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Ryu vs. Character Strategies: Street Fighter 4

Last updated on Aug. 22, 2009

28 Comments

Character match up information written by YFlow

Vs. Abel

• Do not throw fireballs from half-screen or further if Abel has Ultra. He will go through them and punish you.
• Do not fear Abel's rekka string. Dragon Punch after the first hit is blocked, eliminating the need for guessing. If you missed your opportunity, you get two more chances to Dragon Punch after blocking the second and third hits.
• When Abel uses Wheel Kick, he should only be trying to hit you with the very tip of his foot. If you block any other part, you can punish with Dragon Punch. Even when you're out of Dragon Punch range but not quite at max range, you can still punish with Super. If Abel doesn't know his ranges, make him pay.
• At around sweep range, a s.LP will stuff a lot of Abel's normals.
• Abel can be thrown out of his roll at any time, even if it's EX.

Vs. Akuma

• If Akuma likes to throw random LP Dragon Punches, make sure you're punishing them. If you block it, Dragon Punch him back. If he whiffs at a distance, sweep.
• Akuma's red fireball has quite a bit of start up and recovers pretty slowly as well. If he uses it from anywhere other then full-screen, you get a free jump in combo if your reaction time is good enough.
• If Akuma has Ultra or Super, be careful not to be predictable with your jumps. He can catch you in your landing frames.
• Be patient during the fireball war. FADC fireballs only when you know they are one-hitters, but not air fireballs if you're close, because they'll usually be followed up with an attack.
• If you predict a teleport on wake-up, HK Tatsu timed well will hit him during recovery, and if he goes the other way, you soar safely away.
• Give Akuma some room while he's in the corner so that he can't teleport away.
• Walking or dashing at Akumas that like to throw plenty of air fireballs will usually get you under them in time to punish.
• If Akuma uses an air fireball while he's too close, you can sweep him and take the hit from the fireball. If Akuma is out of sweep range, you can throw your own fireball or EX-Fireball to catch him. Don't be afraid to take the hit: Akuma's air fireballs only do 40 damage. To put that into perspective, Ryu's c.LP does 30 damage. Couple this with the fact that Akuma's health ranking is superior only to Seth, and you'll find that the trade is more than worth it.
• Watch out for empty cross-ups. Spamming tech throw at the wrong time will earn you a Raging Demon.
• EX-Dragon Punch will get you through Akuma's air fireballs.
• Crossing up characters that have high-priority uppercuts may not be the best idea unless you scored an untechable knock down.

Vs. Balrog (Boxer)

• Boxer's wakeup options are weak. Meaty c.LK beats everything he has. Headbutt will be stuffed; Super, Ultra, and EX-Headbutt will be blocked on reaction after c.LK recovers.
• There is no real reason to cross-up Boxer on wakeup. It gives him a chance to headbutt away.
• Half-screen fireballs get punished by Headbutt, TAP, Ultra, and EX-Dash Punches.
• Respect c.HK. The range is very good.
• Do not jump at Boxer. His c.HP counters this well.
• Boxer's jabs are very high-priority. Block (no mashing jab) and watch for tick-throws. Spaced right, c.MK will go under the jabs.
• For some reason, Dragon Punch -> FADC -> EX-Tatsu usually only gets a few hits in against Boxer. Replace the EX-Tatsu with an EX-Fireball in this match, unless you have Boxer in the corner.
• If you can see Boxer's Dash Punches coming, a c.MP or c.MK will stuff them. If it's an EX-Dash Punch, cancel your attack into a Dragon Punch.
• Boxer can be thrown out of each of his EX-Dash Punches.

Vs. Blanka

• Horizontal Blanka Balls are punishable on block with HP Super.
• Blanka will use EX-Ball and slide to get around fireballs.
• Rainbow Balls are usually done as a cross-up. If you manage to block this, they are VERY punishable.
• Timing c.MP well and spamming c.LP will beat Horizontal Balls.
• If he tries to chip you to death with Ultra, you can counter with an EX-SRK after blocking the first hit (low), which does no chip damage. It doesn't even have to be a reversal, so there's no reason to take the damage. If you have the meter and the spacing is right, you can go into FADC -> Ultra. If you do end up blocking the entire Ultra, you can punish with yours. Be sure not to do it too early or it will go under him.
• Blanka will try to get under your fireballs with his slide. From the wrong range, it is punishable on block. Go for a big damage combo here to make him pay.
• Crossing up Blanka isn't always a good idea. He can catch you with an EX-Vertical Ball, Ultra, or Electricity if your timing isn't perfect.
• Rainbow Rolls can be Focus Attacked for a punish. If it hits as a cross-up, Blanka may land behind you, so dash cancel and punish.

Vs. Cammy

• Dragon Punch her Spin Knuckle.
• After blocking Cannon Drill, punish quickly before it is followed up with Cannon Spike.
• Do not jump in recklessly and be careful with cross-ups: Cannon Spike is a very good Anti-Air attack.
• EX-Hooligan can punish fireballs on reaction.
• Dragon Punch the Hooligan Combination. If you're not ready for a DP, it can't catch you while you're crouching, so any low punch is okay.
• Initially, Cannon Spike may seem hard to punish due to the angle at which Cammy bounches back after the move is blocked. In actuality, you can punish with Super, Ultra, EX-Fireball, or HP Fireball from any distance. If Cammy is close when she throws a Cannon Spike (at the ideal range for the move), you can usually dash up and punish with s.HP and finish with the combo of your choice.
• Crossing up characters that have high-priority uppercuts may not be the best idea unless you scored an untechable knock down.

Vs. Chun Li

• Ryu wins the fireball war easily, but Chun's Ultra changes the match. After she has it, throw fireballs only when you know she doesn't have a charge.
• Try to destroy LP fireballs so you won't have to deal with the mix-up after Chun follows them.
• Learn to Dragon Punch overhead flip kick on reaction.
• EX-Spinning Bird is a good wake-up reversal, but not unbeatable. It loses out to deep cross-ups.
• Limit your jumps. Her uf. HP, HP will beat most of your air-to-air attacks.
• Chun's normals are fast and outrange yours. Try to focus more on punishing whiffs rather than throwing out moves and hoping they hit.
• If you manage to bait and block an EX-Spinning Bird, it will push you out. If you're close enough when she starts it, you can punish with c.HP for the combo if you wait until she lands, or you can SRK at any time. From any range, you can punish on block with c.HK, Super, EX-fireball, HP fireball, or Ultra.

Vs. C. Viper

• Don't be too concerned about throwing fireballs. Viper's high jump makes her virtually impossible to zone.
• Neutral jumps coupled with any reasonable air-to-air attack are good against Viper since she relies so heavily on the high jump/flame kick mix up. Uf.MP will give more damage with a combo, but you have to be sure you're not being baited with an early flame kick.
• Ryu needs to be the aggressor in this match. Viper is very dangerous up close. Her overhead makes Ryu's c.MK whiff, and her fake Thunder Knuckle/throw trick is annoying. Keep the frame advantage. It is very important that you do not let her rush you down. It's very hard to avoid taking damage from Viper when you have to guess.
• Crossing up characters that have high-priority uppercuts may not be the best idea unless you scored an untechable knock down.

Vs. Dan

• Dan does not have a dependable fireball. Proper zoning should give him trouble.
• Hop Kicks are annoying. The only punishable version is EX, and it can only be punished with a Dragon Punch if it's a reversal. However, every version but LK gives you a frame advantage.
• Dan's Ultra is only one hit, and it's not armor breaking. This means you can actually Focus Attack his Ultra. You will gain no Ultra meter for it, but it sets him up for big punishment.
• Although it can't combo into anything, Dan's s.MK is actually pretty good. Your c.MK has about equal range, so if he's getting too comfortable with it, try Focus Attacking it or putting some space between you with fireballs.
• Crossing up characters that have high-priority uppercuts may not be the best idea unless you scored an untechable knock down.

Vs. Dhalsim

• Destroying fireballs late, focus absorbing fireballs, full-screen Hurricane Kicking over fireballs, and jumping over fireballs are all punishable with Dhalsim's limbs. Try to get fireballs off the screen the second you see them or throw an EX-fireball if you have the meter.
• Dhalsim's teleport using the Tiger Knee motion allows him to throw out an aerial attack and cuts down on recovery time. Try to read these and throw out a dragon punch when you see one coming.
• If you get in on Dhalsim, do not let up the pressure. If you give him an opportunity to teleport away, you will be right back where he wants you.
• Focus Attack seems to be a good answer to Dhalsim's limbs when there is no fireball on the screen.
• Dhalsim will slide under your jumps if you get too predictable with them, giving him a chance to escape corner situations.
• If he jumps at you, uf.MP is a better answer than Dragon Punch because he is usually baiting one with an aerial teleport.
• If you predict a teleport on wake-up, HK Tatsu timed well will hit him during recovery, and if he goes the other way, you soar safely away.

Vs. E. Honda

• Your basic Super Turbo fireball and Dragon Punch zoning game will give Honda hell, but be careful when he has Ultra, because it will go through fireballs. However, it only goes through fireballs on startup, and if he's not up close, you'll have recovered by the time it gets to you.
• Use c.MK -> fireball to keep him out so you don't get beat with the Ochio Throw and Sumo Splash mixup.
• Headbutt is good for anti-air, so be wary of jumping in on a charged Honda.
• Sumo Splash beats cross-ups, so be wary of crossing up a charged Honda.
• Timing c.MP well and spamming c.LP will beat Headbutt.
• Honda's neutral jump HP will stuff just about any aerial attack you throw out. As always, don't get predictable with jump-ins.
• HP Headbutt is always punishable on block with HP Super. MP and LP Headbutt are punishable with Super as well, but the timing is pretty tight. Also, these moves are not punishable if Honda hits you at the very end of the move (i.e. a close-up HP or MP headbutt is punishable, but it's best to not risk it with the LP Headbutt.) The sound clip that plays during MP and HP Headbutt is different than the sound clip that plays during LP Headbutt. It's worth learning the difference so you don't throw away meter.
• Sumo Splash can be beaten by a well-timed SRK or even c.HP.

Vs. El Fuerte

• Fuerte has many ways to get around fireballs, so zone him with them, but don't get predictable. Ultra can also punish fireballs on reaction.
• It is very important that you do not get knocked down. If you do, he will start his Body Splash/Tortilla Twister trap. Wake-up backdash and HK Tatsu are two ways to escape, but neither are 100% reliable. Be careful with Tatsu when Fuerte has Ultra, because he can catch you in recovery.
• Pressure Fuerte on wake-up. He can escape with EX-Habanero Dash or Guacamole Slew (air throw), but neither of these will hurt you.
• If you cross up Fuerte on wake up when he has Ultra, make sure the cross up is deep. He can catch you with Ultra on reversal.

Vs. Fei Long

• Fireball Fei Long freely at full-screen. At mid-screen, he can Chicken Wing over them, but he has to predict the fireball.
• Fei's Focus Attack is quick and has good range. Coupled with his dash, he can get in through your fireballs easily if you're not careful.
• Don't jump at Fei Long. S.HK has very good priority.
• EX-Flame Kick is a good answer to cross-ups. If Fei Long likes to throw it out, try to bait it with a safe jump.

Vs. Gen

• Gen's jump from the Crane Stance is weird, and he will be looking to cross you up with it all day. Neutral jump -> MK stops this. Watching for it and Dragon Punching is a good answer as well.
• Gen will try to set up big combos with c.LK from Crane Stance. It is -8 on block, so make him afraid to throw it out there.
• Dragon Punch beats all of Gen's off-the-wall kicks, as well as punishes each one of them on block.
• Don't throw too many fireballs: Gen wants you to. His off-the-wall kicks and weird jump were built for this.

Vs. Gouken

• Be careful with your fireballs from midscreen. Gouken will EX-Running Palm through them and set you up for major combos.
• If Gouken is charging a fireball, don't be too confident in jumping over it, as it may be a MP or HP fireball.
• Respect the parry on wake-up, and during the Demon Flip. Keep him guessing so he doesn't know whether to go high or low. Mix him up as much as you can to get him making stupid mistakes.
• The parry is punishable. Also, it only absorbs one hit, so if you see him coming in for a Demon Flip, it might not be a bad idea to go for the uf.MP.
• When Gouken gets Ultra, look for the back-throw set up.
• Be patient. Ryu wins the fireball war. EX-Fireball is a good answer to Gouken's EX-Fireball as well.
• If you can read the Running Palm, try to neutral jump on reaction. You can then punish with a big combo. Also, each version of Running Palm can be punished on block with a Dragon Punch if Gouken is close enough when the move connects. If not, a c.HK gets the job done.

Vs. Guile

• Guile's sweep is really bad. If you block the first hit, you can get damn near anything out before the second hit comes. Dragon Punch and Focus Attack are the most popular responses, but be careful when Focus Dashing forward, because you might eat a Flash Kick.
• Try not to let Guile follow LP Sonic Booms so you don't have to deal with his mixup. Destroy them whenever possible.
• Hurricane Kick is a pretty bad answer to Sonic Boom. Guile usually recovers before the kick gets to him.
• Be patient in this match. Guile is not the easiest character to get in on, so get comfortable with the fireball game.
• Cross-ups stuff wake-up Flash Kicks.
• If Guile has a charge: DO NOT JUMP AT HIM.

Vs. Ken

• If Ken likes to throw random LP Dragon Punches, make sure you're punishing them. If you block it, Dragon Punch him back. If he whiffs at a distance, sweep.
• Watch for the kara throw mixups. Ken's kara throw is really good.
• Ryu has the better fireball. Don't be afraid to zone Ken with the old fireball/Dragon Punch trick.
• C.LP, c.MP, and s.LP beat the f.MK -> c.MK trap. Use either one when you see the f.MK coming. If you try to catch the c.MK, you'll usually trade.
• Crossing up characters that have high-priority uppercuts may not be the best idea unless you scored an untechable knock down.

Vs. M. Bison (Dictator)

• Neutral jump -> HK or HP beats head stomp.
• Uf.MK beats head stomp if you jump right when Dictator leaves the ground. It also has good juggling potential (EX-fireball, Ultra, Super, EX-Tatsu), but if it turns into an early Devil's Reverse, you might end up taking damage.
• Dragon Punch beats Devil's Reverse. If it's coming in really deep, you'll have to connect before you leave the ground or risk a trade.
• Dictator's s.MK is scary. If he likes to abuse it, try to get within its range and cross him up right before he throws it out. If you're confident, you can also try to catch it with a LP Dragon Punch.
• If you cross Dictator up on wake up, all he can do is teleport away. Don't be afraid, his anti-air options are lacking. Don't get arrogant though, because he might predict your jumps and Ultra or uf.MP, MP, Ultra.
• The followup to Head Stomp can be Focus Attacked for a punish. You can also Dragon Punch it, but try to connect before you leave the ground or you'll risk a trade.
• With EX-Head Stomp, blocking is usually the best option. The damage is nasty, and you don't want to trade.
• If you predict a teleport on wake-up, HK Tatsu timed well will hit him during recovery, and if he goes the other way, you soar safely away.

Vs. Rose

• If you block Soul Spiral, you can get a poke in if you're quick. Counter-poking is risky if she throws it at the right range, though.
• Rose has nothing on wake-up except EX-Spiral, which is a bit iffy.
• If Rose is abusing her long-ranged pokes, jump in over them. At the very least, she'll end up blocking your attack and you'll get the frame advantage.
• Rose has three anti-air attacks. The first is c.HP. The range is really crappy, so if you jump in without an attack at the right range and she throws it out, she will be recovering while you punish her with the combo of your choice. The second is Soul Throw. This move loses to pretty much every reasonably-timed jump in attack, so Rose won't throw it out unless she can predict your jump. Finally, she can catch you with Ultra if she times it right, so try not to jump at her so much when she gets it.

Vs. Rufus

• Be defensive while you're in the corner. Rufus can get a lot of damage here, including an Ultra.
• Dragon Punch the dive kick if you can, but a good Rufus will have his zones down so that he knows when Dragon Punch will whiff. Make sure you're not being baited.
• You can always Dragon Punch after blocking the last hit of Messiah Kick to eliminate the need for guessing.
• Galactic Tornado will punish your midscreen fireballs if you're not careful. All versions of it are safe on block.
• Rufus can't do any damage if you don't let him in. Zone well and push him back if he does manage to get close. If he likes to abuse the overhead, remember that it's punishable on block, but the window is pretty small.
• Try not to spend too much time in the air. EX-Snake Strike is something you do not want to get hit by.
• Be more defensive than usual when Rufus gets Ultra. He has plenty of ways to land this, and a lot of them don't require meter (i.e. far s.HK, uf.HK, f.HP in corner, s.LK -> s.HK, Galactic Tornado in Corner). Watch for him to get eager with punishable Ultra set ups.
• Rufus's uf.HK sets him up to juggle with Ultra. Don't jump late at Rufus if he's in the air.
• Rufus's far s.HK juggles into Ultra and is not punishable on block. Be careful if Rufus has Ultra and is standing at around sweep range.

Vs. Ryu

• If Ryu likes to throw random LP Dragon Punches, make sure you're punishing them. If you block it, Dragon Punch him back. If he whiffs at a distance, sweep.
• Be more defensive than usual when Ryu gets Ultra. He has plenty of ways to land this.
• Crossing up characters that have high-priority uppercuts may not be the best idea unless you scored an untechable knock down.

Vs. Sagat

• Don't get impatient during the fireball war. Sagat's projectiles are quicker than yours, so you will occasionally have to neutral jump, duck, and/or FADC. Most importantly, you should try to build meter and Ultra at this time. Make sure you're watching for Sagat's meter to build so you don't get hit with an EX-Tiger Shot. Don't throw away your meter; EX-Fireball helps a lot here, but is pointless from full-screen. If he gets predictable with his projectiles, try to anticipate them so that you can Ultra or Super through them on reaction.
• Sagat's normals have good range, so a good thing to know in this match up is how to walk forward and immediately c.MK -> fireball.
• Don't jump in from too far. Sagat is more than well-equipped to deal with this (s.HK, f.HK, Ultra).
• Up close, be careful with your pokes. Learn your ranges so that you do not whiff. Be defensive. You don't want to eat a Tiger Knee. A knockdown in this fight is a big deal.
• If Sagat manages to lock you down with block strings, don't lose your cool. Watch for a mistake or a chance to escape.
• It's very important that you don't make mistakes while being offensive at close ranges, especially if Sagat has ultra. More often than not, you should try to bait him into throwing an unsafe reversal or poke out there.
• Neutral jump is usually pretty safe. It might cause him to whiff Tiger Knee, and j.HK beats Sagat's Aerial attacks. Just make sure he's not expecting it, because catching a f.HK will cost you the round.
• Make sure you're Dragon Punching every jump in, punishing every whiff, and comboing at every opportunity. You need to get your damage in against Sagat.
• Crossing up characters that have high-priority uppercuts may not be the best idea unless you scored an untechable knock down.

Vs. Sakura

• Sakura cannot win this fireball war. She should be easy to zone as long as you watch out for the EX-Otoshi.
• Up close, Sakura will try to catch you with pokes into a mix-up stemming from EX-Tatsu. As far as I know, this is the only way she can get damage.

Vs. Seth

• When Seth is in the corner, back off a bit and use netural jump to make sure he doesn't wall jump away. Keep him in there.
• If you predict a teleport on wake-up, HK Tatsu timed well will hit him during recovery, and if he goes the other way, you soar safely away.

Vs. Vega (Claw)

• Uf. MP is good against the wall dive. C.HP works too if timed right.
• Cross Vega up as much as you want; all he can do is flip away or neutral jump -> air throw if he predicts your jump.

Vs. Zangief

• Play defensively. Stay at max c.MK range or further.
• It isn't enough to Dragon Punch jumps on reaction. You need to be looking for them, because once Gief gets in, you will have trouble.
• Use up-forward jump -> early Tatsu to escape corners, but watch out for that neutral jump HP Gief has.
• Fireball freely until at close distances. Gief will jump over and Ultra or SPD. EX-Green Hand also goes through fireballs and will knock you down to set you up for his mix-up.
• The safest version of Green Hand (LP) is -7 on block and -5 on hit. Whether hit, whiff, or block: Dragon Punch every time.
• If you get knocked down, Gief will set you up for a dangerous mix-up, making you guess whether he will combo, 360, Lariat or do nothing. Varying how you recover from knock down is helpful in escaping.
• If possible, save meter. If you get caught in the mix-up, Dragon Punch -> FADC -> backdash will let up the pressure.
• S.HK jump-ins that a Dragon Punch will not reach. If you can't get the s.HK out in time, a s.MP will stuff Gief's long-ranged pokes, but is more likely to whiff in the case of an empty jump-in.
• Towards the end of Gief's Lariat, you can catch him with a s.HK. If you do it too early, you'll usually trade.
• Gief's head is vunerable during his Lariats. You can jump in with an early uf.HP to punish the PPP one on reaction. The sound file played during the PPP Lariat is different than the one played during the KKK Lariat. It's worth going to training mode to learn the difference.