Special Moves

LP Hadoken

MP Hadoken

HP Hadoken

EX Hadoken

Hadoken: The iconic Hadoken, or “fireball.” This special move defines Ryu in every Street Fighter game, including Street Fighter V. However, his latest Hadoken does have minute differences that old-school Ryu players will have to take into account and compensate for. Mainly, it’s generally much less safe in blockstrings. This means you have to be careful about when to finish a sequence with Hadoken—especially if you are used to using crouching Hadoken, which was almost Ryu’s entire game plan in previous Street Fighter games. Another indirect nerf to Hadoken is the fact that block (chip) damage cannot K.O. anymore.

Although seemingly crippling to Ryu’s usual fighting style, Hadoken is still hugely important, especially if you’re coming from Street Fighter IV, where all characters had a built-in way of dealing with projectiles through the Focus Attack mechanic. In Street Fighter V, your enemies will have to deal with Hadoken via other means, such as jumping, using a projectile-invulnerable (or projectile-destroying) special move, or guarding.

Another difference is that each version of Hadoken possesses its own recovery data (on top of varying travel speeds). The most significant distinction besides travel speed is that LP Hadoken has slightly lower recovery than both the MP and HP versions. So naturally, you will want to use LP for safer blockstrings and HP for combos. Also important to note is that crouching HP Hadoken will almost always combo (see Combo 2) at the farthest possible range, whereas LP Hadoken will not. EX Hadoken is a two-hit version with a very fast travel speed that knocks down on hit. It’s also safe on block, so you can use it at the end of a blockstring sequence to keep Ryu safe from an otherwise punishable state.

LP Shoryuken

MP Shoryuken

HP Shoryuken

EX Shoryuken

Shoryuken: The classic, quintessential anti-air “dragon punch.” Ryu starts with a body blow near the ground and proceeds with a rising airborne uppercut. The three normal versions look similar, but they all have wildly differing attack properties. LP Shoryuken can be used as an anti-low attack reversal, MP Shoryuken as invincible anti-air, and HP Shoryuken as a combo finisher since it deals the most damage. Button strength determines how high Ryu is launched into the air, which also determines the amount of recovery he will have. Note that HP Shoryuken’s first active hitbox appears after its initial invincibility, making it less than ideal as a defensive maneuver. The two-hit EX Shoryuken, or Shin Shoryuken, is the most universal version because it’s completely invincible (aside from the recovery) and packs the most punch in terms of damage. Use this version to finish off an opponent, either as anti-air or as a substitute in combos for HP Shoryuken.

Like in Street Fighter IV, the classic Shoryuken motion allows for a lot of leeway. The listed command may read , but what the game actually wants is just any downward input, then any forward input, then any downward input again. This opens the door to a few input shortcuts and tricks. One is the “wiggle,” where you execute dragon punch-style moves with a directional command of . This may not seem to work at first, but do it quickly and trust the motion. With this command, Ryu is never standing; there’s technically less actual finger travel time just to execute the motion, so your anti-air MP Shoryukens should become even safer. When you expect a jump-in, you can just sit on for a moment. If your opponent actually jumps, all you have to do to shoot them down is . This motion also makes some combos easier, like canceling crouching into HP Shoryuken with a command of .

LK Tatsumaki Senpukyaku

MK Tatsumaki Senpukyaku

HK Tatsumaki Senpukyaku

EX Tatsumaki Senpukyaku

Tatsumaki Senpukyaku: The “hurricane kick” returns in Street Fighter V and retains its functionality, for the most part. Button strength used determines both the travel distance and the number of revolutions that Ryu makes. MK and HK Tatsumaki Senpukyaku have projectile-invincibility as soon as Ryu is airborne, making them decent counters to projectiles if you can make a good read on your opponent’s fireball patterns. The LK version is best used in combos where you want to recover much earlier than your adversary, setting up the most advantageous offensive position. The downside to ending combos with LK Tatsumaki Senpukyaku is that the enemy needs to be standing for it to hit. It will whiff on crouching characters if you don’t lead into it with a move that forces a standing state (for instance, crouching and ; see the Combos section for specific details). EX Tatsumaki Senpukyaku does not advance Ryu forward, but it does hit crouching characters. It should only be used in combos because it deals as much damage as HP Shoryuken while affording you much more knockdown advantage.

Air Tatsumaki Senpukyaku during forward jump

EX Air Tatsumaki Senpukyaku during forward jump

Air Tatsumaki Senpukyaku: Available only during a forward jump, the air version of hurricane kick is limited in use and takes an experienced Ryu player to apply correctly. Its only practical use is to change Ryu’s jump arc for a more horizontal jumping attack. Unfortunately, it does not have a rear hitbox on the kick’s backswing, so it’s impossible to use as a cross-up tool. Additionally, it whiffs against crouching characters, including tall crouchers like Birdie. From about 80 percent screen distance, you can go for a forward jump air hurricane kick as a surprise attack against standing opponents to throw them off. But use it sparingly—it’s unsafe if scouted out.

EX Air Tatsumaki Senpukyaku leaves Ryu hovering in the air, with no other special properties besides adding air time to his jump. It’s primarily used in juggle combos canceled from jumping , or to stay airborne over a projectile if Ryu’s in danger of landing on one.