---
title: 'How Combos Work in Any Fighting Game'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=vJSIRiVR_wg'
video_id: 'vJSIRiVR_wg'
date: 2026-07-28
duration_sec: 416
---

# How Combos Work in Any Fighting Game

> Source: [How Combos Work in Any Fighting Game](https://youtube.com/watch?v=vJSIRiVR_wg)

## Summary

This video explains the fundamental theory behind combos in fighting games, covering how hit stun, links, cancels, and stun extensions work. It compares combo systems across different games like Street Fighter, Guilty Gear Strive, and City of the Wolves, and emphasizes the importance of considering damage, positioning, and end state when creating combos.

### Key Points

- **Combo Basics** [0:44] — A combo is a series of attacks that hit an opponent while they are in hit stun, preventing them from blocking or moving.
- **Links vs. Cancels** [1:28] — Links require enough hit stun to recover and use another attack; cancels skip recovery by canceling into another attack.
- **Stun Extensions** [2:04] — Wall bounces, crumples, dizzy, juggles, and OTG moves extend stun to allow longer combos.
- **Street Fighter: Links** [2:55] — Street Fighter emphasizes links, where moves leave you plus enough to connect another attack.
- **Uni: Free Cancels** [3:12] — Under Night In-Birth allows any normal to cancel into any other normal, creating free-flowing combos.
- **Strive: Specific Cancels & States** [3:33] — Guilty Gear Strive has specific Gatling cancels and focuses on character states like counter hits and wall bounces.
- **City of the Wolves: Rev Cancels** [3:55] — City of the Wolves uses a special cancel system that locks out normals, even when plus.
- **Combo Purpose: Damage, Positioning, End State** [4:34] — When creating combos, consider damage, positioning (e.g., corner carry), and end state (e.g., oki, spacing).

### Conclusion

Understanding a game's combo system—whether it emphasizes links, cancels, or stun extensions—helps you adapt and create purposeful combos. Personal preference determines which system feels best, but trying different games broadens your skills.

## Transcript

A friend of mine recently commented on
how the combos in Strive feel
unintuitive, and I remember thinking the
same thing when I first started. It felt
unnatural to not be able to chain punch
and kick together and weird that you
can't use a super from a special move.
It felt restrictive and made me question
just how combos even work. But over
time, especially playing different
games, I came to understand that all
combos fundamentally work the same. But
the systems of a game will allow
different ways to interact with the
opponent and the move set. Each game
emphasizes different aspects of combos
and thus creates their own unique feel.
So, let's go over combo theory in
general, but then dig into how you
should look to learn about combos in any
fighting game.
As always, let's start with the basics.
When you hit an opponent, they are in a
state called hit stun. They cannot block
or move during this state. If your
second attack can hit them before they
recover from the hit stun, you've made a
combo. A combo is just a series of
attacks that the opponent is guaranteed
to be hit by because it cannot recover
in time from the hit stun to block. Of
course, there are exceptions to this
rule. Hello, burst. But generally,
that's what makes a combo. What attacks
you can use to hit an opponent before
they recover from hit stun changes
depending on the move that hit them on
the amount of hit stun that was applied
and the startup of the follow-up attack.
It comes down to the frames. And if you
need a breakdown into frame data, got a
video on that already. There are two
categories of follow-up attacks, links
and cancels. A link is when your attack
applies enough hit stun to where you can
completely recover from that attack and
use another one before the opponent
recovers. Essentially, you're so plus
that you can fit in another attack. A
cancel is when you cancel the recovery
of your first attack with another
attack, thus speeding up your next
attack. The goal is for you to be fast
enough to hit them before they can
recover from the hit stun. In both
cases, it's just a matter of having
enough frame advantage to hit them
before they can recover. But there's
another way of making combos via
extending stun. The easiest illustration
of this is a wall bounce. When you hit
an opponent against a wall with a move
that can wall bounce, you're essentially
extending the stun they have to allow
you to follow up with another attack.
There are many different character
states that games allow you to be able
to combo with. Crumple, dizzy, juggles.
These are all character states that
extend the stun the opponent has. OTG
moves are basically moves that let you
interact with an opponent that's in a
state you normally would not be able to
when they're on the ground, thus
allowing you to apply stun. Again, if
any of these terms are going over your
head, check the description for the
fighting game glossery and look them up.
But these concepts are what makes combos
work. Different games emphasize these
concepts differently, and it's what
gives each one its own unique feel.
Let's start with Street Fighter. Street
Fighter is known for its links. Thus,
you're looking for moves that apply
enough hit stun so you can connect with
another attack. Take this heavy kick for
example. Ryu is plus 9 from the hit.
Thus, if I have a move that's nine
frames or faster, I can link to it. Now,
compare that to Uni. Uni has a very free
flowing cancel system. Any normal can
from any other normal. So, I can go
light, medium, heavy, but I can also go
heavy, medium, light, or even medium,
light, heavy. They can cancel regardless
of the advantage. But if you notice,
spacing becomes a factor. Strive focuses
on cancels, but not so free form. The
Gatlings are much more specific.
However, what Strive does focus on is
character states. Counter hits apply
extended stun, allowing for links, and
things like Unica's charge DP has a wall
bounce effect to it. So, it's via
different states that you really get
your extensions and combos. If you think
that's limiting, check out City of the
Wolves. It's built around its special
cancel system, Rev cancels. But this
system also locks you out of using
normals. Notice here how plus I am, yet
I cannot connect with this normal.
Weird, but that's how the system works.
Whenever you pick up a new game,
understanding what the system allows
will help you wrap your mind around its
combos. You can ask yourself questions
like, "Do moves leave me plus enough to
link attacks together? What buttons can
be normal canceled or special canceled?
Are there ways to extend stun?" And once
you have the answers to these questions,
you have the fundamentals of what that
game's combo system is.
As you understand and start to develop
your own combos, there's one central
thing you should ask yourself. What do
you want from the combo? The first
response is damage. That's the entire
reason we create combos to begin with is
to increase the number of hits against
an opponent. Thus, they take more
damage. But there's two more concepts
you should consider. Firstly,
positioning. As you hit an opponent,
naturally your characters move. They
move forward or upward and thus leaving
you in a different position on the
screen. What position you're left in
after the combo is over is worth
considering. Let's say you're a rushdown
character fighting a zoner. you want to
stick close to them as much as possible
so their zoning becomes less effective.
So with that in mind, maybe you want a
combo that leaves the opponent close to
you rather than launching them far away.
Or maybe you're playing a character that
does its best in the corner. So corner
carry is much more advantageous to you
than damage. Positioning matters.
Secondly, end state. By this I mean the
state you leave yourself or your
opponent after the combo is over. Some
combos can set you up nicely for a safe
jump, or they leave you point blank next
to the opponent so you can meeting them
easily, or it pushes them far enough
away that it allows you time to set
something up, like a trap. The end state
can be really influenced by your
character's core strategy. If you're a
mixup monster, you want to stay close so
you can keep your pressure up. If you're
a zoner, you want to knock them far away
as possible. Or you just really love oki
and want that hard knockdown every time.
Regardless, when you're developing
combos, think of these three concepts:
damage, positioning, and end state. Your
combos should have purpose, and the more
intentional you are with your combos,
the better you'll be.
And that be combo theory. Quite a meaty
topic, but one I hope helps shed light
as to why some games feel the way they
do and why some fit your preferences
better. Some people want to hit buttons
constantly, so a heavily cancelbased
system feels great to them. Others like
the intentionality of blinks, so they
prefer that system. Overall, it's a
personal preference, and no game is
right or wrong for its system, but
regardless, as a casual, you should try
them all.
[Music]