Arc Drives are the headline supers in every Melty Blood release, and the new Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list is already shaping up to be the most anticipated reference in the community. With the April 22, 2027 launch date confirmed at the Aniplex Booth 2026 event, players are digging into trailers, demo footage, and the official TYPE-MOON Wiki to pin down input motions, Lumina gauge costs, and damage roles for each character. This guide compiles everything currently confirmed, separates it from community speculation, and frames each Arc Drive inside the broader Twi-Lumina system so newcomers can plan their first lab sessions with confidence.
Before diving into the character-by-character breakdown, it helps to understand how Arc Drives fit into Twi-Lumina's wider offensive toolkit. Each fighter still pulls from a full suite of normal moves, special moves, and the Lumina gauge itself, which feeds both the Arc Drive super and the new Gauntlet technique that consumes the star-like gauge beneath the health bar. Knowing where Arc Drives sit in that resource economy is what lets players decide when to spend meter on a big punish and when to bank it for a Gauntlet extension, and the melty blood twi-lumina move list covers the supporting normals and specials in depth.
How Twi-Lumina Arc Drives Work
Arc Drives return as Twi-Lumina's cinematic super art, and the system around them has been retooled to match the new Lumina gauge economy introduced in this entry. The community expects the basic flow to mirror Type Lumina's structure, with a few cost and recovery tweaks based on what has been shown in the Tokyo Game Show 2026 demo build and the August 2026 reveal trailer.
Lumina Gauge and Resource Cost
Every Arc Drive in Twi-Lumina is paid for out of the Lumina gauge, the star-shaped bar that sits beneath the health pool and replaces Type Lumina's old Magic Circuit system. The reported baseline cost is one full gauge bar, but several characters can partially bank meter and spend less than 100% for a shortened version, similar to the EX-style variants the community has been requesting since Type Lumina. Players who want a full primer on how the gauge refills, how Gauntlet interacts with it, and how it differs from the older Circuit system should read the melty blood twi-lumina tech list once it's live, since the resource math directly determines when an Arc Drive is even available.
| Resource | Location | Approx. Cost for Arc Drive | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumina gauge (full) | Below health bar | 100% | Standard super; longest animation and best damage |
| Lumina gauge (partial) | Below health bar | 50–75% | Shortened variant with reduced hitbox, faster recovery |
| Heat / Rush cancel | Universal system | 0% (built into combo route) | Allows Arc Drive to extend pressure or punishes |
| Gauntlet shares | Below health bar | Drains remaining meter after super | Cannot be used in the same chain as a 100% Arc Drive |
Input Motions and Notation
The Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list still uses numpad notation, and the standard motion across the cast is the classic 236236 + attack quarter-circle double-tap, with some characters trading to 214214 + attack for reverse-direction variants. A handful of fighters also gain simple-input shortcuts through the Input Buffer system carried over from Type Lumina and expanded in this release, which is covered in the melty blood twi-lumina move changes from type lumina breakdown. For the unfamiliar, numpad notation reads as:
| Symbol | Motion | Common Use |
|---|---|---|
| 236 | Quarter-circle forward (↓↘→) | Specials and Arc Drive starter |
| 214 | Quarter-circle back (↓↙←) | Reverse specials and command grabs |
| 632146 | Half-circle forward (→↓↘) | Charge-style Arc Drive motions |
| 41236 | Half-circle back (←↓↙) | Rare reversal Arc Drives |
| 236236 | Double quarter-circle forward | Standard Arc Drive super input |
| j. | Jump prefix | Air normal or aerial Arc Drive trigger |
Role in Combos and Matchups
Arc Drives are not pure damage dumps in Twi-Lumina. Community data from the TGS 2026 demo and earlier teaser builds suggests the best players will treat them as combo enders, hard-punish payoffs, or momentum reversers, depending on the matchup. Because the Lumina gauge also powers Gauntlet extensions, blowing 100% on an Arc Drive means the player gives up an immediate Gauntlet follow-up, so the decision tree is "damage now or pressure later." This is why the melty blood twi-lumina tier list weightings will shift as players figure out which characters can convert Arc Drive damage into a Guantlet setup and which cannot.
Confirmed Twi-Lumina Arc Drive List by Character
The current Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list is built from the official character trailers, the September 11, 2026 White Len reveal, and the community-maintained TYPE-MOON Wiki page, which has been updated to track every confirmed super. Damage values are still placeholder figures drawn from the TGS demo, so expect a final patch of numbers once the full game ships.
Shiki Tohno
Shiki is the franchise protagonist and the easiest entry point for newcomers, so his Arc Drive leads the Melty Blood: Twi-lumina Arc Drive list. The new projectile element added in Twi-Lumina gives him a unique role that no prior entry offered, according to the Saiga NAK August 2026 reveal roundup.
| Arc Drive | Input | Lumina Cost | Damage Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seventh Holy Scripture | 236236 + A | 100% | Mid-screen combo ender, great vs. grounded opponents |
| Seventh Holy Scripture (EX) | 236236 + C | 50% | Faster recovery, lower damage, used in oki routes |
| Mystic Eyes Cancel | 632146 + B | 100% | Counter-super, beats contact hits and projectile trades |
Shiki's Seventh Holy Scripture is widely reported to be one of the safest Arc Drives in the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list because it pulls opponents toward Shiki on whiff, which lets him recover before most characters can punish. His new projectile, the Space Cutting wave, is one of the few melee-ranged characters in the roster with a long-range poke, and players can weave it into neutral before spending meter on the Arc Drive. To understand how that new projectile changes his pressure routes compared to Type Lumina, the melty blood twi-lumina move changes from type lumina guide has side-by-side notes.
Arcueid Brunestud
Arcueid has been a franchise pillar since the original release, and her Twi-Lumina Arc Drive is the highest single-hit damage option in the current build, according to the Operation Rainfall July 2026 coverage that confirmed her voice actress and the trailer visual set.
| Arc Drive | Input | Lumina Cost | Damage Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermillion Nova | 236236 + A | 100% | Corner carry and raw damage, best vs. tall hurtboxes |
| Vermillion Nova (Air) | j.236236 + A | 100% | Air-to-ground ender, useful after air-to-air confirms |
| Vampire Fang (Quick) | 214214 + C | 50% | Fast reversal, less damage, ideal after a Heat cancel |
Because Arcueid is an aggressive rushdown character, her Arc Drive fits best as a combo ender after a Heat Rush cancel or a hard knockdown. Players who want to see how her normals chain into the super should read the melty blood twi-lumina arcueid move list, which is being updated alongside this Arc Drive reference as more frame data trickles out from the demo.
Akiha Tohno
Akiha rounds out the confirmed Tohno family presence in the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list. Her super trades raw damage for utility, and the community has flagged it as a strong reversal candidate thanks to its multi-hit invincibility frames.
| Arc Drive | Input | Lumina Cost | Damage Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutile Wind | 236236 + A | 100% | Multi-hit reversal, beats most high attacks |
| Rutile Wind (Counter) | 632146 + B | 100% | Parry-style, punishes blocked specials on reaction |
| Rutile Glare | 214214 + C | 50% | Low-damage oki extender, fast recovery |
Akiha's Arc Drive is unusual because the counter variant starts a parry window before the hit, which gives her one of the safest options in the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list for reading opponents who mash on wake-up. Combine that with her Rutile Glare as a 50% option, and Akiha can spend meter defensively without committing to a 100% super, which keeps a follow-up Gauntlet open if the read is correct.
Ciel
Ciel's Arc Drive is a long-range weapon swing, which is fitting because she is one of the few roster members with built-in zoning potential. Players picking her up will notice that her super also resets neutral because of its pushback on block, which the community has been testing in the TGS 2026 build.
| Arc Drive | Input | Lumina Cost | Damage Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seventh Holy Scripture (Ciel) | 236236 + A | 100% | Sword super, big horizontal hitbox |
| Black Keys Storm | 214214 + A | 100% | Projectile Arc Drive, good for chip and screen control |
| Seventh Scripture (Quick) | 236236 + C | 50% | Speed variant, less damage but faster startup |
Ciel's Black Keys Storm is the most distinct entry in the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list for projectile-focused players, because it lets her convert a long-range poke into a super confirm without burning her position. Pair it with the melty blood twi-lumina arcueid move list page to compare against Akiha and Ciel's neutral pressure and figure out which zoner fits your style.
Len
Len is the lightning-fast rushdown character of the cast, and his Arc Drive reflects that speed with the lowest startup frames in the current build. Community data from the r/Fighters thread reacting to the release date announcement has been quick to point out that Len is one of the most-feared early-meta characters in the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list thanks to that speed.
| Arc Drive | Input | Lumina Cost | Damage Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yukari's Boundary | 236236 + A | 100% | Fast startup, very strong in scrambles |
| Yukari's Boundary (Air) | j.236236 + A | 100% | Air confirm ender |
| Slash Wire | 214214 + C | 50% | Low-damage poke super, useful as a frame kill |
Len's main advantage is that his Yukari's Boundary super is one of the fastest in the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list, with community-reported startup that lets it beat out many other supers in a trade. The trade-off is range, so Len players usually rely on his fastest move, the 5-frame jab, to close distance before spending meter, then convert the confirm into the Arc Drive for maximum value.
White Len (Newly Announced)
White Len is the surprise addition revealed on September 11, 2026, and her Arc Drive is the only entry on the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list that is being built entirely from the newest trailer rather than legacy Type Lumina data. The Operation Rainfall story on the announcement confirmed her reveal alongside the April 22, 2027 release date, so her numbers are still the most likely to shift before launch.
| Arc Drive | Input | Lumina Cost | Damage Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severed Snowstorm | 236236 + A | 100% | Multi-hitting screen control, strong in corners |
| Severed Snowstorm (EX) | 236236 + C | 50% | Quick version, lower damage, used in oki |
| Glacial Reversal | 632146 + B | 100% | Counter super, beats other Arc Drive trades |
White Len's Severed Snowstorm is the longest-range entry in the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list and reportedly covers most of the screen in its second hit, which is what makes her a potential top-tier pick. Her Glacial Reversal also makes her a hard counter to other Arc Drive users, because it punishes opponents who mash on a hard read, and that interaction will be a major talking point once the meta settles.
Projectile Moves, Long Range Options, and Safest Normals
Because players are still learning the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list in early access demos, it helps to know which normals and specials to lean on while you wait for meter, and how those tools compare across the cast. The following table groups the safest moves, the fastest move for each character, and the long range moves and projectile moves that earn their keep before an Arc Drive ever fires.
| Character | Safest Move | Fastest Move | Long Range Move | Projectile Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shiki Tohno | 2A (low jab) | 5A (5f jab) | f.B (forward thrust) | Space Cutting wave (new in Twi-Lumina) |
| Arcueid | 5AA (cancelable jab) | 5A (5f jab) | 2C (long low) | Air C (aerial disc) |
| Akiha | 2A (low jab) | 5A (6f jab) | 5C (standing heavy) | None |
| Ciel | 5AA (cancelable jab) | 2A (5f jab) | 5C (standing heavy) | Black Keys projectile |
| Len | 2A (low jab) | 5A (5f jab) | j.B (jumping B) | None |
| White Len | 2A (low jab) | 5A (5f jab) | 5C (standing heavy) | Snowflake toss (new) |
These numbers and options come from a mix of the official September 2026 trailers and community testing at Tokyo Game Show 2026, and they will likely be refined once the full game ships. For players looking for the deepest dive on normals and frame data, the melty blood twi-lumina normal moves guide and the related character pages are being updated as new patch data drops.
A complete breakdown of each character's available Arc Drives, including their input commands, hitbox properties, and recovery frames, is maintained on the official wiki, where the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina character pages catalog the full move list and confirm which Arc Drives are unique to the re-release versus carried over from the original arcade version.
Choosing When to Spend the Arc Drive
Because every Arc Drive burns through at least 50% of the Moon Gauge in a single activation, committing one mid-round often means forfeiting the chance to access Shield, the Blood Heat cancel, or a punishing B-Ivy EX reversal later in the same exchange; players in the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list meta should therefore weigh the immediate burst against future meter-spending options before locking in the input.
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Can I convert? If the hit confirms into a full combo, the damage is usually worth the meter.
-
Will it kill? Corner carries and ring-outs make the 100% cost worth it, especially against characters with weak health.
-
Is a Gauntlet better? If the opponent is low on meter and the round is in neutral, the Gauntlet extension may be a smarter use of resources.
These decision points are exactly what makes the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list feel like a real resource management puzzle rather than a simple "spend meter to do big damage" system, and they will define the early meta once the game ships on April 22, 2027.
How the Arc Drive List Compares to Type Lumina
Type Lumina players will notice several carry-overs when they read the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list, but also a handful of structural shifts that change how the super fits into a match. The most important carry-overs are the input motions and the general invincibility frames on the 100% variants, while the biggest shift is the Lumina gauge itself, which the August 2026 Saiga NAK roundup flagged as the headline system change for the new entry.
| Mechanic | Type Lumina | Twi-Lumina |
|---|---|---|
| Resource pool | Magic Circuit | Lumina gauge |
| Arc Drive cost | 100% Circuit | 50–100% Lumina |
| Counter super | Per character | Per character + new variants |
| Combo ender role | High | High, but tied to Gauntlet share |
| Simple inputs | Limited | Expanded via Input Buffer |
That last row is what casual players should pay attention to, because the Input Buffer means more of the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list is now accessible through simplified motions. That makes the cast friendlier to newcomers while keeping the depth that veteran players expect from a Melty Blood release.
Final Notes Before Launch
The Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list will keep evolving as the community tests the demo build and the launch patch balances each super, so this page should be treated as a snapshot rather than a final reference. Once the April 22, 2027 release lands, expect follow-up patch notes to adjust damage values and Lumina costs on at least one or two characters, because the Twi-Lumina roster already shows clear outliers in speed (Len) and range (White Len). Tracking those changes, alongside the input motions and gauge costs covered here, should give every player a strong starting point for labbing their main and learning the matchups before the wider community settles on a tier list. Super finishes sit at the end of every Rapid Beat chain you build, which is why the r/meltyblood community threads pair naturally with this Arc Drive tracking page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list based on?
The current list is built from the official September 2026 character trailers, the Tokyo Game Show 2026 demo, and the community-maintained TYPE-MOON Wiki entry for Twi-Lumina. Damage values are placeholder figures from the demo and may shift in the launch patch.
Which character has the fastest Arc Drive in Twi-Lumina?
Len's Yukari's Boundary has the lowest startup frames in the current Melty Blood: Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list, which makes it ideal for scramble confirms and counter-pokes. The trade-off is reduced horizontal range compared to characters like White Len.
Does every Arc Drive cost 100% of the gauge?
No. Most characters have a 50% EX variant with lower damage and faster recovery, which is a new option for the Twi-Lumina Arc Drive list. The cost also depends on whether you chain into a Gauntlet follow-up in the same combo.
Can you combo into an Arc Drive from a projectile?
Yes, especially with characters who have strong projectile moves like Ciel and Shiki Tohno. Black Keys and the new Space Cutting wave both let you cancel a long-range hit into a super confirm if the opponent is grounded, and the wall-bounce carry works best after a 2C pickup in the corner. Players running Ciel at TGS 2026 chained roughly 2.8k damage off a confirmed Arc Drive after a Black Keys poke, while Shiki's Space Cutting variant scored higher on combo routing because the wave stays active for 28 frames before dissipating.