Overview

Pros

• Opponents must always respect LP Screw Pile Driver, the game’s longest-reaching command grab.
• Zangief has reliable pokes and generally outputs high damage.
• He’s sturdy; Zangief is tied with Birdie for the highest stamina total, and he stands alone when it comes to highest stun threshold.
• Cyclone Lariat is a versatile, scary, game-changing V-Trigger.

Cons

• With slow walk speed and dashes and jumps that are both short, Zangief has plodding movement and requires persistence and patience while he’s moving in.
• Large size can be a liability; a wider horizontal hurtbox means a bigger target for cross-ups, and a taller vertical hurtbox means a bigger target for overheads and moves that arc downward.
• He has little combo potential (which could also be neutral or even a positive if you want a truly old-school grappler).
• He lacks a truly fast or invincible reversal without full EX Gauge.

The Red Cyclone returns as a real throwback to what defined him in Street Fighter II: a grappler wielding a brutal arsenal of the undisputed best grabs in the game. Gone are the Banishing Flat combos of Street Fighter IV, replaced with a quick running grab, a V-Skill that functions as a parry, and an LP Screw Pile Driver that harkens back to the grab range Zangief had in SFII. He also has an interesting V-Trigger that has both suction and combo capability, eliminating some of his weaknesses when V-Gauge is ready to go. Zangief is the game’s purest grappler: his fondest wish is to be in close quarters with the enemy, in range for ticks, harassing anti-airs, and grab attempts.

Your objective is to move Zangief to close range. Achieve this by:

• Walking forward steadily: any backward movement is a failure, inching forward is a success, and simply blocking as needed is A-OK
• Being ready to respond to incoming fireballs and pokes on short notice, reacting with neutral jump, forward jump, Iron Muscle, Head Butt, or Double Lariat as needed
• Anti-airing foes who jump in at Zangief
• Plowing through telegraphed or scouted mid-range moves with EX Siberian Express