete and successful motion for a Spinning Piledriver.

Short Hop: An input of 7 or 9. In certain fighting games, this input will cause the character to perform a very short and shallow jump to close the distance or create space with the opponent.

Super jump: An input of 2, (7/8/9) causes the character to jump high into the air.

Walk: An input of 6 or 4 that causes the character to slowly move forward or back, creating or closing space with the opponent.

Basic Attack Inputs

Special Attacks/Super Moves (Inputs): A combination of directional and basic attack instructions that results in a powerful attack against your opponent. Super Moves are a special attack that is exceptionally powerful but also consumes additional resources. Together with basic attacks, special attacks and super moves often define how a character plays and cements them into a certain archetype.

Types of special moves, advanced basic attacks, and attack properties

Command Normal: A special attack that is the combination single directional input followed by a basic attack button. This attack has different properties than the same basic attack performed in neutral and is often not as flashy as a listed special attack.

Overhead: A command normal or special attack that will ignore an opponent’s defense if they are blocking in a crouched position, but can be blocked normally from a standing position. Attacks like this are the exception to the normal rules of blocking and are a tool to punish overly defensive players.

4 Button vs 6 Button Layout: Two of the most common configurations of basic attack inputs in fighting games. 6 buttons are often used to express three strengths of punch and kick while 4 buttons either express two strengths of punch and kick or a punch, kick, light, and heavy attack (the latter case is usually used for fighting games that involve weapons)

Install Super: A Super Move that significantly alters the properties of a character’s basic and special attacks. This move lasts a set amount of time until ending. (X Factor, Genajin, Dragon Install)

Types of Directional Inputs:

Short Hop: An input of 7 or 9. In certain fighting games, this input will cause the character to perform a very short and shallow jump to close the distance or create space with the opponent.

Super jump: An input of 2, (7/8/9) causes the character to jump high into the air.

Walk: An input of 6 or 4 that causes the character to slowly move forward or back, creating or closing space with the opponent.

Characters

A video game avatar that interpolates the inputs of the player into various basic attacks, movements, special, and super moves. Fighting game characters often have a distinct visual style. Not only to make them distinct from one another but to make them easier to visualize their movement and actions on the screen. Fighting game characters are often given a distinct visual style as a way to communicate their archetype when compared to other characters. Ryu, Mario, and Spongebob are fighting game characters.

Character Archetype

A collection of characters that share a common set of basic and special moves, and often with an amount of life and [stun], are often described in shorthand as an archetype. These character archetypes are well-established tropes in the fighting game community and have their origins in older fighting games that were hosted in both home consoles as well as arcades and game cabinets in the US and Japan. Zoners, Rushdown, and Grapplers are fighting game archetypes. Characters are often defined not only by what they look like, but by what they do.

Examples of Fighting game character archetypes:

Big Box Characters

Big Box Character: A character archetype that takes up an above-average space on the screen and has a corresponding increased size to their hitbox. This increased size often makes blocking and avoiding attacks difficult. As attacks that are normally high are considered low for this character. Entire combos from other characters in the roster are available that only work on this specific character due to their exceptional size. In exchange, these characters often deal high damage and have higher than normal durability.

Charge Character

A playstyle in gaming consists of aggressive actions meant to limit both the space and time an opponent can use to play. This playstyle often sacrifices personal durability for overall strength.

Example: Cammy from Street Fighter

Example (Alt): Demon Hunter, Zerg, The Color Red from Magic the Gathering

Composite Characters

A character archetype that features properties, basic attacks, and special moves from multiple archetypes. This diversity is often at the expense of overall power or durability. For example, a Charge/Grappler would feature moves requiring holding the patient attacks of a charge character and the close-range grab-based attacks of a Grappler.

Grappling Character

A fighting game archetype that features movement, basic and special attacks design to close the distance with their opponent to deliver powerful throws and command grabs. This archetype often has basic and special attacks with armor and projectile invincibility to get the upper hand on zoner and shoto characters. Grapplers tend to have high life, stun, and power in exchange for a slower base speed.

Mimic Character

A character archetype who has either a special move or a super move that copies the opposing character’s attributes, basic attacks, and special moves. This copying can last for one specific attack or a set amount of time.

A fighting game character archetype that features special moves that require the player to press and hold, then release, certain directions or buttons as part of their execution. These moves limit the character’s movement and actions in exchange for higher damage or better frame data. Advanced techniques for Charge Characters often involve buffering the hold and release of buttons and directions while performing other basic attacks.

Mix Up Characters

A character archetype whose basic attacks and special moves are equally capable of attacking either high or low or attacking from either the front or back when in the air. These characters are notoriously difficult to defend against. They require understanding and anticipating the intentions of your opponent as much as knowledge of the character.

Puppet Character

A character archetype whose basic attacks and special moves can control a second semi-independent sub-character that is an ally/extension of the first. This independent character often has either a limited duration or durability that leaves the primary character vulnerable while it is sent away. Puppet characters are an archetype that encourages long to midrange play to keep the opponent away. As the character’s damage and durability are often split between themselves and the sub-character.

Rush Down Character

A fighting game character archetype that features moves designed to close the distance between the player and opponents and to limit an opponent’s options through a barrage of fast basic or special attacks. Rush Down characters often feature dashing or jumping attacks that are immune to projectile attacks. They have faster-than-normal attacks to capitalize on whiff punish. These characters often lack durability and often have low [health or stun]. Rush Down characters suit players who enjoy fast play with high [execution] to end rounds and games as quickly as possible.

Stance Character:

A character archetype that uses a special move to switch between two or more separate sets of basic attacks, special moves and super moves. These separate sets are often referred to as “stances” and give the character a diverse set of moves at the cost of vulnerability during transitions from one stance to another.

Shoto Character

A fighting game archetype for 2D games that features a mix of projectile attacks, dragon punch and hurricane kick special attacks, and well-rounded basic attacks. Shotos are so well known in fighting game tropes and design, that they are even featured as guest characters in fighting games that do not feature projectiles. Shotos, when placed in a roster of other fighting game archetypes, are meant to serve as the balance point for comparison.

Zoning Character

A fighting game character archetype that features moves designed to push opponents away and prevent opponents from approaching safely. Zoners often feature projectile attacks and/or basic attacks with a long reach. Zoners often lack fast basic or special attacks and have difficulties on wake up. Zoning characters suit players who enjoy slow methodical play from a position of safety.

Special Attacks

Dragon Punch (Shoryuken)

A special attack from Street Fighter character Ryu that has become shorthand for the attack itself, the directional input needed to perform it, and similar moves used by other characters and games. This special attack is a powerful attack that rises into the air capable of countering an opponent’s aerial attack. The directional input of Dragon Punch ([3,5,4 or Forward, Down, Down Forward]) is among one of the most common inputs for special moves, and has become slang terminology in the fighting game community.

Fireball/Projectile

A well-known special attack that creates a separate, moving object across the screen. This could be a blast of energy, a ball of flame, or a streak of lightning. Projectiles have an active hitbox as they travel across the screen and will harm the opponent as soon as they touch it. Direction, speed, and power vary from character to character.

Hurricane Kick (Tatsu/Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pAfYtqT50A

A special attack from Street Fighter character Ryu that has become shorthand for the attack itself, the directional input needed to perform it, and similar moves used by other characters and games. This special attack is a large sweeping horizontal attack that closes the distance to an opponent. The directional input of a Tatsu ([5,6,7 or Down, Down-Back, Back]) is among one of the most common inputs for special moves and has become slang terminology in the fighting game community.

Mix Up/Cross Up

A combination of normal or special attacks that are difficult to block because they can strike a player or opponent from either high or low (or front and back in the case of Cross Up). Mix-Ups force an opponent to guess if the attack will go high or low and block appropriately, with an incorrect guess resulting in a hit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1DndUrIVCc

Command Grab

A special attack that executes a throw through the use of directional inputs and button presses. Unlike a standard throw, which often requires a simple button input, this throw cannot be interrupted by a simultaneous and matching button input by the opponent (referred to as “Teching”)

Teching (Throw)

In a fighting game, the act of canceling a throw command with a simultaneous input from the other player. This move leads to more advanced play, as players who anticipate a throw from their opponent might preemptively input a throw command. Then only to find their opponent doing something else with the intent to punish the move.

Punish (Punishing, Whiff Punish)

In a fighting game, the act of reacting and countering your opponent’s moves, specifically a move that leaves the character vulnerable while/during it is being executed.

Parry

A special move which opens a several-frame-window where incoming attacks are not only blocked, but are often capable of being immediately responded to (often called a riposte). Parries are not only timing-dependent but also location-specific, as many games feature separate button/key inputs for high or low incoming attacks. In many games – such as ‘The Vale’, for example – if a parry is performed perfectly, meaning the direction and timing of the move is correct, a player will block all incoming damage from their opponent. However, if a parry is only partially-successful a player will only block a portion of the incoming damage from their opponent.

Hit Confirm

A normal attack used to verify that the opposing player is vulnerable to a particular special attack or super move. If the hit confirm is blocked or avoided, the player can choose to perform another action as opposed to leaving him vulnerable to a whiffed special attack or super move.

Cancel

Starting an action that stops the current action being performed, with the advantage of surprising the opposing player with the sudden change.

Special Attack/Super Cancel

Canceling the animation of a normal attack into the beginning of a special attack or super move. This is often used to create a hit-confirm situation so that the attack has a near-guaranteed success, or to buffer the input of the attack for easier use.

Meter

A tool used to measure a resource that is either built up, depleted, or both over the course of a fighting game session that determines the availability of actions up to and including the end of a game or match.

Life Meter/Stun Meter/Guard Meter

These refer to resources that when drained either leave the character exceptionally vulnerable, or end the game outright. A depleted stun meter usually means the character is unable to act for a set period of time. A depleted guard meter usually means that a character is momentarily disabled, and then unable to block for a set period of time. When a life meter reaches zero – meaning the character has run out of life energy or Hit Points – the game ends and the next game or match begins.

Burst Meter

Typical for ARC System Works games, A burst meter starts the game full and grants the availability of a “Burst Attack”, a briefly invincible and powerful knockback attack. Once a Burst Attack is used, the meter is depleted for a set period of time and then refilled.

Special/Super Meter

A meter that starts empty and is built up within and between games. These meters show the potential availability to Special or Super Moves that give the player a powerful, advantageous move during a game or match.

Drive Gauge

A meter recently made popular by Street Fighter 6 that starts full, slowly refills, and is expended to perform special moves, with the twist that it can also be depleted by damage as if it were a life gauge. A fully depleted drive gauge enters “burnout”, where it slowly refills but special moves using the drive gauge are unavailable.

General Terms

Active Frames

The total animation time of a basic or special attack where the move’s [hitbox] is present on the screen.

Arcade Stick/ Fight Stick

Arcade Stick/Fight Stick: A console or PC input device that is built to replicate the custom controls of a fighting game’s arcade cabinet. These devices often feature mechanical buttons and an 8-direction lever (or stick) for directional controls. These devices are created by third parties and are highly customizable and potentially highly sought after.

Armor (Super/Hyper Armor)

The property of an attack or special move that allows the character to take the damage, but ignore the [hit stun], of one or multiple attacks. This property often occurs during the move itself, but can also happen before the move starts or after the move ends. Armor is usually given to either the first hit received, or all hits received until the property or special move ends (In which case it is referred to as Super or Hyper Armor)

EVO

Shorthand for the Evolution Fighting Game Tournament that has been hosted in both Japan and Las Vegas, and is one of the most popular, continuously running, brand/company independent fighting game tournaments.

EVO Moment #37

A highlight from the early history of the Evolution Fighting Game torment that has encapsulated the community and hype of the fighting game community. The scene depicts two professional players of the popular game Street Fighter 3: Third Strike. It ends with a display of technique that is nearly unthinkable without dedication and training. This scene has been recreated in both the tournament scene and as an optional challenge in an anniversary rerelease of Street Fighter 3: Third Strike.

FGC

FGC is short for Fighting Game Community.

Frame Data

The breakdown of a fighting game’s basic or special attack over its entire animation. Animation is analyzed frame by frame and written down in physical or online guides. Some fighting games publish their frame data, Nintendo’s Smash Bros series is a notable exception and does not publish current or changed information about basic and special attacks.

“Happy Birthday”

Fighting game shorthand for an attack in a multiplayer or multicharacter fighting game that hits multiple opposing players or characters at once. (This was originally coined by the FGC commentator IFCYipes)

Hitbox

An Arcade Stick where the 8-direction mechanical lever is replaced with four mechanical buttons similar to the command buttons. They are considered exceptional for their ability to execute commands exceptionally fast. Specifically by performing directional inputs where opposing directions are pressed simultaneously but are processed by the device and sent to the console/pc as a single input.

Hit Stun

The property of a basic or special attack where an opponent’s character cannot respond to player input for a short period of time. Hit stun will decay over time as more and more successive attacks lead to less and less hit stun, forcing players to use a safer series of fewer attacks or a series of attacks that results in a knockdown or pushback.

Input lag (Button Press/Screen)

The total amount of delay (measured in frames of animation) from button press to the beginning of the animation on the screen. The delay from the game machine to the tv or computer display has recently been mitigated with modern high-definition television and monitor. Online multiplayer play is mitigated by the fighting game’s online communication protocol, referred to as [Netcode].

Knockdown (hard/soft)

A fighting game special attack for an attack that brings an opponent to the ground. In some fighting games, recovering from a grounded state can either take a short or relatively longer time. Short or instant recovery from being grounded is often called a soft knockdown. A paused, delayed recovery from a knockdown is often called a hard knockdown

Shorthand for Fighting Game Community, the local, regional, and worldwide organizations that support, host, and broadcast fighting games on various streaming and video platforms.

K.O.

Shorthand for Knock Out. The game state where a player’s life is reduced to zero, ending the round. K.O.s tend to have spectacular visual and audio flair.

Meaty

Fighting game shorthand for a basic or special attack that can only be blocked if you are recovering from a knockdown.

Netcode (Frame Delay and Rollback)

A term that is used to define the collection of computer programs and tools used for online multiplayer interaction in a fighting game.

Neutral

Fighting game shorthand for two or more players being equal distance apart from each other and occupying similar space in the game screen. Also refers to a character who is not performing any actions or basic attacks.

O.T.G. (Off the Ground)

Fighting game shorthand for an attack that will hit an opponent that is currently in a grounded state and brings them into a neutral or airborne position, often with the potential for follow-up attacks.

Recovery Frames

The total animation time of a basic or special attack from after the move’s [hitbox] disappears to when the character returns to neutral

Start up frames

The total animation time a basic or special attack has from the final button input to when the move’s hitbox appears.

Wake up

In fighting games, the time during which a player is recovering from a knockdown to a state neutral. A character who is recovering is vulnerable to a variety of follow-up attacks.

Wall Splat

Fighting game shorthand for an attack that pushes the opponent back, which if the opponent collides with the edge of the screen, results in additional damage and a hard knockdown.

Hard Read

Fighting game slang for a player anticipating a specific attack without any cues from the opposing player. This is considered part of a “next-level” form of gameplay, where players essentially play against each other on a psychological level – trying to hard read/cold read what their opponent is going to do next from behind a screen rather than being able to pick up on their body language cues – as opposed to a “simpler” method of gameplay where players are only competing against the mechanics and components of the game itself.

Start-Up

The opening animation of a normal or special attack. This time is a moment of vulnerability where the opposing character can respond without being hit by the active frames of the attack. Start Up, like other frame data, is measured in frames of animation and can be as long as an entire second to as short as a single frame.

Safe

Fighting game slang for a normal or special attack that cannot be reacted to. Attacks are often either safe on hit, or on block. Safe attacks are the result of the animation of an attack finishing before the hit or block stun of the opposing character has finished, meaning it is impossible to react to even with perfect inputs.

Unsafe

Fighting game slang for a normal attack or special move where the hit or block stun of an opposing character will finish before the complete animation of attack ends.

“True Block String”

Fighting game slang for a series of normal or special attacks that when performed in series are safe on block. Some combinations are used to fake out or bluff a true block string, but can be reacted to with careful timing or fast special attacks.

Raw

Fighting game slang for a special attack or super move being executed outside of any combination attack or hit confirm. Incredibly risky and unexpected, but highly effective if executed correctly