Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3: What the S Symbol Means

Like many fighting games, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3’s menus can seem fairly cryptic when reading through them and trying to learn new moves. The game doesn’t exactly go out of its way to explain just what all the different symbols mean, which can make it rather confusing. One of the most common forms of these is the S symbol. So we’re here to explain just what this means.

In Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, the S symbol refers to the Special button. On default controls, this ability is set as the X button on PS3/PS4 and the A button on Xbox 360. When used, Special will act as a launcher, sending the opponent into the air and allowing aerial combo follow-ups on them. However, it also has many other uses too. Many support moves will use this button in its activation, such as Magneto’s flight ability.

Some characters can also use the input as a means for attack. By holding down Special in the air when playing Super Skrull, the character will initiate their Stone Dunk attack. It should be noted that the Special input cannot be used for the pink ATK symbol when activating a move. It also isn’t used to activate any Hyper Combos, except for X-23’s Silent Kill. You can think of the Special input as a multi-purpose tool that many characters will require for various different moves in various different ways. As always, it is best to consult the Command List to see just when and where you’ll need to use it.