Repost of kcxj strats and frame data w/ a few minor tweaks.
f, f dash
97 pixels long
0 pixels high
Same data as Ken’s. Ryu’s dash is very fast and useful.
Dash back, hadouken
whiff jabs, dash forward
close s.LP 400 +7/+7
2/4/6
12 frames total
far s.LP 300 +7/+7
2/4/6
12 frames total
This move is important to whiff in order to bait your opponent into attacking you, rolling, or whatever. It’s a rapid fire light attack, so you can stick these out very quickly whenever you want.
d.LP 300 +7/+7
3/4/6
13 frames total
This is the shoto’s trademark move. Yielding +7 on the hit or block, nearly all the shoto’s offensive patterns start off with or involve this move in one way or the other. Ken, Ryu, Akuma simply would not be Ken, Ryu, Akuma if they did not have their 3 frame, +7 crouching jab.
close s.MP 800 -3/-3
3/3/20
26 frames total
This move sucks. I honestly see no reason to ever use it, because close s.MK is better.
far s.MP 1000 -1/-1
5/6/17
28 frames total
d.MP 900 +6/+6
4/7/9
20 frames total
Ryu is special. His d.MP has 2 frames less recovery than Akuma’s or Ken’s d.MPs. As a result, he can easily link a 4 frame d.MK after this attack hits normally while Akuma and Ken cannot.
This is also Ryu’s meaty attack of choice. Potential +12 after this move (the same as Ken’s meaty close s.HK… cheap!).
This move also controls the space directly in front of Ryu quite well. At 20 frames total, this is Ryu’s best meter building whiff attack. By whiffing this move, you’re hoping the opponent will try to walk up and punish you. From there, you can stop him with d.MK or ram your fist into his face with far s.HP. No opponent can freely roll through a 20 frame attack either, so don’t worry about that.
close s.HP 1200,1000 -8/-8
3/8/24
Generic shoto 3 frame close fierce. d.HP is more useful the majority of the time. The good thing about this move is you can walk up and do it whenever you want to attempt a counter hit. 3 frame startup is very fast.
far s.HP 1400 0/0
x/x/o
7/10/20
37 frames total
Now we’re talking. Either this move or d.MP is hands down, easily Ryu’s most useful normal attack. This move is super cancelable (!), totally safe on the block, has far range, quick startup, and does big damage.
The weakness to this move is that it CAN be rolled through safely by the opponent, as the total frames are a little long at 37 frames. But don’t count on it, as the timing is really quite tight. With Ryu, you shouldn’t be throwing out this move against an opponent who you know likes to roll a lot anyway. Against, Kim or Terry scrubs for example, focus more on sticking out d.MPs and punishing roll attempts.
This is also Ryu’s safest poke string ender. Ryu players do things like d.MP, d.LP, d.HK xx hadouken/hurricane. Against a raging K-Cammy or a full metered A-Bison, that’s probably the stupidest thing you can possibly do. In all the instances where you would normally end a poke string with d.HK xx something, do far s.HP instead. You can mixup the timing by either doing it fast (for guard crush right away) or slightly delayed (for the possible counter hit). You can even stagger moves in between, like a whiff s.LP, in case you think a P-groover might parry.
Anyway this move is awesome, but only after you learn how to use it properly.
d.HP 1200, 800 -13/-13
3/11/26
40 frames total
This move is very, very important. It serves as both Ryu’s situational anti-air and as his main combo filler. At only three frame startup, this move is also useful for counter hit attempts. As a bonus, since this move is a hard attack, it can also serve as option select tech throw attempts.
There is suprising horizontal range on this move as well.
d.LK 200 +5/+5
3/4/8
15 frames total
Short, short xx super. Enough said.
d.MK 800 -1/-1
4/6/17
28 frames total
Don’t let the frame data fool you. Just because it doesn’t leave you at a positive frame advantage doesn’t mean it’s not one of Ryu’s most powerful normal attacks. On a counter hit, this move becomes +2 anyway.
Four frame, cancelable low attack. Characters who have an attack like this are extremely good. Bison, Chun-li, and Sagat most notabably. They can punish all sorts of stuff.
d.MK along with far s.HP are Ryu’s main whiff punishers when playing footsies. You can walk up, d.MK xx shinkuu hadouken after Sagat whiffs a d.HP when you bait, anticipate, and react properly.
far s.HK 1200, 1300 -6/-6
4/12/18
34 frames total
Four frame far anti-air. Notice how the move does more damage when you do it from far anyway? Good. Use this to stop low jumpers too.
d.HK 1200 knockdown/-15 x/o/o
6/6/35
47 total frames
The basic shoto sweep. Move is cancelable, hits fast, knocks downs, and has good range.
At max range or outside of max range (when used on reaction against whiffs), this is a very important footsies tool because of the knockdown potential.
-d.LK, d.LK, d.HK xx something (1 frame gap, cannot be jumped from)
f+MK -4/+1
The hop kick. This move along w/ d.MP can both stop Blanka’s df.HP.
On a counter hit:
-You should be at -1. Keep attacking if you want.
On regular hit:
-You’re at -4. Don’t try to press your attack after. Just block and be ready to tech throw.
On the block:
-You’re at +1. Try going for a throw, a low attack, or far s.HP. It’s all good when you’re in frame advantage.
You hit the opponent out of the air:
-This situation occurs very commonly as well. The only thing I don’t recommend you do is going for a roll. After a hit where both characters land on their feet like this, anybody can see a roll coming from a mile away.
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Shoryuken
4 frame startup
LP version for ground moves, deep HP version for anti-air
Red Fireball
knocks down
Only useful in combos when you want the knock down. Regular blue fireball is better 99% of the time.
Hadouken “blue fireball”
qcf+LP 800 -9/-9
12/42 (54 frames total)
qcf+MP 900 -10/-10
12/43
qcf+HP 1000 -11/-11
12/44
Strong Ryu players use both RC and normal Hadouken to beat out pokes. For normal Hadoukens the trick is to have the Hadouken actively on screen where the opponent’s main poke ends. For example, against Sakura you want the Hadouken (the actual blue ball) to be what Sakura’s s.HK actually kicks.
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Situational anti-airs:
-far s.HK
-deep HP shoryuken
-d.HP
-deep “cross-up” HP shoryuken
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Combos:
-Opponent near corner, d.LK, d.LK xx level 2 shinkuu hadouken, qcb+LK, juggling level 1 shinkuu tatsumaki
-d.MK, level 3 shin shoryuken
-d.HP, level 3 shin shoryuken
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Blocked String Data:
Just for reference, I’m using C-groove Ryu (also applicable to A-groove). N, K, S, and P add a whole bunch of new moves you need to take into consideration on your offense. I’ll save those for when I’m a more advanced CvS2 player. I just want to focus on the must-know basics for now.
Best blocked string enders:
- far s.HP (easily #1)
- d.HP xx qcf+HP
- d.MK xx qcf+LP
- d.HK xx qcf+LP
- d.HK xx qcb+LK (the least useful… only good when opponent’s guard it about to break)
After you’ve ended your poke string is when the match either totally resets, is slightly in your favor (depending on screen position), or is totally in your favor if you’ve gotten the knockdown or the opponent cornered. Whenever you sense the match is in your favor is when you rush the opponent down for the win, either coming from the guard break or the dizzy mostly. Whenever the match is totally reset (ie. the opponent just blocked everything you did, doesn’t have a flashing guard bar, and is still in at a favorable midscreen position) is when you need to play patient. Start up the footsies and poking game again in order to regain your control.
Best moves to keep your momentum going:
- d.LP or d.LK, walk forward
- meaty d.MP, then dash or walk forward
- f+MK
WORSE moves to use in the middle of poke strings:
- roll
- jump
- cross-up jump
- f+HP
- random hurricane kick
- dashing after anything other than d.LP or meaty d.MP (you NEED the frame advantage those two moves give for a dash to be effective)
The following are all 99% safe and totally inescapable once started. They’re all either perfect links or only leave a zero to two frame gap in between. The opponent HAS to block, or he’ll get messed up if he tries to jump away or attack you:
-meaty d.MP, anything
-d.MP, far s.HP
-d.MP, d.LP
-d.LP, far s.HP
-d.MP, d.LP, far s.HP (takes off a CHUNK of guard meter. I use this very often.)
-close d.MP, d.HP xx qcf+HP
-d.MP, d.MK
-d.LK x 1~3, d.MK
-d.LP, wait, d.LK, d.LK
Anything ended with d.HK xx qcf+LP is not always safe. Use it depending on how you feel your opponent will react to it. If he’s dumb, he might roll, so you can hit him with a free d.LK, d.LK xx super combo. If he’s smart however, he might super/CC you in the face, roll cancel through, or parry/JD for your efforts.
(to be continued…)
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Footsies and Poking:
RANGE, RANGE, RANGE! I can’t stress that enough. Knowing all the distances and ranges of every character’s most often used moves is the single most important aspect to having a strong ground game.
Most powerful tools:
-LP and HP Hadouken (easily the best poke Ryu has)
-far s.HP
-f+MK
-d.MK (four frame low attack)
-d.MP (used more defensively in poking)
-roll canceled qcf+P (LP is the safest, HP is the easiest)
Ideally, you always want to stay at the range were you can hit the opponent, but the opponent can’t hit you. The shoto’s fireball is what makes that possible. Always be ready to counter your opponent possible reactions after you poke with a fireball (or fake it altogether etc…). d.MK counters your opponent’s roll attempts for example.
Fakes:
-any whiffed light attack
-whiffed d.MP
-whiffed d.MK (to bait the opponent into jumping, then you deep shoryuken)
-f, f dash
In close ground tools:
-d.LP
-d.LK
-d.MP
-d.MK (Usually the pay off attack. You’ve properly setup your opponent with your positive frame advantage giving moves, he takes the bait, then you make him eat d.MK xx Shinkuu Hadouken)
-far s.HP (can cancel into Shinkuu Hadouken)
-d.HK (knockdown)
-punch or kick throw
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Etc…
Some basic C-Ryu tactics you can try:
-c.LP, wait, c.LK, c.LK xx super fireball
-walk up c.LK, c.LK, walk up c.LK, c.LK xx super fireball
-c.LP/c.LK, walk up whiff s.LP, throw
-c.LP/c.LK, walk up whiff s.LP, c.LK, c.LK xx super fireball
Don’t worry about jumping in yourself too much. However, shoryuken EVERYTIME the opponent jumps in when he shouldn’t. Ryu’s DP hurts a lot…
Play cautiously offensive since you’re in C-groove. Run away with air hurricane kicks when facing Sagat, Blanka, Cammy, or full metered A-Sakura.
Far s.HP is really good. Make liberal use of it whenever you’re in range.
-d.MP, d.LP, far s.HP (or c.HK xx qcf+LP)
-far s.HP when you’re in range, and the opponent is sticking out on light attacks for no reason.