Ken: Street Fighter 3 Third Strike Strategy Guide and Moves
Last updated on Aug. 31, 2009
Juggling with a Light Punch Shoryuken
Ken can hit some opponents up into the air with a Light Punch Shoryuken and follow up with another one right afterward to juggle. Here's who this works against and where.
Anywhere on the stageQ
Necro
Elena
Only when opponent is cornered
Hugo
Ken
Akuma
Ryu
Urien
Chun Li
Makoto
Sean
Twelve
Ibuki
Characters that can't be juggled with a second Light Shoryuken
Alex
Dudley
Yun
Yang
Oro
Remy
Special Moves
• Fireball (Hadouken) •
• Dragon Punch (Shoryuken) •
(Can also be done in the air)
• Hurricane Kick (Tatsumaki Senpukyaku) •
• Personal Action (Taunt) •
EX Moves
• EX-Fireball (Hadouken) •
(Can also be done in the air)
• EX-Hurricane Kick (Tatsumaki Senpukyaku) •
• EX-Dragon Punch (Shoryuken) •
Super Arts
Ken's most popular Super Art is his Shippuu-Jinrai-Kyaku, SA3. It offers the most EX meter, it's easy to combo into, and great for hit confirmations.
• SA1: Super Dragon Punch (Shouryuu-Reppa) •
(Mash Kick buttons)
• SA2: Super Vertical Dragon Punch (Shinryuu-Ken) •
• SA3: Shippuu-Jinrai-Kyaku •
Ken can follow up with another SA3 if his first one is blocked. The advantage here is that because of the invincibility window, your Super Art 3 may blow through your opponent's counter attack as they attempt to punish you. Some moves will still beat out a follow up SA3 though, especially if your opponent pulls out a Reversal Super.
The timing to pull off another SA3 after the first one is blocked — leaving almost no open window — is fairly strict and it costs you an additional Super bar. But not only can you avoid being punished, you can also land a full Super on your opponent in the process, if they attempt to counter attack.
This is a handy tactic and it can make your enemy more cautious when thinking about punishing this move.
Combos
• Cross up with Jumping Medium Kick, Standing Medium Punch, Chain into Standing Hard Punch, Cancel into Light Shoryuken •
One of Ken's core combos. Easy to do, once you practice the timing for a bit.
• Jumping Hard Kick, Crouching Medium Kick, Cancel into Hard Punch Fireball •
Old school combo that still works in this game as well.
EX Combos
• Jumping Hard Punch, Crouching Medium Punch, Cancel into EX-Hurricane Kick •
Scores a lot of hits and is solid if you don't have a full Super meter to launch a bigger combo.
• Hit airborne opponent with EX-Hurricane Kick, juggle with Light Shoryuken, juggle again with Medium Shoryuken if opponent is in corner •
Note, the last hit will only connect against opponents that can be juggled with two consecutive Light Shoryuken attacks (see section above). This does a lot of damage if you fully connect with everything. While you can use the Hard and EX-Shoryuken for the final hit, they tend to miss their initial attack, so Medium Shoryukens work better here for damage.
Universal Super Art Combos
These combos work with all three of Ken's Super Arts.
• Jumping Hard Kick, Crouching Hard Punch, Cancel into Super Art •
• Jumping Hard Kick, Crouching Medium Kick, Cancel into Hard Punch, Shoryuken, Cancel into Super Art •
• Jumping Hard Kick, Crouching Medium Kick, Cancel into Hard Punch Fireball, Cancel into Super Art •
• Standing Medium Punch, Chain into Standing Hard Punch, Cancel into Super Art •
Super Art 1 Combo
• Standing Medium Punch, Chain into Standing Hard Punch, Cancel into EX-Shoryuken, Cancel into SA1 •
Super Art 2 Combos
• (Opponent in corner) Light Punch Shoryuken, juggle with SA2 •
• Standing Medium Punch, Chain into Standing Hard Punch, Hard Punch Shoryuken, Cancel into SA2 •
Super Art 3 Combos
• Crouching Light Kick 2x, Cancel into SA3 •
A great way to hit confirm your Super Art 3 attack. You can add in a jump in attack at the start of this combo as well.
• Cross Up with Jumping Medium Kick, Standing Medium Punch, Chain into Standing Hard Punch, Cancel into SA3 •
Nice damage on this.
• Crouching Medium Kick, Cancel into SA3 •
Great combo because you can go right into your Super Art 3 even if you land your Crouching Medium Kick from max range. This lets you punish things that would normally be outside the range of your other attacks.
• (Crouching Opponent) Back + Medium Kick, Link into SA3 •
Only works if the Back + Medium Kick Overhead attack hits a crouching enemy, if so you can Link into your Super Art 3 for a nice combo. Timing on this is difficult though.
Command Moves
• Overhead Kick •
• High Kick followed by Overhead Kick •
• Lunging Overhead Kick •
• Lunging Kick •
Color guide
Colors requiring more than one button can be unlocked by beating the game with this character.
Guide heavily edited by TJ369.
Posted by Ryu apprentice on September 1, 2009 at 12:08 a.m. #1
Nice guide, ken is a gracefull player and if you master him, you can beat your opponent to a pulp and look good while doing it. SIMPLY STYLISH.
Posted by me on September 1, 2009 at 5:49 a.m. #2
you've left Ibuki and Gill out of the Juggling with a Light Punch Shoryuken section.
Posted by Nice on September 1, 2009 at 10:29 a.m. #3
Good start for this guide. Can't wait until it's updated. :]
Posted by kona on September 1, 2009 at 2:44 p.m. #4
Good stuff! This is guide is easy to understand too. Hopefully we can get more character guides going too. :D
Posted by Lane on September 1, 2009 at 5:48 p.m. #5
you have to kara srk ibuki in the corner I think.
Yah, it wouldn't hurt to talk about that just to tell people about neat stuff like that.
I like how they are pumping out more guides for 3s now.
Posted by EMN on September 1, 2009 at 8:26 p.m. #6
ONLY USE SA3
SA3 links off of c.MP and s.MP
if you are having trouble doing s.MP,s.HP,SA3 you can just do s.MP,s.HP,hadouken,SA3. You lose like 1 or 2 damage and it's alot easier.
Learn what moves you can punish on block with SA3, it'll make opponents scared to use said moves. ex. Makoto's c.FP can be punished on block by SA3 provided she's isn't spaced properly.
Kara SRK with c.MK and c.RH
The advice about EVER doing 2 SA3s back to back in order to "avoid" getting punished is pretty bad honestly. Any half decent opponent will know what options they have after a blocked SA3 since it already has almost no recovery.
Ken is a simple simple simple simple simple character that any begginer should pick up. Only hard thing to do is hit confirm c.MK 100% of the time... that actually is hard. lol
Posted by qwertyuiop on September 2, 2009 at 1:08 p.m. #7
Cause no one ever tries to counter a blocked super, right? Idiot...
Posted by EMN on September 2, 2009 at 3:45 p.m. #8
@ qwertyuiop
Obviously you are a complete scrub or retarded if you think doing 2 SA3s back to back as some sort of frametrap/punish is a good idea. Ken gets played so much that any decent player already knows what options they have to safely punish SA3 on block or have learned to red parry the last hit so that they can do a real punish. ex. Urien's only real options to punish SA3 are throw, jab headbutt, and short tackle... unless he red parries the last hit which can lead into an unblockable loop (depending on meter).
Now if you and your friends who have only played for a week actually eat an SA3 after you block one and think you can use a slow move to punish it... that's your own fault for eating a super instead of going for free damage. SA3 has AMAZING recovery compared to other supers, but it can be safely punished by every character with throw (some have much better options). Seriously, jab shoryu is a better option after a blocked SA3 than doing another SA3.
Posted by enygma on September 2, 2009 at 11:51 p.m. #9
Good stuff. This guide isn't bad. Keep up the good work.
Posted by Matty on September 3, 2009 at 9:23 a.m. #10
Can't you juggle 2 jab srk's by doing a kara srk with pretty much the whole cast?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7dGOj...
Posted by qwertyuiop on September 3, 2009 at 7:13 p.m. #11
If you're going to bitch like a little girl then make your own guide.
Posted by hrrere on September 3, 2009 at 7:15 p.m. #12
@Matty
Yes, but the way in the guide is a shortcut. I guess if you can't kara srk yet, then that's an option instead.
Posted by IHateTryHards on September 3, 2009 at 7:16 p.m. #13
Trying to show off in front of a bunch of gamers so you can feel more important in your life? Than go play who can drink the most semen, I'm sure you can impress someone there.
Posted by YUko on September 3, 2009 at 7:16 p.m. #14
I agree with qwertyuiop
Posted by Ken on September 3, 2009 at 7:18 p.m. #15
Honestly, if you have a problem with the guide, contact the site owner with corrections or additions instead of whining in the comments...
Posted by Anon on September 3, 2009 at 10:32 p.m. #16
@Ken
Don't even talk man.
He's listing legitimate advice and all you're doing is trolling.
@qwertyuiop
Burning another Super bar after missing a super is a STUPID idea.
Countering after a blocked super is pretty much a given.
However attempting to punish their counter with another Super makes absolutely no sense.
You've already burned a whole bar, chances are that you won't have another full bar. If you do, it's a lot better to back off and try to hit confirm the super instead of throwing out a second super that may or may not hit.
Posted by Ken on September 3, 2009 at 10:57 p.m. #17
I'm trolling how...? o.o
All I said was quit whining and add to the guide if you think you're such hot shiz. If your advice is legit I'm sure he'll take it into consideration.
Calling me a troll because I was recommending the intelligent thing to do? This isn't 4chan kid, I'm trying to help.
Posted by Why on September 3, 2009 at 11:44 p.m. #18
@Anon
@EMN
Honestly if your on the guys site who posted the guide, either take the advice or leave the site. You don't have to take it. If you think you're an expert than go make your own 3rd strike website. Besides, at least give the guy some credit that he's not a retarded SF player and that he knows what he's doing.
Posted by toastedsub on September 4, 2009 at 8:51 a.m. #19
you need to add that all those characters that cant be juggled with a second shoryuken can, if you kara the second shoryuken in corners
Posted by EMN on September 4, 2009 at 10:59 a.m. #20
@ qwertyuiop
If you don't have any real advice or a real question, just don't talk.
@ Ken
Read above...
@ Why
I'm not dissing the guy, he listed most of the basic information for Ken, minus the c.MP and s.MP link. All I pointed out is how dumb it is to do SA3 after a blocked SA3. Everything else is fine, but that's honestly is just bad advice. =/
s.RH is a nice poke if you space it properly. You only want to hit with his foot (preferably just the toes) when you do it. Something like c.lk,c.lp,c.lk,s.RH is generally safe provided that you don't do it all the time, remember repetition will get you parried. c.lk and c.lp are great for tick throws.
Vs. Dudley
You can actually link c.MP into MP Shoryu, SA3 at close range on a crouching Dudley. It's hard though, so don't count on it.
Posted by Anon on September 5, 2009 at 10:24 a.m. #21
@Why
Your advice TOTALLY makes sense.
Because adding more information that was either skipped over or forgotten is a way of complaining about how bad the guide is.
Damn. Guess all those literary critics are just complaining about how good and bad books are.
@Ken
Trying to help?
By telling us to "quit whining and add to the guide"?
Please. Explain to me exactly what we're doing then.
EMN's posts
s.RH is a nice poke if you space it properly. You only want to hit with his foot (preferably just the toes) when you do it. Something like c.lk,c.lp,c.lk,s.RH is generally safe provided that you don't do it all the time, remember repetition will get you parried. c.lk and c.lp are great for tick throws.
SA3 links off of c.MP and s.MP
if you are having trouble doing s.MP,s.HP,SA3 you can just do s.MP,s.HP,hadouken,SA3. You lose like 1 or 2 damage and it's alot easier.
Learn what moves you can punish on block with SA3, it'll make opponents scared to use said moves. ex. Makoto's c.FP can be punished on block by SA3 provided she's isn't spaced properly.
Kara SRK with c.MK and c.RH
The advice about EVER doing 2 SA3s back to back in order to "avoid" getting punished is pretty bad honestly. Any half decent opponent will know what options they have after a blocked SA3 since it already has almost no recovery.
Ken is a simple simple simple simple simple character that any beginer should pick up. Only hard thing to do is hit
confirm c.MK 100% of the time... that actually is hard. lol
I'm sorry what are these again?
Oh yea...Tips on how to play Ken!
Just because you're not a retarded scrub and you know how to play 3S does not automatically give you the ability to teach others how to play the game.
The guide is a decent start.
But telling someone to do something without explaining why, especially in a game that relies on getting into your opponents mind, is basically training a monkey.
So yea.
I guess we're "whining" by adding in extra tips and explanations of said tips because the original creator forgot to.
Posted by confused on September 5, 2009 at 10:50 a.m. #22
Why doesn't everybody just shut up and let the guide be what it is, bad or good? All this conflict is best reserved for children who haven't graduated elementary school yet. So to the guys who are offering advice, if the webmaster hasn't put it in yet than just shut up about. As for the ones complaining about them offering the help, keep your complains to yourself and let them offer since it's a free country. In the end the WEBMASTER and no one else will have the final say.
Posted by o.O on September 5, 2009 at 1:18 p.m. #23
Yea just stfu peeps and leave it at that. The creator of this web doesn't have to take all this crap from you bunch of scrubs
Posted by dreadl0000rd on September 11, 2009 at 11:14 a.m. #24
Do these colors really work? How many stars of difficulty do you need to beat the game on to get the colors that require more than one button. Tried beating it with ken and none of these worked. Help please
Posted by sakurafice on September 12, 2009 at 12:29 a.m. #25
i think this should be more comprehensive...not much about strat...just labelling combos...some of which are obselete...
Posted by Chow on September 12, 2009 at 4:44 p.m. #26
@dreadl00000rd
All you have to do to get the colors is beat the game.
The difficulty/rounds don't matter.
To get the alternate colors, you hold start and hit one of the 6 buttons.
Posted by Ryu Apprentice on September 21, 2009 at 8:03 a.m. #27
Ken masters. Can't use him so I stick with Ryu. Still got the better win record
Posted by dreadl0000rd on September 21, 2009 at 3:22 p.m. #28
Yeah I beat the game with ken on like 3-4 stars of difficulty and when I went to play again and pick, lets say the LP+MK+HP color (darkest) I just got a random one like green. Not sure
Posted by clownkiller27 on October 2, 2009 at 12:22 p.m. #29
these guides are amazing! plz post more more more, requesting, Yun, Urien,
Posted by sakurafice on October 3, 2009 at 6:10 a.m. #30
i request to update this guide
it's really not that comprehensive as what i could make it...
Posted by cuttyb87 on October 18, 2009 at 1:39 a.m. #31
what special feature does ken taunts do for him? does it raise his defense or what
Posted by TJ369 on October 19, 2009 at 2:59 p.m. #32
It raises his next attack 31.3%
Posted by Chris on November 6, 2009 at 12:02 p.m. #33
Hello, can someone advise, how do you do the hurricane kick with ken ryu and akuma which goes to the top of the screen and right to the opposite corner? I've looked everywhere?
Cheers for any help
Posted by Combos? on November 10, 2009 at 2:20 a.m. #34
Is that all the combos there are and f not can someone point me in the direction with a link or something. Or if you want my AIM is powerhappyidiot and my yahoo is mauldinjoshua@ymail.com! Please and thank you. Also thanks for the few combos listed.
Posted by Ryu Apprentice on November 10, 2009 at 12:03 p.m. #35
ken's combos:
jumping Hard Kick, Crouching Medium Kick, Hard Punch Shoryuken,Shoryuu-reppa or shinpuu-jinrai-kyaku.
Ex Hurricane Kick(in air),Ex Hadoken, Shoryuureppa (waste of combo meter)
Jumping Hard Kick,Medium Punch,Hard Punch,(EX)Hadoken, EX Hurricane Kick
jumping Hard Kick, Crouching Medium Kick, Light Punch Shoryuuken, Shinryuu-ken
Posted by Ryu Apprentice on November 10, 2009 at 1:13 p.m. #36
please ignore the ex hurricane kick on the second to last combo, it is either you end with hadoken or the ex huricane kick and not both. remember you can also cancel with a super art.
Posted by Combos? on November 10, 2009 at 4:49 p.m. #37
Dude thank you so much cause I needed new stuff to incorporate into my fighting style cause these moves were getting worn out. I really Can't thank you enough.
Posted by Ryu Apprentice on November 11, 2009 at 9:23 a.m. #38
No problem, if u have any difficulty pulling off the combos let me know so I can give you a work around.
Posted by traqueofziche on November 12, 2009 at 12:21 a.m. #39
i'm a scrub, but this is my view on SAIII after blocked SAIII:
you did SAIII, it was blocked...
1. opponent tries to punish with a move with too much startup
a. you do SAIII and it connects
b. you block, nothing happens
2. opponent blocks
a. you do SAIII, same situation
b. you block, nothing happens
3. opponent punishes correctly
a. you (try to) do SAIII, but your sprite is too busy getting hit
b. you (try to) block, but you're getting hit
if your opponent lacked the knowledge/reactions to punish your SAIII in the first place, you could catch them with another SAIII; if they just keep blocking and failing to punish...you're burning meter. a more likely situation is, they f**ked up the timing for the punish, and will might as well just block, in which case they probably won't miss the punish a second time. what's even more likely is you'll just get punished for not connecting SAIII.
tl;dr that sh** is gimmicky imo; will only work against inexperienced players anyway.
Posted by Ryu Apprentice on November 13, 2009 at 12:42 p.m. #40
Just found a video on ken's combos, pls view with caution, These combos are sick. just view to enjoy (you might break a finger trying to pull it off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z-LP-...
Posted by this site's admin is a noob on December 8, 2009 at 10:41 a.m. #41
Sorry but you are totally wrong. Ken's light punch dragon punch x2 can be juggled against all characters.
Posted by ryu apprentice on December 12, 2009 at 9:23 a.m. #42
What is totally wrong
Posted by Ryu Apprentice on March 3, 2010 at 10:56 a.m. #43
Third strike blog is officially dead
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