Let me first say that I love SF4 and SF4AE.
My first fighting game which I took seriously, and actually became quite good at it - at least based on points. YEAH - points mean nothing, but you know what? What else does? When you have tons of people at 1000 or 2000 bps potentially kicking your 10k+ ass… YET - what if they just got lucky?
I am tired of hearing “points mean nothing” - you know why? Because if those players were good they’d make it over 10000 or 15000 themselves. But they dont. If BP isnt of interest to those “rising stars”, then why are their player points (irrelevant to fighter - but an overall measure of performance, for those who dont know) also below 3000? And to be fair, 3000-4000 PP and 15000-20000 BP, is still only scratching the tip of the iceberg, if you are on the PC league like me, and play with a keyboard, while you know that console players or fighting stick owners are a whole level above you.
Well then, now that we’ve cleared this out, here is why every fighter is cheap. You can call it - each fighter’s “Strength” instead. Or “Advantages”. Or “Unfair advantages”. Or why they are awsome. I choose the word cheap because I believe that this game (which I love) kind of relies of cheap techniques or gamestyles so that ‘pros’ can stand out. Once you mastered your character’s cheap technique, tappy tap away!
Without further ado:
Abel - With his 2nd ultra, you are fucked. Jump all you want, block, or stand still. If that gay looking wrestler times it right, this is the end. And dont forget his roll into 360 ex which will knock out 1/5 or 1/4 of your heath.
Like overhead attacks? well too bad, because Abel easily grabs enemies from air.
Like jumping? his 180 roll ex kick will put you out of your misert.
Adon - That underrated dude can be the most annoying fighter, if he spams Tiger kicks or their EX versions. Those take priority over most moves.
And lest we forget the vertical jump near your face, into quick throws.
You’re down? he’ll jump up like a clown, land with a kick as you get up, you block, he throws with a maniacal laughter (so annoying).
If you block and he doesnt throw, he’ll keep jumping up till he’s ready to catch you off guard.
If you cant teleport out of this, or if you dont have a Shoryuken up your sleeve, you are probably fucked.
Akuma - Cant have many complaints against good old Akuma.
He can mess you up in a corner easily, perform unblockable special move aerial throws (unless you dash out). His ultra actually seems one of the most fair in the game. It has such low priority that you can punish it, if you arent caught of guard, or didnt just complete a move that requires just a tiny bit of cooldown. I feel for Akuma, really.
Balrog - That motherfucker! Ohh - mr. I cant kick. Thank GOD he cant kick too.
This is because his punches are long range, and will always make you fall.
Headbutt -> juggle into an ultra is his usual shit, but other than that, he’s a good guy 
Oh wait… I forgot how Balrog players like to jump and land with a high priority punch in your face.
Cheap ass Boxer… 
Blanka - Dont get me started on this one!
Hoppity hop hop, hop around you, electricity or jab. Did you block? Thats alright, hop into throw usually works. Did you block that too? Blanka ball (horizontal or curved) in your face.
How about jump and land with high priority kick?
Or that ultra 1? Well, its not as bad in AE to be fair. But if you are a noob and dont know how to block it, you sir, are fucked. Your advantage flies out of the window. Blanka ball ftw!
C. Viper - The hottest girl in the game, imo. Redheaded, big chested, big camel-toe’d. Tight. And those alternate costumes? God damn!
But she is still a cheap slut. My only beef is the overhead cross attack while you are down or standing. Its sort of hitting you from both directions, and you cant do much about this.
Also has an unstoppable bullshit attack: slide-electricity -> overhead attack -> slide again -> repeat. Alternate into a throw.
Gotta have respect for players that pull of the aerial combos into the ultra beautifully though. But the rest is bullshit.
Cammy - #3 hottie. That tight ass staring at you. Usually we skip fight intros, but never when its with Cammy, am I right
And still… skilled players will mash out the same 6 moves combo - something like punch, leg, leg, jab, leg, cammy’s spiral arrow. This deals massive damage, and skilled players always find a way into this combo.
If you like overhead attacks or pretty much be in the air, think twice. Cannon Spike (no shit!). Most bullshistic move, that takes priority even long after its done.
Chun Li - #2 in my books. Which is totally cool. I just have a thing for big tittied redheads.
What can I say? Despite being a legend, dearest Chun has:
Bicycle ex - cant attack overhead, or have to think twice.
Unblockable string of ground attacks, if you try to parry.
If you block everything she’ll still get you with a deadly low kick after the combo, or an overhead jump to end up on your other side… throws you. If she doesnt, the said ground-jab-combo game starts over.
Lets not forget EX legs into ultra 2.
Ultra 1 will work accross the screen and will fuck over any fireball user.
Lastly, air grabs prevent you from safely jumping around.
Basically, a skilled chun just wont let you have a normal ground game. Air is the only option, but its risky.
The bicycle EX protects her from aerial attacks. So you always have tight games here. She’s a good match just about anyone. Maybe those things that I call cheap, make her a top tier fighter after all.
Cody -ha ha! Criminal upper! ha ha! Slide, slide. You’re boring the crap outta me.
He is a descent fighter, all in all, but sooooo annoying. The slides are imo the worst. Slides with Cody can easily work their way into throws, or his EX Criminal uppercuts. And those really are the #1 problem because of their high damage. A good cody player will always abuse them to the max.
Dan - Serious Dans should be taken seriously. Seriously…
In all fairness, he does not have too many cheap moves. I can actually only think of one main - the aerial jump that ends with an unstoppable knee. As his other means of survival, he’ll rely mainly on throws which come easy after a string of non EX hop kicks - those that end up right in your face if you block them. Then comes the throw.
Dee Jay - Mr. fucking music =.
Nothing really stands out with this guy, except the SLIDES (which end with up with a combo or a throw). I wish all slides were removed (Bison’s too, even though his is the most self-defeating one).
Also, happens to have the best unbeatable anti air Air Slasher. If he has an EX bar. Still, not recommended, as a good DJ player will always find a way to mess you up. Stick to the ground game? Not a problem, he’ll spam fire…beats? at you ad-nauseum, and then will slide some more to finish the business.
Dhalsim - check Bagelobo on youtube.
I respect this person and this is not a criticism in no way. He is the best Dhalsim on PC as far as I know. He just perfected Dhalsim in the sense that he abuses every cheap thing that this fighter has to offer. So this isnt as much about Bagelobo, but rather about what Dhalsim can do to fuck you up, if used properly:
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Knee or medium punch - cant attack him from the air, as those 2 will override any attack. Even most EX’s I believe. Even if the EX gets through, Dhalsim’s knee or medium punch (simple functions at first glance), will always scratch the opponent.
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Can be aggressive both on ground and in air, from a safe distance, no thanks to long kicks and long arm jabs. This is obvious, but soooooo frustrating. Unless you pick a fast moving fighter to corner Dhalsim where he’s vulnerable, you are pretty much playing a losing game. He’ll always bounch back, float in the air, will avoid any fireballs and will jab you from a safe distance. If he’s desperate, he’ll teleport behind you and will rape you with SUPER.
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Dash for Dhalsim means avoiding most attacks, as he sort of slowly glides under most attacks (most attacks or throws dont even register with him, and I believe it has to do with how deceptively slow the character moves, while his hitbox may be not in sync… but thats just my opinion). He glides under attacks and then throws you.
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The throws… somehow, his always get you, but yours never get him.
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His Focus works in mysterious ways and has very long lifetime. What usually happens in a corner, is a pro Dhalsim pre-reading a focus attack on you, while you jump up and down trying to avoid some of his slow shit like fireballs. You land down - WHAM. Focus gets you - > Ultra 1 ftw
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Ultra 2. Just saying. Even Bagelobo switched to it seeing how effective it is. You cant do anything against it, unless you teleport out (if you can), or start jumping “just in case”. But trying it with Dhalsim who is a superior punisher of ANY UNNECESSARY MOVES, if you are on ground or in the air, is generally a bad idea.
Save your best moves for Dhalsim, and fight back as best as you can.
His most useless move imo is the Yoga-Flame, where he shoots fire into air. Its slow and counterable, unless its the EX version.
Dudley - most “fair” fighter I’ve seen so far. And maybe thats why he is not that popular.
I can only think of his Shoryken as a cheap move, but all Shorykens are.
Can have a very successful punching into more punches combo, but thats not an unbeatable attack or anything that reaks of unbalance. Rather, thats just skills.
(and no, I dont main Dudley. I just find them the most “fair”)
E. Honda - Campers heaven. Thats all I can say. Sit in the corner, wait. Wait… WAIT! Launch!
In your face. And when they feel intimidated they start abusing Crashing hop (I believe he yells “Crashing Panda” like a little bitch) - regular or EX. This move and the arrow attack are both damaging and high priority. The arrow attacks can punish air attacks, or just punish someone who tries to camp it out too.
El Fuerte - mr. Random Bullshit.
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Unstoppable Tortilla head twists abused like there is no tomorrow
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Endless throws gameplay. Slide -> into throw, to be more precise.
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Jump-across-the-screen high priority crashing moves
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Unblockable Ultra1… oh man. That used to be the bomb in SF4. For some reason, not seeing many El Fuerte’s in SF4AE.
Evil Ryu - not a lot is known about him, except that he is the “bad” cheap version of Ryu.
But he is actually less abusive and cheap that Ryu. I usually feel sorry for Evil Ryu’s. Here they are, trying to play with a badass looking character, only to find out he pales in comparison to nicey nice Ryu??!
Cheap moves? Maybe only the high priority Shoryukens. The rest is combos, and props to those who pull them off regularly.
Fei Long - not much, EXCEPT:
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sliding while fisting (that sounds just dirty) -> into throws or dragon kicks (“take cover!” who the hell is he always warning?)
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rolling kick jumps -> into throws or dragon kicks
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vertical jumps to catch someone off guard and… -> carry on into throws or dragon kicks
You are always intimidated by this guy. Never a moment of peace, as long as the Fei kicks on sliding and throwing.
Some Fei Longs pull of very nice combos into ultras, now that I can respect.
Gen - That hapless old man. I used to think he was one of the most cheap in SF4, but now it doesnt seem this way anymore when we have his students in the game.
Dont see a lot of Gens around in AE.
His only most cheap move is hoping around you and footsies to knock you down. But once you master to block that, its not an issue.
His Super followed by an Ultra are very damaging, but really, how often can they pull it off? (well yea, I guess pretty often).
Bicycle kicks are perhaps the most cheap, in the sense that they are very high priority. If he starts doing that (looks like he’s crouching and dancing polka while climbing the air), just forget it. Even if he is almost done, let it go. It aint worth it.
continued…