Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Mega Man can stack pellets, Metal Blade, and Crash Bomber in front of Ike, then catch forced jumps with bair or anti-airs like up tilt and up smash, so Ike loses quickly if he tries to chase straight through the wall. The more Ike swings early from too far away, the more this matchup becomes about getting clipped before the sword ever reaches.
Ike does better by shortening the amount of time he spends in direct pursuit and instead planting nair, bair, and down tilt where Mega Man wants to jump or land next. Mega Man’s close-range defensive turnaround is not overwhelming, so once Ike gets the sword touch he should immediately convert it into landing pressure or a ledge push rather than resetting to midrange.
The table shows Jab, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Neutral Air, Back Air, Up Smash, Down Smash, and Neutral B are all punishable on shield by Grab, OOS Bair, OOS Nair, OOS Fair, or Up B, so Mega Man should not be allowed to swing again for free at close range. By contrast, fair does not offer a real immediate punish and dair is actually advantageous, so forcing a button after those blocks only feeds Mega Man the next anti-air.
Kills are steadier when Ike wins one exchange, carries Mega Man to the edge, and then keeps covering the re-landing with bair, uair, or up smash. Even offstage, the goal is usually to meet the return route with another sword wall, not to overchase and lose the stage that Ike worked to earn.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Ike OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab | 7/19/31 | -25/-23/-20 |
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| Forward Tilt | 7/19/31 | -25/-23/-20 |
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| Up Tilt | 6 | -49/-31/-33 |
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| Down Tilt | 5 | -33 |
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| Dash Attack | 7/10/13/16/19/22/25/35 | -16 |
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| Forward Smash | 19 | -18 |
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| Up Smash | 8/11/15/19/23/27/31 | -32 |
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| Down Smash | 17 | -50 |
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| Neutral Air | 7/19/31 | -25/-23/-20 |
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| Forward Air | 9 | -7/-7/-8 |
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| Back Air | 4/7/10 | -18/-17/-17 |
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| Up Air | 11… | — | ||
| Down Air | 23 | +1/+0 |
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| Neutral B | 16 | -17 |
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| Side B | 19 | ** | ||
| Up B | — | — | ||
| Down B | 9—** | ** | ||
| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 9 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not sprint into pellets and Metal Blade. Use shield, small walks, and preemptive sword placement to take away Mega Man’s jump path first.
- When nair, bair, or down tilt lands, keep the advantage going into landing traps or ledge pressure instead of backing off to neutral.
- After blocking Jab, any tilt, Neutral Air, Back Air, Up Smash, Down Smash, or Neutral B, take the listed punish with Grab, OOS Bair, OOS Nair, OOS Fair, or Up B.
- After blocking fair or dair, do not force the instant answer. Track the landing and the pullback so Mega Man cannot restart the anti-air cycle for free.
- Build kills around ledge pressure and high landing coverage with bair, uair, and up smash rather than around random center-stage haymakers.
Actions to Avoid
- Jumping over pellets on autopilot and giving Mega Man the exact bair or up tilt anti-air he is waiting for.
- Chasing too long after a reset and letting Crash Bomber, pellets, and landing traps stack back onto the screen.
- Trying to punish fair or dair on block when the frame data does not actually give Ike that answer.
- Overextending offstage and giving up the hard-earned ledge sequence that should be closing the stock.