Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo/Ken/Introduction

Story

Date of Birth: 2/14/1965
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 169lbs
Measurements: B44", W 32", H 33"
Blood Type: B
Likes: Spaghetti
Dislikes: Umeboshi (pickled plum), soap operas, pointless meetings

Born and raised in Japan, Ken faced a troubled upbringing. His Japanese father and Japanese American mother were at odds with one another, constantly arguing and neglecting Ken. In response, Ken became a delinquent in junior high, marking his rebellion with hair dyed blonde. This would cause his parents to settle down, before his father sent him to train under the Anatsuken master Gouken at the age of 12. Here he would discover his love for martial arts, and meet his lifelong rival Ryu. At the age of 23, Ken would take the United States Martial Arts circuit by storm, but upon meeting a girl named Eliza, he began to realize that there was more to life than fighting and began to focus more on his personal life. But when Ryu sends him a letter asking him to join the World Warrior tournament, Ken's fire would reignite...

Overview

Ken uses the same Anatsuken fighting style as Ryu, starting out as an exact copy of him, but throughout SF2's many revisions he began to develop his own spin on Ryu's gameplay. In ST, he can be a very tough character to beat if played with the right tools and the right mindset.

The ST version of Ken has longer start-up on his projectile, making it worse for zoning. While the faster face of the game makes it actually harder to simply react to it, the addition of super moves makes it a very dangerous option against a few characters. On the other hand, New Ken is much more dangerous up close. His low-knee-bash-Shoryuken pressure game can quickly deplete the enemy's vitality with only a few correct guesses. Ken also has a number of dizzy combos, giving him even more comeback potential.

If you want to check Youtube and Nico Nico Douga for high level footage, check players such as Aniken, Mattsun, Choshu, and Kiken, among others.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Still a Shoto: Ken uses Ryu's moveset as his base, meaning he has a decent projectile and incredible anti air moves..

Shoryuken: Ken's Jab Shoryuken is an incredible anti-air move, with huge damage.

Hold 'em Tight: Ken's Knee Bash leads to dangerous loops, creating powerful mixups.

Hadocan't: Ken's Hadokens have long startup, making them much harder to use.

Tatsu-nah-ki: Ken's grounded Tatsumakis don't have invincibility, making them useless for reversals.

Average Range: Ken shares Ryu's average range on both his normals and throws, his longest normals having long recovery.

New & Old Versions Comparison

To select Old Ken, choose Ken and then press ← ← ← → Jab/Fierce, pressing Short simultaneously with the punch button for the alternate color.

Here is the list of differences:

System Changes: Old Ken cannot tech throws, or use his Super Combo.
Old Ken does not have Crazy Kicks or the Knee Bash hold;
Old Ken has a faster pre-jump animation by 1 frame;
Old Ken does not have an air throw;
Old Ken has some differences in some of his normals:
- Far Standing Jab has better priority;
- Close Standing Fierce second active hitbox has much better priority;
- Far Standing Short is an anti air kick like the Far Standing Forward, while for New Ken it's a low hitting kick like the close version;
- Crouching Short has much better priority;
- Far Standing Forward has a slower startup;
- Close Standing Forward is a knee attack, while for New Ken is a high kick similar to his old Close Standing Roundhouse;
- Crouching Forward has much better priority;
- Close Standing Roundhouse is a not very useful kick with minor anti air priority that hits twice, while for New Ken it's a kick that moves him forward while attacking low;
- Far Standing Roundhouse is the classic mediocre anti air shoto kick, while for New Ken its a kick that moves him forward while attacking low;
- Crouching Roundhouse has much better priority and does more damage;
- Both Jumping Fierces do more damage;
- Diagonal Jumping Short has worse priority during the first 10 active frames;
- Diagonal Jumping Forward is an aerial kick with very good priority, while for New Ken it's a new kick made for crossups, but it's ironically easier to time with Old Ken's Forward;
- Neutral Jumping Roundhouse has better air-to-air priority but worse air-to-ground priority and does more damage;
- Diagonal Jumping Roundhouse can be used as a cross-up attack and has better air-to-air priority, but has somewhat worse air-to-ground priority. It also does more damage;
Old Ken's Hadoukens have a 1 frame faster startup. His Strong Hadoukens have 1 frame faster recovery and his Fierce ones have a 2 frame faster recovery;
Old Ken's Shoryukens are invulnerable until their apex. Jab and Strong versions do not have 2 grounded frames where Ken is throwable;
Old Ken's Fierce Shoryuken have a 1f startup, while New Ken's has 0f startup. Also, the hitbox on the 1st active part is moved 2px towards in case of New Ken, which allows him to get it to combo for 3 hits against a Standing Chun-Li;

New Ken may have a better mixup game due to his Crazy Kicks and hold, as well as his Super Combo and throw techs, but Old Ken has better normals, fireballs, and Shoryukens. For many, this is all they really need to play Old Ken, but New Ken still has unique properties to him.