Understanding movement is crucial when playing Makoto in Street Fighter. Knowing when to walk and, more importantly, when to dash can significantly impact your success with this character. While her walk speed is slow, Makoto’s exceptional forward dash is a key tool for closing the distance and applying pressure, especially against opponents who prefer to keep their distance.
Utilizing Makoto’s Dash for Aggression
As Makoto, getting in close is often your primary objective, particularly against zoners or characters who excel at range. In these matchups, relying on walking alone to close the gap is often ineffective. This is where Makoto’s strong forward dash becomes essential. It allows you to quickly close distance and get into a position to initiate your offense. However, it’s important to be mindful of your opponent’s actions. Dashing isn’t always the answer, especially when facing characters who can punish predictable dashes with moves like Tiger Shots or command grabs.
Makoto’s Honest Strengths and Setups
Unlike some characters with arguably fewer weaknesses, such as Cammy, Makoto is a very honest character with defined strengths and weaknesses. While Cammy boasts incredible all-around capabilities, Makoto’s strengths lie in her powerful okizeme (wakeup game) and offensive pressure once she gets in close. However, she can struggle when cornered, highlighting a clear weakness. To truly maximize Makoto’s potential, learning her setups is paramount. This is a key difference compared to characters like Guile, who can rely on a simpler game plan focused on zoning and spacing. Makoto thrives on keeping her opponent down and capitalizing on their attempts to escape pressure on wakeup. Therefore, mastering her setups and understanding when to dash versus walk are fundamental to playing Makoto effectively in Street Fighter.
