PREFACE
Hello, brave soul who dares to journey into the savage minds of the strongest Amazonian warriors! You have stumbled across the Bible of the Wild, a structured compendium of everything you need to know about how to be a skillful predator in the Amazon jungle! With this book, you shall learn to not only overcome your growing pains within the wild, but eventually stand your ground and make your mark as the almighty king of the jun-
okay idk where I’m going with this lol.
sup guys, this is Wolfgang. I’ve had a lot of people ask for a handy Blanka guide to read on for various reasons: to pick my brain and knowledge of the character, to understand their opposing matchups, etc. Well it’s finally here. Mind you, this definitely took me months to settle on completing, so consider this more of a living document more than anything. Since SFV is currently an ongoing game, there will definitely be odds and ends updated as time marches on.
With that being said, let’s (forward) hop to it!
BLANKA
NAME: Jimmy Blanka
HEIGHT: 6’4 (192cm)
WEIGHT: 216 lbs (98kg)
OCCUPATION: Blanka-Chan Merchandiser
STYLE: Feral movement, electric attacks
SKILLS: Hunting, electric discharge
HEALTH: 1000 STUN: 1000
STRENGTHS
- excellent mobili ok huh kity options and corner escape
- solid damage/stun output
- (somewhat) easy to pick up and learn
- element of surprise factor
- comebacks more prevalent with V-Trigger
WEAKNESSES
- awkward/difficult normals to master for neutral throughout the cast
- can become uncomfortably predictable
- abusing pressure at high level requires execution cap (Piano input)
- 4f character
- hard to play on gamepad for most
DESCRIPTION
Blanka has had various iterations of himself slightly altered throughout his experience in the Street Fighter franchise. While not counting crossover or team games, this honestly feels like [one of] the strongest versions Blanka has ever been in SF overall, alongside SF2. And while that may not seem intimidating at first, his archetype has definitely flourished enough to the point where it’s “tolerated” at best in the current SFV meta.
Blanka’s main goal is to prey on the weak and confused. Classified by most as a stealthy, hit-and-run “trollish” character, his abrasive mid-range pokes and sporadic specials can give him an unprecedented edge versus his opponent. Couple that with his upclose electric thunder, and the fact that he now has a full screen command grab, he can catch anyone off guard who isn’t totally ready. And that’s where he strives the most, to be honest.
Unfamiliarity.
However, striving from this taboo attribute can be both a blessing and a curse. For the players who have done their homework (ironically heightening that possibility with this guide lol), you’ll most likely be forced into a stalemate of raw fundamentals in order to clutch out wins.
And it’s possible! That’s part of the reason why we’re here.
KEY
| ABV. | MOVE | VERSION | VARIANTS |
| LB | Rollng Attack(aka Ball/Forward Ball) | Light | MB, HB, EXB |
| MUB | Vertical Rolling(aka Upball) | Medium | LUB, HUB, EXUB |
| HRB | Back Step Rolling(aka Rainbow Ball) | Heavy | LRB, MRB, EXRB |
| EXElec | Electric Thunder(aka Elec/Electric) | EX | Elec, EXElec |
| WH | Wild Hunt(aka command grab) | LWH, MWH, HWH, EXWH | |
| CA | Critical Art -Dynamic Rolling | ||
| TCa/TCb | Target Combo | Raging Bash 1st/Raging Bash 2nd | |
| ARR | Amazon River Run(aka Slide) | ||
| OH | Overhead -Rock Breaker | ||
| CWC/CWC | Coward Crouch (Vskill) | Normal/Held | |
| Hop | Surprise Forward | ||
| Backhop | Surprise Back | ||
| Lift | Wild Lift (Vskill > P) | ||
| Raid | Raid Jump (Vskill > K) | ||
| VT1 | V-Trigger 1 -Jungle Dynamo | ||
| VT2 | V-Trigger 2 -Lightning Beast | ||
| c | Beast Cannon(aka Cannon/VT2 Ball) | f, df, d, db, b, ub, u, uf | df+c |
GAMEPLAN
You’ve probably heard various opinions about how bad Blanka’s “neutral” is. He doesn’t really have a comfortable range he can sit at that doesn’t involve mid to full screen, but that’s okay! He isn’t meant to always be up in his opponents’ face unless the time is right. He’s meant to be unpredictable and agile when it matters, no matter what the skill level.
Here’s a few things to keep in mind during battle with Blanka:
ZONING AND POKING
st. LP
This is a really good tool for antagonizing the opponent if they’re looking for a way in, or to stop their slower active/counter pokes by cancelling into HP Ball. Staggering with this button is also a good option depending on the situation, as Blanka has a better forward walk speed than his back walk.
Strats:
st. LP xx HB
st. LP stagger/pokes
st. LP xx Hop (fake pressure)
st. MP
Another go-to active poke that preemptively shuts down buttons from mid range, and also act as a quick whiff punish to tack on damage and meter build. 0 on block, +3 on hit, low risk when spaced right, and moderate reward to aggravate your opponent.
Strats:
st. MP stagger/pokes
st. MP (on hit) xx VT, CA
st. HP
Probably one of your most used normals when playing Blanka, standing heavy punch is the hit confirm god when used in sync with his patented Coward Crouch (which we’ll get to soon) and his Electric Thunder. If you set your space traps correctly and/or can be aware of your opponents’ button timings, it can be a great whiff punisher into Wild Lift.
NEW!! With Blanka’s st. HP now being 10f instead of 11f, it completely mimics M. Bison’s st. HP and can also be used as such. With a giant cancel window, it can be hit confirmed into HP Ball if a charge was kept.
Strats:
st. HP xx Lift
st. HP (on block) xx CWC > Backhop
cr. LK
One thing Blanka really benefits from is having light attacks that cover a good amount of range. Cr. LK is no exception, as the hitbox extends forward past the hurtbox for 3 active frames. Great for shutting down surprise approaches like Balrog’s EX Dash Straight, or sneaky advantageous pressure like Laura’s Thunder Clap strings.
This is also a special normal since, the only special that can be cancelled from it is Electric Thunder/EX Electric Thunder.
Strats:
cr. LK xx EXElec
cr. MK
A quicker, more fundamentally-approved normal, cr. MK is a great low that can be used for hit confirming inbetween electric strings, whiff punishing, or even hit confirming after CA if the opponent doesn’t know that Blanka has a guaranteed meaty afterward.
Strats:
cr. MK xx Backhop
cr. MK xx LUB
cr. MK xx EXElec, HB
HP Blanka Ball (Forward Ball)
One of Blanka’s classic whiff punishing specials, the heavy strength version of Blanka Ball strikes fear into the unprepared at a high-speed 8 frame startup. Use this to whiff punish your opponents’ attacks with laggy recovery frames where you usually couldn’t reach them with a standard normal.
ANTI-AIRS/AIR-TO-AIRS
cr. MP
Blanka’s second best anti-air, and probably one of the best in the game (next to Birdie cr. MP). It can also act as a secondary whiff punisher when defending vs attacks that have lower hurtboxes.
TIP: you can use cr. MP as a corner escape—or a way to keep an opponent cornered if they try jumping out—by cancelling the first two active frames into forward hop! Great tool.
Strats:
cr. MP anti air (first two active frames) xx Hop
st. HK
For those tricky jumps that either have a great downward hitbox, OR abusive jump attacks from farther out, st. HK covers a great range both in front of him, and right above him, while simultaneously shrinking his hurtbox. It can stop approaches such as Guile’s j. HK, Birdie’s delayed j. HK, a handful of ambiguous jumps like Sakura/Kage/Vega, and other hard-to-anti air specials like Zeku’s Bushin Flip and M. Bison’s VT1 EX Stomp.
Strats:
st. HK (anti-air vs oppressive jumps from directly above or far away)
Vertical Rolling (Upball)
Playing lame with Blanka is nothing new in his archetype, at has been shown from his legacy that anti-airing with Upball does a great job at controlling certain parts of the screen.
In SFV, you will utilize Upballs in ways that hardly any other SF character can (apart from Rashid). LK and MK Upball is great for sniping opponents who like to jump away and create space from imminent grounded approaches, whereas HK Upball covers the area right above him in vertical fashion, and EX Upball shuts down any kneejerk threat from the air that would usually be hard to react to without any form of physical invulnerability. Think of Cammy’s EX Divekick/EX Hooligan > Divekick/VT1 Divekick.
Strats:
LK Upball (for far away snipes)
MK Upball (for slightly closer snipes)
HK Upball (for anti-airing directly above)
EX Upball (for shutting down threats from air with priority)
j. LK/j. LP/j. MP/Neutral j. HP
All 4 of these air normals serve their purpose for controlling the air, with j. MP and Neutral j. HP being a good air check from at least a backdash away, along with j. LK and j. LP resetting neutral vs ambiguous jump-ins that serve a purpose to obstruct the average anti air that would cover directly above Blanka, or serve oppressive priority in some manner (Sakura j. MK, Juri j. LK/MK, Cammy EX Divekick, M. Bison EX Devil Reverse, Kage j. MK)
Strats:
j. LK/j. LP (works vs ambiguous jump-ins with oppressive priority that would otherwise beat your other anti-airs)
j. MP/Neutral j. HP (solid air checks from spaced distances)
~o~o~o~o~o~
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
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(pls ignore info below, not updated)
PrefOki and follow ups
Normal Recovery (Quick rise)
Electric:
- Dash – Dash (+6) – Bait opponent reversals. Shimmy opportunity.
2
- Dash – Dash – st.LK (Normally +4) (Meaty +7) (Counter +9)
A. Raging Bash target combo (187 dmg) [See target combo Oki.]
B. cr.MP xx Electric combo (154 dmg) [Oki repeat. Mixup opportunity.]
C. cr.MK – st.LP xx HP Roll combo [See HP Roll Oki.]
D. cr.MK – st.LP xx EX Roll – LP Roll combo (1 Meter)
[Charge direction: Mid screen : Back to Back. Corner: Back to Front.]
E. (Counter) Sweep
F. (Counter) CA [Link]
3. Dash – Overhead (Normally +2) (Meaty +3) (Counter +5)
A. (Counter) st.LP xx HP Roll Combo (149 dmg)
B. (Counter) cr.LP xx LK Up ball Combo (165 dmg)
C. (Counter) st.LP xx EX Roll – LP Roll Combo (1 meter) (219 dmg)
D. (Counter) st.LP xx EX Electric – (1 meter) (165 dmg)
4. Hop (+8) – Bait and Shimmy. Side Switch if near corner.
5. Hop – cr.MP (Normally 0) (Meaty +3) (Counter +5)
A. Same counter hit follow ups as 3..
6. Hop – st.HP (Crush Counter)
- xx Wild Lift – Up ball (228 dmg) [Can’t hit confirm. Can cancel late but won’t combo.]
- (CC) xx Hop – cr.MK xx LK Up ball (220 dmg)
- (CC) xx Hop – cr.MK – st.LP – LK Up ball (229 dmg)
7. Hop – Electric (Beats 3f jab)
8. [Corner] Dash – st.LK – st.MK (Counter +5)
A. Same counter hit follow ups as 3..
EX Electric:
- Dash – Dash – Dash (+1)
- Forward Jump (Safe against 3f DP. Whiffs on opponent doing nothing.)
A. Empty jump – forward hop (Strict timing. Goes through 3f DP. Hop back again to CC and combo or sweep.)
B. Empty jump – (Normally 0) (Meaty +3) (Counter +5. Can combo follow up.)
- LP Roll – st.MK (Beats 3f jab) (Counter +5. Can combo follow up)
- LP Roll actually hits as combo if facing toward corner.
B. (Counter) st.LP xx HP Roll Combo (179 dmg)
C. (Counter) cr.LP xx LK Up ball Combo (195 dmg)
D. (Counter) st.LP xx EX Roll – HP Roll Combo (1 meter) (249 dmg)
E. (Counter) st.LP xx EX Electric – (1 meter) (195 dmg)
- V-Skill xx K – j.MK (There is a timing where some Auto-correct 3f DP won’t come out properly, and you will counter hit opponent if they mess up.)
- Hop – Dash (+3) (Mid screen: Stays in front.) (Corner: Hop goes through.)
- In the corner, if Hop goes through, you can still face opponent and forward Dash and will be the same frame data.
- If you end up back dashing, you are -5. But due to side switching, back dash won’t come out normally.
- Dash – Hop (+3) (Mid screen: Goes through.) (Corner: Dash goes through.)
- In the corner, if Dash goes through, you can still face opponent and forward Hop, same frame data and you escape the corner.
- If you end up doing back Hop, you are -1 thus still safe from 3f DP.
- Dash – Dash – st.LK – st.LK (Normally +4) (Counter hit +6)
- Same counter hit follow ups as 3.
LK Up ball:
MK Up ball:
LP Roll:
HP Roll:
EX Roll:
st.MK – st.HK Target Combo:
Raging Bash (Target Combo):
Slide:
Throw:
V-Skill: