Valkenhayn R. Hellsing is an offensive, but frail character who focuses on pressuring the opponent relentlessly while switching between both of his forms to confuse the enemy and break their guard. He has a very solid neutral game with both forms: his human form grants him very solid poking normals that are safe on block, while his wolf form grants amazing mobility and the potential to bring consistent damage off of any hit confirm through complex management.
When he was first released as DLC, general consensus was clear: Valkenhayn was too powerful. With damage surpassing that of Bang’s, mixups and pressure surpassing those of Litchi, and ease of use surpassing that of Ragna’s, Valkenhayn cemented his position at the top of the BlazBlue: Continuum Shift tier list.
All that changed when BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II was released. With the gameplay shifting to a more corner-carrying metagame, Valkenhayn saw several nerfs. His wolf transformation was made slower and more risky, and he could no longer cancel into it from many of his moves. His potential damage was also heavily nerfed, now amounting only up to 6500 damage off of a 100% meter combo. The biggest nail in the coffin, however, was Nacht Rozen (ナハト・ローゼン,Nahato Rōzen) being changed. No longer an overhead, and already requiring strict timing to combo into it, his mixup and potential wolf combos were severely weakened. Players must now learn to use both modes in tandem with each other, not just using the wolf form as a means to an end.
Extend has given him several buffs in terms of damage output as well as his ease of use. He has new combo potential off of throws as he can now cancel it into Nacht Rozen instead of having to use it after a Rapid Cancel combo or when the opponent is crouching. While nowhere near as powerful as his BlazBlue: Continuum Shift incarnation, Valkenhayn has once again claimed the S-tier throne, albeit while being a more fair and balanced character than before.
In terms of overall weaknesses, Valkenhayn suffers from having fairly low vitality as a glass cannon, and his damage isn’t too strong most of the time due to the proration a good number of his moves. He also is technical in terms of needing to manage his Drive, Werwolf (ヴェーアヴォルフ,Vēavorufu). This allows him to transform into a wolf with a new moveset but with limited capabilities compared to his human form, and getting hit will transform him back. He also lacks decent mobility due to his dash being a short-ranged hop, while his wolf form is much more mobile (thus players need to access their options depending on the wolf gauge amount).
Last but not least, Valkenhayn also suffers from a lack of solid mixups while grounded. While his j.C is great for instant overheads due to its solid downward reach, he suffers from having to compromise his neutral game in order to apply pressure (though he has a fair amount of options to do so). His 6C is also rather slow for an overhead as well, and some characters may even be able to duck under it.
Valkenhayn’s Overdrive is Endlos Wolf (エンドロスヴォルフ,Endorosu Vorufu), which dramatically increases the Wolf Gauge’s recharge rate. Note that this Overdrive cannot be activated in his wolf form.
Jab. Standard jab. Can be low-profiled or crouched. Due to the shape Valkenhayn’s arm takes, characters who rear back upon getting hit may cause this move to miss when trying to rapid-fire it. In that case, it can be easy to link this move into itself. Can only be rapid-fired three times before the input chain resets.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
640
264
Side kick that aims straight forward. Extremely long range (beats Ragna’s 5B), and is very safe on block. This is a rather very effective poke.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
710
293
Transforms his foot into a claw and slashes with it with a forward inward-turning roundhouse kick. Obscenely long range that moves Valkenhayn slightly forward, but can only be cancelled into a jump and/or with a Rapid Cancel (aside from into a special move of course). Overdrive Cancel added to the small cancel options list in CP.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
720
124
Low jab. Standard crouching jab. Lands a lot more reliably than his standing A, but it often prorates combos pretty badly in cases where you must use this as a hit confirm without any other choice. Like with the standing version, can only be rapid-fired inputted 3 times before the input chain resets. In this case, rapid-firing this 3 times may push the opponent too far out for specific setups for a mixup.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
480
198
Low poking kick with leading leg. Almost akin to either a typical crouching light kick or a medium kick of the same nature. Hits low. Can be used to pick up an opponent after 3C, but other than that it has very limited uses due to lacking the range of his 5B, but it works very well as a solid low to threaten block-pressure with.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
780
322
Rising backwards-heel kick with transformed leading leg. Upper-body invul. Has a good vertical hitbox but short horizontal range. Chains into 6B, and jump cancellable. Also wolf form cancellable on hit, block or whiff. Despite its looks, it also has a very solid hitbox that reaches the ground, so it works as a very technical-but-rewarding tech roll punisher and OTG pickup tool.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(in the air)
300
214
Jumping downward knife hand. Standard jumping jab, and can be rapid-fired as many times as possible. A solid pressure tool due to its air-to-ground range.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(in the air)
560
231
Jumping kick straight ahead. Good priority, but comes out slower than j.A so it’s not that optimal for an air-to-air at times. However, it’s one of Valkenhayn’s main tools for air combos. Has a standard cross-up hitbox on Valkenhayn’s following knee.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(in the air)
760
314
Transform both legs and kicks them both downward. Very good vertical hitbox, short horizontal range. Knocks down opponent via a plummet effect on air hit. Combos into air super on hit. A solid move for instant overheads due to its vertical range, but characters with very small crouching hurtboxes can easily duck under such a move. It’s also very unsafe when done on a grounded opponent on block, so a cancel such as a rapid cancel might be needed to help continue pressure with this move safely. Valkenhayn’s primary air combo tool via its plummeting nature.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
620
256
Front upward snap kick via the leading leg. Has some startup. Guard point frames at frames 5-to-12, but it does not autoguard against lows, throws or unblockable attacks. Does not combo or cancel into anything, but only into a 5B or 5C on counter hit. Either way, it’s not a reliable reversal, especially in the case of wakeup since many meaty setups can beat it out.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
CS and CP: CF:
600x2
248x2
Turns his arm into a claw while doing a forward elbow and pulls opponent in with a backward rip. Considerable startup. Large vacuum effect on the second hit and forces crouch (and also makes Valkenhayn’s horizontal hurtbox move backwards). Links into several normals on hit. Fatal counters on either hit. CP: No longer forces crouch on the second hit. CF: Now re-allocated as 6C, and the prior input is replaced with a different move.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(CF)
800
Valkenhayn’s new human form overhead in Centralfiction, where he brings his leading arm up (while having his following arm tucked behind him), then slam-smashes the same arm downwards. Hits overhead, and hits only above him on the first 2 active frames while only hitting crouchers on the 23rd frame. Cancels into 5D and forces crouch on hit. Downs/plummets on air hit. However, this move is easily punishable on block unless cancelled into either his 5D or with a Rapid Cancel, and is normally used more as combo filler.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
1000
414
Jumps up and spinning-drop-kicks with both transformed feet. Hits overhead. Lower-body invul. Safe on block. Breaks one primer on block. Fatal counters. Wallbounces on hit. A solid overhead punisher, but it requires some spacing due to its laggy nature, and that some characters can easily crouch under it. However, it has very rewarding potential on hit and is an optimal tool in Valkenhayn’s pressure. It can’t be combo'ed from midscreen, but it opens many options when landed in/near the corner.
Removed in Centralfiction, and replaced by his original 6B.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
720
298
Turns legs into a wolf claws and cross-swings both of them for a scissor-styled sweep (while balancing on his following hand). Hits low. Safe on block which allows Valkenhayn to use this during pressure as a low-attack-option. Can combo/chain into most special moves to continue damage and/or pressure, but it pushes back rather far which may force another neutral game situation. Links easily into 2B.
Throws[]
Input
Damage
Heat gain
0,1400
0,414
Grabs the opponent with a transformed arm and throws them by the face in the respective direction. Ground slides, and wallbounces near the corner. Has a long untech time (enough time to hopdash in and pick the opponent up with a normal). In Extend, it can be special canceled.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
0,1400
0,414
Same as ground version, only with backward-tossing animation. You can followup with Nacht Rozen and your combo will be the same as a forward throw. If you’re using a back throw into the corner, you can followup with 5B instead.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(in the air)
--
--
Mostly the same as the ground versions, only the air throw provides you with a more notable variety of followup options, including 5C, Nacht Rozen, Mondlicht > 3D > 5B and so forth.
Counter Assault[]
Input
Damage
Heat gain
0
0
The same animation for his 5C. Quite bad for a Counter Assault as it is has a slow startup. Furthermore, it lacks foot attribute, and therefore most moves will be able to go through it which in turn would leave you vulnerable to an attack. Valkenhayn only has four primers to spare, and so this should not be abused.
Crush Trigger[]
Input
Damage
Heat gain
1000
Enters an upright pose and then performs a forward snapping slam-kick with his wolf-transformed leading leg (somewhat based on a karate move known as a 'Brazilian Kick'). Can be used in combos as an extender and to help with damage. Hops over lows.
Drive[]
Input
Japanese name
English name
English localization
Damage
Heat gain
+ any direction
ヴェーアヴォルフ Vēavorufu
Werwolf (Werewolf)
Werewolf
--
--
Transforms Valkenhayn into a wolf, or back into a human depending on his present state. As a wolf, Valkenhayn’s Wolf Gauge decreases depending on what he is doing. Standing still decreases the meter at a very slow, almost unnoticeable rate. As a human, the Wolf Gauge refills while Valkenhayn is in a normal standing state (does not recharge while moving or jumping).
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
+ any direction (during a human special move)
ゲシュヴィント・ヴォルフ Geshuvinto Vorufu
Geschwind Wolf (Fastwind Wolf)
--
--
Cancels the recovery of a special move into Rasen Wolf. Movement is the same as in Rasen Wolf. Consumes an extra chunk of Wolf Gauge when canceling.
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
CS: + any direction CP: + any direction (while in wolf form)
ラーゼン・ヴォルフ Rāzen Vorufu
Rasen Wolf (Racing Wolf)
--
--
With the exception of 7C and 4C, dashes in the direction pressed. Pressing 7C will cause Valkenhayn to flip back and dive diagonally downwards. Pressing 4C will cause Valkenhayn to flip back and dash forward. Continues dashing until canceled with another move. Drains Wolf Gauge rapidly while dashing. Airborne during all wolf dashes. Can do Wolf 5C/6C > j.A/j.B for a very fast instant overhead.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(while in wolf form)
300
124
Swipe with claw. Hits low.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(while in wolf form)
640
264
Launching fang/bite swipe. Air unblockable without barrier. Launches opponent. Jump cancelable on hit or block.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(while in wolf form)
840
New wolf-based normal added in BlazBlue: Chronophantasma. Sweeps with his tail in a stationary turn. Sweeps the opponent. Hits low. A bit of a limited combo tool due to the small amount of followup options afterward, but it works very well as a mixup and pressure tool. Its deceptive range makes it optimal for playing footsies with, and for baiting most invincible reversals (but only if spaced correctly).
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(in the air) (while in wolf form)
180 (j.A, j.AA, j.AAA)
74 (j.A, j.AA, j.AAA)
Bites forward in rapid succession. Can be mashed up to three times for additional hits on hit or block. Each hit has a slightly different hitbox/animation. Hits overhead.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(in the air) (while in wolf form)
450
186
Spins around and whip-spikes with his tail. Large hitbox. Knocks opponent down on hit. Possible to link multiple j.Bs while falling if done after a 5C against an opponent high enough in the air. Hits overhead.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(in the air) (while in wolf form)
650
New wolf-based normal added in BlazBlue: Chronophantasma. Kicks backward with his hind legs up into the air. Slow startup. Hits overhead. Very solid combo starter, but spamming this may have your opponent get easily accustomed to blocking it. However, it controls space very well and works as a quasi-anti-air to keep up the pressure with.
Overdrive[]
Input
Japanese name
English name
English localization
Damage
Heat gain
エンドロスヴォルフ Endorosu Vorufu
Endlos Wolf (Endless Wolf)
Endless Wolf
--
--
Wolf Gauge charges much faster.
Exceed Accel[]
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
(during Overdrive)
ズィーク・ナーゲル Zīku Nāgeru
Sieg Nägel (Winning Claw)
2000 4000 (Active Flow)
New move in Centralfiction. Valkenhayn first performs a shoulder leaning strike with arms crossed; upon connecting, he then claws at his opponent with a succession of his 5B to 5C, and then grabs them with a wolf-arm choke lift (as he has the other arm behind his back) and slams them into the ground, on impact big energy slashes appear in the form of a caged-geyser. The Active Flow version instead creates a larger geyser.
Special moves[]
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
ナハト・イェーガー Nahato Yēgā
Nacht Jäger (Night Hunter)
680
563
Dashes forward with his legs transformed and shoulder tackles the opponent. Moves forward significantly. Safe on block via being 0 frames upon recovery, but it still may be easily punishable. Because of this, it’s mainly used as a combo filler as well as for setting up wolf form-based pressure.
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
シュバルツ・ヤクト Shubarutsu Yakuto
Schwarz Jägd (Black Hunting)
650 (CS)/750 (CP)
583
Long-ranged low kick with a transformed leg via a back-turning leaning sweep. Hits low. and knocks down via sweep effect. Can be followed up with Weiss Jagd or can be wolf-cancelled even before the hitbox comes out, allowing for some sly frame traps. Has 120% bonus proration, meaning if one can rapid cancel this move, combos afterward can be very damaging. CP: Does a bit more damage.
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
(during Schwarz Jägd)
ヴァイス・ヤクト Vaisu Yakuto
Weiß Jägd (White Hunting)
850 (CS)/900 (CP)
703
Followup input to Schwarz Jägd. Straight hand-standing kick with a transformed following leg. Knocks opponent away via ground slide at mid-screen or wallbounces in the corner. CP: Does a bit more damage.
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
ナハト・ローゼン Nahato Rōzen
Nacht Rozen (Night Rose)
750
465
Dashes forward and uppercuts the opponent with his following elbow from a transformed arm. Breaks one guard primer. Launches and sends opponent into fallback. Links out of 5C on crouching. Possible to follow up by canceling with Geschwind Wolf. Hits overhead. No longer does so in BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II. Air unblockable, but it must be spaced properly without it whiffing. Note that this move is very punishable on block, so it must be used sparingly in most combos, especially from crouching hit confirms. Due to its slow startup and recovery, trying to apply pressure with this move (wolf form cancel or not) is very risky.
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
(in the air)
モーント・リヒト Mōntorihito
Mondlicht (Moonlight)
700
579
Aerial back-spin kick aimed upward with his transformed leading leg. Sends opponent into fallback on hit. Can be followed up with Geschwind Wolf, or with almost any ground normal in the corner. Air unblockable, and halts Valkenhayn’s aerial momentum. Thus it can be Tiger Knee’d as a combo starter. Often used as mainly a combo tool. CP: Now wallbounces on hit.
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
CS/CP:/ (in wolf form) (Ok in midair) CP: EX:// (in wolf form) (Ok in midair)
ケーニッヒ・ヴォルフ Kēnihhi Vorufu
König Wolf (King Wolf)
900 (Version A/B)
558 (Version A/B)
Dashes forward via a spiraling-drill dive. Considered to be airborne. Can be canceled into other wolf specials. Launches on hit. Crosses through opponent on hit or block. In the air during the attack, one can followup with another version of König Wolf depending on the position of both Valkenhayn and his opponent for multiple repetitions, but heavy execution is often needed here (though spamming this too much in one combo may result in a Same Attack Combo decay). This move is also unsafe on block, but it doesn’t have to be used offensively since it works as another mobility tool. CP 2.0/Extend: Now has a new C version added where Valkenhayn dashes straight up.
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
CS/CP:/ (in the air) (in wolf form) CP: EX:// (in the air)
アイゼン・ヴォルフ Aizen Vorufu
Eisen Wolf (Iron Wolf)
900
558
A midair diving version of König Wolf. Knocks opponent down. B version has a steeper dive than A version. Ground slams on hit, and is also very punishable on block even more than König Wolf. CP 2.0/Extend: Now has a new C version added where Valkenhayn dashes straight down.
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
CS: (in wolf form) (Ok in midair) CP: (in wolf form) (Ok in midair) CP: EX: (in wolf form) (Ok in midair)
ヒンメル・ヴォルフ Hinmeru Vorufu
Himmel Wolf (Heaven Wolf)
0, 1000 (Ground), 0, 1500 (Air)
0, 828 (Ground), 0, 1241 (Air)
Grabs opponent, bites them, and knocks them away. Untransforms Valkenhayn once he touches the ground (will not transform if Rapid Cancelled, and thus that tends to be an optimal option for followups off of this move). Completely replenishes his Wolf Gauge. CP 2.0/Extend: Now has a new command: BC, which makes it similar to the normal throw command (due to new inputs for both König Wolf and Eisen Wolf).
Distortion Drives[]
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
シュツルム・ヴォルフ Shutsurumu Vorufu
Sturm Wolf (Storm Wolf)
1000, 150x10, 210, 150x6, 2500
0
Dashes forward and attacks with a transformed wolf head (where he bites his foe), should it connect, he then goes into a long flurry of attacks with various body parts of him transformed partially, then ends it with a rapid series of lightning kicks ending with a back-pushing kick that causes ground slide. Will perform all attacks regardless of whether attack hits, is blocked, or whiffs. First attack pulls opponent in to ensure that followups will connect, but may still whiff in certain situations. Reversal invulnerability. CP: No longer performs all the attacks if the first hit does not connect, making it more akin to a ranbu-styled super. The Overdrive version adds more hits via having Valkenhayn throw in a backwards facing front-flip kick (the animation from his Astral Heat) before the final attack.
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
(in the air) (in human form)
ケーニッヒ・フルーク Kēnihhi Furūku
König Flug (King Flight)
800x2, 2000
0
Dives down with his transformed leading leg via a dive kick, which bounces the opponent into the air via a slow-motion flow, and turns into a wolf and crashes into them after a brief aura charge. Hits three times: once on the way down, once upon touching the ground, and once after transforming. Goes into guaranteed third hit if second hit connects. Possible to connect with first hit and still whiff second hit. While “charging” for the third hit, recovers Wolf Gauge as if standing. Switches sides with the opponent if it successfully connects. CP: A new Overdrive version is added in where during the charge upward, Valkenhayn instead charges past his opponent multiple times in high-speed succession (akin to multiple König Wolf inputs) and ends it with ending up above his opponent, doing a turning downward falling reap-claw slash in his werewolf form (all akin to his Astral Heat).
Astral Heat[]
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
ブルート・フォルモント Burūto Forumonto
Blut Vollmond (Blood Fullmoon)
Death
0
Valkenhayn adjusts one of his gloves then does backwards facing front-flip kick, launching the opponent into the air with Valkenhayn transforming into his full werewolf form. The opponent flies higher into the view of the full moon, with Valkenhayn performing barrage of attacks from several directions, ending it with a downward falling reap-claw slash which bloodies the screen with several more slashes. Reversal invulnerability. Combos easily out of 6B and almost anything in corner.