Controls & Button Layout – MARVEL Fighting Souls
Complete MARVEL Fighting Souls controls guide for PS5 and PC — button layouts, Quick Skills, motion inputs, and recommended key configurations.
MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls uses an accessible control scheme designed by Arc System Works to welcome both fighting game veterans and newcomers. The core layout features five essential buttons — Light, Medium, Heavy, Unique Attack, and Assemble — plus three optional Quick buttons that simplify execution without removing depth for manual input players.
Whether you play on PlayStation 5 with DualSense or on PC with keyboard or fight stick, understanding the control options helps you choose between accessibility and competitive damage advantages. Quick Skill moves deal slightly less damage than their motion input equivalents, rewarding players who master traditional fighting game execution.
PS5 Default Layout
Light Attack maps to Square, Medium Attack to Triangle, and Heavy Attack to Circle. Unique Attack uses R1 for character-specific abilities like Captain America's shield throw or Iron Man's repulsor blast. Assemble (assist/tag) uses X, which controls all team actions including assist callouts, tags, and Crossover defenses.
Quick Skill (R2) performs special moves with a single button press. Quick Dash (L1) executes dashes without double-tap timing. Quick Assemble (L2) provides an alternative assist input. Movement uses the D-pad or left stick — forward and back for movement, up to jump, down to crouch, and back to block.
PC and Fight Stick Configuration
PC players can fully customize their button layout in the key config menu, including macro settings for simultaneous button presses. Arc System Works recommends a seven-button fight stick layout: Light, Medium, Heavy, Unique Attack, Assemble, Quick Skill, and Dash. Quick Assemble can be omitted since L+A achieves the same result.
Place Medium and Heavy near each other for throw inputs (M+H), and position Assemble near Light for Crossover defensive inputs (Assist+Light while blocking). Match your layout to familiar games like Guilty Gear Strive or Granblue Fantasy Versus to minimize the learning curve.
Movement and Defensive Options
Dash by double-tapping forward or backward, or use Quick Dash for consistent timing. High Jump by pressing down then up quickly for extended aerial approaches. Some characters can air dash while others cannot — check character-specific notes in our roster guides.
Blocking uses back or down-back depending on whether you face a standing or overhead attack. Crossover defense calls an ally while blocking by pressing Assemble and Light simultaneously — a crucial tool against assist-heavy pressure that every player should practice in training mode.