Descended from Spartans, Marisa is a Power-Type mid-range fighter in Street Fighter 6. Despite her impressive 6'8 height and the largest hitbox among new characters, she is a calm Italian jewelry designer with a passion for martial arts and brawls.

Regarding gameplay, Marisa is considered one of the easy-to-use main roaster warriors, as most of her basic attacks seamlessly blend with Super Moves and Super Arts. However, her extensive move list might confuse some Street Fighter 6 fans, leaving them uncertain about which combos and strategies work best. Fortunately, though, this guide provides a comprehensive overview of Marisa and offers tips on transforming her into an unbeatable mid-range main.

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Marisa Strategies

Because Marisa is a mid-range powerhouse, she must apply pressure and watch for openings. With this fighter, the goal is to enter the clinch, put the opponent in a defensive position, and knock them down with knockback-heavy strikes. Marisa has multiple armor-breaking Unique Attacks that contribute to this strategy and lead to Okizeme opportunities.

• Establish ground with heavy punches and kicks. Even when blocked, Marisa’s charged strikes have a pushback effect. And players can use them for zoning and keeping the opponent in the corner.
• Cancel attacks into a Drive Rush. Marisa wins when the enemy can’t get out of her clinch reach. So, players should exploit the Drive Rush after each pushback attack to bridge the resulting gap.
• Respond to enemy strikes with Gladius. Gladius is one of Marisa’s chargeable Special Moves that blows through the opponent’s jab and knocks them back. Her Drive Impact is also another consistent counterattack against aggressive challengers.
• Minimize the hitbox. Because Marisa is one of the biggest fighters in Street Fighter 6, players are advised to reduce her hitbox by crouching—specifically against long-range enemies.

Marisa’s Move List

In Street Fighter 6, Marisa has over 21 exclusive moves, boasting eleven Unique Attacks, five Special Moves, three Super Arts, and two Throws. But considering that her boxing guard (the Scutum) has three variants, Marisa’s move list actually includes 24 commands:

Best Combos for Marisa

The ideal order for Marisa’s combos is pushing, rushing, and grappling. In gameplay, that order translates into executing a Unique Attack or Throw, followed by a Special Move and then a Special Art. Thanks to her MMA-inspired moveset, Marisa needs to push the enemy to control the ground, then charge to break their armor, and finally start clinching with them to get a knockdown.

Players should note that Marisa is a mid-range Power fighter. Her combinations, therefore, must prioritize closing the distance, passing the guard, and forcing a submission.

Beginner Combo: Light Two-Hitter + Medium Two-Hitter + Phalanx

An essential combination for Marisa is a double jab-cross followed by a Superman punch. This sequence is ideal because it starts with quick jabs that prompt the opponent to play defensive but concludes with a surprising overhand strike that knocks them off balance. To perform this basic combo, players will need to follow up a light and medium two-hitter with Phalanx, Marisa’s Special Move.

Intermediate Combo: Novacula Swipe + Javelin of Marisa

The Novacula Swipe into Javelin of Marisa is a slow-pace armor-breaking combo to stop aggressive enemies. However, landing this one is tricky because it requires precise timing. The first part, Novacula Swipe, knocks the enemy down, while the second part, Javelin of Marisa, pins them down again in an Okizeme style.

Advanced Combo: Magna Bunker + QCB Heavy Punch + Forward Heavy Punch + QCF Heavy Punch + Super Art Level 3

For an HP-draining combination with Marisa, players will need to start with Magna Bunker, followed by back and forward heavy punches that end with the Level 3 Special Art. This sequence is specifically challenging to perform as each punch pushes the opponent back, forcing players to bridge the gap as they go.

Tips for Winning with Marisa

Marisa’s primary advantage is not her power; it’s her reach. What many opponents underestimate about this fighter is how quickly she can close the gap and start grappling with them. So, players looking to main Marisa should master tricking the enemy into believing that they’re at a safe distance before charging them.

Here are other advanced tips for exploiting Marisa’s move list:

• Lure the enemy into aerial combat. When the enemy is in defense, crouch and wait for them to go for an airborne strike. This is when Marisa can counter them with an Overdrive Dimachaerus or a heavy crouching punch that creates combo chances.
• Drain the opponent’s Drive Gauge. Push a guarding enemy with charged heavy punches and kicks to chip away their Drive Gauge bars—especially if they’re close to the burnout state.
• Escape the corners with the OD Scutum. The Overdrive Scutum rebounds the enemy’s damage, creating a brief window for counterattack and gaining back the ring generalship.
• Throw the enemy into the corners. Using Marisa’s Ponte Milvio Throw, lift the opponent, and toss them to the opposite corner. This could be an excellent combo starter when followed by knockback-heavy moves such as Quadriga, Marisa’s front push kick.

How to Counter Marisa

Because Marisa is only effective in close- to mid-range melee, the best counters for her are tricky long-range fighters. By keeping her at bay with projectiles, opponents can easily defeat Marisa and capitalize on her mistakes. Therefore, JP and Dhalsim are the most potent counters for her.

On the other hand, Marisa's long-reach strikes are effective against close-range speed characters such as Cammy and Juri. This makes them the weakest counters for Marisa as they give her ample opportunities to grapple, clinch, and throw.

Street Fighter 6 is available now on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.