Last updated on Dec. 29, 2011
Character Overview
Guide by Nyoronoru
Balrog is one of the strongest characters in Super Street Fighter IV. He has above average stamina, a huge amount of ways to attack the opponent and a great anti-air game. He also has more armored moves than any other character along with the most armor breakers. His pokes are very hard to punish and his jabs are the best in the game. Couple this up with very good walk speed, strong short jump and meterless combos into his Ultra 1 and Balrog is a very dangerous beast.
Balrog's weaknesses lie in his wakeup game. Most of the time he has to commit to an EX attack to try and escape from continuous knockdown pressure. Balrog also has the worst Focus Attack in the game. He has several mixups but nearly all of them are punishable if he guesses incorrectly, forcing him to adopt a linear playstyle that makes him easier to counter. He also has no crossup attack.
•
Strengths •
+ Has a huge amount of armored moves.
+ Easy and meterless combos to Ultra.
+ Confusing tick throw setups.
+ Dominant normal anti-airs.
+ A fast dash with very little recovery.
+ Has very few problems with projectiles.
+ A great punish and rushdown game.
+ Is very strong when his opponent is cornered.
•
Weaknesses •
- Has no two-hit normal attacks.
- Relies on resets or EX to perform big punishes.
- One long-range Cancelable normal move, and it's slow.
- Wakeup game is very bad
- Wide hitbox allows for easier crossups.
- A poor backdash with very little range.
Notable Normal Moves
Balrog's jab is a very dominating attack. Not only will it beat out most attacks with its speed and priority, it gives Balrog an enormous amount of frame advantage on block or hit. The jab is one of the best ways to set up a tick throw.
The Crouching Light Punch is the best one of the two to go for tick throws with. The Standing Light Punch will whiff on crouching characters, so use it to stuff the opponent's movement options or non-invincible special moves.
Balrog's anti-air normal attacks. Both have amazing hitboxes, but Standing Medium Punch is slightly faster than Crouching Hard Punch and reaches a little higher.
Balrog's sweep is exceptional by being very fast both on startup and recovery. Focus Attacks will punish the abuse of this move, though.
These moves are Balrog's best jump-in attacks. Jumping Hard Kick in particular is such a dominating jump-in that even characters with strong anti-air normals cannot defend against it.
Jumping Hard Punch is a good attack to use when jumping away as well. Due to Balrog's speed at which he falls it is very difficult if not impossible to hit Balrog if he jumps backwards to escape with this move.
Special Moves
Damage
Light
100
Medium
110
Hard
120
EX
120
Properties
Balrog's most basic special attack. You can use this to apply straightforward pressure, especially with the Light version. Just throwing this punch out constantly against good players is a very bad idea, since it is fodder for Focus Attacks. To prevent this, you should cancel from a normal attack with a lot of range, like Balrog's Crouching Medium Punch.
This attack is unsafe if you are too close to the opponent when it's blocked, opening you up to either Dragon Punches or throws. Try to attack so that the opponent blocks the end of Balrog's glove.
EX Version: This offers you a nice amount of frame advantage if you land it, though you can't combo after connecting with it. It's also completely safe on block no matter how deep it is blocked except against grapple characters like Zangief and T. Hawk.
Damage
Light
100
Medium
110
Hard
120
EX
120
Properties
An uppercut that will whiff on crouching characters and has no special use. The Light version of Dashing Uppercut is just as unsafe as the Light Dash Punch. Since most players are accustomed to blocking your regular dash punches, it is entirely possible that they will not react fast enough to punish your whiffed Upper. It's an okay anti-air especially against players that like to neutral jump to counter regular dash punches.
You can't combo after you land it and whiffing crouching opponents is not something you will want to do against experienced players.
EX Version: The EX Uppercut is much more useful than its regular counterpart. You can combo afterwards with a Crouching Light Punch or Kick and it's safe on block except against grapplers. It still whiffs on crouching characters, though. Using the frame advantage of this move is the key to unlocking Balrog’s damaging combos.
Another advantage of the EX version is that the recovery on whiff is very quick, making it a good wakeup option against crossups.
Damage
Light
90
Medium
100
Hard
110
EX
110
Properties
Balrog steps forward and slides down with a punch that must be blocked low. While it's a good chance for a mixup, most players block low against all of your rush punches anyway. Also, all of the regular versions are very unsafe on block. If you space them correctly, it’s possible to use the move’s blockstun to push the opponent out of punishing range.
EX Version: Compared to the regular Low Punches, this version is a lot safer on block. Use this attack to keep opponents wary of your low and high options.
Damage
Light
80
Medium
90
Hard
100
EX
100
Properties
Balrog winds up a bit and them slams down an overhead attack. All versions of this attack are punishable on block. It's a really great mixup, one of Balrog's best since it's difficult for even experienced players to see it coming. You'll want to be very unpredictable with this attack if you want to land it, though.
Since most Balrog players end their attack strings with a Dashing Punch for chip damage, switch it up between the Dashing Punch, EX Low Punch and (EX) Overhead Punch to be confusing and unreadable.
If the Overhead Punch is used randomly without any sort of setup most players will knock you out of it with some sort of reversal or just neutral jump and punish you. If you manage to land the Overhead Punch, you can follow it up easily with a crouching Medium Punch canceled into whatever move you want next. Some small characters require a crouching Light Kick followup instead but this is rare.
EX Version: The EX Overhead Punch is just as unsafe as the Light Punch version on block but the super armor can be a lifesaver as it prevents an opponent from poking you out of the slow startup.
Damage
Light
100
Medium
110
Hard
120
EX
120
Properties
Balrog steps sideways and throws out a smashing punch that is meant to be used as a standalone armor breaker. All of the versions are unsafe on block, but the Light version can be hard to punish if you space it correctly. This attack knocks the opponent down and far away, forcing the opposing character to the corner.
If your opponent is abusing Focus Attacks in an attempt to catch your dash punches, then this is the direct answer to it.
EX Version: EX Low Smash cannot be punished on block except by grapplers, making it a good use of EX meter if you want to force the opponent to stop Focusing. Even if the opponent releases a Level 2 Focus Attack, you'll absorb the hit and keep going to smash them out of it. Level 3 Focus Attacks are too slow to break you out of your Low Smash.
or
Turn Punch (TAP)
Damage
Level 1
130
Level 2
150
Level 3
180
Level 4
210
Properties
Balrog spins in place and then moves forward for an armor breaking attack that looks similar to his normal Dash Punch. This attack is invulnerable on startup to attacks and projectiles.
The longer you hold down the buttons the more powerful the Turn Punch becomes. Balrog shouts out the number as he turns to let you know how far he is charged up. If you hold down the buttons long enough you can deal out an obscene amount of damage with just one hit, but it takes an insanely long time to charge it up to a level that does the crazy amounts of damage. Also, the longer you charge the Turn Punch, the more unsafe it becomes on block.
This attack has quite a lot of startup, so many people will be able to just hit you out of it. You should really only use it if you are fighting someone who likes to use projectiles a lot, or in very specific match ups. Don't forget that you can charge any of your other special attacks while the Turn Punch is in motion.
Damage
Light
80
Medium
120
Hard
140
EX
150
Properties
Balrog is invulnerable to throws, attacks and projectiles during the startup of Buffalo Headbutt. The Light Punch version comes out the fastest and travels the least horizontal distance. It's mildly useful as an anti-air because of the startup invincibility, but most opponents will not be jumping at you when you have a down charge.
Because of the way the hitbox is situated on Balrog's head, it can be difficult hitting opponents who do low moves on your wakeup. It's also fairly simple for opponents to jump safely against you, since the Headbutt starts up slowly for a reversal attack. The invincibility of the move wears out while Balrog is still in the air so it's possible for crossup attacks to still land if they are timed right.
The whiff recovery of this move is really massive, making it easy for characters to punish any random attempts at trying to interrupt their blockstring. If you're trying to do a desperation counter, it's best to stick with the EX Headbutt.
If you land any version of the Headbutt, you can go right into Ultra 1. This applies even if you are standing facing the corner. The Headbutt is also Balrog's most damaging combo ender.
EX Version: The EX Buffalo Headbutt has much more invincibility and will never trade hits as an anti-air. It also moves Balrog the farthest forward and extends his attack hitbox vertically making it easier for him to intercept attacks on the ground.
Super and Ultra Moves
Properties
Since Balrog has incredibly good hit confirms, it's a piece of cake to combo into this Super. You can Cancel from a variety of moves, with the most popular being the Dash Punch. If you hold down either the Punch or Kick buttons, Balrog will perform straight punches or uppercuts. You can change it up by swapping button holds as Balrog is moving forward.
Crazy Buffalo is totally invulnerable to projectiles during the first swing, making it invaluable in a matchup where Balrog has to deal with fireballs. Whether or not you deliberately stock EX for this Super is up to both your playstyle and the character you are facing.
Balrog's EX moves are exceptionally good compared to most characters. The ability to constantly gain Ultra Meter by having your super armored moves absorb hits might be too valuable to pass up.
Properties
Like his Super, Violent Buffalo is invulnerable to projectiles during the startup punch. Most opponents won't throw a fireball once they notice that you are charged for this Ultra, or they will throw them very sparingly when you don't have a charge ready. Balrog can combo into this Ultra from his Buffalo Headbutt, and since it's really easy to combo into the Headbutt with Balrog you are almost guaranteed to land this Ultra in every game unless you really have trouble closing the distance between you and your opponent.
If you do the Headbutt to Ultra combo, the buttons you press afterward are important for the maximum amount of damage. The setup changes according to the list below:
- Midscreen: Kick for first hit, Punch for second, Kick for rest.
- Corner, High Juggle: Punch for first two hits, Kick for rest.
- Anti-Air Trade: Punch for first two hits, Kick for rest.
These juggles change depending on the strength of headbutt as well, so this list is still not definite. For Hard Punch Headbutts, it's best to go with the first option for catching the opponent in the air.
Properties
This is a command grab Ultra, which is a rarity for a charge character. It doesn't do much damage, but it does a huge amount of stun.
This Ultra cannot be jumped out of once the Ultra cinematic freeze begins. The downside is that the range of this Ultra is really short, forcing you to land it point blank.
Since the damage is very low and Balrog is not a character based around stunning the opponent, most players are sticking with Ultra 1 which gives much more in terms of options and damage opportunities.
or
or
or
or
or
Hard Punch Headbutt
Posted by !! on September 26, 2008 at 10:35 a.m. #1
c.LP , c.LP , c.LP , c.MP (or c.MK) , dash punch is a possible combo as well . just a small lag input for the c.MP/c.MK . 5 hits total , jump in will be 6 hits with air punch
Posted by kimbo on October 28, 2008 at 6:09 p.m. #2
why isnt there a good and bad list of his attributes?
Posted by kimbo on October 28, 2008 at 6:37 p.m. #3
or a strengths and weakness list
Posted by William F Guile on December 14, 2008 at 8:29 p.m. #4
I've seen some "Mike Bison" players who can do some really nasty things with this fighter (won't go into it), which is typical of what Mike Tyson used to dish out during his days as a boxer. This of course is without biting off the ear of an opponent. :)
I'm gradually learning him and hoping to get better with him.
Based on what i have seen other people do here are my thoughts
strengths (IMO)
- His attacks do plenty of damage.
- Pinning him down and zoning him will be difficult as he has the turn punch, buffalo headbutt and super and ultra moves which goes through fireballs. Ryu and sagat players have to change their game accordingly as a result.
- His special moves are pretty safe on block and cannot be countered that easily and he can close the gap between himself and his opponent easily.
- EX moves allow you hit the opponent even when hit (as stated earlier)
- Mix up gaming is as deadly as ever.
- He will win when it comes to trading hits most times
Weaknesses (IMO):
- difficult to land the dashing straight and running low punch if your opponent is expecting itas they will likely jump over it.
- Not as agile compared to previous street fighter games.
Can't think of any other weaknesses, so somebody else can fill us in on this
Posted by sydney-guile on December 20, 2008 at 11:08 p.m. #5
Don't dash-punch Guile in the corner, Balrog's recovery is slower. His jump attack (I'm usually on receiving end) will go through or trade with Guile's C.HP and flash-kick.
There is no way for Blanker to beat a turtle Balrog... C.HP for anti-air and dash-punch after barrel-roll.
Posted by King on January 31, 2009 at 1:54 p.m. #6
Damn, Balrog is a beast. So many armor breaking moves, and all his EX attacks have super armor? Brutal.
Posted by dustyAPE on February 1, 2009 at 9:25 a.m. #7
I cant wait to get this game and play as rog. To bad he is not as fast as HD remix boxer.
Posted by William F Guile on February 1, 2009 at 4:59 p.m. #8
His EX moves can absorb one hit and he'll go on to nail the other fighter for their trouble. After absorbing a single hitting fireball, doing say Charge Back then DF x 2 kicks or Charge Back then DF 2 x hold 2 punches can lead to the following:
C LP x 2 then headbutt > Ultra
This one is nasty
Posted by berwyn on February 3, 2009 at 7:50 p.m. #9
i can't get the charge buffering done from headbutt into ultra. any technical advice? all i do is hold db, then ub + hp, land (still holding back), forward back forward + 3p. no ultra.
Posted by William F Guile on February 3, 2009 at 10:02 p.m. #10
Your charge partitioning is good and you are definitely on the right track.
Perhaps you may be trying to execute the ultra too quickly while balrog is still in the air after the headbutt, and if this is the case going Forward > Back > Forward + 3P's the moment he touches the ground may help you.
Try it out and let us know how you go
Posted by berwyn on February 4, 2009 at 7:13 a.m. #11
hmm what i do is i hit forward back forward immediately AFTER he touches the ground, in very quick succession. am i supposed to do that before i land and then hit the 3p once i touch down?
Posted by BHeaggans on February 4, 2009 at 12:29 p.m. #12
I don't think so Berwyn. Watching Gootecks, Combofiend and a host of others as well as the Japanese, it seems that you have maybe half a second to charge a little more after landing. Every video I have seen it seems that its like they knock the opponent into the air and then a split second later they do the ultra with the kick buttons to get the main hits with the uppercuts.
So maybe you might be doing it too fast.
Posted by GunLob on February 6, 2009 at 8:35 p.m. #13
His ULTRA damage really sucks though. Still a beastly character.
Posted by julio on February 7, 2009 at 12:47 p.m. #14
Id like to see balrog/boxer vs dudley from sf3.
on youtube check out the videos gigaton punch and blarog N-word boxer 20 anniversary
Posted by berwyn on February 9, 2009 at 8:28 a.m. #15
i think i know what's wrong. i'm supposed to do the kick version of his ultra/super. o.O i've been doing the punch versions.
Posted by BHeaggans on February 9, 2009 at 9:23 a.m. #16
@berwyn
I said that in my post....hahahahaa
It happens man, but the good thing is that now you know.
Now its time to get ready for the home release coming real soon.
Posted by #$%^ on February 17, 2009 at 9:42 a.m. #17
hmmm...i have seen buffalo headbutt to super.
how is it done? is it cancelled?
Posted by anon on February 17, 2009 at 10:14 a.m. #18
^^^charge db. do a jab headbutt with ub. This will allow you to keep your back charge. Land, and do f, b, f, p/k. Then start tapping k,k,k,k... When you are doing the super/ultra, tapping kick results in uppercuts instead of straight punches, which will allow you to juggle the falling opponent.
Posted by #$%^ on February 17, 2009 at 12:12 p.m. #19
sweet deal bro, thanks!
Posted by berwyn on February 17, 2009 at 6:24 p.m. #20
OR alternatively you could just hold the kick button.
Posted by anon on February 17, 2009 at 7:49 p.m. #21
^^^even better. Didn't know that. I'll do that from now on.
Posted by bernell on February 18, 2009 at 1:32 p.m. #22
it is so sick son
Posted by khe on February 21, 2009 at 4:17 p.m. #23
I placed 2nd in the Gamestop SF4 tourney today, which was enough to get to the 2nd round. Used Balrog but I couldn't get the headbutt + juggle Ultra/Super to work. Balrog is a BEAST!
Using the 360 controllers was pretty lame though, but everybody has to use it anyways.
Posted by void on February 21, 2009 at 9:25 p.m. #24
forgive me for the noob questions. First off, whats the difference between linking attacks and canceling into attacks. Second, i can't crouch light punch into a crouch medium kick. Third, whats a tick throw. Fourth, any diffences from consol to arcade? And fifth, will the ps3 be the standard for sf4 tourneys.
Posted by void on February 21, 2009 at 10:56 p.m. #25
And also, Alot of tht time when I try performing dash upper, I end up doing the sweeping upercut one. Can anyone give some advice on what I should do about this.
Posted by ... on February 22, 2009 at 3:08 p.m. #26
RE: Void
Void your probably holding F/D when your doing the Dash upper
Dash upper is done by charging <--(2secs), -->, any kick
Sweeping upper is done the same as Dash upper but holding F/D.
You should only reali do sweeping upper if you want to charge into the buffalo headbutt.
Posted by void on February 22, 2009 at 3:41 p.m. #27
I know about that, but it keeps regestering like i'm holding down forward and I don't know why. When I do it with the puch version it registers fine and doesnt confuse it with down forward, but with the kick version it becomes a problem. And can someone please answer my previous questions as well, I've been looking everywhere and can't find anything. Greatly appreciate it.
Posted by J-money on February 23, 2009 at 1:49 a.m. #28
I have the same issue when i play on Pad, but playing on stick eliminates the issue
Posted by someone on February 23, 2009 at 5:26 a.m. #29
Im refering to Balrog "bread and butter" combo into ultra:
Lp, Lp, Lp , Mp/Mk , Buffalo headbutt , ultra / super .
For the buffalo headbutt, does it matter whether is light , medium or hard punch? ( Most of the time I use Hard Punch )
Then for the final move, do i have to wait for around 1 sec after balrog had landed on ground after executing buffalo headbutt?
The problem I had is not able to execute the ultra. Any advice? ( I saw the previous comment , but still not quite sure. Sry for inconvenience! )
Posted by someone on February 23, 2009 at 5:32 a.m. #30
I would greatly appreciate if anyone can tell me the correct postioning of direction when doing this combo. Thx!
Posted by ... on February 23, 2009 at 6:04 a.m. #31
the best way to execute the combo is
buffalo headbut... charge d/b for 2 seconds then u/b (so your still holding back) and any punch (light has quickest recovery but fierce knocks them into the air for a longer time) as soon as balrogs feet touch the floor execute the ultra... It always works for me :D
Posted by Mr.Green on February 24, 2009 at 8:22 a.m. #32
charge headbut d/b, do headbutt with u/b, keep it still land and do ultra
Posted by void on February 24, 2009 at 12:16 p.m. #33
which system is going to be the standard for tournament play?
Posted by Calefiction on February 24, 2009 at 2:52 p.m. #34
Im trying to do the Trial challenges and im stuck on #4 i dont have the whole charge thing on lock. Could anyone explain what i should be doing?
Posted by kill joy on February 25, 2009 at 2:09 p.m. #35
how do u cancel a move when in a combo
Posted by neurosis on February 26, 2009 at 5:40 p.m. #36
i need some serious help for balrog vs. zangief.
ran into some guy earlier today with gief, and as usual i backed away, threw some FPs after whiffed banishing fists etc. but this guy destroyed me with the lariat alone. whenever i see the lariat used much i get a sudden urge (from super turbo) to punish with low dash shorts, and it worked to an extent, until he started getting closer and it felt like i had NO answer to the lariat. it would always hit my dash shorts and headbutts didn't do much either. the dash short would work if he was far away, but he obviously wised up to that fact after the first round. any tips for this matchup? (besides doing an ultra/super starting with uppers seeing as how i don't always have one available)
Posted by ... on February 27, 2009 at 1:31 a.m. #37
Dashing upper always beats lariat on SF-Anniversary against 8-stay A.I. ...
Try that
but a decent gief is always a hard fight
Posted by insertaliashere on February 27, 2009 at 9:35 p.m. #38
Headbutts will hit the lariat.
I think Lariat will stuff the ultra, though. Happened to me twice.
Posted by neurosis on February 28, 2009 at 2 p.m. #39
really? i must be using too weak of a headbutt then. unrelated, but has anyone successfully done his hard trials yet? i can headbutt -> ultra just fine, but i CANNOT get an ex upper off two cr.jabs. it ALWAYS comes out as a dash smash and when the upper actually comes out, my cr.jab after it will be blocked.
Posted by Mike on February 28, 2009 at 2:43 p.m. #40
I cant do a single one of his fckin moves. Any tips on doing the type of attacks where u charge backwards than hit forward P or K? I cant ever seem to do them.
Posted by halfer on March 2, 2009 at 12:43 a.m. #41
Posted by ... on February 27, 2009 at 1:31 a.m. #37
Dashing upper always beats lariat on SF-Anniversary against 8-stay A.I. ...
Try that
but a decent gief is always a hard fight
espcially when gief running power bomb cancels out all his dash attacks! gief is the anti balrog...
Posted by badatgame on March 2, 2009 at 7:50 a.m. #42
Any of bal's moves get through or at least trade hits with blankas electricity/li's kicks/ honda's slap?
Posted by insertaliashere on March 2, 2009 at 10:24 a.m. #43
Hmm. I feel like Blanka's electricity has priority over everything but projectiles and sweeps. I'll have to play around in training mode to see what else Balrog can do... but at the moment all I can think of is c.hk. BUT! You have to be at sweep distance. Anything closer and you'll trade hits.
Can probably EX low dash your way through, too.
Dunno about the kicks and slaps. Be careful with Honda's slap, though. He can follow that up with a HK and nail you.
Any tips vs. Guile? It's difficult to bust through his onslaught of sonic booms. I can counter the jump ins and get him with some EX dashes... but that's about it. I can't really think of anything when I'm out of SC. My timing is still rough with Balrog's turn punch.
Tips vs Vega? I get caught out by the Izuna Drop. Tried jumping and catching him in mid-air... but we trade hits.
Posted by ... on March 2, 2009 at 12:22 p.m. #44
Vega is simple to beat
you can turtle and buffalo headbutt (boring to watch but effective)
or use your dashing uppers because they have decent priority
Vs Guile...
headbutt through sonic booms then chrage attacks for quick rush down... a good guile player will charge flash kick as soon as he gets floored... you can lure him out whilst he on the floor, by spamming a few Cr.Lp. then block his flash kick and punish
a smart guile player will then not use his flash kicks and should charge sonic booms... if this is the case, a well timed cross up will make him lose his charge or you can just ex-dash attack right through it
Posted by Balrog on March 3, 2009 at 12:14 p.m. #45
In response to Mike...You must be very new to street fighter. No worries. Balrog is a pretty simple character once you get the charge thing down. And once you get it, you'll be able to use E Honda, Guile, M. Bison, Vega, and Blanka with ease as well. Make sure you are charging for around two seconds, then, forward and the button at the exact same time. Don't know what else to tell you other than that. Good luck.
Posted by L.Blight on March 3, 2009 at 7:03 p.m. #46
Im a bit confused there is a moves that Im trying to do and Im confused to why the move is not coming out like I would like it. Its one of the dash moves and I think its the "Dash Upper" for some reason I cannot seem to get it correct! Any pointers would be very welcomed!
Posted by GT lukeydokie on March 4, 2009 at 12:38 p.m. #47
What's up everyone? I use Balrog as my main and I'm have a real problem defeating Akuma players (not sure if I spelled that right) I can't seem to get my combos to hit. If you guys can give me any advice that would be great, thanks alot.
Posted by zero on March 6, 2009 at 2:10 a.m. #48
headbutt and turn punch are very effective against akuma.
ex dash punches also work well sometimes.
akuma has very low energy and his UC is really weak.
Posted by ojisan on March 9, 2009 at 8:35 a.m. #49
GT lukeydokie - Good akuma guys are tough, but if you're having issues with the fireball spamming (jumping and standing ones) go with the X3 punch or kick to go through (must time it right) or if he's only throwing one blue one an EX Running (any punch) will absorb one hit and punish him. Great thing about AKUMA, is that his stamina sucks.
L.blgiht - If you are charging back and you move to down/forward you will do the "running low uppercut". Try to make sure you are only hitting forward to get the "Dash Upper". They are slightly different and have different properties. The "running low Uppercut" is good as well, it's armor breaking which the "Dash Upper" isn't.
Posted by ojisan on March 9, 2009 at 9 a.m. #50
Hey guys, I have a question. I've been using this guy as my main. Something I notice though is that sometimes when I jump in for a combo and it starts out fine, but sometimes, I miss on the buffalo headbutt, seems to be when they opponent is ducking... Anyone else having problems with that? Maybe my timing was off on a couple and i didn't really connect them...
Posted by oddbucket on March 10, 2009 at 11:43 a.m. #51
I am trying to figure out how to work Boxer's focus attack into a combo. Any ideas how to sneak in a focus attack?
Posted by BalrogWrecks on March 11, 2009 at 1:18 p.m. #52
oddbucket-
My combo is to turn punch through any fireballs if you're playing a shotoscrub.. then a dash straight (which if they're any good they will block), then a crouching hard kick, charge your focus.. its that simple..
Pretty much rush them, knock em down, and focus, just like with any other character.
Although I should mention that his focus reach sucks, so you need to be right up next to them as they get up.
Posted by Balrog Player on March 12, 2009 at 6:29 a.m. #53
I thought it would be worth mentioning here that Balrog's crouching HP is an amazingly effective anti-air move. Turtle with him this way, and when they go in for the throw, hit them with a few jabs to back them off again. If they throw fireballs, use an ex to pound them in the face, then back off again. When they least expect it, land a level four turn punch and they'll go crying home to mama.
Posted by Balrog Player on March 12, 2009 at 6:35 a.m. #54
Forgot to mention that the above strategy doesn't work as well against command throw characters. You'll need to be more offensive against them. Keep them at the end of your LP running punch, don't ever get close enough to be thrown. Against Gief's Lariat move, time your dash attacks so they connect as the Larriat is winding down. then dash back again or eat a SP!
Posted by Kharlitos Way on March 12, 2009 at 2:28 p.m. #55
Any tips for beating HARD Challenges 4 and 5??? Im surprised I got this far and im having a difficult time completing challenge 4. I dont even wanna know what u have to do for Hard Challenge 5. LoL
Posted by neurosis on March 13, 2009 at 7:38 p.m. #56
what's the best way to juggle the ultra after a headbutt in a corner? i think i've done it once on accident, but i've ran into situations where i need that extra damage and miss it because the last 3 punches of his ultra will whiff in a corner juggle.
Posted by L.blight on March 14, 2009 at 1:43 p.m. #57
Thanks Ojisan
Posted by Balrog on March 14, 2009 at 5:28 p.m. #58
MY FIGHT MONEY!!
Posted by dommafia on March 14, 2009 at 9:08 p.m. #59
This guide is great but it needs a strategy section. Balrog is all about strategy and just knowing the moves and their properties is not enough.
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http://bit.ly/OP80
sf4 ragequit disease.
Posted by berwyn on March 17, 2009 at 5:53 a.m. #60
the standard ultra combo is to hold 3k for the first rep, then release for the second, and hold for the rest. you'll hit the fella up, let him come back down, then juggle to the finish. it won't give much of a difference in terms of damage but like you said, it can help finish the guy off if he's low on hit points.
Posted by LazyNG on March 19, 2009 at 6:30 a.m. #61
Nothing better than hearing him grunt "FINAL" and then watch my oponents health bar shooot down to nothing.
Ive had a lot of experience by just using his "Punch" moves and having to annex out the "Kicks" to charge up his turn-around.
Anyway for anyone who is doubting that this beast can go through projectiles it is important to remember you have to wait until the very last second (right before the projectile would hit) to pull off the attack.
This includes his Super, Ultra and Turn-Arounds.
His Headbutt has a bit more of a saftey net when it comes to passing through projectiles, but still requires timing.
This is a character that takes alot of practice to get good with, but once you do, you'll love every match you play; especially if your pounding in the face of one of the many Kens out there.
Posted by ... on March 20, 2009 at 11:38 a.m. #62
Final turn around punch--> super cancel....
100% on akuma :D
Posted by zero on March 25, 2009 at 1:32 a.m. #63
it is difficult to keep 3K being held on arcade machines until the final stage. but it is very easy to do so on console. it is unfair.
Posted by Eric on March 29, 2009 at 8:25 a.m. #64
I Am haveing trouble juggling his ultra after headbutt I am only lading one hit of his ultra don't know wut I'm doing wrong please help
Posted by Kharl on March 29, 2009 at 1:37 p.m. #65
Eric, After you perform Balrog's Super or Ultra Combo you can chose between straight punches or uppercuts to land on the opponent. When he is about to punch you could either press or hold a kick button for him to throw uppercuts. When you need to juggle an opponent either when they are air born or after a focus attack, hold the kick buttons b4 the he starts swinging to land the hits. This info is repeated many times in this thread. Look over this entire page for some useful hints.
Posted by eric on March 29, 2009 at 9:52 p.m. #66
thanks kharl yea i just noticed that this was mentioned thanks for the help
Posted by Gutter on March 30, 2009 at 11:38 a.m. #67
To everyone having trouble with Dash Punches, and the super/ultra....
You don't hit the buttons at the same time as the last motion. e.g. charge back / forward / (THEN) button(s)
Posted by Kaizen on March 30, 2009 at 8:33 p.m. #68
Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you hit the buttons at the forward or after.
So charge back -> forward + buttons or
charge back-> forward -> back+buttons.
I'm trying to get used to the latter. So that you're charging again before the moving even comes out.
Posted by romainnut on April 2, 2009 at 12:15 a.m. #69
b => f => b + buttons works great for guile's sonic booms, so...
Posted by Rogbal on April 5, 2009 at 7:52 p.m. #70
Ah just finished Balrog's hard trials. 4th is ok, 5th was a little challenging but now I've gotten used to his BnB. Make sure you start charging straight after the Dash Upper so your headbutt will come out.
#54 Focus attacks while other opponent is down doesn't work all the time with wake-up shoryukens + armor breaking moves. Focus attacks are usually better used to counter jump-ins.
Btw, does Balrog's ultra register in the corner with any characters?
Posted by neurosis on April 9, 2009 at 10:30 p.m. #71
great revisions! i'd just like to add a nasty little reset i was fooling around with regarding his overhead smash. i never even used the move that much until i watched a couple of aojiru videos of him playing.
notice how people love to crouch block when they're eating hits? i mean it's almost like instinct for someone to crouch block after eating a devastating combo. risk takers can take advantage of this by resetting some of his normal bread and butters with the overhead smash!
like let's say you've got ultra and have some ex bars. if you're able to land ONE j.hk (hell even a cr.jab works) you can begin a string of pain.
j.hk > x3 cr.jab xx EX-rush upper > cr.jab > cr.short xx overhead smash reset (preferably an ex overhead for armor) > cr.short or strong xx headbutt xx ultra
that's a lot of damage off a j.hk or a cr.jab. of course the risk is that the opponent could always reversal or poke you out of the reset, but it is a big reward if you land this. i also like using x3 cr.jab for comboing purposes even though i see a LOT of people using the short. i do whiff the 3rd jab sometimes, so maybe this is why people use the short? i guess if you're pushing your opponent too far you could opt for the short instead of 3 cr.jabs. i love how a single move gives balrog a deadly new mindgame.
check the first round of this vid to see what i'm talking about in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEvfb-...
Posted by Suleman on April 10, 2009 at 4:18 a.m. #72
"Recent tier list"? I'm gonna need a link for that.
Posted by Humprey Rogart on April 14, 2009 at 4:50 a.m. #73
Hi my name is Humprey Rogart. I am Balrog's brother. We used to play games in the woods together when we were young and foolish.
Sometimes he'd wiggle his bellybutton and say "ooh you cheeky boy! hit me in the belly! Go on, right in the bellybutton!"
Oh! The joys, fun little games, alas! We are older now. He has gone off to beat people with his little red gloves whilst I sit at home writing poetry about his bellybutton...
Posted by Show me Rog, baby don't hurt me on April 14, 2009 at 4:52 a.m. #74
Rog,
What a great fighter you are.
There is just something so special about his combos that just make my bum bum wiggle to the extreme!
Posted by ck on April 17, 2009 at 1:20 a.m. #75
are there any cross up moves for balrog?
Posted by Adam on April 22, 2009 at 12:59 a.m. #76
I can't get the headbutt to ultra. Any tips? what am i supposed to do? Am i supposed to hold back right away after the headbutt?
Posted by ojisan on April 22, 2009 at 8:12 a.m. #77
Adam
If you read up top they talk about how to "keep charge". If you wanna use Balrog "M Bison" you HAVE to be able to do this.
So anytime you go for a headbutt, make sure that instead of going from Down or Down/back to Up, make sure you're going to Up/Back. This way you're still charged.
Also make sure you wait until Balrog's feet hit the ground before you execute the Ultra. If you do it too early it doesn't register. Timing is important (don't forget to follow the guidelines above on when to press kicks during the ultra).
Practice makes Better (No one is perfect :P)
Posted by Adam on April 22, 2009 at 4:17 p.m. #78
Thanks so when i bust the ultra its the kick one?
Posted by oijisan on April 23, 2009 at 1:11 p.m. #79
Adam:
Depends, you can initiate the ultra with X3 punches or X3 kicks (I always initiate with X3 punches cause of my pad configuration). That's just to get to the Ultra animation, after that you can choose to press kick, or punch or nothing (when I don't press anything it ends up being punch, but that maybe cause I start with the X3 punches).
I would follow what they say:
# In the middle of the screen: Just hold Kick the whole way through.
# In or close to the corner: Kick for first hit, Punch for second, then Kick for the last 3 attacks.
Usually I go for the second one even when not in corners.
In corners it seems you need to time the ultra a bit later to get all the hits sometimes. Dont' get mad if you miss in the corner happens to everyone.
Posted by Adam on April 23, 2009 at 7:48 p.m. #80
okay thanks i dont get what you mean in the middle of the screen hold kick? or corner kick for first hit? what does that mean? so after i bust the ultra i just hold kick the whole time?
Posted by andy on April 23, 2009 at 9:03 p.m. #81
I am having difficulties completing trial 4 on normal with balrog(Focus Attack, Running Uppercut, Cancel into Super Running Punch.This is at 3:22 of the trial video. How is the charging done for running uppercut followed by the super? I can complete the the running uppercut but I don't know how to charge and cancel for the super running punch.
Posted by ljay103 on April 24, 2009 at 12:52 p.m. #82
@andy
use a level 3 focus attack
dash cancel back (while still holding back)
then F+K
as the hit lands, quickly cancel by pressing B, F+K*
*note - you dont have to do the whole thing again B,F,B,F+K. since you already did B,F while u were doing the running uppercut, just do B,F+K to cancel into super.
take guile for example, you can link a LK FLASH KICK into his SUPER. D/B,U+LK (cancel) D/B, U/F+LK to do the super. or bison - B, F+MK (cancel), B, F+HK to do the super.
Posted by Boxer on April 27, 2009 at 5:20 p.m. #83
whats the best way to get past blankas stupid electricity with balrog (boxer) ?
Posted by andy on April 28, 2009 at 9:54 a.m. #84
thanks ljay103 (#83). It worked I didnt need to use the dash cancel back.
Posted by ljay103 on April 28, 2009 at 12:26 p.m. #85
@andy
glad to help
Posted by ove on April 29, 2009 at 4:52 a.m. #86
I think that balrog is a really cool character that also plays great. He is the only one whom I can beat arcade mode on the hardest difficulty setting with without losing a single round.
BUT when I go online with him I bearly win any fights at all.. While playing sagat, zangief and akuma I tend to win more than I lose but with balrog it's the opposite! And because I rearly meet any other balrog players online I can't learn anything from them.
I really like balrog so I would like to stick with him but it is really frustrating that I'm beeing stuck for a month without advancing in the 1000-1200 battle points area..
Is there anyone who has some tips on what to do? Or anyone who has some general tips on learning how to get better? (it seems like playing versus the computer is doing me no good)
All help is appreciated! =)
Posted by Balrogmymain on May 1, 2009 at 11:11 a.m. #87
Anyone have tips on how to beat good Abel players? He gives me a lot of trouble due to being a grappler.
Posted by jeremie on May 1, 2009 at 1:19 p.m. #88
@ ove
i use balrog too..and when i play online..i win a good amount of fights... what i do is pressure the opponent at all times...and learn which moves to use to get past fireballs (the headbut being one of them)...and know how to pull off those combos that end off with Rog's headbutt so you can cancel that into his ultra....and dont forget his EX moves absorb one hit...so try to abuse it in a good way....
Posted by chris on May 2, 2009 at 4:10 p.m. #89
i cant get the buffalo head to violent buffalo fa s**t
Posted by jeremie on May 2, 2009 at 10:20 p.m. #90
@ chris
when you are doing the headbutt....the motion is charge down...then release upwards....but hold down/back and release to up/back....
that way when you land....you can complete the violent buffalo command since you are still charging
Posted by rog on May 4, 2009 at 2:06 p.m. #91
@Balrogmymain
Abuse c.lp, will stop throws and also practise combos that come from c.lp if you haven't already. The quick punches will push him back out of range just stay on your toes to avoid his roll. Dash backwards is often good as its invincible on start up, same as TAp except that can easily be punished from blocking.
Posted by noob on May 4, 2009 at 4:43 p.m. #92
@rog
what is TAp? sorry man
Posted by Ognipode ZA on May 4, 2009 at 6:04 p.m. #93
Just want to say thanks for all the info. I was struggling against Giefs with my Balrog, so I came here and to the VS notes to see if I could find help and I definitely did! Tonight, for the first time after reading up on it, I faced a 9850GP Zangief, ( I am only about 2300GP) and I managed to take him down and win the match, thanks to what I learnt here.
You guys rock and thanks for the great site, keep it up!
Posted by notes 4 all on May 4, 2009 at 9:09 p.m. #94
balrog is very good character but highly doubtful in the case of him being 2nd best...he has a very stong weekness no one seems to understand... guessing his straight punches is the way to go... FOCUS ATTACK balrog as much as possible he has trouble with them. he does have ways to break the focus attacks but his overhead is very slow you can dash out of it .. and his other attack is the low kick which is what you will be worried about... he also has great moves but his flaw is what should put him lower this is what i think SAGAT 1 ryu 2 gief 3 rufus 4 then balrog 5. ryu has great focus attack and ultra goes hand in hand.... btw balrogs worst match up by my account . sagat vs balrog 6/10 balrog vs ryu 6/10 and zangief vs balrog 7/10 or even 8 in some cases rufus could be a 5/10 even... but most part balrog is good i main him but his weakness to me is apparent.. when i play them online i wonder why i dont get focus attacked much. btw when u have ultra. i believe his best combo into ultra is this ... jumping hard kick then c.Mk c.lk H.headbutt.. then ultra... NOTE: must link . training mode helps.. good day.
Posted by chris on May 4, 2009 at 9:51 p.m. #95
man i cant do it. i did guile trial like that but this dont wonna work..
Posted by Ognipode ZA on May 5, 2009 at 6:07 a.m. #96
@ Notes 4 All
Balrogs turnaround punch is a focus breaker, so use that if you are getting focussed a lot. Also, a quick dash punch to light punches can interrupt them if they arent fast enough as well. (and you can combo)
As far as his best combo's are concerned , the longer the combo to ultra, the less percentage of damage the Ultra does, so I find that keeping the combo short and sweet keeps it nice and powerful. Check it out with the attack data in the training mode.
Posted by notes 4 all on May 5, 2009 at 11:12 a.m. #97
although TAP is a good idea i dont use it TAP much anymore it causes problems and sticking to TAP will hurt you in the long run.people do FAKE Focus attacks and they can dash out of it and leaving you with an unsafe TAP blocked . when balrog does jump ins and does a hard punch someone like ryu can focus attack and hit you.. your jab isnt even fast enough to counter.. and when you dash punch he is slow to recover because he didn't hit you when your focus attacking its like he is missing. so in that case.. if u watch alot of RYU versus balrog videos u see alot of focus attacking and balrog doing very little to counter it. as for combos.. balrogs ultra only does massive damage if its on the ground.. when juggling using medium punch then linking would do more damage than 3 c.lp trust me i tested it and it seems to do well. im not saying balrog can never win against FA but he has trouble with getting out of them consistantly.
Posted by chris on May 5, 2009 at 8:01 p.m. #98
i did trail normal 4 in like 2 minutes thanks jermie
Posted by jeremie on May 6, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. #99
no problem chris
im glad i was able to help
Posted by LOL@LAWL on May 9, 2009 at 12:31 a.m. #100
let me guess...you get destroyed by Rog 24/7?
Posted by LOL on May 9, 2009 at 1:07 p.m. #101
i suck at guesses?
well you totally suck at spelling...how old are you? 13? you seriously need to shut up
Posted by P3N1S on May 17, 2009 at 8:57 p.m. #102
I can do the headbutt into ultra on controller and arcade stick every time I try it. B1TCHES SUCK MY DEEK!
Posted by hugo on May 18, 2009 at 5 p.m. #103
soy biien verga
Posted by stabicron on May 20, 2009 at 12:45 a.m. #104
All I have to say is his hits really shouldn't be hitting close to as hard as giefs. Especially considering he has a lot more mobility.
Seriously though there is very little that can counter balrog, he can be that bad. You don't dare jump in half the time because of the headbutt -> ultra/super crap and walking towards him makes you eat punches. You also don't dare play Focus games with him with all of his jab spamming.
Posted by ove on May 25, 2009 at 6:58 a.m. #105
Is the last combo mentioned in the guide infinite?
(EX-Running Uppercut, Link into Crouching Light Punch, Link into Crouching Light Kick, EX-Running Uppercut... )
Posted by jeremie on May 25, 2009 at 9:28 p.m. #106
@ ove
not really...cause it uses EX meter....by the time you do a 4th EX-Running Uppercut...you cant really continue that combo...
Posted by ove on May 26, 2009 at 9:54 a.m. #107
Haha, ok! Didn't think about that ^^
Posted by Rogster on May 26, 2009 at 3:32 p.m. #108
Notes 4 all: L2P lol
Posted by hellraiser 6677 on May 26, 2009 at 7:24 p.m. #109
can balrog finished his super move combine his UC, as I knew dhalsim can combine though...makes the health bar really deduct a lot of it...
Posted by Swift on May 27, 2009 at 11:28 p.m. #110
C.mp then hard punch headbutt. Great dmg for 2 hits, works well when opponent makes mistakes... like missed shoryukens and etc
(You can also add Ultra or Super after the headbutt if you have it)
Posted by NEW BOXER on May 28, 2009 at 12:54 a.m. #111
i AGREEW/#98- "POKING" IS NOT SOMETHING YOU WANNA KEEP THROWING AT THESE KNARLY sf PLAYERS!! keN fEI, gUILE, ETC
CAN KILL YOUR TAPS. BEST TO FAKE TAPE W/ DELAY HP/MK W/ SPECIAL. iF THEY HUG THE GROUND HIT EM W/ A MID ATTACK...
LOOKS LIKE i GOT A NEW BOXER!
Posted by flip Balrog on May 29, 2009 at 1:01 p.m. #112
another completely unbalanced character that makes SFIV so uneven
He has the fastest jab in the game which combo into a special move which combo into Ultra/Special - BS
he has 2 special moves that link into eachother (Overhead-c.mk->Headbutt)
He has a combo that uses 2-3 special moves, although it requires EX
His bad matchups are rare, and he has moves to destroy any situation
Virtually only good projectile characters have any chance
Posted by Swift on May 29, 2009 at 10:17 p.m. #113
What's your point? You call him unbalanced just because he can juggle with his ultra? Why wouldn't he have the fastest jab? He is a boxer right?
So if a character can juggle into his ultra he's already considered an "unbalanced" character?
Posted by Jeremie on May 30, 2009 at 1:35 p.m. #114
thats like saying almost everyone is unbalanced....
cause last time i looked....alot of the street fighter cast can juggle into their super or ultra....
its just a matter of knowing how to play
Posted by zag on May 31, 2009 at 6:38 p.m. #115
trouble with honda cant do anything with the flying headbutts
Posted by tom on June 9, 2009 at 10:30 p.m. #116
@ zag
Block HIGH and after that you can do anything to him. dash. throw. jap whatever you want.
you can either jump backward with Hard punch if you want to get out of it. i can just picture you just downback the whole game. which is sad.
honda headbutt is easily punishable when you block it.
Posted by Final blow. on June 10, 2009 at 1:46 p.m. #117
If you charge balrogs Turn punch for long enough, He goes up to Final blow(10) If you link it to super it does 866 damage.
On its own it does 560 damage
Lol
Posted by q on June 10, 2009 at 1:49 p.m. #118
how long is long?
Posted by Final blow on June 10, 2009 at 2:08 p.m. #119
For ages. ONly use it if you can get by on balrogs punches alone for 30 seconds. A huge investment, but worth it when akuma throws that fireball...
Posted by EternalRyu04 on June 20, 2009 at 8:29 p.m. #120
Whole bunch of HD Balrog videos here. Some G1 games too.
http://www.youtube.com/user/morydees34
Posted by maddog on July 6, 2009 at 6:03 p.m. #121
you know who i miss? DEEJAY xD there never was a more racist character in the history of gameing. the big smile and the huge bright white teeth and the stereotypical win quotes, awh good laughs. go capcom
Posted by grapez on July 11, 2009 at 5:01 p.m. #122
the ultra after headbutt P/K tutorial listed here doesnt seem to be the most efficient one. For situations where you wont hit the corner, i believe Kx2, P, Kx2 does better. also when youre in the corner, it should be Px2, Kx3. The only one thats listed correctly is the one where youre about one screen from the corner and thats K,P,Kx3
can anyone tell me what they think?
Posted by dragon on July 12, 2009 at 3:01 p.m. #123
i cant do balrogs 3 hard trial because i cant connect the medium punch.any help???
Posted by Dimebag_jimmy on July 16, 2009 at 5:14 p.m. #124
Whats the best way to counter fast crossup cheese from, Shoto's, Chun Li and Blanka?
My biggest weakness.
Cheers fellow Rogs :D
Posted by Madness on July 23, 2009 at 3:02 a.m. #125
Deejay is based off of billy blanks....can't really say that's racist when he's really like that
Except the 'mon' thing
Posted by idiot on July 24, 2009 at 10:14 p.m. #126
the best wat to counter cheese?
USE A GRATER :O
Posted by tidestick on July 28, 2009 at 11:53 p.m. #127
if you get crossed up best way to get out is dash forward or dash backward
Posted by idiot on July 29, 2009 at 10:44 a.m. #128
OR USE A GRATER
Posted by badman on July 29, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. #129
suk my cok!!!
Posted by rashjab34 on July 29, 2009 at 3:17 p.m. #130
balrog k.o. all comers.he is shadoolo
Posted by Blanky on August 2, 2009 at 12:14 a.m. #131
Deejay can't be racist. He is Billy Blanks except being Jamaican.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bl...
And Billy Blanks was a big time martial art champion (7th degree black belt) with a number of B movies to his name... besides creating Tae Bo. And he does have a great big smile. :)
Posted by seto on August 7, 2009 at 7:59 a.m. #132
question, which is the best headbutt to use to follow up with an ultra? Its so annoy how sometimes I miss and I just don't get why.
Posted by God on August 7, 2009 at 7:03 p.m. #133
You must be retarded to use Balrog.
Posted by asdf on August 9, 2009 at 12:35 p.m. #134
i eat FIGHT MONEY
Posted by Rohit on August 12, 2009 at 7:24 a.m. #135
how to cancel into something
Posted by asdf on August 15, 2009 at 11:32 a.m. #136
to cancel into something....you neeed to eat fight money first
Posted by Kamano on August 23, 2009 at 9:52 p.m. #137
I'd love to see a list someplace just for completion's sake of the amount of time it takes to charge each level of Rog's TAP. For whatever reason this info seems to be impossible to find anywhere. The frame data for each level is great, but I'm curious what kind of time periods I'm looking at for each level of the attack.
Posted by Mr.NUFF on August 24, 2009 at 10:14 a.m. #138
looking to train against Boxer
XBL: yaknowhamsayn
I'm in NorCal. I main Rufus. HOLLA!
Posted by ??? on August 24, 2009 at 4 p.m. #139
@ kamano
i charged it to about the final level.....and it took about the whole round to charge
Posted by ericalie manlucu on August 30, 2009 at 6:44 p.m. #140
good girl
Posted by boxer lover on September 1, 2009 at 1:58 p.m. #141
o god I just met the noobiest boxer ever...he said I was cheating because I did headbutt to ultra..."One move at a time mate..how can you do the ultra while I am in the air"...Im suprise that guy made it to G2 lol
Posted by SF4noob on September 3, 2009 at 1:24 p.m. #142
balrog owns
Posted by yes4me on September 9, 2009 at 2:42 a.m. #143
I am starting to play the boxer and unlike "boxer lover", I am already at G1, then I made a new character name and got back to G2... but I haven't really tried Balrog. He seems like an interesting powerful character that take some time to learn.
Posted by Lucy.ElfenLied on September 15, 2009 at 4:21 p.m. #144
Balrog is hella fun and powerful. He like automatically moves up a tier in online matches as well cause of his easy execution lol. Definitely has a good amount of mixups to choose from.
@yes4me
G1 on pc has like nobody ever, im just going with player matches now, you can find a lot of better players that way.
Posted by Pumpkin Bomber on September 15, 2009 at 10:16 p.m. #145
Sorry Honda Players. This just in, from Gootecks' Tweets. Activating Rogs Super with a kick button makes it hit 1 frame sooner. This makes Honda's ex-HB and Akuma's cr.RH punishable on block.
Posted by Lucy.ElfenLied on September 16, 2009 at 4:30 p.m. #146
Thats interesting, nice to know. Will come in handy sometime for sure
Posted by Painkiller on September 18, 2009 at 5:19 p.m. #147
@145
Thanks, I made a akuma player a sad panda today...
Posted by Pumkin Bomber on September 26, 2009 at 10:36 a.m. #148
OK, new developments this week.
Startup frames
Super activate with P = 9f with K = 8f
Ultra activate with PPP= 11f with KKK = 10f
Ultra activate with PPP/KKK then hold K = 8f !!!!!
Since holding K with be an Uppercut, the opponent would need to be standing.
Lots of new applications for this. Try OH Smash to Ultra and far standing Jab to Ultra. Sweet!
Posted by nunk on September 29, 2009 at 10:16 p.m. #149
cant do head butt in bread and butter combo
Posted by yes4me on October 1, 2009 at 9:59 p.m. #150
Character 24th learned. Took 129 times to earn 1000cp.
So what did I learn from that short gameplay? He is easy to use once you get the hang of remembering which keys to hold on the keyboard. His pokes are very fast, his moves are also very fast, great antiair, easy to setup the ultra and super. Good damage, not good at wakeup and no answer against crossovers.
Overall, he is definitely top tier.
PS: Next character and last one Vega.
Posted by 99centMcFury on October 6, 2009 at 6:55 p.m. #151
Balrog is the best player in the game if you don't believe just asked Dudley in 3rd strike he was the best in that game, anybody with gloves and no projectiles rule my boi....lol (honestly my hardest opponents to fight against is flying over head player like blanka, bison, and vega haven't really figure out how to avoid them...i'm an escape artist i try to get out of moves instead of blocking them...any tips plz.
Posted by 99centMcFury on October 6, 2009 at 7:04 p.m. #152
My Ultimate combo jump in fp...(c)lp,lp,lp, ex dash upper x 3 after the 3rd one (c)lp,lp,lp, fp headbutt...then "there's no escape"!!! 21hits ULTRA COMBO!!!!
Posted by Balrog sucks on October 12, 2009 at 5:28 a.m. #153
Do people who play as balrog actually enjoy playing the game? He's the most boring character to play, but because he's very very easy to play and does a ton of damage, bad players get good results with him. I'd rather have fun then win matches with his boring move set.
Posted by pooplooser666 on October 13, 2009 at 4:39 p.m. #154
@153
sounds like to me.. YOU SUCK! GO HOME TO YOUR MAMA! Balrogs the man, learn to defend or better yet, just give up! hahaha!
Posted by 99centMcFury on October 13, 2009 at 7:03 p.m. #155
people who say balrog sucks is b/c they always losing to him that how i see it...anybody wants to prove me wrong my ps3 username is mr99centMcFury hit me up for fun and give me my fight money lol
Posted by file66 on October 15, 2009 at 2:45 a.m. #156
Don't forget that his jump up df+hp and db+hp will cause him to move forward or backward in the air.
You can use this to fine tune your spacing and really zone your opponent.
Vs. Any Shoto: use this to adjust spacing -- at the right range a jump in with hk stuffs uppers hard. Also good for baiting the upper, then punishing.
Vs. Any player: will sometimes catch players by surprise when they think you are out of range. Can also help to avoid anti-airs -- like a juke move of sorts.
Fun to spam over and over in a mix up game:
Am I in range? Will I use low jab? Will I use the awesome jumping punch?
Will I throw? Will I overhead?
Also, keep in mind that using db+hp sets you up for run punches
and head butts. Using df+hp will get you prepped for just the head butt.
You can combo into lp+head butt from the jumping punch.
If you are meaty enough, you can get the cr+mp
Most of the time I combo into cr+hk for the knockdown and reset.
Rinse, repeat.
MY FIGHT MONEY!
Posted by MINDSWElfkdfIDN on November 6, 2009 at 5:13 p.m. #157
Huh I learned for the first time you can hold 3 punches or 3 kicks to go through hadokens. Learn something new everyday haha
Posted by Megatonbeef on November 10, 2009 at 12:32 a.m. #158
You should see how much ridiculous damage Boxer does when you charge it all the way. It's so much cooler when he yells FINAL! Using that in a match would be way to hard though, unless you fought for the whole round without kicking.
Posted by Tricky on November 10, 2009 at 10:26 a.m. #159
A little trick I don't think i saw mentioned here.
Focus Lvl2+ -> TAP -> Ultra
will juggle
MK+MP for focus, immediately after Focus, Dash Back or forward, and begin charging downback, release tap, then input ultra.
Works on most, but timing is abit of a challenge.
Posted by Adjacent on November 11, 2009 at 8:13 p.m. #160
Balrog should have a bonus skin where he has a face tattoo.
Posted by dj.nunk on November 17, 2009 at 4:31 p.m. #161
how do you time the headbutt in the bread and butter combo with a controller
Posted by chango on November 18, 2009 at 11:35 a.m. #162
man balrog is a strong guy, he is even good as a ryu killer, the only thing i dont like about him is his focus attack, its so short and its not even good as anti air the hitbox on the top doesnt exist they should fix that to actually make him overpowered and let there be at least more than 2 overpowered players in the game
Posted by Liilshell43 on November 22, 2009 at 4:30 p.m. #163
is there a video where i can see the last combo they said?
Posted by . on November 23, 2009 at 2:20 a.m. #164
@Tricky If you charge backwards while doing the focus attack you dont even need to dash to land the ultra.
Posted by Fagrog on December 4, 2009 at 7:11 a.m. #165
Balrog's is for faggots and is ruining street fighter in his current form.
Posted by xiro93 on December 5, 2009 at 4:08 p.m. #166
just shut up u scrub,ur just mad balrog players just keep handing ur butt an old school beat down and u cant do anything cause u suck. And if u cant beat him that simply means u must practice harder.
Posted by xiro93 on December 5, 2009 at 4:17 p.m. #167
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee5udo...
Posted by Combo on December 6, 2009 at 4:48 p.m. #168
I don't agree with Fagrog (obvious troll name) But I would say that Balrog is unfun to play against. Win or Lose I rarely have fun against Balrog players, Whilst even against Sagat(I main Cammy) I have fun at times.
Posted by Balrog on December 14, 2009 at 9:03 a.m. #169
I hate to say it but I agree with the last post. I main Balrog and being a huge boxing fan, wouln't choose any other sf character. But I hate playing against him. A better player usually lands a juggle combo into ultra and it's murder she wrote. Still, the only way I'd try another sf character is if they put Dudley in the mix.
Posted by Balrog on December 16, 2009 at 5:27 a.m. #170
Posted by Humprey Rogart on April 14, 2009 at 4:50 a.m. #73
Hi my name is Humprey Rogart. I am Balrog's brother. We used to play games in the woods together when we were young and foolish.
Sometimes he'd wiggle his bellybutton and say "ooh you cheeky boy! hit me in the belly! Go on, right in the bellybutton!"
Oh! The joys, fun little games, alas! We are older now. He has gone off to beat people with his little red gloves whilst I sit at home writing poetry about his bellybutton...
...
That is freaking HILARIOUS! LOL.
Posted by milan rebraca on December 21, 2009 at 1:28 a.m. #171
whats that mean charge in game any one now hou to do ultra with guile
Posted by lost on January 10, 2010 at 3:22 p.m. #172
I know its been covered already a bit but any more solid strategies for dealing with a gief. That damn lariat stuffs everything i do. Lariat to piledriver just murders me
Posted by alan on January 26, 2010 at 11:47 a.m. #173
@lost, all footsies, just keep poking out that crouching roundhouse and a few dash straights here and there to keep pressure and zoning
Posted by file66 on February 14, 2010 at 10:35 p.m. #174
@ lost
I don't have much luck with footsies against 'Gief --
his damn lariat counters all my footsie, pokes and wake up shenanigans.
Instead, I counter his lariat with j/b HP, j/u HP and j/t HP
The tippy top of Zangief's head is his weak spot -- aim for the flat top!
when you connect, try to find opportunities to reset with a linked cr. HK.
If you have ultra, link a cr HK/MP to headbut -- time to get paid.
Don't try any dash punch silliness against the liaiat --
dash upper will only connect sometimes, and you are better off saving
your ex to get you out of danger -- use dash low upper to escape
Zangief's throw traps.
Once Zangief stop the constant lariat, you can sometimes catch him off guard with a LP dash straight -- especially after j/b -- but watch your spacing;
Too close and it's lights out.
j/u HP can also counter Gief's green hand and ex green hand
and if you watch for openings, you can link the reset or the ultra.
It feels great to land an entire jumping combo into ultra starting from
j/u HP
Keep Zangief at the right range and you can dictate the entire pace of the fight.
Posted by lost on February 17, 2010 at 4:44 p.m. #175
@file66
thanks for the info, it has helped tremendously!
Posted by Codi on February 17, 2010 at 5:09 p.m. #176
i just hate turtles ........ !! Stand and Fight like a Man !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by jdncie11 on February 22, 2010 at 1:10 a.m. #177
after seeing Dudley's 1st Ultra were he lays alot of combos, i am very upset at Balrogs new move. I think he should have some combo/flurry attack. Maybe 2 gut shots and 2 hooks and end with the new Dirty Bull Ultra!
Posted by RA-MO on February 22, 2010 at 3:39 a.m. #178
I started learning how to use Balrog recently. I like how he plays. just hope I can become as good one day as most of you already are. If anyone owns the ps3 version and would not mind helping me out, my psn ID is Reimon_Durbrow
Posted by Dudley on February 23, 2010 at 5:31 a.m. #179
Balrog u bitch ur going to get knocked out in ssf4 so u better get ready. im the next muhammad ali u heard biatcchhhh
Posted by BeefyBlack on February 26, 2010 at 1:39 p.m. #180
Dudley your retarded you have you to sound more british.
Posted by Demaud Johnson on February 28, 2010 at 7:43 p.m. #181
I keep getting my ass whooped by my brothers blanka and hes is the ONLY person that i know in my street fighter community, plz help meh
Posted by RA-MO on March 2, 2010 at 12:39 a.m. #182
I have been playing with Balrog online lately and at times I do fairly well then other times I do not stand a chance... I really need to get use to this guy so I can be more of a threat.. I am trying to mixup and combo more effectively but my moves seem to get stuck as at times I wind up doing the opposite. When I go for dash uppercut, I wind up doing the other move that is with the down forward motion. And when I want to mix up my dash punches from overhead to clip, it seems I do not really notice myself holding the button down and he goes over instead of clip. Well I hope to face some of you guys one day and I hope I will give you a challenge.
Posted by Unomia on March 10, 2010 at 3:48 p.m. #183
As a beginer balrog player, i have some notes, and recomendations for people:
Take advantage of your C.HP. This will make people think twice about randomly jumping in on you. Also gives good stun+damage. This has high priority against most skills, however avoid characters with lots of range. Example is Sakuras J.HK or zangiefs J.HK.
Against Blanka: his cannonballs have high priority over turning punches. If he throws it out there, just defend, and quickly running punch him as he is going to the ground. You can also turtle by using C.HP or stadning medium to frustrate him even more.
Against ken, ryu, akuma: Don't start rushing him yet, test the waters before you decide your moves. If a fireball is coming at you, turnaround punch and see how prepared they are. If they counter this by shoyruken, you may have a tough fight. If you are in the right range, you can avoid the double hit punch barlogs glove will hit the tip of him.
Against Zangief: this can be a tough and rewarding fight depending on their skill. watch out for lariats, they will go through EX and running punches. J.HP into him while zangief is in laryiat is safe(when the range of your punch is at maximum. While you are jumping back, and he miss the lariat, you can hit him with J.HP.
His running stance into a grab is easy to avoid. Jump back and hard punch him, or in ex, do C.LP after the J.HP.
If he tries to advance you, time your running punches in an off tempo, to try to get some hits. However, i think it's possible that zangief can grab you after the dash punch; I am not sure yet. When in the corner, don't rush punch him; he will easily grab you. Instead, try grabing him or J.HP him if hes in lariat. you can also sweep him when he is vulnerable after green glove attack and the lariat so watch out for that.
Against Guile: watch out for reversal flash kicks. They are killer and can go through EX moves. If you can bring him down to a lower health than you, just turtle, and light headbutt his fireballs. When he does his double sweep, you can use your ultra after the first sweep, or you can ex him. Take advantage of those times as many noob guiles use this move alot.
Combo: If you can land this, this does a lot of damage and stun:
J.HK, Standing H.K, Link into Standing L.P, cancel into running punch(any version).
Instead of doing EX when they are stunned, just use this combo.
You can also do a light punch and cancel into ultra, but that is extremely difficult to do.
Posted by Stylecrap on March 31, 2010 at 8:47 a.m. #184
Many thanks to all who contributed to this page. I'm actually pretty decent with Rog now. Sometimes to a point im kicked out of the game after 1 fight -_-. Any1 wanna battle? (PSN ID finegood) Add me.
Posted by MasterBIson on April 14, 2010 at 6:41 p.m. #185
this guy nickname (and i mean story wise) should be ''hadoken eater'' or something like that, seriously this guy is a beast against missile throwers, he just nullifies their gayness and turns it into pain
Posted by andriand on April 23, 2010 at 9:19 p.m. #186
his 2nd ultra sucks real bad. very limited range, and using 720 move for someone that needs lots of charging is just weird. I think most people will stick with the first ultra.
Posted by SeedyROM on April 24, 2010 at 6:42 p.m. #187
Ultra 2 (Dirty Bull) Setups Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFhG0z...
I fully agree Ultra 1 is superior but here are some early ways to get a slight edge in landing Ultra 2. I hope we'll find more as time goes on!
Posted by THORNCRUSHER760 on April 28, 2010 at 6:02 p.m. #188
has the headbutt juggel to ultra changed from all 3 punches to all 3 kicks or am i trippin?
Posted by Fujisawa_Loser on May 4, 2010 at 2:46 p.m. #189
Aside from Bison. Balrog is my first character of choice though it took me the release of 4 to really like using him. My friends hate it when I pick him. This guide helped me quite a bit so thanks to those that contributed to this page.
Posted by Zeekin on May 20, 2010 at 8:24 p.m. #190
"Timing on some of his charge combos takes a lot of practice to learn."
... No it doesn't.
Posted by FADCTAUNT on June 2, 2010 at 2:01 p.m. #191
They should also remove the learning curve part in the negatives bit. SFIV Boxer is one of the most braindead characters in the game, if you can't use him you truly must suck balls.
Posted by PwnDizzle0 on June 8, 2010 at 11:55 a.m. #192
Balrog is a cool bully
Posted by Drippy_Nozzle on June 17, 2010 at 12:42 a.m. #193
What the timing for his 19th trial? headbutt to super...
I can do it with ultra so easily, why is it any harder with super?
Posted by Drippy_Nozzle on June 18, 2010 at 1:49 a.m. #194
ok, oh my god, finally; i just found out I have to hold down the kick buttons. lol. sorted first try.
Posted by ScytheWP on July 14, 2010 at 7:50 p.m. #195
why does it say that his headbutt is armor breaking?
Posted by mach1545 on July 29, 2010 at 4:53 p.m. #196
Cheap, broken, overpowered.
...
Three words that don't describe Balrog. I suck at this matchup no matter what character I am. Gawd!
Posted by riku45 on August 7, 2010 at 12:02 p.m. #197
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHNV53...
Posted by Meety on August 14, 2010 at 9:02 a.m. #198
dis my main i dont like spamming fireballs nd also physical strength solves evrything
Posted by SF4junkie on August 17, 2010 at 11 p.m. #199
I can never connect the head butt to U1. What is the trick? I can connect dash punch to super but never head butt to U1. It doesnt even come out. Any ideas on good set ups for U2?
Anyone feel like playing random vs random?
PSN: OoDemonSeedoO
XBL: GotDemonSeed
Posted by Yofurt on August 22, 2010 at 11:29 a.m. #200
@Meety i totally agree with that physical strength solves everything
@SF4junkie i dont know if you have figured it out by now but, when you headbutt you also keep the back charge so you can perform your ultra 1 and when your ultra 1 comes out its he does a series of straight(p) and uppers(k) (p,p,k,k,k) is going to help you land most of your ultra. sorry if this didnt help that much but try your best and have fun
Posted by Raven on August 25, 2010 at 6:23 p.m. #201
For people having trouble with Rog's ultra, I'll explain a concept.
In order for Balrog to juggle his opponent from Headbutt to Ultra, you need two charges in succession. So, how do you maintain your charge for the ultra?
Hold down+back, when you headbutt, keep your joystick pressed towards Balrog's backside. Letting go of the joystick negates your charge, which means no ultra. Once your feet hit the ground and you're maintaining your back charge, perform forward-back-forward+PPP to get the ultra out. HOWEVER, in order to maximize damage on the juggle, you need to hold a "kick" button, otherwise the ultra will drop him after one or two hits.
For this combo, it's essential to keep your joystick towards Balrog's back at all times, and do not let it go. Letting it go means the ultra simply won't execute since it has to be charged. Holding the Kick button gives ultra full damage from a juggle state. ;)
Posted by SF4junkie on August 27, 2010 at 11:21 p.m. #202
Thanks for the advice, havent alot of difficulty with it since I play with pad, for both systems. Its one of the few Boxer trials I havent been able to complete.
Posted by Reyapollo on October 24, 2010 at 6 a.m. #203
Does anyone have any advice regarding *how* to do the Dirty Buffalo? I bought the game the other day and it's awesome, but the actual movements for doing the move are proving extremely difficult. I can't stop Balrog from just jumping away from his opponent instead of actually doing to move. Any help would be appreciated!
Posted by Megatonbeef on October 26, 2010 at 5:58 a.m. #204
@Reyapollo
Since a full 720 motion has an up in it you'll always jump during the motion unless you're in a position where that is impossible. try imputting the 720 in the air and pressing 3 punches when you land, then you can practice doing the 720 while you dash forwrad. A good Zangief player can buffer the 720 motion during any attack check out some Gief replays to see how they pull it off while attacking.
Also Dirty Bull is not a good ultra everyone uses Rog's U1 but if you have fun usig Dirty Bull than that's all that matters.
Posted by ragingbuffalo on November 13, 2010 at 2:05 p.m. #205
i always feel like this should be said: you can charge balrogs dash punches before the match starts. just hold back as it says READY FIGHT. no one ever does it and it makes me feel bad when i hit with my super in the first frame of battle
Posted by Quintero750 on May 22, 2011 at 8:40 p.m. #206
ERROR ERROR ERROR!!!
You can jump out of Balrogs Ultra 2 after the freeze.......
Posted by throughsilence on August 3, 2011 at 11:46 p.m. #207
I've seen a few videos where a dash punch (running straight) can do the armor breaking animation when someone focuses, can anyone tell me why this happens?
Posted by pnoyphenom on August 18, 2011 at 9:43 p.m. #208
@through silence i guess it just breaks within the few start up frames of a focus move......or prolly ur seein the turn punch instead....
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