SvC Chaos: SNK Vs Capcom/Ryo Sakazaki

Introduction

Ryo Sakazaki is the main character of the Art of Fighting series, along with Robert Garcia, and is further one of the staple KOF characters along with the likes of Terry and Kyo. His moves are Shoto-esque: he has a DP, a defensive fireball-like projectile, and a tatsu-like kick special. Being a copy-and-paste job of his KOF2002 iteration, he's just as easy to pick up and play in this game with little work needed to learn the basics, minus his near-impossible to do Max SDM ranbu. While he's decent in the KOF series, here he's unfortunately not as well suited to take on the madness that SVC has to offer.

Pros	Cons
Mostly easy to learn Parries help his turtle and punish game Basically a KOF2002 copy/paste job Simple combos Auto-guard frames on many moves Reliable Exceed for combos Good mix of pokes and overheads to play mixups with	Relies heavily on mixups and punishing the opponent's mistakes Max Mode isn't very useful for him Exceed damage is lower than average Parries are also very punishable Unsafe on block making mixups risky Requires matchup knowledge Pokes more than he does combos

Moves List

Normal Moves

Ryo has some decent normals in his game, don't forget them. Any fighting game character is made of normals, remember that.

s.LP - (Far) A very fast punch that can chain into itself(Only) and can be normal canceled. Nothing out of normal now. (Close) A strange attack with the elbow. Can be linked into any light normal, including itself, and can be normal canceled, but the timing for that is a little tricky. Although it can look like, it won't whiff on small crouching chars(It can whiff on very low crouching chars).
s.LK - (Far) Can be used as a poke, but it has bad startup for a Light Attack. Can't be normal canceled. (Close) Strange too. Use on Light Attack chains, but as a finisher, because it can't chain into his Light normals, but can be normal canceled.
s.HP - (Far) A good poke. Can't be canceled, but it's fast for a Heavy Attack. (Close) His move for combos. Very fast, and can be linked after almost any cr.LK hit. Can be normal canceled.
s.HK - (Far) Move for anti-air purposes. You can use this, or the DP. Can't be normal canceled. (Close) You can use it like the cl.HP, but you can't link it after a cr.LK.

j.LP - (Diagonal) Can be used as a jump-in attack, but Ryo has better options for that. (Neutral) Can be his best neutral jump-in. You could use it if you want, but neutral jumping normals aren't that used in this game.
j.LK - (Diagonal) Better than the moves above(It has better reach, that's why). Use it as a jump-in/air-to-air attack. (Neutral) Lacks reach, but can beat some other air moves. Use it defensively.
j.HP - (Diagonal) One of Ryo's best jump attacks. It has good priority, and can beat most of the other air attacks in the game. You can use it as a jump-in if you need damage. (Neutral) Like the Diagonal version, but with a more horizonal angle.
j.HK - (Diagonal) Ryo's move for crossup combos. Learn how to crossup with it, you can need. (Neutral) Kick aiming up. Not that useful, but good if your opponent jumps higher that you.

cr.LP - One of Ryo's best crouching moves for Light Attack chains. Can chain into itself, and other Light Attacks(If you time well). Can be normal canceled.
cr.LK - Ryo's main Light Attack chain starter. Hits low, can't be normal canceled(WHY, SNK???), but can chain into any Light normal, and can link with a cr./cl.HP after it.
cr.HP - Another anti-air, but a cancelable one. Can be used in combos, because it can be linked after a cr.LK.
cr.HK - A simple sweep that knocks down. Can be normal canceled, but do it only if you need meter(Do a DP/Projectile), or to recover faster, and make it a safer move(By canceling the sweep into any parry, which can stop GCF+combo attempts).

Command Moves

Those Command Moves below are important in Ryo's main game, so learn them.

Hyouchuu Wari

• f+LP - That's Ryo's ground overhead move. Can't be normal canceled, but can be used after a normal(And if you do that, it will lose the overhead properties).

Joudan Uke

• f+LK - One of Ryo's parry moves. It can stop some Supers, projectiles, or any other thing that hit mid, or high, and even some unblockables(You can practice it with projectiles, or with Dan's KTGZ, which needs timing). Master this if you want, because this thing is almost unique to him, just because Hugo can do it too). (Note: If the autoguard is triggered, you can normal cancel the animation into any Command/Special/Super Move, or even in the Exceed, to counter your opponent.)

Gedan Uke

• df+LK - Ryo's parry for ANY low-hitting move(Including Supers, and some sliding projectiles. You can practice it against Sagat's or Zero's low hitting supers). You can normal cancel the animation too, if you need to counter your opponent.

(Another note: If you want another practice for the timing of the parries on projectiles, you should search/make any macro/script which makes Sagat mix his High/Low projectiles, and their speeds too.)

Special Moves

Ko'ou Ken

• QCF+P - A basic projectile-like move that knocks down. It can lack reach, but it's very nice to use on Ryo's basic combos. The HP version has better range, but it's slower than the LP version.

Mouko Raijin Setsu

• QCF+K - A move that isn't that useful on combos, but it will act as an overhead, and will do a hard knockdown on the opponent(Meaning that he/she can't recovery roll from the move). The version used will determine how far Ryo will jump. Oh, and the guard damage of this move is incredible too, if you need to guard crush your opponent, use this move, and then followup with any combo.

Kohou Shippuu Ken

• QCB+P - Not that useful outside of MAXIMUM Mode. Ryo turns around, and while he's in that stance, Ryo will have autoguard mid and high moves(And counter the opponent). LP version has better startup, but won't knock your opponent down, and the HP version has worse recovery, but will knock your opponent down(And you can juggle your opponent in MAXIMUM Mode by canceling the second hit, but the first hit can be MAX canceled too). It's good to use as a surprise move on the wakeup(Take that, wakeup reversals!).

Hien Shippuu Kyaku

• HCB+K - This is his tatsu-like move. A little unsafe on block, but can be used in basic combos. LK version can do up to 2 hits, and the HK version can do up to 3.

Zanretsu Ken

• f, b, f+P - Another move with autoguard on the startup(All right, we know that wakeup reversals won't work on him). After the little startup, Ryo will begin punching, and when it connects on his opponent, he/she will get 13 hits on his/her face. The button pressed will determine how long Ryo will punch in the air, and the finishers(On KoF 2002, the finisher in the HP version could be MAX canceled, but here, he can't).

Kohou

• DP+P - Ryo's DP-like move, and his main anti-air. It's said that this move has autoguard startup, but I couldn't prove that. LP version is faster, but does only one hit(The hit can be MAX canceled), and the HP version does 2 hits(The first hit is the best to cancel on combos, because it won't send your opponent upwards). Learn how to use this move on combos.

Super Moves

Haou Shoukou Ken

• f, HCF+P - Ryo's classic super projectile that will destroy normal projectiles. The input is what makes it a hard move to use on combos, but you can use the speed of the projectile to make your opponent fall on it(It's very big too, some characters can't jump over it). HP version is faster than the LP version.

Ryuuko Ranbu

• QCF, HCB+P - The super used on combos. It does a little more damage than the move above, and it has an easier input. Can be used on some MAXIMUM Mode combos too.

Exceed

Tenchi Haou Ken

• QCF(2x)+PP - The KoF 2002 players know how to use this insta-stun Exceed. Ryo will do a single punch that will negate almost any projectile(It can negate Athena's unblockable bow too), and if it hits, Ryo won't do THAT damage, but will stun your opponent(Works with any character). You can use this to do more damage on combos(While your opponent is stunned, you can do any combo). Ryo has some easy combos with it(And even after it), and if you want, you can build meter while your opponent is stunned(By doing DP+LPs).

The Basics

Ryo's gameplan

Ryo's arsenal is very good for a ground game, so don't jump, unless if you need to add some more damage on combos. Does he has a defensive game? Yeah, he is kind of a turtler here(More like an advanced Ryu that can parry moves), but he can be used in the offensive too, it's just that... I don't like to be offensive with Ryo. You should master the parries too, they can help you against some characters(Or even some damaging Supers/Exceeds), you should practice against projectiles, jump attacks(In a real match, do the parry if yousure that your opponent will attack after a jump), or predictable supers(No worries with the low-hitting ones). Well, stay on the ground, punish your opponent if you need, and try to parry important moves(Like a low parry for Kim's cr.LK, and the high one for the j.LP). Good luck in your future matches.

Some Combos (Without MAXIMUM Mode)

1- [Any combo ending with the Exceed, Jump Attack(Make sure you crossup if you want the link)] cr.LK(Optional), cr./cl.HP, QCF+P - 3 hits(Assuming that the cr.LK is in the combo); 5 with the optional things(For the "Combo ending with the Exceed", I'll just put the minimum number of hits it can get, that means, if the Exceed was used alone)

The most basic combo for Ryo. Good to use if you need to practice the cr.LK, cr./cl.HP link(He has more damaging combos, but this is just the easiest one).

2- [Any combo ending with the Exceed, Jump Attack(Crossup thing again)] cr.LK, cl.LK, HCB+LK/DP+LP - 4/3 hits; 6/5 with the optional things

Another short, but easy combo with a Light Attack chain. The timing of the chain can be a little tricky, but you can use the cl.LP instead.

3- [Jump Attack(Make sure you crossup if you want to land the link)] cr.LK(Optional), cl./cr.HP, Exceed, any combo - 3+n hits(Where n is the combo after the Exceed); 4+n with the Jump Attack

I'll call this... "Combo with the Exceed to land combos after it" combo. This is that combo that you need to know if you want to play with Ryo. Why? Well... Hit-confirming the Exceed(That can be used only one time in the match) is the best thing in the game(For some characters, I mean).

4- [Same as the first two combos goes here] cr.LK(Optional), cl./cr.HP, QCB, HCF+LP - 16 hits; 18 with the optional things

This is the best he can do in normal mode(More than one bar if you use this combo after the Exceed combo above). That's his BnB, you'll need it. Canceling the cr./cl.HP is a little hard, I know, but you can do it with practice.

5- (Only works if your opponent's char is knocked down) Meaty f+LP(Do it a little early on the opponent's wakeup), f.LP, HCB+LK - 4 hits

I saw this combo on Ryo's KoF section in this wiki, and I wanted to try it. And incredibly enough, it worked! It works with any character too. For the Meaty f+LP, you'll need to time well, and the same goes for the f.LP. It can be a little hard, but it can help you anyway.

Advanced Strategy

Some combos (With MAXIMUM Mode)

1- [Any combo ending with the Exceed, Jump Attack] cl.HP, DP+HP, (MAX cancel the first hit) QCF, HCB+LP - 17 hits; 21 with the optional things

This is just a more damaging version of his BnB in the normal mode. You should practice it, it's not that hard to do. Oh, the combo will only work if you use the LP version of the Super(The HP one has more startup, and won't connect after the DP+HP in the combo).

2- [Jump Attack] cl.HP, DP+HP, (MAX cancel the first hit into) Exceed, any combo - 3+n(Where n is the combo after the Exceed; 4+n with the Jump Attack)

Just another way to hit-confirm the Exceed. It's more damaging than the normal mode Exceed combo, so you can use it if you need.

3- (Better when used alone, but it's character specific) f+LP, DP+HP, (MAX cancel the first hit) QCF, HCB+LP - 17 hits

Just a combo with the overhead to use on certain chars. I can confirm that it works with Earthquake(Everywhere), Sagat(Corner) and Hugo(Corner). You can search for some other characters that can take this combo, while standing, and while crouching(We're talking about an overhead here), and I can say, doesn't works with Standing Dhalsim. For the characters that this combo doesn't work, you can use the normal mode one(Remember? Meaty f+LP and things like that?).