Ken — 대책

Recommended Counter

• 236LP
  • When using Parry, buffer a jump
    • It tends to become a safe fireball, so Ken often inputs the next 236P immediately
  • If you block it, the next fireball is often already safe — do not jump after blocking a slow fireball

• 236MP
  • Same counter-strategy as 236LP
• 236HP
  • When Parrying at close range, buffer a heavy attack or Raw Rush
  • When Parrying at long range, buffer a forward-direction attack to get reward against the safe fireball

• 236PP
  • After blocking OD Hadoken, depending on distance it crushes mashing and allows Rush offense to continue
  • When you identify this sequence, watch for the Rush flash and respond with a fast, long-range invincible move

Recommended Counter

• After 623P hits
  • Know that in-place and back wakeup create different guessing games
  • During Rush okizeme
    • Taking in-place wakeup removes the walk shimmy option

• During walk okizeme
  • Back wakeup removes the okizeme entirely
  • Taking in-place wakeup gives him shimmy okizeme without Rush

• After 623PP hits
  • Ken is +22F
  • With Rush, he gets full okizeme
    • In-place wakeup
      • Throw will land on you
    • Back wakeup
      • HP crushes mashing
  • Recommended
    • Take back wakeup and try to Just Parry his HP, or since throw does not land, turtle with full guard

Recommended Counter

• 623HK in neutral
  • Just Parry

• Drive Impact
  • Confirms on reaction
  • You will get beaten if your reaction is slow, but it is worth trying

• Standing 4F normal

  • Pressing a 4F button on reaction would be ideal, but it proved impossible in practice
    • Even slight delay means getting counter-hit for huge damage — the risk-reward does not line up
  • This guide recommends Just Parry or Drive Impact

• After blocking 623HK

  • Ken is +1F inside throw range
  • Using OD reversal or delayed tech here makes the risk-reward unfavorable
  • The recommended options are just these three — nothing else is needed:
    • Fastest 4F mash
      • Beats Ken's tech
      • Also beats his meaty reversal (Jinrai Kick)
    • Fastest tech
      • Beats shimmy
        • Always watch for anti-air at this moment
      • Loses to fastest attack, but accept that trade
    • Just Parry
      • Beats his fastest 4F mash
      • Risky if it is a throw — generally avoid
      • Reserve for when the opponent is only doing 4F crush sequences

The following video has Ken set to these options after blocking 623HK:

• Fastest 4F attack
• Neutral jump
• Throw

Recommended Counter

You can distinguish light/medium/heavy by sound and animation, but it is extremely hard in a real match and memorizing audio cues is a hassle.

The recommended approach is to change your response based on what normal it was canceled from.

A key property of 236K: each strength version only combos from normals of the same or lower strength.

• LK cannot cancel into 236MK
• c.MK cannot cancel into 236HK
• c.MK can cancel into 236MK
• HP can cancel into 236MK

Based on this, assume he will only use the same-strength version as the preceding normal.

• LK → 236LK
  • You can mash before the followup comes out — do it

• c.MK → 236MK
  • Mashing loses to 623MK→LK followup
  • It becomes an overhead guessing game, but if the opponent only does fastest followup you can fuzzy — give it a try
    • Note it is a punish counter starter, so use the proper punish counter combo

• HP → 236HK
  • There is a gap between HP and 236K — try pressing c.LP to interrupt, though it is difficult
    • Even if it ends up being 236MK followup (rare), it is a block string so mashing is still safe
    • Hard to do and risky on failure — only for players confident in their reactions
      • The author of this guide cannot do it

• If interrupting is not possible, hold guard and do not mash carelessly
  • If you read a followup coming, Drive Impact is very effective
  • If you are not doing Drive Impact, he will often output 236K→6LK fastest — factor that into the guessing game too

Once you are comfortable, you can handle all of the above.

Recommended Counter

• After KK→623P hits
  • Taking in-place wakeup removes the walk shimmy option
  • Do not auto-pilot to back wakeup — take in-place wakeup and threaten with reversal or fastest tech to make him pay

Recommended Counter

Even back wakeup allows Rush okizeme. Even with Rush, OD reversal is not guaranteed — the situation is actually quite favorable for you.

• After LPLK → in-place wakeup
  • Ken's only shimmy option off in-place wakeup is Rush → LP, which leaves Ken -4F
  • Know that fastest mash becomes a punish counter — keep this in mind

• Once you show this option, he will shift to more meaty attacks — switch to in-place wakeup OD reversal

• After LPLK → back wakeup

  • Without Rush, no okizeme lands

Recommended Counter

Back wakeup is standard. The distance is too far for any okizeme to connect.