Kara Canceling
In Street Fighter 4, some moves can be canceled very quickly into another move which gains additional properties it otherwise might not have had. The cancel has to be done 1 frame (and only 1 frame) after the first move is inputted, and this type of cancel is known as kara canceling. Typically, the added benefit is just increased distance, and the second move is typically a throw. The pairing of a kara-canceled move with a throw is thus known as a kara throw.
Kara Cancelling Distance Comparison
Every character in the game has a move which can be kara-canceled, but each individual move typically adds a different amount of distance. Some moves actually give no distance when kara-canceled, and a few moves actually give negative distance, meaning they move the character backward.
Below is a list of the added distance gained when kara-canceling each move. This list is not exhaustive; the logic here was mainly distance, so the moves here are those with the best range. "Lenient" karas, like the ones Sagat has, are not included because they are not technically karas. They may be added at some point in the future, though.
As an example, when Vega performs his far roundhouse kara throw, he adds 0.2892 distance to his throw range (1.07), for a total of 0.2892 + 1.07 = 1.36. As a reference, the stage is 15.0 units wide, and the characters start 3.0 units apart at the beginning of the round. All numbers are truncated values (rounded down).
Note that the proximity range of normals affects how and when they can be used. For example, Evil Ryu's Far HP has a good kara range at 0.2204, but his Close HP doesn't move him forward at all. Additionally, many close normals actually have shorter proximity distance than the character's throw range, which makes them pointless for kara throwing.
Moves denoted in yellow text are special-only karas; they can be used to kara EX specials of a higher priority, supers and ultras. Moves denoted in white text can be used to kara lots of things, including throws.
| Character | Kara Canceled Move | Distance Added |
|---|---|---|
| Abel | close LK | 0.1648 |
| Abel | far LK | 0.0908 |
| Abel | crouching HK | 0.1738 |
| Adon | close MK | 0.3064 |
| Adon | far HK | 0.0975 |
| Akuma | close HP | 0.1260 |
| Akuma | far HP | 0.1777 |
| Akuma | close HK | 0.2935 |
| Akuma | far HK | 0.0406 |
| Balrog | Any Dash Punch (L/M/H) | 0.1100 |
| Balrog | Any Dash Punch (EX) | 0.1200 |
| Blanka | far LP | 0.2175 |
| Blanka | Forward Hop | 0.2213 |
| Cammy | far MK | 0.0646 |
| Cammy | crouching MK | 0.0306 |
| Chun-Li | forward+MK | 0.0600 |
| Chun-Li | Hazanshu (H) | 0.0700 |
| Chun-Li | Lightning Kicks (EX) | 0.2000 |
| Cody | close HK | 0.1020 |
| Cody | far HK | 0.1347 |
| C. Viper | Burning Kick (H) | 0.0600 |
| C. Viper | Burning Kick (EX) | 0.0700 |
| Dan | Dankukyaku (L/M/H) | 0.0206 |
| Dee Jay | far MP | 0.0176 |
| Dee Jay | close MK | 0.1384 |
| Dee Jay | crouching MP | 0.0206 |
| Dhalsim | crouching HK (slide) | 0.0127 |
| Dudley | standing HP | 0.0699 |
| Dudley | Machinegun Blow (H) | 0.4415 |
| Dudley | Machinegun Blow (EX) | 0.5415 |
| E. Honda | Hundred Hand Slap (H) | 0.1200 |
| El Fuerte | far MK | 0.0111 |
| El Fuerte | close HK | 0.0164 |
| El Fuerte | far HK | -0.0253 |
| Evil Ryu | far HP | 0.2204 |
| Evil Ryu | close HK | 0.1853 |
| Evil Ryu | far HK | 0.0764 |
| Evil Ryu | crouching MK | 0.3500 |
| Evil Ryu | forward+MK | 0.1320 |
| Evil Ryu | Axe Kick (L) | 0.3915 |
| Fei Long | far HK | 0.1022 |
| Fei Long | forward+MK | 0.0176 |
| Fei Long | Rekkaken (H) | 0.1668 |
| Gen | (Mantis) close / far MK | 0.2588 |
| Gen | (Crane) close / far MP | 0.0502 |
| Gen | (Crane) crouching MP | 0.0625 |
| Gouken | close MK | 0.1525 |
| Gouken | far MK | 0.0515 |
| Gouken | far HK | 0.1913 |
| Guile | far MP | 0.1864 |
| Guile | close MK | 0.2547 |
| Guile | crouching HK | 0.1246 |
| Guile | Flash Kick (ALL) | 0.2373 |
| Guy | close MP | 0.0311 |
| Guy | far MP | 0.1350 |
| Guy | close HK | 0.2567 |
| Guy | downforward+HK | 0.0732 |
| Guy | Hozanto (EX) | 0.1456 |
| Hakan | forward+HP | 0.0238 |
| Hakan (not oiled) | Oil Rocket (ALL) | 0.1200 |
| Hakan (oiled) | Oil Rocket (ALL) | 0.1002 |
| Ibuki | standing MK (neutral) | 0.1749 |
| Ibuki | crouching MP | 0.2187 |
| Ibuki | Kasumi Gake (ALL) | 0.2500 |
| Juri | close MP | 0.1745 |
| Juri | far MP | 0.2661 |
| Ken | forward+MK | 0.4126 |
| Ken | forward+HK | 0.3253 |
| Makoto | forward+LK | 0.3356 |
| M. Bison | close MK | 0.0253 |
| Oni | standing HK | 0.2421 |
| Oni | back+MP | 0.2054 |
| Rose | crouching HP | 0.0197 |
| Rufus | close HK | 0.0500 |
| Rufus | far HK | -0.0426 |
| Rufus | Galactic Tornado (L) | 0.0495 |
| Rufus | Galactic Tornado (EX) | 0.0711 |
| Ryu | close HK | 0.1853 |
| Ryu | far HK | 0.1036 |
| Sagat | close MK | 0.1201 |
| Sagat | forward+LK | 0.0392 |
| Sakura | close / far LK | 0.0539 |
| Sakura | close HP | 0.1948 |
| Sakura | far HP | -0.0149 |
| Sakura | crouching HP | 0.1056 |
| Sakura | forward+MK | 0.0191 |
| Sakura | Shouoken (EX) | 0.1000 |
| Seth | far LK | 0.0882 |
| Vega | close / far HK | 0.2892 |
| Yang | close / far HK | 0.1036 |
| Yang | Mantis Slash (H) | 0.1886 |
| Yun | close / far LK (Genei Jin) | 0.3500 |
| Yun | close MP (non-Genei Jin) | 0.1779 |
| Yun | far MP | 0.1218 |
| Yun | close MK (non-Genei Jin) | 0.0443 |
| Yun | far MK | 0.1778 |
| Yun | crouching MK | 0.1703 |
| Yun | crouching MK (Genei Jin) | 0.1530 |
| Yun | forward+MK | 0.1683 |
| Yun | Lunge Punch (L, Normal and Genei Jin) | 0.3659 |
| Yun | Shoulder (L) | 0.2167 |
| Yun | Shoulder (L) (Genei Jin) | 0.3404 |
| Yun | Shoulder (M) | 0.1685 |
| Yun | Shoulder (M) (Genei Jin) | 0.3704 |
| Yun | Shoulder (EX) | 0.2467 |
| Zangief | far HK | 0.2206 |
| Zangief | Banishing Flat (L) | 0.1300 |