Rocket Punch launches. Dive Bomb attacks.

Rocket Punch: the launch

Trigger: full charge + look up + release. Hold the punch button until the full-charge red glow appears, aim the camera upward, then release. You launch into the sky along your aim angle.

That’s the whole move. Rocket Punch is the launch, not the dive. What happens at the top is a separate decision.

Dive Bomb: the downward attack

Trigger: airborne + look down + punch. You don’t need a Rocket Punch first. Any airborne state plus look down plus punch commits to a downward attack.

The common chain is Rocket Punch up for height, then Dive Bomb onto grouped players or a bad landing. But you can Dive Bomb out of any airborne state, including a ledge drop or a teched knockdown.

Air Kick: the horizontal release

Trigger: airborne + full charge + release forward. While in the air, charge fully, then release looking forward (or slightly angled, not straight up or down). Dashes you horizontally through the air. Use it to:

• Cross a hazard lane mid-flight.
• Intercept an enemy mid-launch.
• Reach a recovery ledge out of normal movement range.
• Reposition after a missed Dive Bomb instead of free-falling into the punish.

Ground Pound: the parry chain

The rare aerial move triggered from defense, not attack. Trigger: after a midair parry, look down and hold punch. Ragdoll, tap parry to flip out of the knockdown, then immediately look down and hold punch to pound into the floor.

Turns a defensive tech into damage. Most players only midair-parry to a neutral landing. The chain changes how you treat being knocked into the air.

Putting the aerial toolkit together

A full sequence might look like: Rocket Punch up for height, Air Kick mid-arc to adjust horizontally, Dive Bomb down onto a target. Or: get launched, midair-parry, Ground Pound the closest enemy. Or: drop from a ledge, look down, Dive Bomb into a fight.

Four moves, four different inputs, four different outcomes. Confusing them usually puts you in the wrong recovery.

Counter-dive is not Dive Bomb

The counter-dive is the automatic homing dive that triggers when you parry an attacker with a wall behind you. No charge or aim input. The wall parry is the trigger. It replaced the older manual ground slam. Read the parry and recovery guide for details.

The dive family: Dive Bomb (manual, airborne + look down + punch), Counter-dive (auto, off wall parry). Rocket Punch is the launch, not a dive.

Risk controls