Gakuran Beginners Guide: First Steps at Nishikata
Gakuran throws you into a living Japanese high school with no tutorial. This guide covers everything you need to know before your first fight — controls, the core combat loop, and how to pick up your first fighting style.
Gakuran blends real-time melee combat with school-life roleplay across a fully realized campus.
PC Controls (Quick Reference)
All controls come from the official Trello board:
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Left Click (M1) | Light attack / punch |
| R (M2) | Heavy attack |
| F (hold) | Block |
| Q | Dash |
| T | Use current style |
| Shift (hold) | Run |
| V | Carry |
| B | Execute |
| Alt | Open phone |
| Ctrl | Shift lock |
See the full Combat Guide for what each of these does in a fight.
The Core Combat Loop
Every fight in Gakuran comes down to this rhythm:
- Punch (M1) — Start with light attacks to build pressure and stagger your opponent
- Heavy Attack (R/M2) — Use M2 to deal heavier damage; it has a cooldown so time it well
- Block (hold F) — Hold F to block incoming hits; blocking drains your Posture, so don't hold it all fight
- Parry — Time a block right before an attack lands for a perfect block: no damage, no Posture loss, attacker gets stunned
- Dash (Q) — Get out of trouble fast or reposition mid-fight
The main rule for beginners: don't spam M1. Mashing attacks leaves you open to parries and counter-hits. Mix in dashes and the occasional block to make your play unpredictable.
Understanding Posture
Posture (also called Stamina) is a resource shared between sprinting and blocking. Blocking hits drains it; sprinting drains it. If your Posture runs out while you're blocking, you get guardbroken — leaving you wide open. The good news: you can still parry at zero Posture, because parries don't use Posture at all.
Your Fighting Style
Every player has a Fighting Style — a combat archetype that changes your M1 animations and gives you unique passive perks. Styles are rolled randomly. New players start with Basic (59% chance), which is a solid foundation with perks for parrying and posture recovery. Rarer styles like Boxing (10%) or Wrestling (1%) have different perk sets.
Press T to activate your style's special move in combat. See the Fighting Styles guide for all available styles and their perks.
Roleplay vs. Fighting
Gakuran describes itself as "an INTENDED Slice of Life experience" — the school is a full social world with a phone system, playable instruments, basketball, and nine distinct locations to explore. Many players spend as much time roleplaying as they do fighting. You don't have to fight anyone to enjoy the game.