Summary
Shuri's Black Panther hunts with spear-length reach.
This is the detail that trips people up: Tōkon's Black Panther is Shuri, not T'Challa. The younger sister who took up the mantle (in both comics and film) fights with the Spear of Bashenga, and coverage of her reveal describes exactly what a spear implies — swift movement paired with reach most of the cast can't contest.
The pick fits the roster's clear philosophy of familiar names in less-expected versions: Robbie Reyes as Ghost Rider, Peni Parker beside Spider-Man, and now Shuri under the Panther helm. As recent ruler of Wakanda in the source material, she carries the title legitimately — this isn't a skin, it's a different character.
She was playable in the open beta, so early footage of her spear spacing exists. Verified ranges, movement data, and combo routes will be documented here once the launch build can be tested.
Move list: Black Panther
| Move | Type | Gauge | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bast's Blessing5U/2U/4U | Unique Move | — | Agile follow-up movement fueled by its own gauge (charge via Divine Rite or hits).Air OK |
| Divine Rite4[H] | Unique Move | — | Guarding barrier that charges the Bast's Blessing Gauge.Holdable |
| Command Normal (spear thrust) | Unique Move | — | Mid-range spear thrust; full charge alters the blowback. Official name pending.Holdable |
| Spear of Bashenga236L/M/H | Skill | 25 (Heavy) | Spear throw; stronger versions angle it. Chains into Bast's Blessing.Air OK |
| Wild Hunt623L/M/H | Skill | 25 (Heavy) | Kick with on-hit follow-ups and anti-air invincibility partway. |
| Predator Arts214L/M/H | Skill | 25 (Heavy) | Spear strike with a branch: Medium low, Heavy overhead — a built-in mixup. |
| Predator Arts (Aerial)j.214L/M/H | Skill | 25 (Heavy) | Overhead spear swing; stronger versions slam down.Air OK |
| Vibranium Daggers22L/M/H | Skill | 25 (Heavy) | Multiple projectiles toward the ground.Air OK |
| Warrior Queen236M+H | Super Skill | 50 | Launch into a flurry; free to use and stronger during Heart-Shaped Herb (using it ends the state).Air OK |
| Heart-Shaped Herb632146M+H | Ultimate Skill | 100–150 | Shockwave install: converts all Skill Gauge into Bast's Blessing charge. |
| Bast's Fury632146M+H (in Heart-Shaped Herb) | Ultimate Skill | — | Herb-state-only follow-up Ultimate; ends the state. |
Inputs use numpad notation for a character facing right: 2 is down, 6 is forward, so 236 is a quarter-circle forward and 623 a “dragon punch” motion; L/M/H are the three attack strengths and U is the Unique button. The game also has simplified one-button skills — the controls guide covers both.
Startup, active, recovery and on-block values need the retail build to measure and land here after August 6, 2026. Invented frame data is worse than none.
How to play Black Panther
Black Panther is swift rushdown with a charge you bank. Bast's Blessing is agile follow-up movement fueled by its own gauge, and you charge that gauge with Divine Rite, a guarding barrier — so his mobility is a resource you build defensively and then spend on offense. Command Normal spear thrusts and Spear of Bashenga give him reach most rushdown characters don't have.
His pressure has a built-in guess: Predator Arts branches into a Medium low or a Heavy overhead, and Wild Hunt is his invincible anti-air. Heart-Shaped Herb, his Ultimate, is an install — it converts all of his Skill Gauge into Bast's Blessing charge, and during the Herb state Warrior Queen becomes free and stronger.
So there is a clear install-and-swarm rhythm: build gauge with Divine Rite and pressure, drop the Herb, then spend Bast's Blessing freely to run his mixup on repeat, capping with Bast's Fury before the state ends.
In the open beta he was picked 118 times — 5th overall — with the highest point-usage of this batch: 48 on point against 70 as an assist. He was fielded as a solo carry more than the zoners were, which fits a mobility-and-mixup character who genuinely wants to be the one on screen rather than backing someone else up.
Kit-level gameplan from Black Panther’s documented moves and the open-beta usage split — not frame data. Specific frame advantages and matchup reads land once the retail build is tested.
On the Vibranium and above leaderboard, Black Panther was picked 118 times across 1,600 character slots — 5th most-picked of the 16 playable.
Players overwhelmingly used Black Panther as an assist — 59% of picks — rather than as the fighter they started the match with. Compare every fighter’s beta pick rate.
By raw picks, Black Panther landed just ahead of Doctor Doom and just behind Spider-Man.
Popularity is not strength — this counts what people chose over one three-day weekend on a pre-launch build, not what wins.
Official character guide
Black Panther Character Guide
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls - Black Panther Character Guide | PS5 & PC Games
PlayStation
Black Panther is voiced by Erica Luttrell — officially credited (source).
Combos
Combo routes for Black Panther live at ComboForge, where players have been submitting and voting on them for a year. That is a better source than anything we would assemble here.
Every other fighter
Amazing Guardians
Fighting Avengers
Knights of Doom
Samurai Outriders
Year 1 DLC