Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
The matchup is decided by whether Ken can force his way into jab and Down Tilt range before Young Link gets to loop bow, boomerang, and bomb often enough to pin him in place.
Young Link controls mid-range and landing traps very well while staying hard to pin down in the air, but his light weight means that once Ken gets one clean entry the damage and kill conversion can snowball immediately into Shoryuken ranges.
As the table shows, Jab 1-3, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, uair, Up B (1), and Neutral B’s punishable ranges all lose to Up B (5f), OOS Uair (8f), or Up Smash (9f). By contrast, nair, fair, bair, Z Air, and Side B are mostly not real shield punish spots, so solving the matchup from block alone is much worse than stepping in before the next projectile reset.
The win condition is to use walk shield and carefully mixed jumps to break the first layer of zoning, then keep the combo route tight all the way to ledge and finish early against Young Link’s light body with Shoryuken or ledge pressure.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Ken OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -10 |
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| Jab 2 | 6 | -7 |
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| Jab 3 | 6 | -25 |
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| Rapid Jab | 3/5/7 | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 4 | -37 |
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| Forward Tilt | 10 | -12/-13 |
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| Up Tilt | 9 | -14 |
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| Down Tilt | 8 | -7/-8/-10 |
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| Dash Attack | 8 | -16 |
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| Forward Smash (1) | 15 | -27 |
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| Forward Smash (2) | 11 | -30 |
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| Up Smash | 10/25/41 | -22 |
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| Down Smash | 9/21 | -31/-33/-20/-21 |
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| Neutral Air | 4 | -2/-3 |
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| Forward Air | 14/24 | -3/-2 |
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| Back Air | 6/18 | -3/-3 |
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| Up Air | 5 | -9 |
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| Down Air | 13 | Bounce: ** | Fast Fall: -11/-12 |
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| Z Air | 9 | -3 |
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| Neutral B | 14—47 | -16 to -10 |
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| Side B | 27 | -8 to -4 |
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| Up B (1) | 9… | -17 |
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| Up B (2) | 8/12/16/19/22/26/31/39/47 | — | ||
| Down B | 17 | — | ||
| Grab | 12 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 14 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 15 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Ken should not take the full three-projectile wall head-on and should mix walk shield with short jumps until Down Tilt range is finally established.
- After blocking Jab 1-3, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, any smash attack, uair, Up B (1), or Neutral B in punishable ranges, Ken should always take the turn with Up B (5f), OOS Uair (8f), Up Smash (9f), or Grab (10f).
- After blocking nair, fair, bair, Z Air, or Side B, Ken should avoid forcing retaliation and instead keep walking forward to delay Young Link’s next projectile setup or landing reset.
- Once Ken gets the opening, he should not spread damage thin and should route straight from jab or Down Tilt into special confirms, corner carry, and an early Shoryuken or ledge finish.
Actions to Avoid
- Staying in front of the projectile wall for too long and letting chip damage plus landing traps pile up before Ken ever gets inside.
- Swinging after every blocked nair or fair and getting clipped by drift mixups or the next aerial.
- Rushing into a big read too early after finally getting in and letting Young Link escape before the light-body punish is finished.
- Chasing too far offstage and giving Young Link’s air drift and projectile angles a chance to turn the edgeguard back around.