Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup is decided by whether Min Min can keep Ken outside forever with arm swings and Dragon laser, or whether Ken can walk-shield his way into Jab and Down Tilt range at least once.
Min Min is heavily favored while the fight stays outside. Long arm normals, Up Smash, Neutral Air, and Up Air punish reckless jumps and dashes, and Ken’s linear side recovery is much easier for Min Min to harass than the other way around.
The tradeoff is that Min Min’s close-range scramble and panic options are much weaker, and the table shows Jab 1-3, Rapid Jab Finisher, every Forward Tilt follow-up, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, Down Air, and Up B (2) are all broadly punishable through Up B (5f), with OOS Uair (8f), OOS Nair (9f), and Up Smash (9f) also available. Once Ken is in, the damage and kill threat swing hard in his favor.
The winning plan is to avoid turning Hadoken into a long-range duel, hold center while advancing behind shield, convert one grounded opening into Shoryuken percent, and then keep squeezing ledge and landing pressure with Up Smash and grounded movement instead of overchasing offstage.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Ken OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 5 | -15 |
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| Jab 2 | 8 | -20 |
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| Jab 3 | 6 | -23 |
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| Rapid Jab | 6/8/10… | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 7 | -28 |
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| Forward Tilt (1) | 14 | -31 |
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| Forward Tilt (2) | 14 | -29 |
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| Forward Tilt (3) | 14 | -31 |
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| Forward Tilt (4) | 14 | -30 — -34 |
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| Up Tilt | 5 | -31/-30/-29 |
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| Down Tilt | 10 | -18/-17 |
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| Dash Attack | 7 | -23 |
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| Forward Smash (1) | 16 (40) | -32/-29/-30 (-35) |
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| Forward Smash (2) | 16 (40) | -31/-31/-29 (-34) |
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| Forward Smash (3) | 16 (26) | -32/-31 |
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| Forward Smash (4) | 16 | -28 — -34 |
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| Up Smash | 8 | -35/-34 |
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| Down Smash | 6 | -33/-32 |
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| Neutral Air (1) | 10 | -8 |
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| Neutral Air (2) | 10 | -6 |
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| Neutral Air (3) | 8 | -9 |
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| Neutral Air (4) | 14 | -7 |
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| Up Air | 7 | -5 |
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| Down Air | 15 | //-20 |
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| Up B (1) | ** | ** | ||
| Up B (2) | 12 | -31 |
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| Down B | 1 | ** | ||
| Grab | 18 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 18 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 18 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not jump at the arm wall on autopilot. Advance with walk-shield and small spacing adjustments, and use Hadoken only to interrupt re-spacing rather than to settle into a pure projectile war.
- After blocking Jab 1-3, Rapid Jab Finisher, any Forward Tilt follow-up, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, any smash attack, Down Air, or Up B (2), punish immediately with Up B (5f) first, and add OOS Uair (8f), OOS Nair (9f), or Up Smash (9f) when spacing allows.
- Once Min Min reaches the ledge, stay onstage. Use Up Smash, grounded walk pressure, and shield traps to cover jump, airdodge, and neutral getup instead of trying to chase Arm Hook deep offstage.
- At kill percent, reduce center-stage callouts and finish through Jab or Down Tilt into Shoryuken, ledge pressure, and landing traps with Up B and Up Smash. Save Focus more for close-range kick scrambles than for forcing through max-range arm swings.
Actions to Avoid
- Trying to clear the arm wall in one big jump and drifting straight into Min Min’s Up Smash, Neutral Air, Up Air, or extended anti-air coverage.
- Staying too long in a full-screen Hadoken exchange and letting Min Min chip away while Ken never reaches the range that actually matters.
- Chasing Arm Hook or offstage drift too deep and turning Ken’s own side recovery into the real target.
- Blocking Jab 1-3, Rapid Jab Finisher, Forward Tilt follow-ups, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, smash attacks, Down Air, or Up B (2) but failing to take the punish, which gives Min Min a full reset back to long range.