Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup is more stable for Hero when he stops Ryu’s grounded advance with sword range and Zap spells instead of trying to jump over every Hadoken, because predictable jumps are exactly what Ryu wants to anti-air with up tilt, aerials, and Shoryuken.
The frame table shows clear punish points on Ryu’s jabs, forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack, Neutral B, and Side B, where Hero can reliably answer with Up B (3f), OOS Uair (9f), or Grab (10f).
By contrast, Ryu’s neutral air, forward air, back air, and up air are mostly safe, so swinging immediately after shielding them often feeds right back into down tilt pressure or a high-damage Shoryuken confirm.
Hero’s cleanest win condition is to survive the midrange approach game, push Ryu to ledge first, and then use fair, dair, and Zap pressure to squeeze the jump, airdodge, and linear recovery path all at once.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Hero OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 2 | -10 |
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| Jab 2 | 3 | -21 |
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| Jab 3 | 8 | -21 |
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| Jab (1) | 7 | -19 |
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| Jab (2) | 9 | -13 |
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| Forward Tilt (1) | 3 | -20 |
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| Forward Tilt (2) | 8 | -8 |
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| Forward Tilt (3) | 15/17 | -13 |
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| Up Tilt (1) | 3 | -8 |
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| Up Tilt (2) | 7 | -19 |
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| Down Tilt (1) | 2 | -9 |
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| Down Tilt (2) | 6 | -15 |
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| Dash Attack | 7 | -22 |
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| Forward Smash | 15 | -19/-18 |
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| Up Smash | 9 | -24 |
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| Down Smash | 5 | -25 |
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| Neutral Air | 4 | -1/-2 |
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| Forward Air | 8 | -7/-6, -7/-6 |
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| Back Air | 8 | -4/-5 |
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| Up Air | 6/9 | -8/-8 |
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| Down Air | 8 | -10 |
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| Neutral B | 12 | -27/-28/-28, -26/-25/-25 |
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| Side B (1) | 8 | -40—-72/-35/-67/-65, -38—-70/-33/-64/-63 |
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| Side B (2) | 8 | -62 to -61, -61 to -60 |
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| Up B | 6 | ** | ||
| Down B | 11 (+21), 11(+31), 11(+59) | -33, -34, unblockable |
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| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 9 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not auto-pilot jumps over Hadoken. Use sword range and Zap spacing to slow Ryu’s grounded approach and avoid volunteering for his down tilt range.
- Punish Ryu’s jabs, forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack, Neutral B, and Side B on block with Up B, OOS Uair, or Grab whenever spacing allows it.
- Respect shielded neutral air, forward air, back air, and up air. Reset space first, then catch the landing or the next grounded burst instead of mashing immediately.
- Once Ryu is offstage, cover the jump, airdodge, and linear recovery route together with fair, dair, and Zap pressure rather than overcommitting deep.
- Only open Command Selection when Ryu has already been launched or forced offstage. Do not insert menu startup into close-range pressure.
Actions to Avoid
- Repeatedly jumping over Hadoken on the same rhythm and letting Ryu farm anti-airs.
- Letting Ryu’s grounded strings, dash attack, Neutral B, or Side B go unpunished after you block them.
- Pressing Command Selection or a slow aerial right after shielding Ryu’s safe air buttons and getting clipped by down tilt into damage.
- Chasing too far offstage and turning Ryu’s desperate recovery swing into a reversal.