The Gamers 8 Street Fighter 6 challenge was the biggest event of 2023 so far. It had a prize pool of $1,000,000, and the winner, Kakeru, got $400,000 of it. In a tense grand final match, he beat Angry Bird, who had just won the SF6 EVO 2023 title. Since the end of Street Fighter 5, this fighter has been one of the best. Most recently, he won the Red Bull Kumite Last Chance Qualifiers and came in fifth at EVO 2023. In SF5, he was a Ryu main, but he gave up the shoto in favor of JP, who was at the time the best zoner in SF6.
Over 11 of the top 64 Street Fighter 6 players at EVO used the JP train, so Kakeru isn’t the only high-ranked player who uses him. Pro players like Brian_F and SonicFox also use him as their main in their ranked games and tournaments. Even though JP isn’t a popular pick in ranked because of his complicated kit and protective style of play, he’s still a pain. It’s hard for players, especially younger ones, to deal with JP.
In the world of fighting games, JP is known as a “zoner.” This means that he fights most of the time from a distance, using weapons to keep his opponent away or “zone out” He plays the same way as characters like Guile and Dhalsim in Street Fighter 6. The best thing about JP is that the special moves of his Triglav and Torbalan are missiles. Triglav sends spikes up from the ground at different lengths, based on how hard the player punches. Torbalan, on the other hand, can call up a copy that can hit high, mid, and low, which can keep opponents on their toes even when they’re blocking.
If other attackers try to throw their weapons, JP will just use Triglav to hit them, no matter where they are. JP’s special move, “Embrace,” lets him do a command grab from a long way away. This can help stop enemies who don’t want to back down from moving forward. Both of his Triglav and Torbalan attacks can be stopped by using his Level 3 Super Art, which lets him do a lot of damage without even being close. His defense style is made even stronger by his special move, Overdrive Amnesia, which makes hits and throws go the other way. JP players can also change things up by going on the attack with Drive Rush or Departure teleport to get close to their opponents and then ending their combos with Stribog to push them back.
How Players Can Counter JP in Street Fighter 6
Zoners are notoriously tough for rookie players to beat in combat games. After all, if one can’t even get near to the opposition, a match might seem bleak. Even defending against JP is difficult since his rockets may strike from anywhere on the screen. Dealing with this character might be intimidating, but numerous techniques can be used to tear down his barriers and provide round-winning damage.
One strategy for dealing with JP is to practice reacting to his Torbalan in Street Fighter 6’s training mode. Players with keen eyes will notice that JP spawns the missile at varying heights depending on the input. They may then respond by blocking either high or low. His Level 1 Super, as well as his command grab, are readily punished with a leap. When dealing with zoners like JP, one should also use the parry mechanism. A well-timed parry might allow the player to come closer to him and perhaps perform a combination.
JP is one of the finest characters in Street Fighter 6 because to his zoning specials, which can strike from different distances and heights. Even professionals struggle to cope with guys like Kakeru, who have mastered JP’s diversified gear with tremendous success. While he may be dominant at the highest levels of tournament and ranked play, JP may still be destroyed by players who train their reflexes to his projectiles and perfect their parry timings.
Street Fighter 6 is currently available on PC, PlayStation 4, Only Up!, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.