Injustice 2: Black Canary – Character Guide

Don’t make me cry!

Black Canary makes her debut in Injustice 2, and the superheroine does not disappoint. As a playable character, Black Canary is one for the bold. Of the characters on the roster, she is an extremely high risk choice, but with the right maneuvers, she is also extremely high reward. Thanks to her martial arts style fighting, Black Canary is a master of mix ups, making her moves hard to block, even for those who know which way she’s going to hit. What she lacks in zoning capabilities, she makes up for with her Canary Cry, which is a perfect, built-in distance closer. Stay on top of your enemy, and don’t let them get the chance to get a hit in.

Combo Strategies

Use these moves with a quick startup time to segue into special moves and maximize as many high damage strings as you can. Black Canary’s combos are very easy to string into special moves, which helps keep Canary on the offense.

This guide uses 1, 2, 3, 4 numbers to denote the moves. These translate on Xbox/PS4 to: 1 (X/Square,) 2 (Y/Triangle,) 3 (A/X,) and 4 (B/Circle.) It’s worth noting that 4 is also the button for your player’s unique character power.

• Back 1 –  Black Canary’s Back 1 hits low and has good range. Use it with Back 1, 2 to add another hit that can be cancelled into a special move. If you use the Back 1,2 the second hit will knock the opponent down.
• Toward 2 – Black Canary hits overhead with her Toward 2, and even better, she has an ability that allows this to be meter burned for a bounce combo. It’s a great compliment to her Back 1, and can be used to switch things up quite easily.
• Down 3 – Canary’s Down 3 has good range to sweep the opponent low and can be a powerful tool to knock opponents out of moves meant to punish her.
• 1,1,2 – A great punishing move because of its low startup. Follow it up with a grab or a launch into a combo. Partner it with Soaring Knee (Back, Toward 2)
• 2,1 – Hits mid, low, mid. Use this to launch into a combo. Switch it up with the 2,3 listed below.
• 2,3  – Hits mid, overhead. Great for opponents blocking low. Use to launch into a combo and keep your opponent guessing by pairing it with the 2, 1 as a starter.
• 3,3 – Hits mid twice, but can be easily string with 4 (Canary Cry) to knock the opponent off their feet and send them sailing.

Special Moves

Black Canary is a martial arts fighter, so her special moves are limited, but what she has can be easily strung from her combos. She is also armed with a High and Low Parry that can be useful when fighting a predictable opponent or to snuff wakeups. The most reliable of her special moves, though, is the Soaring Knee and Canary Drop.

• High Parry (Down, Toward 1) – Parries high, mid, and overhead. Requires careful timing.
• Low Parry (Down, Away 1) – Parries low attacks. Requires careful timing.
• Soaring Knee (Away, Toward 2) – Black Canary launches toward the opponent knee-first. This is a good wakeup, and is especially good when used in combos. Meter Burning allows for followup attacks. She even has some gear that has augments to allow a Soaring Knee Meter Burned combo to trigger an arena transition.
• Canary Drop (Down, Away 2) – Black Canary launches into the air and lands on the opponent, hitting them overhead. Can be performed in the air. Distance is key with this move, so survey how much space is between you and your opponent and input the move accordingly. All versions of it can be Meter Burned to allow for a followup bounce attack.
• Close Canary Drop (Down, Away, 2, Away) – Like Canary Drop above but at shorter range. This, too can be performed in the air.
• Front Handspring (Down, Toward 3) – This is a good way for Canary to travel the map and build meter. Input as is, it will not inflict damage, but it has different variations that allow for attacks.  Front Handspring can also be Meter Burned for an overhead hit.
• Front Handspring Scissor Kick – Hold 3 for two mid kicks. 
• Front Handspring Crazy Legs – Hold Down + 3 for two low kicks.
• Front Handspring Thrust Kick – Hold Up + 3 for a high kick.
• Back Handspring (Down, Away 3) – Black Canary travels backwards to evade damage. Like the front handspring, changing its input will add attacks to this move. If Meter Burned, she will lunge backwards and then forward for an overhead hit.
• Back Handspring Flying Scissor – Hold 3 for two mid kicks.
• Back Handspring Crazy Legs – Hold Down + 3 for two low kicks.
• Back Handspring Thrust Kick – Hold Up + 3 for a high kick.

Mix-Ups

Black Canary is very easily able to mix-up her opponents blocks with two very easy combos.

• 2, 1 – Hits mid, low, mid.
• 2, 3 – Hits mid, overhead.

Both moves look very similar but hit in different ways. As long as you switch things up and don’t get too repetitive with your combinations of these two starters, Black Canary will be able to break her opponent’s block and submit them to high damage combos.

Character Power

Black Canary’s Character Power is her Canary Cry. The Canary Cry has 3 levels, each of which makes the attack more powerful. It can be held to charge it, and cancelled.

• Cancelling the Canary Cry will use one level of its power.
• Level 2 will briefly stun the opponent.
• Level 3 will knock the opponent backwards and can hit screen-wide.
• The ability Air Canary Cry allows Black Canary to perform her Character Power in the air, hitting overhead.

Abilities

Black Canary has different abilities that modify her gameplay in non-competitive modes. Of her abilities, the ones that can give her the best chance to deal high damage combos are the ones that add bounces, allowing for follow up attacks.

• Air Canary Cry – Allows Black Canary to use her Character Power while airborne, hitting overhead.
• Body Bounce – Black Canary’s Hard Lock attack can be Meter Burned and bounce the opponent.
• Screech – Black Canary’s Character Power can be Meter Burned to activate at one level higher.
• Sonic Burst – Replaces Canary Cry and gives Canary a Sonic Grenade that flies across the screen. It requires both ability slots. Canary Cry typically can outperform this, especially once you learn to be more strategic with the Canary Cry.
• Clutch Crush – Canary gains a command grab with this ability that also requires both slots.
• Rising Kick – Gives Canary a vertical kick. Meter Burning allows for follow up attacks.

Gear

Black Canary has different gear sets that offer bonuses to her stats and gameplay.

Birds of Prey

• 2/4 25% chance to gain a Regen Token for a Perfect Match.
• 4/4 Upon losing her first Health Bar, Black Canary will instantly gain 1 bar of Super Meter.

The Songbird Collection

• 2/5 Gain an additional 100 Health.
• 3/5 Gain an additional 100 Strength.
• 5/5 5% chance when landing a 6 Hit or Greater combo that Green Arrow will assist Black Canary with one of his explosive arrows.

The Marziale Trio

• 2/3 Gain an additional 75 Ability Power.
• 3/3 All Sonic Scream based attacks inflict 10% increased damage.

Dinah’s Duet

• 2/2 When Black Canary wins a match against an online player she gains 15% bonus Credits based on remaining health.

Shaders

Black Canary’s Shaders are unlockable through gameplay and gear drops. There are two shaders: Siu Jerk Jai and Siu Jerk Jai (Alternate) that are available for purchase with source crystals. These two shaders will not drop during normal gameplay or through multiverses.

Synopsis

Black Canary is a skilled fighter that offers easy mix-ups and many opportunities to bounce her opponent. She lacks zoning capabilities, though, and for a player to succeed with her, they will need to be on top of their rush game. With that said, once Black Canary gets started, she can be completely unstoppable, tearing through an opponent’s health bar in a matter of minutes.