Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo/T. Hawk

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The Characters

Introduction

T. Hawk is a grappler character added in Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (SSF2), and returns in Super Street Fighter II Turbo. The differences from CPS-2 Zangief are that his special throw, the typhoon, does not have a whiff animation or a grab window; he was given a special anti-air move that is similar to the shoto's Shoryuken and and air dash attack like E. Honda's headbutt or Blanka's rolling attack. Also, his arsenal of normal moves is different from Zangief's, making both very different characters which are often weak where the other is strong. Say, Zangief has no dash-like special and his sweep is fast but does not reach very far; T. Hawk has a dash-like attack and his sweep is very slow, but with long reach. The most important difference in high-level play, however, is the lack of a whiff animation. While it is harder to do a tight tick into special throw with T. Hawk, they can be made safe with the use of negative-edge.

Competitive Overview

Players to watch, if you want to see practical T.Hawk play:

Mayakon - N.Hawk

Toutanki / Toutanboy - N.Hawk and O.Hawk

K - N.Hawk and O.Hawk

Inomata - N.Hawk

VIPER - N.Hawk utilizes st.jab from max range -> negative edge Typhoon. Definitely unique.

Search for these guys on YouTube.

New & Old Versions Comparison

To select O.T.Hawk, choose T.Hawk and then press → → ← ← Jab/Fierce, pressing Short simultaneously with the punch button for the alternate color.

Here is the list of differences:

• Obvious stuff: O.T.Hawk can not tech throws and does not have a Super;
• O.T.Hawk has a slightly smaller and thinner body hitbox than N.T.Hawk, it's unknown if it has any relevance. N.T.Hawk's hitbox goes from his feet to his nose, O.T.Hawk's goes from the feet but only to his jaw. Also note that this affects most standing normals as well so it will not be listed on the normal moves differences list;
• O.T.Hawk has almost every normal with something better. Here is a list with differences worth mentioning:
  • Crouching Jab has a much fatter and slightly longer hitbox which allows it to beat some low moves which N.T.Hawk's version of this move can not;
  • Far Standing Strong has the active hitbox a bit bigger upwards and downwards, which allows you to hit crouching Blanka, Guile, Chun Li, Cammy, and M.Bison (Dictator);
  • Crouching Strong does not has the stray hurtbox in the recovery animation, which makes this move less risky;
  • Far Standing Fierce has better priority and range by some pixels and does more damage;
  • Crouching Fierce has the second active hitbox a lot bigger than N.T.Hawk's version, but it has less horizontal range and doesn't have to be crouch blocked;
  • Close Standing Short has a bigger active hitbox;
  • Far Standing Short has a bigger active hitbox downwards and can be special canceled, but its no big deal;
  • Far Standing Forward has a bigger active hitbox upwards, which makes it a better anti aerial, but that's not the purpose of this move;
  • Crouching Forward has a bigger active hitbox which gives this move a lot better priority and range;
  • Close Standing Roundhouse has a fatter active hitbox which allows you to hit crouching Blanka and Cammy and do more damage;
  • Far Standing Roundhouse has less range, but it will not miss crouching Blanka, Cammy and M.Bison(Dictator), which do helps in these matches (all hard ones) and does more damage;
  • Crouching Roundhouse is the only normal with different frame count. It is a lot faster than N.T.Hawk's version of this move. It also does more damage;
  • Both Jumping Strongs were nerfed for N.T.Hawk. Fortunately, this was not very used in the first place;
  • Neutral Jumping Fierce has a bigger hitbox, which does makes it a bit better, but the vertical priority is the same. It also does more damage;
  • Diagonal Jumping Fierce is one of the main reasons to play the Old version. The first active animation has a good air-to-air hitbox, but the most important is in the second active part: it can cross up and hits very low, which allows you to beat Dhalsim's slide (!), a move that most characters can not from air. It also does more damage;
  • Neutral Jumping Short and Forward both have the active hitbox bigger upwards, but this is meaningless;
  • Diagonal Jumping Short can be special canceled;
  • Neutral Jumping Roundhouse has a bigger hitbox which covers O.T.Hawk's entire legs which does makes it better, but that normal is not used much. It also does more damage;
  • Diagonal Jumping Roundhouse has a bigger hitbox which allows O.T.Hawk's to cross-up with it. It also has better priority by 1 or 2 pixels. It also does more damage;
• His aerial command normals are also different:
  • O.T.Hawk's Elbow Drop has a fatter active hitbox;
  • O.T.Hawk's Body Slam can crossup, which is one of the main reasons to play him;
• O.T.Hawk's Strong Tomahawk Buster second active part do more damage, Fierce version do less damage on the first active part and more damage on the second active part and both versions have more invincibility like the Jab version: can go through fireballs;

Basically, N.T.Hawk is only a viable option if you can tick into super with ease and can do walking super as well, otherwise O.T.Hawk will be better choice overall. The inability to teach throws isn't a big deal since you're playing a grappler. People should fear being near you; if that does not happen then you are probably doing something wrong. Regarding the super, it's something to be feared if you pick N.T.Hawk instead of O.T.Hawk, but the normal Typhoon already does great damage. For the old version specific information check the O.T.Hawk section.

--Born2SPD

Color Options

Jab	Strong	Fierce	Start	Old
Short	Forward	Roundhouse	Hold	Old Alternative

--Born2SPD

Moves Analysis

Normal Moves

Ground Normals

Disclaimer: Ground normals take one extra frame to enter their start-up, which is the reason for the additional frame on the 'Simplified' row.

• Close/Far Standing Jab:

Damage	4
Stun	0~5
Stun Timer	40
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	Yes
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		3	4	4
Simplified		1 + 3	4	4

A short stab that's same for any distance. It does low damage, but has good priority and recovery. One of T.Hawk's best tick moves, as there is a special technique called 'sako special' that allows you to do this jab from the max range, walk a bit and try a typhoon, while being safe! More info in The Basics section.

• Crouching Jab:

Damage	4
Stun	0~5
Stun Timer	40
Chain Cancel	Yes
Special Cancel	Yes
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		2	1	4	4
Simplified		1 + 3		4	4

A low stab that can rapid fire. It does the same low damage as the standing version, but has good priority and recovery. This is T.Hawk's main tick. It's used to beat advance moves like Honda's head butt as well. This move suffered considerably nerfs as it can not beat some low hitting stuff with O.Hawk version can, the range is a bit smaller as well but it does not really affect it.

• Close Standing Strong:

Damage	21
Stun	5~11
Stun Timer	60
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	Yes/No
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		3	3	6	5
Simplified		1 + 3	9		5

A quick hook punch. This T.Hawk's anti-cross-up move or close anti-air, if a Tomahawk Buster is risky. It cancels into special moves if it hits early.

• Far Standing Strong:

Damage	21
Stun	5~11
Stun Timer	60
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	No
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		3	2	7	7
Simplified		1 + 5		7	7

A two-handed stab.

• Crouching Strong:

Damage	21
Stun	5~11
Stun Timer	60
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	No
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		6	8	7
Simplified		1 + 6	8	7

T.Hawk brings out both hands. As can be seen, the hitbox only exists on one side. Has decent anti air properties. Can also be used as tick, but i do not recommend this, you should always tick with his jabs. Due to a weird bug, the move has a stray vulnerable hitbox during its recovery.

• Close Standing Fierce:

Damage	17+17
Stun	1~7/1~7
Stun Timer	70/70
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	No
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		4	4	6	6	9
Simplified		1 + 8		6	6	9

A two handed chop. The move comboes into itself, for good damage if up close. However, for most punishment situations, you are better suited by using a cancelable close attack into Tomahawk Buster, or simply using the Typhoon.

• Far Standing Fierce:

Damage	24
Stun	10~16
Stun Timer	80
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	No
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		5	5	8	4	4	5
Simplified		1 + 10		8	13

A far knife-hand strike. It has OK reach, but both start-up and recovery are long. Though not that long for a Fierce attack, the recovery is vulnerable to sweeps from mid and close range. O.Hawk's version is a bit better: does more damage and the size of the active hitbox is the same, but its positioned some pixels forward, giving it better priority and range.

• Crouching Fierce:

Damage	26+17
Stun	10~16/2~8
Stun Timer	80/90
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	No
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		4	4	6	8	3	7
Simplified		1 + 8		6	8	10

A strong chop. Hits twice, has good reach and fine close-to-the-ground priority. With some luck, it will beat slides cleanly, bit it is not quite reliable, due to the start-up and recovery of the move, and the previous active part that does not cover that area. Can combo after an aerial cross up for a 3 hit combo.

• Close Standing Short:

Damage	16
Stun	0~5
Stun Timer	40
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	Yes
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		3	4	4
Simplified		1 + 3	4	4

A short knee. OK as tick. Was nerfed a bit, but it was not that important in the first place anyway.

• Far Standing Short:

Damage	16
Stun	0~5
Stun Timer	40
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	No
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		2	2	5	4
Simplified		1 + 4		5	4

A ranged kick. Does not has any use i can think about. Another move that was nerfed for N.Hawk.

• Crouching Short:

Damage	4
Stun	0~5
Stun Timer	40
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	Yes
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		2	1	4	5
Simplified		1 + 3		4	5

A low kick. OK to beat some low moves, a viable option to tick into Typhoon/Super if jabs are too fast for you.

• Close Standing Forward:

Damage	21
Stun	5~11
Stun Timer	60
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	Yes
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		3	8	7
Simplified		1 + 3	8	7

A foot stab. A valuable move for combos since it can be canceled into Tomahawk Buster. It is also the easiest way to tick into Typhoon/Super, but you should avoid using it since it's very easy to reverse it.

• Far Standing Forward:

Damage	21
Stun	5~11
Stun Timer	60
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	No
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		4	4	4	3	4
Simplified		1 + 8		4	7

A far kick. OK as a poke.

• Crouching Forward:

Damage	21
Stun	5~11
Stun Timer	60
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	No
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		3	3	6	5
Simplified		1 + 6		6	5

A floor kick that has good range. Kinda like Shoto Cr.Forward, but not as good. Helps against Guile. Nevertheless one of his better pokes.

• Close Standing Roundhouse:

Damage	24
Stun	10~16
Stun Timer	80
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	No
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		2	2	2	2	8	5	6
Simplified		1 + 8				8	11

A backwards kick. Not important for anything really. O.T.Hawk version of this move does more damage.

• Far Standing Roundhouse:

Damage	24
Stun	10~16
Stun Timer	80
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	No
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		3	3	5	8
Simplified		1 + 11			8

Frame Count	4	6	7
Simplified	17

A backwards high kick. Very good reach and damage, can be used to punish stuff, trade with fireballs and when predicting jumps, if in range. O.T.Hawk version of this move does more damage.

• Crouching Roundhouse:

Damage	24/22
Stun	5~11
Stun Timer	130
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	No
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		7	7	7	8	10	11
Simplified		1 + 7	7	7	8	21

Two sweep kicks in a row. Just OK for a sweep, it used to be very good for O.Hawk, but for N.Hawk the speed was nerfed so its not that good. O.T.Hawk version of this move does more damage.

Aerial Normals

• Neutral Jumping Jab:

Damage	17
Stun	1~7
Stun Timer	40
Special Cancel	Yes
Frame Count		3	∞

• Diagonal Jumping Jab:

Damage	17
Stun	1~7
Stun Timer	40
Special Cancel	Yes
Frame Count		3	∞

Always jump in with this. Has priority up the ass, we're talking beating shoryus except from O. Ken, it stays out until you land, and can easily tick into Mexican Typhoon. It's that stupid.

• Neutral/Diagonal Jumping Strong:

Damage	21
Stun	5~11
Stun Timer	50
Special Cancel	No
Frame Count		5	14	∞

• Neutral Jumping Fierce:

Damage	24
Stun	11~17
Stun Timer	60
Special Cancel	No
Frame Count		2	5	12	5	∞
Simplified		7		12	∞

O.T.Hawk's version of this move does more damage.

• Diagonal Jumping Fierce:

Damage	24
Stun	11~17
Stun Timer	60
Special Cancel	No
Frame Count		5	2	11	∞
Simplified		5	13		∞

O.T.Hawk's version of this move does more damage.

• Neutral Jumping Short:

Damage	17
Stun	1~7
Stun Timer	40
Special Cancel	No
Frame Count		2	3	∞
Simplified		5		∞

• Diagonal Jumping Short:

Damage	17
Stun	1~7
Stun Timer	40
Special Cancel	No
Frame Count		2	2	∞
Simplified		4		∞

• Neutral Jumping Forward:

Damage	21
Stun	5~11
Stun Timer	50
Special Cancel	No
Frame Count		2	3	13	3	∞
Simplified		5		13	∞

• Diagonal Jumping Forward:

Damage	21
Stun	5~11
Stun Timer	50
Special Cancel	No
Frame Count		3	2	16	6	∞
Simplified		5		16	∞

• Neutral Jumping Roundhouse:

Damage	24
Stun	11~17
Stun Timer	60
Special Cancel	No
Frame Count		2	5	12	4	∞
Simplified		7		12	∞

O.T.Hawk's version of this move does more damage.

• Diagonal Jumping Roundhouse:

Damage	24
Stun	11~17
Stun Timer	60
Special Cancel	No
Frame Count		2	4	8	6	∞
Simplified		6		8	∞

O.T.Hawk's version of this move does more damage.

Command Normals

• Downward Jab: (On ground, ←/→ + Jab)

Damage	4
Stun	0~5
Stun Timer	40
Chain Cancel	No
Special Cancel	Yes
Super Cancel	No
Frame Advantage	?
Frame Count		3	4	4
Simplified		1 + 3	4	4

Lower hitting jab, but since Hawk's normal jab hits all crouchers anyway it is only useful for ticking into Mexican Typhoon. It can chain into itself as a link, but not mashable.

• Elbow Drop: (Jump diagonally, ↙/↓/↘ + Strong)

Damage	21
Stun	5~11
Stun Timer	50
Special Cancel	No
Frame Count		5	30	4	∞
Simplified		5	30	∞

This move stays out for quite some time. He has better jump-ins therefore you don't see this often. The Japanese player Inomata uses this move often in safe-jumps.

• Body Slam: (Jump diagonally, ↙/↓/↘ + Fierce)

Damage	26
Stun	11~17
Stun Timer	60
Special Cancel	No
Frame Count		3	4	∞
Simplified		7		∞

This attack stays active until Hawk lands. It does not cross up like O.Hawk's version, so it is not that effective. This is one of the main reasons why O.Hawk is better.

--Born2SPD

Normal Throws

T.Hawk can throw with Strong, Fierce and Roundhouse. A important thing to note is that while he has the second biggest throw range in the game with his Command Grab, all his normal throws have a very short range, beating only Fei Long's normal throws, so keep in mind that you will always be vulnerable to be counter thrown when choosing to use the normal throws.

• Mexican Throw: (←/→ + Strong)

Damage	32
Stun	7~13
Stun Timer	100
Range (from axis)	48
(from throwable box)	13

Strong throw is a one handed toss. Not great to use as it puts opponents further away than optimal, but if you're in the corner and you want the opponent cornered then there you go.

• Neck Hanging Tree: (←/→ + Fierce)

Damage	26 + 4*n
Set amount of hits	4
Holds do no stun
Range (from axis)	48
(from throwable box)	13

Fierce is a two-handed neck choke. Worse T.Hawk normal throw, it does more damage than the Rh hold but when released the opponent is at a worst position.

• Elbow Stomping: (←/→ + Roundhouse)

Damage	26 + 4*n
Set amount of hits	3
Holds do no stun
Range (from axis)	48
(from throwable box)	13

Roundhouse throw is an elbow bash. This is T. Hawk's best throw, hands down. It is a hold for multiple hits and drops the player right next to you, allowing you mix up, cross over, tick throw again, etc. This is one of T. Hawk's most important moves as it can help set up many other traps and keeps people close where you want them.

NOTE:

This throw is somehow made for fighting Shotos (Ryu, Ken and even Akuma), since it's possible to cross them up afterwards, with j.Forward. If you're a real monster you can hit-confirm the cross-up and then follow up with cr.Jab -> cr.Jab -> st.Jab -> Rising Hawk Jab or Strong version. If the opponent blocks the cross-up just do cr.Jab -> cr.Jab -> negative edge Typhoon or SUPER.

Walk-under meaty cr.Strong -> negative edge Typhoon or SUPER is also a good tactic versus everyone in the cast, except Zangief and T.Hawk since they're both capable of doing a reversal command throw after or before the cr.Strong.

Mayakon does j.Forward -> cr.Strong -> negative edge Typhoon or SUPER. Requires strict timing.

Specifically versus Guile, Chun Li, Sagat, Fei Long, Claw, Dhalsim (substitute j.Jab with j.Forward) you can follow up with j.Jab -> cr.Jab -> negative edge Typhoon or SUPER afterwards.

--Born2SPD, Decca and Jedi

Special Moves

• Mexican Typhoon: (360 + P)

Detailed Input: (→ [0~6f] ↓ [0~6f] ← [0~6f] ↑ [0~12/9/7/2f] Jab/Strong/Fierce/any P if you are at a jumpable state and the last direction was ↑. The first direction and the side you spin is not fixed. You just need to input the 4 main directions in order)

Damage (Jab)	38
Damage (Strong)	42
Damage (Fierce)	46
Stun	7~13
Stun Timer	100
Range (from axis)	83
(from throwable box)	48
Super Meter	20

T.Hawk's long range, bread and butter command throw. Hawk grabs the enemy by the face, jumps while spinning him, then smashes his head on the ground for high damage. This is T.Hawk's main attack tool and can be used with a multitude of ticks with Jab being his best. It has better range than any other throw but Zangief's Spinning Pile Driver and can be made safe with the use of negative edge. Like his super, it doesn't have a whiff animation, therefore you will obtain a normal if the enemy is not throwable and you press a punch button, but nothing if you use negative-edge.

• Tomahawk Buster a.k.a. Rising Hawk: (→↓↘ + P)

Detailed Input: (→ [0~6f] ↓ [0~6f] ↘ [0~10/9/7f] Jab/Strong/Fierce)

• Startup + Active:
• Jab Version:

Damage	27 / 20					File:THawk tb5anm.png
Stun	9~15
Stun Timer	100
Super Meter	6
Frame Count		4	5	5	5	15
Simplified		4	30

• Strong/Fierce Version:

Damage (Strong)	27 / 11					File:THawk tb5anm.png
Damage (Fierce)	27 + 12
Stun	9~15 // 2~8 + 9~15
Stun Timer	100 // 90 + 100
Super Meter	6
Frame Count (Strong)		4	5	5	5	16
Simplified (Strong)		4	31
Frame Count (Fierce)		4	5	5	5	18
Simplified (Fierce)		4	5	28

• Recovery:

Frame Count (Jab)	2	4	3	4	7	4
Simplified (Jab)	24
Frame Count (Strong)	2	4	3	4	10	4
Simplified (Strong)	27
Frame Count (Fierce)	2	4	3	4	13	4
Simplified (Fierce)	30

Hawk becomes invulnerable for a split second, crouches, then rises diagonally to the air while hitting the enemy. After that, he falls defenseless to the ground. The Jab and Strong versions hit only once and cause a full knockdown, while the Fierce one hits twice, being that the second active part causes a full knock down. If done with Jab, can go through projectiles if timed late enough. All versions have the first active part, when T.Hawk is still invulnerable, doing more damage. If it hits late, the Jab version will do more damage than the others. As it has less recovery, never use any other version unless you really need a reversal and you want to use pianoing. This is T.Hawk's best anti-air move (Jab version).

• Condor Dive: (In Air, Jab + Strong + Fierce)

Detailed Input: (Can be done from the 6th till the 25th jumping frame, all buttons must be pressed on the same frame)

Damage	27			File:THawk dive3anm.png
Stun	9~15
Stun Timer	100
Super Meter	8
Frame Count		10	7	∞	2	9	10	6
Simplified		17		∞	27

• Bounce:

Frame Count	8	4	4	4	∞	6
Simplified	∞					6

T.Hawk dives diagonally from where the move was started towards the ground. This move can only be performed on a neutral or diagonal jump on the way up. Once T.Hawk reaches his apex and starts coming down from his jump, the move cannot be performed. Extremely good move for punishing fireballs. Can be done close to the ground for shenanigans and dodging and punishing slow recovering lows like Guile's sweep. Good for closing distance after a mid screen Typhoon. This move does not have great priority and can be punished by some characters.

• Characters not to hit with Condor dives unless your sure they will not be able to block: Dhalsim, Ryu, Ken, Sagat, Guile.

Dhalsim the most as he can punish easily with multiple normals. Sagat can punish with fireballs. Also be careful as Ryu and Ken can jump immediately after blocking and j.RH if blocked high on their hitbox. If they do it too late and miss it can leave them in a horrible position(good for T.Hawk). Remember also that Guile is extremely hard to punish for Sonic Booms as he recovers very quick compared to Sagat, Ryu and Ken.

• Characters not to hit with Condor dives unless your sure they will not be able to block or you know they do not have charge: Balrog(Boxer), Blanka, Dhalsim, E. Honda and M.Bison(Dictator).

All four can punish with charge back->forward + Fierce.

• Characters that cannot punish after blocking a Condor dive: Chun Li, Cammy, Dee Jay, Fei Long, T.Hawk, Vega(Claw), Zangief.

It can be extremely useful but can get a lot of inexperienced players in loads of trouble if used too much/incorrectly. It covers a lot of ground very fast. You can use it to punish fireballs by jumping and Dive over them. Remember though that if you don't connect, or it's blocked, you hit the ground and "slide" a bit. Now you can be punished by sweeps and/or certain combos at this point. But, this can also be a useful tool against a scared/slow opponent. In your slide you can Tomahawk Buster(DP) or Typhoon while sliding at the end. You can deceive a player thinking your going to connect and bounce back and if they don not react to you hitting the ground you can punish. Again be careful with this move. Can be a big help or a big hindrance.

--Born2SPD, Decca and Jedi

Super Move

• Double Typhoon: (720 + P)

Detailed Input: (→ [0~14f] ↓ [0~14f] ← [0~14f] ↑ [0~14f] → [0~14f] ↓ [0~14f] ← [0~14f] ↑ [0~15f] P. The first direction and the side you spin is not fixed. You just need to input the 4 main directions in order and twice)

Damage	46+33
Stun	7~13
Stun Timer	100
Range (from axis)	83
(from throwable box)	48

T.Hawks super move hits like a freight train. Can be used after ticks, on wake-up and CANNOT be wasted. If you see T.Hawk start the Super Animation that means it going to hit for sure. Also can be negative edged on wake up and after tick for safe attempts. Extremely hard to do after most ticks though as Hawk gets off the ground fairly fast.

The easiest way to do this move consistently, is by starting from d/b with cr.Jab then b, u/b, u, u/f, f, d/f, d, d/b, Jab press and hold Fierce~Strong, b, u/b, u, u/f, f, d/f, d, d/b + release Fierce~Strong. From my experience it's the easiest way to avoid jumping when you attempt it. You can setup his SUPER this way by cross-up j.Forward, cr.Jab x 2 SUPER as mentioned above. Furthermore after a Roundhouse throw, you can either walk under the opponent or cross-up j.Forward and use above mentioned technique for a safe SUPER attempt.

If you hit your opponent with a Typhoon and your SUPER meter is nearly full, jump and do Condor Dive mid-air, upon landing press d/b, b, u/b, u, u/f, f, d/f, d, d/b cr.Short~Fierce~Strong, b, u/b, u, u/f, f, d/f, d, d/b + release Fierce~Strong. You can substitute the cr.Short with cr.Jab, however I find using cr.Short much more consistent, since you won't accidentally attempt a Typhoon.

You can use the above-mentioned method as well when safe-jump. Jumping Short, j.Jab or j.D+Strong upon connection press d/b, b, u/b, u, u/f, f, d/f, d, d/b cr.Short~Fierce~Strong, b, u/b, u, u/f, f, d/f, d, d/b + release Fierce~Strong. Cr.short makes it a lot easier from my experience.

There's yet another option. If you walk up to your knocked down opponent and perform a meaty cr.Strong ~ press Fierce and hold both Strong and Fierce then buffer 720 starting at d/b and ending at d/b + release Strong~Fierce.

--Born2SPD, Decca and Jedi

The Basics

Get close. This is a lot easier said than done but T.Hawk has some tricks. Once you're in, Hawk has a ton of mix-ups/tricks to stay and punish with Typhoons.

General strategy is to pick your spots and inch forward. This may take some time or a mistake by your opponent but you'll get there. If you don't, your most likely going to lose in a slow agonizing fashion. Don't get greedy though and go for it wildly. Most characters, if not all, have some way to punish T.Hawk for jumping in late, too soon etc.

Your main goal should be to get in and stay in at all costs. Use whatever you can to get there. Sometimes a sweep knock down is all you need to turn a almost perfect loss into a win. Never give up with Hawk, be patient, you'll get in and when you do...punish.

T.Hawk has some good normals:

• st.Rh reaches far and can trade with fireballs favorably;
• st.Frwrd has decent range but in close it's used for a tick and to combo into T.Hawks DP, Jab is T.Hawks most important normal;
• cr.Jab which is used for ticks into Typhoon a lot, also stops E.Honda's headbutt, Blanka's roll, Balrog's(Boxer) dash punch(careful with his low hitting one) and M.Bison's(Dictator) Psycho Crusher if timed correctly. These can also trade unfavorably; *cr.Frc can be used for anti air, but its not great.
• j.Jab is your friend. Probably T.Hawks best friend as it has insane priority above an opponent and great priority almost all the time. Great for stuffing most characters normals and good for tick setups used with a safe jump on down opponents. Can cause some serious frustration in the mind games department, which, is about all the advantage you have playing T.Hawk most of the time.

T.hawks main game is the tick setups for Typhoons. Once your in on an opponent you can get to business. j.Jab->cr.Jab->Typhoon is the main setup(can use cr.jabx2 if close enough to mix up), cr.Jab->Typhoon is a simple yet Hawks most powerful tick throw. Use it whenever the opportunity presents itself. Coupled with other mixups, cr.Strong->Typhoon, st.Forward->Typhoon, cr.Jabx2->Typhoon, you can be devastating and end matches in seconds. Remember though opponents CAN reversal these ticks on wake up, in between some ticks and right before the Typhoon if they are quick/skilled enough. So be careful and mix up your timing as much as needed/necessary.

This is where T.Hawks equalizer in close comes into play: T.Hawk has an amazing negative edge tick that is completely safe to reversals if done correctly.

Crouching Negative Edge Typhoons

Negative edge means doing a move by releasing a button instead of pressing them. Unlike Zangief, T.Hawk does not has a whiff animation on his command grab, so if you do them by releasing a button it will be completely safe: if they reverses nothing will come out and you will just block (except if they use a reversal grab/throw, hard for them since you can usually jab again if needed and if you space yourself correctly it will make it double hard), if they do not react in time then T.Hawk will grab them.

The motion is this: tick at down back, hold all punch buttons(top hawks only use Fierce, requires a lot of practice to perform consistently) do a 360 motion ending at down back (left side: ↙←↖↑↗→↘↓↙ for right side just flip it) while the normal is out and release the punch buttons piano style (one-by-one) by the time you think the enemy recovers from block or hitstun. At this point you get 1 of 2 things if done correctly:

1: Typhoon grabs the opponent and spikes him.

2: Nothing comes out and you are blocking in case of a reversal.

Safe. An opponent, say Ryu, either gets thrown after the tick OR you miss and he gets his Shoryuken reversal out but you block since you never actually hit a punch button, just released them. This, coupled with mixups, is how T.Hawk can win matches even though he is usually outmatched on paper.

T.Hawk's great Typhoon should be attempted as much as possible as long as you do it the safe way. If you whiff a Tomahawk Buster or land a little too close with Condor Dive, always attempt some negative edge Typhoons. There is literally no harm in trying, so go for it whenever possible.

--Born2SPD
--Decca

Standing Negative Edge Typhoons / Walking Negative Edge Typhoons / Sako Special

This is called the Sako special by the japanese T-Hawk players.

Do a standing jab, and piano strong, fierce, holding all 3 punches.

Wait until the jab recovery frame is almost gone, do ↑←↓→, while holding →, hawk will step forward for a little bit.

Release fierce/strong/jab when opponent is out of block string.

Move joystick back to ↙ to block, in case opponent reversal.

The most important part in this trick is to do the ↑ as late as possible while you're still in jab recovery frame (so you dont jump). If you do it too early, you cannot walk because you have to complete the 360 + punch release in 8~15 frames (varies).

Begin practicing without walking, gradually adjust your timing to spin as late as possible while keeping your execution clean.

For characters that don't have a good reversal (like chunli, dictator, sim), you dont have to tick him from max range of the standing jab to be safe, thus you dont have to walk.

But for shoto, their jab shoryuken will beat t-hawk's standing jab if you are too close. Thus you have to tick from max range of st. jab and use walking 360 to get close and lift him up in the air.

--papasi

Advanced Strategy

Walk-in Super

Unlike Zangief, even if you use macros to do a perfect timed super, T.Hawk will jump out of it. This happens because T.Hawk has less pre-jump frames, meaning he jumps earlier. It's still possible to do the super without ticking or jumping by buffering part of the motion in a normal move and i'll explain here how to do it.

First you must know how the 360 motion works in this game, as i've explained in the Zangief article, the SPD (or in this case, Typhoon) motion isn't a 360, nor a 270 but the four main directions (→,↓,←,↑) in a row, meaning that the diagonals aren't actually needed. With this in mind you can understand why you can do a super with 4 main directions in a row twice (which results in a 630-degree motion).

The exact motion I use for this is (left side, for right side just flip it): →↘↓↙← Jab ↖↑ (walk a bit if necessary) →↘↓↙←↖↑ + punch. That's not the only way to do it though.

Now the explanation: First, i do a normal walk-in typhoon command with pressing jab earlier, i do this to prevent T.Hawk from Jumping. Note that the ↗ isn't needed here as i explained above. At this point you can walk a bit to get closer if needed. The window is very small though so you must continue the motion (with a normal walk-in Typhoon) or the first part of the rotation will vanish from the motion buffer.

--Born2SPD

The Loop

First of all ill just note that i can't do this thing. I'm just explaining the concept, this thing is hard as hell and i'm sure that you can count in one hand the number of players from all the world (japan) who can do this thing consistently. It works like a win algorithm, combining safe jumping and negative edge Typhoons, once you put them in the corner and starts safe jumping theres nothing they can do to save themselves (minus Zangief, T.Hawk and maybe Honda, because they all have Command Grabs which can grab you instantly when used as reversals, and also Ken and Blanka cuz they both have reversals that attack on the very first frame, negating the safe jumping), you can Typhoon them to death with no risk, their only hope is that you mess something or the round will end right there. Basically works wonders against characters with no reliable reversals, like Dic, who can only escape the loop with his super.

So let's say that you've knocked anyone who doesnt has a command grab/instant reversal in the corner and then you safe jumps successfully. At this points theres 2 possible scenarios:

• He actually reverses and then you land safely since you safe jumped, and just punish afterwards with a Typhoon, knocking them down in the corner again and so allowing you to do the same pattern again.

• He doesn't reverses or fails at it. If they block the safe jump or not it doesn't matter, you can link a Jab there to add a bit of distance to escape to be throwed and then negative edge Typhoon. Since you're linking normals they can only reverse between your last normal and the Typhoon attempt. At this point theres another 2 possible scenarios:

• • He succesfully reverses but since you did the typhoon with a negative edge pattern you will just block the reversal, allowing you to punish with a typhoon when he lands, knoking him in the corner and so allowing you to do the same pattern again.

• • He fails at reversing your tick throw so you Typhoon him, knocking him the corner again and allowing you to repeat the pattern.

This is hard as hell. First, being consistent with safe jumping isn't simple, second, you must be able to hit confirm the safe jump, and you doesn't has so much time to do it. Other thing is that the negative edge typhoons are harder to do than normal button press typhoons, you have to train this a lot or nothing will come out/T.Hawk will just jump out of it, you must be able to buffer the typhoon motion while doing the normal, since you're just releasing buttons here not pressing, this means no kara Typhoons to help your life, so the rotation must be fast enough and the button release very precise.

I think this is the most hard thing to learn in all ST, but also one of the most rewarding.

--Born2SPD

Combos

O.Hawk

Cross Up j.D+FP->st.Forward->Tomahawk Buster

Universal

Cross Up forward -> st.forward -> Rising Hawk (jab or strong) Note: Versus T.Hawk, Fei Long, Boxer, Sagat, Zangief, Dhalsim and Cammy use the fierce Rising Hawk.

Cross Up forward -> cr.jab -> cr.jab -> Typhoon attempt if the jab's were blocked / st.jab -> Rising Hawk (jab or strong)

Match-ups

Matchups classified with this diagram in mind. Note that all these factors are for N.Hawk, not O.Hawk. For the old characters i guessed the positions.

--Born2SPD

Serious Advantage Match-ups

None!

Fair Match-ups

Vs. Balrog (boxer):

• 4.5 - 5.5

Your going to have a lot of trouble here if you cannot standing SPD or negative edge on wakeup. Once you have him down though Balrog is very easy to pressure with safe jumps as hit Buffalo headbutt takes 13frames (this may be incorrect checking) to hit. This allows you to jump in on wake up fairly easily. Once the tick is out if you can negative edge 360's your almost completely safe from counters in between ticks.

This by large is not a good matchup though for Hawk as it is very hard to get on top of a good Boxer with Hawk.

j.Jab works very well. cr.Jab to stop some rush punches (not very safe) cr.Forward to stop some rush punches (fairly safe) cr.RH is very good at dominating the ground against Boxer. Hits twice, has huge range and is out for a long time (which can be good and bad, if he guesses right or is out of block range your gonna eat a jump in).

--Jedi.10 06:36, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Vs. Chun-Li:

• 4.5 - 5.5

Vs. Ken:

• 4.5 - 5.5

Vs. Zangief:

• 4.5 - 5.5

Disadvantage Match-ups

Vs. Dhalsim:

• 3.5 - 6.5

Dhalsim has an incredible throw range which can be annoying, however if you're using the correct ticks he can't throw you even when he doesn't block to intentionally throw afterwards. J.forward -> cr.jab is something I've been using instead of j.jab. Make it hit late for the correct spacing.

--Jedi.10 06:36, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Vs. E. Honda:

• 3.5 - 6.5

Main Strategy

I rate this as the single hardest match in the entire game excluding Akuma matches. There is no tick setup I know that would reliably get you out of Oicho range, but inside the Mexican Typhoon one. The best method is the Sako tick. The way the Sako tick command is entered, it gives your opponent less time to react and reverse.

N.Hawk has a slightly harder time in this painful match-up do to his worse cr.Jab hitbox. All you can do is piano cr.Jab and wait for Honda to come at you. If you can take tiny steps forward and cr.Jab, hopefully you can somehow push him into the corner. While your spamming cr.Jab, honda can not hit you with anything other then stand Roundhouse. Spam cr.Jab as fast as you can, as soon as you see Honda get up from down back position you can immediately jump and use Condor Dive at him for some chip damage or try to jump at him with jab and land into negative-edge Typhoon. The later option will probably get you ochioed. If you get tired of jabbing, you can do the suicide attempt. Walk straight at Honda and hopefully you can land a psychic DP to hit Honda trying to head butt you. If you manage to get a knock down, all you have to do next is safe jump with jab with a DP install, cr.Jab, st.Jab, into Sako 360. After you get the Typhoon, Honda bounces then hits an invisible wall and lands closer to you so you can repeat the safe jump again. However, since Honda is hard to tick due the the range problem I mentioned in the beginning of my post, the chances of you landing the Typhoon are pretty slim. These are the only strategy I can think of that is kind of but not really safe against Honda. You just need to get some damage and run away. Force honda to come to you. You can bait a head butt by walking forward and jumping back to stuff the head butt with jump back Fierce. This is probably the safest way to get decent damage against Honda.

In summary, get life lead and turtle till time runs out. I need help myself with this match. I asked Neoray about this match and his response was "In this match, we do not try to win. We must get first hit and then run away until time runs out."

--DNGR S PAPERCUT

Vs. Guile:

• 3.5 - 6.5

Vs. Ryu:

• 4 - 6

Vs. Sagat:

• 3.5 - 6.5

Serious Disadvantage Match-ups

Vs. Blanka:

• 3 - 7

Vs. Cammy:

• 1.5 - 8.5

Vs. Dee Jay:

• 3 - 7

Vs. Fei Long:

• 3 - 7

Vs. M. Bison (dictator):

• 3 - 7

Vs. Vega (claw):

• 3 - 7

The Claw match is pretty hard but its not unwinnable. The best thing that could happen for the Hawk player is if Claw starts hoping off the walls. If that happens you can jump forward with Jab to knock Claw off the air and land close enough to pressure him with Sako ticks, or if you can not do that yet, just stand Jab and run up to grab him with Hawk's best normal throw, the RH elbow bash. After the bash, immediately jump at Claw as he flips away with jump Jab into cr.Jab into negative-edge Typhoon. Against Claw after the elbow bash when you jump at him you will always land in front of him. Different characters will make you land in different positions, sometimes behind, sometimes in front. You should always know which way you are going to land because the elbow bash can lead to big damage. Anywhere from half life up to 70 percent. The elbow bash should always be a top priority of things to go for because this will help you win matches fast.

A good Claw player that knows this match is going to sit in down back position and turtle, poking with cr.Strong and cr.Forward. In this situation you can stand right outside of the poke range and jump straight up and push Jab or Fierce to try to bait Claw into doing the flip kick. If he whiffs the flip kick you run in to elbow bash into the jump Jab cr.Jab Typhoon. If you can Sako tick, anytime you get a knock down you should be able to end the game by doing safe Sako ticks meaty from max distance into negative-edge Typhoon. If you can not Sako tick the only way to guarantee winning with a knock down is if you get the knock down at the corner with Claw's back up against the wall. If you are not near the corner, after you do the Typhoon walk up next to Claw and crouch. Claw might freak out and flip kick right after getting up and you can repeat the elbow bash routine. If he doesn’t flip, hit him with cr.Jab into Typhoon. This time around you should be close enough to the corner to end it with safe-jump loops. If you get a knock down in the corner, you can safe-jump and repeat the tick into negative-edge Typhoon. There is no need to DP install here because if Claw reverses with the flip kick, you can just run up to elbow bash him. If you get an elbow bash in the corner do not jump at him after Claw shakes out, just walk up and cr.Jab into negative-edge Typhoon instead. This is because after shaking out of the elbow bash, Claw will hit the corner and land later then normal. This is the same with all characters so keep that in mind if you ever get an elbow bash in the corner.

If the Claw player never flip kicks, then your only option is to sit there and wait and watch his poke pattern. Study this for a while and try to guess when he will poke with cr.Strong. When you are sure walk up and DP for the knock down and start doing the safe-jump ticks I mentioned above. If he stops poking with cr.Strong, then the only thing he has to poke you back is cr.Forward or cr.RH. Crouching Roundhouse is bad for you because if you block it, it pushes you back to the corner. This means if you do get a knock down, you probably won’t be able to finish the round with safe-jump loops. But if you have been jumping straight up, you can hit Claw with Fierce or Roundhouse on your way down. This is a way of holding your ground and forcing Claw to jump back away from you, going closer to his corner. If he pokes with Forward, you have to jump and do a really quick dive to knock him down. The dive against Claw is safe on block so you can spam the dive. Spam dives early in the match while you still have lots of life to train Claw to flip kick. As long as you still have 4 slivers of life, once you get that elbow bash, you can safe-jump Typhoon loop 3 or 4 times straight in the corner for the win. When you play hawk, sometimes you have to give away some life to train your opponent to respond a certain way.

PS. During the safe-jump loops Claw is going to try to back flip out, look out for that, when you see it get up and walk towards him. Hawk is fast enough that he can walk up and catch Claw at the end of the flip with a elbow bash throw.

--DNGR S PAPERCUT