Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Luigi can break a stock open off one grab, but his movement and mid-range neutral are much weaker, so Ryu has the advantage if he controls the pace with Hadoken and low grounded buttons. The key is refusing to stay in shield at Luigi’s grab range and respecting the threat of up B or Cyclone while still keeping the close-range initiative once Ryu gets in. Neutral should revolve around Hadoken checks, walk spacing, down tilt, collarbone kick, and nair so Luigi keeps losing stage before he ever reaches his preferred scramble. Kills come cleanly from close confirm Shoryuken, bair, and upper-body anti-airs at the ledge, so there is no reason to rush in from afar and hand Luigi the one touch he wants.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Ryu OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 2 | -13 |
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| Jab 2 | 3 | -12 |
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| Jab 3 | 6 | -19 |
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| Forward Tilt | 5 | -18 |
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| Up Tilt | 5 | -15 |
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| Down Tilt | 5 | -2 |
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| Dash Attack | 4/8/12/16/25 | -17 |
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| Forward Smash | 12 | -18 |
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| Up Smash | 9 | -20 |
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| Down Smash | 6/14 | -20/-12 |
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| Neutral Air | 3 | -3/-5 |
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| Forward Air | 7 | -9 |
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| Back Air | 6 | -5/-6 |
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| Up Air | 5 | -2/-4 |
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| Down Air | 10 | -8/-8 |
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| Z Air | 14 | -2 |
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| Neutral B | 17 | -17 |
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| Side B | 22 | -23 to -13/-10 |
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| Up B (1) | 8 | -79/-99 |
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| Up B (2) | 6 | ** | ||
| Down B | 10…/40 | -40 |
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| Grab | 14 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 16 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 17 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Use Hadoken to stop Luigi’s grounded approach and keep him from entering grab range first.
- After down tilt, collarbone kick, or nair connects, stay close enough to threaten anti-airs and Shoryuken rather than letting Luigi reset.
- On shield, punish the openings on jabs, forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack, the smashes, fair, dair, neutral B, side B, up B, and down B whenever they appear.
- Do not run the same pressure sequence into Luigi’s guard every time; mix delayed strikes to catch mash Cyclone or panic escape attempts.
- At kill percent, cover the ledge retreat and jump with bair or Shoryuken, and always cash out hard when Luigi’s up B is blocked.
Actions to Avoid
- Staying planted in shield right in front of Luigi. One grab is worth too much damage and often the stock, so that “safe” choice becomes disastrous in this matchup.
- Treating Focus Attack as the answer to every scramble. Luigi’s multi-hit pressure and Cyclone can beat that plan and steal back the momentum immediately.
- Jumping in from far away to start the air battle. Luigi’s nair and uair are fast enough that Ryu often loses the landing trap position he should have been holding.
- Giving up close-range advantage entirely just because up B exists. The mix is real, but if Ryu backs off every time, Luigi gets repeated chances to re-enter with the grab threat.