Capcom vs SNK 2/Ken

Introduction

Ken Masters is Ryu's eternal best friend and sparring rival. He trains constantly in order to keep up with Ryu, focusing on his signature move, the Shoryuken. He also has a family life, with his wife Eliza and his son Mel.

In CvS2 Ken is a strong shoto-style character. While he has a weaker fireball, and no red fireball, his dragon punch specials are higher damage, stronger, and overall much better. Up close, his mixup and pressure game is strong, with multiple overheads, low confirms, and a great pressure ender with his light Geri Kick special. He still has access to the great shoto normals as well.

Ken works well in most grooves, but is mostly seen in A groove where he can perform powerful Custom Combos while retaining mechanics like roll. In C groove, he gets access to a strong level 2 combo and more freedom on spending meter, and in N groove he gets great mobility with runs and hops and Max Mode which is a useful way for him to spend meter. K groove gives him access to Rage, and he can make his pokes and pressure scarier with his high damage level 3 super. P groove is not the best, but parries can be a little helpful, and S groove is basically useless.

Normal Moves

Far Standing Normals

5LP

Stand Jab

5LP

Light Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
300	4	SP, SU	Mid	High	2	4	6	12	+7	+7	none
A standard jab. High hitstun makes links into stronger moves possible, but almost every character can crouch this. Not a bad emergency anti-air.

5MP

Stand Strong

5MP

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Medium Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
900	9	Super	Mid	High	5	6	17	28	-1	-1	none
A harder hitting, slower version of jab. Only cancels into super, but is an alright poke tool up close.

5HP

Stand Fierce

5HP

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Heavy Punch

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Heavy Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1300	13	SU	Mid	High	5	4	26	35	-4	-4	none
A hard hitting heavy. Decent range and heavy priority make it a good whiff punish when you can't get anything else, but you'll usually be too far out of range to get a super.

5LK

Stand Short

5LK

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Light Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
500	5	SP/SU	Mid	Mid	4	8	7	19	+2	+2	none
Not a standing low, despite looks. Still a nice light that can't be crouched, good for longer confirms into super (i.e. crLK, crLK, stLK > super) or during pressure strings.

5MK

Stand Forward

5MK

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Medium Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1000	10	None	Mid	High	8	6	12	26	+2	+2	none
A fast high kick. Not a bad anti-air, but Ken has a better selection, and it only just barely reaches beyond the range where you would get the close version anyway.

5HK

Stand Roundhouse

5HK

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Heavy Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1300	13	None	Mid	High	9	5	30	44	-11	-11	None
A heavy hitting normal with good reach. One of your better poking normals, if a little slow. Great to catch forward movement or whiffed buttons, but be careful not to whiff it yourself.

Close Standing Normals

cl5LP

Close Stand Jab
Close
cl5LP

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Close Light Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
400	4	SP/SU	Mid	High	2	4	6	12	+7	+7	none
The close version of jab. Essentially the same as the far version in every way, but has less range in exchange for 100 more damage.

cl5MP

Close Stand Strong
Close
cl5MP

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Medium Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
700	7	SP/SU	Mid	High	3	3	20	26	-3	-3	none
A swinging version of stand strong. Very short activation range means you won't be using this much, and even when you need a close medium, medium kick is usually better.

cl5HP

Close Stand Fierce
Close
cl5HP

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Heavy Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1100, 900	11	SP/SU	Mid	High	3	8	24	33	-8	-8	none
A fast normal for punishes and combos. Links from a lot of moves but usually requires you to link directly into it. Also a servicable anti-air when they jump close, although it does less damage and doesn't special cancel on an air connect.

cl5LK

Close Stand Short
Close
cl5LK

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Light Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
500	5	SP/SU	Mid	High	4	8	7	19	+2	+2	none
Exactly the same as far short.

cl5MK

Close Stand Forward
Close
cl5MK

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Medium Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
900	9	SP/SU	Mid	High	3	8	11	22	+3	+3	none
Your main medium normal. Mainly used after a jump-in, since close fierce has too much knockback to get a heavy DP/Geri kick after. Despite the fast startup, the very short activation range makes linking into this impossible.

cl5HK

Close Stand Roundhouse
Close
cl5HK

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Heavy Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1400	14	SP/SU	Mid	High	4	9	11	24	+4	+4	none
Your preferred cancel normal, as it does the most damage of his cancellable normals. Being very plus lets it also be useful in pressure, as you can safely do another longer range normal or dash/run back in.

Crouching Normals

2LP

Crouching Jab

2LP

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Crouching Light Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
200	2	RF/SP/SU	Mid	Mid	3	4	6	13	+7	+7	none
A great low jab for mashing or confirming. Links into a lot on hit, namely sweep and close roundhouse. One frame slower than the standing versions, but still fast at 3 frames.

2MP

Crouching Strong

2MP

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Medium Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
800	8	SP/SU	Mid	Mid	4	6	11	21	+4	+4	none
A low punch. Slower than crouch jab, but does more damage and has better range. Useful normal when you're in range for it, as it's fast and stuffs a lot of the opponents options. Good general purpose button.

2HP

Crouching Fierce

2HP

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Heavy Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1100, 700	11	SP/SU	Mid	High	3	11	26	40	-13	-13	none
The shoto crouch fierce. A solid anti-air, as it reaches high and starts up fast. Does more damage on a grounded connect, and has more range than his close heavies for less damage. On an anti-air connect, it doesn't special cancel and only does 700 damage instead.

2LK

Crouching Short

2LK

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Crouching Light Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
300	3	RF/SP/SU	Low	Low	3	4	8	15	+5	+5	none
Your fastest and main low option, and a good tool for hitconfirms. Cancels into any Geri Kick for a good combo, or confirms into super.

2MK

Crouching Forward

2LK

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Crouching Light Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
900	9	SP/SU	Low	Low	4	6	17	27	-1	-1	none
A classic crouching medium kick. Reaches far and cancels into fireballs or Geri kicks. At max range Ken can't convert into anything, but it's still a good low poke nonetheless.

2HK

Crouching Roundhouse

2HK

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Crouching Heavy Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1300	13	SP/SU	Low	Low	6	6	35	47	-DWN	-15	none
Ken's sweep. Cancels into fireball for safety. Hits just a bit farther than crouch forward, and rewards you with a knockdown on hit. Great for counterpokes, but be careful as it has fairly long whiff recovery and can be punished on block in some situations.

Air Normals

8LP

Jumping Jab
,,or +
8LP

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Jumping Light Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
500	5	SP	High	High	3	22	-	-	-	-	-
A fast punch midair. Not useful for much unless you need a 3 frame air option. Identical to the neutral jump version.

8MP

Jumping Strong
,,or +
8MP

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Medium Punch

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Neutral +	900	9	SP	High	High	4	10	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral jump strong doesn't see much use, but it does do a bit more damage than diagonal jump strong.
Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Diagonal or +	800	9	SP	High	High	4	10	-	-	-	-	-
Not very useful on it's own, but your best way to cancel into tatsu midair, which makes for a good jump in.

8HP

Jumping Fierce
,,or +
8HP

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Heavy Punch

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Neutral +	1300	13	None	High	High	5	6	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral jump fierce does 100 more damage than diagonal jump, but is identical otherwise. Not the worst rising anti-air but otherwise useless, especially considering Ken has much better options.
Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Diagonal or +	1200	12	None	High	High	5	6	-	-	-	-	-
One of your two main jump ins. Reaches low and hits pretty deep, use this for jump ins and especially for hops.

8LK

Jumping Short
,,or +
8LK

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Light Kick

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Neutral +	600	6	SP	High	High	4	22	-	-	-	-	-
An upward kick. Hits above and in front of Ken, starts up fast and is active for a long time. Useful as a neutral jump air-to-air, and can cancel into air tatsu if they block or parry to make it safer.
Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Diagonal or +	600	6	SP	High	High	4	22	-	-	-	-	-
A fast and low jump, nice for the occassional instant overhead and tatsu cancel.

8MK

Jumping Forward
,,or +
8MK

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Medium Kick

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Neutral +	1000	10	None	High	High	5	10	-	-	-	-	-
Similar to neutral jump short, but loses the cancel and is one frame slower in exchange for better damage.
Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Diagonal or +	900	9	None	High	High	6	7	-	-	-	-	-
A far reaching jump normal, and Ken's best crossup. Useful after knockdowns to set up crossup jump ins.

8HK

Jumping Roundhouse
,,or +
8HK

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Jumping Heavy Kick

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Neutral +	1300,1400	13	SP (Air connect only)	High	High	3	8	-	-	-	-	-
A forward kick in the air. Does only 1300 if you connect on the ground, but does 1400 and can cancel to tatsu if it hits an opponent in the air. Your go-to neutral jump air-to-air.
Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Diagonal or +	1300	13	None	High	High	6	7	-	-	-	-	-
Your other main jump-in. One frame slower than jump fierce in exchange for better damage and longer range. What you'll probably be pressing if you jump over a fireball or poke.

Command Normals

6MK

Fumikomi Mae Geri
+
6MK

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Overhead Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1000	10	None	High	High	28	5	20	53	-5	-5	-
A sneaky forward moving overhead. Very slow and quite reactable, but can hit from far enough out that your opponent won't expect it much.

6HK

Shiden Kakato Otoshi
+
6HK

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Step Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1200	12	None	Mid	High	12	7	22	41	-3	-3	-
A stepkick with a bit of forward movement. Another useful poke, especially because of the slide at first.

Throws

4/6HP

Seoi Nage
/+
4/6HP

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Punch Throw

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1700	0	None	Grab	Grab	3	1	13	17	-DWN	Grab	-
Punch throw is Ken's faster grounded throw, but does less damage and throws them very far making oki hard.

4/6HK

Jigoku-Guruma
/+
4/6HK

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Kick Throw

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
2200	0	None	Grab	Grab	5	1	13	19	-DWN	Grab	-
Kick throw is 2 frames slower but does a lot more damage, a full 2200. This is usually the throw you'll wanna go for, as neither of Ken's throws give great oki so damage is always best.

j4/6HK

Jigoku-Fuusha
, /+
Air 4/6HK

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Air Throw

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
2000	0	None	Grab	Grab	1	1	0	1	-DWN	Grab	-
Air throw is a niche but useful anti-air when you can land it. It does good damage, carries far, and is frame 1 so it will outspeed almost any air button that isn't already out. It does require you to jump at the opponent and get in close range however, so stick to safer anti-airs usually.

Special Moves

Fireball

Hadoken
Fireball
236+P

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Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LP +	700	7	None	Mid	High	14	-	43	57	-10	-10	none
Slowest fireball. Good for zoning and allowing Ken to walk behind it.
MP +	800	8	None	Mid	High	14	-	44	58	-11	-11	none
Medium fireball. Strikes a middle ground between the versions.
HP +	900	9	None	Mid	High	14	-	45	59	-12	-12	none
Heavy fireball. Fast and damaging so it's the main one you wanna cancel into, but the longest duration means it's the least useful for zoning.

Dragon Punch

Shoryuken
Dragon punch
623+P

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Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LP +	1600, 800	16	None	Mid	High	2	18	24	44	-DWN	-18	2 (full), 18 (lower)
Best DP. Safest to whiff but still unsafe, fastest anti-air, and usually the best combo ender as the single hit means it's unlikely to drop hits. Second damage value is on an anti-air connect.
MP +	1000+800, 800	10+8	None	Mid	High	2	24	32	58	-DWN	-32	2 (full), 24 (lower)
Medium dp. Also a good anti-air, but less useful in combos since if you're close enough to get both hits of this you're likely close enough for heavy dp.
HP +	600+700+800, 800	6+7+8	None	Mid	High	2	30	39	71	-DWN	-41	6 (full), 26 (lower)
Highest damage dp. Not the greatest anti-air as it lasts very long. The longer invuln makes it a better but much riskier reversal, stick to light for that. Point blank this is your highest damage special, so useful for punishes where you know it will hit, but be wary of it whiffing from farther away as you'll eat a combo.

Tatsu

Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku
Tatsu
214+K

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Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LK +	500+300x2	5+3	None	Mid	High	2	16	17	35	-3	-9	-
Light tatsu. Effective meter builder but not worth much else, tatsus in general aren't great, as they don't give knockdowns and leave you negative on hit and very negative on block.
MK +	500+300x8	5+3x3	None	Mid	High	2	39	17	58	-3	-33	-
Medium tatsu. Probably the special I use least. Not the best damage, no knockdown, and -33 on block make it a big risk for little reward.
HK +	500+300x10	5+3x4	None	Mid	High	2	48	17	67	-3	-41	-
Heavy tatsu. Highest damage of them all, but a major risk and still no knockdown. On a standing opponent it'll connect from ranges that a heavy dp wouldn't, but on a crouching opponent it whiffs entirely and leaves you wide open for a big punish.

Flip Kick

Ryusenkyaku
Flip Kick
421+K

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Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LK +	1200, 1300	12	None	High	High	21	17	24	62	-DWN	-11	-
Light flip kick. Fastest to start up, making it the best as an overhead mixup, but also punishable on block. Even as an overhead it isn't the best, as it's slow at 21 frames and Ken jumps way up in the air. Second hit is for when it catches jumps, which it isn't bad at.
MK +	1400	14	None	High	High	29	12	24	65	-DWN	-5	-
Medium flip kick. A nice, no-thinking tool to get in. Safe enough on block at -5, with enough pushback that most jabs or throws will whiff. Be wary of fast supers and P/K groove opponents with good reactions though.
HK +	1500	15	None	High	High	34	10	24	68	-DWN	-4	-
Heavy flip kick. Slowest by a wide margin, if your opponent doesn't react and block this they aren't looking at the screen. Even safer on block, and does more damage and stun, but the startup makes it easier to reversal through or parry/JD. Not bad to throw out in similar places you would do the medium version, but you will get anti-aired more often.

Geri Kicks

Geri Kicks
Crazy Kicks
41236+K

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Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LK +	1200	12	None	Mid	High	10	5	17	32	+2	+2	-
Nata Otoshi Geri. Great special, decent range and being +2 on block and hit means that it's a consistent and safe blockstring ender and combo ender. No knockdown, but you can usually still beat your opponents options afterwards. Cancels into Inazuma Kakato Wari on frame 15.
MK +	400+900	4+9	None	Mid	High	5	7	27	39	-8	-8	-
Kamabarai Geri. The least useful of the geri kicks, leaving you negative on both block and hit. Has a better angle for anti-air, but Ken has much better tools for that. This does have the fastest frame data to go into the overhead followup however, and if spaced right you can make the first hit whiff so it's just the overhead. Cancels into Inazuma Kakato Wari on frame 7.
HK +	1400	14	None	High	High	10	4	27	41	-DWN	-7	-
Oosoto Mawashi Geri. Only kick that knocks down, and is as fast as the light kick so it combos from the same starters. Much less range means it's harder to combo into overall however, you usually have to be point blank. Cancels into Inazuma Kakato Wari on frame 14

Overhead Followup

Inazuma Kakato Wari
Overhead Followup+
Any Geri Kick, hold K

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Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
K Hold +	1000	10	None	High	High	26	2	23	51	-2	-2	-
Overhead followup to Geri Kicks. The startup is the listed startup plus the added startup frames, which varies depending on which version of Geri Kick you use. Fairly safe and has decent range, but are entirely reactable. Still a nice surprise option to throw out after a blocked Geri Kick from time to time

Roll

Zenpou-Tenshin
Roll
214P

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Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LP +	0	0	None	None	None	7	18	10	35	None	None	Upper
Short roll. All rolls have upper body invuln on the active frames. Recovers the fastest so it's the best for level 2 combos, pressure, and approach. Even then it's fairly laggy and worse than a normal roll since it is vulnerable to lows.
Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
MP +	0	0	None	None	None	8	24	10	42	None	None	Upper
Slower version that goes farther. Might be an alright way to get past a fireball, or an alright approach, but again you can eat a low for that.
Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
HP +	0	0	None	None	None	9	30	10	49	None	None	Upper
The farthest and longest duration. Honestly can be useful, as it travels far and is still decently fast. Just as vulnerable as the others though so don't use it often.

Supers

Shoryureppa

Shoryureppa
Shoryuken Super
236236P

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Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Level 1 +	2600	0	None	Mid	High	4:4	56	26	90	-DWN	-28	8 (full), 16 (lower)
Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Level 2 +	3800	0	SP/SU	Mid	High	4:4	59	37	104	-DWN	-39	14 (full), 18 (lower)
Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Level 3 +	5600	0	None	Mid	High	4:4	77	37	122	-DWN	-39	22 (full), 6 (lower), 16 (full)
Your main combo ending super. Does alright damage, and can usually be used in place of a special cancel or after a hitconfirm. Has a bit of issues with range (it won't connect from a long range poke like crMK) but it will connect after most close normals.

Shinryuken

Shinryuken
Uppercut Super
214214P

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Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Level 1 +	2500~2900	0	None	Mid	High	4:4	26	29	63	-DWN	-10	8 (full)
Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Level 2 +	3300~4400	0	SP/SU	Mid	High	4:4	29	31	68	-DWN	-20	14 (full)
Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Level 3 +	3800~6000	0	None	Mid	High	4:	32	34	74	-DWN	-27	22 (full)
A rising invincible super. Mash to get more hits and damage. If you need a super anti-air or reversal, this is usually the one you want. Very short horizontal range, but goes up high vertically fast with lots of invincibility.

Shippu Jinraikyaku

Shippu Jinraikyaku
Kick Super, Shippu
214214K

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Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Level 3 +	6300	0	None	Mid	High	4:4	75	60	143	-DWN	-65	22 (full)
A fast, high damage super. High cost at level 3 only, but if you can afford it it's his highest damage ender (even more than the C groove level 2 combo).

The Basics

Strategy

Ken is a shoto-style character, which means he focuses in on versatility and adaptability. Utilizing his pokes and effective pressure tools, Ken can walk opponents down very easily with great, safe offense. He has the same shoto base normals, equipped with at least one tool for every situation. His 2MK is a great poke and cancel tool, 2LK is a great low starter and combos into most of his specials and his main super, Shoryureppa, and his 2HP is a good anti-air with good speed and active frames. What really makes Ken work though is his specials. His 623P specials, Shoryuken, are a set of very good uppercut specials. The light punch version is mainly what you want to use, as it's the fastest overall while still being a true reversal. It's a powerful anti-air, anti-poke, and even just a hard callout tool when used correctly.

Basic Neutral

Use 2MK () to poke around in neutral and to catch people after a blockstring. At max range you cannot combo this into much of anything, but cancelling into heavy fireball () allows you to safely put out a fireball and make the opponent block it.

Throwing out fireballs in neutral is a risky move, as even Ken's fireball is slow to fully recover, but if your opponent isn't expecting it they can allow you to approach safely and poke.

Ken has a few specials that allow him to approach when used sparingly. His heavy flip kick () is a slow but far reaching overhead kick that knocks down on hit and leaves Ken safe on block (save for some supers and some matchup specific punishes). His air tatsu () lets him move safely in the air, allowing him good retreat and some hard to see crossups. You can even cancel it from some of his jump normals, like his j.MP (), which allows for safer jump ins and even some damaging combos.

Keep Ken's neutral simple, and leave his surprise tools for when your opponent won't see them coming. His dash speed is good, and his run is solid if you play him in a run groove. Walk and dash your opponents down, and use strong pokes and anti-airs to make them afraid to move. That's when you can get in and start pressuring.

Pressure and Mixup

Once you win neutral, Ken has some amazing pressure tools to keep himself in. Luckily Ken has amazing pressure tools, namely his light Geri kick () special. While it won't knock down, it does solid damage and has great range while being a whole +2 on block! It has strong reach, and can be cancelled from Ken's light strings like 2LK, 2LK (, ).

Ken has a few sneaky ways to mix between lows and overheads. His Inazuma kick (Hold after any Geri) can be used on opponents who expect you to reset pressure or return to neutral off of a light Geri kick. The medium Geri kick is especially useful for this mixup, as the first hit will usually whiff making it a bit harder to react to. His overhead flip kicks (/) can also be useful. The light version is the best as an overhead mix, but is unsafe. The medium kick version is very reactable but leaves you fairly safe and lets you reset pressure well. Don't overuse any of these, as you'll likely eat a hit for trying to against wary opponents.

Defense

Ken's defense is fairly strong, especially in grooves with rolls. He has solid jabs to mash out with, the obvious and powerful light Shoryuken () for a fast invincible reversal, and still has average health stats even if he does get hit. Play safe on defense, block it out and wait for an opportunity to escape with a well timed jab, roll, or uppercut, and don't get discouraged if you guess wrong! One good guess leads to a knockdown or a situation with Ken being plus, and those can spiral into a victory quickly.

One thing to remember while mashing out is that his 2LP () links into his 2HK (). This can be done at anytime, but on a counterhit it's much easier. It isn't very range dependent, and can be confirmed fairly easily since it's a link. This can make Ken mashing a bit scarier as he can reverse the situation into a knockdown quickly, even if it doesn't do much damage.

Advanced Strategy

RCing (Roll Canceling) is good if your opponent is more offensive.

Match-ups