Street Fighter 6/Zangief/Modern

Standing Normals

5L

Standing Light Punch

5L

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5LP

Standing Light Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
7(4)	3	9	Chn Sp SA	400	LH	+4	+2

• Cancel Hitconfirm Window: 13f
• 4f startup on the chained version, allowing tighter blockstrings
• Chains into 5LP/2LP/2LK (true blockstring into all)
• Applies a 10% damage scaling penalty to the next hit when used as a combo starter (100/90/80/70...)

This standing jab has incredible range for a light normal, and at +2 it sets up a true mixup into a strike or SPD. To compensate, the startup and pushback are also much higher than most lights. Starting a light chain with 5L will guarantee the next hit is a true blockstring, which is rare in SF6; this makes his pressure a little safer against reversals. Chaining into 5L from another light normal will leave a small gap that can frame trap.

Despite the animation, it does not anti-air at all like in previous games.

5M

Standing Medium Punch

5M

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5MP

Standing Medium Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
9	4	17	TC	700	LH	+2	-2

• Cancel Hitconfirm Window: 28f (TC)
  • Can cancel to Target Combo on whiff
  • Requires extra frame advantage for TC to combo (CH, PC, DR, meaty)

A poke with great horizontal range that is very difficult for opponents to whiff punish, with recovery identical to AUTO-5L. Zangief extends his lower hurtbox a bit, making it slightly weak to ranged low pokes. It can lose to an early Drive Impact since it's not special cancelable, but in most cases Zangief can recover safely.

The Target Combo followup is extremely lenient to hitconfirm when you land a Counterhit in neutral, but you can't autopilot the TC as a counterpoke because it comes out on whiff.

5H

Standing Heavy Punch

5H

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Armor when held

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5HP

Standing Heavy Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
(6~22)+10	3	22(24)	-	1000	LH	+3	-3

• 1-hit Upper Body Armor: 4f until button release (no armor if not held)
• Button can be held up to 22f for partial charge; 23f gives full charge
• Startup is 10f after releasing button (minimum 16f); 2 extra recovery frames on whiff
• Puts airborne opponents into limited juggle state
• Counterhit/Punish Counter: KD +32

5[HP]

Standing Heavy Punch (hold)

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
32	3	22(24)	-	1400	LH	KD +40	+3

• 1-hit Upper Body Armor: 4-34f
• Button must be held 23f; 2 extra recovery frames on whiff
• Counterhit: KD +40
• Punish Counter: HKD +54, opponent slides far along the ground

Reaching almost half screen, 5H is one of Zangief's most threatening neutral tools. It can be used to harass characters from beyond the range of their cancelable pokes, and hits high enough to catch opponents early in their jump. Since 5HP knocks down on counterhit, it trades favorably against most buttons, making it risky for opponents to challenge. However, the move is slow to start up, and the long total duration makes it highly vulnerable to Drive Impact.

By holding down the H button, Zangief charges his punch, gaining 1 hit of armor in the process. The armor starts up in 4 frames and remains active until the button is released, allowing him to absorb an attack and then quickly punish. Notably, you can briefly hold the button down to still gain armor while having the move come out of the quickest possible frame. A partially charged 5H can be extremely useful to counter safe but reactable moves like E. Honda's Sumo Headbutt. However, the armor will not protect against moves which hit the lower half of Zangief's body, including the many powerful cancelable 2MKs in the game.

When fully charged, 5[H] gains significant range and damage, no longer requiring a counterhit for a knockdown. It also causes an improved Hard Knockdown on Punish Counter, granting excellent oki and corner carry. Finally, 5[H] becomes advantageous on block, though the high pushback makes this unreliable as a tick throw setup. These benefits come at the cost of making 5[H] one of the slowest normals in the game, allowing patient opponents to easily punish Zangief with Drive Impact on reaction.

Charging 5H can be useful as a prediction vs. fireballs or slow mid-range pokes. It acts as a pseudo-Drive Impact, and can even be used during Burnout to counter the opponent's DI. As an anti-air, it is useful against characters who can mix up their jump arc since it reaches far enough to punish baits while still armoring through normal jump-ins.

AUTO-5L

Standing Light Kick

AUTO-5L

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5LK

Standing Light Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
7	2	17	Sp SA	400	LH	-2	-4

• Cancel Hitconfirm Window: 13f
• Applies a 10% damage scaling penalty to the next hit when used as a combo starter (100/90/80/70...)

The long range and slow startup/recovery make AUTO-5L more comparable to a medium normal. It has a good hitbox for whiff punishing lows when canceled to OD Lariat (LMH/AUTO-2SP); at closer ranges, meterless Lariat (MH/2SP) can also combo. It is great for canceling into Drive Rush at mid-range, giving combos on hit and a true blockstring to 2L if blocked; he can also threaten a slightly delayed command throw in either case. The Drive Rush cancel cannot be mindlessly buffered in neutral, however, since it will drain the 3 bars even on whiff.

Crouching Normals

2L~2L

Crouching Light Punch

2L~2L

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2LP

Crouching Light Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
6(3)	2	8	Chn Sp SA	300	LH	+6	+1

• Cancel Hitconfirm Window: 12f
• 3f startup on the chained version, allowing tighter blockstrings
• Chains into 5LP/2LP/2LK (true blockstring into 2LP/2LK)
• Applies a 10% damage scaling penalty to the next hit when used as a combo starter (100/90/80/70...)

In modern, only comes out as a chain hit after 2L (crouching light kick.) A powerful jab with a good combination of speed, range, and cancelability, Zangief can harass opponents with this in the mid-range. It is plus on block, though an opponent at close range can mash a 4f normal to interrupt a tick command throw. Cancels into OD Lariat (LMH/AUTO-2SP) will whiff at longer ranges, so converting into Drive Rush is the most consistent confirm option.

2M

Crouching Medium Punch

2M

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2MP

Crouching Medium Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
8	3	16	Sp SA	700	LH	+3	-1

• Cancel Hitconfirm Window: 15f

2M is a relatively stubby medium button with nearly identical range to 2L~2L. The hitbox sticks out beyond the hurtbox, making it a good counterpoke in neutral. From here, Zangief can cancel into Level 2 Super for big damage, or cancel to Drive Rush for an extended combo or a reset into SPD. The hitbox is high enough to swat down some airborne moves like Ken's Dragonlash Kick, granting a Forced Knockdown and a juggle to Lariat.

When used out of Drive Rush, 2M becomes +3 on block for a strike/throw mixup that can't be mashed out of. On hit it becomes +7, linking into 3M > Lariat consistently. While 2M is one of Zangief's most useful buttons out of Drive Rush, the slow movement and short range can make it hard to approach with the 1-bar Parry Drive Rush version.

2H

Crouching Heavy Punch

2H

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2HP

Crouching Heavy Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
11	9	35	-	1000	LH	KD +20	-20

• Punish Counter: KD +33 (higher juggle state)
• Head hurtbox is Anti-Air Strike Invuln 10-19f
• Active frames 4-8 cannot hit grounded, but can anti-air crossups

An anti-air that reaches extremely high, but has slow startup making it more difficult to use than Double Lariat. 2H is one of the few anti-air buttons that can actually hit opponents at crossup range, which is useful for opponents trying to jump out of the corner. The knockdown on hit gives time to set up oki; it is technically possible to juggle OD Borscht Dynamite (j.AUTO-SP/j.360+(LM)) after a max-height Punish Counter 2H, but the timing is incredibly strict.

This button serves little purpose outside of specific anti-air scenarios; it is terribly unsafe on block.

2L

Crouching Light Kick

2L

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2LK

Crouching Light Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
4(3)	3	12	Chn	250	L	0	-3

• 3f startup on the chained version, allowing tighter blockstrings
• Chains into 5LP/2LP/2LK (true blockstring into 2LP/2LK)
• Applies a 10% damage scaling penalty to the next hit when used as a combo starter (100/90/80/70...)

Zangief's only 4f normal with great range, making it important for punishes and interrupting the opponent's pressure. On its own, its mediocre frame advantage and lack of special cancel makes it weaker than his other light normals, but chaining into 2LP or 5LP gives Zangief real combo and mixup potential. In Modern, it chains automatically into crouching light punch instead of itself while mashing L.

3H

Crouching Heavy Kick

3H

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2HK

Crouching Heavy Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
12	3	27	-	1000	L	HKD +32	-13

• Counterhit/Punish Counter: +45 HKD
  • Opponent falls forward with a different animation
• Has some juggle potential; no longer HKD when juggled into

A sweep with massive range and good damage, essential to Zangief's mixup game. Many characters struggle to punish when well-spaced, despite being very unsafe on paper. It is quite whiff punishable and vulnerable to Drive Impact, so it must be used carefully.

On hit, the Hard Knockdown allows for followup oki with Drive Rush even at max range; this does not apply if juggled into midscreen, since the opponent can back rise to escape pressure. After an SPD knockdown, Drive Rush into 3H is a common tactic to keep the opponent in place. The extra blockstun ensures that very few characters will be able to punish properly, and it opens up the threat of a second SPD.

Jumping Normals

j.L

Jumping Light Kick

j.L

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j.LK

Jumping Light Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	10	3 land	-	300	H	+2 (+11)	-1 (+8)

• Can hit Crossup

A jump-in with very short horizontal range, this button is mostly used to intentionally leave Zangief with minimal frame advantage, setting up a quick strike/throw mixup. While it can hit as a crossup, it is much harder to use than j.2H. The hurtbox does not extend much when using this, allowing it to bait anti-airs at some ranges. If it hits as an air-to-air, the opponent may land first, putting Zangief at a disadvantage.

j.M

Jumping Medium Kick

j.M

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j.MK

Jumping Medium Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
8	8	3 land	-	500	H	+6 (+14)	+3 (+11)

An invaluable air normal due to its long horizontal and downward reach. It allows Zangief to attack quite early in his jump arc while still being advantageous after landing, making it more difficult to anti-air him. It can also work as an air-to-air from a backwards jump in situations where Double Lariat and 2HP are risky to attempt.

j.H

Jumping Heavy Kick

j.H

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j.HK

Jumping Heavy Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
10	7	3 land	-	800	H	+12 (+15)	+8 (+11)

• Can hold the button 20f for a charged version
  • Holding less than 20f gives regular j.HK after release

j.[HK]

Jumping Heavy Kick (hold)

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
32	6	30 land (oH/oB) 20(12) land (whiff)	-	1500	H	Wall Splat +1(+33)	-30(-43)

• Body is Projectile Invuln 32f until land (legs are still vulnerable)
• Causes Wall Splat on hit, Wall Bounce on Punish Counter; opponent is in free juggle state
  • KD Advantage varies based on connect height and distance from corner
• Landing recovery: 30f oH/oB (bounce away), 20f full charge whiff, 12f partial charge whiff
  • 20f landing recovery is cancelable (starting frame 2) into Dash or any attack
• If active frames 2-6 connect right as Zangief lands, he does not bounce away
  • Landing recovery becomes cancelable into any move except jump (-1 oB if not canceled)

Good horizontal range for a jump-in.

When fully charged, j.[H] does 700 more damage and sends the opponent flying fullscreen. The most useful situation for j.[H] is a hard read against fireballs; you can start charging the H right as you jump, and continue holding it if you see the opponent threw a projectile. This will cause it to land as a Punish Counter, ensuring a wall bounce combo into 3M or OD Borscht Dynamite midscreen. In the corner, the opponent will fly over Zangief's head, making followups difficult or impossible. It can also punish very unsafe moves, like the OD reversals of Dee Jay, Jamie, Juri, and Luke, as well as some Supers.

Unfortunately, the move is extremely unsafe on block; despite bouncing far away, the opponent can close the distance with Drive Rush for a punish. The risk vs. reward is slanted heavily in favor of the opponent, so j.[H] should be used sparingly. However, it is technically possible to land the full charge without the unsafe bounce away. By timing a perfect safe jump that hits on a later active frame, Zangief will drop down immediately and can cancel his recovery into attacks. This is very impractical to set up, as it requires frame-perfect manually timed setups, as well as delaying the H input until a few frames after the jump starts.

If the H charge is released early, Zangief does not gain any extra benefits; it simply becomes a slower j.H. Conversely, starting the input too late and then landing before the active frames come out will cause Zangief to incur extra landing recovery; it's important to start the input early in the jump.