This will explain your options in certain situations but it's up to you how you use them. It will also explain here how to punish certain moves, what not to do, effective pokes, etc. Characters from serious advantage to disadvantage.
Click 'Expand' on each characters box to unroll their information!
Select a character icon from the table below to jump to their matchup info
| Serious Advantage |
 
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|---|---|
| Advantage |    
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| Even |        
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| Disadvantage |    
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| Serious Disadvantage |
Ryu has no match-ups where he is at a serious disadvantage |
Twelve
Match up tips in process
Remy
Match up tips in process
Alex
Match up tips in process
Akuma
Match up tips in process
Hugo
Match up tips in process
Q
Match up tips in process
Ken
Ken is strong because of his ability to confirm SA3 easily and because his SA3 can reversal many moves after block.
Don't dash inside Ken's cr.MK zone, unless he whiffed a move and you would be able to dash without getting hit by his cr.MK. If you see that his cr.MK whiffed punish it with your cr.MK xx SA1, or cr.HK if he's not in range.
Ken's ability to hit confirm SA3 is one of many things that makes him a great character. He will do a mixup of throws and cr.MP > SA3 or st.MP > SA3 hit confirms on your wakeup. There is really no way to get out of this situations safely, you're just gonna have to predict his move. However, if you are in the corner, try to get out from there as soon as possible. Just super jump out from there and do air HK Tatsumaki for speed boost, or jump and do HK Tatsumaki crossover that should hit Ken if he doesn´t block. If Ken tries to punish you in air with EX Tatsumaki it's easy to parry it, it´s just learning the timing. When you parry some Ken's moves, remember that he can cancel them into Shoryuken or SA3 and counter punish. Ryu can do the same thing. Remember that Ken's st.MP is not cancel-able and it is safe to punish it after parry.
After Ken's SA3 he can try super jump for a possible crossover. This is unpredictable setup, but the way for you to guess if it will cross or not is to watch him when he lands on ground after SA3. If he walked slightly forward it will probably be crossover, if not, he can't crossover.
Ken's taunt after SA3 in corner gives him perfect timing and range for UOH > SA3. Watch out for that.
- Here's a list of your options after you blocked Ken's jump in attack (or crossup)
» Throw - If Ken tries to throw you will tech throw. If he tries standing attack (like MP-HP target combo) you will block it, but only if you press back throw at a right time, do it too late and you will be hit by standing attack. Throw loses against cr.LK.
» Jump - Good escape against throws, especially in corners. If you press HK as soon as you jumped you will jump back and hit Ken from air, use this only at mid screen. Ryu is vulnerable to any attack when he tries to jump.
» Dash back (except in the corner) - Use this when you think that Ken will throw. You can punish him with cr.MK xx HK Tatsumaki or SA1/SA2. Ryu is vulnerable to any attack if he tries to dash back.
» c.LK x2 - Confirm a super if it hits. Use this when you think that Ken will block. If you time it well it can stop his throw too. If Ken tries any attack he will beat your c.LK attempt.
» cr.MK xx ? - Use this when opponent is not in range for cr.LK or when you think he will dash back after j.MK. Any attack can beat it so use this only when you are sure the opponent will dash bach or block. Remember to tap/hold down before doing cr.MK so that it parries crouching attacks.
» Tatsumaki - Use this strictly as anti throw move (try to do it as a reversal). Any attack will beat Tatsumaki, and it's punishable if blocked. EX Tatsumaki is punishable if blocked too, but only with Ken's SA3.
» fwd.MP (overhead) - Use this only if you are sure that your opponent will not attack, and that he will be blocking down. This move leaves Ryu wide open for any attack.
» Standing block - Blocks every attack except crouching attacks.
» Crouch block - Blocks any attack except UOH, b.MK.
» Parry forward - Ryu parries standing attacks like Ken's MP-HP target combo. It loses against crouching attack.
» Parry down - Ryu parries crouching attacks like Ken's cr.LK or cr.MK. It loses against standing attack.
» EX Shoryuken - This beats any attack from Ken, but leaves you free for combo if it's blocked.
- Ryu's Wakeup options
What applies after Ken's jump in attack also applies here, but with few more options by Ken:
» Air EX Tatsumaki - If Ken tries this you should block down and punish with cr.MP xx HK Tatsumaki if he's close. If he is not in range for Ryu's cr.MP then use c.MK>HK Tatsumaki. Blocking while standing will push Ryu back and you will not be able to punish Ken.
» UOH - Shoryuken - If Ken lands this in corner he's going to follow up with another LP SRK which deals big damage. You can parry and punish his attempt or EX Shoryuken/SA2.
- Ryu's options on Ken's wakeup
» Throw - Whenever you try to throw remember to tap down or forward before doing throw input. That way you stay safe against Ken's wakeup Shoryuken. Ryu will also parry low or mid attacks that way. If you parried Ken's LP Shoryuken, Ryu's throw will whiff. Ken's MP and HP Shoryuken will beat Ryu's option select throw because they hit more than once.
» fwd.MP
» Early fwd.MP into SA1 - If your fwd.MP hits Ken on his wakeup with its last frames you can link into SA1. If you landed SA1 you can use HK Tatsumaki to get in front of Ken faster and perform early fwd.MP into SA1 again.
» UOH into HP xx EX Joudan Geri into Shoryuken/Tatsumaki - If you land UOH early enough, you can link into HP and start a combo. If you are in the corner you can use this - UOH into HP xx EX Joudan Geri into EX Tatsumaki into Shoryuken. You can also try cr.HP reset after EX Joudan Geri and then dash back HP xx EX Joudan Geri into Shoryuken. This is an unpredictable crossover and it deals massive damage. Be aware that, if they block, you are very minus.
» UOH into SA1 - Standard way to setup SA1. The good thing is that UOH doesn't have to be a meaty attack on wakeup.
» UOH into SA2 - Very damaging combo, yet it starts from an overhead move. Mix it up with cr.LK x2 xx SA2.
» UOH into SRK - If you don't have SA1/SA2 and there's not enough time to link cl.HP, this is a good combo to use. EX Shoryuken is easier to link because it has a faster startup. If you do have SA1/SA2, use HP Shoryuken.
» cr.LK, cr.LP, cr.LK xx SA1 - Standard hit confirm combo. Ryu must be really close to Ken to connect all 3 hits before SA1.
» cr.LK x2 xx SA2 - Hit confirm into SA2 combo. Mix it up with UOH xx SA2.
» Air Tatsumaki (crossover) - This cannot be done when Ken is in corner. Good thing about this is that it beats Ken's Shoryuken attempt. If done from big distance after super jump, Ryu gets a speed boost and it crossovers Ken in very short period, which makes it unpredictable.
» cr.LK, Kara Throw - Standard throw setup. Works even if Ken is walking backward.
» cl.MK, Kara throw - Another throw setup. Mix it up with cl.MK, cr.MK xx EX Hadouken.
» cr.LK, cr.LP, fwd.MP - fwd.MP overhead setup. It can get interrupted by any normal move because it's slow. Use this on a defensive opponent.
These are obviously not all options Ryu has on Ken's wakeup, just the most important ones. Feel free to improvise with mixups like cr.LK, Throw and cr.LK, walk back, cr.MK xx SA1 (assuming opponent tried to tech throw)
- Anti air game
Moves you should use as anti air should be categorized in 3 groups:
1) Normals (See Strategy, Anti-air section)
2) Moves which are hard to tricky (use these when you think the opponent is going to parry in the air):
» cr.HP/cr.HP cancel into:
- EX Hadouken - If the whole move was parried you will be safe from Ken's air attack. If Ken tried to attack after he parried cr.HP/cl.HP he will be hit by EX Hadouken and you will be hit by his air attack. If Ken did EX Tatsumaki then he will avoid getting hit by EX Hadouken and you will be hit by his EX Tatsumaki and possibly a follow up juggle.
- Shoryuken - If the whole move was parried you are left open for a free combo. If Ken tried any attack after he parried cr.HP/cl.HP he will get hit.
- HK Tatsumaki - Use this when you think the opponent will try to parry again after, changing their parry timing.
- SA1 - If Ken parries Shoryuken he has bad chance of parrying SA1, but if he does, do a HK Tatsumaki.
- SA2 - Big damage if it connects fully. It´s a bit tricky to parry, but if they do, you are open for a big punish.
3) Moves which can beat air attacks (use these when you think Ken will attack from air):
» EX Shoryuken - Easy to parry, but it beats any attack from air that comes directly at Ryu. Ken's air EX Tatsumaki can beat it if it crosses over Ryu. However, there is a trick to punish it. When you see Ken jumping forward you dash back. If he tries EX Tatsumaki you will be ready to hit him with Shoryuken, if not, no harm done.
» SA1 - If SA1 was not done on time, Ken's air attack may hit Ryu, but Ryu's SA1 will still hit Ken. Ken's air EX Tatsumaki can cross it over so watch out when you use this.
» Dash below airborne Ken, cl.LP air reset into SA1 - You can use this setup whether Ken tries to parry your moves or not. However, you must be right under Ken after you dash forward.
» HK Tatsumaki - Decent anti air because it´s hard to setup because you have to do it quickly on reaction, and on a specific range. If Ken tries air EX Tatsumaki he may still get hit by HK Tatsumaki, depending when he did it.
» SA2 - Big damage if it connects fully. If Ken attacks early, you can do qcf and then down, down forward and then punch. With this you can do super while crouching avoiding his attacks by crouching. This also works if your opponent does a late attack, because SA2 has invencibility. If they parry SA2 you are open for a big punish.
Ken's anti airs
Ken's useful anti air moves are:
» HP Shoryuken - 3 hit, easy to parry if you predict it. His EX SRK is 4 hit.
» cr.HP xx Shoryuken/LK Tatsumaki - If his LK Tatsumaki hits he will juggle with Shoryuken. So when you parried his cr.HP expect another move.
- Air to Air game
» Ken's best move in air is EX Tatsumaki. You can either parry it or counter it. If you chose to parry, treat first hit of EX Tatsumaki like any other move, and then parry the rest.
If you parried the whole move, you can punish Ken (use MK or HP/HK, depending if you crossover or not). Ken also can't punish Ryu unless Ryu is high in the air after parry, which depends when air EX Tatsumaki was done. After EX Tatsumaki parry, Ken's SRK can be punished with air MK but if Ken was crouching and then did SRK at a right time, air MK will be countered by Ken's SRK. Options after EX Tatsumaki parry are situation dependant (crossover or not, if you are far away from the opponent, if you are still too high in the air) and they depend on when EX Tatsumaki was done in air. If you land close, MK or HP/HK into cl.HP xx HK Tatsumaki is a good punish. If you land a bit far, do HK into cr.MK xx HK Tatsumaki
» When Ken hits Ryu with air LP he will probably try to crossover with dash and then hit confirm SA3.
- Punishing Ken's moves
» SA3 - Ken's SA3 hits 5 times on block or parry. If you blocked it you should simply punish with cl.HP xx EX Joudan Geri into HK Tatsumaki/HP Shoryuken . If you don't have meter for an EX move, use cl.HP xx HK Tatsumaki. If you have SA2 use cl.MP xx HP Shoryuken xx SA2.
But if you red parry his SA3 you can punish him even better. In Ken's 5 hit SA3, you are able to jump on his 3rd kick. So, you red parry 2nd kick, parry the 3rd kick and jump. Now you do j.HK into cl.HP xx HK Tatsumaki/EX Joudan Geri. With SA2 you should do j.HK/j.HP, walk forward a few frames, cl.MP xx HP Shoryuken xx SA2. If you are having trouble hitting this, you can do j.HK/j.HP into cr.MK xx HP Shoryuken xx SA2, it´s easier to hit but it does a bit less damage.
» Shoryuken - Punishing Shoryuken on block is easy. However with more effort you can punish it even better. If you parried Ken's HP Shoryuken you can jump after 3rd hit and start combo. You can also do this to Ken's MP Shoryuken but timing is more strict and you have to start combo with air HK instead of air HP, being the combo j.HK into cl.HP xx HK Tatsumaki/EX Joudan Geri.
There is a trick to punish Ken's Shoryuken and hit him while he's crouching (crouching characters receive more damage on hit). This only works if Ken is trying to block your incoming attack after his Shoryuken by holding down back. Last frame of Ken's Shoruyken recovery is where you can hit Ken and he will be in crouching position, which means more damage. This is unreliable and you can miss the whole combo if you fail, but if you try it, use cl.HP xx EX Joudan Geri, or cl.HP xx HP Shoryuken. Never use Tatsumaki for this because it misses on crouching Ken.
» Hadouken (corner) - If you blocked or got hit by Ken's ordinary Hadouken in corner you can start combo with cr.HP, cr.MP, or cr.MK (remember that you have extra blockstun if you block crouching, so cr.HP will whiff, but cr.MP and cr.MK will hit)
» Tatsumaki - Ken's Tatsumaki can be longer or shorter version. Either way, it's punishable by crouching and then start combo with cr.HP if he is close enough. If not, use cr.MK xx HK Tatsumaki/SA1, or just sweep him. You can also interrupt Ken's Tatsumaki with cr.HP if you're blocking down and Ken is in the air, above you.
If you blocked or got hit by Ken's HK Tatsumaki you can punish it with SA2 if Ken is close enough. EX Tatsumaki is also punishable by SA2 but only if you blocked it.
» Air EX Tatsumaki - Simply crouch to avoid getting hit. If Ken is close to you can use cr.HP combo starter, if he's at bigger distance start combo with cr.MK. When Ken's air EX Tatsumaki is used for escape (super jump, EX Tatsumaki) you can only punish him with SA1.
» cr.HK - Blocked cr.HK can be punished with SA1 (except at max range), but if you're at closer range use cr.MK>SA1. With no use of meter you can just sweep Ken.
» Denjin vs Ken's SA3 - When you're charging Denjin on Ken's wakeup, and he reversals with SA3, release the P button and Denjin will hit Ken, but Ken's SA3 will still hit you and cancel your animation. Now you can punish Ken with cr.HP xx HK Tatsumaki which gives guaranteed stun. If you are too close, you can use cl.HP, but if you are too far, you can use cr.MK (all of this assuming Denjin hits 3 times. If it hits twice, you can´t combo after)
- Ryu's Punishable moves
» cl.HP - Punishable with SA3.
» cr.HP - Very slow recovery move, Ken can even punish it with cr.MK xx SA3. It's advised not to use this unless canceling into EX Hadouken.
» far HP - Punishable with SA3 only.
» far MK - Punishable with SA3 only.
» cr.MK - Punishable with SA3 only. If cr.MK was done at big distance then Ken can't punish it. First hit of his SA3 would whiff.
» st.HK - Punishable with SA3 on hit
» cr.HK - Depending on what range was Ryu's cr.HK blocked, Ken can punish it with cr.MK xx SA3 or cr.HK. When he's not in range for cr.MK or cr.HK, Ken can punish it SA3.
» Hadouken - If done in range of Ken's SA3, it's punishable
» Tatsumaki - Punishable even with normal moves. EX Tatsumaki is punishable only with SA3.
» Joudan Geri - Punishable even with normal moves.
This doesn't mean Ken players will actually punish your every normal move. It is just something you should be aware of. You can cancel most moves into EX Hadouken to stay safe.
Ryu and Ken share some similar moves, but they have different speed. Here's a comparison of their similar moves in important areas:
| Ryu's move vs Ken's move | Faster move | Faster recovery | Better damage |
| far LP | Ryu's far LP (by 1 frame) | Same speed | Same damage |
| cl.LP | Same speed | Same speed | Ryu's cl.LP (by 2 pixels) |
| far MP | Ryu's far MP (by 1 frame) | Ryu's far MP (by 1 frame) | Ryu's far MP (by 1 pixel) |
| cl.MP | Ken's cl.MP (by 1 frame) | Same speed | Ryu's cl.MP (by 2 pixel) |
| far HP | Ken's far HP (by 2 frames) | Ken's far HP (by 3 frames) | Same damage |
| cl.HP | Ryu's cl.HP (by 2 frames) | Ken's cl.HP (by 2 frames) | Same damage |
| cr.LP | Same speed | Same speed | Same damage |
| cr.MP | Same speed | Same speed | Same damage |
| cr.HP | Ryu's cr.HP (by 2 frames) | Ken's cr.HP (by 2 frames) | Same damage |
| LK | Same speed | Same speed | Same damage |
| cr.LK | Same speed | Same speed | Same damage |
| cr.MK | Ken's cr.MK (by 1 frame) | Ryu's cr.MK (by 1 frame) | Ken's cr.MK (by 1 pixel) |
| cr.HK | Ken's c.HK (by 1 frame) | Ryu's c.HK (by 1 frame) | Same damage |
| EX Hadouken | Ryu's EX Hadouken (by 1 frame) | Ryu's EX Hadouken (by 2 frames) | Same damage |
- Ryu vs Ken - Advantages
» Ryu's punish combo with 1 EX move is stronger than Ken's.
» Ryu's SA1 deals more damage than Ken's SA3, but Ken's SA3 is easier to land, and he has 3 stocks while Ryu has 2.
» Ryu is able to connect EX Hadouken from more range than Ken. If Ken tries MP-HP xx EX Hadouken then it's safe to parry EX Hadouken. Same with cr.MK xx EX Hadouken at far distances.
» Ken can connect 2 Shoryukens in the corner (or at mid screen with Kara Shoryuken) and deal a lot of damage without any use of meter.
» Ryu's Tatsumaki knocks down and has good damage, Ken's can't knock down and it has weaker damage.
» Ryu has a better kara throw.
Overall - Ryu's punish combos are better with EX moves in terms of damage, but Ken has better moves overall, really good meterless damage and he can punish many things with his SA3.
Dudley
Standing HK is good poke against Dudley, it can beat most of his moves.
When Dudley taunts on your wakeup, he will throw the rose which beats any of your move except Shin Shoryuken.
Things you can try after Dudley's taunt
- Parry rose and do EX Shoryuken to stop Dudley's upcoming move.
- Parry rose and cr.LK to stop his next move.
- Happy parry rose and his next move.
- Block
Dudley can hit confirm Super after Dart Shot (F+HK) overhead. But his Dart Shot overhead can also be punished with Ryu's Shin Shoryuken if you block it and the opponent didn't chain into MK.
(More match up tips in process)
Urien
Keep the game in the middle of the screen -- you don't want to fight Urien in the corner. Urien loves j.HK, so counter with st.HK or j.MP. If you've cornered Urien and have Denjin, use it. If he's almost stunned, start poking: abuse far MK and st.HK. st.MK may trade with Urien's st.HP, but don't worry: you're aiming to stun, a trade is acceptable. j.MP does a lot of stun and so does fwd MP, but in the corner don't get close enough that he can parry you once and put you in the corner. If Urien is knocked down in the corner and you don't want to take the game to the middle of the screen, meaty far MP xx EX Fireball is amazing. It'll stuff his headbutts, and if he parries your far MP, he cannot throw you. If he parries and does fierce, it'll trade, but he gets knocked down so you remain in control. New: If he tries to do random fireball into Aegis and you're a bit cornered, super jump forward and do HK Tatsumaki to bail out.
When Urien tries unblockable setups you will HAVE to parry. It is the best thing you can do in that situation. Beware of his overheads when you're blocking his SA3 in the corner. If Urien did SA3 in mid-screen then you will have to recover to prevent him from getting any unblockable setups. When Aegis is out of range you can do cr.LK/cr.MK to counter Urien's attacks.
Ryu's SA2 can be done on Aegis even when it's touching Ryu's hitbox. This will prevent any Aegis setup.
(Match up tips in process)
Ibuki
Match up tips in process
Sean
Match up tips in process
Oro
Match up tips in process
Necro
Match up tips in process
Elena
Match up tips in process
Yun
Rush him and force him to activate Genei Jin from far away. Yun without bar is Yun racing to get a bar. Yun with bar is Yun in control. Keep him from gaining control. Nlock Genei Jin unless you have a strategy, because every single move you do can be a free hit for Yun, dealing a lot of damage out of a Genei Jin combo If you are at low health and Yun activated Genei Jin, you will have to parry/counter with a move. If you threw Yun while he was in Genei Jin, throw LP Hadouken to buy time. Yun's dive kick: 1) light divekick: is mostly used as a mixup tool. If Yun is close, you can do Shoryuken or cr.HP or cr.HP xx Shoryuken 2) medium/heavy divekick: cr.HP works, but it has to be done when Yun is almost above you. Shoryuken and st.HK are pretty good options. Far MP is good as a far anti-air, because if Yun does divekick close, it will trade with far MP or get beaten by it. Another good option is doing a jumping move and, if he is high in the air enough, doing SA1 after.
(More match up tips in process)
Chun-LI
You don't want to dash in against Chun-Li, she can stop you with b.HP/cr.MK safely and cancel into SA2. Try to avoid getting thrown at mid screen.
Chun-Li's HK (not close HK) is an option select against throws and crouching attacks. It beats Ryu's crouching attacks, and it has throw invincibility. Ryu's standing attacks must be used to counter it (except standing LK). Also, it's not anti throw move if Ryu is close because then she would do cl.HK which can be thrown. Be aware of this move when trying to sweep Chun-Li.
If you try to juggle Chun-Li with HK Tatsumaki after EX Joudan Geri at mid screen, do it when she is near ground or else it will miss.
After Chun-Li's SA2 hits Ryu, your options are basically same as on your wakeup. Except that she can buffer kicks for Hyakuretsu Kyaku easier, which beats your throw attempt.
Ryu's EX Tatsumaki anti throw setup works little better against Chun-Li because she can't do c.LP to counter it when Ryu's off the ground.
On crouching Chun-Li in corner you can use c.HK Kara UOH and then link EX SRK or SA2. It works because of Chun-Li's small crouching hitbox.
Chun-Li's Hyakuretsu Kyaku (rapid kick) is only punishable with instant SRK after parry.
- Ryu's wakeup options
Chun-Li will use mixup of Kara Throws, B+HP/c.MK/cl.HK>SA2, and UOH>SA2 on your wakeup. It's important to get out from corner as soon as possible. Remember that she controls corner space very well, she can walk back fast and try to stop your jump with anti air, or simply waiting for you to land and then throw you back in the corner.
Chun-Li can mix up c.LK, Throw with c.LK, cl.HK from which SA2 can be hit confirmed. Your options are:
» Throw - You will tech throw, but it can be punished with B+HP>SA2.
» Jump - You will escape from corner but you're vulnerable to cl.HK>SA2.
» Block - You'll get thrown but will block any move into SA2. Try to jump out from corner after blocking her attack. Also watch out for UOH>SA2.
» UOH - Beats throw but gets countered by cl.HK easily. If she tries B+HP it will beat UOH, but she can't connect SA2 since Ryu was not on the ground. If she does cancel it into SA2 you will parry her SA2 6 times after landing on the ground.
» Tatsumaki - This beats her throw but loses against any attack.
- Punishing Chun-Li's moves
» SA2 - If you blocked SA2 always parry the last kick. Then you can Neutral jump and punish with HK, c.HP>EX Joudan Geri, SRK. If you have SA2 then use air HK, c.MK>SRK>SA2. Remember to hold UP as soon as you parried last kick, otherwise you will not have enough time for jump HK.
» Chun-Li's air D+MK - Even after you block it she is still able to parry from air or block on the ground. EX Hadouken or SA1 as anti air is not recommended near corners because she can jump off the wall and avoid it. Only use projectile anti airs only after she has jumped off the wall, or isn't near corner. You can also Super jump to her direction after wall jump and do air attack to keep her in corner. If her air D+MK missed Ryu, then you can punish it with c.MK>SRK/SA1/SA2, however if you hit her D+MK in air (basically hitting her D+MK hitbox before she landed on ground), then she will be reset from air and your SRK/SA1 will miss, but not SA2. Using c.HK to punish it would be safest move to do.
» EX Spinning Bird Kick - This move can be punished in many ways. If you blocked it while close to Chun-Li you can punish it with SRK, SA1, SA2. If you're not close, then only SA1 can punish it, if done as reversal. It's easy to parry last hit of her reversal and then punish with any combo. Lastly, you can do SRK or SA2 while she's still doing her EX Spinning Bird Kick. Just crouch, block, and do SRK in middle of it. One more impractical way to punish it is to parry or block first hit and then get hit by the rest. Ryu will crossover Chun-Li and be in close range for cl.HP combo starter. This works only at specific range so it's not very practical. Ryu's UOH and F+MP as meaty attack always beat her wakeup EX Spinning Bird Kick.
» Spinning Bird Kick - Just crouch and it will completely miss Ryu. Then you can punish Chun-Li with c.HP combo starter. If you blocked it you can punish with reversal SA2. Her HK Spinning Bird Kick travels longer so you may not be close enough to use c.HP. To punish it, block while standing and then crouch when her move is about to end. This is not one of Chun-Li's useful moves on Ryu.
» Kikoken (fireball) - LP and MP version of Kikoken is punishable with any normal canceling move even if it hits. HP Kikoken can only be punished with SRK or SA2 if Chun-Li is close, which is not the case if she canceled it from B+HP. It's very unlikely that Chun-Li will ever need LP/MP Kikoken in corner. Chun-Li often uses Kikoken (fireball) before hit confirming SA2. Always try to red parry the fireball and punish with c.HP>EX Joudan Geri (if close) and c.MK>Tatsumaki or SA1. SA2 can punish it only if done immediately after parry.
» SA1 - After blocking it you will get big pushback. To punish it you must dash, c.MK>Tatsumaki or SA1, or dash, EX Joudan Geri, SRK. Better punish combo (but with more strict timing) is jump (not super jump) late HK, c.MK>Tatsumaki or SA1.
» SA3 - It's easy to parry last hit of SA3 from ground (just the last hit) and start combo with cl.HP. If Chun-Li used SA3 as anti air then parry whole move and punish with crossup MK, cl.HP>?. If you blocked whole move you can still punish it with c.MK>Tatsumaki or SA1. If you want to have range for c.MK>SA2 you have to walk slightly forward after blocking the move.
- Punishing Chun-Li's anti air moves
Chun-Li doesn't have good anti air moves (unless she picks SA1 or SA3). With SA2, her anti air move will be early poke, so that she can recover as soon as possible even after you parry it from air. However, all pokes parried from air are punishable if well timed. Here's how you punish her early anti air moves after air parry:
» MP - Punishable with HK, EX SRK or SA2 if you time it well. You can use HK Tatsumaki as crossover after air parry and when it crossovers Chun-Li it will beat her block attempt.
» c.HK - Punish with late air HK and then cl.HP>EX Joudan Geri, SRK which takes about half of health because crouching characters take more damage. If Ryu is right above Chun-Li use crossup MK instead of HK.
» B+HP - Same as MP, punish it with HK, EX SRK or SA2.
» LP, ? - You can't punish this move after air parry because of its fast recovery. That's why Chun-Li will probably try 2nd anti air move (usually c.HK). But if you parry that too, punishing it will be easy because it wasn't early attack.
» B+HP>Hyakuretsu Kyaku - No way to punish this, you're just gonna have to parry whole move. However your air HK can hit Chun-Li's B+HP.
Remember that Chun-Li's early anti air pokes can be countered from air with any attack, but then you risk to get your move parried and then get hit by her SA2. Also, unless you fail to punish her anti air with HK, she will probably try to use 2nd anti air (usually c.HK) after you parried her first anti air.
- Air to Air game
You definitely want to use air MP because she will be above you in most cases, especially after you parried her air D+MK. You can also use air LP and then SA1 after reset.
- Ryu's punishable moves
» MK - Punishable by SA2 only.
» HK -Punishable by SA2 only.
» c.HK - Punishable by HP or SA2. Use this move only when at big distance where her standing HP wouldn't have range, and when she has no meter for SA2.
» c.HP - Punishable with normal moves like MP, c.MK, c.HK. Cancel it into EX Hadouken to stay safe.
» Hadouken - Punishable by SA2 only if it was done at close range, where Hadouken would actually connect into combo.
» (EX) Tatsumaki - Punishable by SA2 only
Yang
With Dive kick, Yang can get in front of Ryu very quickly. He is low stamina character, so Ryu's SA2 works well against him. SA2 can also punish his 2 hit LP Mantis Slash.
Yang's Mantis Slash is relatively safe move. It has good range and it comes out fast, especially EX version. Expect a lot of random EX Mantis Slashes when fighting against Yang. After you parried Yang's move, expect him to cancel into EX Mantis Slash and counter your punish attempt. In that case you should try to parry
If you're using SA3, never charge Denjin on Yang's wakeup because he can reversal with SA2. If he doesn't have SA2, then you can charge it on Yang's wakeup, but only if you release it as meaty hit, otherwise he will use Senkyuutai (QCF K) which goes under fireballs, meaty hit Denjin will prevent that. Most effective Denjin setups are Hadouken>SA3 and MP SRK>SA3.
Yang's dive kick gives him many options, nearly same as on his wakeup.
Ryu's Wakeup options
» Dash back/Neutral Jump/Tatsumaki - Dash back and Tatsumaki will punish his grab/throw attempt. With Neutral jump, you can only punish his grab if Yang didn't do it at a right time.
» Wakeup c.LP - This will stop Yang's grab. If Yang is close enough you can connect c.LP, c.LK, c.LK, and hit confirm SA1.
Don't try to poke Yang straight on your wakeup. Yang's moves are fast, and he can connect Mantis Slash safely.
Ryu's options on Yang's wakeup
No exceptions from Ryu's general wakeup game. If you're using SA2, it's important to mixup throws and hit confirms on his wakeup.
Anti air game
If you jump on time you can stop his Dive kick with Neutral jump, MK (air MK has good range). Any normal move from ground can easily be countered by Yang's Dive kick on close range. Any poke can be used to stop Yang's full screen jump Dive kick, when he's trying to land in front of you.
Air to Air game
The only thing you should watch out for in air is Yang's air target combo - MK>Dive kick. Parry both attacks and then punish Yang. Jump LK air reset, SA2 works well and does a lot of damage.
Ryu's Punishable moves
» c.HK - Punishable with Mantis Slash, or with c.MK>? if done at close range.
» c.HP - Easily punishable with c.LK>EX Mantis Slash, or just EX Mantis Slash. You better cancel it into EX Hadouken.
» Hadouken - EX Mantis Slash can punish Hadouken from corner. It's possible at mid screen too if Yang is close enough to Ryu, which happens only when you did Hadouken on closest range, without canceling from normal move.
Punishing Yang's moves
» Tourou Zan (Mantis Slash) - There are 3 versions of this move: LP, MP, HP. If you want to parry 3rd hit of Yang's Mantis Slash, always stand while blocking, otherwise parry will be red parry, with harder timing.
- LP Mantis Slash:
- 1 hit Mantis Slash is not punishable.
- 2 hit Mantis Slash is punishable with SA2 if Yang is close enough.
- 3 hit Mantis Slash is punishable with SRK, SA1, SA2. Third hit of Mantis Slash is generally easy to parry, so try to do that.
- MP Mantis Slash:
- 1 hit Mantis Slash is punishable with SA1 if Yang is close enough. Ryu must block while standing to punish with SA1.
- 2 hit Mantis Slash is punishable with c.MP>HK Tatsumaki, SA1, SA2, EX SRK, and SRK if Yang is close enough, which he will be if Ryu blocked 2nd move from corner.
- 3 hit Mantis Slash move is punishable with c.HP>EX Joudan Geri, if you blocked 3rd hit while standing. If you don't have range for c.HP, use c.MP>HK Tatsumaki. If you have full meter, use SRK>SA1/SA2 (If you're using SA1 remember to use MP SRK). c.HP>HK Tatsumaki wouldn't work (Tatsumaki would miss). With no meter you can use c.HP>MK Tatsumaki.
- HP Mantis Slash:
- 1 hit Mantis Slash is punishable with c.MP>HK Tatsumaki, SA1, SA2, EX SRK (NOT ordinary SRK).
- 2 hit Mantis Slash is punishable same way as 1 hit Mantis Slash.
- 3 hit Mantis Slash is punishable with any combo starter from ground.
Unfortunately for Ryu, Yang can do QCF MP, QCF LP, and make his second Mantis Slash hit safer. However, it's still punishable with SA2.
» EX Tourou Zan (EX Mantis Slash) - 3 hit EX Mantis Slash is punishable with SA1, and also c.MK/c.HK which requires 1 frame timing, so it's unreliable. 4 hits move can be punished with SA1 and c.MK/c.HK, this time timing is not hard. 5 hits can be punished with cl.HP>EX Joudan Geri, or any other combo.
EX Mantis Slash hits fast. After parrying first hit of EX Mantis Slash you can only counter with SRK or Super. Any other move will be countered by incoming hit. So, you can either parry once and counter with SRK/Super, or parry first 2 hits and start combo with any move.
» Zenpou Tenshin (Grab) - If you dodged it with Neutral jump you can start combo with c.HK. If you dodged it with Dash back, you can start combo with c.HP>EX Joudan Geri. c.HP has range because Yang's hitbox is big when he does his grab. You basically hit Yang's arms. You can also punish it with HK Tatsumaki.
» Raigeki Shuu (Dive kick) - Not punishable on block, only after parry. After you parried his Dive kick hit Yang as soon as he lands on ground. Any move can punish him if you walk forward to get in close range, but c.MK requires least strict timing. Ryu's jump LK air reset, SA1/SA2 works well too. If Yang completely missed with Dive kick, you can punish it with any move if you attack as quickly as he landed on ground (c.MK works best for that).
» c.HK - Punishable with SA1.
» Senkyuutai - Very punishable move. Use cl.HP>SRK or cl.HP>EX Joudan Geri. Using ?>Tatsumaki is not recommended because if Yang was trying blocking down, Tatsumaki will miss. Walk forward to be in necessary range before starting combo.
» EX Senkyuutai - Harder timing for punishing, but it's still punishable just like ordinary Senkyuutai. This move is 3 hit on parry while ordinary is 2 hit.
» Kaihou (Teleport) - Just like any special move, this move has recovery frames. If Yang cancels normal move into Kaihou you can punish it with any move.
» SA1 - Yang's SA1 is safe move.
» SA2 - After Yang does SA2 he can hold down+back to crouch and block. When Yang gets hit while crouching it means more damage. Because of that, don't use Tatsumaki because it whiffs on crouching opponents.
After you blocked SA2 you can start any combo from ground. Better combo is Dash forward, Jump forward, air HK, c.HP>EX Joudan Geri.
- Dodging SA2 from corner:
- If you dodge SA2 with Neutral Jump, the only way to punish Yang is with SA1 or Hadouken.
- If you dodge SA2 with Jump back, Dash forward twice and start combo with Jump HK.
- If you dodge SA2 with UOH, you can do HK Tatsumaki, Dash forward, and do c.HK, HK Joudan Geri, or EX Joudan Geri. Or you can do Super jump, Super jump, air HK, c.MK>?. Air HK must be done as late as possible, in case Yang tries to crouch block.
- Dodging SA2 from mid screen:
- If you dodge SA2 with Neutral Jump, do HK Tatsumaki and start combo with c.HP.
- If you dodge SA2 with Jump back, Dash forward twice and start combo with Jump HK.
- If you dodge SA2 with UOH, you can do 2 Super jumps, and on second one start combo with air HK.
Dodging SA2 with Jump forward will make Ryu too far away for any advanced punish combo. The only thing you can do is SA1 or Hadouken.
Makoto
All of her normal moves are safe on block. Makoto's only weakness is lack of good wakeup reversals (except SA1). Her grab deals massive stun damage and if she does it twice in a row and then hits you it basically means stun, and then win. If she grabs you near corner she can do 100% combo with SA2. Staying away from corners is still not recommended because you have to take advantage of wakeup game.
Ryu's lack of pokes against Makoto is another thing that makes this match-up hard. Standing MP, HP, will miss her on dash, and then she has opportunity to combo. c.MK, c.HK will stop her dash but if you miss with those attacks she gets clear chance to dash and throw, or to do Hayate (and link SA1). With exception of c.MK having better recovery so Ryu can avoid getting thrown. Mid range EX Hadouken should not be wasted because she can easily counter it with Jump EX Tsurugi.
- Makoto's dash is fastest dash in the game. She can Dash and Throw in minimum 10 frames. To stop her fast dash you can use:
» c.LK - Confirm SA1 if it hits twice.
» c.LP - Use Kara throw after it stops her dash.
» MK - Standard move to push opponent away. Just don't do it in her c.HP range.
» c.MK - As mentioned before, whiffed c.MK is very easy to punish if it whiffs. Start up is 7 frames so you can't expect to use this on reaction.
» HK - This is slower move so expect to get punished if it whiffs near her.
After Makoto hits with Hayate, your options are basically same as on your wakeup with exception that she can't do meaty attack. After she does 2 Hayate moves in a row she will not have enough range for a grab, unless you're in corner. This is the time when she might dash forward and try grab, so your dash back will not prevent her from grabbing you.
Whiffing c.MP to charge meter from distance is not safe because of her EX Hayate. Try to predict full screen EX Hayate, parry, and punish with combo.
After Makoto grabbed you with Karakusa it's advised that you hold jump in case she tries to do another one to charge meter.
Ryu's Wakeup options
Makoto's wakeup game is unpredictable because of her Karakusa grab which turns everything into a guess game. Your options on wakeup are:
» Dash back - It's good against Makoto's grab. After her grab whiffs, use appropriate combo starter (c.HP, c.MP, or c.MK) depending on range. You don't need to think about range if you're using c.MK, it will always have range for punish. If you're using dash back on wakeup you will be vulnerable to any meaty attack.
» Jump - Neutral jump can be good if you want to punish her grab (read more about it in "Punishing Makoto's moves" section). Jump back if you just want to escape from her. However this can get predictable so Makoto can jump forward to follow, so use air HK after jump back.
» EX/MK/HK/Tatsumaki - Good anti throw/grab move. Remember to use it as reversal if you don't want to be grabbed.
» Block - After you blocked Makoto's meaty attack beware of her: cancel into EX Oroshi (overhead chop move), Karakusa (grab), c.HP (sweep). Remember to block high after blocking her normal move to prevent her EX overhead from knocking you down. You can't neutral jump and punish her grab after meaty MP because she has advantage on block. It's best to try to dash back if you expect grab and then punish it.
Be aware of her ability to confirm SA1 on wakeup. She can do it from UOH, MP, c.LK>Hayate. EX Shoryuken and Parry is always an option.
Ryu's options on Makoto's wakeup
Not much different than Ryu's general wakeup game. Use throws on Makoto's wakeup. Mixup c.LK, Throw and cl.MP, Throw to stop her wakeup SA2. Occasionally try to punish her tech throw attempt.
Because of her lack of good wakeup reversals, her only good wakeup move is c.LK, which comes out fast. After c.LK she may grab you, or connect Hayate and then grab you.
Anti air game
Makoto has long range air attacks such as MK and Tsurugi. The moves you should use for anti air depend on range between you and Makoto.
- Dealing with Makoto's Neutral jump on mid range:
» Early HK - It beats her air MK but will get hit by Tsurugi. Early HK means that HK must hit with its last frames.
» Late HK - Early HK would miss her Tsurugi here because her Tsurugi really changes Makoto's hitbox. That's why you should use well timed HK.
» HP SRK - It beats both air MK and Tsurugi. If Makoto doesn't do anything then your HP SRK will miss, and you'll get punished.
» Dash forward, c.HP - You will be under air Makoto where her moves are easy to counter with c.HP. If you didn't dash fast you can get hit by her air MK.
» Dash back, EX Hadouken - This will beat Tsurugi but it doesn't have enough time to beat air MK, unless you dashed quickly after her neutral jump. Expect Ryu to get hit by air MK whenever you try anti air EX Hadouken, however Hadouken will hit Makoto so it's worth it.
» Dash back, EX Joudan Geri - This beats Tsurugi but not air MK.
If Makoto's Neutral jump was empty (no moves done in air), then your anti air moves will whiff and you will get punished.
- Dealing with Makoto's Neutral jump on close range:
» SRK - Beats anything on close range but easy to parry.
» Walk forward, cl.HP - After walk forward/dash forward you will crossover under Makoto. After that you can try any anti air. You can also walk forward to get under Makoto where her moves can be countered easier with c.HP.
- Dealing with Makoto's full screen jump forward. Makoto often does this because of her long range MK, which gives her advantage on block. You can:
» Parry - You can punish her with SA1 or EX Joudan Geri (if her MK was not done late from air) after parry. If she attempts Tsurugi you will fail to parry.
» HK - Well timed HK can stop both air MK and Tsurugi from full screen jump, but can also get hit if not timed well.
» Dash forward, c.HP - You should be able to counter her full screen jump successfully with this if done on time. You can also walk forward before c.HP.
Makoto can always parry your anti air move and punish it. Projectile anti air against her full screen jump can work, but you can also get hit by her Tsurugi.
Air to Air game
If you try to parry from air you can get hit by Makoto's Tsurugi. Other times she can do normal air attack. If Ryu and Makoto jumped from full screen and Ryu parried her air MK, she cannot be hit with Ryu's air attack. It's best that you be the one who will attack first from air. Don't attempt to parry. If you used air MK you can setup SA1 after air reset.
Punishing Makoto's moves
» Hayate - After blocking it you can punish it with c.HP, c.MP, c.MK, and cancel into Super or Tatsumaki depending on range. c.HP deals better damage, and you can connect EX Joudan Geri, so aim for that over c.MP. Her charged Hayate cannot be punished.
» Karakusa (grab) - If you neutral jumped at same time, or before Karakusa was done, you can start combo with late air HK. That's different on wakeup. Perfectly timed Karakusa on your wakeup cannot be punished, which means Makoto has 1 frame where her grab is not punishable on your wakeup. If Makoto did not time it at that certain "safe" frame, you can punish it with air LK, and then try Kara throw. If it was done 3 or more frames slower, then you can punish it with air MK, cl.HP>EX Joudan Geri or Tatsumaki. Of course you cannot count frames so use your judgement. Also watch out if you're trying Kara Throw after air LK, Makoto players don't risk much if they try another Karakusa. Neutral jump air MK punish cannot work if Makoto has tried to setup Karakusa after meaty attack such as MP, where advantage after your block. That's why it's best to dash back to dodge Karakusa and start combo with c.HP, c.MP, or c.MK combo starters, depending on range. c.MK will always have range though.
» SA1 - Start combo with cl.HP and follow up into anything.
» SA2 - After blocking her first 3 hits of SA2, always jump and parry the last hit and then punish with air HP, c.MK>MP SRK>SA1/SA2. With no meter just use air HP, c.MP>Tatsumaki.
Now for the punish combo that's not so familiar. After blocking her 1st hit of SA2, crouch and block, then her 3rd attack will miss, so Ryu will not get pushback and you will be able to jump parry 4th attack and do air HP, cl.HP>EX Joudan Geri, or simply air HP, cl.HP>Tatsumaki.
» SA3 - Makoto's SA3 gives her damage boost but she cannot block. It is good as wakeup move because she can see what move is coming next on super freeze. If you predict her wakeup SA3, use c.MK (which will probably be parried) and then cancel into SA1. If you don't have meter for SA1 don't use SRK, it's too obvious. Cancel into HK Joudan Geri instead. If Makoto attacks after parried c.MK she will counter your HK Joudan Geri. If you have SA2, get your c.MK parried and use SA2 after whole c.MK animation was completed.