Introduction
Move Analysis
Normal Moves
Normal Throws
- Shoulder Throw
- f.lp + lk
- Somersault Throw
- b.lp + lk
Command Normals
- Collarbone Breaker
- Overhead attack
- f.mp
- Solar Plexus Strike
- f.hp
Focus / Saving Attack
Special Moves
- Hadoken
- Fireball
- qcf.p
- Shoryuken
- Dragon Punch
- dp.p
- Tatsumaki Senpukyaku
- Hurricane Kick
- qcb.k
- Airborne Tatsumaki Senpukyaku
- Hurricane Kick
- (In air) qcb.k
Super Move
- Shinku Hadoken
- qcf x 2 + p
Ultra Move
- Metsu Hadoken
- qcf x 2 + 3p
The Basics
Combos
Combo'ing Ryu's Normals: Ryu can link a lot of his normals with a lot of ease, such as c.lp, c.mp/c.hp. His c.mp can be followed up with a c.mk or a c.hp. His F+hp also links into c.lp. It's also said that f+mp (overhead) can be followed up with a c.lp link, I'd like confirmation please. In other words, Ryu can link a fierce off of everything except his kicks. Just know that he can combo well with his normals. It's up to you to choose what fits for you.
Combos: Since there are so many ways to link things, I'm not gonna list every one of the possibilities. This library can get pretty extensive. All in all, here are the strings you should know. NOTE: If no other ender is listed, all combos end with you're choice of hurricane kick or dragon punch (ex versions or not). If you end it with a dragon punch, you can always SADC into Ultra.
- c.lpx3, c.mk xx Hadoken/hk hurricane kick
- c.lp, c.hp xx ______
- f+hp, c.lp, c.hp xx ______
- lp shoryuken, land, Shinku hadoken (super)
- jump in hp/hk, c.lp, c.mk, hadoken, SADC, s.hp xx ______
- In corner, SA lvl 2, dash forward, f+hp, c.lp, c.hp, EX hurricane kick, EX fireball, EX hirricane kick.
- *SA lvl 1, dash forward, c.lp, c.hp, ______
- *SA lvl 1, dash forward, SA lvl 2, dash forward...***
- *SA lvl 1, dash forward, SA lvl 1, dash forward, Ex hurricane kick
- SA lvl 2/3, dash forward, SA lvl 2, dash forward...***
Ending a combo with an EX fireball can lead into an Ultra (you have to be pretty quick). its very risky mid screen, especially against heavier characters who fall quicker. In corner is best.
SA Combo Notes: There are a few things you need to know first. First regarding the "***". This indicates that after you're lvl 2 SA hits, you're opponent is put in the air. Therefore, followups to this are limited. A special and quick normal is probably the only route to go. I'll experiment more on this later.
Regarding the "*" combo's, keep in mind that these will only work when you're SA hits as a counter (IE, you charge you're SA, you get hit, you release). When a lvl 1 SA hits after you take a hit, you're lvl 1 SA crumples you're opponent.
When doing combo's that involve 2 SA's, you have to wait for you're opponent to fall to their knees, after the first SA, then do the 2nd SA. Example: SA lvl 1, dash forward (wait until opponent is on knees), SA lvl 2. If you end your combo with a 2nd SA at lvl 2, you can follow up with a normal or special. If you end the combo with a 2nd SA at lvl 1, only an ex special or a Super will connect.
Strategy
1UP's Strategy
From 1UP's Street Fighter 4 Superguide
Controlling the Ground
When zoning on the ground with Ryu, you cannot be afraid to throw fireball after fireball to pressure your opponent into jumping into your Dragon Punch or push them into the corner and limit their options. This basic strategy dates back to Street Fighter II and is still quite relevant in Street Fighter 4 due to the fact that he has so many options to dish out damage when the opponent makes a mistake by trying to avoid fireballs. If you can master this and force your opponent to play this game, you will go very far playing Ryu.
Once you push the opponent into the corner, be sure to continue to pressure not only with regular fireballs, but EX Fireballs as well once you get the meter. The EX Fireball comes out extremely fast so it can catch the opponent trying to jump out of the corner or while they try to counter attack. Once the EX Fireball hits in the corner, you can also connect with an Ultra for added damage. Keep in mind that while zoning with fireballs is one of the main aspects of controlling space with Ryu, be sure to mix in standing Light Punches and other assorted normal moves to bait your opponent. This will allow you to get a reaction out of your opponent without having to commit to a fireball which can open up a lot of opportunities to do damage.
Inevitably the distance between you and your opponent will turn into more close quarters combat, and Ryu has a wide array of normal moves to help push the opponent back out or start some basic but damaging combos when this time comes. Crouching Light Punch and Medium Punch are usually your best bet once you are fighting from this close range in that they combo into a lot of his other moves such as crouching Hard Punch and crouching Medium Kick. If these attacks are blocked be sure to mix in a throw for a knock down and a bit of extra damage.
Crouching Medium Kick on its own is a good mid range normal move in which you can cancel into fireball to push the opponent back. You can also cancel crouching Medium Kick into EX Fireball or Super to score a knock down and more damage in the process. If the opponent is out of range of your crouching Medium Kick, you can also use his crouching Hard Kick which will sweep them.
So as you can tell, getting a knock down with Ryu is a big part of his game in regards to mounting an offense and he has many moves to get to that point in the match. Once the opponent is knocked down, in most cases it is best to move in and apply pressure (unless you are playing against certain characters such as Zangief who can Spinning Pile Driver you or Rufus who has enough EX meter to perform an EX Messiah Kick). To close the distance once you get a knockdown, you can obviously jump or use his different strength Hurricane Kicks to close in on your opponent quickly.
Once he is near a downed challenger, one of his best options is his jumping Medium Kick because when spaced correctly it can cross up and hit the opponent from either side depending on the angle of your jump. Once you hit with the jumping Medium Kick, he can continue into one of the many of combos that he has at his disposal to once again gain another knock down.
You can also apply pressure with one of his many block string such as multiple crouching Light Punches in that this will allow you to hit confirm and combo if they end up hitting. Be sure to mix in throws and his Focus Attack with these block strings to keep the opponent guessing.
Also, useful on downed opponents is his towards Medium Punch which is an overhead that will hit crouching opponents. Many opponents will wake up and block low so this is a good move to keep them on their toes and tack on a bit more damage in the process.
If you find yourself on the defensive, blocking an attack string from your opponent, be sure to try to Dragon Punch between their attacks. You can score a reversal Dragon Punch when timed correctly, and if you have the meter, Focus Attack Dash Cancel and follow up with EX Fireball or Ultra. As a side note, executing the Focus Attack Dash Cancel after the Dragon Punch in close range situations is usually a safe option because if it hits of course you can follow up with an attack (EX Fireball or Ultra), but even if its blocked you can simply dash in for a throw.
Ryu's Super can also be a great tool to end the match (it's usually better to save the EX meter unless it will take out the other player for sure) and he has a couple ways to connect the Super combo from both his normal and special moves. From a crouching Medium Kick the Hard Punch Super will combo and you can also cancel the super off of a Fireball that was canceled from the crouching Medium Kick. You can also connect a Hard Punch Super from a Light Kick Hurricane Kick or Light Punch Dragon Punch.
Controlling the Air
Jumping directly at Ryu is really the last thing your opponent should do if they know this match up, but this is your primary goal as you zone them on the ground with fireballs. If they do indeed decide to make a leap of faith and jump directly at you, you have many many options to knock them out of the air and even deal some more damage with either his Ultra or EX Fireball when you have the meter.
First and foremost is his Dragon Punch which in its most basic form will knock them out of the air and score you a knockdown. The thing is, in Street Fighter IV Ryu has a couple ways to connect his Ultra off of a Dragon Punch as well so this should be your first option. If a Light Punch Dragon Punch connects at the apex of their jump, you will land before your opponent and still be able to throw out his Ultra, the Metsu Hadouken. If any strength Dragon Punch hits deep, you can Focus Attack Dash Cancel into his Ultra to also put the hurt on your opponent. Finally, if your Dragon Punch trades, you can do the same set up because he will land before the opponent and have enough time to hit them with his Ultra. Also know that in all of these situations, if you do not have an Ultra but you do have EX meter, go ahead and throw out an EX Fireball to juggle the opponent instead.
As far as normal moves go, his jumping Medium Punch can be a good option because when it hits, you can perform an Ultra because you will land before the opponent. Standing Hard Kick and crouching Hard Punch are also a good moves to knock them out of their jump in attempts.
Matchups
Frame Data
frame | frame | frames of | frames of | super meter | cancel | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
move Name | startup | active | recovery | adv.blk | adv.hit | blockstun | hitstun | damage | stun | gain | block | ability | comments |
close LP | 3 | 3 | 6 | +2 | +5 | 10 | 13 | 30 | 50 | 20 | HL | CSpS | - |
close MP | 3 | 3 | 21 | -3 | +3 | 20 | 26 | 70 | 100 | 40 | HL | SpS | - |
close HP | 5 | 7 | 26 | -15 | -10 | 17 | 22 | 100[80] | 200[150] | 60 | HL | SpS | - |
close LK | 5 | 5 | 7 | -1 | +2 | 10 | 13 | 30 | 50 | 20 | HL | - | - |
close MK | 3 | 5 | 16 | -7 | -2 | 13 | 18 | 70 | 100 | 40 | HL | SpS | - |
close HK | 8 | 8(2)4 | 17 | -3 | +2 | 17 | 21 | 40*70 | 125*75 | 60*20 | HL | S*- | - |
far LP | 4 | 3 | 6 | +2 | +5 | 10 | 13 | 30 | 50 | 20 | HL | CSpS | - |
far MP | 5 | 4 | 14 | -4 | -1 | 13 | 16 | 80 | 100 | 40 | HL | S | - |
far HP | 8 | 3 | 15 | 0 | +4 | 17 | 21 | 120 | 200 | 60 | HL | - | - |
far LK | 5 | 6 | 6 | -1 | +2 | 10 | 13 | 40 | 50 | 20 | HL | - | - |
far MK | 8 | 2 | 17 | -5 | -2 | 13 | 16 | 70 | 100 | 40 | HL | - | - |
far HK | 9 | 4 | 20 | -6 | -2 | 18 | 22 | 110 | 200 | 60 | HL | - | - |
crouch LP | 3 | 2 | 7 | +2 | +5 | 10 | 13 | 30 | 50 | 20 | HL | CSpS | - |
crouch MP | 4 | 4 | 8 | +2 | +5 | 13 | 16 | 70 | 100 | 40 | HL | SpS | - |
crouch HP | 4 | 8 | 28 | -18 | -13 | 17 | 22 | 100 | 200 | 60 | HL | SpS | - |
crouch LK | 4 | 3 | 9 | -1 | +2 | 10 | 13 | 20 | 50 | 20 | L | CSpS | - |
crouch MK | 5 | 5 | 12 | -3 | 0 | 13 | 16 | 70 | 100 | 40 | L | SpS | - |
crouch HK | 5 | 4 | 28 | -14 | - | 17 | - | 90 | 100 | 60 | L | - | - |
jump up LP | 10 | 7 | - | - | - | 8 | 11 | 50 | 50 | 20 | H | - | - |
jump up MP | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | 10 | 13 | 80 | 100 | 40 | H | - | - |
jump up HP | 6 | 5 | - | - | - | 17 | 20 | 100 | 200 | 60 | H | - | - |
jump up LK | 5 | 9 | - | - | - | 8 | 11 | 40 | 50 | 20 | H | - | - |
jump up MK | 6 | 10 | - | - | - | 11 | 15 | 80 | 100 | 40 | H | - | - |
jump up HK | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | 15 | 18 | 100 | 200 | 60 | H | - | - |
jump forward LP | 4 | 7 | - | - | - | 8 | 11 | 50 | 50 | 20 | H | - | - |
jump forward MP | 7 | 3*4 | - | - | - | 11 | 15 | 50*30 | 50*50 | 40*20 | H | - | - |
jump forward HP | 6 | 5 | - | - | - | 15 | 18 | 100 | 200 | 60 | H | - | - |
jump forward LK | 4 | 8 | - | - | - | 8 | 11 | 40 | 50 | 20 | H | - | - |
jump forward MK | 6 | 6 | - | - | - | 11 | 15 | 70 | 100 | 40 | H | - | - |
jump forward HK | 7 | 7 | - | - | - | 15 | 18 | 100 | 200 | 60 | H | - | - |
F+MP | 17 | 1(1)2 | 14 | -2 | +3 | 13 | 18 | 30*50 | 50*50 | 40*20 | H | - | - |
F+HP | 17 | 2*2 | 18 | 0 | +4 | 19 | 23 | 40*80 | 50*50 | 60*20 | HL | SpS | - |
level1 FA | 21 | 2 | 35 | -21 | -21 | 15 | 15 | 60 | 100 | 20 | HL | - | - |
level2 FA | 17+12 | 2 | 35 | -15 | - | 21 | - | 80 | 150 | 40 | HL | - | - |
level3 FA | 65 | 2 | 35 | - | - | - | - | 140 | 200 | 60 | - | - | - |
F+LP+LK | 3 | 2 | 20 | - | - | - | - | 130 | 140 | 40 | 0.9 | - | - |
B+LP+LK | 3 | 2 | 20 | - | - | - | - | 130 | 120 | 40 | 0.9 | - | - |
Hadouken | 13 | - | 45 | -6 | -2 | 18 | 22 | 70 | 100 | 10/20 | HL | S | - |
Hadouken EX | 12 | - | 40 | +1 | - | 13 | - | 50*50 | 50*50 | 0/0 | HL | S | - |
Shoryuken LP | 3 | 14 | 14+10 | -17 | - | 20 | - | 130[70] | 200[100] | 30/40 | HL | S | - |
Shoryuken MP | 3 | 14 | 25+18 | -36 | - | 20 | - | 140[70] | 200[100] | 30/40 | HL | S | - |
Shoryuken HP | 3 | 14 | 28+18 | -39 | - | 20 | - | 160[70] | 200[100] | 30/40 | HL | S | - |
Shoryuken EX | 3 | 2*12 | 30+18 | -39 | - | 20 | - | 80*60 | 100*100 | 0/0 | HL | S | - |
Hurricane Kick LK | 11 | 2(6)2 | 12+5 | -6 | - | 20 | - | 100 | 200 | 30/30 | HL | - | - |
Hurricane Kick MK/HK | 12 | 2(6)2(6)2(6)2(6)2 | 18+5 | -2 | - | 20 | - | 110 | 200 | 30/30 | HL | - | - |
Hurricane Kick EX | 11 | 1(3)1(3)1(3)1(3)1 | 18+3 | -1 | - | 20 | - | 40x5 | 50x5 | 0/0 | HL | - | - |
Hurricane Kick MK(air) | 9 | 2(6)2(6)2 | 10 | - | - | 20 | - | ??? | 100 | 10/40 | HL | - | - |
Hurricane Kick EX(air) | 7 | 1(3)1(3)1(3)1(3)1 | 4 | - | - | 20 | - | 40x5 | 50x5 | 0/0 | HL | - | - |
Super Combo | 1+2 | - | 51 | +11 | - | 20 | - | 50x4*100 | 0 | 0/0 | HL | - | - |
Ultra Combo | 1+10 | - | 119 | -25 | - | 20 | - | 30x7*55 | 0 | 0/0 | HL | - | - |
move name | startup | active | recovery | frame | frame | frames of | frames of | damage | stun | super meter | block | cancel | comments |
adv.blk | adv.hit | blockstun | hitstun | gain | ability |
Arcade characters | Abel • Akuma • Balrog • Blanka • C. Viper • Chun-Li • Dhalsim • E. Honda • El Fuerte Guile • Ken • M. Bison • Rufus • Ryu • Sagat • Vega • Zangief | |
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Console characters | Cammy • Dan • Fei Long • Gen • Gouken • Rose • Sakura • Seth |