Street Fighter 6/Ryu/Matchups

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A.K.I.

Ryu vs. A.K.I. (50.56%/Even)

Her toolkit is bizarre and intimidating but it's not all that bad once you learn the specifics of these sometimes evil moves

IMPORTANT NOTE: Poison does do some damage (420 for the full duration), but it's purpose is to extend combos so don't go full marsupial because it's on you.

Summary

A.K.I. is great at snowballing from small hits with her great meterless oki and Toxic Blossom, her unique combo extender on poisoned opponents, leading to huge burst damage. Though her bizarre hit and run playstyle can be disconcerting when you start playing competent A.K.I.s, it's not too bad once you get used to it. She's primarily going to rely on her strong grounded game and unique approach/disengagement tools to try and smother you. Pay attention to the A.K.I.'s habits when at full screen so you don't explode from a slide Dive. 5HP is still the god button but make sure that you are using lower hitting pokes such as 2MP and 2MK to cover her various low profile options that let her either escape or punish you with a combo. She can also punish fireballs in a few ways, but having Denjin stocked makes her have to guess if they will work on reaction.

Neutral

A.K.I.'s neutral is "hit and run." She is able to flow in and out of close, mid, and long range well while presenting a threat.

Her pokes are strong but often don't cancel:
- 5MK controls the midrange well with a solid hitbox and long range
- 2MK and 6HK are +1 and +2 on block respectively and greatly benefit from Drive Rush, 6HK crushes lows so be careful what you check with
- 236LP goes MILES, poisons on hit, and knocks down on Punish Counter and Toxic Blossom, it does beat one hit of fireballs but is a subpar for that purpose
Be aware her approach options too:
- Coward Crouch Dive is an effective anti-fireball tool, she has to commit to Coward Crouch early in order for it to punish making it slightly predictive
- 214K and 214KK are great surprise that are -3 and +2 on block respectively, 214HK doesn't lead you in range for strike throw mix like the other meterless versions, 214KK can be used on prediction to fireballs, both are hard to anti air, you can't DI 214KK by ducking the first few hits like the meterless ones
- Her bubble (214LP) is a very slow fireball in both speed and frame data making it great to Drive Rush behind but vulnerable to jump ins unless she spends an extra 2 bricks on 236KK

She is slippery but you can pin her down as long as you establish that know the answers to her BS. Mix in pokes that can't be low profiled, know what keeps her turn (meterless command jumps are NOT plus), and keep the fear of Denjin in her.

Defense

It is subpar. While she does have a couple unique ways to escape pressure, A.K.I. will mostly be relying on universal tools.

All reversals are flawed in some way
- 236KK is is a side swapping slide that is invulnerable to strikes and projectiles, but deals no damage and loses to throws flat out
- 236236K and 236236P are standard level 1s and 3s respectively, both are 10 frames and can be beaten by a perfectly meaty jab
- Her AA suite is good for neutral but flawed for covering her fireball or other committal options, 236HK isn't air invuln frame one and other options are AA normals

Because her main reversal is beaten by them, A.K.I. is especially vulnerable to throws. Since both supers whiff against meaty jabs so it might be a nice idea to implement a couple if you haven't already. Keep your pressure tight and varied enough to hold respect for the scary stuff.

Offense

A.K.I.'s design is heavily based off snakes and that certainly carries over to her pressure. The various threats she presents are often unconventional in how they are presented.

They are weird but it's still based in foundational Street Fighter pressure
- 2MK and 6HK are still great, natural plus frames are powerful especially if they lead to a combo on hit, again be careful around the low crush of 6HK
- 5HK is a safe poke with lots of cancel options to frame trap or stay safe
- Coward Crouch Kicks and Grab is a mixup from 5HK, Kicks frametraps while Grab beats blocking Kicks, delay jab stuffs the fastest cancels though she can delay kicks to Kicks is -3 on block and leaves her point blank for a mixup
- 236LK is a weird shimmy move that lets her disengage using cancellable normals while dodging some higher pokes
- A common pressure ender is 214HP, -4 ob but with high pushback, frametraps from lights

Watch out for cheeky resets with her Grab and 6HK, she wants plus frames to enforce her bullshit as a fair amount of her pressure enders leave her at a disadvantageous position for a mixup

Miscellaneous

DON'T BURNOUT AGAINST HER! Like Ryu A.K.I. has a demonic burnout loop, she can reset the spacing so she doesn't have to spend drive with 236LK or Coward Crouch Kicks, while risky taking the jab can push you out of the 5MP's range and thus out of the loop
Her level 2 is not a great fireball punish, it does initially hit you but has no projectile invincibility of any kind meaning she'll get hit out of it unless the first couple hits kill you
214LP (the fireball) is -10 point blank and the followup is -16, don't let this go unpunished
Learn how to crouch the first hits of her meterless command jumps and DI the second two, letting that rock chips out a decent amount of Drive even though she is -3

What should YOU do?

Throw Fireballs: Hadoken is a much better poke than her fireball and you have Denjin to make her second guess anti-fireball options
Use lower hitting pokes: 5HP is a great poke but it can be low profiled, 2MK and 2MP cannot be and are great in their own right
Counter her bullshit: Her weird options can end up making her a tough MU to learn irrespective of the actual difficulty of it, keep her honest
Jump (Responsibly): While they are good AAs, they specifically aren't great at covering her fireball, jumping even as a reaction to these options at closer distances can be especially hard for her to deal with
Throw: No throw invuln on 236KK means that throw is heavily weighted against her, teching and other anti-throw options are something to watch out for

Akuma

Ryu vs. Akuma (49.09%/Even)

He's a real asshole and has a ton of powerful gimmicks that make this one a toughie to learn but your neutral and hard hits make this a more even MU than you might think

Quick Summary

CAPCOM still insists that this is a good way to design a character. Though toned down from previous entries, Akuma still has every tool you could want. Fireball, DP, great combo enders for every situation, air options, canned mixups, and more. He pays for this only by having 9k health rather than the typical 10k. Many characters are smothered by one or more of his strengths. Luckily for Ryu, he is able to keep up with these with his own great tools. The matchup can be volatile but your exceptionally stable gameplan punishes Akumas mashing gimmicks while competing evenly with ones willing to slow down.

Neutral

The Satsui No Hado gives you safe pokes and fast walkspeed. Akuma deftly dances around the midrange while throwing out his own annoying buttons. His air options certainly don't make this matchup more manageable.

A stupidly good grounded kit
- His Hadoken is better than yours if you don't have Denjin, him being able to hold his fireballs adds many layers to his zoning game, once you have Denjin up you have slight advantage
  - He can "AA" predictive far away jump for his fireballs
  - With some patience, his charged fireballs beat your own Hadokens
  - Teleport is not invuln this go around but instead has a command grab followup, this is mainly used by Akuma to punish people repeatedly parrying his fireballs on reaction to any motion, try your best to look for the fireball after it comes out so you don't get command grabbed
  - HE STILL HAS A DP!!!
- 5HP, 6HP, and 6MK all serve as safe, long, and unduckable pokes that can safely confirm into a knockdown in the case of 5HP and 6HP
- 2MP is a slightly longer than average counter-poke that cancels to a lot of important specials
- 5HK is the backwalkers bane, it punishes walking out of pressure and not blocking low in neutral, at mid and close range make sure to low block when to hold your ground (you should be doing this in general already), once the second hit whiffs he is -13 which means you can get a 5HK of your own though I prefer to go for 2MP to stay consistent
- 2HK is a standard shoto sweep. On block, it is punishable by your own 2HK at all spacings, and by 5HP/2MK at closer ranges
ANNOYING yet tolerable air options
- Air fireball is not as good as it used to be, it's "easy" to anti-air at a lot of typical jump angles IF YOU USE DP, NEVER use grounded anti-air options against it you WILL eat dirt
- DP Demon Flip, eliminate the mix but not being there in the first place, be aware that in some situations he can make your DP whiff by not taking an air action of flying over you

Defense

He's got a similar defensive suite to you with a couple options sprinkled on top.

Akuma's backwalk speed is faster than normal which allow him to more easily escape some throw pressure, use lows to keep the fucker honest
EX Gou-Shoryuken sure is an invincible reversal but it carries a bit more risk because 9k health :)
As it is 10 frames, his level 1 can be jumped post freeze letting you get some better conversions in certain situations
Heavy Demon Flip can be used to escape the corner though it gets slightly more recovery for doing so, jab him if you can react in time

Offense

A stable foundation with a decent amount of gimmicks to deal with.

5MP is +1 on block giving his pressure a more solid foundation, don't mindlessly mash after this
Demon Flip is still annoying
- When canceled into from normals the answer is still to DP, heavy is more likely to sideswitch in this situation though so keep your hands on the wheel. Many Akuma players will try to reset their pressure by cancelling into Demon Flip - guillotine as it is plus on block. This can be DP'd on reaction but if you're not confident a 4HP can work in a pinch
- On oki it becomes much more real since he can just do nothing and make your DP whiff/be blocked, Just Hold It^TM, a good Akuma will have real setups so everything will be plus afterwards, learn to identify shitty divekicks though
Adamant Flame (214P) is a big backfist that can autoshimmy or frametrap, light is -8, medium is -4, heavy is -2 and leaves Akuma out of throw range, learn to identify these since they can be as annoying to punish or respond to as Hashogeki, the followups are all extremely unsafe. Kill him for trying it
Charged and EX Hadoken are both plus, try to recognize when he's charging them up a full level, he can release early to frame trap though it's not super rewarding
Teleport's command grab is extremely slow and reactable limiting its use to the aforementioned fireball check, he can however mental stack you in offense so try to keep it somewhere in the dome's top layer

Miscellaneous

Raging Demon is extremely situational beyond even its limitation to CA, full invuln doesn't last until startup, it can be used as an answer to fireballs but that's extremely niche
- The lack of invulnerability means that it is a shitty defensive tool, regular meaties will beat it clean unlike Zangief's 720, the only option it will beat on wakeup is a crouchblock right in front of him
5MK~HK TC is always interruptible by a 5 frame, you have a great one in 5LK, there isn't much Akuma can do to prevent this since his 5MK is -3 on block
Mix up your backroll after he does Heavy Adamant Flame, if you backroll he has to do Heavy Demon Flip to get oki, if you don't he has to double dash, backrolling when he double dashes eliminates his oki while staying still after Heavy Demon Flip leaves him minus
His regular divekick is pretty slow though only punishable at a truly awful angle and height, the weird descent makes it DP fodder

What should YOU do?

AA Demon Flip: Demon Flip's followups are extremely rewarding for Akuma on block or hit, you have an almost universal answer to them, KEEP HIM GROUNDED
Be smart about Denjin: Having or not having charge can decide whether or not you have advantage in the fireball war or get the conversion you need,
Don't mindlessly parry: Akuma is extremely good at punishing twitch parries as a reaction to fireballs or being in the air, ensure that your parries are for a reason
KILL HIM: His health difference, though stupidly designed, is a tangible weakness Ryu is poised to take advantage of, use your explosive combos to make him regret mistakes
Catch backwalking: Akuma players often try to walk out of pressure using his excellent backwalk speed, keep him sitting still with your safe cancels off 2MK and your 5LK chains, 6HP is another fantastic tool for punishing Akuma players attempting to walk back in neutral or during your pressure, it leaves you +3 on block putting Akuma back into the mix
Be the better player: Though it may sound glib, Akuma's tools are ultimately very similar to your own, once he's conditioned to stop the gimmicks you're left with a relatively standard shoto vs shoto matchup, take control of the fireball game before he does, dp him for jumping, play the footsie game - your good pokes are almost identical to his. You have all the tools you need to win but it's up to you to use them properly

Blanka

Ryu vs. Blanka (49.81%/Even)

Though he does have stable options, Blanka will primarily be taking risky gambles to win neutral; gambles that Ryu has great responses to

Quick Summary

Neutral

Defense

Offense

Miscellaneous

What should YOU do?

Cammy

Ryu vs. Cammy (47.48%/Slight-Disadvantage)

Cammy has long buttons, good answers to fireballs, and a stellar divekick making her tougher to do typical shoto things to

Quick Summary

Neutral

Defense

Offense

Miscellaneous

What should YOU do?

Beating Cammy's SA3 Startup: whiff LP Shoryuken (623LP), no punish

Useful if Cammy uses SA3 on reaction to your Drive Rush; in neutral, you can just jump away.
Works because SA3 is airborne for all of its active frames

Chun-Li

Ryu vs. Chun-Li (47.51%/Disadvantage)

Her buttons are huge and her fireball is excellent, she can be hard to challenge and open up

Quick Summary

Neutral

Defense

Offense

Miscellaneous

Serenity Stream stance will low-profile the following moves:

5LP, 5HP, j.MP, 236P (all), 214LK, 214HK (1st hit), SA1

What should YOU do?

Dee Jay

Ryu vs. DeeJay (48.40%/Slight-Advantage)

DeeJay hits hard and can trick with feints but Ryu has good answers to them

Quick Summary

Neutral

Defense

Offense

Miscellaneous

What should YOU do?

Dhalsim

Ryu vs. Dhalsim (51.97%/Disadvantage)

The longest pokes and strong fireballs make it hard for Ryu to get in, though he's cooked if you get in

Quick Summary

Neutral

Defense

Offense

Miscellaneous

What should YOU do?

Ed

Ryu vs. Ed (42.78%/Even)

His normals and flicker go far but they interact evenly with Ryu's, his abnormal fireball doesn't truly benefit him when dealing with Hadoken, do those meaty jabs to beat his slow DP

Quick Summary

Neutral

Defense

Offense

Miscellaneous

What should YOU do?

E.Honda

Ryu vs. E.Honda (53.13%/Advantageous)

His neutral is ignorant but yours is competent, as long as you know how to deal with Headbutt and Buttslam you'll be good

Quick Summary

Neutral

Defense

Offense

Miscellaneous

What should YOU do?

Guile

Ryu vs. Guile (49.71%/Disadvantage)

It's the same theme for his disadvantageous MUs, better fireball and/or better buttons, getting in can be really tough, learn to identify when he has charge

Quick Summary

Neutral

Defense

Offense

Miscellaneous

What should YOU do?

Jamie

Ryu vs. Jamie (49.41%/Advantage)

He struggles to deal with you at drink level 1 and has to take risks at higher levels, keep him out and don't let him get drinks

Quick Summary

Neutral

Defense

Offense

Miscellaneous

What should YOU do?

JP

Ryu vs. JP (46.83%/Even)

Another MU that's hard to learn but is not too bad once you get down to it, you have comfortable answers to all his shenanigans and he has to take risks or spend meter to keep you out

Quick Summary

Neutral

Defense

Offense

Miscellaneous

OD Amnesia Bombs:

After blocking/parrying the first bomb, instant j.MP/j.MK makes the second bomb whiff
Be careful if JP is nearby, as he can hit you during your prejump frames for a combo