UMVC3/Ryu

Overview Combos Strategy/Counterstrategy Resources Data

Introduction

Training since childhood alongside his longtime rival Ken, Ryu is an expert in a form of martial arts known as Ansatsuken. He received international attention after defeating the Muay Thai champion Sagat in the first Street Fighter. Ryu lives a simple, ascetic life. He travels the world, hoping to test himself against strong opponents and further his training as a martial artist.

In UMvC3, Ryu is an all-rounder with a handful of tools to support both long-distance keepaway and rushdown offense. Ryu draws surface-level comparisons to Akuma, but this falls apart fairly quickly. Ryu is significantly less mobile than Akuma, especially in the air, which hampers Ryu's ability to perform keepaway for any extended amount of time. Ryu can also utilize a special Install hyper, "Hado Kakusei" (22XX) which grants him a speed boost and upgrades his other hypers.

Strengths

Weaknesses

High solo damage potential even without assists or X-Factor. Ryu has access to both low-cost, meter-efficient damage routes as well as the ability to dump large amounts of meter quickly to secure a kill. Simple and effective mixup options versus grounded opponents with overhead 6M and cross-up tatsu - both of which lead to full combos. Install hyper "Hado Kakusei" can be used as a sort of Roman Cancel, allowing Ryu to quickly cancel any grounded normal or special for 1 bar, opening new pressure and combo routes.

Limited mobility, especially while airborne. Ryu can use his Air Tatsumaki specials to manipulate his trajectory while airborne, but otherwise is trapped on his initial jump arc once he leaves the ground. Poor range on normals and most specials. Ryu has several projectile specials and a beam hyper to give him some long-range tools, but these options are quite slow and dangerous to throw out too often. Mediocre assists. Ryu's Tatsumaki assist lacks the projectile-nullifying ability of Akuma's similar assist, making it more difficult to use effectively. Can only OTG with hyper, and follow-ups off these OTGs are very limited without specific assists. This also hurts Ryu's throw game, as he gets poor damage off the hard knockdown.

Ryu
Character Data
Health	1,000,000
Ground Magic Series	Stronger+
Air Chain Combo Limit	Three
Forward Dash Duration	20 frames
Backdash Duration	25 frames
Jump Duration	40 frames
Superjump Duration	81 frames
Walljump?	No
Doublejump?	No
Airdash?	No
X-Factor Damage Boost (1/2/3)	35% / 60% / 85%
X-Factor Speed Boost (1/2/3)	5% / 10% / 15%
Minimum Damage Scaling (Normals, Specials)	10%
Minimum Damage Scaling (Hypers)	35%
Minimum Damage Scaling (X-Factor)	35%

Move List

Assists

Shoryuken
Assist A

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
150,000	27/25	14	132/125, 102/88
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid
THC Hyper: Shinku Tatsumaki Senpukyaku. Lacks invincibility, and causes the opponent to be knocked very high in the air on hit, which makes following up with any combo difficult. Poor horizontal range and provides almost no blockstun.

Hadoken
Assist B

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
100,000	34/31	-	128/123, 98/86
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 5
THC Hyper: Shinku Hadoken. Extremely vanilla projectile assist. Although it comes out noticeably faster than common beam assists, this is usually negated by the fact that the projectile has to also physically travel to its target. It also loses on durability to many other projectile assists. Does stay on screen for a very long total time compared to many common assists, which can be useful.

Tatsumaki Senpukyaku
Assist Y

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000 x2 + 60,000	37/34	17(6)6 / 15(6)6	115/108, 85/72
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid
THC Hyper: Shinku Tatsumaki Senpukyaku. Horizontal lockdown assist. On hit, it bounces the opponent slightly into the air, but is fairly easy to confirm from.

Ground Normals

Stand Light
5L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000	5/5	3/3	10/8
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+3/+5	+1/+3	Mid
-

Stand Medium
5M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
75,000	8/7	3/3	21/18
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-3/-1	-5/-3	Mid	-
-

Stand Heavy
5H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
90,000	10/9	3/3	21/18
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+4/+7	+2/+5	Mid	-
-

Crouching Light
2L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
45,000	5/5	2/2	11/9
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+3/+5	+1/+3	Low
Standard low attack for baiting pushblock and mixing up when combined with 6M overhead.

Crouching Medium
2M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
68,000	8/7	3/3	19/17
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-1/+1	-3/=1	Low	-
Low-profile attack. 2M allows Ryu to evade underneath many attacks that he cannot normally avoid by crouching or using other normals. Unfortunately, the low amount of active frames makes this difficult to time properly and very dangerous to attempt. For reference, Ryu can use a very well-timed 2M to low-profile Dr. Doom's M Plasma Beam, but H Plasma Beam is too active, and Ryu will always get hit out of his recovery.

Crouching Heavy
2H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	10/9	4/4	26/23
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-4/-1	Low
Causes a Hard Knockdown, which is unique among 2H sweeps; most cause a Soft Knockdown or none at all.

Launcher/Special
S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
100,000	9/8	5/5	22/19
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
Launch	-1/+2	Mid	,
Poor horizontal range - has a tendency to whiff if chained from grounded normals at the outer edge of their range, even 2L. For this reason, Ryu should try to confirm into 421X instead.

Aerial Normals

Jumping Light
j.5L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
55,000	6/6	13/13	5/4
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+9/+11	+7/+7	OH	-
Works as an instant overhead naturally against most characters. However, Ryu has difficulty converting off of this hit, even with assist coverage.

Jumping Medium
j.5M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
60,000 x2	9/8	4/4	19/16
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+19/+19	+17/+14	OH	-
Hits twice, making it strong combo filler.

Jumping Heavy
j.5H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
90,000	9/8	4/4	23/20
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+23/+22	+21/+20	OH	-
Airthrow OS attack. Buffering j.214X tatsu when attempting this can help Ryu on a failed throw attempt by allowing him to escape if j.5H whiffs, or possibly convert if it actually hits. Almost useless against grounded opponents due to the upward angle.

Jumping Special
j.5S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
95,000	9/8	8/7	19/17
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+20	+18	OH
Deep cross-up hitbox.

Command Normals

Collarbone Breaker
6M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
35,000 x2	23/21	4/4	22/19
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-3/-1	-5/-1	OH	-
Standing overhead attack. On hit, Ryu can follow up with 5S or any special, with 421X Donkey Kick being the most common picks.

Roundhouse Kick
6H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
95,000	13/12	3/3	21/18
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+4/+7	+2/+5	Mid	-
6H gives Ryu extra time to confirm hits in grounded chains and also tacks free extra damage onto any grounded chain. It also juggles opponents who are already airborne decently high, which is important for certain tatsu loop combo routes.

Special Moves

Hadoken
236X

L +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	100,000	10/9	-	35/31
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-2/+2	-4/0	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 5
M +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	100,000	10/9	-	38/34
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-6/-1	-8/-3	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 5
H +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	100,000	10/9	-	43/38
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-10/-5	-12/-7	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 5
Standard horizontal projectile. L version travels the slowest (and thus stays on-screen the longest), whereas H version travels the fastest. Risky to use because mobile characters can quickly maneuver over it and punish the recovery, or simply blow through it on reaction with their own - more durable - projectiles.

Air Hadoken
j.236X

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
100,000	14/13	-	38/33
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-8/-2	-9/-4	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 5
Air version of the standard Hadoken. Has the same projectile speed different between button strengths (L version is fastest), but does not have the difference in recovery. Air Hadoken instantly halts any aerial momentum that Ryu had, and causes him to float in place during the animation. This can be used intentionally to stall in the air in order to avoid dangerous threats on the ground. However, the Special Hadoken variants (detailed below) last longer and thus may be better for this purpose.

Ren Hadoken
236S (mash S)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000 x1 - x5	21/19	-	42/36
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-9/-3	-11/-5	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 5 per projectile
Ryu fires a smaller, weaker hadoken that travels for 21 frames before dissipating. To compensate, Ryu can quickly fire off multiple projectiles - up to 5 per instance of the special - by rapidly pressing the S button. Difficult to use in zoning, as an opponent can pushblock the first fireball in order to cause the follow-ups to whiff. Using this move while airborne halts Ryu's aerial momentum, similar to a regular Hadoken. Because firing off 5 projectiles takes such a long time and only counts as a single special, Ryu can use this move up to three times to stall at superjump height for a very long time. However, doing this leaves him very vulnerable to opponents that can attack him from below or behind.

Baku Hadoken
236S (hold S)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
150,000	53/48	-	37/33
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-8/-4	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 5
Ryu charges up, eventually flashing orange, and then unleashing an invisible projectile. The fireball launched by this attack travels very fast, but it is not quite instant and can be evaded. If the projectile makes contact with an opponent, it creates a large explosion. The explosion causes a Wall Bounce, although it is difficult for Ryu to convert this into anything. Note that while the explosion is quite large, the actual projectile has a very narrow vertical range and can easily miss against a mobile opponent. Once Ryu has held S long enough to trigger Baku instead of Ren Hadoken, he is committed to the full duration of the charge animation. Releasing S will not allow Ryu to abort and release a weaker Hadoken, and so this move is very committal and quite dangerous to use in neutral.

Shoryuken
623X

L +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	100,000	3/3	14/14	25/20
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-7/-2	-13/-8	Mid	Invuln frames 1-2
M +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	120,000	3/3	14/14	33/27
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-9/-4	-21/-15	Mid	Invuln frames 1-5
H +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	150,000	3/3	14/14	47/40
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-19/-12	-35/-28	Mid	Invuln frames 1-9
One of the few meterless invincible moves in the game. Can be used on reaction to hypers (buffer the input during the super flash) or even against standard predictable offense to beat it cleanly. However, it is almost impossible for Ryu to get any kind of follow-up off Shoryuken, as it launches the opponent very high and also puts Ryu into an airborne state almost immediately. Ryu can cancel 623M into his level 3 hyper Shin Shoryuken (623XX), which does allow for follow-ups, but otherwise has no good option.

Hado Shoryuken
623S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
130,000 + 30,000 x3	28/25	14/14	34/28
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+16/+22	-22/-16	Mid	Invuln frames 1-30, Priority: Low, Durability: 1
A very slow, but VERY invincible variant of the Shoryuken. Can be used on reaction to hypers, even ones that are fairly invincible themselves, to evade them or beat them cleanly. Like with regular Shoryukens, it launches the opponent high in the air and makes follow-ups very difficult. This variant includes an upwards projectile at the end of the attack, which makes the total damage quite large as compensation for not getting a follow-up combo. Because this attack is so slow, it is actually worse against very invulnerable hypers (such as X-23's Weapon X Prime) as it will not get airborne in time to evade them the way that H Shoryuken would. Also, the opponent can react to the Hado Shoryuken and cancel their attack with X-Factor or a fast DHC, which will leave Ryu very vulnerable to punishment.

Tatsumaki Senpukyaku
214X

L +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	90,000	13/12	6	23/19
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-3/+1	Mid	into
M +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	60,000 x2	13/12	7(6)6/6(6)6	21/17
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-1/+3	Mid	into
H +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	50,000 x2 + 60,000	13/12	17(6)6/15(6)6	22/15
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-2/+3	Mid	into
Ryu advances forward while kicking around him. Ryu is considered airborne during this move. Although all versions of this are technically throw-punishable, in practice the spacing will almost always protect him. This move juggles the opponent into the air, but during a normal hit, Ryu cannot follow up with anything. If the opponent is high enough in the air when tatsu connects, Ryu can link 5M afterwards and follow up, leading to extended combo routes.

Air Tatsumaki Senpukyaku
j.214X

L Air +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	100,000	13/12	20/18	Until grounded
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	Mid	-
M Air +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	30,000 x3 + 50,000	13/12	26(4)6/23(4)6	Until grounded
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	Mid	-
H Air +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	30,000 x4 + 50,000	13/12	36(4)6/32(4)6	Until grounded
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	Mid	-
Air version of Ryu's tatsu special, with some slight differences from the grounded version. When used, any aerial momentum Ryu currently had is overridden with the Tatsu's motion, which makes this special one of Ryu's only sources of mobility in the air. The L version causes Ryu to shoot forward while falling in an arc, and is by far the most useful version. Its a good emergency escape after whiffing an air normal, and can be used as a mixup tool. Although it hits mid, the forward momentum gained from tatsu can cause Ryu to pass behind the opponent, taking advantage of its deep crossup hitbox. The M and H versions cause Ryu to maintain a fixed height while advancing forward, then dropping straight down during the recovery. This makes these versions much more dangerous to use outside of combos, although H Air Tatsu is a great aerial combo ender. Note that air Tatsu does not knock airborne the way that ground tatsu does. Ryu can take advantage of this by using a tiger knee motion to Air Tatsu immediately off the ground and score a follow-up combo.

Jodan Sokuto Geri
Donkey Kick
421X

L +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	100,000	14/13	5/5	30/25
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-9/-4	Mid	into
M +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	100,000	16/14	5/5	32/28
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-11/-7	Mid	into
H +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	100,000	18/16	5/5	34/29
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-13/-8	Mid	into
Ryu steps forward and delivers a slow, powerful kick. Advances Ryu forward about 1 character length. Heavier versions are slower but cause a higher/longer Wall Bounce, giving Ryu more time to reposition and continue to combo. Ryu can easily combo 5H or 6H into any variant of this move (although H version can drop after sufficient hitstun deterioration), so this is a relatively free combo extension. This move is a good target for cancelling using Hado Kakusei (22XX) due to its long recovery. Ryu can even pick up after the non-wallbounce version of this move if he uses his install hyper this way.

Hyper Combos

Shinku Hadoken
236XX (1 bar) when not in Hado Kakusei Mode

Ground Standard

Ground Aimed Up

Air Standard

Air Aimed Down

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
18,000 x25 - x50	18+1	80	23
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+3	-8	Mid	, mashable, (air version aimed down only), Priority: High, Beam Durability: 1 per frame for 25 frames
Standard but powerful and fast beam hyper. Useful for sniping assist calls and punishing slower projectiles or other attacks even from fullscreen. This hyper has the ability to be aimed, both during and after the hyper flash, in the following ways: During the super flash of the ground version, hold Up () to aim the beam directly upwards above Ryu. Otherwise, he will fire the beam directly forward. During the super flash of the air version, hold Down () to aim the beam directly down below Ryu. This version works as an OTG. Otherwise, he will fire the beam directly forwards. While the beam is being fired, it can be angled slightly by holding Forward/Backward (/) for vertical variants, or Up/Down for horizontal variants. If this hyper hits at the correct height, Ryu gains slightly more frame advantage than listed and can actually continue the combo. This is true for both the grounded and aerial versions.

Shinku Tatsumaki Senpukyaku
214XX (1 bar) when not in Hado Kakusei Mode

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
12,000 x43 - x83	13+4	102	35
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-12	Mid	Invuln frames 1-17, (last hit), mashable
Reversal hyper. Harder to land than beam hyper but deals slightly more damage. Ends with a lengthy hard knockdown - if the move is used in the corner, Ryu can recover and immediately perform a tiger knee Air Shinku Hadoken (down) to connect OTG for additional damage.

Hado Kakusei
Denjin Mode
22XX (1 bars)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
450,000	18+7	-	-
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid	339 frame install hyper
Ryu enters a power-up state for ~5.5 seconds, granting the following effects: 15% general speed increase (the same increase granted to him by level 3 X-Factor, stacking with it). Frame data while in this mode is included after original frame data, separated by a slash mark. Shinku Hadoken and Shinku Tatsumaki Senpukyaku are replaced by Shin Hadoken and Shin Tatsumaki Senpukyaku for the duration. Because of the very short duration of this install hyper, it is difficult to use either of these benefits effectively. However, this hyper is useful just as a general purpose hyper cancel, allowing Ryu to recover quicker from grounded specials.

Shin Hadoken
236XX (1 bars) while in Hado Kakusei Mode

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
20,000 x25 - x50	18+1	80	23
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+3	-8	Mid	Priority: High, Durability: 1 per frame for 25 frames
The Kakusei-enhanced beam hyper is slightly narrower than the regular version, but bounces off walls for an overall higher amount of screen coverage. It deals slightly more damage than the regular version, about 350,000 when fully mashed compared to the normal 319,000. As a downside, Shin Hadoken loses the aiming ability of the regular version - it is always fired straight ahead and cannot be altered to fire up or down. This makes it significantly less versatile than the normal variant, and completely unable to be used as an OTG.

Shin Tatsumaki Senpukyaku
214XX (1 bar) when in Hado Kakusei Mode

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
15,000 x43 - x83	13+4	102	35
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-12	Mid	Invuln frames 1-17, (last hit), mashable
Almost identical to Shinku Tatsumaki, and a straight upgrade unlike the Hadoken variant. Shin Tatsu does more damage than the normal hyper (~395,000 compared to 315,000) and has a larger hitbox, allowing it to connect on opponents who are higher in the air.

Shin Shoryuken
623XX (3 bars)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
380,000	11+0	4	50
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-28	Mid	Invuln frames 1-22, , ignores damage scaling
Reversal hyper with great invincibility. Ryu can follow up this hyper with a combo from anywhere on the screen, making it very dangerous for the opponent to challenge. Not affected in any way by being in Kakusei Mode.

Universal Mechanics

Ground Throw
6H, 4H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	1	1	-
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Throw
Standard ground throw. Follow-ups are basically impossible.

Air Throw
j.6H, j.4H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	1	1	-
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Airthrow
Standard airthrow that results in a hard knockdown. Forward airthrow sends the opponent almost straight down, and can be followed up with a downwards Shinku Hadoken so long as Ryu is not in Kakusei Mode. Backwards airthrow sends the opponent too far away to follow up unless throwing directly into the corner, and should be avoided.

Snap Back
+/

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000	2	3	23
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	0	Mid	Snapback
Animation and hitbox based on 5H.

Hard Tag
Hold 14f /

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
27,000	-	20	34
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-13	OH
-

Team Position

Ryu is most commonly placed in the Second position on the team. Although he hits very hard and has powerful hypers, Ryu struggles in neutral due to having poor range on most attacks and limited mobility. Players have worked around this by using Ryu has a sort of damage engine: landing the initial hit with a character that has better neutral, then bringing in Ryu via DHC/Hard Tag/TAC to secure the kill. Ryu's assists, while below the level of strength found in more commonly chosen assists, are still serviceable and can be utilized effectively by some characters.

Notable Synergies

Sentinel: Sentinel Force (Charge) is a great assist for most characters, with Ryu being no exception. Sentinel Force has a very high total duration, giving Ryu plenty of time to approach with cross-up Tatsumakis, 6M overheads, or other offensive tricks. Sentinel sometimes struggle as an assist because he tends to be clipped by stray hits from the opponent's assist calls, but Ryu can use Shinku Hadoken (236XX) to snipe assists and discourage their use, making Sentinel safer. Ryu can also use Sentinel Force to relaunch by calling the assist before a launcher and then spiking the opponent back down towards the drones, which is important because Ryu himself has no OTG options outside of hypers. With the correct setup, Sentinel assist can also be used to pick up after Ryu's beam hyper, allowing for some additional follow-up damage.

Players to watch: RayRay (Magneto/Ryu/Sentinel)

Akuma: Similar to Sentinel Force, Akuma's Tatsu assist provides a significant amount of lockdown for Ryu to attempt to run his offensive gameplan. It's primary use is to be called before Ryu attempts an air j.214L tatsu, as it will cover both the startup and the recovery. Since Ryu and Akuma both have fast beam hypers, they both excel at sniping enemy assists, and can then DHC to each other for additional damage if they catch one.

Players to Watch: Brian Kasugano (Chun/Ryu/Akuma), Zenpool (Ryu/Deadpool/Akuma), oAcentric (Chun/Ryu/Akuma), Vortex (Ryu/Spencer/Akuma), Weeberman

Wesker: Because Ryu's OTG options are limited only to hypers, Ryu benefits from having an OTG assist, such as Wesker's Samurai Edge. Other OTG assists, such as Deadpool's Katana-Rama, could also be considered. Since many Wesker combo routes end in a THC, he benefits from having a character like Ryu whose level 1 hypers deal great damage.

Players to Watch: ChrisG (Wesker/Ryu/Hawkeye, briefly)

Other Players to Watch:

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