Honda is a bitch to fight. On paper you have the advantage over him and can keep him away forever with superior mobility and range. But once he gets a single opportunity, he can stay on top of you and end the match instantly.

Especially when playing online, reacting to Honda is a pain. Headbutt and Fierce Hands come out fast, and Butt Slam can be an ambiguous crossup. Everything he does overpowers your pokes. Avoid the guessing games by only fighting at max range and throwing out guaranteed safe counters.

From full screen, you can jump back and forth and hit J.HP if he headbutts at you. FBA off his wall to remove his horizontal charge, but watch out for his high-hitting J.LP if you get too predictable. He can also butt slam out of it, but if he’s early, you can tag him with a claw as he’s landing. If Honda has the life lead, he can sit there and headbutt anything you try, so wall dive feint until you get him pressing buttons.

If you’re feeling bold, you can also use the Bullfighter mode in this match. Go half screen, hold up, and press NJ.MK if he twitches at all. This normal hits everything. It cleanly hits him out of headbutt, buttslam, and his jumping normals. The only things he can beat it with are that long F+HK sweep and Hands, which sometimes trades. When he gets close enough to use these, just mirror him and back up until you’re out of range. If he headbutts under you, you will land in time to punish recovery with C.MK-C.MP.

If you get cornered, he can safely tick throw loop until you’re dead and there’s nothing you can do about it other than hope he messes up. Avoiding this situation is top priority.