Fatal Fury: City Of The Wolves Just Defend Guide & Tips

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Not enough players are aware of the Fatal Fury City of the Wolves Just Defend mechanic!

I have seen too many players not use it at all online in SNK’s latest FF installment.

But what is this mechanic, and how different is it from, say, Street Fighter’s parry system?

City Of The Wolves Just Defend

Firstly, City Of The Wolves Just Defend system is not a parry like Street Fighter.

Actually, it’s significantly simpler to perform than you might think. Nonetheless, it remains crucial for the fundamental mechanics of this Fatal Fury game.

In the combat-oriented video game, excessive chip damage can be detrimental. When players are close to losing health, they tend to play defensively, shielding themselves more often. However, this overuse of defense can lead them to suffer damage due to overblocking.

The “Wolves Just Defend” system lets you live through a chip attack. Moreover, if executed correctly, it even restores a minuscule amount of your health!

To successfully perform a Just Defend, all you need to do is quickly input a blocking move just as an attack is about to hit. Remember, unlike in some other fight games, it’s not necessary for your timing to be frame-perfect. In fact, you have a fairly generous window of around three frames to execute the move effectively.

It’s not a free input, but it is much easier than, say, a perfect SF3 parry.

Remember too that City of the Wolves Just Defend can be executed either on the ground or in flight. Intriguingly, this is the sole method to counter range attacks or aerial assaults while airborne.

Similar to Street Fighter 3, you must execute several Just Defend inputs for multi-hitting attacks to be fully effective. To illustrate, let’s consider Terry’s rising tackle. If you simply block one hit using the Just Defend command, you will only partially absorb the damage for that single frame. However, if executed properly, you can nullify the entire attack!

Bear in mind, this tactic doesn’t apply to hop jumps. Therefore, during a hop jump, be aware that there’s no means of defense, meaning whatever the opposing player tosses, you’ll receive it unprotected!

Furthermore, it reduces the REV gauge by 1% every time it’s used. It’s an effective method for cooling off the gauge and catching your opponent off guard.

Practice and Practice

But to get good at City of the Wolves Just defend the system; it takes a bit of practice.

Step into the laboratory for a couple of trials as you practice this technique with various movements. But remember, ensure you’re consistently employing the “Just Defend” strategy during live online matches to establish a beneficial routine.

To clarify, after receiving an attack, all you need is a 3-frame block input which will restore your health, cause no chip damage, reduce the REV gauge by 1%, and it can even be executed in the air.

Also, just to note, it can lead to what is known as a guard cancel.

Here’s where you execute a rapid-fire move, immediately following a Just Defense. Performing this maneuver makes your action come out slightly quicker, allowing you to take advantage and retaliate against your opponent more effectively.

Instead of Just Defend, Guard Cancel alters the timing of moves. Unlike Just Defend, it allows us to use any special move, such as retaliating with a fireball after blocking an attack. While not overly complicated, it demonstrates how swiftly it can be executed compared to a guard cancel and often punishes the opponent who initiated the pressure by throwing the projectile.

To put it simply, practice cancelling your guards frequently and you’ll find yourself winning more often. Head to the training area, try it out, and don’t forget to give it a go online too!

Start off easy with, say, using Terry’s power wave to Just Defend.

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2025-05-08 16:12