Ragna is the standard-issue all-around character who is easy to use and has basic, but effective bread-and-butter combos. Unlike most main characters, Ragna does not use projectiles for range, and has an aggressive, melee-rushdown oriented playstyle. He is all about forcing his way through the opponent's guard by any means necessary, and bringing the pain with high-damage, long combos. Because of this, he can often experience difficulty with characters that excel at zoning, such as Nu-13 and Jin Kisaragi.

He is certainly not without range, however. Utilizing his amazing 5B and 5C, Ragna has all the tools he needs to catch his opponent out and then immediately close the distance with Hell's Fang. Once Ragna gets in close quarters, his damage potential increases considerably, and even becomes borderline devastating if he enters his powered up state, Blood Kain, but not without its risks. Ragna's health is one of the lowest of the cast, at only 10000, but this is compensated for by his unique Drive ability, Soul Eater, which steals some of the opponent's life force during certain attacks. As such, a tenacious Ragna is awarded for his offense with precious vitality, while a Ragna without momentum is quick to fall at the hands of his opponent. He also sports a good mixup game, with him packs a crossup, overheads to supplement his low attacks, and good Rapid Cancel options.

Ragna has trouble healing his health in big amounts if he extends his combos too much due to damage scaling, and he also has a lack of reliable air finishers, should Ragna use Gauntlet Hades or Inferno Divider(including its followups) too high in the air the opponent can recover soon and take the chance to counter. As well as having an unsafe 2C, Ragna has quite an amount of weakness to exploit.

Despite all of this, Ragna is actually best at maintaining a neutral game with his footsies; his range is meant to be used against foes' actions to start a massively damaging combo on them, and his pressure and mixup is only mediocre compared to most characters. What makes Ragna very dangerous is if he's in the hands of a skilled and intelligent player, being able to combo off of Ragna's poking tools, and learning how to properly space himself from his opponent to capitalize of their movements.

In Continuum Shift, Ragna was provided with several major buffs which pushed him up into top tier. Most importantly, the addition of the move Belial Edge (j.214C) set him up for some easy, extremely high-damage combos, many of which end in his Not Over Yet (22C) special, which deals fixed, unprorated damage and forces standing, preventing the opponent from rolling. Additionally, his 2C is now extremely safe and fatal counters on hit, giving him an easy setup into extremely high damaging combos (over 8k). Last but not least, his Soul Eater drive moves now regain a fixed amount of health (as opposed to a percentage of damage dealt, as in CT), allowing him to steal much larger quantities of health unaffected by proration and to gain health in a more fair amount. As well, he can heal only when the orbs touch him, instead of healing him on hit.

However, his combos can still be badly affected by damage scaling if they are dragged on for too long. Plus Ragna's capabilities lie within the corner; when out in the open, his Belial Edge can mess up quite a few things and it becomes much less effective, but it does not leave him open to enemy attacks should his opponent 'fall through' it. If they are launched too high for Ragna to drag down during an air combo, then the Inferno Divider can be a good alternative. Overall, Ragna now requires some knowledge on damage proration to play properly, as combo management is a notable factor to avoid punishes at the end of a combo if damage scaling kicks in too soon.

Continuum Shift II, unfortunately, has not done Ragna any favors. With the nerfing on Belial Edge, which now requires different, more strict timing to get a combo going, and a major portion of his combos being removed, Ragna was unceremoniously kicked off of the S-tier throne. Instead of long combos, Ragna now relies solely on mixup pressure to get in, which is more akin to his Calamity Trigger counterpart. Unfortunately, characters like Makoto, whose offensive potential received a massive buff, now overshadow Ragna in roughly all aspects that define his playstyle. Don't let this discourage you, however. Ragna still has his godlike 5B, outprioritizing all attacks that come his way. However, his underused Dead Spike now flings the foe away if it connects on them while they are in midair, thus, Ragna gains a few new ways to perform combos and juggle as well. Also, his Inferno Divider finishers are harder to punish, as Ragna can now perform air actions upon recovering from them.

For those who have adjusted to his changes in Continuum Shift II, there is no need to worry. Extend has brought him nothing but buffs, such as his Carnage Scissors now being immune to projectiles. Add the numerous other balance changes to the equation, such as the nerfing of every major character that did what he does better, and you have a road paved for Ragna to ascend the tier list once again. The changes mostly involve some moves such as his 6B and 6D having more combo setup potential, and his Hell's Fang proration has improved. It would seem that Ragna is not so different from his CS II counterpart, but is now more reasonably balanced from the first CS in this regard.

MovelistEdit

Normals

Input
5A
	Damage			Heat Gain
	165			124
	A standing jab with his index and middle finger knuckles forward. Run-of-the-mill standing poke, especially for slight anti-air purposes due to Ragna's stance height. Cancels into itself. Jump cancelable.

Input
5B
	Damage			Heat Gain
	640			273
	A leaning backspin/turning roundhouse kick. Decent speed and good range, making it optimal for his standard poke set. Also has rather amazing priority over a good set of moves, but is usually safe only at max range; on block or when out-prioritizing attacks via punish, as using it close to the foe without any cancel options makes it rather unsafe. Staple combo starter.

Input
5C
	Damage			Heat Gain
	710			331
	A forward leaning sword swipe. Good range and priority, but a bit slow on startup. The recovery and hitbox makes it an optimal foil to his standing B in Ragna's spacing set, making it a slower option that's notably safe on block. Jump cancelable. Combos into Hell's Fang at most ranges. Faster and slighter shorter range compared to CT.

Input
2A
	Damage			Heat Gain
	150			124
	A crouching jab. Run-of-the-mill-crouching poke. Cancels into itself.

Input
2B
	Damage			Heat Gain
	480			207
	A crouching far kick. Hits low. Good for relaunching off of 3C, but like his 5B, can be punished if not careful with it.

Input
2C
	Damage			Heat Gain
	780			298
	A backwards leaning wide outward sword swing. Combos well off of 5C, though the hitbox doesn't seem to reach as far as it looks. Staggers on Counter Hit. Now + frames on block can inflict Fatal Counters, giving Ragna a powerful punish tool, despite this being his only Fatal Counter attack.

Input
6A
	Damage			Heat Gain
	620			256
	A stepping forward uppercut. Upper-body invulnerable. Jump cancelable. Standard launcher for air combos.

Input
6B
	Damage			Heat Gain
	720			298
	Ragna lifts his foot up high, then drops his heel/leg down. A standing overhead, a bit slow, but a staple mixup tool. Combos into 5C.

Input
6C
	Damage			Heat Gain
	640+760			211, 251
	Ragna performs a low sword stab, and then with a rigid lifting of his arm, a rising sword slash. Jump cancelable and dash cancelable. Can lead to very strong combos. Only combos properly on a crouching opponent. Increased speed from the first to second hit in BBCP.

Input
3C
	Damage			Heat Gain
	720			298
	A low sweep kick. Knocks down the opponent. Jump cancelable. Can combo into "Not Over Yet" at close range or relaunch with either 2B or 5C.

Input
j.A
	Damage			Heat Gain
	180			124
	A jumping punch. Run-of-the-mill jumping poke. Cancels into itself.

Input
j.B
	Damage			Heat Gain
	560			207
	A jumping straight kick. Good for adjusting height if the opponent is too low in the air. Has a decent crossup hitbox and very good priority.

Input
j.C
	Damage			Heat Gain
	680			256
	A jumping spinning sword swipe. Good offensive hitbox for air to ground, but will lose to the better 6A anti-airs. Has a good crossup hitbox, and the bottom hurtbox portion can trap foes into the attack should Ragna air dash into them at certain heights.

Input
5B+C
--	Damage			Heat Gain
	0+1200			--
	Ragna lifts the opponent above his head and stabs them with his sword. Special cancelable after the stab. Staple combo starter.

Input
4B+C
--	Damage			Heat Gain
	0+1100			--
	Ragna drives the opponent down to the ground, then scrapes them on the ground and flings them into the air. Special cancelable after the uppercut. Staple combo starter. Flings foe further away in BB: CS EX. Also now wallbounces.

Input
j.B+C
	Damage			Heat Gain
	0+1100			--
	Ragna grabs the opponent at arm's length and then knees them away. Special cancelable after the knee. Wall bounces.

Drive

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
j any direction/command + D	Soul Eater			ソウルイーター, Souru Ītā						--	--
	Ragna uses an attack that absorbs some of the opponent's health on hit or block. Soul Eater attacks drain 30% of the attack damage on hit (80% during Blood Kain). Normals drain 15% on block while specials and Distortion Drives drain 20% on block. Does not work against Barrier Guard. Now only actually gains health once the lifesteal orbs actually reach his body.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
5D										680+950 (760+1250)	225, 314
	Ragna lifts his sword above his head, then slams it back down again. Dash cancelable. Launches on first hit, then ground bounces on second. Has faster startup and bigger hitbox during Blood Kain. In BBCS2, opponent can only be launched and ground bounced only if hit in midair, though Ragna can still cancel it normally into other attacks. Corner D loop during Blood Kain can connects into a Devoured by Darkness (CT only).

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
2D										750 (1250)	310
	Ragna leans in and stabs his sword into the ground. Knocks down the opponent. Hits low. Can relaunch from a 5C. Ground bounces on Counter Hit or while in Blood Kain.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
6D										750 (1250)	310
	Ragna hops into the air and strikes with his sword over his shoulder. Ragna becomes airborne. Mainly used after Hell's Fang (RC). Combos into j.D. Starts up faster in Blood Kain.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
j.D										720 (1400)	244
	Ragna thrusts the edge of his sword upwards. Good for following up 6D, air combos involving j.C and adjusting height for a D Inferno Divider. Hitbox becomes larger in Blood Kain (smaller than in CT, but still larger than normal)

Special Attacks

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
214A	Hell's Fang			ヘルズファング, Heruzu Fangu						730	302
	Ragna dashes at the opponent with his hand engulfed in darkness. Has huge hit stun on Counter Hit, which lets you combo into more or less anything. Counter Hitstun lowered in CS. Good for reset pressure. If done very close, the move looks more of a clothesline, as on hit or block on any point of the move, recovery will kick in. Extremely unsafe if Instant Blocked. From CS onward, pushes Ragna away a bit, limiting simple combo options.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
214D (during Hell's Fang)	Additional Blow			追加攻撃, Tsuika Kōgeki (Additional Attack)						950 (1150)	786
	Ragna extends his other arm and strikes the opponent with dark energy in the shape of one of the Black Beast's heads that bites forward. Staple ground combo finisher. Life drain on hit or block. Wallbounces during Blood Kain. Damages one guard primer.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
623C/D (Ok in midair)	Inferno Divider			インフェルノディバイダー, Inferuno Dibaidā						420+460 (C), 420+ 460 (Air C), 440+440 (720+440) (D), 600x2 (Air D)	173+190 (C), 173+190 (Air C), 248*2 (D), 248*2 (Air D)
	Ragna leaps upward in a spiraling motion while uppercutting with a sword slash hilt first. Basic anti-air special with start-up invulnerability. Good move for breaking out of a defensive position. Breaks one guard primer on block. D version launches Ragna higher into the air. Can hit twice. D version's hits have life drain on hit or block, but however, has no invincibility. Its priority is decent enough though.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
236C (during Inferno Divider)	Uppercut			アッパー, Appā (Upper)						310	128
	Ragna turns in a fast wicked motion in the air (all while re-holstering his sword) to follow up with an uppercut. Can only be performed if the Inferno Divider connects on hit, the move can miss depending on Ragna's distance, but not often.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
236C (during Uppercut)	Straight Punch			横吹き飛ばし, Yoko Fukitobashi (Horizontal Blow Scatter)						400	165
	Ragna follows up with a quick straight. Wallbounces. Can only perform if Uppercut connects, but it can miss on rare occasions. If combo'd from a grounded C Inferno Divider, it's possible to relaunch from this outside of the corner. Can now perform normal air actions afterward in BBCS2.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
214D (during Uppercut)	Ax Kick			踵落とし, Kakato Otoshi (Heel Drop)						480	198
	Ragna follows up with a quick heel smash. Knocks down the opponent. Can only perform if Uppercut connects. Staple air combo finisher, as it covers a large amount of area around Ragna, even from above. So it's hard for this move to miss. Input changed from CT (former 214C), now steals health due to its new command. Can now perform normal air actions afterward in BBCS2.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
214B (Ok in midair)	Gauntlet Hades			ガントレットハーデス, Gantoretto Hādesu						800 (G), 700 (A)	331 (G), 289 (A)
	Ragna hops into the air and delivers a fierce, spinning downward hand swing of darkness to the opponent. Hits overhead and makes Ragna airborne. Ground version ground bounces, midair version knocks down. Great for combos if followed up correctly.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
214D (during Gauntlet Hades)	Back Spin Kick			蹴り上げ, Keri Age (Kick Rise)						550	227
	Ragna follows up with a back spinning kick aimed upward while kicking with a paw of the Black Beast. Can combo into a 5B or 5C if delayed slightly. Steals health. Move launches. Good for corner combos and setups, its use of a superb air combo finisher is questioned. Life drain on hit or block. Compared to CT, deals less damage and steals less health.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
214D(CT/CS) 236D(CP)	Dead Spike			デッドスパイク, Deddo Supaiku						700 (400*3)	414
	Ragna releases dark energy from his sword in the shape of one of the Black Beast's heads. Life drain on hit or block. Frame advantage on block (in normal state). Hits up to three times during Blood Kain, hitbox increases significantly. Faster startup compared to CT. Good for combo resets. Opponent is now wildly flung away by the attack as of BB: CS2, though only in midair. Breaks one Guard Primer on hit Chronophantasma': Command is now 236D. Crawls lower across the ground, but has longer range.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
214D (Ok in midair)	Blood Scythe			ブラッドサイズ, Buraddo Saizu						--	--
	New move in Chronophantasma. Ragna flies forward while circle-slashing with his Blood Scythe downward. Steals health and hits overhead with a ground bounce effect on midair foes. Slow overhead, but great for combo extensions and for punishing certain attacks.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
j.214C	Belial Edge			ベリアルエッジ, Beriaru Ejji						600, 100*N	248, 41*N
	Ragna brandishes his sword, then does a diving stab downward. Multi-hitting dive attack. If last hit connects, opponent will be ground bounced into the air for a followup combo (only if the move connects on a midair opponent). Though he has plenty of hitstun regardless even on a grounded foe. Extremely effective for corner carries, but has flaws out in the open. Opponent might fall through the attack or be lifted too high by the initial hit of the attack so be dragged downward with Ragna. Relatively safe on block. In CS2, Ragna now moves back a little during his brandishing animation, making the first hit miss more often, and the opponent is pushed away after touching the ground. In CP, the startup time appears to have decreased.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
22C on downed opponent	Not Over Yet			まだ終わりじゃねぇぞ, Mada Owarija Nē Zo (It's not Over Yet)						0, 400	0, 165
	Ragna picks his opponent up off the ground and punches them in the gut, where they crumple to the ground. Good for lengthening ground combos and for reset pressure. Though the opponent can at times tech without rolling to take the chance to block or worse, land a counter hit with a great frame advantage. Can also combo into it without really needing the foe to be on the ground such as during the second hit of Ragna's 5D.<br /Chronophantasma: Ragna's gut punch results in a hard knock back that wall bounces in the corner. Now dash and special cancel-able.

Distortion Drives

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
632146(D) (Hold to stop second hit)	Carnage Scissors			カーネージシザー, Kānēji Shizā						1000+2100(1000+3800)	--
	Ragna performs a very fast, dashing sword strike, then releases two crossing spikes of dark energy (hence the name "scissors") from slashing the ground with his sword. Covers a lot of ground very quickly, but the invincibility is very short. Can delay attack. Deceptively large hitbox. Ground bounce on first hit, life drain and wall bounce on second hit. Now has increased untech time. In BBCS:EX, it gains some startup invincibility, enabling Ragna to even punish certain projectiles with good timing. In CP, the first hit crumples a grounded opponent, and ground bounces an airborne opponent. In Overdrive, this move does a few extra hits.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
214214D(CT/CS) ABCD(CP)	Blood Kain			ブラッドカイン, Buraddo Kain						--	--
	Ragna activates the Azure, and body emits a black aura. This enhances all of Ragna's Soul Eater moves, greatly increasing their hitbox as well as improving their damage, health drain and untechable time. Ragna is constantly losing health whilst in this mode. Lasts for about 10 seconds. Has a notable amount of startup invincibility, making it ideal for punishes that involve powerful combos afterward. Boss Ragna has a unique version of Blood Kain that he activates at the start of the match with the phrase "BlazBlue... activate!" or "Check it out, this is the Azure!" and lasts throughout the entire battle. In this state, Ragna's strength and health drain are much greater than with regular Blood Kain, and without the gradual health loss. Also, the Heat Gauge is constantly increasing as if in critical health, regardless of Ragna's current health. In CP, this move is Ragna's Overdrive.

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
214214D (during Blood Kain)	Devoured by Darkness			闇に食われろ, Yami ni Kuwarero						0, 6000	--
	Ragna's hand turns into a claw of the Black Beast as he snatches the opponent, lifts them up over his head and bombards them with dark tendrils, dealing a total of 70 hits. The start-up for this Distortion Drive is rather slow and easy to counter-poke, but Ragna regains a massive amount of health if he connects, making it an incredibly rewarding desperation attack. Whether Blood Kain is active or not will depend on how much life is stolen. If Blood Kain is inactive, 30% of the opponent's life is stolen. If Blood Kain is active, 80% of the opponent's life is stolen. However, this move will end Blood Kain after this drive has been executed. It also has a deceiving amount of range. Now steals less health compared to CT. Though the damage can reduce in a combo, it can be hard to combo into this move at all. Can whiff against certain crouching characters. It can be used outside of Blood Kain in CP, but the damage is not as devasting. During Overdrive, the damage is almost doubled to CS level

Astral Heat

Input	English Name			Japanese Name			Literal Translation			Damage	Heat Gain
2141236C	Black Onslaught			ブラックオンスロート, Burakku Onsurōto						Death	0, 165
	Utilizing the power of the Azure Grimoire, Ragna strikes the opponent, then turns his sword into a scythe and slashes the opponent repeatedly, draining their soul almost entirely before disintegrating them with a final stab. Completely invincible start-up, but is slow to hit. Initial strike hits overhead. Recovery is reasonably fast, and difficult for close ranged characters to punish on block or whiff. Drains large amounts of health, albeit unnecessarily (for the player has already secured victory at this point), on hit.