Akuma Matchup Thread

Abel

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Akuma

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Asuka

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Balrog

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Bob

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Cammy

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Chun Li

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Cole

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Dhalsim

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Guile

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Heihachi

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Hugo

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Hwoarang

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Ibuki

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Jin

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Julia

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Juri

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Kazuya

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Ken

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King

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Kuro

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Kuma

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Law

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Lili

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M. Bison

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Marduk

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Megaman

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Nina

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Ogre

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Pac-man

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Paul

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Poison

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Raven

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Rolento

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Rufus

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Ryu

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Sagat

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Steve

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Toro

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Vega

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Xiaoyu

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Yoshimitsu

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Now if some people dont mind helping me with this I would gladly appreciate it.

Just got raped by hwoarang, cant jump in and getting mixed up

Just went through a very lengthy online session with Akuma I’ll try to update the matchup thread with more info as I go online and fight different characters.

First up Hugo:

OVERVIEW
Quite a menace for some not really for Akuma. The best way to deal with Hugo in my opinion is to either zone the hell of out him with air fireballs and then wait for him to do something stupid or cross him up to death provided he doesn’t have meter.

APPROACH TACTICS

CHARGE CANCELS
One of the most common Hugo approaches is his charge cancels. Hugo players tend to cancel crouching lights into his Monster Lariat super charge move and possibly dash out of it or just let it rip. The former is punishable by a simple cross rush combo but as always it will take some practice to get used to it and the latter is explained in the ‘SPECIALS’ section.

BODY SPLASHES
Another approach is that when he is in your face. Hugo will go into ‘Splash Mode’. Fishing hard using his body splash (Down + Heavy Punch) to land and easy mode over 50% of your health combo. Anti air with Akuma’s Crouching Heavy Punch and/or teleport away if you don’t want to face the risk of blocking ambiguous crossups.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Cr.LK
Has some good range and hits low, usually used to chain into his swep (Cr.MK)

Cr.MK
Hugo’s sweep it is usually chained into from his Cr.LK for a hard knockdown

St.HP
Hugo slams his elbow down. Its an overhead (albeit its a litle bit easy to see coming) so stand up and punish him because its unsafe on block.

Cr.MP
One of Hugo’s key pokes other than his Cr.LK. Usually used to cancel into his Giant Palm Breaker.

St.MP
Moves Hugo forwards along the ground. Useful to getting in your face and causing you trouble. Learn the reach of it so you can whiff punish him with either a Cr.HK sweep or Cross Rush.

UNIQUE ATTACKS

BODY PRESS (Down + HP)
Hugo’s Body Press has a massive hitbox on it. Not only is it a good jump in attack but it can also cross you up too.

The key thing to note about blocking this move is at which part of Hugo’s body is he attacking you with?

In general if he hits you from his upper body to his waist then it won’t cross you up whereas if he wants to hit you with his lower body, it will cross-up.

HAMMER HOOK (Forward + HP)
A massive long swinging punch from Hugo

Interestingly this move causes a knockdown against airborne opponents outside of that this move is rarely thrown out because it whiffs against crouching opponents and is pretty unsafe on block hence you should crouch under it and punish it whenever you can. Its really slow and easy to see coming so crouching under it shouldn’t be a problem.

Punish him with a Far Standing HK into Cross-Rush or solo combo if you block it high.

LEAP ATTACK (Down > Neutral > Down + MK)
Hugo jumps up and sticks his knee up

This move hits as an overhead and can be used on your wake-up to stop you from holding Down-Back the whole time against Hugo.

Outside of that, this move is mainly used in Hugo Mind Games to be honest. For instance charging up a special move and then hitting you with this move to gain a counter hit from which he can follow up with a damaging combo.

This move is pretty slow and its made worse by the fact that Hugo is so massive so its pretty easy to see coming.

This move is safe to your normals, DP and even your demon on block.

SPECIALS

MONSTER LARIAT (QCF + Any Kick)
Monster lariat is cross rush punishable, Close Standing Heavy Punch punishable as well as DP punishable (the latter being good if you have a partner who can really create massive damage from uppercuts.) Still it has one hit of armor though so you will have to be careful when jumping in at him. I would suggest crossing him up with a Cross-Up Tatsumaki (when he has no meter.) so you can absorb the hit of armor from the lariat and punish him if he lets go. Generally cross rush is advised but you can do some solo combos depending on the situation (e.g. partner is low on health etc.)

The EX version is safe and is usually done to bring his partner in if he is low on health or sometimes it is done out of a super charge in both cases (provided that you are blocking) Cross Cancel (or Alpha Counter as it is well known for) out of it. This works especially well if he has low health although there is a risk that his partner may want to cross you up and if you do it too late I believe that it will miss his partner leaving you open.

GIANT PALM BREAKER (QCB + Any Punch)
His Giant Palm Breaker is usually done in blockstrings using his crouching light kick or medium punch to cancel into them. They can easily be DPed out of and or Demoned/Misogied (is misogied even a word?) if you see fit as it isn’t a true blockstring.

I don’t see alot of Hugo players use the EX Version of his claps. Either way they still aren’t a true blockstring and meter is too important in a game such as this. DP those for free and bring in your partner if you see fit to bring on the hurt if needed.

If you block any version of his Giant Palm Breaker, you will be locked down in frame advantage as Hugo gains alot of it on block. Just don’t attack and wait for the next normal into his Giant Palm Breaker so that you can DP between.

MOONSAULT PRESS (360 Motion + Any Punch)
Hugo’s 360 throw, Moonsault Press, lacks range, a couple jabs and you are out of his 360 range the EX version will ignore your physical attacks though and he will use this if you become a little bit too block-string friendly up close.

ULTRA THROW (HCB + Any Kick)
Same thing kind of goes for his Ultra Throw which I haven’t seen people make much use of it yet partly because it falls under the same thing as his Moonsault Press. But still could be useful in the future?

MEAT SQUASHER (360 Motion + Any Kick)
The Meat Squasher in my opinion is what I believe to be Hugo’s last ditch effort in throwing you about the place. This move is pretty easy to see coming whether it is the light version or the heavy version. Hugo players tend to lock you down in blockstun and then use the move if they find that the clap strings don’t work at all. Jump it and enjoy your free combo (same thing for EX as well).

SHOOTDOWN BACKBREAKER (DP Motion + Any Kick)
Hugo superjumps upwards for a backbreaking throw.

This is a move you should watch out for the most against Hugo as if he times this correctly he can bypass your fireball zoning and be in your face in an instant thanks to its increased range.

This move will even catch your back dash should you try to wake-up with one on your wake-up.

Fortunately though this move has one big weakness. It is horridly unsafe and can be stopped by your air fireballs if you time it right.

If he does this move and he whiffs, he will more often than not be on the other side of you on his recovery. During this he is extremely vulnerable. You can take your pick of which move you can use to punish him. Be it Far Standing HK, s.HP into a full combo or Cross Rush.

The regular versions are also weak to cross-ups so if he does it as a wake-up option you’ll fly straight over him and he’ll be at fullscreen meaning he’ll have to work his way to get in on you again.

The EX version is alot faster and travels a further distance but you can still prevent it from hitting you if your fireball zoning is on point.

GIGAS BREAKER (QCF + All Kicks)
Unlike Third Strike, Hugo’s super can be comboed into in SF X Tekken. The super does a massive amount of damage (380 to be precise) so it is definitely something to avoid if Hugo does it raw.

Some Hugo Players sometimes will perform this move by charging up his Monster Lariat until it reaches its super level. During which Hugo will run in your face with one hit of armor and on block will perform an EX Monster Lariat which is safe on block. Jump over him when he does this and punish him hard for it.

He could also just do this move fullscreen through your zoning as a way to get in. Hence it is a good idea to watch Hugo’s meter so that you can predict this move and punish it on whiff.

ALL IN ALL
Keep your distance and let him come to you. He’s a big guy and you’re the guy with the crap health here. It only takes two solid combos for him to kill you so be patient and bait out his bunch of 360s especially Meat Squasher and well ‘frustrate’ the player by zoning him with fireballs for days.

TL:DR
Then again why explain how to beat Hugo when Renic has done it here some of the stuff I’ve mentioned does apply to Akuma here though.
[media=youtube]Rjt3Me_JkLQ[/media]

Next Up Kazuya

OVERVIEW
I personally dislike fighting this guy because everytime I do, something new just comes up and screws me over, a new high/low mix-up or just making stupid mistakes the latter will cost you dearly if you do make them. With a wavedash providing some good mobility and safe pressure thanks to his Electric Wind God Fist (or EWGF as it is commonly known as) Kazuya can be a pain for Akuma.

APPROACH TACTICS

In my experience there tends to be 3 types of Kazuya that you will come across. I’ll list them below in order.

  1. The ‘Wavedash Like a Madman’ Kazuya
    Whilst the wavedash does look scary at first for new players due to the speed of it and the fact that it avoids a bunch of attacks e.g. overheads and moves that can be blocked standing. It is weak to lows so if a Kazuya wants to Wavedash at the start or at any point in the match, catch him with a c.MK or c.HK sweep to throw him off. The c.MK can be followed up with whatever you choose.

  2. The ‘Leapfrog’ Kazuya
    Tends to be very rare when you start fighting the Kazuya players who know what they are doing but they come around here and there. The main goal just like any shoto is to just anti-air his jump-ins. If he tries to just plain jump in your face then use cr.HP to stuff him or DP (preferably either the Medium or the Heavy Version.)

  3. The ‘Tekken String/Pressure’ Kazuya
    This is probably one of the most annoying and usually players like these will mix this up with his other approaches to throw you off. Kazuya will simply walk forward and start his Tekken Strings off at you gaining hard knockdowns and using his Oni Front Kick (Back + HK) to keep you on the floor. There are some other tactics as well and these will be covered in the ‘TEKKEN STRINGS’ section.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Cr. LK
A very fast low kick that leads into his Cross Rush, learn the range on it and whiff punish it in footsies.

Cr. HK
A safe sweep for most but it is Demon Punishable on block it has some good range though

J. HK / J.MK
Jumping Heavy Kick is one of Kazuya’s air to airs whereas Jumping Medium Kick is his main crossup anti air these at all costs with Cr. HP. or DP if they are further away.

TEKKEN STRINGS/UNIQUE ATTACKS

Kazuya has two ‘kick’ overheads. They are his Right Splits Kick (Forward + MK) and his Left Splits Kick (Forward + LK)
They are both used just to stop you from holding Down Back for the whole round. The Left Splits Kick is a little bit easier to see coming compared to the Right Splits Kick as he takes a step forward with the Left Splits Kick.Fortunately as far as I know he can’t follow up from both of these even if he tags in his partner (Tested with Ryu and his 3 frame Jab.)

On top of this his Left Splits Kick is pretty punishable on block. It is c.LP punishable so you can go into a cross rush or whatever you want, its DP punishable and it is also Demon punishable.

His Right Splits Kick on the other hand isn’t really punishable unless you have 2 bars stocked for a Demon.

His Oni Front Kick (Back + HK) as mentioned before causes a hard knockdown on hit, is an overhead and stuns on counter hit (but I’m assuming most people know this already.) Its horribly unsafe if performed deep (punishable with Cross Rush or Close Standing HP) but with the right spacing he can make it safe due to the push-back. Its still Demon punishable on block though.

Onto the Tekken Strings

Kazuya’s St.LP sets up most of his strings up for the most part and it is definitely a normal you should be looking out for.
From his St. LP he has:

LEFT RIGHT COMBO (LP > MP)
Standard Left Right Combo from Tekken relatively safe if he does it far away from you. cr.LP punishable if he does it up close. Demon punishable as well on block. Its generally used for mix-up purposes to try and throw you off.

FLASH PUNCH COMBO (LP > LP > MP)
Not the sting that most Kazuya players go for as it is pretty unsafe. Punish with Far Standing HK into Cross Rush (or link into c.HK sweep if your partner is low on health)

DEMON SLAYER (LP > MP > MP)
Again not a string you see often but still noteworthy as it is a frame trap string that stops your LPs. You can DP though in between the last two hits.

TWIN FANG STATURE SMASH (LP > MP > LK)
A three hit string from Kazuya that ends in a low. Its Cr.HK sweep punishable on block as well as demon punishable, this string can lead to very tricky mixups when paired with the below string.

TWIN FANG DOUBLE KICK (LP > MP > LK > MK )
Okay this is where fighting Kazuya can be a pain. For those who don’t know its a string with two punches and two kicks. The last two kicks being one low and one overhead respectively the end result is a hard knockdown. The completed string is punishable on block with Cross Rush or st.HP into whatever you want.

The thing with this string is that Kazuya Players may or may not tend to finish it. They may stop at the 3rd hit (the low) in this case cr.HK sweep him.

They may also want to mix this up with a chained sweep and this is where it gets a little tricky as a high/low mix-up is now present. Thankfully your best option in this case is DP. Simply buffer a DP during the 3rd hit of the string and if done correctly, if he goes for the overhead a reversal DP will come out and hit him if not you’ll block the sweep and from there you can punish with Far Standing HK into Cross Rush etc.

WARNING the tactic mentioned above will not work if he stops with the 3rd hit as the DP will come out and it will whiff.

ACUTE PAIN (LK > LP > MP)

A 3 hit string that is mainly used for hit confirming, Kazuya players will use this to cancel into his special moves more specifically his EWGF. On block though if he decides not to cancel, it is cr.HK sweep punishable.

DEMON’S WRATH (Back + LK > LP > MK > LP)

Kazuya’s famous 4 hitter from Tekken (unfortunately it isn’t really worth much as in Tekken it can be low parried but in this game not so)
Trivia aside, this string starts with two hits that can be blocked low as well a low for the 3rd hit and an overhead punch that knocks down. Kazuya players will mix this up with his ‘REIGN OF TERROR’ string which I will cover below.

REIGN OF TERROR (Back + LK > LP > MK > LK)
This is the same string only it ends in a low. On block it is Cross Rush punishable (Start with c.MK into Far Standing HK into Launcher) and like his DEMON’S WRATH its Demon punishable on block.

You could just flat out guess as to whether Kazuya will go low or high in this string but I prefer the DP approach. Like his TWIN FANG STATURE SMASH string buffer a DP during the third hit.

If done correctly, if he goes low the DP won’t come out and you can enjoy your free punish, if he goes for the overhead the DP will come out and hit him out of the string. Also unlike his TWIN FANG STATURE SMASH string the 3rd hit is DP punishable on block and it will connect. Therefore shutting down the whole mix-up.

RAMPAGING DEMON (Back + MP > MK > LP)
Another 3 hit string from Kazuya. The first hit hits low whilst the others can be blocked either standing or crouching. For people who lack 3 frame jabs I believe the last hit is a frametrap for them but for Akuma the last hit can be interrupted with a jab. You could also block the last hit and take a free punish in the form of a Cross Rush or s.HP into whatever you want.

If the Kazuya player doesn’t finish the string, the first hit is horrible on block. You can punish with Cross Rush or s.HP etc. and the second hit on block is Demon punishable but if you don’t have the meter you can cr.HK sweep him as well.

SPECIALS

MIST STEP (forward > neutral > down > down-forward)
As mentioned before Kazuya’s mist step avoids highs and other moves that don’t hit low but it fortunately it loses to lows. Out of his Mist Step he has the following moves.

RISING UPPERCUT (MP during Mist Step)

Kazuya’s Rising Uppercut is safe to most of Akuma’s arsenal except a Demon so if you have two bars and he is low on health punish with a reversal Demon

ELECTRIC WIND GOD FIST ( MP during Mist Step (Just frame))

The EWGF is the just-frame version of Kazuya’s Rising Uppercut it has all of the usefulness of the EX version minus blowing the meter needed to use it. It is +1 on block so you can’t reversal Demon it on block.

To easily tell between the two, the EWGF has a Purple ‘Spark’ in Kazuya’s fist and is alot faster whilst the regular version is slightly slower and the colour of the spark in Kazuya’s fist is Blue.

Your best option here is block and take the pressure and if you have the meter, Alpha Counter it. Its a really good move and requires high execution to pull off consistently. It is arguably one of the most dangerous things about Kazuya in SF X Tekken.

DRAGON UPPERCUT (LP during Mist Step)
Kazuya’s dragon uppercut is a good anti-air midscreen and its one of the ways that he can stop you advancing on him from the air. On block it is very punishable though so do your worst in the punishment department to stop him from doing the move randomly in your face again.

DRAGON UPPERCUT to MIDDLE KICK (Any Kick During Dragon Uppercut)
One of two followups out of Kazuya’s Dragon Uppercut. This move hits as an overhead . If you have already blocked the intial dragon uppercut then this move is interruptable with a Cross Rush or s.HP if you want a solo combo.

DRAGON UPPERCUT to SPINNING LOW KICK (Down + Any Kick During Dragon Uppercut)
Same for his low kick. If you have already blocked the intial dragon uppercut then you can interrupt it with your punishers. Although this followup is generally used on incoming from Kazuya as it causes a float in the air which allows him to advance and keep up the pressure.

SPINNING DEMON (Any Kick During Mist-Step)
Kazuya’s low option out of his mist-step. Very unsafe on block. It is followed by either another low kick or an overhead hook.

SPINNING DEMON x2 (Any Two Kicks During Mist-Step)
Kazuya goes low twice Very Unsafe on block just like if he was to do one Spinning Demon

SPINNING DEMON INTO HOOK (Any Kick > Any Punch During Mist-Step)
Kazuya’s overhead option also unsafe.

He does have an EX version of this move for some reason. But it is rarely used. Overall its another high/low guessing game. Guess right and take a free punish guess wrong and take a hard knockdown and some damage. There is the option to Alpha Counter him though during the first Spinning Demon thus negating the mix-up.

RISING SUN (QCB + Kick)
This move goes over lows and the light version is safe to your DP. The Medium version only hits twice and is unsafe on block and the Heavy Version can be followed up with only an overhead.

The EX version throws in a low followup for mix-up purposes.

TRIPLE ROUNDHOUSE SPIN KICK (Any Kick During Heavy or EX Rising Sun)
This is the overhead ender for the Rising Sun. It is only Reversal Demon Punishable on block.

RISING SUN > SWEEP (Down + Any Kick During EX Rising Sun)
The sweep ender for Kazuya’s rising sun is unsafe to Cross Rushes on block although you can also Close Standing HP him as well. Just walk forward slightly and go from there.

THE SLAUGHTER SERIES
These are Kazuya’s punch mix-ups during which he has 3 options.

SLAUGHTER HOOK (QCB + LP)
This is his overhead followup. It is pretty unsafe on block and for some Kazuya Players this is a good test to see if you are blocking correctly against his Slaughter Series of attacks. Stand up and punish him hard on block with Cross Rush or Close Standing HP.

SLAUGHTER HIGH KICK (QCB + MP)
This is his high followup, the second hit is duckable and leaves him open. Kazuya players will tend to do this once they find that you are blocking his SLAUGHTER HOOK correctly. The high is safe and is a good way for him to bring in his partner when he is low on health.

DEVASTATOR (QCB + HP)
This is Kazuya’s safest option from the Slaughter Series, it has a tonne of pushback on block and you can’t demon punish it. Fortunately it hits the reset button on his offence meaning he will have to work his way to get to you again.

All EX versions of the Slaughter Series have some Invunlerability Frames and Kazuyas will tend to use the SLAUGHTER HOOK as a Reversal or a last ditch attempt when they are low on life. Watch if he has any meter and bait it out if necessary by either blocking it or neutral jumping at the right time.

In order to stop the mix-up. Yep buffer DP. Buffer a DP during the first hit of his Slaughter Series mix-ups and stand up. If he goes for the high kick the DP will come out and him if he goes for the overhead you’ll block the overhead because you are standing and if he goes for his Devastator, the DP won’t come out.

On a side note, if you have Akuma paired up with a character who has a counter and that character is on point during the match, buffer the counter during the first hit of his Slaughter Series’ attacks and if he tries to go high it will counter the high. If he brings in his partner through this it will counter his partner on incoming as well.

DEVIL BEAM (QCF + All Punches)
Kazuya’s super does a tonne of damage for what it is. Its nice and short too meaning it isn’t as suseptible to being victim of the clock too.

Its primary use is in combos. So if he does it raw, punish him hard for making that mistake.

TRVIA: (I’ve also seen people throw Kazuya out of his super if it is done raw, although I wouldn’t take this risk in a real match.)

ALL IN ALL
Fireballs and DPs are your friend here keep your distance and make him come to you and remember to buffer DPs during the strings I have mentioned.
One more thing his cr.HK sweep. Its Reversal Demon Punishable on block :slight_smile:

Next up Ryu

OVERVIEW
The typical shoto battle. Although it has changed albeit slightly in Street Fighter X Tekken due to Ryu’s Donkey Kick and his cancelable sweep. Ryu lays on the hurt as well if you make a mistake. But with some patience and some good reads, the matchup is winnable.

APPROACH TACTICS

TATSUMAKI

Ryu will use his Tatsumaki to not only get across to you but also pass through your fireballs if you get too fireball happy. Duck it and Cr.HP him or Uppercut into your partner if you have the meter.

JUMPING

Like any other character in Street Fighter X Tekken, Ryu will also jump at you to start offense. Cr.HP if he is trying to cross you up with a cross up tatsumaki and DP him if he doesn’t. Provided your spacing is on point.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Cr.MK
Reverted back to how it was in SF4 before AE came and nerfed it. Learn its range and try to get him to whiff it so that you can Cr.HK sweep him or raw launcher him to punish it.

Cr.HK
Now special cancellable. Expect it to be used with his Donkey Kick for some safe pressure.

UNIQUE ATTACKS

COLLARBONE BREAKER (Forward + MP)
Ryu’s two hit overhead. Its now slightly more dangerous in this game. Whilst alone he can’t follow up with it, if he switch cancels, his partner can. Which can lead to a 300-400 damage combo depending on who is paired up with him.

On block this move is safe to your DP but it is Reversal Demon Punishable.

SOLAR PLEXUS STRIKE (Forward + HP)
A two hit strike that moves Ryu forward. Mainly useful in punishment situations but don’t be surprised if he wants to throw this out to throw you off in footsies. Its pretty bad on whiff so punish with a Cross Rush if necessary.

On block this move is only Reversal Demon punishable.

SPECIALS

HADOKEN (QCF + Any Punch)
Pretty much your standard projectile since SF was born. Ryu like you will be mixing up the speeds of his hadoken in fireball wars waiting for that moment to tatsu in your face.

If you have the bar you can EX Demon Flip over his fireballs and punish him for it (use the palm or the throw followup) on reaction.

This is also Ryu’s charge move and he will use this mix up his fireballs further but to also create pressure up close with Charge Dash Cancels. Which are unsafe on block so s.HP him if he tries to do so or DP him out of it.

The EX version hits twice, its something Ryu may throw in during fireball wars to throw you off your game or tag out safely. But with meter being so important, expect to see it less against Ryu Players who have good meter management.

SHORYUKEN (DP Motion + Any Punch)
Ryu’s uppercut tends to trade a bit more often against jump-ins now. Nevertheless it is still a good anti air. Ryu will use this either on wakeup to get you off of him or on hit you with it on block to call in his partner. The DP switch cancel IS NOT SAFE with Ryu. You can Light Punch his partner coming in or reversal DP into your partner if you have the meter catching both characters in the process.

The EX version is Ryu’s Shin Shoryuken. Although on block it just turns in to a regular uppercut with alot of invicibility and hits. The EX version of Ryu’s uppercut is arguably the best way to bring his partner in. Although it will cost him 2 bars. So watch his meter and keep an eye out for it if he wants to do it.

TATSUMAKI SEMPUKYAKU (QCB + Any Kick)
Ryu’s famous tornado whirlwind kick. Ryu will use this to get through your fireballs if you get too projectile happy.It will take you some good reads to bait this move out and punish it. If you block it standing it is relatively safe on block.

The EX version is mainly used as a combo extender in the corner. You won’t really see many Ryu Players throw this out unless he is hitting you in a combo even so if he does randomly and it whiffs. Take your free punish.

AIRBORNE TATSUMAKI SEMPUKYAKU (QCB + Any Kick Whilst In The Air)
The airborne version of Ryu’s Tatsu is mainly used to cross you up after a knockdown. Although Cross up Tatsu > Shinku Hadoken still hurts Akuma so be careful when Ryu has two bars.

JOUDAN SOKUTOGERI (A.K.A 'Donkey Kick) (HCF + Any Kick)
Ryu’s donkey kick is back in the world of SF albeit its alot better than what it was last time its slightly harder to punish than in 3rd Strike but its still do-able nonetheless.

The Light version of the kick is the fastest and is Cross Rush punishable on block. (Start with c.MK) you could also perform a solo combo from a c.MK too

The Medium version is slightly slower but still Cross Rush punishable on block (Start with c.MK) like the light one you could also perform a solo combo starting with c.MK.

The Heavy version is the slowest but it is safe to your LPs and your Demon.

The Heavy Version is the most notable version of the Donkey Kick as Ryu Players will use this by cancelling into it off of a c.MK or a c.HK sweep. As far as I know cr.MK into HK Donkey Kick is NOT a true blockstring. It can be DPed out of or even Misogied in between.

The EX version causes a wallbounce and is safe on block. But it is Demon Punishable. If you don’t have the meter however just block it and rejoice in the fact that Ryu has wasted meter for a little chip damage (unless he wants to chip you to death.)

Ryu Players like to use this move in blockstrings against you using his cr.MK and his cr.HK. Some of these blockstrings are not true blockstrings. They can be DPed/Misogied out of in between them.

Blockstrings with cr.MK
[LIST]
[]cr.MK into LK Joudan = True Block String
[
]cr.MK into MK Joudan = NOT a True Block String
[]cr.MK into HK Joudan = NOT a True Block String
[/LIST]
Blockstrings with cr.HK
[LIST]
[
]cr.HK into LK Joudan = True Block String
[]cr.HK into MK Joudan = True Block String
[
]cr.HK into HK Joudan = NOT a True Block String
[/LIST]
All Blockstrings with Ryu’s EX Joudan are True Blockstrings
SHINKU HADOKEN (QCF + All Punches)
Shinku hadoken isn’t nearly as safe and fast to startup as it was in SF4 (The projectile itself still is relatively quick though). Punish it on block with whatever you please.
Ryu will use this either to inflict massive damage to you or to snag your partner when they come in via a raw tag.

The Shinku is also good in fireball wars against you so watch your fireballs and spacing when he has 2 bars.

ALL IN ALL
Shoto knowledge is key here. Read Ryu carefully to see what he does next and punish on reaction. Also bait out those DPs as they’ll lead to massive damage for Akuma.

Next up Ken

OVERVIEW
Ryu’s buddy has changed a little bit from his SF4 counterpart. With a lack of linkable normals and the loss of his kara-throw, Ken’s ground game has suffered as a result of this. His walkspeed already wasn’t the best in SF4 and with the longer stages, it amplifies this problem further. No matter once this guy gets in he hits hard and it will only take a couple wrong moves to get KOed.

APPROACH TACTICS

FORWARD STEP KICK (Forward + MK)
This command normal moves Ken forward along the ground allowing him to get in your face to start offence. It is safe to your jabs and uppercuts and is mainly Ken’s best way to get in. Although If this kick is blocked deep it is Reversal Demon Punishable on block.

AIRBORNE TATSUMAKI SEMPUKYAKU
The ONE thing that makes Ken annnoying to deal with in this game is his Air tatsu. Its made worse especially if you was to ever play on a one bar connection like me one time I went online…

Annoyances aside this move is really ambigious so your best bet is to cr.HP it if he jumps from far away. It may also work if he tries to cross you up but if you aren’t sure then teleport out. You could also DP but you’ll have to be aware of your spacing if you do so.

THE OBVIOUS JUMP
Any Street Fighter veteran knows how to counter this one. Use Akuma’s anti-airs cr.HP, DP to punish random jump-ins from Ken.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

cr.MK
Ken’s cr.MK has some good range to it. If he hits you and you are standing prepare for pain.
Like any other normal it is a good idea to learn the range of this move so you can bait it out and get it to whiff using Akuma’s great walkspeed.
(No really I am serious on this one, its been the baine of many a defeat against Ken online in my experience and I’m sure no Akuma player wants to lose a maximum of 500+ health because they didn’t block a normal right.)

cr.HK
Ken’s cr.HK is punishable by Akuma’s cr.HK on block other than that like his cr.MK learn the range on it

UNIQUE ATTACKS

FORWARD STEP KICK
Pretty much covered this move before in the APPROACH TACTICS section

INAZUMA KICK (Back + MK)
One of Ken’s two command overheads. Unlike his buddy Ryu he can’t follow up with this even if he switch cancels into his partner even if he somehow managed to land this as a counterhit making it less scary as an overhead.

It will ground bounce you whilst you are air though so be careful if you are ever jumping back or you are somehow in the air against him when he does this

THUNDER KICK (Forward + HK)
Ken’s second overhead can be faked for mixup purposes. Unlike his Inazuma Kick however this thing does ground bounce on counter hit meaning he can followup with it if he switch cancels.

Without the counter hit however he can’t follow up with this overhead though. Still it is something to watch out for if you ever see him performing his charge move to get a counter hit.

SPECIALS

HADOKEN (QCF+Any Punch)
Ken’s hadoken is slightly worse than Ryu’s in my opinion. He can’t fake it like Ryu and its recovery seems to be slightly worse.
So demon flip it on reaction or simply play the fireball war with him to keep him at bay his tatsu doesn’t advance him forward as quickly as Ryu’s (unless its EX) and thus its easier to see coming.

The EX version hits twice like Ryu’s but it doesn’t knock you down on hit. Unlike SF4 Ken doesn’t make a massive shouting noise when he performs this move so you’ll have to rely on the flash unfortunately.

SHORYUKEN (DP + Any Punch)
Ken’s uppercut is much better for switch cancelling than Ryu’s is as the heavier versions hit more times.

The Light and Medium Versions are used for anti-air purposes.

Ken will use the Heavy Version to bring his partner in when he is low on health. Its still unsafe but not as unsafe as Ryu’s. You can reversal DP Ken after the blockstun ends but there is a risk that it will miss his partner. If you want to hit his partner as well as him, your best punish is an Alpha Counter.

The EX version causes a hard knockdown on hit and is pretty much used for damage purposes mainly or if he gets desperate on wake-up.

TATSUMAKI SEMPUKYAKU (QCB + Any Kick)
Ken’s Tatsu doesn’t knockdown like Ryu’s or Akuma’s making it great for switch cancel combos. Outside of combos though this move is very punishable by ducking and DPing in his face or cr.HP

The EX version allows Ken to followup on hit. Its alot faster than his regular version so watch out for it during your fireball zoning as he’ll pass right through and hit you for a free Cross Rush combo.

AIRBORNE TATSUMAKI SEMPUKYAKU (QCB + Any Kick Whilst In Air)
As mentioned before this is arguably Ken’s best move for opening you up. Anti-air this if necessary but if you aren’t sure teleport out to safety

SHINPU JINRAIKYAKU (QCB + All Kicks)
Ken’s super is a really good punisher as it starts up in 2 frames (for anyone new to frame data that is faster than a shoto uppercut from Ryu, Ken and Akuma.)
It can be used to punish your sweep on block primarily. But the main use of this move is in a combo to inflict damage.On block though its pretty terrible so punish him hard for throwing out a random super.

ALL IN ALL
Keep your distance. Ken struggles to close the distance against Akuma in my opinion mainly because he can’t focus through your fireballs like he used to and his ground game got worse as well due to him lacking links and his kara throw from SF4 making him less block-string oriented like he was in SF4. His walkspeed still isn’t the greatest and the longer stages amplify this problem. Meaning he has to take to the air open you up for the majority of the matchup. Just watch out for random cr.MK on the ground or air tatsu randomly tagging you otherwise it will be game over pretty quickly.

Good stuff. Here’s how I see some matchups:

Beats: Ken, Hugo, Zangief, Kazuya, Guile, M. Bison, Paul, Yoshimitsu
Loses: Ryu, Dhalsim, Abel, Chun-Li, Cammy, Balrog

Next up Heihachi

OVERVIEW
Its pensioner vs pensioner in this fight (well it kinda depends but its still an old guy vs another old guy.) Heihachi has some very tricky high/low mix-ups up close whilst having some decent air to airs as well as anti-airs to boot. Combine this with some brain-dead damage he can get from combos and we have ourselves a fight here people.

APPROACH TACTICS

RISING/DRAGON UPPERCUT
Heihachi’s Rising and Dragon uppercuts pack a little bit of a Kazuya-Style Mist Step in them on start-up, this can be used to get through your fireballs and hit you if you aren’t spacing yourself properly. If you can see it coming, hit him low with a cr.MK (provided that it isn’t and EX Rising Uppercut) or just punish him on whiff as he can’t wavedash like his son due to him not having a standalone mist-step command.

DEMON BREATH
This move is used to send your fireballs right back in your face or even stop them completely. Heihachi will be using this to try and close the distance and get in against you. It doesn’t work against your EX fireballs however so if you have the meter to burn or you want to throw off Heihachi’s fireball tennis then go ahead and throw one of these out for good measure.

OBVIOUS JUMPING
Anti-air as always with cr.HP or DP if necessary being aware of your spacing.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

cr.MK
Heihachi has an alright cr.MK, he’ll use this when he gets into footsie range with you to try and play footsies with you.

cr.HK
Heihachi’s sweep unlike his son’s is cr.HK sweep punishable on block, it is also Reversal Demon Punishable if you have the meter.

J.HK
One of Heihachi’s main jump in attacks it also crosses up as well making it very ambigious, teleport out if you aren’t sure about which way to block.

J.MK
Serves the same purpose as his J.HK only it has less blockstun on block so you can uppercut out of it on block if you think he is going to press a button.

UNIQUE ATTACKS/TEKKEN STRINGS

TATARIGOROSHI (Back + MP)
Heihachi’s main anti air of choice, its special cancellable too. Heihachi if you use this if you start getting a little too jumpy for his liking. It is however weak to cross ups so he has to space it correctly in order to hit you. If he doesn’t space it properly, it isn’t the best on whiff so punish it with either a Cross Rush or s.HP etc.

LIGHTNING CRUSH (Forward + LK)
One of Heihachi’s main pressure tools up close. It can be blocked either standing or crouching and it is very safe on block. Its safe to both your uppercuts and demon so just block it and realise that this isn’t really where you want to be against Heihachi.

CHROME DOME (Forward + LP +MP)
This move has one hit of armor but only in the later stages of it.
Heihachi can charge this move up and on hit it causes a ground bounce. It can be blocked either standing or crouching.

The purpose of this move is mainly to throw you off and scare you into attacking. He only gains his armor in the later frames of this move. Before that its pretty much interruptable. On top of this, its unsafe on block if performed deep. Punish with cr.MK into Cross Rush or into a solo combo.

HAMMER PUNCH (Back + LP)
Heihachi’s overhead, this overhead is pretty dangerous as it leads to a full combo on hit. Its also pretty fast but you can see it coming at least. So practice against blocking it. You’ll be rewarded with a free Reversal Demon on block for your troubles if you can block this move properly.

One other thing I forgot to mention is that this move is sometimes used in Heihachi’s blockstrings. Some Heihachi players will do something like one/two cr.LPs into the overhead to open you up. During this you can stick a cr.MP between the cr.LP and the Hammer Punch scoring you a counter hit and allowing you to link into Far Standing HK for a full combo.

EISHO MON (Forward + MP)
Heihachi’s low hitting punch from Tekken.

This move moves Heihachi forward as well as create offense, he will usually try this around your cr.MK range so if you can see it coming, raw launcher it to punish. Its safe on block to your uppercuts and demon as well but you can always take a risk if you think he is going to press buttons afterwards.

JICHINSAI (Back + LK)
A safe overhead from Heihachi in the form of an axe kick.

Not much you can do on block although it does push him slightly further away from you than his Hammer Punch so that’s a plus at least.
Its slightly slower and easier to to see coming so it is easier to interrupt or neutral jump than his Hammer Punch is though.

TEKKEN STRINGS

FLASH PUNCH COMBO (LP > LP > MP)
A three hit punch combo that causes a hard knockdown
Like his son, Kazuya, Heihachi’s Flash Punch Combo is rarely used as there are usually stronger options available for Heihachi. Its also unsafe on block like his son’s.

LEFT RIGHT COMBO (LP > Back + MP)
Standard one-two punch combo from Tekken
Not much to say, this move isn’t used alot by Heihachi Players it is however Demon Punishable on block and safe to your sweeps and jabs (the latter being due to pushback on block.)

DEMON SLAYER (LP >Back + MP > MP)
Another three hitter that leaves the opponent standing. A common Mishima string from Tekken.

Heihachi’s Demon Slayer is alot better than his Kazuya’s for two reasons. It all combos naturally (opponent can’t block the last hit like Kazuya’s) and like Kazuya’s it can be used as a frametrap string. It isn’t really used much however.

It is DP punishable on block as well as LP and Demon punishable though so if a Heihachi Player throws this out, go ahead and punish him for it.

DEMON KICKER (LP > Back + MP > MK)
Same as Demon Slayer only the last hit misses crouching opponents making it less useful as a string. Duck it and punish with whatever you please.

THE DOUBLE PALM SERIES
The double palm series’ of attacks is Heihachi’s main mix-up tool up close. Heihachi will lift his palm up (Forward + LP). During which he has the following options:

DOUBLE PALM STRIKE (Forward + LP > LP)
This is Heihachi’s safe option, it pushes you back but it is DP and Reversal Demon Punishable on block.
Heihachi will most likely special cancel this move to make it safe but if he doesn’t then punish him with the above.

MUSO TETTSUI (Forward + LP > MP)
Heihachi will slam his other hand over you causing a ground bounce on hit.
This move hits as an overhead and combined with his Muso Kageki it can lead to some tricky high/low mix-ups.

MUSO KAGEKI (Forward + LP > HP)
Heihachi will turn around and go low. This looks like his Eisho Mon (Forward + MP) but he can’t follow up with it on hit. It is used with his overhead followup for mix up potential.

In order to negate this mixup, similar to Kazuya, buffer a DP during the first hit of the string. If performed correctly if he goes for the overhead or the low option the DP will hit him out of it allowing you to switch cancel into your partner for some damage.

If he doesn’t finish the string and just stops with Forward + LP then it is DP punishable on block and if he goes for a Double Palm Strike, the DP won’t come out and you can punish him afterwards.

SPECIALS

DRAGON UPPERCUT (DP Motion + Any Kick)
Heihachi’s Dragon Uppercut is mainly used as a combo ender and not really thrown out as much as his Rising Uppercut. If it is though it is very punishable on block via Cross Rush or s.HP into whatever you want.

Same goes for the EX version. Only difference here is more damage.

DRAGON UPPERCUT FOLLOWUP (Any Punch During Dragon Uppercut)
Again not really thrown out but still if it is for some odd reason walk back and punish him as soon as he lands with a Cross Rush or s.HP.

RISING UPPERCUT (DP Motion + Any Punch)
Heihachi’s Rising Uppercut as mentioned before can be used to go through your fireballs Although the EX version is arguably alot better at doing this than his regular versions.

All Regular Versions of the Rising Uppercut are safe on block to your normals but they are Demon Punishable on Block.

The EX Version acts like Kazuya’s EWGF on block. It is safe to your demon but Heihachi doesn’t get it for free like Kazuya so there is a limit at least.

HEAVEN’S WRATH (HCF + Any Kick)
Heihachi’s counter is a full-body counter that works against your physical attacks but not your fireballs

It also doesn’t work against jump in attacks.
For any attacks that aren’t low attacks, Heihachi gets a followup combo. You’ll just get knocked back if you try to hit him low.

The EX version just lasts longer

This is a move you’ll want to bait out as much as you can versus Heihachi as it is one of his ‘get-off me’ moves when you are pressuring him.

HELL AXLE (QCB + Any Kick)
A series of jumping kick attacks:

The Light and Medium Versions of this attack only hit once, miss on crouching opponents and are really unsafe on block but still if they are thrown out at you. Punish with s.HP or Cross Rush.

The same thing goes for both the Heavy and EX versions only these versions hit twice and they are still as unsafe as the other versions.

Generally this move is used in combos and it isn’t very effective outside of combos but still if they are thrown out at you. Take the opportunity and punish these for free.

DEMON BREATH (QCF + Any Punch)
Heihachi’s Demon Breath as mentioned before can be used to reflect your fireballs back at you but it can be also used up close to make his Double Palm Strike safe.

The Light version is completely safe to your uppercuts and your Demon
The Medium Version is Cross Rush Punishable (Start with c.MK) and Demon Punishable
The Heavy Version is the most punishable by both Cross Rush and s.HP (move a little bit forward beforehand though). Although the Medium and Heavy Versions look similar so Cross Rush is arguably the better punish.

The EX version is as punishable as the Medium Version of the move

RAIJIN STANCE (HCB + Any Punch)
A.K.A Heihachi’s charge move
This move comes out pretty fast and its one of the ways Heihachi can close the distance between you and him. Your best bet is to get him to whiff this move as its horrible on whiff but its pretty safe on block albeit only the light version which can’t be Demon Punished.

The other versions including EX however can be.

RAIJIN’S WRATH (HCB + All Punches)

Heihachi’s Super can be used to your fireballs at about midscreen range so don’t get too projectile happy with those ground fireballs around this range.

Outside of that its main use is in a combo to kill you.

On block its punishable with a Far Standing HK and from there you can either cr.HK sweep or launch if you want.

ALL IN ALL
You are the more mobile dude in this fight. Use your mobility and fireballs to your advantage and punish his mistakes hard and remember to buffer DP during his Double Palm Strike Series of strings and Demon any unsafe moves accordingly. Above all don’t get locked down, it only takes a couple good high/low mix-ups and you are dead, you can still take a risk and uppercut out of there though.

Of course all of the match-ups that you have mentioned that Akuma loses to can be countered with the correct partner :). Plus I find uppercuts pretty good in this game. Especially Akuma’s as it launches the opponent really high, its a safe-ish tag on block and it allows for some setups that other DPs just don’t provide.

Also I haven’t seen alot of Dhalsim, Abel, Balrog or Chun Li alot online. So if I was to do match-up breakdowns for them it would only be theory based and yeah Cammy is still a pain for Akuma especially if she is teleporting all over the place due to lag lol.

Next up Ogre

OVERVIEW
The boss who I haven’t seen since Tekken 3 is supposed to be a challenge to Akuma!? Really!? Biased views aside, Ogre packs a punch and has some great pokes to heavily compliment this. On top of this he can also take a beating as well.

APPROACH TACTICS

OWL’S HUNT
Ogre will use his Owl’s Hunt to bypass your fireball zoning if you get too predictable or if the Ogre Player gets too desperate. It is horridly unsafe if blocked however so on block, punish with s.HP or Cross Rush. For the s.HP you will need to make sure the move is done deep otherwise you will get the unspecial-cancellable far standing version of Akuma’s s.HP.

INDIGO PUNCH CHARGE CANCELS
Whilst Ogre is in your face he will be using his Indigo Punch Charge Cancels to put pressure on you and open you up with throws. If he dashes forward out of this on block, its DP punishable. If he dashes back he’ll have to work his way in again.

POKE WITH NORMALS
Ogre has some massive reach and he will be using this advantage against you. His normals however are a bit slow and can be whiff punished alot easier than other normals in the game.

JUMPING
Simple just anti-air accordingly with cr.HP and DP.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

cr.MP
A very long range strike with some good reach, it reaches a good distance so learn the range of it and whiff punish it accordingly with your cr.MK or cr.HK sweep.

Far Standing HK
A very long range kick that I believe is +2 on block. Like his long range attacks though its pretty slow and interruptable with your cr.MK or cr.HK sweep.

cr.HP
This is an interesting normal as it hits as an overhead which causes a hard knockdown on hit. You should watch out for this as Ogre will use it during his chains to stop you from holding Down-Back the whole time against him.

cr.MK
Ogre’s cr.MK isn’t that bad of a poke just learn the range on it and whiff punish it in footsies. It has a slight delay on it during its recovery making it easier to whiff punish than other cr.MKs.

cr.LK
Watch out and recognise this one as it is used to start his Snake Blade String which I will cover below

UNIQUE ATTACKS / TEKKEN STRINGS
Ogre pretty much has Tekken Strings under his Unique Attacks. These are:

FLASH PUNCH COMBO (LP > LP > MP)
Look familiar? Well yeah it is. Like the Mishimas’ Flash Punch Combos, Ogre’s is rarely thrown out in battle primarily for two reasons.
[LIST]
[]Its unsafe on block. Its Cross Rush Punishable (start with cr.MK or you could go solo with this normal if you want)
[
]It starts from his St.LP which isn’t the best St.LP around. There are better St.LPs in the game.
[/LIST]
DEMON SLAYER (LP > MP > MP)
Another Mishima Style String, Like Kazuya’s (and to some extent Heihachi’s) this is a frametrap string to your jabs but fortunately not your DP which can do between the last two hits of the string. Ogre Players tend to throw this out you try and put pressure on you and open you up (which if he does will hurt.)

Sometimes Ogre Players may not finish the string at all. They may just end with the first 2 hits. They are Cross Rush Punishable on block (start with cr.MK) as well as Demon Punishable as well (the latter can be performed even if the string isn’t performed deep whereas the former can only be done if the string is performed deep.)

INFINITE KICK COMBO (Forward + HK > HK > HK > HK > HK)
This is Ogre’s mix-up string up close. For people not used to high/low mix-ups it can be very tricky to block at first but with some practice its do-able.

The First Hit can be blocked either Standing or Crouching
The Second Hit must be blocked Standing
The Third Hit must be blocked Crouching
The Fourth and Fifth hits can be blocked either Standing or Crouching

The completed string by itself is unsafe on block and is both Cross Rush punishable and punishable with a s.HP (walk forward a bit first though.)
However it is special cancellable and Ogre players will most likely cancel into an Indigo Punch to make this safe.

HUNTING HAWK (Up-Forward + LK > MK > LK)
This string is primarily used in combos and is also one of Ogre’s ‘Get Off Me’ moves if you put too much pressure on him.

This string goes over lows and on hit allows Ogre to start his combo game.

The key thing to note about this string is that the Second hit of it will miss against Crouching Opponents and the Third Hit won’t connect on Akuma if he hasn’t hit you with the First or Second hits if you crouch. So Crouch the first hit and then punish the Second hit as if whiffs over your head. Ogre will land on the other side of you waiting to be punished.

If you stand the first and second hits will connect on you but not the 3rd so if he tries to finish the string, punish him with s.HP/Cross Rush for his troubles.

SNAKE BLADE (Down + LK > Down + MK > Down + MK)
Ogre’s 3 hit launcher string. Its used to start his combos and some of off his offence.

As mentioned before this string starts off of Ogre’s cr.LK and whilst his cr.LK doesn’t have the best range the other hits do have some range to them to pose a threat.

The completed string is safe to your normals but unsafe to your Demon on block so Demon him if you have the meter.

Some Ogre players tend to use this string with his Hunting Hawk string. After a blocked Snake Blade, some Ogre Players will go into his Hunting Hawk String afterwards. This is mainly used to check if you are aren’t trying to punish the Snake Blade or if the player is a training mode monster and/or tries to complete his/her combos whether they hit or they don’t.

If so don’t try and punish with any normals and just block the attack and punish the Hunting Hawk as I mentioned beforehand.

SPECIALS

BLAZING KICK (QCF + Any Kick)
One of Ogre’s anti-airs although it isn’t really used as one as he does have better ones.
This move primarily has two uses:
[LIST]
[]The first is as anti-air as mentioned before
[
]The second to send your fireballs back in your face.
[*]The move could also be used in block-strings (although it is Reversal Demon Punishable on Block)
[/LIST]
The Light Version will reflect your fireball back in your face similar to Heihachi’s Demon Breath
The Medium Version will send the fireball back at a slight angle
The Heavy Version will send the fireball back at a steeper angle

Ogre will mix these up to keep you on your toes so be aware of them and practice against those blazing kicks.

The EX version is alot faster and will reflect your projectile back at you with increased speed.

ANCIENT POWER (FIELD OPEN! :D) (DP Motion + Any Punch)

This move is used as both a counter move as well as an anti-air.
All successful counters produce a protective field that knocks you back.
The Light Version is a counter to moves that are not lows.
The Medium Version counters lows.
The Heavy Version is just a standalone protective field that is very unsafe on block that does less damage than the counters.

The Heavy Version is the version that you will see alot of as it is Ogre’s main anti-air. It works really well even against your cross-ups.

The EX version is just a more powerful version of the Heavy Version its still unsafe as the Heavy Version though.

This move can be safe-jumped. After a successful cr.HK sweep jump and do a regular dive kick (Down + MK at the peak of Akuma’s Jump) on Ogre’s wake-up. Assuming he does not roll if he wakes up and tries his Heavy or EX versions of his Ancient Power you will land in time to block it. He also must block the divekick on wakeup too. Not sure about his Light version though

Indigo Punch (QCF + Any Punch)
Ogre’s ‘mini-projectile’.

This is a safe blockstring when combined with his cr.MK. Its safe to your normals and even your Demon. Fortunately it pushes him back some distance meaning he’ll have to work his way in again.

The Light Version is the most used version of this move as the Heavier Versions are alot slower and you can DP in between them if they are ever used in blockstrings against you.

The EX version causes a wallbounce. Expect to see this only if he is juggling the crap out of you. Although if it is done raw on the ground then it is Demon Punishable on block.

OWL’S HUNT (DP Motion + Any Kick)
Trivia: This move is one of True Ogre’s moves and not one of regular Ogre’s Moves in Tekken

This is one of Ogre’s main ways to catch you off your guard during your fireball zoning as mentioned before.
This move hits as an overhead and fortunately on block for you it is unsafe via Cross Rush or Close Standing HP (The latter you’ll have to move forward a bit to do.)

The EX version just tracks your current location, its still as unsafe as the other versions only it will cost him meter if he screws up.

HELL INFERNO (QCF + All Punches)
Ogre’s super whilst very cinematic is very suseptible to damage scaling as it hits multiple times.
If Ogre does this move raw, its very punishable despite travelling almost fullscreen, this is because the move won’t hit you unless he does it from point blank range.

Like any other Super it has some invincibility and Ogre will use this to get you off of him if you put too much pressure on him or if the player gets desperate. If does. Punish it hard on block.

ALL IN ALL
I’d say you have the advantage here due to your better footsies and Ogre can get out-poked pretty easily by those who have good pokes which is what you have to an extent. Just be careful about becoming too fireball happy as like most Tekken Characters Ogre hits hard and is pretty much waiting for that one opening to make you bleed.
His hitbox is also pretty big meaning you can be tricky and make your crossups ambigious and you can also go a bit mad in the pressure department too just watch out for random Hunting Hawk Strings and Supers tagging you though and punish Ogre’s unsafe moves hard.

Next up Law

OVERVIEW
A very popular character in the world of both offline and online. Law’s transition into the 2D has been done pretty well by Capcom in my opinion. His notable Tekken moves are here but he is mainly used due to his great setups and considerable ease of use for new players. His pokes are also nothing to turn a blind eye too. They have good range and can be effectively used in footsies against you.

Fortunately for you this all comes at a massive cost for Law as his anti-air options aren’t the greatest and he can’t take much pressure for very long. Which you can abuse the hell out of in this matchup.

APPROACH TACTICS

NORMALS
A few of Law’s normals move him forward along the ground alot. They can be used to approach you from the ground and set up some of his up close mix-ups.

DRAGON CHARGE > DRAGON FLIGHT (A.K.A 'The Legend Kick)
One of Law’s main ways to approach you if you get a bit too fireball happy as it completely ignores them. If you can bait it out it is unsafe on block however. Punishable by a st.HP or cr.MP into Cross Rush

Another side note is that it does tend to miss crouching opponents at certain ranges so keep a look out for it and depending on where you are you can punish with a Cross Rush or s.HP (although the s.HP is a little bit hard to do.) Your best bet is to block this move standing to be honest.

JUMPING
Some Law Players tend to do this alot due to his lack of reliable anti-airs. Just DP and/or cr.HP them.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

st.LP
Law’s st.LP has some good range and it moves him forward. Its a bit slow to recover on whiff though so try and whiff punish it with a cr.MK or cr.HK sweep if you can.

st.MP
Law’s st.MP moves him forward a great deal of distance like his st.LP but its more punishable on whiff. You can bait this out by neutral jumping it if you want. It is rarely used however and his Back + MP is alot better.

st.MK
Law’s st.MK has some good range to it than most st.MKs as per usual, use your good walk speed to bait this out in footsies so that you can whiff punish him with a cr.MK or cr.HK sweep.

st.HK
Same for his st.HK although his st.HK has alot of range on it only its worse on whiff in comparison to his st.MK. Just learn the range on it to be honest.

UNIQUE ATTACKS / TEKKEN STRINGS

SHIN CRUSHER (Down-Forward + LK)
One of Law’s lows from Tekken.
This low is a little bit easy to see coming but its still a good way for Law to start his offense. Its safe to your LPs and your DP but it is Reversal Demon Punishable on block

SLIDE KICK (Down-Forward + MK)

Law’s Slide Kick like most slides in the game if spaced properly can be safe. If this is performed deep it is s.HP punishable (although you won’t be able to go into a LK tatsu), Cross Rush Punishable as well as DP punishable.

If it isn’t done deep and its spaced correctly though at its maximum range, it is safe to your Demon so you’ll want to make sure that this move is performed deep so you can punish it properly.

DRAGON’S TAIL (Back + MK)
Quite an unsafe low from Law to be honest. On block you can cr.HK sweep him or cr.MK him (although the latter won’t work if the sweep is done shallow.)
On block Law Players tend to cancel into a Fury Fist Rush or Somersault Kick to make this marginally safe.

DRAGON HAMMER (Forward + MP)
Law’s overhead is a little dangerous as he can followup with it on hit. He does take a step forward before doing it and for any one who learns via listening to game sounds he makes the same noise. So you can easily react to it.

On Block it is DP punishable as well as cr.LP punishable. DP is a better punish though in my opinion.You could also Reversal Demon it as well if you have the meter.

MACHINE GUN ARROW (LP > LP > LP > LP > LP >LP)
Law’s 6 hit punch combo from Tekken.

This move isn’t used alot by Law players other than to probably run the clock if this is the case Alpha Counter out of it to get him off you.
On block this move is DP punishable as well as Demon Punishable on block.

LEFT RIGHT COMBO (LP > Back + MP)
Standard left right combo from Tekken.

This move is only Reversal Demon Punishable on block.

From his left right combo he can go into the following strings.

LEFT RIGHT DRAGON FIST COMBO (LP > Back + MP > Back + MP > MP)
A 4 hit string that can be blocked either standing or crouching.
The completed string itself is unsafe on block. Punish with a st.HP or Cross Rush

Like most Tekken Strings some players may or may not want to finish the whole string.

The 2nd hit on block is basically Law’s Left Right Combo punish with Reversal Demon if you have the meter

The 3rd hit on block is unsafe to s.HP and Cross Rush.

LEFT RIGHT BLAZING FIST COMBO (LP > Back + MP > Back + MP > LP)
Another 4 hit string, the only difference in this one is the ender.

Apart from that this string is rarely used by Law Players as the completed string still is unsafe on block.

Treat the 2nd and 3rd hits on block in the ways I have mentioned for Law’s Left Right Dragon Fist Combo

LEFT RIGHT TO KNEE (LP > Back + MP > LK)

A 3 hit string that ends in a knee.
The ender for this string is DP punishable as well as Demon punishable on Block. I would say expect to see this only if he is hitting you.

I think you can see a pattern here. Out of Law’s Left Right String, all of his followups are unsafe to DP so if you have meter and you have a partner who can really create damage off of Akuma’s DP go for it.

JUNKYARD KICK (Back + MP > LK > MK)
Law’s famous 3 hitter from Tekken. The whole string can be blocked either standing or crouching
The completed string is unsafe on block to a s.HP, Cross Rush or DP.

The First Hit on Block is DP punishable or Reversal Demon Punishable

The Second Hit on Block is also DP punishable but you could use LPs as well.

DRAGON RUSH COMBO (Back + MP > LK > Down + MK)
Law’s Mix-up with his Junkyard Kick although I say the word ‘mix-up’ loosely as you can block the Junkyard Kick standing or crouching.

The only difference here is that the last hit must be blocked low.
Treat the low on block like his Dragon’s Tail on block. But in general, Law Players tend to cancel this into a Fury Fist Rush or Somersault Kick on block.

KNUCKLE RUSH (Back + MP > MP)
Basically the last two hits of Law’s Dragon Fist Combo.

Expect to this only in combos but if it is done raw in your face s.HP it or DP it into your partner for free.

SPECIAL MOVES

SOMERSAULT KICK (HCF + Any Kick)

Law’s famous Somersaults from Tekken.

The Light Version of this move, moves Law back, its more a defensive option.
The Medium Version of this move keeps Law stationary
The Heavy Version Moves Law Forward

All of the non-EX versions lack invincibility which hurts Law’s wake up game against you. Only the Medium and Heavy versions are Demon Punishable on block

The EX Version acts as one of Law’s ‘Get off Me’ Moves. It knocks him down and puts him in a hard knockdown state from which he can roll.

The EX version has two hits to it.
One when Law is going up and One when Law is coming down.
It is common practice for most people to block the first hit and then get smacked in the face by the second hit so be aware of it as he is coming down from the flip.
That said on block the move is only Misogi punishable (FINALLY A CRITICAL USE FOR THE MOVE THAT OUTSHINES OTHER OPTIONS!)

BACKFLIPPER (Any Kick During Somersault Kick except EX)
The Backflipper is the followup to Law’s Somersault Kick.

All versions of the followup advance Law forwards along the ground.
Fortunately unlike his regular Somersault Kick, this move is Cross Rush Punishable on block starting with cr.MK.

DRAGON CHARGE (HCB + Any Punch)
Law goes into a stance and shouts. From this stance he has a couple followups

The EX Version of this move gives him armor properties and changes some of the properties on his followups.

CLOUD GATES (Forward + Any Punch During Dragon Charge)
Law smacks his fist downwards.
This move hits as an overhead and causes a ground bounce on hit. The drawback however is that it is unsafe to your Cross Rush and you can s.HP it although you will have to walk forward a little bit to perform the latter.

The properties remain the same for the EX version and he is still unsafe on block to the punishers I have mentioned.

DRAGON’S FLIGHT (Any Kick During Dragon Charge)
Law’s ‘Legend Kick’ from Tekken

This move goes through your fireballs so don’t get too fireball happy.

Law will most likely perform this move from fullscreen so that he can get in your face.

Fortunately for you he can’t just bust this move out on reaction, he has to ‘see’ your fireball coming. Thus mix up your fireballs and try to get Law to throw this out.

HINT: Maybe Jump Back Air Fireball is just getting a little bit to predictable huh? Well then just do a regular jump back and see what he does.

The EX version has the same properties as the regular version.

DRAGON KNUCKLE (Any Punch During Dragon Charge)
A back knuckle blow that stuns on hit.
This move is mainly used in combo situations particularly on incoming from Law. Outside of that it is pretty unsafe if performed deep. Punish with a Far Standing HK into Cross Rush.

If it is performed shallow then it is only Demon Punishable on block.

This is pretty much useful mainly to catch you off guard or in a combo.

It could also be used as a wake-up option but it is pretty interruptable as one hence it isn’t used as much as his other wake-up options.

DRAGON KNUCKLE COMBO (Any Punch During Dragon Knuckle)
One of two of Law’s followups after a Dragon Knuckle

On hit this followup knocks you away from Law. This is mainly used for if he wants to tag out to his partner. This setup isn’t safe to your Misogi however :slight_smile:

On block this move is Cross Rush Punishable and you can also get a s.HP in there although you’ll have to move forward to get the s.HP into tatsu or uppercut etc.

DRAGON KNUCKLE FLIGHT (Any Kick During Dragon Knuckle)
Another followup after a Dragon Knuckle

This followup has Law performing his Dragon’s Flight move after the Knuckle. On block treat it how you would treat a blocked Dragon’s Flight if it were blocked deep.

The EX version changes this move so it can wallbounce. Just throwing that out there if it hits you.

FURY FIST RUSH (HCF + Any Punch)
Law throws his fist out, if it connects he will go into a series of rapid punches.

According to frame data, on block this move is -5 which should mean that you could sweep it. I couldn’t though despite testing it maybe you’ll have to be accurate?

It is however Reversal Demon Punishable on block though.

Law will use this special to create some safe-ish pressure against you. Some Law’s tend to jump or cross you up after a blocked Fury Fist Rush. In this case, just dash under him and Far Standing HK him on whiff. You’ll be able to go into a Launcher and bring in your partner or you could try to cr.HK sweep him for a link combo.

The EX version is Law’s main ‘Get-off Me’ move.

Its imperative that you bait this move out if you can as it is horrible on whiff and you can punish him further also.

A good way to bait this out is to watch his meter, you will be able to rush him down alot if he doesn’t have meter but if he does, be aware of it.

You can jump in with a j.MK and then neutral jump. If he reversals, then the move will whiff allowing you to punish him further.

SHAOLIN SPIN KICKS (QCB + Any Kick)
Law’s 3 hit spin kicks from Tekken.

This move is safe to your normals and DP due to pushback. Its also a good way for Law to bring in his partner if he wants to. If he does, Alpha Counter him out of it. With the right timing, you can catch his partner whilst they are running in.

This move is also Reversal Demon Punishable on block if you have the meter.

The EX version consists of 4 hits that can be blocked either standing or crouching with the last one causing a wall bounce on hit.

The 3rd and last hits of this move are NOT true block strings. They can be DPed out of in between with ease.

Arguably the best way to punish this move on block is to neutral jump in between the last two hits of the attack. You’ll avoid the final attack and Law will be left open allowing you to come down with a neutral jump attack of your choice. I personally prefer a Neutral Jump HP or HK but you can use other options if you want.

There also is the option to Reversal Demon him during the last two hits.
And you can also Misogi him too, just make sure that it ain’t on reversal otherwise you’ll miss for tonnes of laughter and or straight up pwnage.

JUNKYARD SOUL (QCB + All Kicks)
Law’s super like most other supers in the game is mainly used to just kill you. Thus you’ll see this mainly if Law wants to finish you off.

Although if it is done raw in your face, you can punish it with a Misogi or on block you can walk forward and Far Standing HK him in the face into a Cross Rush.

ALL IN ALL
Like most Tekken characters Law has to make his way over to you due to him not having a projectile and for sure he will. Just punish his unsafe moves from his strings and especially that Dragon’s Flight also.

As mentioned before Law lacks reliable anti-airs and you can abuse this heavily against him using your demon flips for pressure and your frametraps.

Bait out his EX Fury Fist Rush so that you can punish him hard for it by watching his meter.

Next up Balrog

OVERVIEW
In the world of SF4, Balrog was a beast of a character but in the world of SF X Tekken, Balrog isn’t as scary as he used to be. With EXs being more valuable and less often to come by plus the amount of nerfs he recieved from SF4 to SF X Tekken, Balrog has been toned down drastically.

This doesn’t mean that he is a pushover though. His footsie game is still on par with some of the best characters in the business and he still hits HARD thanks to some of the buffs he got from SF4 to SF X Tekken. He also does benefit a little due to the loss of armor breaking attacks from SF4.

For those who are interested in seeing Balrog’s changes check out this thread here:

APPROACH TACTICS

DASH PUNCHES
Balrog’s dash punches still hurt a bit and it still is a good approach tactic. Balrog will use his EX versions to pass through your fireballs if you get too fireball happy and/or predictable. Your best bet is to mix-up your fireballs as often as you can. They still have one hit of armor on them though so any multi hitting attacks e.g. Shakunetsu or your Heavy DP will hit him out of them.

TURN PUNCH
Balrog can also Turn Punch you through your fireballs if you get too predictable with them.

JUMPING AND THROWING
Outside of his Dash Punches and his Turn Punch, Balrog’s options for opening you up are pretty limited with Jumping at you and Throwing you being his other options without meter. Anti-air the jump ins with your cr.HP and tech his throws where possible.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Far Standing LP
Despite its startup being reduced, this normal now is more consistent at hitting you whilst you are crouching. Its good for jab pressure but its nothing a simple backdash can’t solve.

Far Standing HP
Now causes a crumple on counter hit allowing Balrog to follow up with a damaging combo. It still has some good range to it also. So learn the range on it and try to get him to whiff it in footsies. Especially if he has done a Super Charge beforehand.

Far Standing HK
Still a good whiff punisher against your cr.MK and cr.HK sweep so watch out for it as he can bring his partner in for more damage now.

cr.HK
Balrog’s sweep has some good range to it. Its been made more unsafe on block however. Punish it with a cr.HK sweep as your cr.MK won’t reach due to pushback.

SPECIAL MOVES

DASH PUNCHES
Balrog’s dash punches are pretty much his main specials that you will see alot of in battle against him. They can be a little tricky at first to get used to but with some practice you can punish them properly.

Some EX Versions of Balrog’s Dash Punches have 1 hit of armor on them.

DASH STRAIGHT (Back (Charge) > Forward + Any Punch)
Balrog’s dash straight is still a good move to throw out there against you randomly taking off a good portion of your health.

However this move is LP punishable on block if he does it deep so if he does then punish away. Like SF4 it is also Demon Punishable on block.

The EX version is safe to your normals but not your Demon. Reversal Demon Punish it on block if you have the meter.

DASH UPPER (Back (Charge) > Forward + Any Kick)
Now alot easier to use as an anti-air against you so be careful about your approaches against him.

On the ground this will miss crouching opponents

If you are fast enough you can get a st.HP into a full combo if you crouch it but if not punish with a st.LP or cr.LP into a Cross Rush for a full combo.

Balrog can no longer follow-up after a successful EX Dash Upper on hit anymore unless its in the corner so you won’t see this move used as often by Balrog Players

DASH LOW STRAIGHT (Back (Charge) > Down-Forward + Any Punch)
The low version of Balrog’s Dash Straight Punch

This move has been made more unsafe in comparison to SF4. Its punishable via your cr.MK into a Cross Rush (you could also start a solo combo with a cr.MK into LK Tatsu as well) and it can be Demoned also on block.

The EX version is also punishable via your cr.MK into a Cross Rush or Solo Combo and also Demoned too. The window is less forgiving though as it is slightly safer on block than the regular version.

DASH SWING BLOW (Back (Charge) > Down-Forward + Any Punch (Hold)
Another variant on Balrog’s Dash Straight Series.

This move hits as an overhead but if you are used to blocking overheads from the Tekken characters, this one shouldn’t be too bad to practice against.

On block it is punishable by a s.HP into a full combo or Cross Rush. You could also Demon it if you have the meter but the window for punishing this move is pretty big unless you want to style.

The EX version on block can still be punished with a s.HP. But the armor from this move has been removed meaning you can st.LP him out of it for a counter hit (if you are feeling stylish go for a cr.MP into a Far Standing HK link for a full combo.) or DP him out of it if he does it in a block string.

BUFFALO HEAD (A.K.A ‘The Headbutt’) (Down (Charge) > Forward + Any Punch)
Balrog’s Buffalo Head was nerfed severely from SF4 to this game.

All of the regular versions of this move whiff on crouching opponents allowing you to punish the move even easier than in SF4.

The EX version does not however and still retains its invincibility so watch out for it by watching his meter. So you can bait the move out.

DASH LOW SMASH (Back (Charge) > Down-Forward + Any Kick)
Another variant of Balrog’s Dash Upper

This move is unsafe on block to your cr.HK sweep but the punishment window is a bit strict. The best time to punish it is after Balrog shouts SMASH! and then cr.HK it after you exit blockstun.

If all else fails you could just Reversal Demon Punish the move on block. This works for both the regular and EX versions.

Another thing to note about the EX Version is that it has no armor properties on it like in SF4 making it less useful as an approach tactic for Balrog

TURN PUNCH (All Kicks/ All Punches (Hold) )
Balrog’s knockout punch.

The primary use of this move is to go through your fireballs and hit you for some pain.

The longer this move is held down for, the more powerful it is when Balrog releases it.

Something to note about Turn Punch is that whilst its held down Balrog can only do either only his ‘Kick’ normals or his ‘Punch’ normals depending on what button he has held down (if he stupidly holds down both he can’t throw out any normals at all.)

This move has been made slightly more unsafe on block. If the move is done deep, then you can LP and Reversal DP it on block.

It is Reversal Demon punishable however even if it is done shallow.

If you can see this move coming you can punish it with a Far Standing HK into a full combo if you want. Peform the Far Standing HK just after Balrog has turned around out of the Turn Punch.

CRAZY BUFFALO (Back (Charge) > Forward + All Punches OR All Kicks)
Balrog 5 Punches of Pain are back but they aren’t as strong as they used to be.

They still are good at punishing your teleport so if he has 2 bars try to avoid being teleport happy on your wake-up.

Outside of that Balrog’s main ways of landing this super have been nerfed pretty badly.

His far standing MK can no longer be cancelled into his super and he can’t dash punch and then cancel into super also. Greatly limiting its use.

He still can easily do this on incoming to finish you off unlike you (Misogi comes to mind.)

ALL IN ALL
The system changes really do hurt Balrog quite a bit against you in this match-up. Balrog’s EXs were very good in SF4 but with EXs being pretty valuable in this game and the nerfs Balrog got, Balrog does have a harder time at cracking you open. If he does though it still hurts.

The demon is pretty much your friend here. As Akuma’s demon has the properties of his ‘Super’ version from SF4 Balrog doesn’t have any safe Dash Punches when you have a Demon stocked. Its also easier to get than it was in SF4. Two Bars out of Three in SF X Tekken compared to 4 Bars of EX in SF4.

Punish his Dash Punches accordingly as I have mentioned before and put some pressure on him. His ‘Get off Me’ moves such as his Headbutt have been nerfed severely so you can take advantage of not having a headbutt randomly smack you in the face whilst you are pressuring him (unless its EX) he still has his EX moves though but you can throw him out of them.

Knockdowns are still vital against Balrog and its made better by the fact that his wakeup options have been made worse compared to how they were from SF4. There is rolling though so punish his rolls as you would with a 50-50 J.MK or J.LK on his wake-up.

Next up King

OVERVIEW
The almighty wrestler from Mexico makes his entry into the 2D playfield. Playing a non-traditional grappler’s approach in comparison to other grappler characters in SF X Tekken, King puts on the hurt up close and has the Tekken mix-ups to boot as well.

Fortunately for you, King doesn’t perform very well against characters who have great keep-out games and more often than not you’ll find King relying on his partner to bring him in and its up to King to stay close.

APPROACH TACTICS

JAGUAR STEP
King will be using his Jaguar Step to pass through your fireballs should you try to zone him with them. His step doesn’t travel very far though so its uses are limited at full screen.

This move also has some invincibility to your physical attacks and King can do some very tricky gimmicks on your wake-up should he knock you down with his other attacks.

JAIL KICK PRESSURE

Usually performed by cancelling King’s cr.MK into his LK Jail Kick. Its like a better version of your cr.MK > Hadoken string. Its much safer on block and it allows King to maintain some pressure on you.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

st.LK
Unlike Akuma’s st.LK, King’s st.LK hits low, he will be using this in footsies against you to try and whiff punish your normals and up close for pressure.

cr.MK
King’s cr.MK is a decent poke at about midscreen. It is pretty slow though so you can interrupt it with your own one. Learn its range and whiff punish it in footsies.

st.HK
King’s sobat kick goes over your low attacks but is pretty unsafe on block. Punish with a cr.MK into a Cross Rush (or Solo Combo if you want)

cr.HP
King’s main anti-air normal of choice. Its good for your regular jump ins from afar but it it whiffs against jump ins up close or cross ups.

UNIQUE ATTACKS / TEKKEN STRINGS

ROLLING ELBOW RUSH (Forward + MP) Can Be Performed 3 Times In a Sequence
A 3 hit Elbow Rush string from Tekken with an overhead placed at the end of it.

King’s Rolling Elbow Rush is a good pressure tool against you. The first 2 hits have some good frame advantage so don’t even think about Reversal DPing out of the hits as King Players tend not to finish the string.

The first hit and the second hits of the string on block are also safe to your Demon as well.

The last hit is an overhead but if you learn this string, its pretty easy to see coming. If you are hit by the overhead, King can switch cancel into his partner for some extra damage. Something you will want to avoid throughout this match up.

On block the overhead option is DP punishable and st.LP punishable. You could also demon him if you want if he is low on health.

King has a good throw mix-up involving his Rolling Elbow Rush which involves his two Command Throws Giant Swing and his Tomahawk

Whilst up close using the advantage gained from his Rolling Elbow Rush, King can do a LP and cancel it into a Giant Swing or Tomahawk.

These ‘ticks’ reduce the amount of time to react to King’s throws. You can throw him out of the command throws though.

JUMPING KNEE LIFT (Up-Forward + MK)
The jumping hop-knee that King has from Tekken.

Unlike its Tekken variant this move misses crouching opponents. If he does this raw in your face punish him hard with a s.HP or a Cross Rush

Hence its best use is in either combos or as a situational anti-air.

As an anti-air its weak to your cross up Tatsu.

DISGRACEFUL KICK ( Back + MK)
A high hitting back kick attack

King’s Disgraceful Kick is mainly used for Counter hit setups against you as this move crumples on Counter Hit.

The range on it isn’t bad so it can catch you out if aren’t aware of it. It reaches longer than his cr.LK just for reference.

On whiff though its pretty bad so punish with Far Standing HK into a full combo or Cross Rush.

On block this move is safe to your normals but is unsafe to your Demon. So Reversal Demon Punish him on block if you have the meter.

SHOULDER TACKLE (Forward + MK +LK)
Name pretty much describes what this move does.

King’s Shoulder Tackle can be used as anti-air against you or in footsies if you get to cr.HK sweep happy as it has one hit of armor.

Like his Disgraceful Kick, the properties on this move change on counter hit from a knockdown that sends you flying on normal hit to a wall bounce on counter hit.

This as an anti-air is weak to cross-ups as he will absorb the armor from the cross-up and the move will whiff as a result allowing you to punish him accordingly.
Punish with a Far Standing HK into a full combo or Cross Rush in this situation.

You could also block this move and in this case it is s.HP punishable as well as Cross Rush and Demon Punishable. You can take your pick here as to which one you could use to punish him on block.

MOONSAULT BODY PRESS (Forward + LP + MK)
King turns around slowly and then flips over. Slamming his body weight on top of you.

The interesting thing about this is move is that it is an unblockable attack and, quote me if i’m wrong, the only unblockable attack in the game.

This move is mainly used in gimmicks which you can teleport out of. Although it can be used in Cross Assault situations to stop you from blocking the whole time. If you see this move coming, Alpha Counter his partner whilst you are in blockstun and if done right, the Bodypress will miss you and you’ll damage his partner.

Outside of that this move is REALLY slow and really easy to see coming if done raw. Just avoid the splash and then punish him during his recovery, that is whilst he is getting up off of the floor with a Cross Rush, s.HP or Far Standing HK into a full combo. There also is the option to Misogi him for endless laughs as well.

SPECIAL MOVES

JAGUAR STEP
King spins and out of the spin he has 3 options.

As mentioned before this move is good up close for pressure.

On your wake-up, if he times it correctly, it will make your DP whiff allowing him to punish you hard whilst you are coming down.

LARIAT (LP during Jaguar Step)
The Lariat option out of King’s Jaguar step can be blocked either Standing or Crouching. Hence it isn’t really used as much as his other options.

Its also unsafe on block to Cross Rush or s.HP. You’ll have to be a little bit quick with your s.HP though as he can block pretty quickly afterwards.

HIGH ELBOW DROP (MP or HP during Jaguar Step)
The Elbow Drop option is quite possibly the option you should look out for the most.

This move hits as an overhead and ground bounces on it allowing King to follow-up with it.

Fortunately like his Lariat you can punish this with a Cross Rush or a s.HP/cr.HP on block.

WATER SURFACE KICK (Any Kick During Jaguar Step)
The Water Surface Kick option is a low attack and I gotta ask: Why does King know one of Armor King’s Moves?

As mentioned before this move hits low and causes a hard knockdown. Hard knockdowns are what King wants in this match-up so blocking this is key to avoiding them.

On block this is unsafe as his other follow-ups with a Cross Rush or s.HP. Move a little bit forward for the st.HP to connect so that you can cancel it into a LK tatsu for a Solo Combo.

On a side note for his Jaguar Step, King can be DPed out of his followups and during the recovery of his Jaguar Step.

LEG SCREW / MID AIR LEG SCREW (Forward + Two Punches / Two Kicks)
King’s Leg Screw Reversal

These two moves count as King’s counter, one counters jumping attacks whereas the other counters ground attacks.

This counter is weak to low attacks and projectiles.

This counter is arguably King’s best anti-air against you. It causes a hard knockdown and it even works against your cross-up tatsu as a Reversal.

This is a move you’ll want to bait out as much as possible as on whiff its pretty bad. If you jump at him he will use the jumping attack counter which is weak to ground attacks and vice versa so you don’t have to worry about getting randomly countered if you can bait out his jumping attack counter.

Punish him with a s.HP/cr.HP, Cross Rush, Far Standing HK, Demon take your pick. You’ll get some good damage in the end if you punish him right.

RUNNING JAGUAR BOMB (DP Motion + Any Punch)

King’s Running Jaguar Bomb is mainly used in combos or as a situational anti-air against your jump ins. He has to time it right though otherwise he’ll eat your jump in. You can take a risk if you like for the regular versions.

The EX version is no joke though as it is strike invulnerable to your jump ins and it will grab you out of the air if you do a regular jump in.

Coming at him with a demon flip though does yield different results. If you use any of the followups the EX Running Jaguar Bomb will whiff. (Tested with an EX Demon Flip although with the right spacing you could use a regular one.)

It isn’t very strong against your cross-ups though as it will whiff. Leaving him quite a distance away for you. Thus he’ll have to work his way in again.

JAIL KICK (A.K.A Konvict Kick) (DP Motion + Any Kick)
King sticks his leg out for a kick if the kick connects he can go into his just frame move the DDT.

All regular versions of the move do more damage depending on the strength of the button pressed but at the cost of more recovery.

His LK version is the fastest to recover but does the least damage
His MK version is more damaging and is like a mix between both his LK and HK versions
His HK version does the most damage but is the worst on block.

You will be able to tell which version is which by the rate at which King recoils his leg. He will bring his leg back slower with the heavier versions or if he fails his just frame attack.

On block the LK version is safe to your normals but is Demon Punishable on block.
The MK version is LP punishable on block (use standing LP) as well as cr.HK sweep punishable on block
The HK version is punishable with a cr.MK (into a Solo Combo or Cross Rush) and you could use a s.HP into a Cross rush too to punish.

The EX version is completely safe to your stuff including your demon. It ain’t like a Kazuya EWGF though as at least there is a limit to how much he can use it.

DDT (Any Kick during Jail Kick on hit or block)
The followup of King’s Jail Kick.

Trivia: In Tekken this followup can only be performed on counter hit.

Not much to say here other than if he hits you with this, it will cause a hard knockdown.

If he screws this up on block or on hit, his leg will recoil back very slowly. Allowing you to punish him with a s.HP into a full combo or Cross Rush

GIANT SWING (HCB + Any Punch)
“Giant” The Korean Commentators tend to call this move.

One of two of King’s command throws. This one will only grab you if you are standing. The regular versions aren’t very strong as King can be interrupted with normals during his startup.

The EX version on the other hand isn’t and it is strike invulnerable making it a pretty dangerous move to fight against. It hits pretty hard as well. Fortunately for you, this throw leaves King at full screen which isn’t where he will want to be against you unless he throws you into the corner.

King players tend to try and ‘tick’ you into this grab by leaving you in blockstun via a cr.LP. This greatly reduces the amount of time needed to react to his command throw. Fortunately you can regular throw him during his Giant Swing.

TOMAHAWK (HCB + Any Kick)
King jumps on your knee and gives you a knee of his own in this grab.

King’s second command throw, tomahawk, will only grab you if you are crouching instead of standing.

King signals this by taking some pretty large steps before throwing you and like his Giant Swing, the regular versions can be interrupted by your normals.

The EX version like the EX Giant Swing is Strike Invulnerable so it will ignore your normals.

Like his Giant Swing, King players tend to ‘tick’ you into the throw via a cr.LP. Like his Giant Swing you can throw King out of his Tomahawk despite the ‘tick’ into them.

There is the option to also straight up guess.
Guess right and you recieve a free punish.
Guess wrong and you’ll recieve some damage and a hard knockdown.

Its your choice but if you aren’t sure then you can teleport out to safety.

REVERSE ARM SLAM COMBO (QCB + Any Kick)
Despite being a starter for a multi-throw in Tekken, in SF X Tekken, this move counts as an attack and thus you can block it.

This move’s main use is in combos. If he switch cancels this move his partner can come in and have enough time to have a free super charge if they want as well as follow you on your wake-up.

Outside of combos however this move is pretty unsafe on block. Punish with a s.HP or Cross Rush.

The EX version also suffers the same problem outside of combos it has some invincibility though just not enough to get through your DP though. It just lasts longer on hit.

A side note to mention is that this is also King’s charge move. King like any character can perform charge cancels but they are unsafe on block if he dashes forward to your DP on block.

WONDERFUL MEXICAN COMBO (QCB + All Kicks)
With a name like that I kind of want that to be the new name for one of King’s Multi throw series of attacks.

King’s Super is basically a Super version of his Reverse Arm Slam Combo. It travels a little bit further than his EX version and has some invincibility on start-up.

Outside of combos though this move isn’t a very viable option against you. Punish it on block with a Cross Rush or s.HP. If you have the meter you could also Misogi him if he decides to do it raw in your face.

ALL IN ALL
This match-up isn’t really a bad one for Akuma as King by himself struggles against characters who have good keep out games. Hence severely damaging his partner is usually a good way to beat King.

Couple this with the fact that King can be out-poked pretty easy due to a slow cr.MK and you’ll find that in this match-up you will find that he will be relying on his partner to get him close to you and it will be his job to stay there.

Whilst he is there. Watch out for his command throw mix-ups and punish accordingly also watch out for his Jaguar Step too. The thing is a pain on your wake-up hence I would strongly advise to avoid wake-up uppercuts if you are fighting a King Player who wants to Jaguar Step you on your wake-up as they will whiff it is timed right.

Sorry I haven’t been posting a bit for a while. Time to get back on track with this stuff!

Fought some good Hwoarang Players recently so why not take a shot at Hwoarang.

OVERVIEW
Gee Tae Kwon Do has really been highlighted in fighting games more alot huh? First Kim from KOF then Hwoarang then Juri.
History aside Hwoarang is here and he is pretty much here to kick your block off. With some really tricky high/low mix-ups and some really good safe pressure. Hwoarang can be a tough guy to beat…if he is close to you that is.

APPROACH TACTICS

SPECIAL STEP
Hwoarang’s special step is similar to the Mishima’s ones. It still has some invincibility to highs and some mids but it is weak to lows. Hwoarang can alter the distance that he can travel depending on the strength of the button pressed; with light travelling the least distance and heavy the most distance.

It is therefore advisable to stay just outside the range of the heavy version a point such that if he special steps through your fireballs you have enough time to recover and block.

AIR RAID
Hwoarang’s very very long dive kick can also be use to traverse over your zoning. He’ll time it in such a way he will be able to by pass your air fireballs so that he can punish you when you land. For this reason it is a good idea to mix-up your zoning so you can bait this move out and punish him for thinking that he can read you like a book.

KICK MIX-UPS
Hwoarang’s kick mix-ups are deadly. Many a new Tekken player hath fallen to a Hwoarang endlessly kicking them to death online or even offline amongst friends. However with some correct judgement you will soon be able to get used to his flurry of kicks and start seeing the gaps in the offense which I hope to provide here.

He also has jumping as well but I think you guys know what to do here.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR
No arms used here, Hwoarang just kicks. That still does mean that his normals are still whiff punishable though.

Hwoarang doesn’t have the greatest reach (unless he is in his flamingo stance but I’ll get to that :)). But you should still watch out for his regular normals as they can be used to whiff punish you in footsies.

St.LP
Hwoarang’s st.LP unlike other st.LPs hits low. It looks like a small little step but it is still something to look out for whilst he is up close.

St. MK
Watch out for this normal as its one of Hwoarang’s longest reaching normals on the ground. It also leads into his Middle Kick Series’ of Strings.

cr.HK
One of Hwoarang’s whiff punishers in footsies. It also has some good reach too. Its cr.HK sweep punishable on block if he does it deep though.

It is a little slow on whiff though so if you can get him to whiff it, then you can whiff punish it with a cr.MK or cr.HK sweep for a knockdown or a Cross Rush.

UNIQUE ATTACKS / TEKKEN STRINGS
Man are we going to be here for some time. Could be another post to cover this character at this rate.

SPINNING TRIP KICK (Down-Back + LK)
Hwoarang spins his leg around and hits low

This move is pretty much a safe move for Hwoarang to throw out as it is safe to everything in Akuma’s arsenal. Even a Reversal Demon on block.

Hwoarang can also special cancel this on hit or block too allowing him to perform some tricks into Air Raid or Dynamite Heel. The latter being for some safe pressure.

It is a little slow however so if you can see it coming, neutral jump it if you can and punish on whiff (will take some very good reactions!)

TSUNAMI KICK (Forward + MK)
One of Hwoarang’s overhead attacks.

Hwoarang steps forward and slams his heel right down on your head for an overhead attack. Its pretty dangerous as on hit he can follow-up with it for a full combo so block it high unless you want to be taking some damage.

This move is also safe to your arsenal of attacks including your demon on block. Still it is better to block the overhead and not recieve the extra damage that you would have recieved had you not blocked the overhead in the first place.

There also is an option to neutral jump this move on reaction leaving him open for a full combo as you fall downwards. This will rely on your intuition and good reading skills though.

IRON HEEL (Forward + HK)
Another overhead kick from Hwoarang

This overhead is a little bit more dangerous than his Tsunami Kick as it causes a ground bounce on hit.

It is mainly used in roll situatioins to catch your rolls should you decide to hold down-back after exiting a roll. There is the option to teleport out of there thus avoiding the risk though.

Fortunately for you this does come with some advantages for you on block as it is DP punishable and Demon Punishable on block unlike his Tsunami Kick

It is also a little slower than his Tsunami Kick hence its easier to see coming. If you done well in blocking your Tsunami Kicks this shouldn’t be that bad to block.

FADE AWAY KICK (Back + MK)
Hwoarang’s Fade Away kick can be used to punish your normals on whiff should you get a bit too rushdown friendly with him.

This move has a slight immunity to lows on start-up making it a good counter for your sweep. He can also special cancel this as well on hit.

It is fortunately for you Reversal Demon Punishable on block so bait this out if you can. Hwoarang will most likely use this if you are low on health or you are putting too much pressure on him.

Onto his Tekken Strings

REVERSE KICK (MP > MP)
A two hit kick combo from Hwoarang

Hwoarang’s reverse kick can be blocked either standing or crouching. The last part of this string is special cancellable. From here Hwoarang can continue to put some pressure on you via his dash cancels using his Dynamite Heel.

The completed string is Reversal Demon punishable on block but Hwoarang players tend to cancel it into a Dynamite Heel to make it safe.

CHAINSAW KICK (MP > LP)
A two hit kick combo that ends in an overhead.

Hwoarang’s Chainsaw Kick combo is definitely a string to watch out for against him. For some Hwoarang Players this is their main way of opening you up so it is imperative that you block the second hit standing.

Some Hwoarang players like to mix this up with a chained cr.HK sweep creating a high/low mix-up.

The solution to this is to buffer a DP during the first and second hits as the first and second hits of the string are not true block strings.

If done correctly, If Hwoarang goes for the overhead, the DP will come out and hit him. If he goes low, the DP won’t come out and you can punish him on block with a Cr.HK sweep.

FLASHING TRIDENT (LP > MP in the air)
A 2 hit target combo in the air.

It is a simple thing to state but yes this move does hit twice so do block both of them standing. By standing and blocking both hits, you severely limit the usefulness of this move for two reasons.
[LIST]
[]Hwoarang jumps in your face to do this move so you can anti-air him
[
]The second hit is there just in case you decide to hit down-back after you block the first hit.
[/LIST]
MIDDLE KICK COMBO (MK > MK > MK)
A 3 hit kick combo.

Hwoarang’s Middle Kick Combo is part of a series of strings that allow him to transition into his Flamingo Stance (or Motion Switch as the game calls it.)

The completed string is safe to your normals but is Demon punishable on block.
The First hit on block is DP punishable on block.
The Second hit on block is st.LP punishable on block but you can Demon it if you have the meter.

The above is all assuming that he does the string deep.

HIGH KICK COMBO (MK > MK > HK)
Another 3 hit kick combo that ends in a high.

Same string as his his Middle Kick Combo only the last hit is a high kick that you can’t duck. The main difference between this and his Middle Kick Combo is that the last hit is special cancellable. Hwoarang can do some pretty tricky dash cancels afterwards which on block can be DP out of if he dashes forwards. On hit you can only Demon him.

The completed string itself is unsafe to a Reversal Demon but as it is special cancellable. Hwoarang Players will cancel this into a Dynamite Heel to make it safe.

Like his Middle Kick Combo this also transitions into his Flamingo Stance

LOW KICK COMBO (MK > MK > Down + LK)
A 3 hit kick combo that ends in a low.

This string is similar to his Middle Kick Combo series’ of kicks only it ends in a low instead.
Since the other variations on this string can be blocked either standing or crouching the low thrown in here is a little thing to throw you off.

The completed string is safe to your normals but is Reversal Demon punishable on block

LOW & HIGH KICK COMBO (MK > MK > Down + LK > HK)
A 4 hit kick combo that ends in a high.

This string combines both his High Kick Combo and his Low Kick Combo strings. It is sort of a ‘best of both worlds’ for Hwoarang. A low to throw you off plus a special cancellable kick at the end (which is Demon Punishable on block if he doesn’t special cancel it.)

Like his High Kick Combo sting, Hwoarang can dash cancel out of this move and/or do a Dynamite Heel for some pressure.

If he dashes forward you can DP out of the dash on block.

This string also transitions into his Flamingo Stance.

LOW & HIGH SMASH KICK COMBO (LK > MK)
A quick two hitter that ends in a special cancellable high.

This string is similar to his Middle Kick Combo and his Low & High Kick Combo in the fact that it ends in that same special cancellable high attack.

Like his other strings that involve this kick Hwoarang can dash cancel out of it for some pressure. Punish it with a DP on block if you see him dash cancel.

This string transitions into his flamingo stance.

QUICK KICK COMBO (MP > MP During Flamingo Stance)
A multi-hitting kick combo that launches.

This string starts off with two kicks and then another kick that launches on it.

The first hits of the string (MP) are Demon Punishable on block.

The cool thing about this string is that the second hit can be crouched under so you can punish it with a cr.MK into a Cross Rush or Solo Combo if you want or you could just cr.HK sweep him.

FLAMINGO KICK COMBO (LK > MK)
A 2 hit combo that ends in Hwoarang’s special cancellable high kick.

This string is similar to his Low & High Smash Kick Combo string only it can be done from his Flamingo Stance.

He can also transition back into his Flamingo Stance after this attack.

FIRE STORM (MK > LK)
A 2 hit kick combo that ends in a very flashy jumping spinning kick.

This string isn’t used that much as it has one big problem. Yep the last hit of it can be crouched under and to top it off, he is left standing right next to you on whiff too.

Punish him with a st.HP into a Full Combo or a Cross Rush

Even if you block the high you can still punish it on block with a Demon.

MOTION SWITCH (All Kicks)
Hwoarang Sticks his leg up.

His walkspeed also slows down to a crawl whilst he is in this stance.

Hwoarang can transition into this stance from the following strings:
[LIST]
[]Middle Kick Combo (MK > MK > MK)
[
]Low & High Kick Combo (MK > MK > Down + LK > HK)
[]Low & High Smash Kick Combo (LK > MK)
[
]High Kick Combo (MK > MK > HK)
[/LIST]
It is important to note that Hwoarang cannot block whilst he is in this stance. But he can dash out of it and perform specials out of it as well.

During this stance Hwoarang’s standing ground normals change. Here are some notable normal changes

st.LP
Looks like a small low kick but it isn’t a low attack.

st.MP
Now a two hit kick attack. Its a starter for his Quick Kick Combo string.

st.HK
Now has ALOT more range than his regular st.HK. The only problem though is that it misses crouching opponents so you can punish him really hard depending on where you are. If up close do a st.HP into a a full combo.

If you are further away, cr.MK him into a Cross Rush or cr.HK sweep him.

If there are any more notable normals from this date please reply and I’ll update the list.

^ Thanks a lot for your efforts! I’ve been reading… just been too lazy to log in

Lol I don’t mind as long as what I write makes some form of sense and people apply it to their games then I’m cool with it. There’s more to SF X Tekken than just Ryu, Ken, Kazuya, Rolento, Raven etc. I may sound a little crazy when I say this but I think Akuma has potential in this game to be really good just that with combos taking so much damage (and the stupid fact that Capcom made him a zoner!) people just don’t play him.

I was thinking of asking for requests for match-up breakdowns in this thread I’ll do them if people want them. But for now I think after finishing off Hwoarang I’m going to cover either Raven, Cammy, Jin or someone like Rufus or Guile.

Vs. Guile (6-4 or 5.5-4.5)
-Use fierce shaku at long range to nullify his sonic booms.
-Neutral air hadou when he throws booms to pressure him and force him to stay grounded.
-Very weak to cross-ups if he doesn’t roll, thus you can expect most Guile’s to roll.
-You can Demon/Misogi a blocked flash kick or after the first hit of his sweep (very strict timing).

You want to play very lame in this match. Throw fireballs every time he throws a boom, make him come to you. If he decides to turtle then keep throwing fierce shaku’s to force him out of his comfort zone. Let him throw EX booms if he wants, that just means he has less meter for something else. I wouldn’t really recommend using footsies in this match, Guile’s normals are superior to yours and can deplete your health quickly.

Akuma loses to Kazuya hard lol. Akuma can’t cancel fireballs to fake like Ryu can, jump-back and shaku’s fireballs is just asking to get wavedashed through. The fact that Kazuya does so much damage of any hitconfirm will make the difference aswell.

Hwoarang Continued

SPECIALS

SPECIAL STEP (DP motion + Any Punch)

As mentioned before Hwoarang’s special step is similar to the Mishima’s special steps. It will miss your highs but it will lose to your low attacks.

The main use of this move is to dash through your fireballs and punish you.

Hwoarang can stick a Sky Rocket during the part of the move where the little dust flicks up making it annoying to punish.

He can also perform special moves during the recovery of it as well.

First of all the best way to approach punishing this move is to stand just at the edge of his Heavy Version. From this point his Sky Rocket during the move will not hit you.

Its also good as he will have to recover before he can do a special move. Your DP beats practically all of his special moves up close apart from EX Sky Rocket which tends to trade a bit with your DP.

The EX Version is alot faster but fortunately it doesn’t pack as much range as his regular versions.

Overall your best bet is to bait this move out using your ability to read your opponent and punish accordingly with a DP whilst he recovers.

SKY ROCKET (DP Motion + Any Punch)
Hwoarang’s main anti-air of choice. It sends you sky high (to an extent) just like it does in Tekken.

Something to note about this move is that whilst it is a good all around anti-air. It is pretty weak versus cross-ups if he tries to do it at the last minute like your DP.

There is a chance that this anti-air tends to trade with your jump ins also.

Like Ryu this move only hits once and some Hwoarang players tend to use this move as a switch cancel to bring in their partner and also like Ryu’s it IS NOT SAFE…on block that is.

You can LP his partner whilst they are coming in or Reversal DP into yours for some damage. Unfortunately unlike Ryu, you won’t be able to catch Hwoarang unless you do a non reversal DP even then his partner will be able to block it.

WARNING: The above tactic won’t work for the Heavy Version for some odd reason. For the Heavy version you can only Reversal Demon his partner on entry.

The EX version has some more invincibility and reaches higher. It is near suicide for Hwoarang to use this as a method to tag out as you can st.HP both him and his partner for a full combo on block.

(Tested with all versions of Hwoarang’s Sky Rocket and leaving his partner to hold Down-Back on entry.)

HUNTING HAWK (QCB + Any Kick)
Gee the kicks that gave me so much trouble in Tekken until I learnt the art of side-stepping :D.

The amount of blockstun on this move is pretty big no matter what version he uses to be honest.

Depending on what version he uses, the amount of kicks that he does changes.

The LK Version is one kick that can be blocked either standing or crouching.This is Reversal DP/Demon Punishable on block.

The MK Version is two kicks that can be blocked either standing or crouching. They are also Reversal DP/Demon punishable on block.

The HK Version consists of 3 kicks. The first two kicks act like the MK Version whereas the last one is an overhead that causes a ground bounce on hit. On block this move is also Reversal DP/Demon Punishable on block.

If you block the first two hits standing but you get hit by the overhead, you can quick stand after the overhead hits. Hwoarang can’t follow up with this by himself though.

And just for reference, if you are hit by the first two hits, you can’t quick stand after the 3rd hit hits you.

The HK version is also very good in switch cancel situations. Expect him to do this if he is low on health and wants to bring in his partner or he wants to chip you to death.

If you have the meter you can Alpha Counter him out of it. If you Alpha Counter just after the 2 hits and if performed correctly, you can hit both Hwoarang and his partner on incoming.

The EX Version causes a wallbounce on hit. Expect to see this only in combos where he is juggling you to oblivion.

If he does it raw in your face though you can punish him whilst he is coming down.

The first hit of the EX version hits you whether you crouch or stand but the rest of the hits miss against crouching opponents.

If you stand still he will land on the other side waiting to be punished. Punish him with a s.HP or Cross Rush.

You’ll want to punish him the moment he lands. If you punish too early you’ll put Hwoarang in a SF4 style reset situation. If you punish too late, he will be able to block in time.

You could use the SF4 style reset to your advantage though.

AIR RAID (HCF + Any Kick)
Hwoarang jumps and makes a stupid noise (well if you have him in English but that’s my opinion) and then comes down at you with a dive kick.

This move hits as an overhead.

Whilst Hwoarang is in the air, he can change is trajectory.

The LK version doesn’t travel very far and it can be used in some Hwoarang tricks such as in block strings. They ain’t safe and they are pretty risky to be honest.

For instance you can walk under him if he tries to do this as part of a block string.

The MK version is like a mix between his LK and HK Version. It travels about the same distance as his Heavy Special Step only it will cost him more as it takes him longer to recover from the move.

Your window of punishment for the MK version is the moment he lands. After that he’ll be able to block afterwards.

The HK version travels full-screen.

One thing to mention about the HK Version move is that if he tries it from fullscreen and you stand still you can easily anti-air it with your DP if you don’t move.

The best counter to this move is to air to air him out of it I prefer to use j.HP but you can use j.HK if you want or any other air to air of your choice if you can successfully bait this move out. You’ll want to time it the moment you see his leg shoot downwards.

You can also use a neutral jump MK to score an air to air counter also into a s.HP > Heavy DP from there you can switch cancel into your partner and kill him for it.

The EX version travels alot further than the regular versions and can be used to bait out your DPs.

It also causes a hard knockdown on hit and retains its overhead properties.

If you can bait this move out punish it as I have mentioned before with an air to air normal of your choice. Remember to time it the moment you see his leg shoot downwards.

AIR RAID SPECIAL (HCF + Any Kick Whilst In The Air)
This is similar to his regular Air Raid only it can be done in the air.

As a dive-kick it is pretty slow to be honest but it does still hit like an overhead like his regular Air Raid.

Anti-air these as you please with a cr.HP or DP.

The same thing goes for the EX Version only it has a little bit more priority just anti-air them with your DP or cr.HP

DYNAMITE HEEL (HCB + Any Punch)
Hwoarang Slams his heel down on your head.

Contrary to popular belief, the regular versions of this move are NOT overheads.

They do however provide some good frame advantage on block. It is even safe to your Demon.

Some Hwoarang players tend to throw after this move has connected up close. The only best advice here is to practice teching throws here to be honest.

Thankfully though you can be assured of one thing. The longer the block string that Hwoarang puts behind this move, the further away he will be from you assuming you are mid screen meaning he’ll have to work his way in again.

As mentioned before this is Hwoarang’s charge move and he can dash cancel this move for some extra pressure. On block this is DP punishable if he dashes forwards.

The EX Version of this move is a very slow overhead attack and unlike his regular version, this move is Reversal Demon Punishable on block.

The EX Version is mainly used in block strings primarily but up close this move acts like a very tricky cross-up attack. Fortunately though you can just walk under him and punish him on whiff with a s.HP, Cross Rush, Demon. Take your pick.

HEEL EXPLOSION (HCB + All Punches)
Hwoarang’s Heel Explosion Super is basically stronger variant on his EX Dynamite Heel its obvious use is in combos to kill you.

This move hits as an overhead although like his EX Version it is pretty slow and easy to telegraph if done raw in your face.

As a wake-up attack the first hit tends to whiff against you up close making it not a very viable one too.

On block you can punish this move with a Far Standing HP into a Cross Rush or a cr.MK into a Solo Combo if you want.

ALL IN ALL
Ok so Hwoarang has a crap tonne of safe pressure up close but here is the big problem with him: HE LACKS OPTIONS FROM FULLSCREEN. Unless he is up close his options from fullscreen are limited hence it is a good idea to zone him out and take advantage of his main weakness.

Bait out his approaches as much as possible since they do get a little bit predictable over time.

Watch out for his overheads that lead to full combos such as Chainsaw Kick. Outside of some pretty slow overheads, Hwoarang’s pressure loses to down-back, some good throw teching and simply walking backwards from him.

And although he has alot of moves that transition into his Flamingo Stance, if you just walk back the usefulness of the stance becomes pretty apparent and you’ll be able to see why it isn’t used as much by Hwoarang Players.

And any openings he brings. Punish him HARD for it and he’ll be less willing to try and bust out any tricks against you.