May is one of the central characters in the Guilty Gear series. May is the First Mate of the Jellyfish Pirates. This guide will give players the tools to excel at May’s relentless offense. May is classified in Guilty Gear Strive as a balanced character. Her moves can reach across the screen and work at about any range.
Upcomer’s Guilty Gear Strive character guides use numpad notation. Numpad notation is a universal form of notating fighting game inputs that is able to go past language barriers. It is based off numpads that can be found on a computer keyboard. Five is the joystick at neutral and the numbers branch out from there. For example 236 would translate to down, down-forward, forward in numpad notation.
Guilty Gear Strive inputs
| Guilty Gear Strive Input Name | Shorthand |
| Punch | P |
| Kick | K |
| Slash | S |
| Heavy Slash | HS |
| Dust | D |
Command normals
| Move Name | Input | Description |
| Command Normal 1 | 6P | May does a short forward jab. This move has upper body invincibility, making it a good move to counter jump-ins and aerial attacks. |
| Command Normal 2 | 6K | May does a leaping overhead kick. This move will go over low attacks and hit opponents that are crouch-blocking. On block the move pushes May back but has decent recovery |
| Command Normal 3 | 3K | May slides on her anchor a short distance. On hit this move will knockdown May’s opponent. The move will slide under attacks that hit high. |
| Command Normal 4 | 6HS (Hold OK) | A slow startup overhead anchor swing. Players can hold down HS to charge up the attack for more damage. If hit in the corner this move can lead to high combo potential. |
| Command Normal 5 | 2Hs in mid-air | May will lunge down with her anchor onto her opponent. This move can be used to change the trajectory of her jump and catch opponents off-guard. |
Special attacks
| Move Name | Input | Description |
| Mr. Dolphin (Horizontal) | 4(Hold)6S or 4(Hold)6HS | May boards Mr. Dolphin and lunges horizontally at her enemy. The S version has a fast start up but longer recovery, making it good for use in combos. The HS version has a slower start up but will recover faster, making it better for poking. |
| Mr. Dolphin (Vertical) | 2(Hold)8S or 2(Hold)8HS | May boards Mr. Dolphin and lunges vertically at her enemy. The arc Mr. Dolphin takes can be used both as an anti-air and a way to hit grounded opponents. The S and HS versions have different arcs. |
| Overhead Kiss | 623K | May’s command grab. When used in the corner the move can be a combo starter. Whiffing this move will leave players wide open. |
| Arisugawa Sparkle | 214P or 214K | May summons a seal to hit a volleyball projectile at her opponents. This is a good poke to use at mid-screen to try and put pressure on opponents. The P and K versions have different trajectories. |
Overdrives
| Move Name | Input | Description |
| Great Yamada Attack | 236236S | May summons a giant pink whale and a wave. This projectile fills the entire screen but starts from the corner with a slow projectile speed. If May is in the corner the start up of this Overdrive is faster |
| The Wonderful and Dynamic Goshogawara | 632146HS (Air OK) | May boards a killer whale and lunges forward in an arc similar to Mr. Dolphin (vertical). This move has fast start up and invincibility on start up, making it a good anti-air or a good attack to counter grounded opponents. |
