Returning to dish out ki blasts and spinning kicks alike, Street Fighter 6 brings back one of its original heroes, Ryu. An all-around fighter with an intuitive play style, Ryu is an excellent fighter for novice and expert players alike. Armed with a wide variety of melee martial arts and ki blasts that can be effective at all ranges, Ryu is ready to take on any fighter in Street Fighter 6.
While easy to learn, knowing how to properly execute the strategies in Ryu's repertoire will increase his lethality, making him a near-unstoppable force. This guide will cover the best strategies and combos to use as Ryu to secure victory.
Strategies for Ryu
Ryu excels at controlling the close to mid-range areas, utilizing his ki blasts and melee counters to open up an opportunity to lock down his opponent and dish out extreme damage.
- Take it to the corner. In most matchups, players will want to be aggressive from the start, taking advantage of Ryu's unique moves' short recovery and cancel capabilities. Using Hashogeki or Tatsumaki to push enemies to the corner can allow Ryu to lock them down with successive attacks.
- Learn his basic counters. Ryu has a good variety of basic punches and kicks that can counter the start-up of enemy combos, responding with the right move can significantly negate incoming damage.
- Become a Hadoken master. As Ryu's most reliable and furthest-reaching form of damage, quickly throwing a Hadoken to counter ki blasts or catching your opponent off guard with two or three Hadokens in rapid succession can be the deciding factor in the victory.
Ryu's Move List
Ryu has 19 total moves in his kit (excluding common moves). While he does share many special moves with his long-time friend, Ken, Ryu has a much more developed repertoire of unique melee combos, that can open up the opportunity for devastating damage.
Move | Description | Type |
Shinku Hadoken | A highly lethal Hadoken that cannot be destroyed by other ki blasts | Special Art 1 |
Shin Hashogeki | An enhanced Hashogeki that can be charge for increased damage | Special Art 2 |
Shin Shoryuken | A powerful double Shoryuken combo that hits an opponents vitals | Special Art 3 |
Hadoken | Street Fighter's signature ki blast | Special Move |
Shoryuken | A powerful upward uppercut that can counter aerial attacks | Special Move |
Tatsumaki Senpu-kyaku | A succession of roundhouse kicks knocks the opponent back | Special Move |
Aerial Tatsumaki Senpu-kyaku | An aerial Tatsumaki capable of hitting opponents from behind | Special Move |
High Blade Kick | A forward-moving thrust kick | Special Move |
Hashogeki | Release concentrated ki directly to the front | Special Move |
Denjin Charge | Surrounds Ryu with the Power of Nothingness, enhancing his next Hadoken or Hashogeki | Special Move |
Collarbone Breaker | An overhead attack that cannot be blocked while crouching | Unique Attack |
Solar Plexus Strike | A strong forward-moving strike with incredibly fast recovery | Unique Attack |
Short Uppercut | A fast uppercut that can be canceled | Unique Attack |
Axe Kick | A high kick that can be canceled into special moves | Unique Attack |
Whirlwind Kick | A far-reaching body kick | Unique Attack |
High Double Strike | A high-hitting melee combo | Unique Attack |
Fuwa Triple Strike | A three-part combo that knocks enemies back | Unique Attack |
Shoulder Throw | Grab your opponent and throws them forward | Throw |
Somersault Throw | Grab your opponent and throw them back, switching sides | Throw |
Ryu's Best Combos
As an all-around fighter, players willing to experiment with different tactics will find there are multiple ways to achieve victory as Ryu; however, his most effective combos will involve locking enemies down with close-range physical attacks and finishing with one of his signature ki blast attacks.
Basic Combo: Solar Plexus Strike + Solar Plexus Strike + Hadoken
Classic Controls | Modern Controls |
Forward + Heavy Punch, Forward + Heavy Punch, Down, Down-Forward, Forward + Punch | Cannot be done on Modern Controls |
A great close-range combo. Catch the enemy off guard with two Solar Plexus Strikes, then take advantage of the fast recovery to unleash a Hadoken.
Intermediate Combo: Light Punch + Drive Dash + Drive Kick + Fuwa Triple Strike
Classic Controls | Modern Controls |
Forward + Light Punch, Forward, Heavy Kick, Medium Punch, Light Kick, Heavy Kick | Cannot be done on Modern Controls |
A powerhouse damage combo that is highly effective in the corner. Open with a light punch (while inputting forward), then tap forward again to consume drive gauge and unleash an empowered heavy kick, followed by the Fuwa Triple Strike melee barrage.
Advanced Combo: Short Uppercut + Hashogeki + High Blade Kick + Shin Hashogeki (Charged)
Classic Controls | Modern Controls |
Back + Heavy Punch, Down, Down-Back, Back + Punch, Down, Down-Forward, Forward + Kick, Down, Down-Back, Back, Down, Down-Back, Back + Kick (Hold) | Cannot be done with Modern Controls |
An incredibly punishing combo requiring expert inputs and timing, start by closing the gap to your enemy and locking them with a short uppercut. Cancel into a Hashogeki, and follow up immediately with a High Blade Kick to connect at the perfect distance and maximize damage. While your opponent is recovering (or still falling, depending on the distance to the wall) charge up a Shin Hashogeki and release it at the perfect time for an obliterating finale.
Tips for Winning as Ryu
Players who are looking to make the most of Ryu will want to master his unique attack melee combos along with their timing and cancel capabilities.
Here are some advanced tips for playing Ryu:
- Learn the match-ups. Ryu has great potential against all fighters on the roster, but knowing the basic fighting style of the enemy fighter is crucial to determining whether to push the enemy to the corner and wail or to keep distance and zone with ki blasts.
- Use knockdowns to charge. Ryu's Denjin Charge can significantly increase the output of his combo attacks but leaves him temporarily vulnerable during the charging process. Learning Ryu's knockdown attacks and their recovery timing will allow players to charge safely while their opponent recovers.
- Sneak the low kick. Most of Ryu's punch and kick attacks do not have a very long reach, a fact that can be abused by fighters like Marisa. Ryu's low kick reaches a bit further than the rest of his basic moves, making it a great defensive and offensive move to catch fighters who get too close off guard.
- Use ki blasts as much as possible. Take advantage of the quick recovery timing on Ryu's unique attacks to sneak in bonus damage at every opportunity.
How to Counter Ryu
With such a versatile kit, there are not many fighters in the game that have a significant advantage against Ryu; however, since he maximizes his damage effectiveness in the short to mid-range, there are two tactics that do give players an edge when fighting Ryu. Zoning fighters like JP, Guile, or Dhalsim that can excel at dealing high damage from long range can poke down Ryu's health while preventing him from getting in range to effectively return damage. Additionally, fighters like Zangrief and Marisa that can tank through Ryu's attacks and out-damage him in close range will shut down a Ryu who is not playing incredibly smart and cautious.
Street Fighter 6 is available now on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.