Capcom vs SNK 2/Ryo

Introduction

Health (at Ratio 2)
14400	Above Average
Stun
70	Average
Dash Length
17 Frames	Long
Dash Type
Hop	Corpse Hop=No, Proj. Hop=No
Run Speed
7.4	Below Average
Roll Distance
140 pixels	Far
Roll Duration
27f	Long
Wakeup Speed compared to Ryu
1f	Slightly Slower

Story

Ryo Sakazaki is the son of Takuma Sakazaki, master of Kyokugenryu Karate. As such, Ryo inherited his fathers passion, and became the new modern day Kyokugenryu master. He teaches Kyokugenryu at his local dojo, alongside his rival and best friend Robert Garcia and his little sister and martial arts prodigy Yuri Sakazaki. He lives in the same town as Terry, South Town, and was around before the events of Fatal Fury. In fact, his debut game, Art of Fighting, is one of the earliest in the broader SNK timeline. It tells the story of Yuri being kidnapped by Geese Howard, who was just starting out at the time, and how Ryo and Robert fight King to rescue her. Ryo is also the very first and original champion of the King of Fighters tournament, and the first fighting game crossover character in history when he became a secret boss in Fatal Fury Special.

Gameplay

Ryo, on the surface, is very similar to the Capcom shotos. For the most part, he plays like them too. However, he has some unique tools, like an air fireball that can end his combos, a launcher special for fun resets, and a charge kick move for combos. He also has very strong level 3 supers, with a powerful fireball super in Haoh Sho Ko Ken and a great rush super in Ryuko Ranbu. He has a special level 3 with Heaven Glaze Punch, which is an unsafe and long startup super that will instantly stun the opponent if it hits. Ryo works best in neutral, like any good shoto, throwing fireballs and using his good normals and DP anti-air to control space.

He does suffer some weaknesses however. He is much slower than the average shoto, with a low overall jump arc and a slow dash and run. This forces him to rely on his neutral more, and his fireball more. While he does have a solid fireball and plenty of ways to deal with people who try to challenge his fireball, CvS2 has roll cancels. These can blow up fireballs on a solid read, and forces Ryo to be very thoughtful about applying his strongest tool.

Ryo is a shoto, but takes the archetype and spins it a bit more than the main three shotos do by having more unique specials and different weaknesses. If you like solid fireballs, good neutral, and don't mind a slow or meter hungry guy, Ryo is a good pick in the right Grooves.

Groove Selection

For the most part, you'll usually see Ryo in K-Groove. Rage ups his damage from pokes and fireballs, and access to his scary level 3's makes for a solid neutral powerhouse type character. JD gives him a good way to deal with opponents zoning, and a way to generate a ton of Rage meter without needing to get hit. Run and hop aid his low mobility and give him shorthop HK, which is one of his best moves.

C-Ryo is right behind K-Ryo. While he sacrifices a lot of mobility and the poking and comeback power of Rage, C-Ryo gets a lot more access to his useful supers. He also has versatile uses for level 2 cancels, mostly from level 2 Ranbu. The loss of mobility hurts a lot, and makes C-Ryo play even more patient than before, but he does get roll cancels which are always nice. N-Ryo is the opposite, getting all the mobility of K-Ryo and even rolls but losing easy access to his powerful supers. S-Ryo is surprisingly useful, as he plays slow enough that charging isn't too bad, and infinite level 1 Haoh Sho Koh Ken is as funny as it sounds. He gets run and hop too, but still has to contend with S-Grooves weak overall mechanics.

A-Groove gives Ryo access to Custom Combos and some of the more powerful subsystems like Alpha Counter, but still lacks mobility, and you'll never be using a super as you would always rather Custom Combo. P-Ryo is very weak, as Ryo doesn't have the greatest meterless punish game without charge, and you'll rarely have super if at all.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Useful shoto-style kit, with one of the better fireballs and a good DP to anti-air with Unique launcher special for combos that gives him either standing resets or a very plus knockdown One of the better hop normals with hop HK Good pokes all around	Slow mobility makes his approach hard, forcing him to play more patient Best punishes require him to either have charge or be very close Reliance on fireball in a game with roll cancels can be difficult, but entirely manageable Only really good in one Groove

Normal Moves

5LP

Far Jab
Far Light Punch
5LP / Far LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	300	3	RF/SP/SU	Mid	High	3	4	6	13	+5	+5	None
A standard jab by all means. Fast and good for interrupting strings but is crouchable by a majority of characters. You'll usually use 2LP instead.

5MP

Far Strong
Far Medium Punch
5MP / Far MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	900	9	SP/SU	Mid	High	4	2	21	27	-2	-2	None
A useful 5MP for interrupting the opponents mashing. Tends to beat out other buttons through speed, and has decent reach for a 4f normal. You can cancel into Haoh Ken and it will combo at all but max range.

5HP

Far Fierce
Far Heavy Punch
5HP / Far HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1400	14	SU	Mid	High	7	3	31	41	-10	-10	None
A big chop from above. Does alright damage for a single hit, and is your most damaging super cancel, but you will otherwise never use this. It's very laggy on whiff, and on hit or block you can be punished at close range.

5LK

Far Short
Far Light Kick
5LK / Far LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	500	5	SU	Mid	High	5	4	14	23	-2	-2	None
A fast kick with alright range. Low risk, low reward poke, as it only confirms into Super. Not bad to check a dash with every now and then though.

5MK

Far Forward
Far Medium Kick
5MK / Far MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	900	9	None	Mid	High	7	7	14	28	-1	-1	None
A kick at a similar angle to 5LK. No real reward on hit outside of damage since you have no cancels, but is useful for the same things 5LK is thanks to the damage increase and higher active frame count. Just note the slower startup too.

5HK

Far Roundhouse
Far Heavy Kick
5HK / Far HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1300	13	None	Mid	High	8	8	17	33	-1	-1	None
A good kick at an anti-air angle. Crouchable at all ranges, making it pretty useless as a poke, but since Ryo's DP isn't the greatest this tends to be your main anti-air in conjunction with 2HP. The angle it hits at is especially useful, as you'll usually be throwing fireballs from a slightly spaced out range and this will catch jumps at that range.

Close Normals

clLP

Close Jab
Close Light Punch
cl.LP / cl5LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	400	4	RF/SP/SU	Mid	High	2	4	6	12	+5	+5	None
Pretty identical to 5LP but a frame faster and 100 damage higher. Has the same weakness of being crouchable however. Can be an alright emergency anti-air if they pressed a button at a bad timing, but otherwise not much use.

clMP

Close Strong
Close Medium Punch
cl.MP / cl5MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	900	9	SP/SU	Mid	High	3	4	18	25	-2	-2	None
A quick gut punch. Your main medium normal, and main close normal in general, since cl.MK is a bit odd and Ryo has no close heavies. Useful for confirming after jump ins into his launcher special, as a meaty, or as a punish up close.

clHP

Close Fierce
Close Heavy Punch
cl.HP / cl5HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1400	14	SU	Mid	High	7	3	31	41	-10	-10	None
Identical to the far version in every way, making it very very bad up close. Only use this if you can cancel it into a super, and make sure you're gonna be able to do that, since at this close you'll likely eat a punish.

clLK

Close Short
Close Light Kick
cl.LK / cl5LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	400	4	SP/SU	Mid	High	3	6	13	22	0	0	None
An awkward looking kick. Arguably a better close jab than cl.LP, as it starts only a frame later but has a lot more active frames and can't be crouched. Not as plus however, and regardless you won't be using it often as Ryo is rarely this close on offense.

clMK

Close Forward
Close Medium Kick
cl.MK / cl5MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	700	7	None	Mid	Mid	9	6	16	31	0	0	None
A stomp to the feet. Strange for a close normal, as it has a full 9 frames of startup and can't be cancelled into anything. Still not a standing low either, and does less damage than cl.MP despite being slower. The best purpose for this move is meaty links, but even then it isnt very good at this and it doesn't lead to much without meter. Stick to cl.MP in a majority of situations.

clHK

Close Roundhouse
Close Heavy Kick
cl.HK / cl5HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1300	13	None	Mid	High	8	8	17	33	-1	-1	None
Identical to 5HK, meaning Ryo has no close heavy normal like most other characters. Still just an anti-air as well, as even up close it can be crouched. Just like doing 5HP too close, avoid doing this up close.

Crouching Normals

2LP

Crouch Jab
Crouching Light Punch
2LP / cr.LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	300	3	RF/SP/SU	Mid	Low	3	4	6	13	+5	+5	None
A useful 2LP for mashing and pressure. Can link into 2MP on normal hit and 2MK on counter hit. Good for panic mashing to beat tick throws or dashes, solid 2LP all around.

2MP

Crouch Strong
Crouching Medium Punch
2MP / cr.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	900	9	SP/SU	Mid	Low	4	5	11	20	+4	+4	None
A useful 2MP and one of Ryo's better normals for brawling and poking. Similar to 5MP, it'll stuff a lot of things, and on counterhit it links into itself making for a solid meaty or running normal. Can also be linked into for super confirms.

2HP

Crouch Fierce
Crouching Heavy Punch
2HP / cr.HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1200/700	12/7	SP/SU	Mid	High	3	9	24	36	-9	-9	None
An uppercut that reaches high but not very far. One of Ryo's fastest normals and is his only cancellable heavy, functioning as a close heavy replacement in punish situations. Also a useful anti-air, as it covers the high angle that 5HK can whiff at.

2LK

Crouch Short
Crouching Light Kick
2LK / cr.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	400	4	SP/SU	Low	Low	3	4	7	14	+4	+4	None
A basic 2LK low kick for his main low mix. Useful after resets to mix between a high 6MP, a low 2LK, and a throw. Not the greatest, as it doesn't easily confirm into anything and you instead have to do a somewhat difficult link from it into 2HP.

2MK

Crouch Forward
Crouching Medium Kick
2MK / cr.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	800	8	SP/SU	Low	Low	5	8	17	30	-3	-3	None
Ryo kicks outwards far away with his foot. The shoto 2MK, useful for poking and cancels into fireballs. Ryo's is useful in the same way, as it allows him a cancel into fireball or Ranbu for damage.

2HK

Crouch Roundhouse
Crouching Heavy Kick
2HK / cr.HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1300	13	SU	Low	Low	6	9	26	41	-DWN	-11	None
A simple sweep, useful for getting a knockdown at range but can be very laggy on whiff and is negative on block. Despite this, it is one of your furthest reaching normals, making it a useful whiff punish.

Jumping Normals

jLP

Jump Jab
Jumping Jab
j.LP / 8LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
,,+	500	5	SP	High	High	4	22	0	26	Varies	Varies	None
A very active chop. Like most j.LP's, useful to interrupt an opponent jumping quickly but not for much else.

jMP

Jump Strong
Jumping Medium Punch
j.MP / 8MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
,,+	900	9	None	High	High	5/6	8	0	13/14	Varies	Varies	None
A quick punch down. Not very useful for anything, as it doesn't have high damage, a cancel, or great active frames. On a diagonal jump, it has a single frame extra startup, so if you wanna do this as an air-to-air use nj.MP for that.

jHP

Jump Fierce
Jumping Heavy Punch
j.HP / 8HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
,,+	1200	12	None	High	High	7	7	0	14	Varies	Varies	None
A downward chop. Not a bad jump heavy, but j.HK is so good it gets outclassed. You see this as a combo ender a lot after the launcher special, as it does good damage and gives Ryo a neat reset mixup that can be hard to react to.

jLK

Jump Short
Jumping Light Kick
j.LK / 8LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
,,+	500	5	SP	High	High	4	22	0	26	Varies	Varies	None
An outwards kick that lingers. Similar in use to j.LP, with the only difference being that it's slightly longer range and higher, meaning you would probably rather do this as an air-to-air light.

jMK

Jump Forward
Jumping Medium Kick
j.MK / 8MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
,,+	800	8	None	High	High	6	10	0	16	Varies	Varies	None
A kick with the same animation as j.HK. This is your crossup jump-in, but sadly that means it doesn't see a ton of use since Ryo can't set up crossups very well. Still, after a knockdown you can sometimes get this.

jHK

Jump Roundhouse
Jumping Heavy Kick
j.HK / 8HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
,,+	1200	12	None	High	High	7	6/5	0	13/12	Varies	Varies	None
Your main jump normal, and new best friend. Can be very oppressive, especially in hop Grooves, due to the great hitbox and high damage. You can usually confirm into a cl.MP on a full jump or a 623HP on a hop for good damage.

Special Moves

Zanretsu Ken: f, b, f + P

Hien Shippuu Kyaku Charge db, f+K

Kououken qcf+P (also in air)

Mouko Raishin Setsu (?)

Kyokugenryuu Renbuken hcb+P

Super Moves

Haou Shokoken f, hcf+P

Ryuko Ranbu qcf, hcb+P

Tenchi Hakouken qcf, qcf+P

The Basics

To play Ryo effectively one must keep around medium distance agaianst the opponent using fireballs to interrupt movements and doing low chain combos into more fireballs e.g c.lp,c.lk,c.mk fireball or c.mp fireball.

His crouching and standing medium punch has excellent priority and can be linked into moves.

The jumping fireball should only be used while jumping forward as after the fireball is cast - it delays Ryo landing on the ground, its quite good when you predict your opponent is going for some obvious anti air attack since you can catch them while it is starting up

Zannretsuken can be used to catch people who are too obvious with their rolls or jumps but otherwise shouldn't be used.

His dragon punch has average to low damage and in a lot of ways is like super turbo guile's flash kick, it comes out quick and finishes quick so its not entirely ideal as an anti air, his standing heavy kick is far better as a anti air. It's good if you want to land a knock down, the light punch version should be the only version used.

Kyokugenryuu Renbuken can be super jump canceled and most players who do this follow up with jumping heavy punch.

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