Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Ryu becomes extremely dangerous once fireball lets him start down tilt, close jab, up tilt, and Shoryuken confirms, so Joker loses the exchange value war whenever he plants himself in front of Ryu on the ground. Joker should use Gun, Eiha, retreat movement, and lateral air drift to shift the fireball spacing first, then punish Ryu’s forward walk and grounded entries with fair, bair, and dash grab.
The table shows that jab strings, forward tilt (1)(3), up tilt (2), down tilt (2), dash attack, all smash attacks, Neutral B, Side B (1)(2), and Focus Attack are punishable on shield by OOS uair (8f) through up smash (10f). By contrast, nair, bair, and low fair are not stable instant punishes, so Joker gets more by covering the landing or the next grounded approach instead of forcing a scramble right away.
Joker wins the setplay when Ryu is forced above him or toward ledge, where the landing trap and ledge trap keep reducing the chances for grounded confirms into Shoryuken. Stocks are more repeatable when Arsene bair and up smash finish from ledge pressure, while Gun helps narrow the getup routes, rather than overchasing offstage into Ryu’s rising hitboxes.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Joker 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 stand still at fireball range. Use Gun, Eiha, retreat steps, and lateral air drift to shift where Ryu can safely walk and confirm.
- After blocking jab strings, forward tilt (1)(3), up tilt (2), down tilt (2), dash attack, any smash attack, Neutral B, Side B (1)(2), or Focus Attack, always cash out with OOS uair (8f), then use grab (10f), OOS fair (10f), OOS bair (10f), or up smash (10f) when spacing allows.
- Do not force instant retaliation on nair, bair, or low fair. Track the landing, repeated down tilt route, or fireball cancel reset and punish the second step instead.
- Once Ryu is airborne, keep the juggle going and deny him the grounded reset that leads back to low-commit confirms and Shoryuken.
- Close stocks through ledge pressure with Gun, bair, and up smash, and let Arsene amplify that sequence instead of turning every stock into an offstage chase.
Actions to Avoid
- Standing directly in front of Ryu and trying to react after the fireball is already out, giving him the exact grounded spacing he wants.
- Accepting point-blank scrambles after contact and feeding down tilt confirms or anti-air up tilt into Shoryuken.
- Swinging every time against nair, bair, or shallow fair and creating a punish window for Ryu because the answer never truly reached.
- Forcing deep offstage chases during Arsene and giving Ryu’s rising recovery hitbox or bair the chance to reverse stage control.