The Drive Parry is a system mechanic, introduced in Street Fighter 6.
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| Modern | 
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Description[]
Executed by pressing and holding Medium Punch and Medium Kick (or pressing Drive Parry for Modern Control), the character glows blue as they get in a defensive stance. If an attack other than a throw hits a character in this state, they parry it and recover their Drive Gauge. When timed correctly, this becomes a Perfect Parry, allowing the player to launch a counter attack. The defender can also perform a Drive Rush by dashing during the start of the parry, changing the properties of their attacks.
Tactics[]
Drive Parry serves as an alternative to blocking, akin to the Faultless Defense mechanic in the Guilty Gear series. While active, Drive Parry blocks attacks from any direction and any side. Successfully Drive Parrying an attack has the same amount of blockstun as a regular block, however the pushback afterward is reduced by half, making certain range-based punishes available. The amount of Drive Gauge received for a successful parry varies depending on the type of attack, with half of a bar for projectiles, one bar for normal attacks, special attacks, and Drive Reversals, and two bars for Super Arts and Drive Impacts. The amount is fixed for each attack, however it is also dispersed between hits, making it possible to gain less Drive Gauge if certain hits whiff entirely. A successful Drive Parry can also be cancelled into a Drive Reversal, much like a regular block.
When a Drive Parry is let go without parrying anything, the character is stuck in a recovery animation for 29 frames in which they can still block, albeit forcing them to do so normally without the automatic protection. Getting thrown either during a Drive Parry's active or recovery frames results in a Punish Counter throw that cannot be broken, dealing an extra 70% damage, removing one bar of the Drive Gauge, and causing a hard knockdown.
A Perfect Parry occurs if a Drive Parry blocks an attack in its first two active frames, causing a screen freeze and a bright blue glow. The defender recovers in one frame and is invincible for six frames during which they can cancel into any non-Drive attack, while the attacker is unable to cancel their attack into anything. This allows for a guaranteed punish on most attacks, albeit with a massive 50% scaling for the resulting combo. The scaling is localized entirely to the attacker's recovery frames, meaning that it is impossible for a Perfect Parry punish to result in full damage, even when delayed after the invincible cancel window, making it important to know when a move is already unsafe on block to ensure maximum damage. Perfect Parry punishes should thus prioritize screen positioning, Drive Gauge depletion, and opportunities for okizeme alongside damage to get an ideal punish.
Perfect Parrying projectiles causes a fixed 11-frame recovery that cannot be thrown and automatically parries any follow-up attacks. It can be cancelled into a Drive Rush to close the distance and potentially punish some projectiles.
