Ryu Street Fighter 6 guide: Master the Hado in your own way cover image

Ryu Street Fighter 6 guide: Master the Hado in your own way

Is fighting the heart of battle? Find out with our Ryu Street Fighter 6 guide!

Ryu is the fighting game blueprint. Like Mario is for the genre of platformers, so too is the basis for all that came after based on this Street Fighter OG. However, the oldest of dogs can learn plenty of new tricks. So is the case with the Shoto Master in the newest iteration of the Street Fighter franchise. Therefore, it's that time yet again: A Ryu Street Fighter 6 guide to help you learn all of his new ins and outs.

Ryu is still very much the same character from past games in the franchise. And yet, his Street Fighter 6 version has a number of new tricks that give an advantage to a fighter that almost everyone knows by heart.

Anyways, let's dive into the heart of battle and figure out what Ryu is all about in Street Fighter 6!

Ryu Street Fighter 6 guide: The legacy

Ryu is the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series, first appearing in the original Street Fighter. He is an experienced martial artist, highly focused on his training, aiming to become the strongest he can.

If you've ever picked up a fighting game then you have Ryu to thank. Not only is he the first fighting game character, but his rock-paper-scissors style of gameplay is the literal basis for the entire genre. There's a really fantastic theory breakdown from the New York University on the direct line drawn from rock-paper-scissors to Street Fighter that is worth glancing at as well.

<em>Ryu's early days, as portrayed in Street Fighter V</em>.
Ryu's early days, as portrayed in Street Fighter V.

And that's all Ryu. Standing still? Hit em with a fireball. Try to jump over the fireball? Blast em with a dragon punch. Block that? Time to use a throw. Beauty in simplicity.

As for Ryu himself, the origins of the character start with the origins of the franchise and Street Fighter. First released in arcades in August of 1987, Ryu was the default player-character. From there, he's been in every Street Fighter game and more than a few crossover titles.

Ryu trivia time!

  • Of all the Street Fighter characters, the two with the most appearances in fighting games is Ryu and Chun-Li. However, only Ryu and Ken have been in every Street Fighter installment.
  • Despite the long and weird history of the franchise, Ryu is one of only two Street Fighter characters to canonically beat M. Bison, with the other being Charlie Nash.
  • Ryu loves walking barefoot, even if he can afford shoes. In fact, the story of Ryu's potential poverty is a long-discussed aspect of his character. Early on, fans assumed he was destitute and wandering the earth, with battle being his reward. However, writers for Street Fighter have confirmed over time that he actually is quite rich, as traveling the world isn't free. His way of making money? Betting on himself in fights and taking up dangerous jobs, such as club bouncing.
  • Ryu's full name is Ryu Takegami, though his family name is only ever referenced in the Capcom arcade quiz game Quiz and Dragons.
  • According to former Street Fighter head producer Yoshinori Ono, Ryu has an acute fear of spiders. How does he ever fight Juri?

Ryu in Street Fighter 6: New tricks, same Shoto

As quoted in the Street Fighter 6 tutorials for Ryu: "With a set of familiar, intuitive moves that facilitate a consistent playstyle, Ryu is an excellent choice for everyone from beginners to experts." And for good reason, as Ryu's style and special moves are burned into the brains of almost anyone who has ever played Street Fighter.

Ryu's style is all about projectiles, anti-airs, and moves that push his body forward while providing a balance of offense and defense. The line between a good and bad Ryu player comes down to observational skills and controlling the mid-range area. A good Ryu knows how to react to an opponent's mistakes and capitalize on openings while providing constant pressure.

Ryu is one of those fighters that is so dangerous that the mere act of walking forward is a threat in and of itself. In addition to his typical special moves of the Hadoken fireball, Shoryuken dragon punch, and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku hurricane kick, he also has a new/old special. The former "donkey kick" from past games makes a return with new properties. Now called the High Blade Kick, it allows Ryu to create space while also potentially sending them straight into the corner.

Strengths:

  • The basis for every fighting game character; teaches fundamentals
  • Well-rounded: No uneven matchups
  • Mid-range: Can keep opponents at bay in the center of the screen with ease
  • Corner pressure: Has strong corner presence, able to keep opponents locked down
  • Juggles: Easily able to juggle opponents, has some of the easiest combos in fighting games

Weaknesses

  • Predictable: Everyone knows what Ryu wants to do, almost as constant as gravity
  • Not always beginner-friendly: More useful combos take practice and muscle memory
  • Risky: his new Denjin charge means he has to find a moment to stop what he's doing and activate it.

Let's run down all of his special moves.

Ryu Street Fighter 6 movelist

A note on annotation: We will be using the fighting game numeric annotation, where each press of the directional pad has a corresponding number assigned to it. This is universal to all fighting games and provides an easy shorthand. Below is the annotation. All moves listed are for Classic Mode controls.

Additionally, we will use the following input shorthand:

  • LP/MP/HP - Light Punch, Medium Punch, Heavy Punch
  • LK/MK/HK - Light Kick, Medium Kick, Heavy Kick
  • PPP - All punch buttons
  • KKK - All kick buttons
  • PP - Any two punch buttons
  • KK - Any two kick buttons

Hadoken

236+LP/MP/HP

The most basic move in fighting games, and the core component of Ryu's kit. This is a one-hit projectile with the speed changing based on which strength of punch pressed. The drive version of this move causes two hits, while the Denjin version of both the normal and drive version do increased damage, hits, and stun.

Best uses:

  • To lock down opponents
  • Conditioning the enemy to jump
  • As a combo-ender
  • To create space and buy time

Shoryuken

623+LP/MP/HP

A vertical uppercut and the perfect anti-air, Ryu's Shoryuken--and its shout--is iconic. We've all been continually hit by the dragon punch at least once in our lives, and this is the guy to thank. Excellent as a jump-in counter, hard to punish if wiffed, and always a viable combo-ender option. However, it is easy to bait out and punish.

Best uses:

  • Punishing players who like to jump
  • Easy to combo into from normals
  • Plays into the rock-paper-scissors style of throwing a fireball, then uppercutting

Tatsumaki Senpukyaku

214+LK/MK/HK

We may not always know how to say it, but we certainly know what the "hurricane kick" does. Moving Ryu across the screen, the Tatsu is a combo-ender as well as a reliable move to find space. Also usable in the air as an anti-air or punish. The Tatsu leaves Ryu incredibly open and vulnerable if blocked, so use appropriately.

Best uses:

  • The end of a combo
  • As an anti-air counter
  • To get pure damage

High Blade Kick

236+LK/MK/HK

Ah, the old "donkey kick." Added as a move for Ryu sometime after the Street Fighter Alpha era, the High Blade Kick now finds new like in Ryu's Street Fighter 6 kit as a go-to juggle. All normal versions of the move place your opponent in a juggle state, while the drive version performs a wall bounce in the corner. Prepare a dragon punch-follow-up if you land one of these in the corner.

Best uses:

  • To start big-damage combos
  • Forces the opponent into the corner, fast

Hashogeki

214+LP/MP/HP

A curious and new addition to the Ryu kit, the Hashogeki is essentially a melee-range fireball. Able to nullify one-hit projectiles and put your opponent in a juggle-state when used as a counter-hit. This move has a high block advantage, so it's a fantastic pressure tool that you can use to bully your opponent--especially when using drive cancels.

Best uses:

  • Counters projectiles
  • Not punishable on block
  • Great pressure tool for pushing your opponent

Denjin Charge

22P

Yet another new move? The Denjin Charge is actually one of Ryu's V-Skills from Street Fighter 5, which allows him to empower the next special move he uses. Being charged changes each of his fireballs and charges up the next fireball-based move (Hadoken, Hashogeki, Shinku Hadoken) into a more powerful Denjin version. Denjin projectiles are two-hit attacks and break armor, as well as act as punish counters.

Best uses:

  • Increase damage
  • Makes your projectiles more dangerous to block

Ryu Street Fighter 6 guide: Super Arts

Level 1 Super: Shinku Hadoken (and Denjin version)

236236P

Ryu's first Super Art is the Shinku Hadoken, a five-hit projectile with armor break properties. The strength of the punch button does not affect the power. The Denjin version of the move does an additional 400 damage.

Critical Art: Shin Shoryuken

236236K

The big uppercut returns in all of its glory. The same start-up as the dragon punch, the Shin Shoryuken is a cinematic version that does different damage based on if the movie-version of it hits or not. If used as a glancing blow or counter-attack then you'll get the bare-bones version. This move does break armor, as well as act as a punish counter.

Ryu's appearances in Street Fighter and other fighting games

  • Street Fighter
  • SF II (and all iterations)
  • Street Fighter Alpha 1-3
  • SF III (and all iterations)
  • Street Fighter IV (and all iterations, including Evil Ryu)
  • SF V (and all iterations)
  • Street Fighter 6
  • Capcom vs SNK (and all iterations)
  • Puzzle Fighter
  • Marvel vs Capcom (and all iterations)
  • X-Men vs Street Fighter
  • Capcom vs Tatsunoko
  • Street Fighter x Tekken
  • Project X Zone (Capcom/Sega tactics RPG)
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
  • Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid

We'll have more for this Ryu Street Fighter 6 guide in the coming weeks! Look out for the release of Street Fighter 6 on June 2.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for esports news and Street Fighter 6 info.