Strikeborn Manji Kick: How Yuji's Counter Works

Manji Kick is an active counter: only the first few frames of the move have the counter property. If you're hit during that window, the counter activates — the game teleports the opponent to you regardless of range and performs the attack. If the window passes, you simply do a normal kick and are vulnerable to being canceled. That dual behavior means a wrong read still deals kick damage, but the recovery can be baited and punished by good opponents.

What the counter does

Per a dedicated Yuji creator guide, base Manji Kick deals 13 damage, is unblockable, and does not hit grounded targets. The counter also deals 13 damage, and with a black flash charge it can black flash for 25 instead of 13. These values come from creator gameplay and may change with balance patches.

Important boundary: the counter only stops the specific hit that triggers it — it does not interrupt a full multi-part move, so later parts of an opponent's attack can still connect.

When to use the counter

• Read the opponent's next action rather than mashing the move.
• Good openers: an opponent's dash-in approach, a skill mash on wakeup, or a predictable down-slam extend.
• The counter works midair too — footage shows in-air counter kicks of an ultimate.
• Bad habit: throwing it as a greeting or walk-up tool; the recovery after the counter frames can be punished.

Countering ultimate moves

Creator footage documents Manji Kick countering ultimate moves. The most prominent clips show a player hunting a Sukuna-style opponent specifically to counter the Fuga (Flame Arrow) ultimate, succeeding repeatedly — including an in-air counter. One clip shows what the player describes as reflecting a move back ("Did I just reflect that back to him with the curse drop kick?"), but whether that was a true reflect mechanic or the counter animation is ambiguous — treat it as unconfirmed.

Ultimate-countering is timing-dependent, not automatic. The same player repeatedly mistimed counters against ultimates, missed when the opponent's move whiffed, and lost counters to cooldown. Only specific observed cases (dash-ins, M1s, skill mashes, down-slam extends, Fuga) are documented; the complete list of counterable ultimates is not established, so check interactions in-game after any Yuji or ultimate-system balance change.

Failure cases and limitations

• Manji Kick goes on cooldown after use and cannot be reused until it returns.
• Pressing too early against an ultimate whiffs or triggers at the wrong moment.
• After the counter frames end, the recovery kick can be canceled and punished.
• Opponents can Manji Kick your own mistimed down-slam extend, so use extends carefully against a Yuji holding the counter.
• Predicting the counter outright lets an opponent punish it.

Follow-ups after a successful counter

• Counter kick on a dash-in, then immediately M1.
• If the counter knocks the opponent up, treat it as an air starter and convert into your air route.
• The teleport pulls distant or mobile opponents — including ultimating ones — into melee range, opening the full Yuji combo game: side kick into side-dash air combo, black flash conversions, or a down-slam near a ledge.
• Against opponents who spam extenders during recovery, the counter works as a combo-extension read.