Capcom vs SNK 2/Ken

Introduction

Character 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. As a shoto, Ken is adaptable and can be played in a variety of ways, from slow neutral to aggressive rushdown. He isn't as extreme in the mixup department as Akuma/Gouki, but he has plenty of ways to stay in and some good tools to open opponents up. Overhead followups to his safe specials, plenty of plus frames, and good confirm combos make him very scary.

In neutral, Ken can adapt to the opponents gameplan very well. Moves like 2MK, 5HP, 2MP, and his powerful Shoryuken allow him to control from a range. However, among the shotos, his fireball is the weakest. This hurts his zoning and general fullscreen presence badly, and while fireballs in CvS2 are generally weak, this is still a major weakness. Ken has to commit a lot more to approach against good zoning characters, as his fireball recovers too slow to effectively approach behind in the way Guile or Ryu can. Another issue is that Ken has to risk more to open an opponent up. While he can generate plus frames easily, his overheads leave huge reactable gaps, and he only has normal throws.

If you want a good all rounder that generally plays aggressive, works well in any groove, and has some damaging up close combos, Ken is for you.

Groove Selection

As a shoto with a varied toolset, Ken works very well in any groove. In C groove, Ken gets access to very damaging level 2 combos off of his Shoryureppa super, and generally he can utilize meter much more effectively. Having access to airblock and roll also helps a lot, as his roll cancelled Geri kicks are very strong tools. N groove is also very strong for Ken, as having hop and run makes his ability to pressure safely much scarier and adds hop HK to his mix. Max Mode makes his good damage even better, and he gets to use his level 1 supers more often.

A groove is a popular choice, if arguably a bit worse. Custom Combo is scary and Ken has a damaging one, and he can confirm into it off things like anti-air 623LP. Lack of a solid defensive mechanic outside of CC and little access to his consistent level 1 supers does hurt a bit for him, but A-Ken is still very strong. K-Ken is similar. Rage makes his damage even better, and JD is very strong. Losing rolls is a big hurt however, as Ken can no longer RC Geri kicks.

S-Ken and P-Ken are very weak in comparison to his other grooves. His level 1 supers aren't powerful enough to make having infinite ones very worthwhile, he doesn't get much from dodge, and having to charge safely to gain meter harms Ken as a character who wants to approach. P-Ken loses access to a lot of what makes him strong, like his supers and rolls, and while hop still helps him here it just is too much to give up. Parry is inconsistent for Ken as well, as Kens punishes are strong up close but from farther distances aren't as solid.

Video Guide

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Colors

Normal Moves

Far Standing Normals

5LP

Far Jab
Light Punch
5LP / Far LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	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

Far Strong
Medium Punch
5MP / Far MP

Version	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

Far Fierce
Heavy Punch
5HP / Far HP

Version	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

Far Short
Light Kick
5LK / Far LK

Version	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

Far Forward
Medium Kick
5MK / Far MK

Version	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

Far Roundhouse
Heavy Kick
5HK / Far HK

Version	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 Jab
Close Light Punch
cl.LP / cl5LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	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 Strong
Close Medium Punch
cl.MP / cl5MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	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 Fierce
Close Heavy Punch
cl.HP / cl5HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	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 Short
Close Light Kick
cl.LK / cl5LK

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

cl5MK

Close Stand Forward
Close Medium Kick
cl.MK / cl5MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	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 Roundhouse
Close Heavy Kick
cl.HK / cl5HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	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
Crouching Light Punch
2LP / cr.LP

Version	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
Crouching Medium Punch
2MP / cr.MP

Version	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
Crouching Heavy Punch
2HP / cr.HP

Version	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
Crouching Light Kick
2LK / cr.LK

Version	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
Crouching Medium Kick
2MK / cr.MK

Version	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
Crouching Heavy Kick
2HK / cr.HK

Version	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
Jump Light Punch
8LP / j.LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
,,or	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
Jumping Medium Punch
8MP / j.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	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
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
Jumping Heavy Punch
8HP / jHP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	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
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
Jumping Light Kick
8LK / j.LK

Neutral Jump

Diagonal Jump

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	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
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
Jumping Medium Kick
8MK / j.MK

Neutral Jump

Diagonal Jump

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	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
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
Jumping Heavy Kick
8HK

Neutral Jump

Diagonal Jump

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	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
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
Overhead Kick
6MK

Version	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
Stepkick
6HK

Version	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
Punch Throw
4/6HP

Version	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
Kick Throw
4/6HK

Version	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 Throw
Air 4/6HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
In Air /+	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

Startup before the fireball comes out

The first, larger fireball hitbox

The hitbox once the fireball starts travelling

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
MP +	800	8	None	Mid	High	14	-	44	58	-11	-11	none
HP +	900	9	None	Mid	High	14	-	45	59	-12	-12	none
Ken's fireball series. Ken has the weakest fireballs of the main shotos, mostly because of how long they take to fully recover. This makes Ken's fireballs notably unsafe, even in a game where most fireballs carry risk. The LP version is the version you'll want to use for occassional zoning, while the HP version is faster and better for cancels but leaves you minus.

Dragon Punch

Shoryuken
Dragon punch
623+P

Invincible Startup

Lower body invuln and footsies hitbox

High reaching anti-air hitbox

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)
MP +	1000+800, 800	10+8	None	Mid	High	2	24	32	58	-DWN	-32	2 (full), 24 (lower)
HP +	600+700+800, 800	6+7+8	None	Mid	High	2	30	39	71	-DWN	-41	6 (full), 26 (lower)
The signature Shoryuken. Ken has a notably good uppercut, especially the LP version which recovers quickly and starts up very fast. It's useful for anti-air, footsies, meter build, and reversal purpose, making for a great utility. The MP version sees little use, but the HP version is Ken's highest damage combo ender and what you want to end combos with usually.

Tatsu

Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku
Tatsu
214+K

No hitboxes for this one, use your imagination

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
MK +	500+300x8	5+3x3	None	Mid	High	2	39	17	58	-3	-33
HK +	500+300x10	5+3x4	None	Mid	High	2	48	17	67	-3	-41	-
Ken's grounded Tatsu specials. These see very little use, as they are incredibly unsafe, whiff crouchers, and actually aren't that much more damage. On top of that, they still don't connect from very far away. These are almost entirely outclassed by the jumping versions.

Flip Kick

Air Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku
Air Tatsu
j.214K

Helicopter your way in

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
In Air +	700x4	7x4	None	Mid	High	4	14	Till Landing, 7	25	+13	+13	None
A tatsu in midair. The only difference that button strength has is the angle that your jump arc is altered to, with LK having little forward momentum and HK having the most. Very useful mobility tools for making ambiguous crossups, retreating to fullscreen or out of the corner, and doing two hit jump ins from his cancellable normals that leave him VERY plus on block. On hit you can link these into 2HK for a simple knockdown. Doing jump back 214LK in the corner can be a safe meter build strategy.

Flip Kick

Ryusenkyaku
Flip Kick
421+K

Rising

First Hitbox

Second Hitbox

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
MK +	1400	14	None	High	High	29	12	24	65	-DWN	-5
HK +	1500	15	None	High	High	34	10	24	68	-DWN	-4	-
Overhead flip kicks. Surprisingly useful as once-in-a-while neutral tools and mixups. The LK version is unique in that it's notably unsafe but is the fastest for an overhead, though it still shouldn't always be used for this. Instead, use the light version to catch jumps, as it does increased damage against jumping opponents. The MK and HK versions are much slower, but are safe on block. If an opponent won't challenge these, it can be a way for Ken to establish pressure and sorta "skip" neutral.

Geri Kicks

Geri Kicks
Crazy Kicks, Funky Kicks
41236+K

Nata Otoshi Geri

Kamabarai Geri

Oosoto Mawashi Geri

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
MK +	400+900	4+9	None	Mid	High	5	7	27	39	-8	-8
HK +	1400	14	None	High	High	10	4	27	41	-DWN	-7	-
Ken's Geri Kicks. Very useful specials for combos, pressure, and winning neutral. The LK version is especially strong, as it reaches notably far and is +2 on block. This makes it an incredibly useful way to end pressure and combos for Ken, and when roll cancelled it becomes fully invulnerable making it impossible to challenge in the midrange. The MK version is the least useful on its own, but cancels into the overhead much faster than the others, and doesn't need to hit first. The HK version is the shortest vertical range, with a high hitbox. HK Geri notably knocks down, and still combos from lights as well, making it useful after very short confirms. LK Geri cancels into the overhead on frame 15, MK Geri on frame 7, and HK Geri on frame 14.

Overhead Followup

Inazuma Kakato Wari
Overhead Followup
Any Geri Kick, hold K

Watch your head

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

Ken does not have low profile during the startup frames

Low profile

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
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
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
Ken's command rolls. Occassionally very useful specials, as unlike normal rolls they can be cancelled into. This allows you to (very unsafely) reset pressure vs opponents who aren't ready to punish you. In theory this can also roll under some fireballs, but normal rolls make this obsolete (though this does have use in grooves without roll, namely K). LP Roll is also used in Ken's level 2 bnb combo. Rolls can cross through opponents, so on some knockdowns you can use this roll to set up ambiguous crossup meaties. You can also cancel into these to get better oki from his sweep.

Supers

Shoryureppa

Shoryureppa
Shoryuken Super
236236P

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)
Level 2 +	3800	0	SP/SU	Mid	High	4:4	59	37	104	-DWN	-39	14 (full), 18 (lower)
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
236236K

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)
Level 2 +	3300~4400	0	SP/SU	Mid	High	4:4	29	31	68	-DWN	-20	14 (full)
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

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.

Combos

All damage values were recorded with a Ratio 2 C-Ken vs a Ratio 2 C-Ryu with full health. Damage values can change depending on Groove, character, ratio, and the amount of health left remaining.

All combos will be written using Numpad Notation. If you're having trouble reading numpad, refer to this visual aide.

Meterless Combos

Combo	Position	Damage	Stun	Difficulty	Notes
2LK > 2LK > 5LK > 41236LK	Anywhere	2415	23	Easy	If Ken has a bnb, this is it. Safe low confirm that leaves him +2 on block/hit. No knockdown but is very range forgiving. If you're spaced very far out 5LK might whiff.
cl.HK > 623HP	Anywhere (close)	3675	35	Very Easy	Ken's punishment combo. Requires you to hit cl.HK very close.
j.HK, cl.MK > 623HP	Anywhere	4515	43	Easy	Jump in combo. If you do cl.HK instead, you won't be in range for a 623H.
2LP, cl.HP > 41236LK	Anywhere	2550	25	Easy	Link off of jab. Requires close range but is a damaging jab combo.
j.MK, cl.HK > 623HP	Anywhere	4620	44	Easy	Crossup combo. j.MK crossup needs to hit pretty deep for this to hit.
j.MP > j.214HK, 2HK	Anywhere	2940	36	Hard	Jump in tatsu cancel. Safer on block than the other jump in combo.
2LP, 2HK	Anywhere	1575	15	Medium	Jab into sweep link. Can be done naturally but much easier on counterhit, and a consistent knockdown off of his jab. You can add a 2LK before the jab as well for a quick low confirm.

Super Combos

Combo	Position	Damage	Stun	Difficulty	Notes
2LK, 2LK > 236236P	Anywhere	3360/4620/6510	6	Easy	A basic short short super confirm. You can buffer this by doing 2LK, 236, 2LK, 236P.
cl.HK > 623LP, 236236K	Corner	5565/6930/8610	30	Medium	Very high damage corner combo. Can be done off any cornered light 623LP, and is your max damage ender after C groove combos.
j.HK, cl.HK > 236236MP > 214LP, 623HP	Anywhere	7760	27	Medium	High damage 2 bar C groove combo. Easier in the corner, and not a bad way to spend 2 bars.
j.HK, cl.HK > 236236MP > 214LP, 236236LK	Anywhere	9135	27	Medium	Your 3 bar bnb. Very good damage almost anywhere on screen, makes Ken's confirms into Shoryureppa very scary.
j.HK, cl.HK > 236236MP > 214LP, 623LP, 236236LK	Corner	10374	44	Above Average	MASSIVE damage C groove corner combo. Not the combo you'll land every match, but is absolutely worth going for if you can. Especially good after stuns.

Advanced Strategy

Groove-Specific Strategy

C-Groove

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In C-Groove

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Against C-Groove

A-Groove

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In A-Groove

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Against A-Groove

P-Groove

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In P-Groove

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Against P-Groove

S-Groove

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In S-Groove

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Against S-Groove

N-Groove

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In N-Groove

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Against N-Groove

K-Groove

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In K-Groove

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Against K-Groove

Match-ups