Street Fighter 6/Zangief

Overview

Combos

Strategy

Matchups

Frame Data

Resources

Match Footage

#SF6_Zangief

Introduction

A colossal wrestler nicknamed the Red Cyclone. Zangief is dedicated to physical improvement and instructing his students.

Zangief is the original big-body grappler character, and acts as a lumbering monster who utilizes his size and long reach to intimidate the opponent into sitting still, before opening them back up with one of his many command grabs.

Zangief's plan is very simple: Play the throw game. Gief's huge size allows him to poke at longer distances than most of the cast, making it difficult for them to respond to his advance without surrendering space or committing to a high-risk option. 5MP, 5HP, 5LP, and 5MK can wear down the opponent while he looks for an opening. When the opportunity arises, Zangief lurches forward and grabs his opponent with the signature Screw Piledriver. This command grab has completely absurd range, is incredibly fast, and deals monstrous damage on hit. SPD has the potential to instantly turn the tide of a match and sets up the remainder of the Zangief's gameplan.

From here, Zangief continues to approach his opponent, moving between safer options and risker options to capitalize on the mistakes of his opponents. Zangief has dozens of ways to set up tick throws and punish poor decision making. He also has a bunch of unique tools for hard reads, like Siberian Express. Additionally, Zangief's signature Lariat allows him to become projectile invulnerable for a while, giving him the ability to punish fireballs thrown from too close. Coupled with his solid pokes, Zangief's tools make him a midrange menace who is well-equipped to muscle his opponent to the corner, where his offense becomes all the more terrifying.

While Zangief's offense is effective, he is notably not a vortex-style character like some other famous grapplers. Every time Gief uses Screw Piledriver, he sends the opponent nearly fullscreen and must take a big risk to keep the momentum going. Zangief is notably weak to keepaway, and in general must play very patiently. There are many strong zoners on the SF6 roster, which can make his life quite difficult. Even still, a good Zangief player is more than capable of overcoming his bad matchups compared to previous games. Choosing to stick with the Red Cyclone will let you live the wrestler power fantasy of your dreams while terrifying your opponents into submission.

Pick if you like:

Avoid if you dislike:

Big Body: A larger than average healthpool with big buttons to control neutral and some sprinkled in armor Pressure Dilemma: Extremely complimentary strike/throw in which the strike removes drive making you want to parry it and a scary grab that makes you want to jump Scoops: The best command grab in the game that is fast, damaging, and long ranged A loyal fan base: The best defensive tool in the game once you've got three super bars He's a well read man: Huge damage for making the right reads with his great punish tools

Big Problems: Slow and committal movement/approach options Defensive Woes: Sluggish anti-airs and limited reversal options before you have three super bars Focused Tools: A kit dedicated to grappling with little flexibility Drive Hungry: Needing drive to convert and cover his inherent weaknesses

Classic & Modern Versions Comparison

List of differences with Modern Zangief

Missing Normals	Standing Medium Kick (5MK) Standing Heavy Kick (5HK) Crouching Medium Kick (2MK) Jumping Light Punch (j.LP) Jumping Medium Punch (j.MP) Jumping Heavy Punch (j.HP)
Missing Command Normals	Smetana Dropkick (3HK)
Shortcut-Only Specials	N/A
Assist Combos	A[L~L~L]: 2LK ~ 5LP ~ OD Lariat (hold forward for consistency) Burnout: 2LK ~ 5LP ~ Lariat (will drop if started beyond point blank) On Block: stops at 5LP A[M~M~M]: 2MP ~ OD Lariat ~ SA2 On Block: stops at OD Lariat Burnout: 2MP ~ Lariat (can whiff at max 2MP range even when holding forward) A[H~H~H]: 6HP ~ OD Lariat ~ SA3 On Block: stops at OD Lariat Burnout: 6HP ~ Lariat
Miscellaneous Changes	Modern Zangief has access to instant SA3, allowing for punishes and use in neutral that would otherwise be extremely difficult. Modern Input SA1 is coded to have lower base damage than the classic input (2625 vs 3500) even before the usual 80% Modern scaling is applied, making it much weaker as a reaction anti-air and even hurting its damage in highly scaled combos.

Zangief loses access to some of his best neutral tools with Modern, 5MK and 2MK, both very valuable pokes with huge range while being relatively safe against Drive Impact. He also loses 5HK which typically grants high-damage Punish Counter combos like PC 5HK, 3MP > SA1 or PC 5HK, 3MP, OD Borscht Dynamite.

3HK, which is a situationally useful low/throw invincible option, is gone. j.HP has been gutted in favor of going all-in on his normally difficult Borscht Dynamite (360K) aerial grab with its Modern one-button input.

Generally, Modern Zangief has lost a lot of his important long-range kicks for the sake of his inputs being made considerably easier for his rewarding specials. One-button inputs have made his anti-air with SA1 and Borscht Dynamite (360K), which are very rare to see, much more consistent and common. SA3 can be done without a jump and can be more easily mashed through the opponent's blockstrings, allowing him to use it in more situations at the cost of some of its insane damage. H Screw Piledriver can be done more easily without the fear of accidentally missing, though the Classic input is required to perform the longer range Light/Medium SPD. OD Screw Piledriver with its Modern input is a much bigger threat, allowing Zangief to walk up and scoop the opponent with ease, potentially even in whiff punish scenarios.

As a character with notoriously difficult inputs, Modern can curb some of the frustrations of playing Zangief normally, while also creating new ones due to the removal of important tools.

Zangief
Vitals
Life Points	11000
Ground Movement
Forward Walk Speed	0.0364
Backward Walk Speed	0.025
Forward Dash Speed	22
Backward Dash Speed	25
Forward Dash Distance	1.007
Backward Dash Distance	0.712
Drive Rush Min. Distance (Throw)	0.327
Drive Rush Min. Distance (Block)	1.455
Drive Rush Max Distance	3.040
Jumping
Jump Speed	5+38+3
Jump Apex	2.115
Forward Jump Distance	1.725
Backward Jump Distance	1.406
Throws
Throw Range	1.02
Throw Hurtbox	0.43

Frame Data Glossary - SF6
Hitbox Images	🟥 (Red): Attack hitbox Appears pink for Throw hitboxes 🟩 (Green): Vulnerable hurtbox that can be hit by strikes/projectiles If a move's hitbox and hurtbox overlap, the colors blend to appear orange 🟦 (Blue): Vulnerable throw hurtbox Will be thrown if Pink throw hitbox touches Blue throw hurtbox
Active	How many frames a move remains active (can hurt opponents) for. For projectiles with a maximum active period, a value may be listed in [brackets], but this number is not factored into the move's total frame count. For multi-hit moves with no gaps between the active hitboxes, active frames are listed as X,Y (or sometimes X*Y) For multi-hit moves with gaps between hits, active frames are listed as X(n)Y where n = the frame gap between hitboxes.
Cancel	Available options for canceling one move into another move. "Chn": Chain cancel (Light normals; specific chain options listed in Description) "TC": Target Combo "Sp": Special move "SA": Super Art (if a number is listed, refers only to that specific Super; SA3 = Lv.3 Super Art) "Jmp": Jump cancel (usually on hit only, if applicable) "SS": Serenity Stream (Chun-Li's stance) If one hit of a multi-hit attack is cancelable, this can be indicated with (1st), (2nd), etc. Occasionally, a move can be canceled only into a specific follow-up (e.g. Dee Jay [4]6P > 22PP); this can be indicated by listing the move input in the Cancel field, or with an asterisk that is explained in the move notes (Sp*)
Cancel Hitconfirm Windows	Hitconfirm reaction windows into Special Moves, Target Combos, and Super Arts. Refers to the amount of time (in frames) you have to cancel one attack into another attack on reaction e.g. most cancelable 2MKs have a 13 frame window to cancel into a Special/Super on reaction, making them nearly impossible to hitconfirm Counts from the first frame the attack connects until the final cancelable frame Visual effects like hitsparks and HP drain do not actually occur until frame 2; the first frame is still counted to keep the numbers consistent with previous games, and because it is technically possible to start reacting to the character's reeling animation on frame 1 If a Target Combo is cancelable into another attack, the hitconfirm window will include the entire sequence starting from the first hit If there is a frame gap on block between hits of the TC, the hitconfirm window may also be included for just the followup hit Some sequences like Ken's 5MP~HP TC may have a range of values listed (43f~47f). In this example, inputting 5MP~HP at its usual timing gives a 43f hitconfirm into a Special/Super. Delaying the chain into HP gives more total time for the final hitconfirm.
Damage	Attack damage on hit. Multi-hit moves may have the damage listed for individual hits as X,Y (or sometimes X*Y). Sometimes a move's damage changes depending on which active frame connects, or on cinematic vs. non-cinematic hits; in this case, multiple values may be listed, and it will be clarified in the move description.
Damage Scaling	Some moves cause additional damage scaling in combos. Refer to Game Data page for a more detailed breakdown. Scaling Types: Starter: When a move begins the combo, the next attack is scaled by X percent e.g. Ryu 2MK (20% Starter) > Hadoken: Hadoken is at 80% damage scaling Combo: When a move is comboed into, the next attack is scaled by X percent or X number of hits e.g. Ryu 2HP > OD High Blade Kick (2-Hit Combo Scaling) > Shoryuken: Shoryuken is at 70% damage scaling (100% > 100% > [skip 80%] > 70%) e.g. Cammy 5HP > OD Spiral Arrow (5% Combo Scaling) > Cannon Spike: Cannon Spike is at 75% damage scaling (100% > 100% > [80-5 = 75%]) Immediate: When a move is comboed into, this attack is scaled by X percent e.g. Drive Impact Crumple (20% Starter) > Throw (20% Immediate): Throw is at 60% damage scaling Multiplier: A damage scaling multiplier applies after Perfect Parry (50%) and mid-combo Drive Rush (15%). Any hits in the combo continue their usual damage scaling, but reduced by these amounts. These can bring the minimum scaling below the usual 10%, and they stack with each other; as a result, the minimum scaling can reach 4% using a long Drive Rush combo after Perfect Parry. Minimum Scaling: The lowest damage scaling that can be applied to an attack. Super Art Level 1/2/3 generally has 30%/40%/50% minimum scaling respectively. This ensures the attack will still do reasonable damage even at the end of a heavily scaled combo.
Drive Rush Cancel Advantage	Refers to the frame advantage when canceling a normal, command normal, or Target Combo into Drive Rush on hit or block (abbreviated as DRC for Drive Rush Cancel). This is calculated at the moment a follow-up attack can be input, not at the moment the character can block or perform movement options. An attack that with DRC +8 on Hit can link into an 8-frame attack, and DRC +4 on Block can create a true blockstring into a 4-frame attack. Note that any DRC on Block worse than +4 cannot form a true blockstring, allowing the opponent to interrupt with an invincible reversal. Most light normals are slightly negative after a DRC on block, meaning the opponent can mash their fastest normal to guarantee a counter-hit (though this requires fast reactions). The attacking character could punish this with Light > DRC into an immediate invincible attack, but this would be an incredibly expensive and high-risk gambit.
Forced Knockdown	Most airborne command normals, special moves, and Super Arts put the user in a "Forced Knockdown" state. While in this state, an air knockdown will occur when being hit by any attack, even if it would otherwise cause an air reset. As an example, Ryu's 2HP causes an air reset when used as an anti-air. Against a move like Cammy's Hooligan Combination, however, the 2HP puts her into an air knockdown state. This allows Ryu to successfully cancel 2HP into Shoryuken for a juggle, similar to how a Drive Impact wall splat works. Taking advantage of Forced Knockdown juggles is important for dealing with moves like Ken's Dragonlash, Dhalsim's Air Teleport, or Kimberly's 6HK~Hop sequence. Moves that already cause an air knockdown, like most j.MP air-to-airs, will not display the "Forced Knockdown" message.
Guard	Refers to the direction an attack must be blocked. L is for Low attacks (must be blocked crouching), H is for High attacks/overheads (must be blocked standing), LH is for attacks that can be blocked crouching or standing. T is for Throw attacks which cannot be blocked.
Juggles	When a character is put into an Air Knockdown state, it is often possible to follow up with a Juggle attack before they hit the ground. In the simplest terms, there are 2 main juggle states: Free Juggle: any attack can juggle, causing an Air Reset or an Air Knockdown Limited Juggle: only specific attacks with juggle potential may juggle The following is a more detailed overview of the SF6 juggle system: Juggle Count (JC): The status of the character being juggled. A high JC limits which attacks can work in juggles. JC0: free juggle state - any attack that can hit an airborne opponent will work JC1+: limited juggle state - juggle only works if the attack's Juggle Limit ≥ defender's Juggle Count A juggle count of -1 represents a crumple state; this can lead to a grounded or airborne hit depending on timing Juggle Start (JS): When starting a juggle, the opponent's JC will be set to this value. May be different vs. standing and airborne opponents. Attack with Juggle Start value of 3 will put opponent at JC3, so only attacks with Juggle Limit value ≥ 3 can follow up Even for attacks that don't normally start a juggle, this is relevant for Forced Knockdown and Crumple situations Juggle Increase (JI): When opponent is already in a juggle state, attacks will increase the opponent's JC by this amount. Airborne opponent at JC1 followed by attack with Juggle Increase value of 3 will set opponent to JC4 Juggle Limit (JL): Property of an attack hitbox that determines whether it connects on a juggled opponent. The JL must be ≥ the opponent's JC to hit successfully. An uppercut with a JL value of 5 will connect on an opponent at JC5 or below, but will whiff on JC6 opponent Most normals have a JL value of 0, meaning they only work in Free Juggle (JC0) states Some multi-hit attacks have different JL values on each hit, so a 3-hit move may only hit twice in juggles An example to tie everything together: An attack (JS3) launches opponent into the air (Opponent now at JC3) Followed up with an attack (JI2/JL4); it connects, because JL4 ≥ JC3 (Opponent now at JC5) Attempts to juggle again with same attack (JL4), but whiffs because JL4 < JC5 (Opponent hits the ground) Drive Rush notes: DR normals have a Juggle Start/Increase value of 0 DR normals have +3 added to their usual Juggle Limit More recently, the official definitions used by Capcom are slightly different than these community-designated terms. When reading official patch notes, the following terms are used instead: Combo Count Initial Value Combo Count Additional Value Combo Count Upper Limit
On Hit/Block	These are frame advantage values when the attack hits or is blocked. If the number is positive, then the move will recover before the defender can act again. If the number is negative, the defender will be able to act before the attacker and maybe even punish. KD refers to knockdown on hit, and the listed KD Advantage refers to how many frames the attacker can act before the defender finishes their wakeup animation. Note that generally, there is an extra +2 hit advantage on Counterhits and +4 hit advantage on Punish Counters (exceptions are noted in the description).
Recovery	How many frames it takes for a move to finish after the active frames have finished. For projectiles, recovery is considered to begin after the first active frame. Moves with different recovery values on hit/block/whiff may have multiple values listed like X(Y), with specific details listed in the description.
Startup	How many frames it takes before the move becomes 'active' or have a hit box. The last startup frame and the first active frame are the same frame, meaning all values are written as Startup + 1. Moves with multiple relevant startup values may be listed as X(Y); for example, a move that hits airborne first before hitting grounded opponents, or a 2-hit move where the first hit whiffs at some ranges.
IASA / Actionable Recovery	Some moves play out an extended recovery animation when no other button/direction is input (for crouching moves, it applies when holding any down direction). These are often referred to as "actionable recovery" frames; in some games, the term IASA (Interruptible As Soon As) refers to the frame that Actionable Recovery begins. Letting the Actionable Recovery frames play out can change the character's position, potentially setting up spacing traps by recovering farther away. For example, Manon 5HP will recover much farther away from the opponent if no input is performed immediately after her recovery; holding back or down-back to block will keep her much closer to the opponent.

Normals

Standing Normals

5LP

Standing Light Punch

5LP

5LP

Standing Light Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
7(4)	3	9	Chn Sp SA	400	LH	+4	+2

• Chains into 5LP/2LP/2LK

5MP

Standing Medium Punch

5MP

5MP

Standing Medium Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
9	4	17	TC	700	LH	+2	-2

• Only combos into its TC follow-up on Counter Hit, Punish Counter, or when used after Drive Rush.

5HP

Standing Heavy Punch

5HP

5HP

Standing Heavy Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
(6~22)+10	3	22(24)	-	1000	LH	+3	-3

Can be charged by holding HP during startup. Charging 5HP adds armor to the startup starting from frame 4. Charging can extend the startup by up to 16 additional frames (32f startup total). Fully charged 5HP deals 400 extra damage, knocks down on hit, and is +3 on block. Charged 5HP can be released early, but will lose its armored status and not gain the extra properties.

Can be useful as a pseudo-Drive Impact to blow through fireballs, single pokes, and even Drive Impacts.

5LK

Standing Light Kick

5LK

5LK

Standing Light Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
7	2	17	Sp SA	400	LH	-2	-4

5MK

Standing Medium Kick

5MK

5MK

Standing Medium Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
10	4	19	-	900	LH	+1	-4

5HK

Standing Heavy Kick

5HK

5HK

Standing Heavy Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
13	4	21	-	1000	LH	+3	+1

Crouching Normals

2LP

Crouching Light Punch

2LP

2LP

Crouching Light Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
6(3)	2	8	Chn Sp SA	300	LH	+6	+1

• Chains into 5LP/2LP/2LK

2MP

Crouching Medium Punch

2MP

2MP

Crouching Medium Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
8	3	16	Sp SA	700	LH	+3	-1

• Poor range, but can combo into sa2.

2HP

Crouching Heavy Punch

2HP

2HP

Crouching Heavy Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
11	9	35	-	1000	LH	KD +20	-20

• Works well as a basic anti-air, but struggles with crossups.

2LK

Crouching Light Kick

2LK

2LK

Crouching Light Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
4(3)	3	12	Chn	250	L	0	-3

• Self cancellable and chains into 5LP/2LP/2LK.
• Fastest grounded normal.
• Bad on block.

2MK

Crouching Medium Kick

2MK

2MK

Crouching Medium Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
9	3	18	-	700	L	+3	-2

• Strong frame-trap after blocked lights.
• Very vulnerable to DI and parry.

2HK

Crouching Heavy Kick

2HK

2HK

Crouching Heavy Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
12	3	27	-	1000	L	HKD +32	-13

• Incredible range.
• Good damage.
• Very vulnerable to DI and parry.

Jumping Normals

j.LP

Jumping Light Punch

j.LP

j.LP

Jumping Light Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	7	3 land	-	300	H	+11	+8

j.MP

Jumping Medium Punch

j.MP

j.MP

Jumping Medium Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
8	5	3 land	-	700	H	+10(+14)	+7(+11)

• Puts airborne opponents into a limited juggle state on Counter Hit / Punish Counter

j.HP

Jumping Heavy Punch

j.HP

j.HP

Jumping Heavy Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
9	6	3 land	-	800	H	+15(+21)	+7(+13)

• Spikes down airborne opponents on hit.

j.LK

Jumping Light Kick

j.LK

j.LK

Jumping Light Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	10	3 land	-	300	H	+2(+11)	-1(+8)

j.MK

Jumping Medium Kick

j.MK

j.MK

Jumping Medium Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
8	8	3 land	-	500	H	+6(+14)	+3(+11)

j.HK

Jumping Heavy Kick

j.HK

j.HK

Jumping Heavy Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
10	7	3 land	-	800	H	+12(+15)	+8(+11)

• Decent range, good damage, worth using often.

Command Normals

3MP

Hellstab

3MP

3MP

Hellstab

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
7	3	21	Sp SA	800	LH	-1	-3

• It forces stand. Meaning you can always combo into lariat next.
• Lauches the opponent into the air when hitting an airbourne opponent. It can be cancelled into sa1.

6MK

Knee Hammer

6MK

6MK

Knee Hammer

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
14	7	13	-	700	LH	+1(+7)	-4(+2)

• If this hits at max range, it is +8, allowing for combos.
• At medium range, it is still between +2 - +5
• Bad recovery.

6HP

Headbutt

6HP

6HP

Headbutt

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
14	5	15(17)	Sp SA	1000	LH	+8	+4

6HK

Cyclone Wheel Kick

6HK

6HK

Cyclone Wheel Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
22(24)	7(5)	25	-	1300	H	KD +28(+30)	-9(-5)

• Can be used to punish shoryuken at the peak of its height, into various air juggle combos.
• Otherwise, very unsafe. Has no fireball avoidance.

3HK

Smetana Dropkick

3HK

3HK

Smetana Dropkick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
16	4	40	-	1000	LH	KD +21	-18

• Knocks an opponent back far.
• If wallsplash, then combo opportunities.
• Looks like it gets airbourne enough to avoid low moves.

22MK

Power Stomp

22MK

22MK

Power Stomp 1

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
9	3	17	TC	500	LH	+4	-3

• First hit is +4/8, great to keep your turn going.
• Moves Zangief forward quickly.

j.2HP

Flying Body Press

j.2HP

j.2HP

Flying Body Press

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
9	9	8 land	-	800	H	+14(+18)	+10(+14)

j.8HP

Flying Headbutt

j.8HP

j.8HP

Flying Headbutt

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
8	4	3 land	Sp	900	H	+18(+21)	+13(+16)

Target Combos

5MP~MP~MP

Machine Gun Chops

5MP~MP~MP

---

5MP~MP

Machine Gun Chops 1

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
9	4	20	TC	600	LH	+2	-6

• Only combos from 5MP on Counter Hit, Punish Counter, or when used after Drive Rush.
• Works fine as a frame trap starter for SPD and 720, both normally and DR.

5MP~MP~MP

Machine Gun Chops 2

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
15	3	32	-	900	LH	KD +27	-17

22MK~MK~MK

Power Stomps

22MK~MK~MK

---

22MK~MK

Power Stomps 2

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
9	3	19	TC Sp SA	500	LH	-3	-4

• Only combos into the third hit of the TC on Counter Hit.

22MK~MK~MK

Power Stomps 3

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
10	3	24	Sp SA	700	LH	-2	-10

Throws

Neutral Throw (5LPLK)

Neutral Throw

5LPLK

5LPLK

Bodyslam

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	3	23	-	1200,600 (2040,600)	T	KD +22(+0)	-

• Input can be held for an additonal hit (+600 additional damage)
• Punish Counter:

Forward Throw (6LPLK)

Forward Throw

6LPLK

6LPLK

German Suplex

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	3	23	-	1500 (2550)	T	KD +10	-

• Punish Counter:

Back Throw (4LPLK)

Back Throw

4LPLK

4LPLK

Capture Suplex

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	3	23	-	1400 (2380)	T	KD +8	-

• Side switches
• Punish Counter:

Neutral Crouch Throw (2LPLK)

Neutral Crouch Throw

2LPLK

2LPLK

Brain Buster

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	3	23	-	1500 (2550)	T	KD +14	-

• Side switches
• Punish Counter:

Forward Crouch Throw (3LPLK)

Forward Crouch Throw

3LPLK

3LPLK

Spinebuster

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	3	23	-	1200 (2040)	T	KD +33	-

• Punish Counter:

Back Crouch Throw (1LPLK)

Back Crouch Throw

1LPLK

1LPLK

Russian Drop

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	3	23	-	1500 (2550)	T	KD +9	-

• Side switches
• Punish Counter:

Drive System

Drive Impact (HPHK)

Drive Impact

HPHK

HPHK

Double Russian Chop

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
26	2	35	-	800	LH	KD +35 / Wall Splat KD +65	-3 / Wall Splat HKD +72

See Drive Impact

When cancelled from a normal, these are the important blockstring gaps; a gap of N will trade with an N-frame startup attack; [] = Burnout

• -
• Note: gaps of 8f or less cannot be escaped by jumping

Drive Reversal (6HPHK)

Drive Reversal

6HPHK (in blockstun)

6HPHK

Reverse Russian Kick (Block)

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
20	3	26(31)	-	500 recoverable	LH	KD +23	-6

See Drive Reversal

• Full Invuln: 1-22f; Armor Break

Drive Parry (MPMK)

Drive Parry

MPMK

MPMK

Drive Parry

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
1	12 or until released	33(1)(11)	-	-	-	-	-

See Drive Parry

• Perfect Parry has only 1f recovery, and disables the opponent from canceling their attack
• Perfect Parry vs. projectiles puts you into a fixed 11f recovery

Drive Rush (66)

Drive Rush

66

                  No results

See Drive Rush. Frame data shown in (parentheses) refers to the version used after Parry.

• Notable Drive Rush cancel combo routes:
• Notable Drive Rush cancel blockstring gaps:

Special Moves

Double Lariat (PP)

Double Lariat

PP

---

PP

Double Lariat

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
15	2(3)2(4)2(8)2(6)2	27	SA3	1400	LH	KD +27(+56)	-12(-41)

• Projectile invincible on frames 6-45
• Can hold forward or back to move around slightly during the Lariat.
• Connects only once on hit, but four times on block, though all hits but the first whiff vs crouching opponents.

PPP

Double Lariat

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
12	2(2)2(3)2(6)2(4)2	26	SA2 SA3 (1st)	700,1000 (1700)	LH	KD +38(+57)	-11(-30)

• Projectile invincible on frames 1-36
• Can hold forward or back to move around slightly during the Lariat.
• Connects only twice on hit, but five times on block, though all hits but the first two whiff vs crouching opponents.

Screw Piledriver (360+P)

Screw Piledriver

360+P

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360+LP

Screw Piledriver

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	3	54	-	2500 (2875)	T	HKD +30	-

360+MP

Screw Piledriver

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	3	54	-	2900 (3335)	T	HKD +28	-

360+HP

Screw Piledriver

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	3	54	-	3300 (3795)	T	HKD +28	-

360+PP

Screw Piledriver

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	3	54	-	3400 (3910)	T	HKD +28	-

Borscht Dynamite (j.360+K)

Borscht Dynamite

j.360+K

---

                  No results

No results No results

j.360+KK

Borscht Dynamite

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
4	3	21(36)+16 land	-	3000 (3375)	T	HKD +19	-

Aerial command grab. Fast startup allows it to be used as an air-to-air. Can be tiger knee'd to perform very low off the ground.

OD Version has slightly improved range and can be juggled into from other moves. Notably, j.8HP combos into OD Borscht.

Russian Suplex (63214K Close)

Russian Suplex

63214K (Close)

---

63214K (Close)

Russian Suplex

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
10	2	50	-	2900 (3335)	T	HKD +26	-

63214KK (Close)

Russian Suplex

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
10	2	50	-	3200 (3680)	T	HKD +27	-

Slower startup than SPD and lower damage if it connects. In exchange, keeps Zangief close enough after the knockdown to Drive Rush in for oki. Non-OD versions are identical.

Siberian Express (63214K Far)

Siberian Express

Running Bear Grab

63214K (Far)

---

                  No results

No results No results

63214KK (Far)

Siberian Express

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
54(81)	2	40	-	3000 (3450)	T	HKD +29	-

Zangief lunges forward and grabs the opponent. Has slow startup, but canceling certain normals into Siberian Express may surprise people.

If done from very far away, Zangief will first raise his hands into the air, then charge forward. The "very far" version of Siberian Express has armor to cover the much longer startup and dash, but is otherwise mostly identical.

Tundra Storm (22HK)

Tundra Storm

22HK

22HK

Tundra Storm

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
6	50	24	-	2400	-	HKD +5	-

Counters certain kick attacks.

Super Arts

Level 1 Super (236236K)

Aerial Russian Slam

Level 1 Super Art

236236K

"I AM THE PROTECTOR OF RUSSIAN SKIES!"

236236K

Aerial Russian Slam

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
11	7	13+47 land	-	3500	T	HKD +29	-

Anti-air command grab super. Can juggle into from certain moves.

Level 2 Super (236236P)

Cyclone Lariat

Level 2 Super Art

236236P (HOLD OK)

---

236236P

Cyclone Lariat

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
18	102	52	-	3160(3060)	LH	HKD +5(+1)	-35

No results Zangief spins and creates a whirlwind that pulls opponents close on hit. Can be used to punish fireballs, Drive Impacts, or certain slower moves on reaction. Slow startup makes it easy to bait when used as a reversal.

If Cyclone Lariat hits, Zangief has access to a few different follow-ups.

• If no input is made, Zangief will slam the opponent behind him, side-switching and causing a knockdown.
• If Left or Right is held, Zangief will perform a different ender that deals slightly less damage, but allows him to control which side the opponent ends up on.
• If a punch button is held, Zangief will repeatedly spin in place, then eventually launch the opponent. This deals much less up-front damage than the other enders, but allows Zangief to combo afterwards with normals, Drive Rush, Level 1 Super, or OD Borscht.

Level 3 Super (720+P)

Bolshoi Storm Buster

Level 3 Super Art

720+P

---

CA version grants 500 extra damage

720+P

Bolshoi Storm Buster

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
6+0	2	116	-	4800	T	HKD +26	-

720+P

Bolshoi Storm Buster (CA)

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
6+0	2	116	-	5300	T	HKD +26	-

• Long range, same as LP SPD.
• Invincible startup makes it a scary reversal.

Taunts

Neutral Taunt (5PPPKKK)

Neutral Taunt

5PPPKKK

"My beautiful body is built better!"

5PPPKKK

Neutral Taunt

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
194 (total)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Forward Taunt (6PPPKKK)

Forward Taunt

6PPPKKK

"You'd be right at home in the ring!"

6PPPKKK

Forward Taunt

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
227 (total)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Back Taunt (4PPPKKK)

Back Taunt

4PPPKKK

"You're lacking, just bring it!"

4PPPKKK

Back Taunt

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
202 (total)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Down Taunt (2PPPKKK)

Down Taunt

2PPPKKK

"The power of Zangief is limitless!"

2PPPKKK

Down Taunt

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
210 (total)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Overview

Combos

Strategy

Matchups

Frame Data

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#SF6_Zangief