Ryu Street Fighter 6 guide: Master the Hado in your own way

Ryu is the fighting game blueprint. Like Mario is for the genre of platformers, so too is the basis for all that came after based on this Street Fighter OG. However, the oldest of dogs can learn plenty of new tricks. So is the case with the Shoto Master in the newest iteration of the Street Fighter franchise. Therefore, it's that time yet again: A Ryu Street Fighter 6 guide to help you learn all of his new ins and outs.

Ryu is still very much the same character from past games in the franchise. And yet, his Street Fighter 6 version has a number of new tricks that give an advantage to a fighter that almost everyone knows by heart.

Anyways, let's dive into the heart of battle and figure out what Ryu is all about in Street Fighter 6!

From the Street Fighter wiki:

If you've ever picked up a fighting game then you have Ryu to thank. Not only is he the first fighting game character, but his rock-paper-scissors style of gameplay is the literal basis for the entire genre. There's a really fantastic theory breakdown from the New York University on the direct line drawn from rock-paper-scissors to Street Fighter that is worth glancing at as well.

And that's all Ryu. Standing still? Hit em with a fireball. Try to jump over the fireball? Blast em with a dragon punch. Block that? Time to use a throw. Beauty in simplicity.

As for Ryu himself, the origins of the character start with the origins of the franchise and Street Fighter. First released in arcades in August of 1987, Ryu was the default player-character. From there, he's been in every Street Fighter game and more than a few crossover titles.

As quoted in the Street Fighter 6 tutorials for Ryu: "With a set of familiar, intuitive moves that facilitate a consistent playstyle, Ryu is an excellent choice for everyone from beginners to experts." And for good reason, as Ryu's style and special moves are burned into the brains of almost anyone who has ever played Street Fighter.

Ryu's style is all about projectiles, anti-airs, and moves that push his body forward while providing a balance of offense and defense. The line between a good and bad Ryu player comes down to observational skills and controlling the mid-range area. A good Ryu knows how to react to an opponent's mistakes and capitalize on openings while providing constant pressure.

Ryu is one of those fighters that is so dangerous that the mere act of walking forward is a threat in and of itself. In addition to his typical special moves of the Hadoken fireball, Shoryuken dragon punch, and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku hurricane kick, he also has a new/old special. The former "donkey kick" from past games makes a return with new properties. Now called the High Blade Kick, it allows Ryu to create space while also potentially sending them straight into the corner.

Let's run down all of his special moves.

A note on annotation: We will be using the fighting game numeric annotation, where each press of the directional pad has a corresponding number assigned to it. This is universal to all fighting games and provides an easy shorthand. Below is the annotation. All moves listed are for Classic Mode controls.

Additionally, we will use the following input shorthand:

Hadoken

236+LP/MP/HP

The most basic move in fighting games, and the core component of Ryu's kit. This is a one-hit projectile with the speed changing based on which strength of punch pressed. The drive version of this move causes two hits, while the Denjin version of both the normal and drive version do increased damage, hits, and stun.

623+LP/MP/HP

A vertical uppercut and the perfect anti-air, Ryu's Shoryuken--and its shout--is iconic. We've all been continually hit by the dragon punch at least once in our lives, and this is the guy to thank. Excellent as a jump-in counter, hard to punish if wiffed, and always a viable combo-ender option. However, it is easy to bait out and punish.

Tatsumaki Senpukyaku

214+LK/MK/HK

We may not always know how to say it, but we certainly know what the "hurricane kick" does. Moving Ryu across the screen, the Tatsu is a combo-ender as well as a reliable move to find space. Also usable in the air as an anti-air or punish. The Tatsu leaves Ryu incredibly open and vulnerable if blocked, so use appropriately.

236+LK/MK/HK

Ah, the old "donkey kick." Added as a move for Ryu sometime after the Street Fighter Alpha era, the High Blade Kick now finds new like in Ryu's Street Fighter 6 kit as a go-to juggle. All normal versions of the move place your opponent in a juggle state, while the drive version performs a wall bounce in the corner. Prepare a dragon punch-follow-up if you land one of these in the corner.

214+LP/MP/HP

A curious and new addition to the Ryu kit, the Hashogeki is essentially a melee-range fireball. Able to nullify one-hit projectiles and put your opponent in a juggle-state when used as a counter-hit. This move has a high block advantage, so it's a fantastic pressure tool that you can use to bully your opponent--especially when using drive cancels.

22P

Yet another new move? The Denjin Charge is actually one of Ryu's V-Skills from Street Fighter 5, which allows him to empower the next special move he uses. Being charged changes each of his fireballs and charges up the next fireball-based move (Hadoken, Hashogeki, Shinku Hadoken) into a more powerful Denjin version. Denjin projectiles are two-hit attacks and break armor, as well as act as punish counters.

236236P

Ryu's first Super Art is the Shinku Hadoken, a five-hit projectile with armor break properties. The strength of the punch button does not affect the power. The Denjin version of the move does an additional 400 damage.

236236K

The big uppercut returns in all of its glory. The same start-up as the dragon punch, the Shin Shoryuken is a cinematic version that does different damage based on if the movie-version of it hits or not. If used as a glancing blow or counter-attack then you'll get the bare-bones version. This move does break armor, as well as act as a punish counter.

We'll have more for this Ryu Street Fighter 6 guide in the coming weeks! Look out for the release of Street Fighter 6 on June 2.

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