===================================
BLOODY ROAR 3 STRATEGY GUIDE v 2.4
FAQ teaches fundamental fighting strategies and tactics
===================================
Author: H2
E-mail: h2_huang@hotmail.com
Created: 1/8/02
Updated: 7/15/02
Suggested Reading Format: MS Word, Times New Roman, font size 12.
Disclaimer:
This FAQ is (c) 2002 Henry "H2" Huang.  Bloody Roar is (c) Hudson.  This FAQ
is intended for personal use only.  Do not reproduce or distribute any part of
this FAQ without explicit permission from the author.  To request permission,
simply e-mail me at h2_huang@hotmail.com.
===================================
FAQ QUALITY:
-----------------------------------
In this FAQ I share my own knowledge... plus strategies and tactics given by
TOURNAMENT-WINNING JAPANESE PLAYERS.  'Nuff said.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
-----------------------------------
Before starting this FAQ, make sure you know how to DO the basic things in BR:
how to use special moves, heavy guard, beastorize, etc.
TERMS NOTE:
-----------------------------------
In this FAQ, I often refer to "attack strings."  I am actually referring to
BR's "attack combinations" or "links," like P, P, P, K.  To me, if a sequence of
attacks isn't guaranteed to hit, it can't be called a "combo" or "link."
===================================
*********************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
*********************
I. GAME SYSTEM THEORY & FUNDAMENTALS
= General Gameplay
= Basic Structure of a Fight *updated*
= Movement *moved, updated*
II. DEFENSE
= Standing Heavy Guard: Escape Install *moved*
= Heavy Guard Weaknesses
= Guard Escape
= Guarding Your Back
= Defense on Recovery
= Defense on Stagger
= Run Away
= Attack Reversals
III. COUNTERATTACK
= Countering After Guarding
= Low Throws After Guarding d+P/Low Attacks
= Countering After Getting Hit *updated*
= Countering After Guard Escape *updated*
= Countering After Running Away
= Learning It
IV. ATTACK
= AbG Low Attacks, Guard Breaks, and Throws
= AbA General Theory
= AbA Interrupting Attacks
= Canceling Attacks to Psyche
= Canceling Attacks Because You Don't Want Them *updated*
= Canceling Attacks to Recover Faster
= Delaying Strings
= Attacking Off of Stagger
= Attacking for Movement
= "Custom" Strings *under construction*
= Anti Guard Escape Attacks
V. JUGGLING
= Juggling
= Juggle Recovery
VI. OTHER
= Beastorizing *updated*
= Hyper Beastorizing
= Beast Drive
= Pre-fight Movement
= Getting Up *updated*
= Stages and Strategy
= Frames
VII. CHARACTER ANALYSIS
= Alice *updated*
= Bakuryu
= Busuzima
= Gado *updated*
= Jenny
= Kohryu
= Long
= Marvel (Shina) *updated*
= ShenLong *updated*
= Stun *updated*
= Uranus
= Uriko
= Xion
= Yugo
VIII. UPDATE HISTORY
IX. RESOURCES/LINKS
***************************************************
******************************************
I. GAME SYSTEM THEORY
******************************************
***************************************************
In order to understand how a BR fight flows, we must understand the general
elements involved in a fight and how they are set up in relation to one another.
We must understand the general game theory.  It's not necessary to read this if
you have a basic understanding of 3D fighters.
===================================
Game System: General Gameplay
===================================
Actual BR gameplay revolves around three actions:
(attack) CAN beat (guard)
(attack) CAN beat (attack)
([guard/guard-escape] then counterattack) CAN beat (attack)
I'm not talking about RPS.  I'm saying that players will attempt to deal
damage and win the fight by successfully performing one of these three actions.
The success of each action is dependent on whether it is properly executed or
not (thus I say "CAN beat" and not absolute "beats").
Let's look at each component of BR gameplay and evaluate its value and
difficulty.  Please become familiar with each of the components, as I will refer
to them a lot throughout the FAQ.
-----------------------------------
(attack) beats (guard) : AbG
-----------------------------------
Refers to rushing someone down with a barrage of various attacks.  Playing a
pressure game with low attacks, guard breaks, throws, attack cancels, attack
delays, etc. can help break down an opponent's defense.
-----------------------------------
(attack) beats (attack) : AbA
-----------------------------------
This refers to playing footsie; both characters moving around sticking out
attacks in attempt to hit each other and trying to get into/maintain their ideal
fighting position, trying to start an attack, whatever.  Simply moving around is
also a big part of AbA.
-----------------------------------
(guard/guard escape then counterattack) beats (attack) : GbA
-----------------------------------
Guard or guard-escape your opponent's attack, then hit the enemy while they
are stuck in recovery animation, or hit them as they are starting their next
attack.
###############################
General Gameplay Summary:
###############################
BR gameplay is based on three actions:
(attack) beats (guard) : AbG
Rush down.
(attack) beats (attack) : AbA
Footsie.  Fighting for position/control.
(guard/guard escape then counterattack) beats (attack) : GbA
Guard/guard escape then counterattack.
===================================
GAME SYSTEM: Basic Structure of a Fight
===================================
Now that we know the main components of a game, we can put it all together and
see how BR fights work:
When the two fighters are at distances of well over two bodies apart from each
other (a range where most attack strings will whiff), they fight using AbA to do
damage and fight for position.  GbA is possible but not the focus.
There's a lot of free movement in Bloody Roar and lot of attack cancels.
You've also got quite a few characters whom, while in beast mode, can kill or
inflict severe damage off of a single error, especially on a human mode
character.  So what you have in long and midrange is probably a lot of feints
with attack cancels, a lot of movement to try to bait an attack.
It depends on the players, but long range fighting usually only lasts a few
seconds before someone attempts a rush down.
When characters are about two or less bodies away from each other, they go in
and out of AbA.  The fight usually ends up with one fighter attempting to rush
down (AbG) and the other fighter naturally reacting with GbA.  Yugo, Uriko,
Long, and other characters who depend more on attack strings and grabs over
power hits deal the majority of their damage at this range.
Get used to the idea that you will need to make use of AbG, AbA, and GbA to
fight effectively (though the balance among these options will vary according to
your character and situation).  Beginner players, in almost any fighting game,
try to fight exclusively through AbG and limited AbA.
###############################
Basic Structure of Fight Summary:
###############################
When fighters are at long distance:
AbA
Limited GbA
Often lots of baiting and feints.
Close distance:
Most of the fighting occurs at this range.
AbA
One fighter might attempt AbG while one reacts with GbA
===================================
GAME SYSTEM: Movement
===================================
-----------------------------------
3D Movement
-----------------------------------
Although I have not explored BR's 3D movement much, I'm pretty positive that
walking up or down on the Z axis does very little to dodge attacks, so it is
only a repositioning tool.    I have experienced incidents of accidental attack-
sidestepping successes before, but these are rare.  Note that BR: Primal Fury's
3D movement is supposedly much more effective than that in BR3's.
-----------------------------------
Dashing
-----------------------------------
Dashing is great in BR.  It is very flexible and allows for a fast, edgy
combat.
The distance and speed of dashing varies from character to character.  Each
character's back dash is about the same speed as his forward dash.  A single
back dash travels a specific distance and has recovery time.  Forward dashing
can go forever as long as you hold down forward, and will only stop and have
recovery time if you stop running or run into the opponent/wall.
However, dash recovery time is no problem:
You can cancel both forward and backward dashes at ANY time by pressing G.  It
will cause you to stop your dash and instantly be ready to do something else.
So what can you do with dashing?  Especially in the cases of characters with
long and fast dashes, you can dart back and forth with ease to get into a
desired position or mess up your opponent's aim.  (Best thing about BR3's
dashing is that there is no longer that stupid heavy guard sound effect whenever
you cancel your dash!)
The general weakness of dashing is that you can make yourself generally
vulnerable if you dash too much.  It does take a short amount of time to go from
a dash to a guard or whatever, so you can't overdo your dashing, especially in
close range combat.
Back dashing is a very useful method of getting away from attacks and
pressuring games.  Jenny troubling you with the Twist (on one leg kicks)?  Back
dash outta there.  Don't like the pressure Uriko is putting on you with her
circle combo?  Back dash outta there.  And the added plus, of course, is that
you can get attacks to whiff you entirely, then use some sort of AbA attack to
hit your opponent.
The most obvious weakness of back dashing is that you are going somewhere
fast.  Namely, into a corner or a wall.
Forward dashing can be used to move in fast or by surprise, but are generally
not as useful as back dashes because forward-momentum attacks are often a better
way to advance on your opponent.  Characters with fast dashes can certainly do a
dash into throw... we'll talk more about that later.
A forward dash can artificially increase the distance of attacks; hit people
from ranges where they think they're safe from you.  If you dash forward,
cancel, and do ShenLong's f+P (one arm swipe) he can really come in from a long
distance.
A forward dash can also be used simply to make up for the distance lost by
your back dash (to hold your position) or to counter your opponent's back dash.
eUriko wrote something like, "If one guy back dashes, and the other guy
forward dashes, the forward-dashing guy will get a run instead of a dash and he
can throw the other guy."  I dunno :P (maai.html).  But the point is, when the
opponent is doing too much back dashing, you can pursue them with either a
throw, a running attack, or an attack that has lots of forward momentum like a
pounce.
Naturally, dashing forward to chase a back-dasher is most effective when your
own character's dash is faster than the opposing character's dash.
###############################
Movement Summary
###############################
= Each character has unique dash speeds, distances, and recovery times.
= Dashes are instantly cancelable at any point by pressing G.
= Dashing is of course useful for fast re-positioning.  You can use back dashes
to get your opponent's attacks to whiff.  You can use forward dashing to sort of
enhance the range of your attacks or move in by surprise.  You can also use
forward dashing to chase down someone who is back dashing.
***************************************************
******************************************
II. DEFENSE
******************************************
***************************************************
Like most 3D fighters, Bloody Roar has what I call, "Defensive Focus."  All
that means is that defending in this game requires you to fall into an actively
defensive state instead of holding down-back on your controller.  Due to the
effectiveness of using evasive movements and the ease/frequency of using guard
escapes, BR3 plays with more of an "active" defense than other fighting games.
Still, standing around blocking is usually where your defense starts, so let's
take a look at it.
===================================
DEFENSE: Standing Heavy Guard: Escape Install
===================================
Originally, this section was about "Defending From Standing (Neutral) Guard."
But now I almost never use standing neutral guard.
In BR, there is a way to defend against all high-mid attacks, guard breaks,
and cheaps from one easy position.
If you are a fighting newbie, a "cheap" is when you throw someone, usually as
they are guarding in anticipation of receiving your attack.  This method of
throwing is not actually "cheap" or anything (especially not in today's "wimpy
throws" fighting games), the technique simply got that name as a reflection of
scrub's lack of ability to adapt to sensible tactics.
In BR, it is easy to avoid being thrown during a heavy guard.  Why?  You first
must realize that you can mash P+K to input a throw escape.  The regular
downside to mashing P+K is that you will do a missed throw animation, leaving
you vulnerable to attack.
Enter heavy guard throw with mashed P+K.  When holding G, you have no missed
throw animation.  For ease of reference, I will call the process of heavy
guarding and mashing P+K "Escape Install," or EI. ("Install" is a cool word,
hehehe)
By holding G (heavy guard) and mashing P+K, you are simultaneously achieving
two great things:
1. Standing heavy guard
2. Inputting a constant throw escape
With EI, guard breaks and regular throws cannot harm you, so you have
basically eliminated two of the three major vulnerabilities of light guarding.
You are invincible to all AbG except low attacks and command throws.
In eUriko's discussion of this technique, he outlines how EI affects BR.
1. Person who uses the technique first has the advantage (take the lead, then
turtle).
2. Attacks must be chosen more carefully
3. Command throw characters move up
4. Attacking low becomes more important
The biggest part of AbG is low attacks, and they remain a solid threat against
EI.  While it is easier to guard against low attacks in EI since you do not need
to consider throws and guard breaks, it is still difficult.  Moreover, you can't
retaliate as effectively from an EI heavy guard as opposed to light guard,
especially since you are already busy mashing P+K.
When you are guarding low attacks, it is highly recommended that you switch to
a light guard.  Against low attacks, the primary counterattack is an instant low
throw, and it comes out too slowly from a crouching heavy guard.
Also, it takes a couple of additional frames to go into heavy guard as opposed
to neutral guard.
###############################
Escape Install Summary
###############################
= "Escape Install" is the act of heavy guarding while mashing P+K.
= By holding G (heavy guard) and mashing P+K, you are simultaneously achieving
two things:
1. standing heavy guard
2. inputting a constant throw escape
===================================
DEFENSE: Heavy Guard Threats
===================================
Naturally, EI isn't perfect.  It's beaten with command grabs and low attacks,
and if you want a solid EI, you might end up tiring out your thumbs by mashing
P+K too fast and too often.  I'm serious.
-----------------------------------
Command Grab Throws:
hit because they can't be guarded
-----------------------------------
Command throws can be a pain.  Throw ranges are short but setups are numerous.
Throw attempts can often run into an attack since attacking in close range is
frequent in BR.
To counter a command grab you can crouch or jab like in Virtua Fighter/Tekken
(unless you're against Marvel and her low command grab).  Crouching is okay as
long as you don't crouch too early; your opponent can very easily switch to a
low throw by pressing df+P+K instead of f+P+K.
The best solution against command grabs is to stay out of throw range.  Use a
backwards walking heavy guard or back dash to get distance.  Keep the opponent
out by sticking out attacks.  You can of course, anticipate the command throw
and reverse it just by counter-throwing or attacking (but the less guesswork,
the better, right?).
Of special notice are Stun's chain throws (HCB+P+K and QCF+P+K).  If you get
caught by either throw, you can escape the next stage of the throw by pressing
P+K just before you receive damage from the current portion of the throw.  So
for Stun's HCB+P+K, you can escape by pressing P+K right before Stun slams you
into the ground with his leg grab.  If you miss that escape point, you can
escape the third part of the throw by pressing P+K right before Stun slams you
into the ground for a second time.
-----------------------------------
Low Attacks:
hit because they require you to low guard
-----------------------------------
Low attacks are the most annoying form of AbG.  The are usually used in close
range fighting, mixed in the rest of an offensive plan.  In order to properly
guard low attacks in BR, you need to recognize the attacks before they hit;
don't guess.  You should also know when attack strings can go low.  Luckily,
many strings follow a basic pattern of high/mid and low hitting, and most
characters mainly stick to certain patterns.  Low, low.  High low.  Etc.
If low attacks seem too difficult to guard to you, here's a solution you'll
like: stop guarding them!!  Yes, I am saying you should take a few low nicks
every once and a while, but I am also saying that you can use other methods
besides guarding to deal with low attacks.  Like the aforementioned backwards
movement, or guard escaping.
-----------------------------------
Thumb Stamina
-----------------------------------
There are some very human disadvantages to Escape Install.  You need to mash
P+K fast with your right thumb.  If you don't mash P+K/triangle button fast
enough, it's like a swiss cheese throw defense; full of holes.  Problem is,
mashing fast will not only tire out your thumb, it will also slow your ability
to hit any other buttons with your right hand.
Solutions?  For one, you should only EI when you're under the possible threat
of being thrown.  You don't need to EI when a slow character is three bodies
away from you because he can't suddenly grab you at that range.
###############################
Heavy Guard Threats:
###############################
= The three threats to standing heavy guard are:
command throws
low attacks
thumb stamina of the player
= Deal with command throws by staying out of throw distance, or anticipating
them and reversing them with counter-throws or an attack.
===================================
DEFENSE: Guard Escape
===================================
Guard escaping is one of the coolest and most exciting features of Bloody
Roar.  Right now, we will look at guard escaping without considering the
specifics of what you do afterwards.
-----------------------------------
General Properties of Guard Escape and Differences From Earlier BR's
-----------------------------------
This is for anyone who is coming from BR1 or 2.  Guard escapes have been
overall improved for gameplay.  Guard escapes occur very quickly, and if you
don't attack after guard escaping your escape won't even disrupt your opponent's
attacks.
This, combined with the general lack of ground combos in BR (everyone can
theoretically keep going back and forth guard escaping each other every two or
three attacks because most attacks don't combo), gives BR fights a flowing,
natural feeling.  I think it is truly much better than the "back and forth, I
attack and you sit there and guard" feeling in many fighting games.  That is not
to say you can't get trapped guarding in BR, or stuck in a corner, but it is
much more psychological then technical.  And indeed, you will see later that the
means of creating non-technical traps is pretty high in Bloody Roar.
Guard escapes are now much, much safer and easier to do and soooo versatile.
It's one-size-fits-all since f+G will guard escape low attacks and guard breaks
now.  You also don't need to be light-guarding to guard escape.  You can do it
at any relevant distance when your opponent is attacking.  You can do it anytime
you're not attacking, running, or in some sort of hit stun.  So you can walk
forward and guard escape.  You can jump and guard escape.  You can even do a
back dash, cancel it immediately, then immediately guard escape.  Very useful.
At the same time ground-based guard escapes offer significantly less reward
since rather than sidestepping your enemy (causing them to whiff off to nowhere
if they're doing a string) you stay, horizontally speaking, in the same place
(sometimes you hop over low attacks so you can have vertical movement).  If you
guard escaped part of an attack string, the next attack in the string can still
hit you.
This means that the counterattack situation in BR3 is opposite of that in BR2
and 1; you can now get much better counterattacks off of guard escaping single
hit slow attacks than fast strings.
On the plus side, you can guard escape into pretty much anything that isn't a
f,f attack.  You can guard escape into a back dash, a throw, a jump... even a
taunt if you have one.
Guard escaping is a very powerful technique in BR and learning it is as
significant as learning how to guard or beastorize.  Make sure you can do it and
do it well.
-----------------------------------
Basic Uses of Guard Escape
-----------------------------------
1. Can offer you a large counterattack window against slow attacks.
2. Gives you an opportunity to interrupt strings and go on offense.
3. Can be used as a general "cover" against opponent's attacks, like when you
are recovering from your own attacks or walking forward.
4. Makes opponent more hesitant to attack.
5. Can be used to handle low attacks, since no high/low judgement is needed.
6. Against some characters, it can be used as a universal reaction to their
attack mix ups (guard escape handles both Jenny's un-blockable BD and her strike
BD).
7. Can get you out of juggles
-----------------------------------
What to Guard Escape
-----------------------------------
What do you want to guard escape?  Anything that'll let you go on offense.
Even better, you want to guard escape anything that lets you pull off a phat
counterattack.  That's pretty vague, hunh?
"Slow Attacks"
Guard escape all attacks that have either slow recovery or have slow start up
and moderate/slow recovery.  Guard breaks are slow.  Some characters have slow
attack strings that you should guard escape: Gado, Marvel, Xion, and Stun
(against faster characters, AbA is usually better).  Circle combo characters are
sort of in the middle of the pack in terms of speed, and quite logically, you
use a combination of AbA and guard escapes to beat them.
"Find Constant Guard Escape Points"
There are usually ideal points to guard escape a string.  At the same time,
they are usually many BAD places to guard escape where you will probably just
end up getting hit if you try to counterattack afterwards.  Almost all non-
cancelable string finishers are an ideal guard escape targets since most have
slow recovery.  Otherwise, guard escape the attack right BEFORE any slow-startup
attack.
Usually if you have a stabilized point in a string to guard escape (like on a
specific attack), then you will be able to guard escape quite naturally and
consistently.  The earlier the guard escape, the better, since you do not know
if your opponent is going to do the entire string.
Of course, if you start guard escaping at the same point, you can be baited
into guard escaping, so it is a double-edged sword... as it should be.  I leave
true the details of handling guard escapes to you.
"Guard escaping after release or recovery"
A very standard fighting game strategy.  After trapping or putting a lot of
heat on your opponent.  You stop.  If they do the predictable thing and
immediately try to attack you (the equivalent of someone trying to jump or DP
their way out of a corner in SF), you just guard escape them and continue
putting on the pressure again.
"If you don't know how to handle it, guard escape it!"
Well, I'm not quite serious.  But if I don't know how to guard a string or
deal with an attack, I just guard escape it.  Example?  Bakuryu's f,b+P/K (up
the string run).  Bakuryu can do different things after running up that string.
Guard escape is a universal solution to whatever he does.
"Moving guard escapes"
I will discuss the uses of this in another section.
-----------------------------------
Executing and Timing Guard Escape
-----------------------------------
Now that you sort of know what to guard escape, let's talk about timing.  If
you time your guard escape too early, you can be hit by attacks even after guard
escaping.  This is especially true when you guard escape certain multi-hit
attacks, like Gado/Marvel quick one-legged kicks  (f+K strings) or attacks that
can be canceled into command attacks.  In general, when your opponent has the
"potential" of doing an attack that is hard to guard escape or hard to
counterattack after guard escaping, you obviously want to handle the attack with
some other method.
Whenever you are guard escaping fast attacks either from a guard or just from
standing position, press and hold G, then immediately press f.  This way, if you
mess up, you just get a heavy guard.  But if you mess up, don't bother pressing
G+f again, because there is a split second of "no guard escape time" (12 frames)
every time you mess up.
XXXXX
5/26/02: Correction.  Pressing G then f will only give you a heavy guard
animation, but the guard itself actually won't function if you keep holding
forward.  So though it might look like you are heavy guarding, any attack will
break through your heavy guard as long as you keep pressing forward.  The
technique is still not useless, because it gives you a split second of heavy
guard before the actual guard escape.
I apologize for not realizing this sooner.  Although, I think e was the one
who promoted this method of guard escape! (There's always someone to blame,
isn't there?) :P
XXXXX
You can also guard escape simply by VERY quickly pressing b, f or db, d, df
because the b and db motions register as heavy guards.  Unfortunately, since the
motions must be done so quickly, they are much harder to do than the G guard
escape and I consider them worthless.  On the positive side, some times this
method of guard escape accidentally comes out when your opponent is attacking
your back and you are trying to turn around.
###############################
Guard Escape Summary
###############################
= Basic Uses of Guard Escape
1. Can offer you a large counterattack window against slow attacks.
2. Gives you an opportunity to interrupt strings and go on offense.
3. Can be used as a general "cover" against opponent's attacks, like when you
are recovering from your own attacks or walking forward.
4. Makes opponent more hesitant to attack.
5. Can be used to handle low attacks, since no high/low judgement is needed.
6. Against some characters, it can be used as a universal reaction to their
attack mix ups (guard escape handles both Jenny's un-blockable BD and her strike
BD).
7. Can get you out of juggles
= Good things to guard escape are
1.  All slow-startup moderate/slow recovery attacks, slow recovery attacks.
2.  Slow points in attack strings.  Guard escape attacks that lead into slow-
startup attacks.
3. Specific attack points that you recognize.
4. Attacks that come as you release the pressure from your opponent or
recovering from your own attack.
5. Attacks you don't know how to guard
6. Attacks that come as you are moving around.
= Guard escape a string or initial fast attacks by holding G and quickly
pressing f.
===================================
DEFENSE: Guarding Your Back
===================================
It is absolutely critical that you are able to defend yourself when your
opponent is facing your back.  That is, assuming they have the initiative to
attack.  You have four major defensive options in this situation:
1. Beastorize
Let the invincibility and push-out effect save you.
2. Run away from or evade your opponent
Do a forward momentum attack (Long QCF+P hopping punch), run, jump, lie down.
All of these are viable options that can save you.  After running away, a
regular turn around is usually okay.  It is recommended that you run if you have
already have some distance between you and your opponent.
3. Guard Escape
If you do it right, you turn around instantly with your dodge animation.
Though guard escaping with your back turned might sound daunting, it is a very
good option and not that hard.  If you mess it up you might end up with our next
choice.  Remember that you must guard escape in the direction you are facing,
not towards the direction of the opponent.
4. Hit G as you are hit from behind.
This will automatically turn you around with heavy guard.  This is only
effective as you're being hit, so if the first back attack you receive is Gado's
QCB+P (Fire! Punch)... then you're probably dead.  I will often opt for the G
turn around when I mess up a guard escape attempt.
5. Attack
In this case, attacking is purely for defense.  Turn-around attacks are pretty
quick, though an obvious attack is often guard escaped and countered.  Attacking
for defense is not highly recommended unless you anticipate a back throw
attempt.  The majority of turn-around attacks are obvious, single-hits that are
easy for the opponent to guard escape/block and counter.
###############################
Guarding Your Back Summary
###############################
= Move away with runs, jumps, or attacks if you have distance between your
opponent.
= Guard escape if you are already in prime attack range.  If you mess up your
guard escape, try holding G and you will automatically turn around as you are
getting hit.
= If you anticipate a back throw, use a turn around attack.
===================================
DEFENSE: Defense on Recovery
===================================
-----------------------------------
Defense When Recovering From Your Attack
-----------------------------------
Realize that all of your attacks have recovery times, and during this time you
can get hit if your attack whiffed/was guarded/was guard escaped.
The only defensive measure you can take while recovering, particularly while
in a slow recovery, is to mash P+K for throw escape.  Learn to do this
automatically and naturally for as many points as you can.  Especially learn to
do it after slow recovery attacks or attack strings that you are purposely
stopping.
Let us consider your options as soon as you have recovered and are able to
move again.  In order from most dependable to least, you should consider these
options to protect yourself when your opponent is likely to attempt a
counterattack.
1. Beastorize
2. Guard escape
3. Guard
4. Guard attack
5. Lie down
6. A quick attack like d+P
If you look at those options, four of them deal damage to your opponent.  Two
of them, LD and guard escape, can easily lead to large damage.  Hence, I feel
these two options should be used more frequently than the others.  You can use
attacks with fast recovery times as bait for the enemy to attack and then
counterattack a guard escape or lie down.  But since this is the "Defense"
chapter I'll shut up now.
-----------------------------------
Defense When Landing
-----------------------------------
When a player is landing from a juggle, the natural tendency is for him to
drop into defense, right?  Hold G and EI.  It makes sense, because his opponent
has the current attack advantage; if he tries to attack he'll get countered.
This is a common scenario in a number of fighting games so lets think about
it.  If your opponent is any good, he knows that you probably want to stand
there and defend after landing.  In other fighting games, that would mean he
would throw you.  In BR, it means he will command grab you or hit you with low
attacks.
I just want you to be aware of that, because dealing with it is all mind
games.  Stay sharp.
===================================
DEFENSE: Defense on Stagger
===================================
Like most 3D games, you can recover from being staggered and guard your
opponent's follow up attack.  You definitely won't be able to recover from all
staggers, but hey, the more the better right?  And you should definitely learn
to recover from frequently used staggers.
One way to recover quickly is to simply rotate the directional pad around
(touching all four points) and then press G to guard the opponent's stagger
follow up attack.  Only one rotation of the directional pad is needed to recover
from most staggers (Busuzima is the only character I know who has "power
staggers" that require more than one rotation to escape).  You can also just
shake the directional pad or press buttons but that might result in accidental
release of an attack.  You do not need to input that many button presses to
recover from a stagger.  It is just a matter of recognizing you have been
staggered and acting immediately.
I suggest you go into EI after recovering, but in many cases you'll even have
enough time to guard escape the follow up attack and make an awesome
counterattack.  Sometimes recovering into a guard escape is your only
intelligent option, like if you are staggered from behind and thus cannot guard
anything.
If, for whatever reason, you anticipate the opponent's stagger follow up to be
a low attack, you can just rotate the directional pad on the bottom directions
(df, d, db) before guarding.
###############################
Defense on Stagger Summary
###############################
= To recover from stagger, rotate the directional pad once.  For Busuzima's
staggers, mash wildly to recover.
= After recovering from stagger, going into EI is recommended, but actions like
a guard escape are also possible.
===================================
DEFENSE: Run Away
===================================
This is sort of defense, but not really.  By "run away" I simply mean you make
an effort to avoid contact with your opponent by moving out of their range of
attack.  The best defense against super beasts is certainly running away, and
when being rushed down, you might just want to run away.
Running away has some solid benefits:
1. You are avoiding conflict with your enemy.
2. If you are in beast mode, you can regain life while running away.
3. You can get counterattack opportunities.
4. You can get some temporary breathing space.
And the down side of running away:
1. You are avoiding conflict with your enemy.
2. Running away usually has a moderate-high risk of getting hit.
Pretty self explanatory, I hope.  I'll just explain reason #1: "avoiding
conflict."  If you're behind in life and the clock is ticking, you probably need
to go on the offensive in a fight unless you can get that life back at the last
minute through a beast drive.  That's when avoiding conflict is bad since you
have to deal damage.  But if you have plenty of time left, or are against a
super beast, then avoiding conflict can be good.
-----------------------------------
General Run Away
-----------------------------------
As mentioned in the Movement section, a regular back dash or backwards walk
away from your opponent can also provide you with some space.  It is a vital
tactic against some characters.
If you are in beast mode and have exceptional jumping ability, you can run
away simply by jumping around.  You can guard or guard escape anything that
threatens you while you're in the air.
If you have some space and some daring, you can use a move that leaves you
with your back turned (like Stun f, f+K step forward kick) and then immediately
run like a monkey.  This is especially good for Bakuryu/Kohryu in beast form,
since he's got that zippity-zip back turned run (d+B).
Less common is using moves that leave you on your back.  When you are on the
ground, not only are you invulnerable to everything except ground attacks (plus
a few low pecks), but you can also roll off to wherever you want.  In BR2, Stun
u+K (flip over kick land on back), was a key part of his overall runaway
strategy (Stun is no longer a run away character in BR3).
Finally, some moves/attacks automatically create distance between you and your
opponent.  Alice d, u+K (backward flip) is an example.
-----------------------------------
Running Away From/Avoiding Attack Strings
-----------------------------------
The most realistic way of running away from a rush down is to back dash or
walk back before it even hits you.  Some players like to start up an attack
string at a whiffing distance and use the forward momentum of the string to
approach you.  You can simply back dash while they are whiffing and possibly
attack them as they continue whiffing towards you.
To run away in the middle of a rush down, guard/guard escape some of the
attacks and then back dash during an opening.  Or you can just start walking
backwards.
Note that the effectiveness of running away from a string depends on the speed
of your own character's back dash and the forward momentum of the opponent's
attack string.  Yugo often rushes forward with his attack, so it is quite futile
to try back dashing away from him while he's attacking.  In contrast, Jenny is
very immobile while in her QCF+P (on one leg kicks) so it is quite effective to
move away from her if you find an opening.
If you are in beast form you can also jump straight up as the attack string
begins, or I suppose you could jump in the middle of the string if it is slow.
In the finals of the second Alpha Station Tourney (see Links), immediately as
the last round began, Thermo (Alice) jumped straight up over eUriko's Circle
Combo.  Thermo landed with a clear shot at eUriko's back so he busted out a
stagger hit into wall juggle for an awesome 95% damage!
###############################
Run Away Summary
###############################
Benefits:
Avoiding conflict
Regain life in beast mode
Breathing space
Counterattack opportunities
Demerits:
Avoiding conflict
Risk of getting hit
= For general run away, you can jump, turn your back and run, fall on the ground
and roll, move backwards by dashing or walking, or use a move that creates
distance between you and your opponent.
= To "run away" from whiffed strings, you can back dash or walk away before the
string connects.  The effectiveness of this tactic depends on how fast your
character can back dash and the forward momentum of your opponent's attack
string.
= To run away in the middle of guarding an attack string, you can guard/guard
escape then back dash or just walk backwards.
= You can jump straight up (in beast) before a string begins.
===================================
DEFENSE: Attack Reversals
===================================
Few characters possess attack reversals, or even prominent attack reversals;
but they still deserve a quick mention.
You can use them while guarding a string, recovering from your own attack...
just anytime you anticipate a normal attack from the opponent.
The real thing I want to point out is that attack reversals tend to have
delayed reversal attack time.
For example, Marvel can do QCFx2 +B (beast drive attack reversal) AFTER
guarding certain attacks, like low slides (Thermo, naganuke.html).  Man, it's
crazy.  I hate that beast drive!!  :P
One good way for Stun to use his attack reversal is to simply do it AFTER he
has light guarded an attack, because the reversal will still come out on slow
single hit attacks.  If the attack is too fast to get reversed, it is usually an
attack in a string, so the following attack in the string will get reversed.
###############################
Attack Reversals Summary
###############################
= You can do attack reversals AFTER guarding and still have the reversal come
out.
***************************************************
******************************************
III. COUNTERATTACK
******************************************
***************************************************
This is it.  If you have great retaliation skill then you are on your way to
becoming a great BR player.  If you are not hitting your opponents when they are
recovering it is like giving them free energy or allowing them to stay in
control and abuse your puny behind.
You must have your counterattacks down pat to make sure people can't trap you.
Even if you're backed into the wall, a character with good traps can't
technically lock you down for more than a couple of hits, but there's little
push-out effect for guarding in this game, or rather, most attacks rush forward
and go past any push out effects.  So if you don't know how to quickly identify
openings and counterattack, then your opponent will be in your face forever.
While it is impossible to take advantage of every single retaliation
opportunity, cashing in on as many counterattack opportunities as possible will
help your game greatly.
A lot of people don't effectively counterattack in any fighting games.  In
modern Street Fighter, how many players out there are going to hit you with a
level three super after blocking your close-up Hadouken or c.HK?  Why do scrubs
fear Tekken's Eddy Gordo?  They have no idea how to counterattack him during his
gazillion openings.
In BR, many matches are won on counterattacks that lead to mega juggles or big
hits.  *it's breath taking*
===================================
COUNTERATTACK: Countering After Guarding
===================================
Counterattacking is a big part of 3D fighters that leads many of people to
start counting frames like monkeys.    Countering after guarding has lost much
of its prominence in BR3 due to the superiority of the new guard escape, but it
is still useful.  There are two things you want to know to counter after
guarding.  You have to know what you can counter with and you have to execute
your counter.
Remember a single-hit attack loses its ability to hit you as soon as you guard
it.  Well, actually the attack window can last 1 frame or 2 frames, or maybe
even 6 frames... but those are all undetectable by human reaction.
It's probably better to try to use "easy" counterattacks.  If you low guard
something with Long, just roll your left thumb up to f and press K to
counterattack with QCF+K.  Very convenient, very easy.  Make sure you take
advantage of buffering motions, too.  So if you are using Gado and you want to
f,f+K (rising knee) after guarding, input the f,f motion while you are still
guarding.  Release G and press K as soon as the attack has hit.  Then the f,f+K
can come out as an immediate counterattack.
Also recognize that many attacks lose their hit ability before they have
noticeably retracted.  Gado's QCB+P ("Fire!" punch) is an example.  If it
whiffs, do not wait for Gado's arm to start retracting to start your
counterattack.  You can attack a moment after Gado's arm has shot out
(obviously, know the exact timing and distance of QCB+P... or you will just run
into it! ).
And of course it's useless to have good timing if you don't have a good
counterattack.
Although you can use some general rules to determine the specific move you use
to counterattack, maximizing your retaliation abilities will require that you
recognize specific attacks and know how to retaliate against them.
I will provide a few general solutions based on the opponent's position and
the recovery speed of his attack.
All of these assume you have just light guarded an attack or heavy guarded a
guard break.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
OPPONENT: in standing slow recovery right next to you or within half body away
EX: Gado running P (shoulder tackle); Long d, d +P (Bruce Lee punches circle
combo finisher); power attacks done at close range (Gado QCF + P); getting up K
(universal forward flip kick); something air borne (Alice QCF+P twirly jump);
most Beast Drives
-----------------------------------
YOU: throw, powerful strike/launcher attack (Alice QCF + B), pounce attack
(Gado/Marvel QCF+B), rushing strike (Yugo/Bakuryu QCF+B), quick strike Beast
Drive (Bakuryu, Yugo, Alice, etc), combo string (Bakuryu f, f+K...), drop kick
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
OPPONENT: standing in moderate length recovery right next to you or within half
body away
EX: Long b+K (two hit pop kick circle combo finisher); Bakuryu b+B (quick
downward slash); string finishers like Xion Px5
-----------------------------------
YOU: pounce attack, rush strike, quick-start combo string (Gado P, P, f+P),
throw
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
OPPONENT: standing slow recovery at two to three bodies away
EX: complete whiff of some sort of power hit move, like Gado/Marvel QCB + B;
Yugo QCB + K (flip kick); of a whiffed guard attack (Bakuryu QCB + P)
-----------------------------------
YOU: run forward cancel into throw, run into long range strike attack (Stun QCF
+ K), pounce attack, rushing strike, running attack (Alice running B launcher
kick), forward hopping drop kick (uf, f+K)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
OPPONENT: crouching or "lying down" slow to moderate recovery right     next to
you or closer than half body away
EX: Long db+P, db+K or f, f+K (sweep kick); Marvel d+B (low slash) or missed
ground d+P (elbow drop); Alice/Jenny db+K (two-legged sweep), Bakuryu P, P, d+K
(punch into low kick); Busuzima d + B, B (low head butt); Stun d, d, B (low
rush); running low attacks (slide attacks); some of Uriko's attacks; most
character's d+P low jab
-----------------------------------
YOU: low throw, quick mid attack (Long df + P, P and many df attacks)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
OPPONENT: turned around crouching after an attack
EX: Bakuryu, Jenny turning around punches
-----------------------------------
YOU: quick mid attack Gado B, B (slashes); low throw
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
-----------------------------------
Counterattacking While Guarding in the Middle of an Attack String
-----------------------------------
If you looked carefully at the examples of "attacks that you can counterattack
after guarding" that I've given, you'll notice they're mostly special moves,
string finishers, or single hit attacks.  It is possible to counterattack
someone in the middle of guarding their strings too.
It is not quite the same as interrupting the string (which is discussed in the
Attack section), because the purpose is to hit the opponent as they are
recovering from an attack.  Counterattacking in the middle of a string is pretty
limited, but can be very awesome.
For example, if you light guard the start of Busuzima P, P... string (arm
swing punches); you can back throw him immediately as he is recovering from his
second P (assuming he doesn't cancel the recovery time of the P with a command
attack).  This can be done regardless if Busuzima tries to continue the string
or not, because you are hitting him in his recovery.
###############################
Countering After Guarding Attacks Summary:
###############################
= When timing a counterattack, realize that you are free to move as soon as a
single-hit attack has made contact with your guard.
= Fast mid attacks with forward momentum, like pounces or rushing strikes, work