The Head Press (ヘッドプレス Heddo Puresu?), also known as the Head Stomp, is one of M. Bison's special attacks, introduced along with him in the Street Fighter II series.
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Description
Executed by charging downward then pressing upward and kick, Bison leaps into the air and lands perfectly on his opponent's head, in a standing position with his arms folded. He then backflips off again almost immediately , and can land a good distance away if desired, even if the attack is blocked.
The Head Press can optionally be followed up with a Somersault Skull Diver (サマーソルトスカルダイバー Samaasoruto Sukaru Daibaa?) by pressing punch some time after jumping off the opponent's head, but before he lands; Bison will angle himself forward as he descends and, if timed and aimed correctly, strike the opponent with a Psycho Power-infused fist.
The EX Special version introduced in the Street Fighter IV series deals more damage (200 HP instead of the standard version 120 HP damage), moves faster and knocks down the opponent; the followup punch not only is much more powerful but also has much better air maneuverability. Some of these properties are shared with the EX Devil Reverse.
In Street Fighter V, this attack is combined with the Devil Reverse. Pressing punch before Bison lands on his opponent's head will perform the Devil Reverse and pressing punch after will perform the Somersault Skull Diver, as before. The EX version will knock down before Bison performs a second Head Press to against his fallen opponent. If punch is pressed before contact is made then Bison will perform a Devil Reverse, same as the standard version.
Tactics
Bison can move very flexibly after the Head Press makes contact with an earthbound opponent, but when the Head Press hits an airborne opponent, the control over mobility is not as flexible. As the attack can allow Bison to leap clear to the other side of the screen, it works well to get over projectiles.
The timing window and hit box for this second attack can be quite strict depending on the game version, but it can take an opponent - expecting Bison to rebound far away after the Head Press - completely off guard.
The Head Press' greatest advantage is that it closely resembles the Devil Reverse while Bison is leaping towards the opponent, somewhat forcing them to guess which it is in order to counter properly. If they do nothing to counter and simply block it, Bison will land just out of range and can follow up with most of his other moves.
The Head Press' greatest disadvantage is that the opponent can simply move away to avoid it and counterattack as Bison lands helplessly. This prevents Bison from using the attack ad nauseum, though this can be mitigated with a healthy mix of Head Presses and Devil Reverses.
The Somersault Skull Diver is mainly used as a counter against opponents trying to jump after Bison following a blocked or connected Head Press. While it is highly unlikely that the Skull Diver will connect on a grounded opponent without being countered, a Skull Diver that hits 'deep' leaves the opponent in enough hitstun to be followed up by a ground combo.
In the Marvel vs. Capcom series, the move can be used in mid-air, and is best used during a Super Jump or an air combo.
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