The Dark Horse: Analyzing Injustice 2's Hellboy From the Casual and Pro Player Perspectives

He's crossed an entire universe to hunt for demons. Shacknews takes a look at new Injustice 2 DLC character Hellboy from our own casual perspective before checking in on the pro scene.

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It's been a big day for Injustice 2. In addition to the game's arrival on PC, console owners are getting their first chance at Fighter Pack #2's third and final character: Hellboy, hailing from the Dark Horse Comics universe. The demon hunter from the B.P.R.D. has drawn curiosity, aside from his novelty as a fighter from an entirely different comic book publisher. Armed with his Right Hand of Doom, Hellboy looks like he has the potential to make serious waves in the Injustice 2 world.

So let's step into the lab with Hellboy and see whether the big guy has what it takes to face off against DC's best. We'll break him down with some detail from the casual point-of-view (because let's face it, I'm strictly scrub-tier) and then scour the world of the professional Injustice 2 circuit to see how some of the pros are getting along with him.

The Casual Corner

Hellboy has some nice and simple moves that should attract the casual player. While the potential for greatness is there, Hellboy's size and reach will make him an attractive choice for players of all skill levels.

One of Hellboy's most valuable tools is the Devil's Shoulder charge, executed with Back, Towards, and Medium Attack. This is a basic shoulder charge, but one that can score some quick knockdowns and stop opponents in their tracks. The Meter Burn version of this move is also good for setting up combos. Try using this in conjuction with Hellboy's Broom's Rosary character power, which will make Devil's Shoulder much harder to stop.

Hellboy's Devil's Revolver move is also a move that players should have at the ready at all times. It's a versatile move that can keep opponents at a safe distance, juggle opponents after a big move, and also be used in a variety of ways. While "Back, Towards, Light" is the input for the straight shot, the "Down, Back, Light" anti-air shot is essential for mixing things up. The straight shot can also be delayed by holding the Light Attack button, which can mix things up further. He won't replace Deadshot anytime soon, but Hellboy's pistol options are not too shabby.

The Doom Fury command grab is a powerful move that's worth getting up close for. Casual players might have a hard time getting the "Down, Back, Towards, Heavy" input down, since itchy fingers will often get the Heavy Strike move. (Not that this is necessarily terrible, since Hellboy has a lot of juggling options following a Heavy Strike.) This is worth grasping, though, because Doom Fury sets up foes for any number of follow-up attacks. The Doom Fury Meter Burn, in particular, is a fantastic juggle set-up that puts opponents on a platter for any number of follow-up specials, offering potential for wild combos. Hellboy also has an anti-air version of this move, but this one is much more difficult to master.

Hellboy's Fist of Doom move can be cool, but it's not something for casual players to just throw around. It's tough to control and leaves Hellboy wide open for any number of anti-air moves. Even casuals that somehow manage to master this move should maybe think twice before going overboard with this move.

The Pros Lounge

Most of the Injustice 2 pros are still playing around with Hellboy, but some of them have already come out of the lab with outrageous combos.

First up, let's take a look at Noble Gaming's Weiminh "Raptor" Lam. I mentioned earlier that Doom Fury could be the bread and butter of any Hellboy player and Raptor shows that off here. Watch as he masters transitioning from two-to-three hit combos straight to the Doom Fury command grab before continuing his onslaught. He even nails the anti-air version of this move, something that could potentially make Hellboy a strong character in the pro scene.

Meanwhile, Ryley "Kandarr" Hinton has been in the lab with Hellboy all day. He's even found some good uses for the Fist of Doom, using cancels to set up whole new combos.

The Hellboy uploads are just getting started, so look for the NetherRealm community to come forward and add to these clips. We'll be watching here at Shacknews and will update this section in the coming days.


ShackFighters, have you picked up Hellboy? Share your experience by joining the conversation and letting us know in the comments.

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?

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