Hello, new here 
I was wondering aside from the fireball and dragon punch, what are the differences (finer ones) between Ken, Ryu and Akuma? I’m just getting into SF3: 2nd Strike. What types of players would use each character?
Akuma has far more combos and traps. He’s also harder than Ken and Ryu to use.
Ken has SAIII which can be linked from just about anything.
Ryu is the most balanced and I’m pretty sure his attacks are the strongest as far as normals are concerned but he is the slowest.
Ryu tends to be the beginners choice and some cases average level players as well.
Ken tends to be an easy way for beginners to win against other beginners… some get better with him and thats why he’s top tier. The beginner tactics only go so far but plenty of high level players learn him thoroughly and use him.
Akuma tends to be something beginners experiment with because they like to turtle with his air fireball. Advanced players rush down with him and will get you in a corner and not stop. There really are no average Akuma players that can win. He’s a character you have to really know how to use much more so than Ken or Ryu.
Got it, thanks. So I should be working with Akuma for the long run then?
i wouldn’t suggest starting with Akuma… he has pitiful stun resistance and a very little ammount of life. he also has no EX moves which will lead you to think that they’re useless when you move onto other characters, because you’re not familiar with EX moves…
it’s hard to know how to play offensive when you’re just starting to play… i suggest you try ken. his speed/vitality/dmg is balanced and he makes good use of this EX moves.
but since you said 2nd impact… i think the EX moves stuff doesn’t apply to you
akuma is fanboys and scrubs personal pick:bluu:
and they still thinks " AKUMA IS SOO COOOL !!! "
which end up …
" WTF ?? HE BEAT ME FOR ABOUT 19 SECONDS !!?? "
for serious player picking akuma… it’s really possibly a shock and awe
ive seen match (jp akuma) perfect k.o. so uh yeah.
All 3 characters are very good picks for high level play. Ryu’s the most “stable” and defensive. He can rush down, but nowhere near what the other two can. He’s not considered a top-tier character, but I’ve seen a lot of japanese players rank really well with him in tournaments (or frankie3S for us americans), so ignore tier. Ken can rush down like crazy hell, and his SA3 rocks. 
Ken is definitely a hardcore badass. His damage just comes very easily. Don’t listen when people say he’s predictable. If he’s predictable, he’s being played wrong. Watch tournament vids, and there’s a ton of kens for a reason. He’s a badass. No character in this game is predictable…wtih the possible exception of chun li…and if the player is good enough, you can’t predict her, either. Akuma’s a weird bastard. I love him. He fits my style the most. He has the power of ryu (or close to it), and he’s fast, but he shares the “little girl” lifebar with ibuki. He has to be played pretty offensively to stay alive. If opponents get a chance to pressure you, you’re a deadman. Don’t listen to people when they say he’s for scrubs. Yes, scrubs use him, for the damned fireballs, but upper-level players use him for his pressure and dirty tricks. They’re all good. Pick the one that most suits your playing style. Ken or Ryu are probably the best to learn with, though (if you ask me). If you’re asking which character is probably the best when it comes to tiers, it’s ken. He’s always in the top 3, and for good reason. THey’re all great characters, though. Just play with all 3 and see which one you like.
p.s. Match is my akuma hero.
HAHAHA 2nd Strike
seriously tho, all 3 characters are cheap
in my local arcade scrubby players are turning to ken (from akuma). cr.forward > SAIII alone is enough to win a match -_-
i took streak’s advice and started using Q :lol:
:rollseyes:
Gotcha…will stick with Ken (and sometimes Sean–he’s a cool character imo). Thanks for all the replies.
Yo Chupa, Ken is definitely a good character to start off with even if you dont end up picking him as your main shoto. IMO, learning Ken will help you use Akuma better because it will teach you to fight good offenense without relying too heavilly on air fireballs and teleports and learning Ken will help you play Ryu without relying too much on defensive tactics, Which pretty much come naturally to Ryu anyways. Pick Kens green costume!!! And may the luck of Hundreds of years of drunken Irishmen Help you out prioritize those Asian sensations.
i like using ryu out of the 3 since he is my fav sf character. i also use him because i prefer power over speed. if you like insane speedy combos then ryu is not the character for you. ryu is meant to go in and deal a few power blows to beat his opponents quickly. lol i consider ryu a friendship killer type of character. especially when i do this combo: crouching mk, shoryuken, shinshoryuken. that simple combo can deal incredible damage and make ur friends bitch at you. ryus hadoken is powerful as always but now it has slower recovery than usual. badly timed fireballs are what kill ryu users in third strike at times. i only use them in combos or to keep a distance between myself to plan my next attack. like i throw a slow fireball and when they jump over it i nail them with a shoryuken or that new super of his that looks a hell of a lot like shawn micheals super kick.
ryu has short combos but they are very powerful. like his hp to shoryuken can take a chunk of your opponents health. but to be a good ryu user in thrid strike you cant be predictible. cause if so then your opponent can counter many of your moves. make sure to use your crouching medium kick to da fullest since it has great range and since you can do a 2 in 1 with it. and to shoryuken you foe’s out of the air when the chance comes since it does incredible damage.
oh and i almost forgot. ryu’s hurricane kick is deadly aswell. it deals great damage and it only does 1 hit to take its full affect. i like doing this combo; crouching lp, crouching lk, crouching mk, hurricane kick. but this move can work against ryu because if blocked then he is set up for some serious moves. the hurricane kick is also useful because if used right you can travel great distances in an instant. i usually super jump and do an air hurricane kick to get to the other side. i also hit many people with this move cause the block the wrong way when i come down.
well thats all im gonna post for now. i hope to see others post about which of the shotos that yall like to use and why.
Great reason there, my friend! that’s exactly why i choose kit kat over Snickers or Mars… 'cuz it’s my favorite, dawg
anyways, cr.mk > srk > ssrk? that’s almost as elite as evil ken’s combo.
you gotta try this at home : jump in strong > s.fierce > srk > SA1 > dash > EX donkey kick > EX srk > taunt
Evil Ken?
haha sean is my favorite street fighter of all time, akuma is my 2nd, i wish the former was in super street fighter iv…i can only pray for dlc but even then he doesnt seem popular enough. Man i love that guy.
what
if i ever play you on psn im sending hatemail
sup with gill resurrections for no reason?