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A.K.I.
Chun-Li vs. A.K.I.
No Data
Akuma
Chun-Li vs. Akuma
No Data
Blanka
Chun-Li vs. Blanka
- Quick Notes
- Kikoken is strong for stopping mindless Blanka Balls, but he can go over it with 63214K or under it with 3HP.
- 63214K can be anti-aired, but it takes a lot of situational awareness as the timing and option changes with spacing and strength used.
- 3HP is a massive low, but it's usually punishable with 2MP/2MK and always punishable up close.
- Drive Rush does not make it safer in most cases as it is nearly impossible to space effectively.
- 6HP is an extremely negative mid. Kill him for using it.
- LP/MP ball can be punished on block, HP ball has to be stopped pre-emptively.
- LP and MP ball are both punishable by 5HK.
- 4HP's active frames are good for stuffing HP ball, but 22HK may be more consistent.
- HP ball can be punished on Perfect Parry with immediate dash 5HK.
- Chun's Drive Impact is long enough to hit any version of ball for a big punish combo, but only if you do it right before it would hit you.
- OD Lightning is +4 on block.
- Neutral
Blanka players will usually throw stuff out and see if there's a gimmick you can't handle. The best thing to do here is be prepared and do your homework.
- Offense
Blanka has a meterless reversal with [2]8KK and a potent anti-throw option with j.[4]6PP. It's exceptionally difficult to make him block on wakeup due to [2]8KK beating strikes and throws and j.[4]6PP beating throws and blocking, on top of universal options like mashing, parry, and throw.
- Defense
Cammy
Chun-Li vs. Cammy (Slight Cammy Favor)
- Quick Notes
- 5LP is an excellent reaction button against Spin Knuckle and Hooligan.
- 2MP is also a good normal against divekicks and Cammy's other special moves.
- Use 5MK or 22HK to beat divekick--the former gives a Forced Knockdown that lets you go into a stance anti-air combo like you'd get with 5HK.
- If you wish to bait Spin Knuckle and then punish it once you recover, use Heavy Kikoken, as it has the best frame data. To make sure you don't get stuffed after fireball, go for an invincible move like 22KK or a Super.
- Only the HP version of Spin Knuckle is plus. This version has extra screen shake.
- In Burnout, all versions of Spin Knuckle are plus.
- There will always be a gap before 5HP in Burnout (unless it's from 2HP, which will have a gap before it).
- Spiral Arrows are safe or even 0 on block at max range, but they can only be plus in Burnout.
- Neutral
Spin Knuckle throws a big wrench into what Chun Li normally likes to do in neutral against characters without projectiles (that being setting up a Kikoken and walking behind it). It's a lot riskier, which means she must rely more on her normals. Cammy's lvl3 and CA are both 9-frame, fullscreen-reaching moves which make throwing out a Kikoken that much scarier. That being said, Chun Li can still compete with Cammy's grounded footsies game better than most, and is the only character that actually surpasses her walkspeed. For normals, 5LP in particular is excellent at stopping hasty Spin Knuckles, as it's relatively low risk and Spin Knuckle advances right into a range she can get a pickup off the counterhit. 4HP is another good pick with more risk and more reward. Some Cammy players will try to use Hooligan as a knowledge check or an approach tool. However, she only gets threatening 236[HP] mixups off particularly good knockdowns (+54) and non-[HP] or OD Hooligans don't start looping mixups. All versions can be stopped by an anti-air, but Tensho is significantly risky if she's out of range or does the fastfall.
Be careful when poking with lows against Cammy, as her divekick is a constant neutral threat that makes 2MK far riskier than it is in most matchups. Opt for 4MP as a poke instead, but always be careful of Cammy's whiff punish game that can easily push you into corner.
- Offense
Cammy has an OD reversal that switches sides on hit. This makes pressuring her in the corner a little scarier, but it leaves her with a lot of space to cover and makes OD Cannon Strike worse when used as an offensive tool.
- Defense
Divekick spacing is everything in this MU. Chun must be aware of it at all times. It's on you as the Chun Li player to check Cammy by anti-airing the divekick or walking forwards enough to make it negative. When it comes to defending against Hooligan, you can pretty easily deal with it with a jump into j.2MK or Air Legs. There isn't much more to Cammy's mixup game as she has no grounded overhead, so don't be afraid to play patient and reactively.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about her pressure is how far her buttons reach, making it feel like walking back isn't an option. It's hard to know when her turn is over due to the length of her light normals, but she generally can't chain more than 3 in succession. Block 2HP and the light chain that comes after it, then you're free to take your turn.Chun-Li
Chun-Li vs. Chun-Li (Even (Mirror))
- Quick Notes
- Make sure to punish LK and MK Legs, as well as all versions of SBK. No one checks these for some reason and they're free to 4/6MP and 4HP.
- LK Hazanshu is the only version that's punishable, but it's very negative at -9.
- 2MK is an excellent answer to her own 2HK.
- 4/6MP extends her foot hurtbox, making it more vulnerable to lows.
- 5HP extends a very large hurtbox as Chun leans forwards, losing hard to pre-emptive options.
- Neutral
Kikoken cancels itself out and Hazanshu can go over it, but don't discount its usefulness. The other Chun Li either has to have charge to stop it or commit to something that can be anti-aired to go over it, otherwise she relies on system mechanics.
If the other Chun jumps forward on round start, HP Kikoken recovers fast enough to reliably anti-air them—this further emphasizes the use of Hazanshu over her normal jump.
- Offense
Chun Li has an invincible reversal with OD Tensho, as you probably know, but its lack of range means it's easier to bait with spacing traps and the sort. TK Legs is also a threat when you're running strike/throw, and it's a little strange for Chun to stuff it since she doesn't have a crouching anti-air and instead must punish it on the way down.
- Defense
Make sure to check gaps in the other Chun's offense. Most strings that aren't a heavy normal cancelled into 236HK or stance have a mashable gap. The main times stance cancels aren't interruptible are from 5HK, 2HP, or a blocked Drive Rush normal; so it's pretty safe to check them, even with mediums. Don't let her get away with stance pressure off of a raw 2MK or 5HP.
Serenity Stream stance will low-profile the following moves:
- 5LP, 5MP, 22LK/22MK, j.236K, Air SA1
Dee Jay
Chun-Li vs. DeeJay
- Quick Notes
- Deejay's normals are quick and big, but most of them don't cancel when used as pokes.
- Most of Deejay's poking normals, [4]6HP, and 236MK are all vulnerable to Drive Impact.
- Deejay's low presence is lacking, making walking out of his pressure quite strong.
- Most of Deejay's corner combos will end in a safejump, making reversaling out of his pressure quite difficult.
- Jus Cool, Deejay's sway, pulls him back and gives him follow-ups that convert on Punish Counter.
- All of the follow-ups lose to Drive Impact. The only way he can beat it is to sit still.
- Sitting still is technically punishable, but Deejay is quite far away despite how negative he is.
- His j.2LK cuts his jump short by a few frames and is strangely difficult to anti-air. Use 5MK against it.
- His 5MP and 6MK are both plus on block. 214K~MK is also plus.
- Deejay's 5MP~MP TC is a gimmicky canned mixup. 5MP~MP~5HP is an unsafe frame trap, and 5MP~MP~4HP is a feign.
- Neutral
Deejay's [4]6HP hitting twice makes it difficult to use Kikoken, but the move comes with a long total duration. If he's not using it reactively, it's relatively easy to punish with Hazanshu or even a jump (despite how floaty Chun's jump is).
- Offense
Deejay's OD upkicks are absurdly punishable and he doesn't actually have a reversal lvl1 super, only a lvl2 and lvl3. This makes his defense a lot more committal than most other characters, which is great for Chun once she gets in. If Deejay enters Burnout for whatever reason it's essentially open season. Even if he is able to super on reaction to Drive Impact, he's left in a terrible spot should he have to deal with another Drive Impact.
- Defense
Dhalsim
Chun-Li vs. Dhalsim
- Quick Notes
- Dhalsim makes Chun's traditional neutral structure difficult. Her goal in this MU is to approach.
- Whiff punish extended limbs with moves that knock down or cancel into Drive Rush for pickups at a distance.
- 4HP is an excellent normal against Dhalsim due to it's disjointed hitbox.
- React to Dhalsim charging grounded fireballs with Hazanshu.
- Go over or under airborne fireballs. Dhalsim is only safe if they're blocked.
- Yoga Mummy (j.2LP) is the only dive that can be special cancelled and it has a unique animation.
- Challenge Dhalsim once his float ends, not during it.
- Dhalsim players love to teleport. Check them with 5LP and be careful with Kikokens near the corner as he can teleport on reaction.
- Neutral
- Offense
- Defense
Ed
Chun-Li vs. Ed
No Data
E.Honda
Chun-Li vs. E.Honda (Slight Chun Favor)
- Quick Notes
- Buttslam can be dealt with via delayed 5MK or 22K, but it can sometimes make those options whiff as Chun cannot manually "crosscut" her anti-airs. The safest option is to try and parry it, but a jump into air throw can work if you're skeptical about your grounded anti-air getting crossed up.
- Headbutt can be jumped on a read, but the best option on reaction is to try and Parry it so the Drive loss is mitigated.
- Do not try to reaction DI Headbutt. He can almost always DI back and kill you for it, as you've also taken unscaled Headbutt damage from the DI armor.
- The worst thing you can do is block Headbutt. Chun's fast buttons don't reach Honda or die to him pressing 5HP like a doofus.
- Neutral
Look out for Headbutt and Buttslam. Those are his main tools from afar as his mobility is otherwise somewhat lacking. Headbutt can be stopped with pre-emptive buttons or Kikoken, but he can use his j.HP to steer around Kikokens a bit. Still, fireballs are good against Honda as it acts as a wall against Headbutt and he needs to take pretty big risks to get around them.
Honda is scariest at mid-range, where Headbutt becomes much harder to react to as it reaches you very fast. Thankfully, Kikoken is designed for mid-range as it dissipates at full screen anyway. When Honda is full screen, you can instead try to react to his options much more feasibly with a 22HK or Super.
- Offense
If Chun gets the opportunity to safejump, use a light normal. Heavier normals will take more time to land if OD Headbutt's armor absorbs them and can be punished. Light normals have less hitstop and will still land in time to safejump OD Headbutt or any other reversal he could choose. Keep in mind that OD Headbutt loses to throw, as well.
- Defense
Guile
Chun-Li vs. Guile
- Quick Notes
- Make use of Chun's anti-projectile options. Don't make it easy for him, even if the MU is difficult.
- Flash Kick is a massive anti-air. Neutral jumping from midscreen may get clipped.
- Guile's main poking normals lose to Drive Impact. Let him know but don't over-represent it.
- Guile's 2MK is +4 on hit and -5 on block. If he hits with it, just block afterwards.
- Chun's normals are overall faster than Guile's. Blocking a spaced Boom in the corner is slightly in Chun's favor, but it's still RPS.
- Neutral
Behold, a short list of the things Chun can do vs. projectiles, in order of importance:
- Jump (neutral or forward)
- Air lightning legs (to potentially save a bad jump)
- Parry
- Hazanshu
- 214P~MP
- Block
- SA2
Chun is forced to approach in this MU because of how strong Sonic Boom and Sonic Blade are. Be careful whenever Sonic Blade is on screen, as any time a Boom goes through an active blade it becomes a Sonic Cross. This is particularly important if she tries to throw a Kikoken, as the Blade can absorb a projectile hit and potentially still turn into a new, two-hitting Sonic Cross. As bad as an idea that jumping at Guile seems, it's doable if he decides to walk. It's a lot better to eat 2HP instead of Flash Kick, and jumping must be represented as an option in order to give him something to think about.
Chun's stance MP slide can be a decent callout, but you should be very wary about entering stance in neutral. A knowledgeable Guile can simply see you in stance, set up a light Sonic Blade above your head to stop you from exiting stance or anti-airing with HK, and then do a full jump-in combo on you.
- Offense
Guile has a great lvl1 super as well as an OD reversal. However, due to the nature of Guile being a charge character, he's notably easier to hit with overheads. If Guile has no charge, he has no reversal whatsoever outside of universal options.
- Defense
Jamie
Chun-Li vs. Jamie (Slight Chun Favor)
- Quick Notes
- 2HK is the button to beat. It can be punished with 2MK if poorly spaced, but at max range all Chun can get is Kikosho or 236KK > 2MK > MK SBK.
- Palm (214P) can be punished or at the very least checked with 5LP.
- Drink Rekka (236P~6K~6K) is -1 on knockdown. If he uses it in the corner, check him.
- Neutral
Jamie has to play around Kikoken if he wants to approach, but he has a unique way of forcing Chun to approach with his drinks. Kikoken being a charge move actively works against her here, as she must choose between actively taking space or trying to charge. Unfortunately for her, Kikoken also doesn't travel fullscreen, meaning she has to approach if he backs off and takes a swig. It becomes easier for him to deal with Kikokens as he gets more drinks, either directly with his divekick and breakdance or indirectly with more damage when he gets in.
- Offense
Jamie has an OD reversal, but his DP is actually somewhat bad for dealing with shallow jumps. Finding a good spacing and mixing between jump ins and empty jumps can make him hesitant to use it. His lvl1 super has a gap on block, make sure to let it finish or see if he commits to the drink follow-up before punishing it.
- Defense
JP
Chun-Li vs. JP (JP Favor)
- Quick Notes
- DI blows up 236P, his cane swipe special. He can RPS around using it but DI is important to represent.
- 236HP is plus on block, and 236LP/MP are awkward to punish.
- Ghouls are plus on block when they can travel fullscreen, but spike (22P) is always -2 (unless Chun is in Burnout).
- Check which knockdowns into spike are plus enough to set up Departure either manually or via replay framedata. JP players will assume respect until shown otherwise, but some high spike connects are plus enough to meaty.
- Neutral
JP dominates from fullscreen, but there's actually a window in the midrange that he struggles to control. If Chun can get out of fullscreen hell, she can harass him at his weak ranges and work him into the corner. This is a lot easier said then done, but mixing up her approach between jumping, dashing, Drive Rush, and Hazanshu can keep JP on his toes. Be careful about jumping though as spike and 2HP are incredible anti-airs.
- Offense
OD Amnesia is the talk of the town for a reason. JP forces meaty lights if he has Drive available unless it's explicitly called out. Even then, meatying with lights sets up an RPS situation that's incredibly skewed in his favor due to the two bombs that OD Amnesia sets on successful catch. The safest option is to strike/throw, as the throw will avoid the bomb due to its invulnerability on a successful connect and the strike can do so too if Chun does a combo with two lights into OD Tensho. Unfortunately, that's about as safe as it gets. There's a writeup on JP's strategy page that goes into more detail.
- Defense
Juri
Chun-Li vs. Juri
- Quick Notes
- Drive Rush 5MK is 0 on block, not plus.
- Drive Rush 2MK is -1 on block, not plus.
- Juri gives up her turn after any version of 214K on block. The HK and OD versions are easily punishable.
- Drive Rush 6MK is Drive Impactable in most cases if she meaties with it.
- Neutral
Juri has an excellent array of pokes. She is actually one of the few characters that can fight with Chun Li on the ground, but Chun's buttons are still slightly faster than hers at most ranges. Juri has a hard time dealing with Kikoken, as Chun can punish Juri trying to cancel it with Fuha if she Drive Rushes in behind Kikoken.
- Offense
- Defense
Ken
Chun-Li vs. Ken
- Quick Notes
- Ken's fireballs have more recovery than normal, but are still difficult to jump punish due to Chun's floaty jump.
- Parrying Ken's fireballs is the best way to deal with them, as he uses the blockstun to Drive Rush behind.
- Hazanshu is a good option when in range.
- Block HK Dragonlash standing or interrupt its' startup with 5LP.
- 5MK is -5, 5MK~MK is -12, and 5MK~MK~HK whiffs on crouching opponents. If he commits, kill him.
- Dealing with Jinrai Kicks
- 236LK is the fastest with the least blockstun, 236HK is the slowest with the most.
- Every 236K~6HK follow-up can be ducked under to make it whiff.
- Every initial Jinrai (236LK, 236MK, 236HK) are vulnerable to Drive Impact if they hit the armor. The follow-ups, not so much.
- 236LK can typically be punished (even if slightly delayed) with 5LP if no follow-up is used. Ken yells "."
- 236LK~6LK has a gap (6-9 frames) that can be interrupted.
- 236LK~6MK has a much bigger gap (6-9 frames on hit, 18-21 frames on block) and is easier to interrupt.
- 236MK is more difficult to punish, especially if spaced. 6MP/2MK must be used immediately to punish when not up close. Ken yells "." Modern Ken gets this on 3SP.
- 236MK~6LK has a 2-4f gap and will typically frame trap or trade.
- 236MK~6MK again has a bigger gap (5-7 frames on hit, 14-16 frames on block). It's usually best to block and check Ken afterwards.
- 236HK is not punishable and becomes plus in Burnout. Ken yells "JINRAI!" for this one.
- 236HK~6LK has barely any gap at all and will either true string or frame trap with a 2f gap at most.
- 236HK~6MK has a 9-14f gap on block and combos on hit into a KD.
- Every version of the overhead (236K~6MK) has the same voice line and Ken puts his back to the camera differently.
- Ken can opt for no follow-up to try and bait a parry or a Drive Impact.
- Neutral
Chun can somewhat fight Ken's projectiles with Parry and Kikoken, but she typically wants to stay farther away from Ken if possible. Staying at the tip of his jump range is the best place to be, as it also makes HK Dragonlash somewhat easier to deal with and keeps Chun safe from stray Drive Impacts. Ken's command dash is somewhat annoying to check if he uses the stepkick follow-up, but it's slow enough that he can generally be checked with 5LP or 4/6MP on reaction. Run DP is a high risk, low-reward option but some Ken players will use it to try and catch a stray Kikoken.
Entire essays could be written on Drive Rush, but Ken takes the cake on how well he uses it. DR 2MK, DR 5HP, and DR 5LP are his most common buttons in neutral. It's essentially impossible to react to a minimum distance DR 5LP, stopping him from doing it requires playing preemptive. Luckily, most answers to DR 5LP also beat HK Dragonlash. DR 2MK becomes better after DR 5LP, as it can go under some things (like 5LP) that would normally check his other Drive Rush buttons. And, of course, because it's Ken, his Drive Rush is fast enough to keep up behind his fireballs.
- Offense
Ken players love to reversal, and he has a full suite of them. OD Shoryuken is incredibly negative but also incredibly gratifying to the Ken player. His lvl1 is a particular nuisance as he can super through Drive Impact and escape the corner.
- Defense
Kimberly
Chun-Li vs. Kimberly
- Quick Notes
- 6HK is a common knowledge check. 5LP after blocking it is the best way to deal with it, as it catches all jumps aside from the backwards one and checks her if she does nothing.
- 236K's follow-ups, aside from the run stop, are all vulnerable to Drive Impact.
- The upwards kick (236K~LK) is plus on block, albeit slow.
- The slide (236K~MK) is always negative, but punishing it can be tricky depending on distance.
- The overhead kick (236MK~HK) is safe, but can be plus if used as a meaty.
- Run stop is only plus on block from heavy normals and if the OD version is used (not accounting for Burnout).
- Arc Step, the proxemety follow-up to her run, has a different set of follow-ups. Kim can do nothing, divekick, or command throw.
- Doing nothing is the safest option for her.
- The divekick is a frame trap that is always unsafe on block.
- The command grab, while a strong option on paper as it catches blocking and parries, is high risk and low reward. She gets 1.2K if she's right and eats a PC jump normal if she's wrong.
- Her other slide, 3MK, can never be plus on block. The best it can be is 0 (not accounting for Burnout).
- j.2MP is a mid that is negative on block if blocked standing.
- Any TC follow-up 5MP normals are -6, TC HP normals are -10, and any other TC normal is -12.
- Neutral
There are two kinds of Kimberly players: people who will rush in, and people who will stand back like they're looking for something and then rush in.
- Offense
Kimberly's reversal lvl1 is somewhat worse for her than other characters, as not only is it slow, it also burns her unique resource if she has a spray can. Reversal lvl3 is very good for her as she gains the buff no matter what.
- Defense
Lily
Chun-Li vs. Lily
- Quick Notes
- Condor Wind blockstring RPS is something to get familiar with. Here's the basic options:
- 2HP > 214MP/214HP is a frame trap. Loses to DI but will true blockstring after Drive Rush.
- 2HP > 214LP is punishable (-25) but not Drive Impactable.
- Condor Spire loses to Drive Impact. Windclad Condor Spire loses to Drive Impact if not point blank.
- Windclad Condor Spire can be jumped on reaction if used from far away in neutral.
- OD Windclad Condor Spire beats Drive Impact at any distance.
- Any version of Condor Spire can be Drive Reversal-ed on reaction.
- Neutral
Lily can deal with Kikokens better than the average grappler due to OD Spire and her Condor Dive, but it's still a strong tool to use. Keeping her out means Chun will have more Drive and can more comfortably knock her away with Drive Reversal. It's essential to learn how to deal with her Condor Wind RPS and react to her doing greedy fullscreen Windclad Condor Spires with either Drive Impact (non-OD) or neutral jump (any Spire).
- Offense
Lily does not have an OD reversal and her level 1 super is quite slow. It's generally safe to meaty her with light normals until she gets to lvl3. If she tries to lvl3 raw, it can always be jumped after the cinematic. Keep in mind that she does have a command grab which some Lily players will use on defense, which makes being near her and slightly negative a little bit spooky. A perfectly meaty 5LP will recover fast enough to beat essentially all of her wakeup options aside from Perfect Parry and lvl3, making it the go-to in this MU. There isn't really a good reason to safejump her as her Windclad OD uppercut is fast enough to beat safejumps that would work normally against other OD uppercuts while also losing to strikes.
- Defense
Luke
Chun-Li vs. Luke (Even)
- Quick Notes
- Luke 214[HP] is vulnerable to DI unless he has 3 bars of meter to cancel into lvl3.
- 5LP~MP~HP > 236PP is the only option Luke has besides DRC that beats both mashing and DI. Any other special cancel is unsafe against DI and the TC itself is punishable.
- Every hit of the 5MP TC besides the first one is very punishable on block and advances Luke forwards.
- Neutral
Luke's midrange is incredibly strong if he can keep Chun out of the range of her normals. Sandblast is the enemy, and you as the Chun player must learn how to deal with that first. However, once Chun gets inside Sandblast range and in Luke's normal range, her buttons have the edge over his. Getting there is the hard part.
- Offense
Luke is blessed with both a strong OD reversal and one of the best level 1 supers in the game.
- Defense
Manon
Chun-Li vs. Manon
- Quick Notes
- Manon's longest-reaching pokes are vulnerable to Drive Impact. Represent it as an option, but do not overuse it.
- Manon has long-reaching mixup options (214LK, 214HK/KK, 624LP). Keep an eye out for them and play a little more preemptively.
- Neutral
Kikoken is an excellent option when it comes to stopping her pre-emptive options like 214LK, 214HK, and 5HK. The worst spacing to be in is her 5MP and 5HP range, as her buttons are slightly bigger and a little better than Chun's. She doesn't have a great answer to 5HP as a poke due to Manon's being 3f faster than her comparable options (aside from 2HK). 5MP is particularly threatening as it keeps the spacing essentially the same while also leaving Manon's opponent in 624MP range. Manon's 5MK is not to be underestimated either, as it is easily one of the strongest counters to 2MK-like normals in the game. Her j.HK is an absurd jump-in normal, which makes 5MK somewhat unreliable. 5HK is slow but deals with trades a little better, but Tensho is the most consistent option in terms of beating it clean.
- Offense
Manon's only reversal options outside universal Drive mechanics are her supers, so learning punishes for them is important.
- Defense
Marisa
Chun-Li vs. Marisa (Slight Chun Favor)
- Quick Notes
- Parry blows up a lot of her stuff. Even if it isn't a Perfect Parry, she doesn't get to steal your Drive.
- 623P goes over Kikoken, be careful with it once they present Phalanx as an option.
- Every option from Scutum is highly comittal and can be punished if read, but none are inherently reactable.
- Her 214P combo ender is incredibly unsafe on block. Punish her and punish hard.
- Marisa can use Scutum in Burnout to avoid DI. It's still armor so if she doesn't have enough health she'll just die.
- Normal 214K loses to lows, 214KK beats lows. Both lose to throw.
- Marisa deals incredibly high damage off seemingly random things. She will gamble and sometimes you'll just guess wrong.
- Neutral
This matchup is make or break when it comes to being able to whiff punish her. 5MK is very difficult to whiff punish on reaction, but standing outside of her heavy normal ranges forces her to either walk forward or gamble on said normals or Quadriga. It's also well worth the time to practice whiff punishing Gladius, as Marisa players like to poke with that too. Marisa's ability to overwhelm her opponents with her sheer number of options and strong special moves is very strong. Even being able to check the other options listed above my open you up to blocking a Phalanx and leaving her plus, simply by virtue of looking for other things.
- Offense
Meaty throw beats a surprising amount of her reversal options, but she can still use non-OD 214K to try and bust out of a frame trap. It's a bit safer to use Kikoken in pressure as reversal Phalanx is pretty slow. React with 5LP, 22K, or Parry if or when she tries it.
- Defense
Rashid
Chun-Li vs. Rashid
- Quick Notes
- Do not attempt to Drive Impact this man. DO NOT.
- Avoid Burnout at all costs. Rashid's 236LP becomes +1 on block and he can easily checkmate with Ysaar.
- Punish raw, non-Wind Eagle Spike with Drive Impact or dash 5HP/5HK.
- Meet Rashid in the air with j.LK or airthrow if he uses Arabian Skyhigh as an approach.
- Parry Ysaar until the Rashid player gives a reason not to.
- Neutral
Rashid will either attempt to fight with normals or back off to use his special moves. Chun Li's normals are overall better than his, which will make him lean on his special moves. It's not recommended to Drive Impact at Rashid due to how many special cancelable normals he has. It's not likely that he'll counter DI every time, but it's much more likely that he'll stick out a button and buffer 236LP behind it, which is functionally a better version of Chun Li's own 236LK.
Rashid doing Whirlwind Shot in neutral starts some fun RPS. Here's the basics of what can happen:
- He doesn't charge it.
- He partially charges it.
- He fully charges it.
Chun has decent options to discourage charging WWS. Walking him down, jumping at him, and using Hazanshu are countered by different strengths of WWS. Making him second-guess the version he wants to use is a great way to slow him down.
If Rashid gets a full charge WWS or any kind of Air Current, the RPS changes:
- He does Air Current 214K to force respect.
- He does Air Current 236LP to force an approach.
- He uses Air Current for a jump and approaches from the air.
- He sits there and does WWS again.
Understanding Chun's options at each point are critical. Higher charges of Whirlwind Shot have more projectile hits, which makes Kikoken less effective. Kikoken after he launches the shot cuts off 236LP and 214K, but leaves Chun wide open to an air approach. Conversely, playing reactive and using 4HP/2HK to stop 236LP and anti-airs to stop Air Current jump is a lot safer. Playing reactive makes Air Current Eagle Spike much more difficult to deal with, and that can be particularly dangerous at low Drive due to Burnout. The last thing you want to happen is to get Punish Countered by Air Current Eagle Spike. The easiest way to deal with Air Current options is to jump back on reaction to him moving, as it can potentially cover all three options, but this can be countered by Rashid delaying an option of his own. At the end of the day, it's up to you as the Chun player to stop him from getting this up or dealing with the RPS.
- Offense
Rashid's anti-air options, while strong if he can get them out, are either invulnerable starting frame 6 (236MP/236HP) or don't have long invulnerability windows (236PP). It's relatively easy to jump at him if the Rashid player is not ready. Aside from anti-airs, Rashid's defense is somewhat standard for a character with an OD reversal. He doesn't have many tricks to throw around aside from OD Spinning Mixer. However, his level 1 super does switch sides.
- Defense
Ryu
Chun-Li vs. Ryu
- Quick Notes
- Getting hit by a Denjin Hadouken means Ryu can stock another Denjin for free.
- Punish 236MK on block with 6MP or 2HK, nothing else reaches far enough or is fast enough.
- 236HK cannot be meaningfully punished on block unless it's very poorly spaced. If you see him do it, try to Parry or DI it.
- Neutral
Ryu's fireball game is better than Chun's and not tied to charge, making Chun the aggressor in this MU. You have to walk him down and avoid his long-reaching lows like 2MK and 2HK. Chun's 6HK has some use if you don't think he's going to throw a fireball, but she's airborne during 6HK and in a Forced Down state if hit which puts her back to square one. Hazanshu and Hyouko-Sen are exceptionally useful in the midrange, but can only effectively be used on a read due to Hazanshu's short and somewhat slow projectile invulnerability and Hyouko-Sen's long input. Try to whiff punish him with 2MK for his low attacks and 6MP/5HP for everything else.
- Offense
Running offense against Ryu is relatively standard, as one would expect from a shoto. He doesn't really have any curveballs to throw at you other than his OD Shoryuken.
- Defense
Zangief
Chun-Li vs. Zangief (Chun Favor but don't get too comfortable. This man is a con artist.)
- Quick Notes
- Keep him out. Try to get a lifelead and back off for as long as possible.
- Zangief's jump is high and slow, making it a little easier to anti-air him on reaction.
- Neutral tools aside from 5HP are quite punishable on block. He always loses his turn at the very least.
- Punish Lariat by crouching under the first hit and then DI-ing through hits 2 and 3.
- Neutral
Kikokens are strong when used a little farther than midscreen distance as there isn't anything he can really do about them. Because his jump is somewhat bad, it's a feasible to use 5HK as an anti-air against him, which helps counter his high health. Good Zangief players won't stop jumping until you as a player can prove that your anti-airs are consistent. His other main neutral option to beat is 5HP, which has armor and can be charged. When attempting to whiff punish 5HP, try to react to him releasing the button as to not get clipped. A lot of Zangief's other options lose heavily to Drive Impact (2HK, 5MP, 6HK) with 5HP typically being the exception to the rule. Make sure to punish those options whenever possible to encourage him to sit still.
- Offense
Make sure to have meaty timings down. Any slight mistake can be punished heavily by an SPD. The worst place to be is slightly negative and close to Gief, so structure pressure around pushing Chun out of harm's way more than trying to mix him up. Gief players love to reversal lvl3, make sure to space him out and give him just enough hope to try it.
- Defense
