Playstyle
How Hulk plays
Hulk is the Fighting Avengers' immovable object: a huge-bodied bruiser who puts armor on almost everything he does. His signature Gamma Level gauge builds as he taps R1 (Gamma Spark) or tanks hits with his armored Skills; once it hits Level 3 (Red), a final Gamma Spark ignites Gamma Rage — an ~8-second install that speeds up his dashes, boosts damage, adds armor to his Skill follow-ups, turns his Super into a grab-and-slam, and lets his charged Heavy become an unblockable. He closes ground behind Violent Charge and the Giant Stomp shockwave, eats zoning with Thunder Clap, and cashes out with some of the scariest throws in the game (16,000 on the ground, 18,000 in the air). He is officially rated the easiest tier of character to pick up, with simple Quick-Skill inputs and forgiving, armored buttons.
The A (data-limited) placement is deliberate. Hulk was absent from the open beta, so verified Tōkon data is genuinely thin: Dustloop's frame page is still being filled and no optimised, damage-tagged routes have been published yet. His toolkit clearly reads as strong — wall-to-wall armor, huge range, a snowballing install — but it is unproven at a high level. His weaknesses are just as clear: he is large, slow and juggle-prone, and he has no airdash, so good players can zone above him and open him up once they respect the armor. Treat the moves below as verified-from-launch-sources and the combos as still-forming.
TokonGuide Editorial · Launch patch · August 2026
Strengths
- Armor almost everywhere: Gamma Spark (5U) and all four Skills — Thunder Clap, Skull Crush, Violent Charge, Seismic Smash — plus their follow-ups carry armor, so he plows through pokes and projectiles
- Massive range and raw damage from a big body, capped by enormous standard throws (16,000 ground / 18,000 air) — his grappling threat is real even without a special command grab
- Gamma Rage install snowballs the round: faster dashes, more damage, armored Skill follow-ups, an unblockable charged Heavy, a Super that becomes a grab-and-slam, and an Ultimate that auto-tracks
- Real answers to zoning despite no airdash: Thunder Clap negates projectiles, and Giant Stomp acts as a ground shockwave to control space and disguise his landings
- Team and newcomer value: his assists can carry armor (opponents must respect them), and the game officially rates him a 5-star / easiest character — a great first pick
Weaknesses
- No airdash and generally poor air mobility — his jump-ins are predictable and he is easy to anti-air, float over, or zone from above
- Large hurtbox, big and slow: he is juggle-prone and eats full combos, and whiffed/blocked Skills leave him very punishable
- Armor is not a cure-all — it loses to throws and to Ultimate-level attacks, so a patient opponent can bait an armored commitment and grab or super through it
- Ramp-up dependent and data-limited: he is weaker before Gamma Rage is built, and because he skipped the beta his matchups and optimal routes are still being figured out
Signature kit
Signature tools
Inputs
Hulk Move List
| Move | Input | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gamma Level / Gamma RageMechanic | Build via Gamma Spark or by tanking hits — reach Level 3 (Red), then Gamma Spark to ignite | His defining system. Fill the Gamma gauge to Level 3 by using Gamma Spark or absorbing hits with armored moves, then a Gamma Spark at max activates Gamma Rage (~8s). Rage boosts movement speed and damage, adds armor to Skill follow-ups, turns Rampage into a grab, makes the charged Heavy unblockable, and makes Gamma Bomb home in. |
| Gamma SparkSpecial | 5U (R1) | His Unique action and the core of the gauge: an armored attack that builds Gamma Level and knocks back up close. A strong defensive punish and assist-combo extender; you can cancel Giant Stomp into it to stay armored and safe. |
| Giant StompSpecial | 2U · j.U (air) | Ground stomp that hits grounded opponents and behaves like a ground projectile/shockwave for space control; also an air-movement fake-out (he has no airdash). Cancels straight into Gamma Spark, so the armor covers most punish attempts. |
| Charged HeavyNormal | 5[H] (hold H) | Hold to charge; fully charged it launches the opponent away. During Gamma Rage it gains armor while charging AND becomes unblockable (unless the opponent is already in blockstun). |
| Thunder ClapSpecial | 236 L/M/H · air OK · QS (R2) | Armored clap that negates incoming projectiles. The H version can be followed with another H for a second clap; M/aerial versions add armor windows; the M/EX version costs ~25 Skill Gauge. (Dustloop spells it 'Thunderclap'.) |
| Skull CrushSpecial | 623 L/M/H · Fwd+QS | Rising, armored anti-air / launcher; M raises higher, H does more and can be followed with a second H that slams them into the ground. A great combo starter into air routes. |
| Violent ChargeSpecial | 214 L/M/H · air OK · Back+QS | Armored horizontal lunge — his main gap-closer to cover ground and armor through pokes. H adds knockback and can chain a second H. Punishable on block, so use behind armor, not raw. |
| Seismic SmashSpecial | 22 L/M/H · Down+QS | Close-range ground assault: L is an automatic 4-hit flurry; M is a single stronger overhead-type hit (guards High); H hits harder and can chain into a second flurry. High reward up close but long recovery if whiffed/blocked. |
| RampageSuper | 236 M+H · 50 Skill Gauge | A powerful strike that, during Gamma Rage, transforms into a grab-and-slam. Using it ends Gamma Rage. Damage values are not yet published on Dustloop. |
| Gamma BombSuper | 632146 M+H (Ultimate) · 100 Skill Gauge | Leaps high and crashes down, detonating the ground. If NOT in Gamma Rage it instead maxes his Gamma Level; during Gamma Rage it auto-tracks and descends on the opponent's position. Using it ends Gamma Rage. |
| Tōkon AssembleSuper | 236 L+A · 150 Skill Gauge | Team-wide comeback super. Per tokon.gg it can only be used when the opponent is one round away from winning the match. |
| Normals & throwsNormal | 5L/5LL/5LLL · 5M/5MM/5MMM · 5H/5HH/5HHH · 2L/2M/2H · j.L/j.M/j.H (j.6H/j.2H) · throw M+H · air throw j.M+H | Auto-combo-style chains (5LLL and 5MM launch); 2M is a low, 2H a big anti-air/launcher. The throws are the payoff: 16,000 on the ground throw (M+H) and 18,000 on the air throw — among the heaviest in the game and his real 'grappler' damage. |
Move names, inputs and system details are cross-checked against the Dustloop MTFS/Hulk wiki (the authority for numpad inputs), tokon.gg and Altar of Gaming, with corroboration from EventHubs and GamingBolt. IMPORTANT: Hulk was absent from the open beta, so verified data is thin — Dustloop's Super/Ultimate damage fields and its Combos page aren't filled in yet, and no optimised damage-tagged routes are public. Beware secondary blogs that relabel his moves with Marvel vs Capcom names ('Gamma Charge/Clap/Stomp') — those are not the in-game names. Updated August 2026.
Bread and butter
Hulk Combos
2M > 5M > 5H > 2H > jc > j.H > j.H
A basic low-starter hit-confirm into a jump-cancel air chain — your everyday confirm. Launch-week route; damage not yet published.
Combo: tokon.gg (Theo)
5L > 5M > 5H > 2H > j.5H > j.2H > 5A > 236 M+H (Rampage)
Dustloop's example route (corner, uses Assemble Rush 5A into the Rampage super). The wiki hasn't published a damage value for it yet — routes and numbers are still being added.
236H > 2M > 5H > jc > j.6H > j.H > jc > j.H > j.236M
Advanced juggle off an armored Thunder Clap using two jump cancels into an aerial Thunder Clap. Consistency and damage are still being worked out post-launch.
Combo: tokon.gg (Theo)
Combo video: Official Hulk Character Gameplay Guide (Arc System Works / PlayStation, via GameSpot)
Move names, inputs and system details are cross-checked against the Dustloop MTFS/Hulk wiki (the authority for numpad inputs), tokon.gg and Altar of Gaming, with corroboration from EventHubs and GamingBolt. IMPORTANT: Hulk was absent from the open beta, so verified data is thin — Dustloop's Super/Ultimate damage fields and its Combos page aren't filled in yet, and no optimised damage-tagged routes are public. Beware secondary blogs that relabel his moves with Marvel vs Capcom names ('Gamma Charge/Clap/Stomp') — those are not the in-game names. Updated August 2026.
Game plan
Hulk game plan
Getting in. Hulk is slow and has no airdash, so distance is the fight — win it with armor, not speed. Walk and dash forward behind his big normals, and use Violent Charge (214 / Back+QS) to cover ground while armoring through pokes. Giant Stomp (2U / j.U) is your spacing tool: it behaves like a ground shockwave, controls the mid-range, and disguises when you'll land in the air. Thunder Clap (236 / R2) erases projectiles, so it is your answer to zoners despite the lack of an airdash. Every time you tank a hit with an armored Skill or tap Gamma Spark (R1), your Gamma Level climbs — so 'eating a poke to keep walking' is often correct, not a mistake.
Offense and damage. Once you're in, your job is to make blocking miserable and then take the throw. String his 5L/5M/5H chains, stagger armored Skills to beat mashing, and when they freeze up, grab: his standard throws hit for 16,000 (ground) and 18,000 (air), which is his real grappler damage since he has no special command grab. In Gamma Rage the whole kit tightens — armored Skill follow-ups, faster dashes, and the charged Heavy (Hold H) becomes a genuine unblockable, so mix charged-Heavy vs throw vs low. Cancel a blocked Giant Stomp into Gamma Spark to stay armored and safe while you keep building. Cash big confirms into Rampage (236 M+H, 50 gauge), which becomes a grab-slam in Rage.
Defense, tag and meter. Armor is offense and defense in one, but it is not a shield against everything — it loses to throws and to Ultimate-level attacks, so don't become predictable with your armored buttons or a patient player will grab/super through them. Use his armored assists to cover your approach, and tag out (5T / Switch) or Assemble Rush (5A) when you're cornered or need a route to connect. Bank Skill Gauge for Rampage (50) and Gamma Bomb (100); note Gamma Bomb, used outside Rage, simply maxes your Gamma Level, which is a legitimate way to bridge into the install. Tōkon Assemble (236 L+A, 150) is a pure comeback button. Overall: tank a little, build Gamma, then snowball.
TokonGuide Editorial · Launch patch · August 2026
Team building
Best Teammates for Hulk
His story-team partner and Hulk's best neutral crutch. Iron Man's projectile/repulsor assists pin opponents and cover Hulk's slow, airdash-less approach, letting him walk in behind armor and safely build Gamma Level from mid-range.
A fast, mobile Avenger who supplies exactly what Hulk lacks — speed and quick-hitting assists. Great for extending Hulk's juggles and cracking opponents who just sit and block his armored pressure.
The glue of the Fighting Avengers: dependable, space-controlling shield assists that cover Hulk on defense and keep his tag/Assemble game safe while he ramps into Gamma Rage. Thematically and functionally the cleanest fit.
See all Marvel Tokon team comps
TokonGuide Editorial · Launch patch · August 2026
Watch and learn
Official Hulk guide video
What the video covers
- Gamma Gauge
- Gamma Rage
- Power and speed increase during Gamma Rage
Questions
Hulk FAQ
- Is Hulk good? What tier is he?
- We place him A (data-limited) at launch. His tools are clearly strong — armor on nearly everything, huge range, 16k/18k throws and a snowballing Gamma Rage install — and tokon.gg also lists him A. The big caveat: he was absent from the open beta, so he's unproven, his frame data is still incomplete, and his size/slowness plus no airdash could hold him back as the meta develops.
- Is Hulk beginner-friendly?
- Very. The game's own difficulty rating gives him the top 5-star / easiest rank, and EventHubs lists him among the overall easiest characters to play. Simplified Quick-Skill inputs (direction + R2), forgiving armored buttons and a tank-hits-then-smash game plan make him one of the best first characters.
- How do I play Hulk?
- Build Gamma Level (tap R1 Gamma Spark or tank hits with armored Skills), close distance behind Violent Charge and the Giant Stomp shockwave, eat projectiles with Thunder Clap, then win up close with big normals, his huge throws, and — in Gamma Rage — the unblockable charged Heavy. Snowball once the install is online.
- What are Hulk's bread-and-butter combos?
- A simple confirm is 2M > 5M > 5H > 2H > jump cancel > j.H > j.H, and from a poke you can do 5M > 5H > Violent Charge. For meter, Dustloop's example ends 5L > 5M > 5H > 2H > j.5H > j.2H > 5A into Rampage (236 M+H). Fair warning: because Hulk skipped the beta, no damage-tagged optimal routes are published yet — these are launch-week starters.
Evidence trail
Official sources
- SRC-PS-USOfficial PlayStation US product page
Sony Interactive Entertainment
- SRC-PS-AVENGERSOfficial Fighting Avengers announcement
PlayStation Blog / ARC SYSTEM WORKS
- SRC-PS-YT-GUIDESOfficial PlayStation Character Guide videos
PlayStation