-Wanted to make another thread to dissect something more complicated: the best grapplers. In no real particular order, I shed some light on some of the game's more notable grapplers.
Please note, this highlights and sheds light on all of their pros and cons and this doesn't favor anyone grappler since they all play different. Without further ado, here's a mini intro to them:
~Ryu Hayabusa I feel is the best grappler type character in the game. He's faster than the usual ones since he's a ninja, meaning while his neutral isn't the best, his frames are quicker than the standard grapplers in the game, and he has some of the quickest executed throws as a result too. His grappling isn't really leaning in combo throw territory besides his Izuna based throws and holds that lead to guaranteed and HEAVY damage when mastered to get the most damage from his advanced input making whiffing a hold or even being held against him always a scary risk since his Izuna is no slouch in damage that can't be broken, and his izunas lead to ceiling hits creating a maelstrom of guaranteed set ups in the appropriate stages. Overall his Izunas are gonna be a constant presence while fighting him and this is no understatement.Besides that he's solid in range and combo damage and is relatively good at pressure and mix up extensions via his Onrygoin stance that can be also canceled into from set strings, and he has numerous options ranging from swift strikes to throws and even his signature ninpo attacks that have him teleport into the air for an attack or throw, tho these tend to be reactable at his expense. He also has OHs too making it risky to attempt to assault in at a disadvantage. Overall grounded since he has no major trade offs besides his starting neutral, and his danger zone damage is no doubt the best in the game. His lows however tend to be lackluster, and compared to the slower grapplers, he needs more counter hits to get his meatier stuns started for set moves due to his faster speed and evasion.
Because of his popularity and depth to his kit, he's quite often used and a go to for many players from all skill levels.
~Tina imo is definitely one of the best grappler based characters DOA6 has to offer. She can do it all: She has alot of strong grappler throws that often can be further powered with her chain combo throws, she hits hard, and she has decent pressure to keep up with her opponent up close. Despite her speed disadvantage, Tina is able to easily crush her opponent's attacks and she also has offensive holds to easily shut down her foes, with her running Shining Wizard OH being a major example. She's also one of the swifter grapplers since she's a 2.0 of her father Bass who leans more in speed and better mobility and strikes, having a roll she can use to evade high strikes and follow through with a hard hitting mid kick or punch.Early on in the game's life span, she was actually so powerful to the point that she needed nerfs since her throw damage in DOA6 is very dangerous, especially if used to punish her foe's missed hold and if a danger zone or hazard was around. She's overall one of the best grapplers in the game since she has no real drawbacks, being pretty well rounded in all fields. Her new additions such as on hit throws that stem from a successful attack land and her improved air throws make her quite the speedy tank! Is relatively simple to learn, and also has ground throws which can be useful for situations where she can get a quick enough one from either the right knockdown or foes reluctant to stand up. While situational too, she's one of the few characters in the game who has access to an unblockable attack too from a her 66PP string.
Tina is a character who isn't that much a super popular pick, but she's often used in 6 and is able to be played quite efficiently by both veterans and beginners alike, and you'll see her often due to her popularity and iconic start as one of the original three girls, being the first wrester based female of the franchise.
~Nyotengu is an interesting grappler since she's based off of Bankotsubo, the boss of DOA2 who was the epitome of a hard hitting but slow zoner. In 6 due to a few additions, Nyo plays more like a grappler, but like Ryu she's not so much known for combo throws or even combo holds. Nyo is a mighty glacier zoner type grappler, very slow, but she hits hard, can cause nasty deeper stuns and crumples on hit, has dangerous launchers and she can easily retreat or close the gap via her flying stance. It was weaker in LR due to it only having either a throw option or her stance cancel option really do much, but in 6 her stance is more formidable, being able to "sidestep" evade while flying in to cancel into her stance, or she can finish with a mid kick spear kick to knock foes back.She's rather good at crushing highs, and lows aren't so easy to abuse against her due to her kit often having attacks that can jump while she attacks making it even harsher on counter hit, and she's relatively safe to mask her speed. She has a launcher throw, a reset with a guaranteed ender that floors the foe, and a punish throw that can give you a bit of distance making holding against her a constant risk. Her holds are simple but pack a punch, and she has a standing OH that can easily lead to scary wall damage since it leaves her foe in a position where they can't wake up kick, unless she ends with her signature P+K stance attack that slams them near the wall. Her low OH is also lethal too, and in 6 she's able to further bully her opponent while they're on the ground since she can now use her originally flying stance exclusive throws as ground throws, giving her a nastier ground game to fear. And everyone already knows of her infamous wind attack that hits full screen. Her general mix ups are pretty deceptive, being able to cancel into her flying stance from specific strikes on hit and she does have lows that can easily open up foes not watching their feet, as well as the danger of a quick launch.
While amongst the slower characters in the game, she is no doubt to be feared in match ups where her reach and crushes can easily get around speed. Her P+K which is her quickest strike at 10i is also her go to panic move which while unsafe can help when in close quarter situations where a quick enough jab is needed. Her sumo squat attack can also open up opponents as well too when fully charged, giving a decent way she can steal a P+K at their expense for over guarding her.
Is a relatively popular pick due to her power and her very satisfying way of dominating her foes, and her gameplan is easy for varied skill levels although higher level players will definitely get the most out of her.
~Rachel is a more recent grappler who was introduced in 5U as the successor to Nicole from DOA4. Unlike a Tina however, Rachel functions more as a speedy type grappler who has nasty hard hitting throws but no combo throws, her strength lies more in her natural heavy hitting attacks and being able to easily keep up with foes up close when it's her turn to strike. She's gained on hit throws in DOA6 that give her guaranteed damage when used near breakables that doesn't scale, and her kit takes little to master since she lacks many moves at all. She also has an offensive hold she can use to get behind her foe for guaranteed damage and she puts her Vigoor strength to use in DOA6 with her new chargeable OH that can easily lead to high damage if you use it interrupt her foe's offense, she also has a reset OH that can blow up low crouch attacks. Her ground 2K attack also is unique since it acts as a reset way to force the foe up, putting them in a vortex where they must carefully defend against her or else she can rinse and repeat with her advantage. While her guard breaks aren't that strong compared to the more throw oriented grapplers, she does have a few ways to end on a safe note, with her even have guard breaks that seem plus on block but are actually safe, which can throw off unwary foes.Her main weakness however is that she lacks many crushes meaning she'll have to manually defend and rely more on OHs when needing to regain momentum. She can also get somewhat repetitive forcing you to have to revamp your approach at a higher level. To compensate her lack of crushes as well, she does have a special sidestep she can use to easily avoid linear moves, and it has both a launching mid or a tracking low sweep to watch out for.
Overall the epitome of a more rushdown or offensive oriented speedy grappler who favors quicker attacks and harder hitting damage at the cost of being less reliant on throws for damage, and lacking much in terms of command moves. Her main throw however which is a launcher throw slams the foe down, giving her an easy damage route for all weights in the game, and her holds and even her standard throws can deal terrifying damage when she has her foe back to the wall. She does however lack a ground throw unlike the other more notable grapplers. Is quite often used since she's a near complete grappler package, and very easy to use meaning anyone can easily pocket or main her since her style requires no real depth to digest or master, making her open to all skill levels.
~Lisa is one of the more unique grapplers since she doesn't play like a conventional one. She is generally somewhat slower than the others but to compensate she has great mix ups with her using her legs a lot more to trip up foes, flip forwards or backwards on the fly to create or close distance and she has a very deadly back turned game with her being able to turn away on the fly over after specific moves, opening her up to easily keep the foe guessing. She also is no slouch in offensive holds which she is well versed in. She is able to also make use of ropes in the designated stages for even more shenanigans. Her range is also pretty solid and she can easily close or open the gap to her advantage, and she's also deceptive with certain attacks she can feint to set up an easy punish via an OH or throw! She leans towards more acrobatic attacks with her legs too so she'll often be crushing lows with proper timing with general ease. Pressure is also available to her as she has ways to easily get frame advantage on block, although the attacks she can achieve this with tend to be telegraphed or easy to avoid via crouches or well timed holds.While she isn't as heavy in combo throws, she has a few she can use and her deja vu combo throw which is unbreakable can lead to a very high damage output when the most tedious input is mastered. However, she somewhat telegraphed and can pressured if not cautiously used. All in all she's definitely one of the better wrestlers if you favor reach and more tricky mix ups over pure raw grapple damage. She's also unique since she has a guaranteed back throw "glitch" that can lead to solid damage near the wall albeit being situational. She's gotten an addition of an on hit attack throw in DOA6 too, and a new air throw ender that can catch the foe from specific heights adding on to her combo juggle game. She does however lack ground throws which is a usual key tool most grapplers in the game have.
Overall is a more or less lesser used fighter due to her requiring some skill to manage and use efficiently and safely, but is still used enough to make her presence known. More suited for intermediate skill level players.
~Bayman is a defensive based grappler who while slower, has stronger tools that focus more on attack interception and solid reads. What sets him apart from the others is that although a few others do have expert holds that can create high advantage situations, Bayman is unique since he has expert holds that can result in monstrous damage for all hit levels that can also result in environmental interaction, even more deadly when he gets a hi counter hold. His normal holds can put the foe in situations where they have to attempt a grapple break thanks to his other trait of having holds that can be used in the same vain as combo throws.He can also parry similar to how Leifang can parry, but unlike her he performs a swift counter jab to the opponent as well as gaining advantage giving him leeway against faster opponents vs their highs and mids. He also has combo throws, and a unique stance that allows him to roll to either side to sidestep his victim and evade highs with the possibility of a crouching OH, or he can roll forward or backwards to close or create gaps while avoiding highs and having access to follow ups from those too ranging from a sliding low or even while rising attacks that can be used in a similar way to them by themselves. His OHs are simple and effective too, having both high and low ones to catch foes quick to rushdown, and on top of that he hits hard too, often causing nasty stuns or clean knockdowns.
While formidable his nerfs in 6 have made him a shell of his former self, with his lower advantage and safety and tracking being a barrier that makes him harder to utilize than in LR. Nevertheless, he's still a dangerous character in match ups where reads and being able to easily shut down reckless foes is a must.
Far less used than in LR but still a notable fighter who will occasionally pop up ready to break you. More suited for mid level players due to the emphasis on defense and careful reads but is manageable enough for lower level players to ease them into using him.
~Honoka is a new "grappler", having had her throw frames adjusted so she can be in grappler territory as well making her possibly the most unique one! While the smallest, she's the quickest one having a 9i/11i/13i neutral game, and she can play a numerous amount of ways. She's generally safe, can hit hard, and she can be a nuisance to hold due to her style being a handpicked assortment of specific moves from just about all of the DOA cast with varying pros and cons due to her size. She's quick, has useful mix ups and cancels, and her new 6 additions like her new stance exclusive power attacks like a launcher, an added air throw and other minor additions make her formidable.Her lack of reach however holds her back as she must be in her foe's face to be a threat as her range is possibly amongst one of the shortest in the game, and her ways to move in are rather linear if now somewhat risky, and she's not adept at being able to passively close or open distance although walking speed and retreating speed is good. Her throws are only grappler as far as their frames are concerned; she has no true combo throws or really anything with her throws that make them scream grappler besides the quick throw speed, and bar some throws that are borrowed from the wrestlers. She has a reset throw still that has faster frames, and she has both a jumping OH that can catch standing attacks(at the risk of being evaded since it's useless against mid moves with crouching properties) and a low OH. She is like Tina and Bass who both have in string unblockable attacks although it's highly telegraphed, and she also has Jann Lee's infamous dragon kick that is unblockable too, and can function as her way to move in from a distance when dealing with a foe who is keeping her on lock out. Her butt fling attack she borrows from Tina is another useful attack as well since it's safe and a mid but open to sidesteps. Overall, while a more unorthodox grappler, Honoka has a relatively rounded kit that can easily switch up her approach based on match up at the cost of a stubby range.
Generally a well known pick, with alot of skill levels choosing her both for her looks and persona and her quirky style, but it's mainly the intermediate to high level players who will get the most out of her tech wise.
~We have Bass, who is the best example of a purist grappler but is commonly overlooked due to the faster ones or the ones with a more lean to defensive reads or ranged game. Bass is basically where Tina gets her core style from, so he's the vanilla version. He has the heavy damage and useful reach to make him superior in that regard to his little girl, but he doesn't have her speed or more flexible tools to easily crush his foes or maneuver around them as easily. Where he shines is being able to apply pressure on block and using his OHs to shut down and floor foes quick to retaliate. Possibly his most terrifying gimmick is his ground throws that force the opponent up, at a major disadvantage where he can then proceed to blend them by either using an attack with the + frame advantage, or he can cheap it out and rinse again for the same reset. He also has liberal guard breaks and a few high crushes he can use, with one being able to leave him +24 to efficiently get some free damage if the foe doesn't expect the charge.While he's limited in terms of strikes due to being more throw based, when he does use his strikes to stun his opponents, they better hold correctly or not at all since his punish throws are very deadly, which his atomic dropper type throw having an added camera slow down to make the mistake even more glaring and with it taking virtually half of your health bar on high counter… and that isn't even counting the ceiling or breakable floors or electric ones making him particularly dangerous in stages with these. It should also be no surprise that his throws are also adept at danger zone interaction via walls as well too making it virtually like a playground when in stages that are littered with hazards everywhere!
Throws again are his strong suit, so he has combo throws for days that the opponent must be on point in order to escape them, and he also has his holds that can be used in a similar way when making good reads against strikers. While he struggles against strike based characters, he can easily demolish them once he patiently waits them out, and he can also easily destroy characters more reliant on defense to start their own offense like a Leifang thanks to him being able to easily high counter any reckless parry or sabaki that's thrown her way.
Overall while an underrated wrestler, Bass I feel is a hidden gem who's pros aren't nearly explored more, and as a result there are less Bass mains but the ones who do commit to him and know him well can make him a nightmare to fight.
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