‘Injustice 2’: How to Play as Red Hood

Injustice 2 is full of famous heroes and villains from the DC Universe, however, one of the most popular characters to emerge in recent years is Jason Todd aka the Red Hood. Brought to life via developer NetherRealm Studios first DLC character, this powerful mid-range fighter has a plethora of fantastic approach options. Making the most of your various equipment such as mines and throwing stars will be critical to learn, as they give Red Hood players plenty of ways to pile on the damage.

One of his greatest strengths is his ability to keep opponents guessing since his various equipment can negate your opponent’s approach options. Most of Red Hood’s combos can end with him knocking his foe away, so you will want to make the most of your juggles. Red Hood’s biggest issue is if someone fast like Cheetah can close the gap, as he only has a few escape options available to him. This is a starter guide for Red Hood players to help introduce some basic combos and tips for this anti-hero. Here’s a basic breakdown of Red Hood, his abilities, and some good starting combos to learn in Injustice 2:

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Important Combo Moves:

• Lethal Force 
  • Square, Square (PS4)
  • X, X  (Xbox One)

• Extreme Measures
  • Square, Square, Triangle (PS4)
  • X,X,Y (Xbox One)

• Another Outlaw
  • Triangle, Triangle, X (PS4)
  • Y, Y, A (Xbox One)

• Death In The Family
  • Back + Triangle, X (PS4)
  • Back + Y, A (Xbox One)

• Gunned Down
  • Forward+Triangle, X (PS4)
  • Forward + Y, A (Xbox One)

•  Seeking Revenge 
  • Forward + Triangle, X, Square (PS4)
  • Forward + Y, A, X (Xbox One)

• Killing Criminals
  • X, Triangle (PS4)
  • A, Y (Xbox One)

• Under The Hood
  • X, Triangle, X (PS4)
  • A, Y, A (Xbox One)

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Special Moves:

• Spin Parry
  • Down, Back, Square (PS4)
  • Down, Back, X (Xbox One)

• Lethal Lunge
  • Down, Right, X (PS4)
  • Down, Right, A (Xbox One)

• Vendetta Slam (Air)
  • Down+ L1 (PS4)
  • Down+LB (Xbox One)

• Akimbo Blaze (Air)
  • Down, Left, Triangle (PS4)
  • Down, Left, Y (Xbox One)

• Fatal Drop
  • Down, Left, X (PS4)
  • Down, Left, A (Xbox One)

• Gotham Stars (Mid)
  • Back, Right, Triangle (PS4)
  • Back, Right, Y (Xbox One)

• Up Gotham Stars
  • Down, Left, Triangle (PS4)
  • Down, Left, Y (Xbox One)

• Ground Mine 
  • Back, Right, Square (PS4)
  • Back, Right, X (Xbox One)

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Character Power:

Red Hood’s Character Power is called Going Ballistic and it’s a stance that allows Jason to activate the tasers on the butt of his guns. This gives him a new set of moves that deal a fair amount of damage to opponents, however, the catch is he cannot move once it’s activated. His attacks, outside of a single one bullet range move, have very little reach so you will need to be quite close to your opponent for these to hit. It’s also rather difficult to combo into this Character Power due to the ending animation eating up a second or two.

So, if you want to use his Character Power we recommend utilizing it at the end of combos as the full move set will finish with a low attack that knocks your foe down. One of the easiest ways to use this stance is to wall bounce your foe and then catch them as they come down. There is just enough air time for you to activate his power and input the attack sequence. This stance is also fantastic for range foes like Deadshot as you can quickly activate it and then press Triangle (PS4), Y (Xbox One) to fire a single round across the screen. Quick Shot is a nice safe way to poke at your enemy, so feel free to use it whenever you have the chance.

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How to Play Red Hood:

Red Hood is a fighter that works well at zoning his opponents through his equipment, as his stars easily neutralize anyone trying to come from above while the mines can be tricky to avoid. The latter are perhaps his most useful piece of equipment as they pop the enemy into the air, allowing skilled players to juggle them. Try to Special Move Cancel into them, preferably the mid range mine, as this will throw it behind them blocking any escape route. For many of his moves such as Extreme Measures and Death In The Family the combo will end with foe on the ground, which is perfect for throwing a mine right by them. This explosive will typically go off once they stand up allowing for players to follow up with a move like Seeking Revenge or even a wall bounce if timed right.

We cannot stress this enough, you need to master the button inputs for Red Hood’s mines because they are great for continuing his combos. Many of his strings will not go nearly as long without them and typically you’ll want to meter burn the mines so they explode right as they hit the ground. If you’re having trouble landing them, so into practice and continue to throw them until they are nothing more than muscle memory.

Another good basic combo is Under the Hood into Death in the Family, which will end with them on the ground again and perfectly set up for a mine. However, it’s possible your foes adapt to constantly bouncing them up, so make sure to practice throwing your Up Gotham Stars or simply using your air grab to neutralize them. You can also use Akimbo Blaze to rain down bullets on your foe, but be warned as this will typically leave you no room to actually add more damage. What you will want to do is end most of your combos with your Character Power since these deal a significant amount of damage. Both his Switch and Shoot and Bullet Storm will end with Red Hood knocking his opponent behind him, so if you’re in a corner or nearing one try using one of these to turn the table.

Red Hood’s super move does not have a great initiation distance, so you’ll either want to use it as your opponent attacks or to finish off one of your strings. The grenade he throws explodes mid screen so it’s great for catching foes who are falling by either a mine or other attack. If you do need to disengage from a fight Fatal Drop is Red Hood’s escape move, however, it will only do damage if you meter burn it. This isn’t required at all, but it works nicely with easier moves such as No Joke or Gunned Down. Typically you’ll want to use this for more in your face bruisers like Bane, as keeping distance is critical in that fight.

Red Hood is an easily punishable character if you don’t commit to a string when starting it, so always try to play patiently until an opening presents itself. Until then, you can simply harass your foe with his Quick Shot or Gotham Stars to try and get in your foes head and draw them into a suitable range. This fighter is a lot of fun to play, but his strings are certainly a bit more complex than other fighters. He is very reliant on his gadgets to continue his strings, so try mixing it up and doing smaller combos from time to time. Doing so will make you harder to predict and thus more lethal.

With some practice, you will be able to show Batman why your criminal disposal methods are superior in Injustice 2.

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