What are the best V-Skills in Street Fighter V?

Street Fighter V comes with its own system known as the V-System. The system revolves around a red V-Gauge that can be spent to use defensive techniques such as V-Reversal and V-Shift or to activate a comeback mode or move known as V-Trigger.

There are 3 major ways in which you can fill this bar. It is filled by taking damage, by hitting a crush counter, or by using the V-Skill successfully. V-Skills can be used as many times as one wants at all times during the match, and players can select one of two V-Skills for each character, opening new ways to play them. So let’s review the definitive best V-Skills in the game.

10. Yoga Float (Dhalsim)

The Art of Yoga - SFV Dhalsim combos & mixups

Dhalsim is a very unique character in SFV, with stretching limbs and fire manipulation, able to switch from zoning to rushdown in the blink of an eye.

He has access to multiple zoning tools such as his long limbs and fireball projectiles and is equipped with techniques that allow for setups and mixups that often seem impossible to deal with, with his Yoga Teleport, Yoga Gale, and Yoga Samsara.

Since Dhalsim’s jump is very floaty, it can be very dangerous to jump with the character, and that’s where Yoga Float comes in. It allows Dhalsim to quickly get airborne and move while in the air, allowing him to teleport into and out of this state. 

He can use Yoga Float after jumping and can activate several moves while in Yoga Float. This adds a whole extra layer to Dhalsim’s movement, as he can freely “dance” in the air for much longer than any character in the game. He can also cancel moves such as EX Yoga Flame into Yoga Float to extend combos or simply get better oki.

9. Saikyo-Style Otokoboe (Dan)

SFV: Dan Tips - V-Skill 2 Combos & Uses

Dan is an originally comedic character that was intended as a joke towards Capcom's rival company in the 90s, SNK. He is a shoto with really weird fireballs and frame date and his gameplay is based around his taunts.

Taunting in Street Fighter is usually seen as against the spirit of competition, and we seldom see players taunting in real matches. Taunts are really only seen during very specific situations, but for Dan, they’re the bread and butter of his entire playstyle.

Saikyo-Style Otokoboe may seem like just one more of Dan’s signature taunts, but it is much more than that. You can actually cancel the recovery frames of a normal move into the taunt, and then cancel the start-up frames of the taunt itself into another normal move. 

If you do this right, you won’t even see the taunt come out and Dan is able to link normals into other normals that wouldn’t normally connect. This allows him to get incredible pressure with unorthodox frame traps, especially in the corner, extra damage from stray hits, and additional hits to hit-confirm into his combos.

8. Tsutenda (Akira)

Akira Combo Video

Akira is originally from the game Rival Schools, and she’s a footsies-based character that is highly technical and requires extra situational awareness to be played masterfully.

Her combos can be completely different depending on whether the opponent is crouching or standing when they’re hit, so it can be tricky for newer players to get consistent with the character. On top of incredible footsies tools such as great normals, fantastic walk speed, and hit confirmable buttons and links, she can also implement setups with V-Trigger I and mixups with V-Trigger II.

Akira’s V-Skill II, Tsutenda, is essentially a super launcher that allows her to jump right after the launch to initiate extended air combos that can deal big damage for long periods of time. These air combos leave a huge amount of room for creativity as the options while opponents are airborne are seemingly endless, and you will often see top players using completely different combos from one another. 

She can use Tsutenda off of target combos or crush counters, and she can easily conjugate any of her V-Triggers with Tsutenda, meaning that not only she can initiate these long combos multiple times during a match, but she also develops new routes to follow depending on her resources.

7. Blocking (Gill)

Gill Parry Punishes

Gill is the leader of the Illuminati faction and the final boss of the Street Fighter III games, a man who can control both fire and ice. In SFV, he’s back and with completely new mechanics.

Gill is a mid to long-range character who lacks crush counters but is incorporated with the unique system of Retribution. Retribution grants his moves extra attributes when a fire move hits a frozen opponent or when an ice move hits a burned opponent, allowing him to extend combos and get big chunks of damage and stun, as well as meter building.

In reference to his Street Fighter III days, Gill’s V-Skill II, Blocking, is essentially a parry. There are more characters in the game who have the ability to parry or pseudo-parrying moves like Ryu, Alex, Akuma, Abigail, and R. Mika, but Gill’s Blocking is the best of them all.

You see, Gill’s parry has a startup of only 2 frames followed by 9 long active frames, so it’s easier to react and time his parry in comparison to all the other guys. By successfully parrying an attack, Gill can instantly punish it with one of his combos, making his opponents think twice before attacking Gill even with a safe-on-block, or multi-hitting move.

6. Culminated Power (Necalli)

Necalli - V-Skill 1 Guide

Necalli is an evil character that was introduced in Street Fighter V, an Aztec demon-like being who exists solely to devour the souls of powerful warriors.

Necalli is a kitchen sink character, having access to every tool a Street Fighter character would want. He has a command grab, a dive kick, a forward-moving special that can even nullify projectiles, a DP, and more; and most of his gameplan revolves around playing solid in neutral until he can activate V-Trigger and become an entirely stronger character in all planes.

One of his most useful tools has to be his Culminated Power V-Skill, which is a move that has Necalli pounding the ground, thus creating a shockwave that will appear from underneath the opponent, very similar to Crimson Viper’s Seismic Hammer. You can even control the distance that Culminated Power will hit, permitting you to use it based on reads on the opponent’s movement. Culminated Power is also significantly engorged during Necalli’s V-Trigger mode.

This can be used in neutral as an extended button, as a combo extender, as a means to whiff punish things that normally couldn’t be punished, as an unorthodox long-ranged projectile, or most notably as an anti-zoning tool, as it doesn’t need to clash with obstacles in the way to hit the opponent. It is so much part of Necalli’s identity as a character that it could easily be changed into a special move, rather than a selectable V-Skill.

5. Cartwheel (Poison)

SFV CE: How Poison Utilises Cartwheel

Poison, hailing from the Final Fight series, made a late debut in Ultra Street Fighter IV and is now a top-tier character in Street Fighter V. Her execution can be daunting to some so we don’t see as many Poison players as you’d expect though.

She fights with a whip, granting her a longer range than the vast majority of the cast, and she has access to some of the absolute best anti-air options in the game. Poison can play high-low mind games at long range, has multiple combo routes when she’s on the offensive, can exercise some ridiculously scary 50/50s with her EX Heart Raid and has access to painful, unscaled damage with her V-Trigger I Molotov cocktails. She is as dangerous up close as she is far away, and she can easily manipulate her distance from the opponent.

As if she didn’t have enough tools already, they gave her the Cartwheel, which is essentially a cartwheel than can also be extended into an upkick that puts the opponent in a juggle state. 

Cartwheel can be used to extend combos, switch sides with the opponent during combos, or simply switch sides with the opponent when at the right position. Poison can also use Cartwheel after a knockdown for improved oki, and she gets fantastic oki in situations that would normally not be so advantageous.

4. G Barrier (G)

SFV - HOW TO PLAY AS G

The self-proclaimed President of the World, G is an enigmatic character with a unique system in Street Fighter V. Tall, with great normals, excellent anti-airs, and fantastic corner carry, G is a force to be reckoned with.

He works with what is called a Presidentiality Level. He starts with Presidentiality Level 1 and can charge himself up all the way to Level 3. With each level, his special moves change in properties, but each time that G is knocked down he loses a Level. G players need to constantly choose between going for oki or to up their Presidentiality Level, taking many factors into consideration.

His V-Skill I, G Barrier, is by far his most popular choice, as he creates a massive orb of golden energy around his body, protecting from any incoming attacks or projectiles. G can also activate G Barrier while airborne, and it can be used as a solid anti-air against cross-ups if activated at the correct timing, as it covers all angles around G’s body. 

During Maximum President, his V-Trigger I, G has access to all his Level 3 moves with meter-free cancels between them, for a set duration correspondent to the Presidentiality Level he had upon activation. During this mode, G Barrier becomes a massive projectile that can be shot horizontally or from the skies, opening an array of fresh options for him to use, from fishing conversions to combo extensions.

3. Crime Sway (Cody)

Street Fighter V CE Cody V-Skill 2 guide

Originally a Final Fight character, Cody Travers started as a reckless brawler, fighting to survive in the slums of Metro City and setting off on the path to rescue his then-girlfriend, kidnapped by the Mad Gear Gang. Cody’s unhinged behavior has led him to be locked up for several years, but he has climbed his way up in society to become the current Mayor of Metro City.

In Street Fighter V, he is a footsies character with fantastic buttons and an outstanding capability to make great conversions, making the tiniest hit suddenly turning in massive damage and good corner carry. He is known to have 2 equally useful V-Triggers, so he’s viable in multiple ways, and he has access to the terrifying Zonk Knuckle, which he can release at any time to exert pressure, extend combos, and create new conversions.

His Crime Sway V-Skill allows Cody to dodge high or low moves of any kind. Hits, grabs, projectiles, it doesn’t matter, they will just go through Cody’s body. Cody can instantly follow up with a specific Crime Sway strike, granting him easy punishes. 

The Crime Sway punch can also be cancellable into special moves, so its true potential blossoms during combos. In fact, Crime Sway is probably the best combo extension V-Skill in the entire game, given the number of possibilities and new conversions that Cody gets by using it. It’s simultaneously the perfect offensive and defensive tool.

2. KKB (Balrog)

Balrog V Skill 1 and Mixups surrounding it

Balrog, known as Mike Bison in Japan, is a classic Street Fighter character who was first introduced as a sub-boss in Street Fighter II as one of the 4 Kings of Shadaloo.

Balrog is a vicious fighter with great walk speed and fast dashes, who can manipulate the spacing in any match with excellence. Spacing is a fundamental part of his game plan, as it even dictates if his Dash Straight, his main form of attack is safe or not on block. He can swiftly change between ruthless pressure and turtling defense, and his damage output can be ridiculous.

His KKB is a forward-moving spin that will dodge incoming attacks and it is Balrog’s main tool to deal against projectiles. It has two different follow-ups, being them the Buffalo Swing and Buffalo Pressure. Buffalo Swing is a powerful hook that can be used as an instant counter-attack after a successful KKB dodge, much like Cody’s Crime Sway punch attack. Buffalo Swing can also be used to extend juggle combos and allow for ridiculous corner carry. As for Buffalo Pressure, it is an overhead attack that has enough hitstun to allow Balrog to convert it into a combo on hit.

KKB can be canceled out of the first hit of EX Dash Straight, granting Balrog combo extensions, resets, and a multitude of mix-ups on block. You can also cancel the start-up frames of Dash Straight or Dash Grand Blow into KKB for better oki after a knock-down or full-screen mixups. There’s no escape.

1. Volty Line (Laura)

Laura using V-Skill 1

Laura Matsuda is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who is also the older sister of Street Fighter III character Sean. She can infuse lighting into her attacks and her most damaging moves are command grabs.

Being the ultimate mix-up character, Laura thrives on correct reads and keeping the opponent guessing wrong. She is very scary at close range, where she can use her Sunset Wheel command grab for big damage and can maneuver her way in the neutral game with her slow-moving Thuderclap projectiles, which can be used to keep the opponent from moving or attacking, as well as post-knockdown or post-stun setups.

With Volty Line, her go-to V-Skill option, Laura's strengths are greatly amplified. First off, she gains access to an overhead kick that expands her mix-up game and that can be comboed into and out of during her Spark Show V-Trigger. Plus, she gets a command dash that can quickly move or forward or backward, as well as autoshimmy the opponent. 

This Linear Movement command dash can be canceled into from some of her normals, allowing her to backdash out of disadvantageous situations, open and close the distance at will, and most remarkably, it allows her to switch sides upon a reset mid-combo, constantly adding more layers to her devastating mix-up game plan.

Hopefully, this list helped you better understand these V-Skills and how they incorporate the structure of the characters they belong to.

There are so many cool V-Skill that it’s a shame there are some iconic ones that couldn’t make the list, such as Seth’s Tanden Engine, which allows him to steal abilities from his opponents, among other things.

All in all, these are probably the 10 most powerful and useful V-Skills in the latest version of Street Fighter V, and they are inseparable from their respective characters.

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