Street Fighter 6/Ryu/Introduction

Introduction

Ever training, this martial artist seeks true strength. Well-mannered and sincere, Ryu travels the globe in search of worthy opponents. Having overcome the Satsui no Hado, he now seeks yet greater heights.

Ryu is the definitive Street Fighter character, and not just because he's been the protagonist for thirty years. As the original shoto character, Ryu embodies all the meaningful aspects of Street Fighter gameplay in one concise package. Ryu emphasizes a patient playstyle with strong defensive tools.

While they probably need no introduction, Ryu's signature moves are Hadoken and Shoryuken, the original fireball and DP combo. Hadoken is a good projectile with variable speeds and decent reward on hit or block, while Shoryuken is a very useful anti-air uppercut that has utility as a reversal with the OD version. From these two moves, a simple gameplan of "Hadoken or Shoryuken" emerges, informing the rest of Ryu's gameplan. Ryu pesters his opponents with his long reaching 2MK and 5HP alongside his jabs and Hadoken. When they jump in frustration, Ryu Shoryukens them back out and starts it all over again. While system mechanics have weakened this playstyle in SF6, it still retains effectiveness if Ryu can tap into system mechanics such as Drive Impact and Drive Parry.

New to Ryu's kit are Denjin Charge and Hashogeki. The former allows Ryu to stock a single charge of a resource called Denjin. When Ryu uses certain specials or supers, Denjin is spent to empower them greatly, giving them added utility on block or hit. This particularly makes his fireballs very formidable, as they become faster and beat out other fireballs of the same level. Hashogeki is a combo tool and pressure tool, giving Ryu a new way to end blockstrings or even reset pressure completely. Ryu also has Tatsumaki, an advancing spinning kick that is invulnerable to projectiles. When combined with the Drive System, Ryu becomes a highly versatile character who can handle any situation.

Ryu's only weakness is, ironically, his greatest strength: in his commitment to fundamentals, Ryu completely lacks any major gimmicks outside of Denjin (and that is barely a gimmick unto itself). This can make it somewhat difficult for him to steal rounds and effectively demands that he play to said fundamentals at all times. That said, he is still consistent in almost every aspect, getting good return out of every successful play. He does great damage, has good okizeme off of most combo routes, and his versatile kit ensures he can handle any matchup. Ryu is a formidable character that can easily show you the ropes of Street Fighter while also holding his own beyond that. If you want a fundamentals-oriented character who rewards patient and considerate play, then walk the path of student to master with Ryu.

Pick if you like:

Avoid if you dislike:

Playing the original Shoto that fighting games are designed around, built to teach and reward your fundamental skills Good pokes and fireballs for controlling the midrange with high reward on landing them A fleshed out and versatile kit that has good options regardless of the situation Strong burst damage in combos with proper use of resources Capitalizing on loose juggle states from a variety of moves

Characters that don't excel at any particular thing Lacking heavily in gimmicks or knowledge checks—it's all on you, all of the time Having to choose between okizeme and charging Denjin

Classic & Modern Versions Comparison

List of differences with Modern Ryu

Missing Normals	Standing Medium Kick (5MK) Standing Heavy Kick (5HK) Jumping Light Punch (j.LP) Jumping Medium Punch (j.MP) Jumping Heavy Kick (j.HK)
Missing Command Normals	Short Uppercut (4HP)
Shortcut-Only Specials	High Blade Kick (2S) Medium/OD Only L Auto Combo uses the Light version Tatsumaki Senpu-kyaku (4S) Medium/OD Only Aerial Tatsumaki Senpu-kyaku can be performed with 214X / 214XX
Assist Combos	A[L ~ L]: 5LK ~ LK High Blade Kick LK High Blade Kick is unavailable outside of this Assist combo LK High Blade Kick will execute even if 5LK is blocked, potentially leaving Ryu -11. A[M ~ M ~ M]: 2MP ~ OD Hashogeki ~ Level 2 Super Level 2 Super will not execute if OD Hashogeki is blocked Level 2 Super can be charged by holding M after the flash A[H ~ H ~ H ~ H]: 6HP ~ 2MP ~ OD Hadoken ~ Level 3 Super OD Hadoken will not execute if 2MP is blocked
Miscellaneous Changes	2L is 2LK but switches to 2LP if chained into 2LP is unavailable outside of chains Fuwa Triple Strike (5MP~LK~HK) changed to 5M ~ M ~ M High Double Strike (5HP~HK) changed to 5H ~ H