Dragon Ball FighterZ – Android 21 Guide

As a brand new character to the Dragon Ball world, Android 21 is a mystery to most. If you’re looking to use Android 21 on your team you’ll need to know how to use her. This article will act as an Android 21 guide for Dragon Ball FighterZ. In this Android 21 guide you’ll find information on all of her special moves, supers and more. We’ll got all the Android 21 gameplay you need to get started with the character as a member of your main team in Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Android 21 Overview

• Best Team Position: Middle or Anchor (Last)

Android 21 is a fairly straightforward character at first glance. She can perform a level one and level three super move in the air and on the ground, giving her a lot of combo options, and her special moves also work well in combos. However, once you start digging into Android 21 you’ll find that she excels at mid-range combat with her standing and crouching Medium attack, which are similar to some of Kid Buu’s attacks. She can also grab opponents to obtain new special moves, giving her access to up to four additional special moves that vary depending on the opponent.

Her long range normal attacks give her an edge against most characters in a 1-on-1 battle, which makes her a decent anchor character. This also gives you time to land all four Connoisseur Cut command grabs so you can fight with her at full power. She doesn’t really need assists more than other characters, so you don’t need her on point (first), but she can make a good second character so you still have a strong anchor that isn’t dependant on landing four command grabs.

Of note, her aerial Heavy Attack will not slam opponents to the ground, placing them in a sliding animation like most other characters. With other characters you can end certain aerial combos with Heavy Attack, then follow with a super move while they’re sliding on the ground. Android 21’s aerial Heavy Attack is basically a normal attack that you can cancel into a special or super move. If you want to slam them to the ground to follow with a ground super move, use the Light Hors d’Oeuvre Stab instead. This opens up a few new combo opportunities, especially in the corner. For example, in the corner you can connect crouching M, M, Jump Cancel, L, M, H, Down+H, Super Dash, L, M, Jump Cancel, L, M, H, EX Hors d’Oeuvre Stab (Heavy version), Sweet Tooth, or get really fancy with a Tiger Knee Excellent Full Course instead.

Move List

Notation Key

L = Light Attack
M = Medium Attack
H = Heavy Attack
S = Special Attack
L/M/H = Light, Medium or Heavy Attack
2X = Any Two Attack Buttons

F = Forward
B = Back
U = Up
D = Down

QCF = Quarter Circle From Down to Forward
QCB = Quarter Circle From Down to Back

Special Moves

• Hors d’Oeuvre Stab – QCB + L/M/H (can be done in the air)
• Connoisseur Cut – QCF + S (can be done in the air)
• Aerial Connoisseur Cut – QCB + S (can be done in the air)
• Total Detonation Ball – QCF + L/M/H

Super Moves

• Photon Wave – QCF + 2X (can be done in the air)
• Sweet Tooth – QCB + 2X (requires 3 bars)
• Excellent Full Course – QCB + 2X in the air (requires 3 bars)

Special Moves

Hors d’Oeuvre Stab

• QCB + L/M/H (can be done in the air)

This is Android 21’s primary combo ender when you want to go for damage. After a short hop Android 21 slams the opponent to the ground. The Light version is the only one that can be used to end an aerial combo mid-screen. However, in the corner you can use any version at the end of a combo. Either way you go, the Hors d’Oeuvre Stab drops the opponent to the ground so you can follow with the Photon Wave or Sweet Tooth super moves.

If you really want to maximize your damage you can end a corner combo with the EX Hors d’Oeuvre Stab (Heavy version), then perform a Tiger Knee version of the Excellent Full Course level three super (basically an instant air version to get the super off in time). This is her most damaging super, but it can only be done in the air, which is why you need to use a Tiger Knee version starting on the ground and ending with the diagonal up/back motion so you’re in the air when the super goes off. The timing is very strict, but it can be done.

Each stronger version of the Hors d’Oeuvre Stab inflicts more damage and gives Android 21 more time to follow with something else. You can’t follow the Light Hors d’Oeuvre Stab with much beyond a super move or Vanish, but you can follow the Heavy version with a Super Dash in the corner. The EX Hors d’Oeuvre Stab can even combo into any of the other Hors d’Oeuvre Stab variants during shorter combos.

Connoisseur Cut and Aerial Connoisseur Cut

• QCF + S on the ground
• QCB + S on the ground
• QCF + S in the air
• QCB + S in the air

The Connoisseur Cut is how Android 21 absorbs the energy of her opponent and gains new special attacks. The special attacks you obtain vary depending on the character the attack is used on. Once you absorb a special move, the command for the Connoisseur Cut used turns into whatever new special move you gained.

There are essentially four versions of the Connoisseur Cut special move that take up each of the four slots just above Android 21’s super meter: QCF+S on the ground (slot 1), QCF+S in the air (slot 2), QCB+S on the ground (slot 3), and QCB+S in the air (slot 4). Each one performs the same command grab that cannot be blocked by an opponent. You can combo into every version of the Connoisseur Cut, either on the ground or in the air, except for the grounded QCF+S version (unless you use an assist). However, if your attack string leading up to the Connoisseur Cut is blocked, the opponent can interrupt all versions of the command grab before it hits. The command grab is rather slow, so trying to “tick throw” into it during a blocked combo string will be difficult against a skilled opponent.

A well-timed QCB+S can be used as an anti-air command grab, or you can use any of the Aerial Connoisseur Cut special moves as air-to-air attacks or to end an aerial combo. To combo into the QCF+S aerial version, you will need to take the opponent a little higher into the air because it moves Android 21 in a downward angle. You can even pull off an Excellent Full Course super move after an Aerial Connoisseur Cut if you’re fast enough.

Android 21 can only gain four different sets of special moves, meaning there are quite a few characters that give her the same special moves. In addition, only two distinct special moves can be stolen from a single character. Even if you connect with all four Connoisseur Cut variants on the same character, you will end up with two special moves that can each be done on the ground or in the air.

Every character falls into one of the four special move sets listed below. Generally speaking these four move sets are associated with character groups in the game: Goku’s family, Vegeta’s family (plus Nappa), the Androids, and the space aliens plus Majin characters. The fact that there are only four sets should make it easier to remember which character gives you which special moves, but it also limits Android 21 a bit. Because of this fact, you should take a look at the table below to determine which special moves you want to absorb from each character and plan your combos accordingly so you can get the widest variety of attacks.

Of note, many of these special moves can chain into one another if the attacks connect (not blocked) and you have them in the correct slots. Some of the most significant pairings are the Aerial Consecutive Energy Blast and Command Grab, or Solar Flare into Kamehameha, but all of them work in the same slot combinations. We’ll use the Aerial Consecutive Energy Blast and Command Grab as an example, but once again, all four sets of her absorbed special moves work in the same slot configurations and can chain together.

The Aerial Consecutive Energy Blast transitions directly into the Command Grab by pressing the Special button after the energy blast connects, if you have them in slots 1 and 4 or slots 2 and 4. Likewise, the Command Grab transitions directly into the Aerial Consecutive Energy Blast by pressing the Special button again if you have them in slots 1 and 3 or slots 2 and 4. This allows you to easily combo from the Command Grab to the Aerial Consecutive Energy Blast. However, going the other way around is a bit harder (but can be done) because you have to be close enough for the Command Grab to reach after the Aerial Consecutive Energy Blast, and even then spacing can be an issue, especially in the corner.

This works with any combination of absorbed attacks. For example, if you steal the Aerial Consecutive Energy Blast and Command Grab from Gotenks, Kamehameha from Yamcha and Teleport from Hit, you can chain them all together to get a Command Grab that leads into a very simple 50 percent damage combo. This is just the tip of the iceberg. If you experiment with different sets of absorbed attacks, there’s a lot you can do with Android 21.

You can find what each slot cancels into in the chart below. For example any stolen attack in slot 1 can be cancelled into any stolen attack in slot 4 by simply pressing the Special button when the first attack hits. Keep in mind, you cannot cancel into the second attack if the first attack is blocked.

Android 21 Stolen Move Linking Chart

Android 21 Connoisseur Cut Stolen Moves Chart

Total Detonation Ball

• QCF + L/M/H

The Total Detonation Ball is Android 21’s standard projectile attack. The Light version travels horizontally across the screen, while the Medium version travels at an upward angle and can be used as an anti-air attack if timed well. The Heavy version (EX) is the same as the Light version, except it shoots out much faster and powers up in size and damage as you steal more special moves. Be careful when using the Heavy version as it will reset any absorbed special moves you have. It does more damage and increases in size, but at the cost of your stolen attacks. All three versions will beat normal Ki blasts, but clash with command Ki blasts such as the Kamehameha. You can follow all three variations with a Vanish to start a combo.

Super Moves

Photon Wave

• QCF + 2X (can be done in the air)

The Photon Wave hits from Android 21’s current horizontal position on screen, to whatever corner she’s facing. That means if you’re in the middle of the screen and facing right, the super move will hit anyone directly under Android 21 and cover the ground all the way to the right corner, but won’t hit anything to the left of her.

While this super move can be done on the ground or in the air, Android 21 always teleports to the same height (slightly above the ground) before executing the super move. If you use this super move while you’re high in the sky, chances are it will miss since the opponent will be high in the sky as well. You’ll need to use the Hors d’Oeuvre Stab to bring the opponent back down to the ground, then cancel that into the Photon Wave.

Sweet Tooth

• QCB + 2X (requires 3 bars)

Similar to both Buu characters, Sweet Tooth shoots out a beam that turns the opponent into a random dessert item. In addition to the humiliation the opponent may feel, Android 21 gains a small amount of blue health back as well. While this super move doesn’t inflict as much damage as her other level three super, getting health back can make up for that small loss of damage, and this is Android 21’s only level three super that can be performed on the ground (without a Tiger Knee input). As a small Easter Egg, when Android 21 take a bit from the dessert, she generally doesn’t like it. However, if you KO a character with Sweet Tooth, you will see a different animation in which she enjoys the treat and eats it entirely.

Excellent Full Course

• QCB + 2X in the air (requires 3 bars)

Excellent Full Course is Android 21’s other level three super, and it can only be done in the air. If you’re on the ground, you can end the notation with diagonal up/back to make Android 21 jump into the air so you can perform this super on the ground, but the timing of this “Tiger Knee” input (as it’s known in the fighting game community) can be very tricky. However, once you master the Tiger Knee version of the super move, you can end corner combos with the Heavy with the Hors d’Oeuvre Stab, then perform the Tiger Knee Excellent Full Course to get maximum damage.

Assist

• Total Detonation Ball

Android 21’s assist is the Light version of the Total Detonation Ball special move. It works well just to keep an opponent in check, but doesn’t hold an opponent in place as long as a beam assist from a character like Goku.

Best Assists

Android 21 doesn’t really have a best assist because her play style will change depending on which special moves you absorb. At a base level, she works well with an assist that locks the opponent in place if it hits, such as Gotenk’s Galactic Donuts assist, because it gives her time to connect the Connoisseur Cut command grab. However, because the Connoisseur Cut does not hit an opponent in active guard stun, beam assists don’t help much with connecting the attack.

For more character guides and other helpful articles, including how to unlock Android 21, check out our Dragon Ball FighterZ game hub!