Description: Unleashes an Attack that deals damage to nearby enemies.
Dodge Slash is an ability that is automatically used during combat. It's a close range spin attack which consists of 3 Circle-Swings with the Keyblade. Most of the time Sora will follow up with a Slapshot or a Combo-Finisher.
This article will mostly focus on the attack itself, and not on the Damage Comparison to different attacks.
Dodge Slash does 3 swings, which are done in a circle-like movement of sora. The Problem: It's range is extremely short.
I would disabled this ability because you are going to miss a lot of hits with it. And sometimes that can cost you your life because Bosses counterattack immediately if they are not hit in a specific time.
Here is an example with Sephiroth:
The .gif shows Sora doing a 'Flash Step' into a 'Dodge Slash'.
The first swing of Dodge Slash didn't connect with Sephiroth, which gave him enough time to recover and counterattack me.
This happens because Dodge Slash can be activated on a medium distance between you and the enemy, even though it is a close combat action only. I know that a longer Keyblade could help with that, but not even Ultima is long enough to always hit with the first swing.
It is also slower than regular attacks. Dodge Slash has a chance to replace 'Flash Step', 'Slide Dash' or 'Slapshot' during a combo, which are all way quicker.
Here a gif where I fight against Roxas with the Ability equipped:
I miss the first swing of Dodge Slash, which happens nearly everytime. I was lucky that Roxas didn't counterattack. The Second attack was a Slapshot, which is nearly always the follow up attack after a Dodge Slash. The third attack is a Flash Step.
The following is a fight against Roxas without the Ability equipped:
This version is way quicker, and the enemy has no time to retaliate or recover. The swings are quick and every single one connects with the enemy. First up Sora dashes do the enemy with Flash Step, then he follows it up with a Slide Dash and the Slapshot at the end is a perfect setup for the finishing strike, which is probably going to be a Guard Break.
In my opinion, Dodge Slash is a really bad ability. It makes it more difficult to combo Bosses and makes it overall more difficult for beginners to play the game. For me, it's always disabled.