Ryu

リュウ

Ryu — 대책

Key Info

  • Sustained overhead with combo available: 6MP
  • Defense
    • OD invincible reversal at 6F startup: 623PP
      • If you play Luke or Kimberly, hold off on Drive Rush after a throw
    • Anti-air invincible at 5F startup: 623LP
    • SA1 (236236P): 7F startup, no projectile invincibility
    • SA2 (214214P): 12F startup, no projectile invincibility
    • SA3 (236236K): 5F startup
  • Plus-on-block moves
    • 6HP: +3F
    • 214HP: +2F
    • (Denjin Renki) 214P: +3F

Neutral Game (Focus Points)

  • Dealing with 236P (Hadoken)
    • Do not reversal jump after blocking — Ryu may be watching for jumps and the next fireball may already be a safe Hadoken
    • If you land a Just Parry, feel free to jump as a follow-up
    • Always buffer a heavy attack when you Parry so you can punish on a Just Parry
    • If Ryu feints with 214LP, buffering on Just Parry becomes very difficult — if you cannot buffer reliably, the risk/reward does not add up, so just block
  • Dealing with 214P (Hashogeki)
    • 214HP is +2F for Ryu on block
    • If you read 214HP and mash fastest mash, 214LP will beat you
    • There is a large frame gap between 214LP and 214HP — you can fuzzy with a move that reaches
  • Dealing with 6HP
    • If you block it, Ryu is +3F and his pressure begins
    • Depending on spacing, you can fuzzy to cover all options
  • Accept throws in midscreen
    • Ryu's forward and back throw in midscreen do not lead to strong oki
    • Drive Rush oki does not connect either — just accept the throw and reset to neutral

236P (Hadoken)

Startup and projectile speed vary by strength.

  • 236LP: slow startup and slow speed
  • 236MP: between LP and HP in startup and speed
  • 236HP: fast startup and fast speed
  • 236PP (OD): SA1 follow-up on hit
  • (Denjin Renki) 236P
  • (Denjin Renki) 236PP: SA1 follow-up on hit

Recommended Counter

  • 236LP
    • If you Parry, buffer a jump — the next fireball is often a safe Hadoken so Ryu frequently queues it immediately
    • If you block, the next fireball is often safe — do not jump after blocking a slow fireball

  • 236MP
    • Same approach as 236LP
  • 236HP
    • When Parrying at close range, buffer a heavy attack or Raw Rush
    • When Parrying from farther away, buffer a forward-advancing move to get reward on the safe fireball

Warning

  • 214LP feint
    • Ryu can suggest a Hadoken and then cancel into 214LP to bait a Parry attempt
    • Dropping the Parry and simply blocking is a valid option
    • If you Parry with the intention of closing distance, always buffer a step forward to cancel the Parry

If you cannot buffer Just Parry → heavy attack or Just Parry → jump, the risk/reward does not work in your favor. When in doubt, skip the Parry and block normally.

623P (Shoryuken)

Ryu's anti-air special. Used as both anti-air and combo ender.

  • 623LP: 5F startup
  • 623MP: 6F startup
  • 623HP: 7F startup
  • 623PP (OD): 6F startup, fully invincible

Recommended Counter

  • After 623HP on hit
    • Often used as a midscreen combo ender — meaty throw is difficult to land
    • Fastest mash or Just Parry attempts have the highest expected value
  • After 623PP (OD) on hit
    • Oki is possible even in midscreen
    • Remember that quick-rise makes walk shimmy impossible when Ryu uses Drive Rush

In midscreen, accepting the throw is your best option. Ryu's throw game in midscreen is not particularly strong.

236K (Jodan Sokutogeri)

Ryu's poke. Many Ryu players use it as a combo ender or input it after c.MK. 236MK is -8F on block — look up your character's 8F+ punish and commit it to memory.

  • 236LK: Ryu is -11F on block
  • 236MK: Ryu is -8F on block
  • 236HK: Ryu is -3F on block
  • 236KK (OD): Ryu is -11F on block

Recommended Counter

  • 236LK: punish with a heavy attack
  • 236MK: punish with an 8F move that has good reach
  • 236HK: the move has 27F of startup — always press Parry even if you miss the Just timing; landing a Just Parry by chance could win the round outright
  • 236KK (OD): normally used to increase damage; when Ryu makes an error and you see -11F, take the full punish

214K (Tatsumaki Senpukyaku)

Used as a combo ender. If you block it, everything punishes — use your biggest combo.

  • 214LK: Ryu is -15F on block
  • 214MK: Ryu is -13F on block
  • 214HK: Ryu is -13F on block
  • 214KK (OD): Ryu is -14F on block

Recommended Counter

On block, always land your biggest punish combo.

Warning

Easy to forget — this move has projectile invincibility. If it hits from long range during its active frames, 623HP can connect afterward. Be careful not to lose the round to this.

214P (Hashogeki)

Ryu's pressure special. The typical strategy is to threaten with 214LP and steal offense with 214HP. The easiest counter is Parry, but the reward is low. Learn the common sequences and tailor your response to maximize damage.

  • 214LP: Ryu is -3F on block
  • 214MP: Ryu is -6F on block
  • 214HP: Ryu is +2F on block
  • 214PP (OD): Ryu is +3F on block
  • (Denjin Renki) 214P: Ryu is +3F on block
  • (Denjin Renki) 214PP: Ryu is +4F on block

Recommended Counter

  • 2LP→LP→2LP→214P
    • A 4F move will whiff here — use a move that actually reaches for your fuzzy
    • Drive Impact also works as a fuzzy, but if Ryu does nothing, you risk getting Drive Impact countered

The video below records 214LP and 214HP in sequence.

  • HP→214P
    • Everything except 214HP is a block string — the moment you see the 214P motion, use Drive Impact
    • If Ryu has SA3 stocked, he may cancel 214P, so when you see the HP, jump immediately to create a mixup option
    • With proper awareness you can respond comfortably

6HP

A normal that is +3F for Ryu on block. Against Ryu players who abuse this, place neutral jumps at moderate intervals.

Recommended Counter

You will often block it even when you try to neutral jump. After 6HP is blocked, Ryu's main options are:

  • 6HP: steal advantage from +3F; Drive Gauge lead builds up
  • MP: mash-crush
  • 2MK: Cancel Rush into Drive Rush is standard; 2MK is 8F so a 4F mash beats it
  • Walk throw: requires some walking depending on spacing — be especially alert when you have blocked 6HP multiple times consecutively

The two options you must not eat for free are 6HP and walk throw. These two leave a 12–20F gap. To punish this, press a 4F fuzzy c.LP timed to when you would block the 2MK.

The video below records each option separately.

6MP (Overhead)

Ryu's overhead. In the corner, this can combo after light normals consume frame advantage with its active frames. At minimum, learn the visual cue and attempt a Just Parry. Unlike other characters, Ryu's sustained overhead has -1F guard stun, so a second active-frame hit on block results in +1F for Ryu.

Recommended Counter

After 214LK ground hit (Ryu is +1F on block)

After 623HP ground hit (Ryu is -1F on block)

Meaty Jump-in

When Ryu jumps in during okizeme, determine whether it is a meaty jump-in.

Recommended Counter

After 236LK:

LPLK (Seoi Nage — Forward Throw)

Ryu is +19F.

  • On quick-rise
    • If Ryu used Drive Rush, any OD reversal with 7F or fewer startup is guaranteed
      • Drive Rush → 2LP is an 8F meaty
  • On back-rise
    • A throw can whiff the OD reversal
    • Characters with a 7F-or-faster SA that has wide horizontal reach can completely deny all oki
      • Examples: Luke SA1, Manon SA2

Conclusion (Recommended Counter)

  • Characters with a 7F-or-faster invincible SA with strong horizontal reach:
    • Back-rise → confirm Drive Rush → activate SA
    • Examples: Luke SA1, Manon SA2, Rashid OD reversal, Cammy OD reversal
  • Characters with a 7F-or-faster OD reversal without strong horizontal reach:
    • Quick-rise → confirm Drive Rush → OD reversal
  • Characters with no invincible reversal — mix up between these two:
    • Quick-rise → confirm Drive Rush → delayed tech
      • Quick-rise prevents shimmy
    • Back-rise
      • If Ryu did not use Drive Rush, no oki follows

Warning

When using a 7F-or-faster SA with wide horizontal reach, there is a risk of a super flash counter — check the gauge before committing.

4LPLK (Tomoe Nage — Back Throw)

Ryu is +11F.

  • No oki follows without Drive Rush
  • Due to the distance, only a 4F strike can be buried
  • Fastest 4F mash trades, and there is no combo follow-up from the trade
  • To punish the 4F mash, Ryu has the Hashogeki feint option
    • Counter hit leads to a combo

Conclusion (Recommended Counter)

  • Take quick-rise. If you see Drive Rush, respond with an invincible move that has strong horizontal reach
  • An invincible move without horizontal reach risks being whiffed by a throw