本田

E. Honda — Counter-Guide

Key Info

Overhead that enables combo on hit
- 6MK
Defense
- No OD invincible reversal
- 236236P: startup 7F — strike and throw invincible
- 214214K: startup 9F — fully invincible, projectile invincibility
- 236236K: startup 10F
Command grab available
- 63214789P
Moves that are advantageous on block
- HK
  - +2F
- HP
  - +1F
- OD Sumo Dash follow-up Teppo Triple Slap (1st Hit)
  - +3F

Neutral Play (Mindset)

Dealing with [4]6P
- Punish combos differ by strength — learn them
- [4]6LP is -4F on block; the other strengths are even more disadvantageous
- At close range, always block and immediately punish
- At long range it often hits tip, making punishes harder — be aware
Dealing with [4]6K
- It has aerial properties, so anti-air moves can knock it down
- Neutral jump attacks are extremely effective
- If blocked, Honda is at a huge disadvantage — punish with a heavy attack
Dealing with 236P
- Punishable on block at close range
- May not be punishable at tip range
- Keep a close-ish distance and always punish after blocking
Dealing with command grabs
- If you see 63214789P coming, jump to escape
- Neutral jump into full combo punish
- Honda's strike/command-grab mix-up is the core threat — backdash is also a valid option
Characters with projectiles
- Throwing projectiles lets Honda counter with Sumo Headbutt — be careful
- Throw projectiles from a safe distance, or predict the Headbutt counter

Sumo Headbutt

Honda's Sumo Headbutt Dash distance and punish window differ by strength.

[4]6LP
- -4F on block for Honda
- Punish with a 4F move
- Shortest dash distance
[4]6MP
- -8F on block for Honda
- Punish with a heavy attack
[4]6HP
- -12F on block for Honda
- Punish with a heavy-attack starter combo
- Longest dash distance
[4]6PP
- -20F on block for Honda
- Has armor (throw cancels the armor)
- Projectile invincibility
- Combo extendable on hit

Recommended Counter

[4]6LP creates distance, making it hard to punish depending on character — but always try your 4F move; if you let Honda off free, his risk disappears
- Parrying it prevents Drive Gauge drain, so go for it actively
[4]6MP and [4]6HP offer big reward on block — practice your heavy-attack starter combos
[4]6PP is -20F on block — full punish combo
- It has armor but throw breaks it
- If Honda spams OD Headbutt as a reversal, throw is effective
Watch out for [4]6PP used to go through projectiles
- Mind your projectile timing

Sumo Smash

Honda's Sumo Smash A rushing attack with aerial properties.

[4]6LK
- Shortest dash distance
[4]6MK
- Medium distance
[4]6HK
- Longest dash distance — can surprise from full screen
[4]6KK
- Combo extendable on hit

Recommended Counter

It has aerial properties, so anti-air moves work
- If you have an anti-air invincible special, use it aggressively
Neutral jump attacks are extremely effective
- Neutral jump attack into full combo
If you block it, Honda is at a large disadvantage
- Always punish with a heavy attack
Many Honda players throw out [4]6HK from full screen
- If you read it, get big damage with an anti-air or neutral jump

Warning

When anti-airing [4]6K with normal moves, you may lose on hit priority. For a reliable knockdown, use an invincible anti-air special or neutral jump.

Hundred Hand Slap

Hundred Hand Slap Used for close-range mash attempts and combos.

236LP
- -6F on block for Honda
236MP
- -8F on block for Honda
236HP
- -12F on block for Honda
- Long reach
236PP
- -4F on block for Honda
- Combo extendable on hit

Recommended Counter

Every strength is punishable on block
- Even 236LP is -6F, so punish with a medium attack or stronger
- 236HP is -12F — go for your heavy-attack starter combo
If you only guard the tip, the punish may not reach
- In that case, dash forward before punishing

OD Sumo Dash

Honda is -3F in throw range after this move. Knowing this lets you stop his offense.

Recommended Counter

-3F means lights don't punish, but showing aggression (mash attempt) is important
You're in throw range, so choose between mash attempt or throw at your fastest option

Sumo Dash

Honda's mix-up tool with various follow-up options.

214LK → No follow-up (dash only)
214MK
214HK
214KK

Follow-up options:

Teppo Triple Slap (P)
- Strike follow-up
Neko Damashi (K)
- Throw follow-up
Slap (LP+LK)
- Overhead follow-up

Recommended Counter

When you see the Sumo Dash, default to blocking
- React to the follow-up from there
After guarding Teppo Triple Slap (strike)
- Honda is at a disadvantage — punish
If Neko Damashi (throw) comes
- Tech throw, or jump to dodge if you read it and get a full combo
If the overhead slap comes
- Block standing

1st Hit

If you guard this, Honda is at +3F. After guarding anything from OD Sumo Dash, Drive Reversal is the answer — the window is generous so it's easy to confirm.

Recommended Counter

Drive Reversal after blocking is the safest option
From +3F Honda threatens strike/command-grab — high risk to sit still
Drive Reversal has a long input window, so it's easy to land reliably

Oicho Throw — Command Grab

Oicho Throw — Honda's extremely powerful command grab.

63214789LP
- Normal startup
63214789MP
- Higher damage
63214789HP
- High damage
63214789PP
- OD version

Recommended Counter

If you read the command grab, neutral jump or backdash
- Neutral jump into full combo
Honda's strength is the strike/command-grab mix-up
- Guess strike → block; guess command grab → jump
- Backdash is a safe option but can be chased on read
The OD version has faster startup — jumping to escape is the stable option

Warning

When Honda is pressuring in the corner, the command-grab/strike mix-up is extremely strong. If you have no invincible reversal, use fuzzy options or take the risk of jumping out. Corner command grabs also deal high damage — don't let them land repeatedly.

Neko Damashi

Neko Damashi Forces the opponent into a standing state. Used in combos and as a poke.

Recommended Counter

Watch for the LP → MP target combo → whiff Neko Damashi sequence
- After this sequence Honda almost always goes for a throw
- If you see whiff Neko Damashi, jump to escape safely
Also used to neutralize projectiles

Bajikan Otoshi

Honda's jump-in aerial attack. All strengths are +1F on block for Honda.

Recommended Counter

Perfect parry is the universal counter for all characters
- A perfect parry lets you get full reward
Honda is +1F after block — don't mash
- When Honda follows with light attacks, OD invincible reversals as a counter-option are viable
Back jumping to create distance is also a safe option
- Easy to recover from mistakes
After blocking Flying Sumo Press, stand and walk back — command grab, crouching LP, and L Hundred Hand Slap all whiff
- Spacing management is key

Warning

Flying Sumo Press gives Honda frame advantage on block. Blocking starts Honda's turn — ideally knock it out with an anti-air. Look up your character's anti-air options against this move.

HK

HK is +2F on block for Honda. Long reach, excellent as a poke.

Recommended Counter

+2F on block — don't mash
After HK Honda will try strikes or the command grab — be ready
Fight inside HK's range so he can't freely use it

Forward Throw follow-up

+17F

When Honda wants to start oki (wakeup pressure) he must use cancel rush. On in-place recovery, when you see the cancel rush flash, an OD invincible move with wide horizontal hitbox will beat it. On back-roll recovery, Honda has two main options:

Cancel Rush MP
- Short-range pokes thrown out on wakeup get beaten by the MP's range
Cancel Rush stop → delayed HP
- If you try to poke out a cancel rush MP with a long-range normal, the delayed HP will counter-hit you
Neutral (no option)

If this mix-up is difficult to deal with, the simplest counter is to take in-place recovery and watch for the cancel rush.

Recommended Counter

In-place recovery → confirm cancel rush → OD invincible is the stable option
- As soon as you see the cancel rush flash, commit to OD invincible
If you have no OD invincible
- Take in-place recovery and react to whether cancel rush comes
- If there's no cancel rush, reset neutral
Back-roll recovery leads to a real mix-up — not recommended
- Also pushes you toward the corner

Back Throw follow-up

+24F Better situation than forward throw for Honda. OD invincible after cancel rush flash doesn't work; on back-roll recovery, cancel rush → MP is a meaty setup. Throw range +5F. No easy counter exists — just play the mix-up.

Warning

Back throw gives Honda a better position than forward throw. Cancel-rush oki is potent, so check Drive Gauge and SA Gauge before choosing a reversal option. Sometimes OD invincible won't work, so fuzzy jump and Drive Reversal are also worth keeping in mind.

When You Attack Honda's Wakeup

Key points when applying oki to Honda.

214214K
- Startup 9F, fully invincible
- Moves with 10F or more startup allow safe jump setups
236236P
- Startup 7F — strike and throw invincible
- Moves with 8F or more startup allow safe jump setups
Drive Reversal
- Universal system mechanic

Recommended Counter

Honda has no OD invincible reversal, so oki gets through more often
- Keep mixing throws and strikes together
SA1 startup is 7F, so 8F safe jump setups are effective
- If SA1 is stocked, be mindful of safe jump timing
SA2 is fully invincible and goes through projectiles
- Startup 9F — 10F safe jump setups work
When Honda has no gauge
- Normal meaty setups are fine
- Keep pressure with solid strike meaties