Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha/Ryu

Introduction

Ryu doesn't wear shoes. Ryu has unblockables. Ryu can kill anyone in two interactions.

Despite appearances, Capcom's poster boy plays the same game he always has in Street Fighter EX. In fact, Ryu is a great example of just what exactly Arika changed approaching the EX series. Some decisions enhance, others tweak, but very little of what's different keeps Ryu from feeling like himself.

• Uppercuts in SFEX are crazy good. Longer Kara Cancel windows let big brains threaten with 2HK~DP at roundstart. Unlike other games in the Street Fighter series, uppercuts in Arika games will never trade.
• SFEX predates "being minus." Jokes aside, Ryu has it up to his headband in plus frames: Nearly his entire kit either grants advantage or can cancel to Hado for safety.
• Tatsu (214K) has been totally reworked from Street Fighter II, and would go on to be reworked again in EX2 Plus. Tatsu is now a Rekka, and Ryu can steer himself in the air or end Hurricane Kicks prematurely. Hurricane Kick's use as an Anti-Projectile tool is severely nerfed in this version.

Normals

Standing

Standing Light Punch
5LP

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
1-6	-	-	-	-	-	-	H/L	Ch/Sp/Su
5LP is completely outclassed by his lows. Don't press this.

Standing Medium Punch
5MP

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
16-20	-	-	-	-	-	-	H/L	Sp/Su
Godlike in Alpha 2-- Middling at best in EX. 5MP isn't fat enough to beat most jump options, but it's a start. OS Medium DP with this in tight anti-air situations.

Standing Heavy Punch
5HP

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
23-28	-	-	-	-	-	-	H/L	Su

Standing Light Kick
5LK

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
6-11	-	-	-	-	-	-	H/L	Sp/Su
While it wont combo into any other normals, 5LK is a fantastic little check. 5LK xx Hado is a cute frametrap. Cancel this into Heavy DP in punish situations where you aren't sure Ryu's typical starters will hit.

Standing Medium Kick
5MK

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
15-20	-	-	-	-	-	-	H/L	Su
Kudos to the JP players in my EX2 Mook that tried write something positive about 5MK... I won't. This normal is terrible. Overall a tremendous downgrade from Ryu's axe kick in Alpha 2. 5MK is slow to start, glacial to recover, whiffs on crouchers, and can't be special canceled. Yes, it steps lows... But so does Hopkick and Tatsu, and both of those actually hit the opponent.

Standing Heavy Kick
5HK

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
23-28	-	-	-	-	-	-	H/L	Su
In 3D, 5HK is an actual roundhouse, and is the key to Ryu's hardest link in EXA. Not the best poke, not the worst.

Crouching

Crouching Light Punch
2LP

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
1-5	-	-	-	-	-	-	H/L	Ch/Sp/Su

Crouching Medium Punch
2MP

Godpunch.

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
15-20	-	-	-	-	-	-	H/L	Sp/Su
2MP is a monster, and sits comfortably among Ryu's "Big Three" neutral tools. The hitbox for Crouching Medium Punch is far lower than it's animation suggests, likely to curb it's use as an anti-air. Combos into itself.

Crouching Heavy Punch
2HP

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
23-28	-	-	-	-	-	-	H/L	Sp/Su
Fat and fast. 2HP is Ryu's best normal anti-air in EXA.

Crouching Light Kick
2LK

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
1-5	-	-	-	-	-	-	L	Ch/Sp/Su
Ryu's ankle biter. 2LK is his go-to crouch tech and abare tool.

Crouching Medium Kick
2MK

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
16-20	-	-	-	-	-	-	L	Sp/Su
Far and away Ryu's best poke, potentially the best poke in the game. You'll be pressing 2MK a lot.

Crouching Heavy Kick
2HK

Sweep!

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
24-28	-	-	-	-	-	-	L	Sp/Su
Sweep is plus on block in EXA. Cancelable, like the good old days. 2HK low profiles projectiles and many mids. Tack this on to the end of your blockstrings.

Jumping

Jumping Light Punch
j.LP

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
6-11	-	-	-	-	-	-	H	Su

Jumping Medium Punch
j.MP

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
12-17	-	-	-	-	-	-	H	Su
Hits twice on exceptionally deep jumps. Half the listed damage for an estimate on shallow hits.

Jumping Heavy Punch
j.HP

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
19-24	-	-	-	-	-	-	H	Su
Ryu's preferred combo starter. j.HP leaves you close enough and plus enough to link anything. Can instant-overhead bigbodies.

Jumping Light Kick
j.LK

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
6-11	-	-	-	-	-	-	H	Su
Ticks well for throws.

Jumping Medium Kick
j.MK

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
12-16	-	-	-	-	-	-	H	Su
Ryu's best cross-up.

Jumping Heavy Kick
j.HK

"Hyyyyaaaah!"

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
19-24	-	-	-	-	-	-	H	Su
Route to sweep on far jump-ins.

Moves List

Throws

Punch Throw
4/6+MP/HP

Seoi Nage

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
30	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Ryu's throw will always sideswitch.

Kick Throw
4/6+MK/HK

Tomoe Nage

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
30	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Command Normals

Hopkick
6MK

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
16-20	-	-	-	-	-	-	L/H	-

Special Moves

Hadouken
236P

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
16-20 (4-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-	L/H	-

Hurricane Kick
214K (x3)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
6-11 (2-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-	L/H	-
Tatsu is a Rekka in Street Fighter EX.

Dragon Punch
623P

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
24-28 (6)	-	-	-	-	-	-	L/H	-

Super Moves

Guard Break
LP+LK

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Unblockable	-

Shinkuu Hadouken
236236P

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	L/H	-

Shinkuu Tatsumaki
214214K

(Air Ok)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Cancel
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	H	-

The Basics

Don't jump. Play footsies. Cancel Sweep.

EXA Ryu has everything he needs: He plays the system to his strengths, and isn't more than one jump in away from a spectacular comeback. You've played this character before.

• Like Street Fighter II, linking to 2HK "Sweep" is very practical. Nearly everything in SFEX is a hard knockdown, so short combos like j. HK, 2MP, 2HK let Ryu run great Oki for no resources.
• Sweep's cancel properties mean it carries little risk outside total whiffs in EX. The move also has niche uses as a low profile: Its fast startup and low hurtbox make it a great option to check fireballs in neutral.
• EXA's projectiles can feel weird. Fullscreen zoning as a whole is much weaker in SFEX, so EXA Ryu usually just chucks plasma at midscreen. Hado checks bad pokes, adds up meager chip damage, and baits for jumps. DP is rewarding on its own, but you can almost triple your damage with a Super Cancel to Shin Tatsumaki.

Advanced Strategy

Unblockables

Throwing the opponent "Off Axis" is far easier in EXA than EX2+. You've probably done it already by accident.

Any time Ryu cancels a confirm or Anti Air to Air Shin Tatsumaki (STK), he's in position to hit his opponent with unblockable Oki. Midscreen, meaty j. MK will either OS an dubious crossup or hit the opponent off axis on their wakeup. This often leads to a full combo, an unscaled backturned super, or can be routed to loop unblockables.

Midscreen Setup:

Anti Air 623P xx 214214K, Sideswitch, (Hold Forward/Macrowalk), j. MK Unblockable

(Punish) / Corner Setup:

(j. 5HP), 5LK xx 623HP xx 214214K, Sideswitch, (Hold Forward/Macrowalk), j. MK Unblockable

Combos

Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha