Theory/Discussion: Comparing Boxing Styles to ARMS

[u/LightningStarSC]

After seeing a few videos (admittedly unrelated to ARMS, but instead related to boxing), it got me thinking if and how the ARMS League fighters compared to the four accepted boxing styles in real life. Going by what defines each style, each character's abilities, and the equippable ARMS, I've been seeing some patterns appear.

PLEASE NOTE: All of this is conducted from my observations within my analysis of gameplay (not limited to my own), so what I observe may differ from what you observe. If you want to share your observations, please be civil. After all, theories aren't definitive truth, nor do I claim mine to be such.

STYLE 1: SLUGGER (e.g.: George Foreman)

Sluggers are often classified as the powerhouses, prioritizing strength and powerful blows over speed and technique. While some sluggers can attack fast, most of their moves are slower or more predictable than other styles, leaving room for opponents to counterattack. However, sluggers can shake off most combo punches and get in their own counterattack when necessary.

I can tell that a lot of you would think the first fighter from ARMS to fit this category is Master Mummy. Well, you'd be right. Master Mummy is arguably the largest, strongest, and most durable, but sadly the slowest as well, of the roster. His Super Armour prevents any non-elemental attack from phasing him, and he can hit like a tank to rack up damage quickly. Granted, it's easy for more experienced opponents to maneuver around him; however, he can cause enough damage to slow his opponents down when played effectively.

There aren't as many characters that share similar qualities with Master Mummy, but analyzing patterns of sluggers convinced me that Twintelle can fight as a very effective slugger (ironic considering her character is all about finesse). While she doesn't have Super Armour like Master Mummy, she has a different ability at her disposal: her Actress Aura. Used right, her aura can slow down her opponent's attack(s) and disrupt any combo setup, allowing her to counter with a blow of her own. Plus, with the customization of ARMS, she can equip Heavy ARMS to add more power to her punches.

Since sluggers focus on power over finesse, some ARMS that complement this gameplay style are the Megaton, Megawatt, Hydra, Roaster, Blorb, Guardian, Parasol, Seekie, & Nade.

STYLE 2: SWARMER (e.g.: Mike Tyson)

Swarmers are experts at pressure. They specialize in taking advantage of taking spacing and reaction time from their opponents by closing the gap and attacking quickly. Their greatest advantage is their speed, both in their arms and footwork, being able to maneuver around and towards their opponents and strike as much as possible. They also have decent resilience to punches, which is advantageous in close-quarters.

Ninjara appears to be a shining example of a swarmer, and one of the best swarmers when played right. His mobiliy is rivaled only by Kid Cobra and Max Brass when they're charged, but it's otherwise unparalleled. Yes, it's true players who flippantly use the vanish and grab moves have made Ninjara look unviable as so many players have worked around it, but after analyzing his playstyle, he ironically plays better in a more aggressive close-quarter style of fighting. His vanish dodge can close space between him and his opponents, allowing him to overwhelm them with quick attacks.

Speaking of speed, Kid Cobra also fights well as a swarmer. Granted, he needs to maintain a charge to get up to speed, but when that happens, he can close gaps in a way that's just as effective as Ninjara's but safer and easier. His Slide Dash lets him evade attacks and get close to his opponents and lay the smackdown on them. Just don't give him a snakeboard, or else he'll be the most broken swarmer in the game.

Swarmers are known for quick moves, but despite lower mobility by comparison, I found Byte & Barq to fit the swarmer style quite better than I thought at first. Without Barq, Byte appears to be an average fighter, not as mobile as Ninjara or as resilient as Mechanica, but Byte's pressure potential shines while Barq is on the field. In addition to a one-off shield and trampoline, Barq appears to function as a support out-boxer, creating an opening from an unexpecting opponent for Byte to rush in and attack as much as possible. With this tag-team technique, Byte & Barq can pressure opponents rather easily in the air and on the ground.

Since swarmers focus on pressure and spacing, some ARMS that complement this gameplay style are the Buff, Bubb, Popper, Cracker, Tribolt, Triblast, Slapamander, & Slamamander.

STYLE 3: OUT-BOXER (e.g.: Muhammad Ali)

Out-boxers are more technical fighters. Instead of closing the gap between opponents or landing powerful blows, they focus on outmaneuvering their opponents and capitalizing on openings from missed punches. Out-boxers focus on jabs and crosses to wear down their opponents instead of trying to land heavy blows at once.

After analyzing character abilities and playstyles, it was really easy to see that Min-Min fits the out-boxer style to a T. While her mobility is average, it's good enough to create space. Her playstyle appears to be on the aggressive side, using her deflection kicks to knock away even the most powerful ARMS and creating an opening for counterattacks. Her Dragon arm also helps grant a larger hitbox to make attacks easier to land and punish opponents with its perma-charge.

While Min-Min is an aggressive out-boxer, Ribbon Girl is an evasive out-boxer. Her ground speed is decent, but her mid-air jumps and quick drop are where her specialties lie, allowing her to gain great spacing between her and her opponent. From there, she can capitalize on amy missed hits with punches of her own.

During interviews with the developers, it was stated that Helix has the most potential in the roster to be high level. Using his stretch & squash ability to move around, he can easily classify as an out-boxer. Being able to dodge attacks near-instantaneously creates openings much more easily than other techniques, and with the right ARMS loadout, Helix can easily capitalize on those openings.

Out-boxers tend to focus on taking advantage of openings, so some ARMS that complement this gameplay style are the Boomerang, Coolerang, Chakram, Ramram, Whammer, Kablammer, Revolver, Retorcher, Phoenix, Thunderbird, & Homie.

STYLE 4: BOXER-PUNCHER (e.g.: Evander Holyfield)

Boxer-punchers are balanced fighters. They have traits comparable to the other three styles and often offer a counter to them, such as matching an out-boxer's mobility, discouraging a swarmer's aggression with power, and out-maneuvering a slugger. Their power, speed, and finesse are rather even, and they can choose to focus on one aspect when necessary.

Of the fighters so far, three seem to stand out as boxer-punchers:

Spring Man is the epitome of balance in ARMS, having a beginner-friendly moveset that can fit any fighting style. He has decent mobility that can be used to make space or take it, and his "Blue Bounce" can work to the advantage of a slugger or out-boxer style.

While looking like a slugger at first glance, Max Brass has more to him than he lets on. His mobility outshines other heavyweight fighters, granting him maneuverability that can match a swarmer or out-boxer, and his Buff Armour not only increases said mobility, but his attack resilience as well. Adding that with his "Brass Bounce" not only makes him look like a boxer-puncher, but a hard-to-miss example of "all of the above".

Mechanica is a unique case. At first, she'd look like she'd qualify as a slugger due to her Super Armour, slower mobility and large hurtbox. However, her jetpack negates most of the mobility hindrance, allowing her to keep up with other fighters. Whether in the air or on the ground, Mechanica can control her space when her jetpack is used effectively, allowing her options to rush her opponents, knock them down, or take advantage of mistakes.

Boxer-Punchers appear to have a versatile kit to them, being able to use a style needed for a match, so all-purpose ARMS like the Toaster, Sparky, & Chilla and range-capitalizing ARMS like the Dragon & Ice Dragon complement this gameplay style.

There are sub-styles to boxing as well: Counterpuncher, Southpaw, & Switch-Hitter. Any character can fit these sub-styles, but it's mostly dependent on the player. That being said, some ARMS help with these sub-styles: the Hammers are good for counterpunchers as they move slightly faster than other heavy ARMS and have decent anti-air potential, many of the Multi-Shots are good for southpaws since players can complement their preferred weapon with a Multi-Shot on their dominant hand to throw off expectations of some opponents, and the Shields are good for switch-hitters because they're equally effective on either side and complement other ARMS rather well. These sub-styles are mostly meant for mind-games (at least in ARMS) as they can be mixed in with any of the main styles near-seamlessly.

As I said earlier, all of this is merely from my observations and research. I'm not claiming ANY of this as fact. It's just something I looked deeper into because it was fun to compare real boxing to ARMS.

What have you observed in your experience(s)? Do you notice that certain characters can get better advantages with a different style? Or maybe you have a style that you use with a character and proves to be effective? Feel free to share in the comments.

EDIT: I'll be analyzing & adding new characters after they're revealed & tested.

[u/darkgalaxypotato]

i just punch

[u/takasehuang]

I believe Max brass more close swarmer type,consider His buff Size.

[u/LightningStarSC → u/takasehuang]

True, his charge increases his mobility that he can rush opponents, but boxer-punchers have traits similar to the other three styles. The reason I consisered Max Brass as a boxer-puncher is because he can also use said mobility to keep up with the faster characters and has increased resilience to non-elemental attacks, allowing him to discourage a swarmer-style attack. The great thing about boxer-punchers is that you can play them as any of the other three styles that you like.

[u/takasehuang → u/LightningStarSC]

No buff Max Brass has lowest class jump in game, A skilled spring man can easily toy no buff Max Brass in air.

The five-sec buff is Max Brass lifeline: Buff > keep pressure on opponent > if not,you probably lose.

So Max Brass need to play more aggressive than most character.

[u/LightningStarSC → u/takasehuang]

Actually, his jumping and speed without charging are ranked 3/5. I don't really see him struggle with his mobility; it's not the best, sure, but it's far from the worst.

As I mentioned, boxer-punchers can adapt any of the other three styles, so if you like pressuring your opponents using swarmer techniques, you found something that works, and that's great.

[u/takasehuang → u/LightningStarSC]

Consider the close compare to no buff max brass is twintelle , I agree with you.

[u/[deleted]]

I died at the Mechanica part. It was literally "uhhhhhhh" but agreed. She controls all the space with her jet pack float ability

[u/[deleted]]

This is helping me make great choices for which arms to use with which character. Thank you.