Ken

Ken
The old and long time rival of Ryu. He is an excellently skilled fighter, but
however he does not always concentrate on the fight. His girlfriend(well now
wife) is one of the obvious reasons, he constantly thinks about her and just
wants to spend time with her. Ken does however, have a great fighting spirit he
has taught himself how to master his own Dragon Punch and that's arguably the
only move he has out mastered Ryu. With his quick speed and lightning fast
attacks he hopes he can someday best Ryu, and that his Shouryuken can out last
his Hadouken.

Character Quotes

"Handsome and cheap... Can you compete with that?"
"I had better challenges back in the day..."
"I've beaten the best, and you're not even close!"
"My feet need exercise... Get up!!"
"So now you know what it feels like to be a loser!"
"Washing my boat would've been a better workout!"
"You had no chance against me, but maybe Sean...?"
"You've got a lot to learn before you beat me!"


Hadouken: D,DF,F+P
Well this isn't the projectile that it was in X-Men vs. Street Fighter but it
still has decent range to say the most. This projectile only goes half screen's
distance and can be used in the air as it goes down a 45 degree angle in the
air. The only real problem with this move is the fact that it plays useless in
the keep away department and old keep awayers like Cyclops and Ryu will have no
sweat contesting. This projectile has been given more width though, but I
really don't see how that helps.


Shouryuken: F,D,DF+P
This is quite possibly the best anti-air counter. This moves combos off
anything that Ken has and the recovery time for an anti-air attack move is
remarkable. This does alot of damage and has alot of horizontal range for an
anti-air attack and Ken is the only Shatoken that can used it as an AC
Finisher. All of Ken's Shouryuken's light the opponent on fire no matter what
button you use and also the stronger the button used the more the hits on the
ground.


Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku: D,DB,B+K
This is quite possibly the strongest hurricane kick among the Shatokens. This
move has been drastically changed from X-Men vs. Street Fighter, instead of it
going completely horizontal it goes diagonally upwards and it ends in an Axe
Kick that knocks the opponent down. The short version should be used the most
and especially against dashing opponents, this move sorta looks like an auto
combo now and it does look a little more flashier. Just watch for the recovery
time on this move because the opponent will have ample time to counter.


Overhead Axe Kick: F+FK
Well basically all Shatokens have an anti-crouch counter and if you don't have
one than your probably not a Shatoken(Dan!). Like all anti-crouch counters it
has a mean start up delay and cannot be comboed or comboed afterwards like you
can in SFA2. This does a fair amount of damage and also it leaves Ken open to
attack if he misses with it.


Supers

Shouryuu Reppa: D,DF,F+2P
Possibly one of the fastest supers in the game. It comes out extremely fast and
combos like magic. It does good damage and does alot of chipping damage, use
this to counter missed supers or counters, the real problem with this super is
that it bounces the opponent too often and its not as reliable countering air
attacks like the Hyper Stars n' Stripes or Shadow Justice. With this problem an
airborne opponent hit with this super can block after a few hits and this super
is exactly like the Messatsu Gou Shouryuu and with a heavy recovery time and is
push blocked easily. The one bonus about this move is that it is invincible
during start up and will go through anything, except beam supers of course. The
major downside to this move is that against bigger characters like Hulk, Shuma
Gorath, or Blackheart is the fact that the opponent falls before Ken does and
it gives them time to counter, but Zangief for some reason feels the full
effect of it and will get launched into the air.


Shinryuken: D,DF,F+2K
This is by far Ken's strongest super and it does a major amount of damage and
it chips alot of it as well. Ramming hte button works real well, but that's if
you want the extra hits, but it doesn't really add more of a punch to it then
you think. This can be used as an anti-air counter and Ken is completely
invincible while this move and nothing will penetrate the tower of fire. This
combos perfectly off of his launcher and it will hit opponents that are near
him, and it comes out just as fast as his Shouryuu Reppa. Just watch for the
recovery time on this move though because it practically sucks.


Shippuu Jinra Kyaku: D,DB,B+2K
Well we've all seen it in MArvel vs. Capcom, Street Fighter 3, and Street
Fighter Alpha 3, and its exactly the same no matter where you see it. This
super doesn't come out as fast as his Shouryuu Reppa not does it chip as much.
It does an excellent amount of damage, and the damage is in between the
Shinryuken and Shouryuu Reppa. The really reliable thing about this move is
that it can counter air borne opponents with more reliability and won't bounce
the opponent around like his Shouryuu Reppa. Once it connects Ken sets the
opponent on fire as he continously kick the opponent and bring them up in the
air and smacks them down with an Axe Kick. Ken will only fly in the air if it
connects, and the max hits you can get is 14, so don't go ramming on the
buttons expecting to see more hits, because frankly you won't.
Well if you are interested here's how it looks like:

S.Forward(one-hit), S.Forward(two-hits), S.Roundhouse, S.Forward(two-hits),
S.Roundhouse, --> Shien Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku

The Shien Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku hits 7 times ending with an Ane Kick.


Double Shinkuu Hadouken: D,DF,F+FP+RK(D,DF,F+P+K same strength)(level 2)
In the arcade, Saturn, and Crossover Mode you can perform the team super by
using the Fierce ad Roundhouse button, but in battle and versus mode you
perform the motion bysing the same punch and kick strength. Well if Ryu is his
partner and it doesn't matter who starts the team super just as long as Ryu and
Ken are partners they will perform this deadly team super that does monster
damage and it chips nicely as well, Ken or Ryu can easily combo in this team
super. It has little start up delay and almost no recovery time making this a
safe move to use.


Team Super

Ken: Shouryuu Reppa/Shinkuu Hadouken(with Ryu as partner only)
A good team super overall because of its range and chipping potiential. It does
good damage and easily backs up most supers, and works really well with beam
supers. Also it works perfectly with Shouryuu Reppa type supers like the Shadow
Justice or Hyper Stars n' Stripes. Ken can only use his Shinkuu Hadouken if Ryu
is his partner, the double Shinkuu Hadouken does a ton of damage, but the
chipping damage is not all that great.


Team Counter

Ken: Shouryuken
An excellent team counter overall. It does alot of damage and it invincible
during start up and will counter alot of attacks and basically any super
besides beam supers. Use this often against jumping characters because it has
alot of priority and will beat out almost any attack.


Variable Assist

Ken: Shouryuken
Well its not the best team attack, but it is effective against jump in
characters. You can't combo after this super due to the fact that Ken knocks
away the opponent. It is a good surprise move on jump in opponents though.

Combos

Combos: 83/100
Supers: 84/100
Overall: 85/100
Ken, despite being changed drastically from the last game he still plays like
he does in XSF in terms of combos. He has the fastest speed of all the
Shatokens and his supers are quick enough to counter without being blocked as
often. He has a very dominating launcher and has excellent priority on his
attacks. His jump in attacks are pretty weak though. He is an excellent
beginner's character though.

Special:
236P / 214K / 623P

Super:
236PP / 236KK / 214KK

Casse Garde Bas: 6 MK
Ground Magic Series: Stronger
Jumping Magic Series: Stronger
Super Jumping Magic Series: ZigZag
Launcher: C.HP
Strikes: S.HK
Small launcher: none
Air launcher: none
Knockdowns: C.HK
Team Super: Shouryuu Reppa
Team Counter: Shouryuken
Variable Assist: Shouryuken
AC Finisher: Fierce, Roundhouse, Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku, Hadouken, Shouryuken


1. J.HP --> Hadouken
2. D.S.LP, S.HP --> Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku
3. J.HK \/ S.HP --> Shouryuu Reppa
4. J.HK \/ C.HK --> Shouryuu Reppa
There is a real problem with this combo though, the opponent will be able to
block after the first few hits, so it is a bit risky.
5. D.S.LK --> Shinryuken
6. D.C.LK, C.HP --> Shinryuken
7. J.HK \/ C.HP /\ SJ.LP, SJ.MP, SJ.MK --> AC Finisher
8. J.LP, J.MP \/ D.S.LP, S.MK, S.HP --> Shouryuu Reppa
Let the standing forward double hit, but against smaller characters cancel
into the fierce after the first hit of the forward.
9. J.LP, J.MP \/ D.S.LK, S.MK, C.HP --> Shinryuken
Like the one above, cancel into the fierce after the first hit against
smaller characters.
10. J.LP, J.HP \/ D.S.LP, S.MP, S.HP --> Shippuu Jinra Kyaku
11. J.LP, J.HP \/ D.C.LK, C.MK, C.HP /\ SJ.LP, SJ.LK,
SJ.MP, SJ.MK --> AC Finisher
You may have to skip the forward against medium and smaller characters.
12. In corner: J.LP, J.MP \/ D.C.LK, C.MK, C.HP -->
Shinryuken, C.LK, S.MP, S.HK(OTG)
Once again you may have to skip the forward against medium and smaller
characters, once the super connects, immediately OTG the opponent as you get
down.


EX Combos

1. J.LP, J.MK \/ D.S.LP, SJ.MP, S.HP --> Hadouken --> Shoryuu
Reppa --> Team Super

2. J.HK \/ D.S.LP, S.HP --> Shouryuu Reppa --> Shippu Jinra Kyaku
--> Shinryuken

__________
Strategies

Akuma: Well your counterpart will give you some trouble since he combos alot
like you do. Watch for hims to miss with his Messatsu Gou Shouryuu, counter
that with your crouching fierce launcher into an air combo or a Shinryuken.
Wait for Akuma to come to you because your defense can overwhelm his offensive
skills. Don't miss with your supers though because you can always expect a
Messatsu Gou Hado.

Apocalypse: Well not much trouble here. Use a crouching short, crouching
forward, crouching roundhouse, Hadouken combo. Also you can use your Shouryuu
Reppa if you want, but stick with the Shinryuken when you are near him or go
for a team super. Do alot of Tatsumkai Senpuu Kyaku's to his face and don't let
him retaliate because he can recover alot of his life back from Ken's attacks.

Armored Spider-Man: Tough, tough battle for Ken. His overwhelming speed and
combo ability will amaze you. But don't let his abilites fool you into letting
Ken think he is unstoppable. Use your crocuhing fierce launcher to knock him
into the sky and into an air combo whenever he jumps in because he has nothing
he can do to stop you. Watch for his Maximum Spider, don't immedaitely counter
with a Shouryuu Reppa instead dash in on him and perform a crouching short,
crouching forward into the Shouryuu Reppa, so he won't be able to block after
the first couple of hits. Jump in on him with your jumping roundhouse because
mostly all of other Ken's attacks lack priority.

Blackheart: Well watch for this guy to drop alot of demons on you and using the
Inferno. If he misses with the Inferno, immediately dash in and perform either
an air combo or Shouryuu Reppa. Watch for his supers, push block his
Armageddon, and his other supers Ken really can't do much, this is where
Blackheart has the advantage, all of Ken's supers leave him open to attack, all
of Blackheart's supers leave Blackheart just fine. In this battle do alot of
jumping in and comboing him don't play much defense though because he will
counter with those demons into a Judgement Day.

Captain America: Tough battle. Jump in on him alot and don't hold back, and
definately don't miss with your supers because Captain America will counter
them very easily. Counter his missed Hyper Stars n' Stripes with your
Shinryuken or an air combo. Counter both his missed Final Justice and Hyper
Charging Star with a Shouryuu Reppa. Launch him when he tries to come in for an
attack and combo him.

Chun-Li: Not much of a tough fight. Watch for her to dash in alot, if you can
anticipate it, use your Shouryuu Reppa, if not use your crouching roundhouse in
advance to trip her. Watch for her to miss with his Senretsu Kayku, counter
that with a short Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku or a Shouryuu Reppa, counter her
missed Hazan Tenshou Kyaku with your Shinryuken or an air combo. Also when she
misses with her Kikousho, quickly dash in and combo your Shouryuu Reppa, you
may want to play defensive in this battle because her launcher will out
prioritize you.

Cyber Akuma: The toughest fight for Ken. Watch for Cyber Akuma to do alot of
teleporting, if you can anticipate as to where he will land, use either your
Shouryuu Reppa or Shippu Jinra Kyaku to counter. Don't jump in too often
because you will be knocked back by a Shining Circuit Shouryuken. Counter his
missedScramble Gou Punch with your Shinryuken or an air combo, and do not let
him land, otherwise your opportunity will be wasted. Play alot of defense in
this battle.

Cyclops: Not too tough of an opponent. Watch for his cheap keep away tactics,
jump over them, don't block them, otherwise you will lose too much chipping
damage. Jump in on him often and combo him since he has poor defensive skills,
also launch him whenever he tries to jump in on you, but basically the only
threat in this battle that you have to worry about is the fact that he will
play a keep away game with you.

Dan: Well this guy is more of joke, than of a Challenge. Thing only thing you
have to worry about is his launcher. Try not to jump in on him to much because
he will out prioritize you. Watch for him to miss with many of his supers,
counter his missed Shinkuu Gadouken with your Shouryuu Reppa, counter both his
missed Kouryuu Rekka and Hisshou Buraiken with your Shinryuken. Let him jump in
on you if he is constantly launching you, and launch him with your crouching
fierce into an air combo or Shinryuken.

Dark Sakura: Well overall this battle is pretty easy. Watch for her to miss
alot with her Shouken, use your Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku to counter, unless she
does the jab version, then launch her into an air combo or Shinryuken.
Constantly put an offensive surge in this battle because her attacks really
can't counter much since due to the fact that they are so slow. Watch for her
to miss with her Haru Ichiban, counter that with a Shinryuken, also counter her
missed Midare Zakura with your dashing attacks into either an air combo or
Shouryuu Reppa.

Dhalsim: Well there really isn't much of a secret to beating this guy. Watch
for Dhalsim to use his Yoga Strike often, counter that with either your jumping
attacks, or if he does it out of nowhere, quickly get near him and use your
Shinryuken. Jump in often and perform alot of combos on this guy to make this
match a short one. Just don't miss with your supers because Dhalsim himself has
firepower as well...a Yoga Inferno that is!

Hulk: Tough match. Never use your Shouryuu Reppa unless you are sure it will
finish him off otherwise he will counter even harder. Watch for his Gamma
Charge, use your Shippuu Jinra Kyaku against him to counter. You Shippuu Jinra
Kyaku in this match is probably your main weapon, sice if you connect it won't
leave you so open to attack. Don't try to jump in too often because he will
just counter with his launcher, instead play defense and knock him out of the
sky with your jab Shouryuken.

Ken: Well your double can pose some major pains for you. But in this match play
defense and launch him every time he tries to jump in on you and just launch
into either an air combo or your Shinryuken. Counter both his missed Shinryuken
and his Shouryuu Reppa with your Shinryuken, and his missed Shippu Jinra Kyaku
with your Shouryuu Reppa or your Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku. Watch for him to use
alot of Shouryukens out of nowhere in this battle, counter them with your
dashing attacks into air combos or Shouryuu Reppa.

M.Bison: Well this battle isn't too hard. Watch for his Scissors Kick Nightmare
and counter with your Shouryuu Reppa. Also he will use his Psycho Shield alot,
if you can predict as to when he will use it, use your Shouryuu Reppa to
counter his mistake. Also do alot of jumping in and comboing this guy because
he can do very little about it. Watch for him to use his Psycho Crusher, if he
does block it and let it go through you and quickly counter with a Shippuu
Jinra Kyaku.

Mechanized Zangief: This battle can be a real problem for Ken due to the fact
that he has alot of difficulty keeping this guy away, even using your
Shouryuken will result in an automatic counter because even if Ken connects
with this move he will still get knocked out of it by Mech Zangief's jumping
attacks. Never use your Shouryuu Reppa against him, for two reasons, it does
little damage against him and it leaves you open for a serious counter, namely
the Final Atomic Buster! When he does go for his grabs, quickly jump around him
and use a crouching short, crouching forward, crouching roundhouse, Hadouken
method. Stay away from this guy at all costs because a few quick grabs and you
can find Ken short on a victory.

Mephisto: Well watch for this guy to drop alot of demons on you and using the
Inferno. If he misses with the Inferno, immediately dash in and perform either
an air combo or Shouryuu Reppa. Watch for his supers, push block his
Armageddon, and his other supers Ken really can't do much, this is where
Mephisto has the advantage, all of Ken's supers leave him open to attack, all
of Blackheart's supers leave Mephisto just fine. In this battle do alot of
jumping in and comboing him don't play much defense though because he will
counter with those demons into a Judgement Day.

Norimaro: This is not a tough fight at all. Do alot of jumping in and combo the
crap out of this guy until his glasses fall off. He is not worth anybody's
time, and counter his missed supers with your Shouryuu Reppa, and his missed
Super Grand Champion Jump with your Shinryuken. Don't bother playing defense
because this battle should end very quickly when playing against him, so play
offense and knock him senseless!

Omega Red: Well the real thing you have to worry about his is Omega Destroyer.
Also do alot of jumping in on this guy and comboing him because his launcher
sucks as an air defense. If he does jump in on you use your crouching fierce
launcher into either an air combo or your Shinryuken. If he does miss with his
Omega Destroyer there isn't much Ken can do about it except block or try to
avoid it by super jumping. You can miss with your Shippu Jinra Kyaku because he
has trouble trying to counter that, but never miss with your other supers
because that's basically why most Ken players lose to this guy.

Ryu: Well show your rival that you are better than he is. Let him come in to
you and launch him with your crouching fierce into either an air combo or
Shinryuken. Try not to jump in on him too often because he does have potent
weapons to bounce you back. Never miss with your supers because you can expect
a Shinkuu Hadouken to bring you out of the battle. Counter his missed Shin
Shouryuken with your Shinryuken or your crouching fierce launcher into an air
combo. Avodi throwing out projectiles from a range because he can fry you with
his Shinkuu Hadouken, and also avoid his projectiles and jump over them.

Sakura: This battle isn't too hard for Ken. Watch for her to miss with her
Shouken though, use your short Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku to counter. Jump in on
her often and combo her and counter her missed Haru Ichiban with either an air
combo ro your Shinryuken. Counter her missed Shinkuu Hadouken with your
Shouryuu Reppa, and that goes the same for her missed Midare Zakura. Don't
bother playing defense because your offense will just over power her and this
fight should be a short one.

Shadow: This battle is one of the tougher battles in the game for Ken. He plays
almost like you in terms of combos. Watch for him to miss with his Shadow
Justice, counter that with you Shinryuken or your crouching fierce launcher
into an air combo. Don't jump in on him too often because he will counter alot
of your attacks with his crouching fierce launcher. His others supers that he
pulls off, Ken really can't do much about them since due to the fact that he
recovers instantly from them, so don't try to counter with a super. Play
defense in this battle and avoid too much jump ins.

Shuma Gorath: Well this isn't a hard fight for Ken. Watch for Shuma Gorath to
do alot of Mystic Stares and Mystic Smashes. There isn't much Ken can do about
them except jump or try to avoid the block damage. Jump in on him often and
combo the crap out of him. Watch for his Chaos Dimension, do your best to stay
away from him once he activates it. If he does jump in on you launch him with
your crouching fierce launcher into either an air combo or a Shinryuken. Try
not to use your Shouryuu Reppa on him because he can counter with a Chaos
Dimension grab.

Spider-Man: Tough, tough battle for Ken. His overwhelming speed and combo
ability will amaze you. But don't let his abilites fool you into letting Ken
think he is unstoppable. Use your crocuhing fierce launcher to knock him into
the sky and into an air combo whenever he jumps in because he has nothing he
can do to stop you. Watch for his Maximum Spider, don't immedaitely counter
with a Shouryuu Reppa instead dash in on him and perform a crouching short,
crouching forward into the Shouryuu Reppa, so he won't be able to block after
the first couple of hits. Jump in on him with your jumping roundhouse because
mostly all of other Ken's attacks lack priority.

U.S.Agent: Tough battle. Jump in on him alot and don't hold back, and
definately don't miss with your supers because U.S. Agent will counter them
very easily. Counter his missed Hyper Stars n' Stripes with your Shinryuken or
an air combo. Counter both his missed Final Justice and Hyper Charging Star
with a Shouryuu Reppa. Launch him when he tries to come in for an attack and
combo him.

Wolverine: Tough, tough match. Watch for him to dash in alot and perform alot
of combos, if you can anticipate them hit him with either your Shouryuu Reppa
or crouching roundhouse before he comes in. When he misses with his Fatal Claw
combos, don't wait for him to drop, instead dash in and use your Shinryuken to
knock him out of the sky. Also when he misses with his Berserker Barrage X, use
your Shouryuu Reppa to counter his miss. In this battle play alot of defense
and launch him with your crouching fierce launcher into either an air combo or
your Shinryuken whenever he tries to jump in and combo you.

Zangief: Well one thing's for sure, and that is stay away from his throwing
range. Also when he does go for his Final Atomic Buster, Siberian Bear Crusher,
or Team Super, use your Shouryuu Reppa to counter. He can't land before Ken for
some reason even though the other bigger characters do. Also jump in on him
often and combo him because he is too slow to counter most of Ken's jumping
attacks. Just stay away from his grab range in this battle.


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