I’m playing this match up right now. I got completely destroyed trying to use U1. The problem with this match up is the fact that Ken’s fireball recovers too slow to AA Zangief with anything other than an SRK. Most Zangiefs will use Ultra 2 against Ken as it will counter his better AA option. I switched to U2 and I’m doing a bit better but it’s still hard
Yup my vote is U2. On top of the point above, you will be landing quite a few cr.mk’s in this match and so depending on your range, cr.mk xx fireball FADC U2 is a big threat to Gief. Plus you can also punish badly spaced lariets too.
Peace,
G.
I think I’ll start using Ultra 2 then… I always use ultra 1 because of the damage when you connect it after a counter hit. But maybe ultra 2 is better indeed, I’ll give a try. What about Balrog/Boxer, what ultra do you guys prefer?
I’m pretty sure meaty cr. LK and jump back HP stuff wakeup SPDs, You will have to back up once he gets meter, however. EX 360K will snatch you up.
Although I’ve caught short-hopping Giefs with U1 (either due to hitbox shenanigans or Gief getting caught churning butter on the way in), U2 seems to be the way to go going forward, especially if he likes to backdash.
I use U1 against Boxer in order to punish random overheads and wakeup EX rush punches. If you’re feeling fancy, you can snipe Rog’s overhead startup with cl. MK and link into U1.
has anyone ever done this? haha. gonna need godlike reactions for that. the overhead itself isn’t hard to react to, but doing it with cl. mk and linking it into an ultra seems impossible 
Ultra 1 for Balrog. There are way too many counter hits in this match to pass up. Balrogs love pressing buttons on wake up.
For me it’s U2 again for Rog. Soooo many cr.mk opportunities. Once you have cr.mk xx fireball FADC U2 down 100% it should be a huge threat to Boxer…
I know it’s always personal preferences but I don’t like relying on counterhits.
Peace,
G.
What’s up guys?
So, do you guys have any insight on how to fight a Gouken?
About Gouken… I can try:
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In this match you have to play a little more on the ground, cause Gouken control space very well, his hadouken has a good recovery, hard to be punished and can cover different directions. So you dont wanna jump too much. Unless you’re reading your opponent. Eat only one fireball its not that big deal, but Gouken can juggle after that and that’s the problem, he can get an ultra 2 or push you to the corner with his palm. And gouken is a master in corner pressure, that’s where he can deal more damage and fancy combos. You should avoid being there.
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I would say that you should get close to him in order to win this match. Ken’s fireball sucks and its not a match for Gouken’s, so you shouldn’t use it that much. Cause If you do a bad fireball he can demon flip you after a simple read, he has a fast palm that is fireball invincible, he can focus dash absorbing it and throw you cause his dash is very fast, and his back throw very useful, and if he has ultra 2 he can react to your fireball and punish you badly.
Remember that he’s ultra 2 doesn’t do that much damage, but it gives him a very high stun output and sets a free mixup. If you’re already having you’re ass kicked, and you eat somehow an ultra 2, you’wll be dizzy after that, or maybe after the next mixup. So doing hadoukens its not a really good option with Ken. Only if you’re very close to him or very far (if he doesn’t have EX meter or ultra 2), if he has, be more patient and work your way in. -
Dont get impatient if he’s doing fireballs all day. He’s good in space control but he’s not Guile. So, you’ll have sometime a way to get in. Watch the way you jump over a fireball. Cause he can poke or EX tatsu you on your way down. Do sometimes focus dash to absorb a fireball or a slow poke and throw him. Or maybe go for a c.LK+c.LP to not eat a grab but at the same time hitting him. Watch when he is charging the fireball, you can’t focus that. The real important thing about his fireball game is to be patient, don’t eat a fireball that gives him a free juggle, cause he will hurt you.
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To work you way in I think Ken’s step kick goes well in this match. I dont think that Gouken has too much priority pressing buttons. Focus dash and throw is good too. Cause he doesn’t have a far 2 hit normal move to break you focus, like Ken. And if he techs your throw, it doesn’t matter, you’re close to him anyway, and that’s very important. Once you’re close to Gouken with Ken you have more advantage. Your close normals are better than his and you have fierce DP, very good tool.
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If somehow you knocked him down, before you do anything you should consider first of all if he has meter or not. Always remember that he only has 5 good options to deal with you. EX Demon Flip, EX tatsu, BD, Focus BD or the Counter. He can wake up ultra or Super, but it’s the most improbable. The 2 first options have invincibility but need EX meter. He’s normal tatsus as far as I know doesnt have any invincibility. And are not instant airborn. The EX one comes out in 7 frames, can be safe jumped and to be safe Gouken must have at least 3 bars to FADC it. If he doesn’t FADC it and somehow you block, you have a lot of time to do a very big combo, the recovery of that move is terrible, it takes a very very long time. Even the recovery of the normal tatsus is awful. You have time to charge focus easily. So you must punish him the best way you can always, if you have ultra 1 loaded, just do it. If you dont, try to end you combo with fiercer DP, I think its the best option, cause he’s knocked down again, and will have to guess what you gonna do after that. If you end your combos with tatsus he can guess right and escape from you. That not what you want, you want Gouken always guessing wrong and get punished. BD and Focus BD are good options for him on wake up, but it’s very rare Goukens doing that. They’re always pressing buttons and doing specials moves on the wake up.
About his Counter move, if he doesnt do the EX version, he must guess where you gonna hit him, low or high, and all the versions looses to throw and Ken’s tatsus, cause Gouken’s Counter move absorbs like a focus, if you do a move that breaks focus it will get stuffed. You can go sometimes for a tatsu EX, FADC, c.LK for example, you can combo it, but I will prefer just a throw, meter is always important for Ken.
And the last thing is his EX Demon Flip. Its invincible on the startup and tracks the opponent, maybe the best special move option for Gouken. Its very common after a wake up EX Demon Flip people eating a throw. Cause he will land behind you, very late, so you will do a throw attempt before him. So you must be prepared for that, if you see Gouken flying over you, react to it, poke him somehow, or do a late throw. Be careful with this situation, mainly if he has ultra loaded.
So if he has meter or not its all about mixing him up on his wake up, trying to always put him in a ambiguous situation, and if he guess wrong punish him hard. Ken really gives him trouble if he gets close when Gouken doesn’t have meter, specially if you knock him down. -
Little Tips:
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Dont eat a back throw. He can do a lot of things after that, remember that this throw is slower, it comes out in 5 frames, you have more time to tech it.
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Gouken cant cancel into a special move a string using jabs or sort. Maybe he will try to do something fancy after the string, like dash and throw. Watch that.
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His c.MP->Hadouken is not a true string. On hit or on Block if i’m not mistaken. If it’s a true string on hit I’m sure he must do it very close to you. So if you see it coming you can react to it with focus BD or some invincible move.
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After a normal throw he has a safe jump setup with his demon flip -> dive kick. Be careful with that, dont do wake up MP SRK, it will get stuffed, unless you know the setup and see he doing wrong. But I would block low, or just BD, maybe the best options. I was able to do an ultra 1 once to punish it, I dont know if the player that I was facing missed the setup or it really works, but I really think its not reliable.
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His demon flip is slow. Its not the same as akuma. And he has an option to fall absorbing one hit. That can catch a bad spaced SRK. So watch it too.
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His sweep maybe is the best in the game, very fast, and almost impossible to punish in a real match, and probably leads to a good mixup situation. Avoid it.
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Watch his focus, Gouken players love to do focus, and his focus is really good. As we all know Ken has a problems dealing with a well placed focus. So if you’re facing a good focus user, be out of the range of that shit or react and punish the best way you can. Always buffer!
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Throw him and empty jump a lot. And if you’re in a long set, stop doing that when the Gouken player is more used to it. Go for frame traps and normal jump ins. He will get confused.
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Gouken has a fat body, like Sagat, big hitbox. So you can abuse of standing LP on his block, and go for better combos, use it in your favor.
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If you are in the corner dont press buttons immediately after a fireball blocked. He can frame trap you. He is on advantage. Be more patient in the corner, or better, avoid being there.
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All his palms can be punished on block by a fierce DP or just throw. Be on point with that, and watch the spacing of your own fireballs.
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Watch infiltration, ProudStrawberry, Bullcat and others good Goukens. Infiltration I think has the better zoning. He really likes to control the space with fireball and pokes, the others I said you should learn the mixups and gimmicks.
That’s pretty much I can think right now about Gouken. Hope that I helped.
Peace
Oh man! That was quite a read. Thanks a lot for that. I’m just going to have to play the match-up to get used to what to do.
Thanks again!
I played another local Ibuki tonight, was able to work in the focus punish for her wake up DP, and also notice positive results with incorporating the FTK/TTK mixup game.
I feel I owe you guys royalties.
And lariat, and sweep on block
ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ
People say Akuma is a bad match up but I just don’t see it. I have come to notice his air fireball game is limited because of air tatsus and its even worse to try to vortex if Ken has U1… one bad guess and it could cost Akuma 500/850 vitality. There’s more but I have to do laundry now.
Hi guys.
I’m having troubles with Zangief and i don’t know why… Seems like i’m always losing even when the zangief player is extremely worse than me.
Looks like gief can walk towards me and I can’t do anything than panic… And when I get a knockdown I don’t know what to do… Any easy safe jump or mixup?
Any tips plz?
Thanks
Cr.MK
Fs.HK
Fs.MP
LP Fireball
MP SRK (until he gets U2 then you have to use cr.HP)
U2
That’s all you have in this match up. Everyone of his specials and other buttons will beat yours. This is easily as bad or worse than Guile.
There are no mixups or safe jump options.
I need help with this matchup too but…
First of all, be very careful with his Ultra, if he has Ultra 1 don’t let him jump!, if he jumps just ex.srk antiair (I didn’t find any other antiair more liable)… when he has Ultra 2 charged your only option is cr.hp (no good but…) :S
You can’t jump him so the only thing you can do is zonning… use cr.mk xx hadoken, f.st.hk, f.cr.hl, st.mp into cr.hk on greenhand, TTK, FTK into cr.mk, I don’t like hadokens but you can of course do it, etc.
st.lp works fine when you are close, you can cancel it into srk or kara-throw (or nothing!!).
Always try finishing combos into srk, I recommend you to do combos like cr.lk, cr.lp, st.lp > hp.srk, st.lp give you a lot of positive frames even on block and can be very anoying to zangief.
Try to chain your normals so Zangief can counter with a spd.
U2 can punish ex.green hand on block 
See the FTK mixup thread for this matchup is very useful.
IMO if ken has U2 and Akuma has U1, it’s 5-5 but its a 5-5 slightly in akuma favour. If ken has U2 and akuma has U2 it’s 6-4 in akuma favour
i have been struggling with cammy alot lately i feel like i do well in neutral but i cant do much off of a knockdown either she auto corrects with a delayed dp or her dp goes through my setup having her fly across the screen without me being able to punish her and it feels like you have to save all your ex for anti air because mp.srk seems to be terrible against her ex dive
anyone got any anti cammy setups from knockdown?
IMO the best you can do is block (dive kick 99% of the time is not a cross-up). Try to tech with hp so if she tries a new dive kick you can auto punish
Anyone can help me with Abel.
I have problems (a lot of problems) when he uses f.mk (dash cancel), after that he (I think) is on +3… he can use st.hp (startup +4) or command grab (startup +5 I think)…
The problem is… what I can do? srk if I have 2 bars but usually I am not fast enough to react… back dash loose against st.hp and block loose against command grab.
I try to not be in range of f.mk but when it comes whatever I do I just can not win.
Maybe only srk can help me :’(