As with any fighting game, you should experiment with different characters to find which one suits your playstyle best.

Dead or Alive 5 uses a kind of rock-paper-scissors formula in which strikes trump throws, throws trump hold, and holds trump strikes.

If you're new to the series, play story mode first and jump into multiplayer after you finish it. The practice will definitely help.

Take some time to learn combos. Button mashing only gets you so far in Dead or Alive.

Spend some time in the training mode to hone your fighting skills.

Don't worry too much about intricate combos when you first start off. Just commit to memorizing a few simple ones and work your way up from there.

Use directional inputs for blocking instead of buttons, as it gives you more freedom to follow up with attacks/counters.

Kasumi and Kokoro are good characters for beginners.