What follows in this post are UNIST character by character in-depth descriptions, including playstyle and abilities, along with lists of SSB characters most similar to those characters. I also provide resources to further familiarize readers with the game and its community. Preliminarily, I need to provide background on how UNIST works.
More specific information can be found in the beginning of SuperismTV's tutorial video cited above, as well in
Under Night In-Birth's wiki websites @
Mizuumi Wiki,
Wikia (more specifically
here and
here), and of course
Wikipedia.
If you are curious as to what gameplay looks like, check out the uploads of YouTube channels
Hydegaming1,
BATTLE ARENA クラブセガ新宿西口,
a-cho battle movie, and
くれ, which all upload casual gameplay (among quite skilled players however).
For character-specific demonstrations, refer to the "
Under Night In-Birth Exe Late: System & Character Guides" playlist uploaded by
Fragarach 斬り抉る戦神の剣. ...
UNIB is a 2D anime fighter, like GG, BB, and
Persona Arena.
The phases of gameplay are, in no order: neutral ("The state in a match where neither character are making major moves or presenting strong threats to their opponent....", including "spacing and zoning" ["The act of controlling space {and positioning oneself} on the battlefield"], footsies ["purposely whiffing attacks to get the other player to make a mistake when punishing so one player can attack"], and so on)
; comboing (also known as "punish game" ["hit{ing} the opponent when a poorly chosen or missed attack of theirs has left them vulnerable"])
; pressure (in the senses of attacking a shielding opponent, or preparing an attack on a knocked-down opponent's get-up [formally known as "
okizeme"])
; and, broadly, defense (which basically means being on the receiving end of pressure, much like the antithesis of the platform fighting game phase of edgeguarding is recovery).
UNIB emphasizes comboing and pressure. Infinite combos are not known to be possible in this game, unlike
Marvel vs. Capcom or SSBM's wobbling and SSBB's Ice Climbers's chaingrab; they can, however, be long and damaging. When the combo ends, the pressure begins or resumes, until a combo can be initiated once more, and so on until the opponent is out of health. But it is by no means impossible for the opponent in defense to reset the situation to neutral or to begin a combo of their own out of defense.
I've come up with an overarching typology for the characters, using other fighting game typologies (such as
this one) for inspiration and information; I am developing as well a more specific classification system that gets at character archetypes.
The cast may be broken down into 3 types: rushdown, wall, and zoning. These classes are based on the kind and number of moves and abilities that they have access to---and so not necessarily by their gameplan or a required playstyle---thus my definitions will differ from the mainstream.
Rushdown characters are defined by mobility options, to ease approaches and pressure.
Wall characters are defined by defensive options, to snuff approaches and pressure. And
Zoning characters are defined by projectile or long-ranged options, to control space.
In my theory, although in my opinion UNIST has a very balanced and viable cast, there is a meta-rock-paper-scissors game in the matchups between these types---that is, that rushdown "loses" to wall (because the approaches are being countered), wall loses to zoning (because there are limited ways to approach), and zoning loses to rushdown (because the mobility can evade the space control). This has nothing to do with how "defensive" or "aggressive" a character is, as all classes can and do have characters that can be said to be either style inherently, and some characters allow players to select their preferred style with little detriment to success. Whether or not the game truly functions as I describe, these distinctions should be helpful to understand what advantages and disadvantages certain characters have against others, and so better inform the reader's character choice.
The list of corresponding SSB characters is arranged from most similar to less similar.
#1 — Hyde [Zoning] (Robin and Snake and Olimar and Luigi and Duck Hunt, Ryu and Ice Climbers and Roy and Cloud and Mega Man, Ivysaur and Toon Link and Young Link and Link and Pac-Man and Samus, Lucario and Mr. Game & Watch and Mario and Doctor Mario and Charizard) *() {Satomaru, D NECO (violet jacket; black pants; pink hair), Rion (white jack; cyan pants; blue hair), Detei (Moonlight: yellow jacket; red tie; black pants; green sword)}
+ Above average back dash length
+ 3 projectiles
+ Chip damage on shields with normal attacks
+ Dragon punch
+ Rekka ken
Pretty much a mid-distance zoner.
#2 — Linne [Rushdown] (Wolf and Greninja and Roy and Lucina, Fox and Falco and Sheik and Bayonetta and Lucas and Pikachu and Pichu and Little Mac and Pit and Dark Pit and Meta Knight, Mr. Game & Watch and Sonic and Lucario [PM] and Squirtle and Toon Link and Young Link and Kirby) *(Diddy Kong) {Jikangure (Ore Shine: yellow jacket; cyan hair; black pantyhose), Seibo (white jacket & yellow shorts)}
+ counter
+ double jump
+ 2 projectiles
+ roll
+ projectile teleport
+ dive kick
+ air projectile
+ anti-air rising attack
+ above average health
+ fast
#3 — Waldstein [Wall] *(Ganondorf and Bowser and Donkey Kong) {Yuubari (red), Watanabe Shachou (gold)}
+ Multiple command throws
+ 1 Projectile
+ Superior range
- Can't run
#4 — Carmine [Zoning: Trapper] (Toon Link and Young Link and Link, Snake and Pac-Man and Olimar, Mega Man and Duck Hunt and R.O.B. and Ice Climbers, Diddy Kong and Roy) *() {Notes (blue vest & blond hair & black pants), Barudamu, donguri toccha (black pants & gray vest & white hair)}
#5 — Orie [Rushdown: Persona] (Marth [BM] and Lucina and Corrin and Ice Climbers, Bowser Jr. and Zero Suit Samus) *(Toon Link?, Meta Knight?, King Dedede [Brawl Minus]?, Pikachu?, Mewtwo?, Squirtle?, Charizard [Brawl Minus]?, Ness?, Lucas?, Wario?, Duck Hunt, Sheik) {Nishine (Tears of Salamander: red & white dress; white stockings), Amara (white & blue-violet dress; blue-violet hair)}
http://wiki.mizuumi.net/w/Under_Night_In-Birth/Orie
http://wiki.mizuumi.net/images/6/63/Profile-orie.png
Tears of Salamander
http://wiki.mizuumi.net/w/File:Orie-3.png
+ double back dash
+ command jump
+ standing overhead
+ projectile nullifier
+ special dash attack
+ dragon punch
#6 — Gordeau [Wall] (Ike, King Dedede, ) {Jin (violet and black jacket; violet pants)}
#7 — Merkava [Rushdown] (Yoshi and Charizard and Bowser and Peach [BM]) *(Kirby, Peach, Mr. Game & Watch, Mewtwo, Ganondorf, Ike, Corrin, Donkey Kong, King Dedede, Meta Knight, Ness, Zero Suit Samus, Jigglypuff, Pit, Dark Pit, Shulk) {Ryuusei (Hephaistos: black and red body; red violet hair), CROW (Rose Crane: red body; white hair)}
+ flight
+ 2 dive attacks
+ crawl and crawl attack
+ great range
+ air projectile
+ full screen command grab
+ trap
+ high damage throw
#8 — Vatista [Zoning] (Samus and Link, Toon Link and Young Link and Duck Hunt, Robin and Ivysaur and Mega Man and Charizard [BM] and R.O.B. and Bowser Jr. and Snake and Pac-Man and Zelda, Palutena and Villager, Mewtwo and King Dedede and Peach and Rosalina & Luma and Wii Fit Trainer and Ness) *() {Wako (white dress) [one of the best Vatistas], Kiyoshi (Rain Stream: blue dress; black hair; blue wings) [], Aira Chan (Rain Stream: blue dress; black hair; blue wings) [impressive monster], Yagi (yellow and cyan dress; lavendar hair)}
overhead divekick; trap; 2 different projectiles, both air usable; long ranged tilts; anti-air rising attack; stationary float; no run
http://wiki.mizuumi.net/images/4/41/Profile-vatista.png
http://wiki.mizuumi.net/w/Under_Night_In-Birth/Vatista
#9 — Seth [Rushdown] (Fox and Sonic and Squirtle and Greninja and Pikachu, Lucas [PM] and Bayonetta and Wolf and Falco, Sheik and Kirby and Lucario and Zero Suit Samus) *() {Osuhitto (cyan jacket & khaki pants & purple hair), Sero Sero, Kai [my personal favorite and in my opinion, the most stylish Seth], ROW, Tsushima (white jacket & black pants & white hair, Nerenatto (brown coat, white pants, brown hair) [decent Seth; interesting style]}
+ triple jump
+ fast fall
+ divekick
+ teleports
+ stunning projectile
+ fastest character in the game
+ diving air command throw
- lowest health in the game
- short attack range
#10 — Yuzuriha [Wall: Stance] Shulk and Marth and Lucina and Corrin, Ike and Roy and Zelda and Mewtwo and Jigglypuff and Meta Knight and Palutena, Greninja and Ivysaur and Charizard and Pit and Dark Pit) {Kure}
+ Superior range
+ Counter
+ Spot dodge
+ Teleports
+ Air stall
+ Grab followup
- Slight endlag on teleport
#11 — Hilda [Zoning] (Olimar and Zelda [BM], Toon Link and Mega Man and Rosalina & Luma, R.O.B. and Mewtwo and Snake, Ivysaur and Villager) {Renko (blue and white dress; white hair), Deviru (black skin; violet and lavendar dress)}
#12 — Chaos [Zoning: Puppet] (Duck Hunt and Ice Climbers and King Dedede [BM], Rosalina & Luma and Palutena, Pac-Man and Villager and Snake, Diddy Kong) *() {Shimazaki (Cremation Heretic: blond hair & red jacket & white shirt & blue jeans) [best Chaos player], Aoki, Osuhitto}
http://wiki.mizuumi.net/images/5/55/Profile-chaos.png
http://wiki.mizuumi.net/w/Under_Night_In-Birth/Chaos
+ roll
+ highest zoning health
+ reflector
+ air projectile
+ trap
- no standing overhead whatsoever
Chaos is tied with Carmine for the highest health of the zoning characters, at 10,800pts. However, because Carmine play necessitates sacrificing significant amounts of health, Carmine's health will in actuality be less than Chaos's, thus making Chaos the bulkiest zoning character. So while playing Chaos is a bit convoluted with its reliance on set-ups, UNIST rewards Chaos players with a bigger buffer for mistakes.
Chaos (as far as I know) is the only character in UNIST with a reflector.
Chaos is perhaps the most hands-on zoning character, next to Carmine. Besides moves using Ahzi and reflector, Chaos's attacks all involve his physical body, thus requiring close quarters combat. Carmine also is most affective at close-quarters, but his attacks have a disjointed range to them.
#13 — Nanase [Rushdown] (Falco and Peach and Kirby and Jigglypuff and King Dedede and Wolf and Pikachu and Meta Knight and Pit and Dark Pit and Charizard and Bayonetta and Corrin, Sonic and Squirtle and Ike and Yoshi, Lucas and Ness and Luigi and Marth and Roy, Sheik and Captain Falcon and Mario and Wario) *() {Hisigata (Freeze Night: blue violet & black uniform; blue violet stockings) [most active Nanase]}
http://wiki.mizuumi.net/w/Under_Night_In-Birth/Nanase
http://wiki.mizuumi.net/images/a/af/Profile-nanase.png
Freeze Night
http://wiki.mizuumi.net/w/File:Nanase-11.png
Nanase has many tools to escape corner pressure, but contingent on positioning and situations.
Nanase is a glass rushdown character with high mobility, which she uses both to confound the opponent as well as to close the distances between herself and them. In the air, Nanase has access to a float, which causes her to hover in the air for a time, though she slightly loses height as the float is maintained; while floating, Nanase can move backwards or forwards, in addition to staying in place. The float is activatable via jump cancelling normals on hit. These properties of the float allow Nanase to hover toward or away from an opponent in neutral, and to mixup pressure. On ground, Nanase has a rushing attack that she can use to charge into the opponent; this attack can be converted into an additional charging attack, or a teleport, both moving in the same direction as the initial attack. Nanase is also capable of controlling space with her circular gust projectile, of which she has two versions. One is a fast moving projectile with a short range, which peters out after a set distance, similar to Wolf and Cloud's projectile. The other is a slower moving projectile that crawls along the ground, accelerating over the distance, and that does not dissipate until it reaches the end of the screen or if an opponent is hit, very similar to Pikachu's Thundershock. On the ground, both attacks move straight forward. However, Nanase may use one of her normals in particular to alter the projectile's trajectory to upward diagonally in front of her. In the air, both versions of the projectile travel downward diagonally, yet the slower version will still crawl across the ground once it reaches the ground. This projectile has no very little zoning utility and does not deal great damage. However, it can be used to control space and create openings in neutral for Nanase to close in on the opponent, whether by trailing behind her projectile as it moves toward them, or by allowing her to capitalize off a stray hit and punish the opponent. The projectile can also be used to extend aerial combos. Finally, the projectile is useful for pressuring the opponent's get-up (okizeme) and pressuring the opponent's shield.
Nanase is a glass cannon, having the second lowest health (9,700pts) in the game behind Seth (9,500pts). Nanase is not made for defense and is at her weakest when forced to block or when she allows her opponent to hold the offensive position. Regardless, Nanase is blessed with a few defensive options that are risky but can change the tide of battle to neutral or in her favor if succeeded. She has a dragon punch tornado attack that creates a wall of wind around her as she rises into the air. It can be used as an anti-air but also as an option when in the corner under the opponent's pressure. She has two versions, one without invincibility that lifts her not so far off the ground, and one with invincibility that sends her farther up off the ground. The tradeoff is time the opponent has to punish Nanase for a missed dragon punch versus Nanase's susceptibility to attack during the move. The tornado will push the opponent away from her and allow her space to leave the corner. She may also use her rush attack to escape the corner when the opponent's pressure gaps.
Finally, Nanase has another tornado attack that creates a pillar of wind in front of her and rises her up, good for pressuring the opponent's shield. One version allows her to hover over the opponent and crossup, and the other leaves her back in the position from which she used the move. Either version may be followed up with her dive kick sword attack.
Nanase will appeal to any player used to glass cannon rushdown characters. She has some of the best shield pressure and mobility in the game. Certain mains will greatly appreciate the option of a space controlling projectile, relatively safe rushdown options, and the disjoint her attacks have thanks to her sword. She does however have a heavy emphasis on air combos. Still, Nanase is greatly lacking in defensive and zoning options, so loss of momentum may spell death against characters like Carmine and Mika, who are monsters of pressure. Constant offense, clever movement and mixups are required to play Nanase effectively. If you are a defensive player, or tend toward Wall characters, you should strongly consider another character. If you would like a character that resembles Nanase but is more defensive or has better space control, you should consider Eltnum or Hyde instead. If you want an even more aggressive/offensive character, you should consider Wagner or Linne.
Nanase is a high school freshman age, impetuous girl who is not super bright. She believes Hyde turned her into an In-Birth when in fact he saved her from a worse fate. Her alternative colors are mostly dull or out of place with a few gems. Her theme is low intensity and not motivating for high-octane play, but perhaps will uplift you and induce you to do the best job you can. It is best ignored if you want to go really really fast. Nanase is one of the less popular characters.
#14—Byakuya [Rushdown: Trap] (Diddy Kong and Pichu and Marth and Lucina and Zero Suit Samus, Mewtwo and Roy [BM] and Ness and Charizard [BM] and R.O.B. [PM], Meta Knight and Ike and Shulk and Cloud and Corrin) *() {Neji (black skin; navy uniform; white shirt) [best Byakuya, but retired him; superb web mobility], Ranpo / @Clearlamp_o / Clearlamp (blond hair; black jacket; red pants; gold shirt) [most active Byakuya; patient, reactive playstyle]}
http://wiki.mizuumi.net/w/Under_Night_In-Birth/Byakuya
http://wiki.mizuumi.net/images/0/00/Profile-byakuya.png
+ Traps (stunning webs [214X: "Should I leave it around here?"])
http://wiki.mizuumi.net/images/a/ae/Bya_214.png
+ Projectiles (mid range, set distance, multi-hit, and cancellable on hit [66C: dash attack]; fake web chelicerata stab)
http://wiki.mizuumi.net/images/6/66/Bya_66C.png
+ Rekka Ken (special combo attacks, like Dancing Blade)
+ Above average range
+ High damage grab followups
+ Air dashes
+ Multi-hit aerial attack
+ Standing overhead (3[C])
+ Superior corner pressure / strong corner setups and okizeme
+ Above average health
+ Has a taunt
+ Best theme song
+ Anti-air capabilities
- No dedicated defensive moves
- Average speed
- Few zoning capabilities
- Almost no invulnerability moves, including mobility moves
- Only two EX attacks
#15 — Phonon [Zoning] (Zero Suit Samus) *(Corrin, Ivysaur, R.O.B., Ness, Mewtwo, Wii Fit Trainer, Villager) {Shiki (red), MateoKK (white dress and black vest)}
+ 3 projectiles
+ dive kick
+ extensive, high damage combos
+ superb range
- lackluster corner pressure
- no reversals / defensive options
- no mobility options
#16 — Mika [Rushdown] *(Wario, Captain Falcon, Yoshi) {Neji () [Best Mika]
+ long distance backdash
+ command throw
#17 — Wagner [Rushdown] *(Little Mac and Roy and Captain Falcon and Sonic and Squirtle, Wario and Ike)
+ Counter
+ Projectile Nullifier
+ Power-Ups
+ Dashing Special Attacks
+ 2 anti-air special attacks (vertical Dragon Punch and fire pillar)
+ Excellent corner pushing
#18 — Enkidu [Wall] *(Yoshi) {Judai (red-violet and black gi; white hair) [best Enkidu I've seen yet]}
+ counter
+ divekick
At present, the least developed character with little to no representation.
#19 — Akatsuki [Wall: Shoto] (Ryu, Lucario, Little Mac, Mario, Dr. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Waluigi, Lucas, Jigglypuff) *(Ganondorf, Captain Falcon, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Charizard, Greninja, Mr. Game & Watch, Mega Man) {Senaru [gold]}
double jump, parry, counter, air throw, anti-air projectile, does not have a run but a dash, helm breaker,
#20 — Eltnum [Wall] (Bayonetta and Zero Suit Samus, Sheik, Yoshi, Wolf and Falco, Fox, Lucas, Greninja, Ryu) *() {Senaru (black & gray / green), RED (blue & blond hair)}
+dive kicks
+ long range special attacks
+ air throw
+ dragon punch
+ double jump
+ superior combo game
+ standing overhead
+ quick projectile that can shoot straight forward as well as anti-air and otg
+ roll
- Projectile requires reloading