Chris is a tricky rushdown character with a lot of movement options. Chris has some of the fastest movement in the game alongside access to teleports, a slide, a divekick, and some forward-moving attacks that let him move around the screen really well. On offense he has access to good low confirms, a pretty safe but slow overhead, an invincible jumping command grab, and a nice crossup. On defense, he has access to a DP; it is pretty slow, but he can also use his jumping command grab defensively. His DMs are also good, one being great for punishes and the other one being an invincible reversal. Chris does not have many tools to fight at long range, but due to his excellent movement that is not a big problem for him.
Changes from Previous Versions
98 to 98UM
Normals:
cl.C has 3 frames less recovery
df+B has a bigger hurtbox on Chris's torso, projectiles that are Psycho Ball height and lower can't be passed under with it
Increased damage on j.D
Removed j.CD's first hitbox
Specials:
hcb+A now knocks down
dp+P startup increased by 6 frames, and recovery is 3 frames shorter.
Supers:
qcbx2+K now connects well against airborne opponents
98UM to 98UMFE
Specials:
qcf+D has less recovery
Normal Moves
Close
cl.A: Same as st.A
cl.B: Cancelable.
cl.C: A nice fast close heavy. The second hit hits quite high up, so it can catch people trying to jump out of close range. One of his main combo tools. Very unsafe if not cancelled. Cancelable.
cl.D: A high-hitting kick. Special-cancelable, but not command normal-cancelable.
Standing
st.A: An anti-hop tool due to its speed and priority. Whiffs on short crouchers. Chainable and cancelable.
st.B: A great midrange poke since it has good speed and range, can stop hops, and will hit crouchers.
st.C: S slow but long-range two-hitting punch. The first hit can be useful, as it hits crouchers and can be combo-ed from. Very unsafe on block and whiff. Cancelable on the first hit.
st.D: An anti-air kick.
Crouching
cr.A: A standard cr.A. A staple combo tool for Chris. Chainable and cancelable.
cr.B: The main low combo starter. Has good range for a cr.B, making it good for blockstrings and mixups. Chainable.
cr.C: An uppercut with two parts. Very fast startup, making it great for point blank punishes. It has great priority on the first hit, making it an excellent close-range poke as well. The second hit has a good hitbox for anti airs. Cancelable on the first hit.
cr.D: A sweep with good range but quite a lot of recovery. Hits slightly upwards, so it can catch some moves that other sweeps might whiff on. Can be used to low-profile some projectiles.
Jumping
j.A: Chris's best air-to-air normal, as it hits fairly high up with good active frames and loads of priority.
j.B: Chris's longest-reaching air normal with good active frames. It can be used for jump-ins or as a jump back air-to-air because of its long reach.
nj.B: An air-to-air move that hits at a higher angle than any of his other jumping normals.
j.C: An okay jump-in or air-to-air normal. It has a lot of priority and hits a bit lower than j.A, but it deals more damage.
j.D: Chris's best jump-in normal. It has a low amount of active frames, but has a great hitbox for jump-ins and crossups.
CD Normals
st.CD: Long startup, but it has low invincibility from frame 1.
j.CD: Good downwards hitbox at his feet, making it a solid jump-in for pressure. Quite long startup so it's susceptible to air-to-airs.
Throws
Step Turn:b/f+C (close)
Regular throw, techable. Chris steps on the opponent's body and then sends them flying away with a backflip. Causes soft knockdown.
Aerial Drop:b/f+D (close)
Regular throw, techable. Chris throws the opponent behind him, making them land with a backturned hard knockdown.
Command Moves
Spinning Array:f+A
Chris slams the opponent with a two handed swing.
It's cancelable both when done raw and when combo-ed into.
Combos from both lights and heavies, making it part of Chris's primary combos.
Unsafe on block, so try to confirm into it.
Reverse Anchor Kick:f+B
Chris does an overhead flip kick with two parts.
When done raw, the first part hits mid and the second part hits overhead, but the move is not cancelable.
When cancelled into, the move loses its overhead property but the second hit becomes cancelable.
Useful as a poke and as an overhead, as it's quite safe due to the pushback combined with Chris's stepping back animation after the kick.
Can also be used as a safer combo option compared to f+A, though the tradeoff is that it leads to less damage.
Carry Off Kick:df+B
Chris slides on the ground with a low-hitting kick.
Can low-profile high-flying projectiles like Takuma's or Ex Robert's.
Can be a bit unsafe at point-blank, but becomes safer the further out from the opponent you hit.
Special Moves
Sliding Touch:qcf+A/C
Chris does a punch while sliding forwards.
The A version combos from heavies and f+A. The C version is too slow to combo.
A version is a decent combo option, but not as good as hcb+A.
Since the C version can't combo and it has terrible recovery, it's not really a good move to use, though it could be used for some frametraps.
The A version is also very negative on block.
Causes soft knockdown on hit.
Hunting Air Blast:dp+B/D
Chris's DP. He does a somersault kick into the air.
B version has very little startup invincibility, and though the D version has active frame invincibility it also has a gap in its startup invincibility, making it lose to very active meaties when used as a reversal.
Both versions have long startup, so they're not good for reaction anti-airing either. However, they can work as preemptive anti-airs.
Very unsafe on block.
Shooting Dancer Thrust:hcb+A/C
Chris dashes forwards and delivers a two-hit attack.
The A version does a mid strike into a low that knocks down.
The C version does two mid strikes that don't knock down, but it deals more damage than the A version.
Chris's primary combo special, as it's fast and combos from heavies and his f+A command normal.
Both versions are slightly negative on block, but still fairly safe due to the pushback.
Shooting Dancer Step:hcb+B/D
Chris dashes forwards and does a strike into a vaulting kick.
The two hits of the attack won't combo, leaving a gap that can be punished.
On block, the B version sends Chris flying forwards, while the D version sends him backwards.
Both versions are punishable on block.
Can be cancelled into Chris's j.qcf+K after the hits are done.
The second hit causes a hard knockdown on hit.
Gliding Stomp:qcf+B/D (in air)
Chris does an aerial divekick.
The B version goes almost straight down, and the D version goes down at more of an angle.
The B version has to be done at full jump height for it to connect. The D version can be done from a hop and still hit the opponent.
Useful for changing up your jumping trajectory to mess with the opponent's anti-airing.
Causes a soft knockdown on hit.
Both versions are negative on block.
Scramble Dash:qcf+B/D
Chris dashes forwards at fast speed, making it seem like he teleports.
The A version goes straight forwards along the ground and the D version goes into the air a bit.
Good to use for extra mobility, as this move can get you in close very fast.
Can also be good to use during blockstrings for some side switching shenanigans.
B version has upper body invincibility during the dash, but it does have punishable recovery. It can always be hit with lows.
D version will go over lows, but has no upper body invincibility, making it harder to use. It also has punishable recovery.
Direction Change:dp+A/C
Chris does a flip into a jumping command grab. If it connects, Chris has time to follow up with a full combo.
Has long startup, but it has invincibility frames that last almost until the grab. However, there is a small window before the grab that opponent can hit him out of if they time their attack well.
Chris's best choice for a meterless reversal.
Cannot grab airborne opponents, so it can be reacted to with a hop and get a full punish on Chris.
Can be a good move to sneak in during blockstrings to check if the opponent is ready for it or not.
Desperation Moves
Twister Driver:qcbx2+B/D
Chris does a series of somersault kicks into the air.
Chris's only real invincible reversal.
Can be combo-ed into from lights and heavies.
Punishable on block.
MAX version has more invincibility and does more damage.
Chain Slide Touch:qcfx2+A/C
Chris does a series of fast strikes while moving forwards.
Has very fast startup, so it's a good punishing move.
Can combo from lights and heavies easily and does more damage than his other DM, making it his best choice for combos.
MAX version does more hits and more damage.
Combos
General Notes
You can choose to end a combo with either hcb+A or hcb+C: hcb+A will grant a knockdown, while hcb+C will do more damage but won't knock the opponent down.
In any metered combo, replace qcfx2+A with qcfx2+AC if you have the resources.
