Ryu (SSB4)

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Ryu in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Street Fighter
Availability	Downloadable
Final Smash	Shin Shoryuken / Shinku Hadoken

“	Here Comes A New Challenger! Ryu	”
—Introduction tagline

Ryu (リュウ, Ryū) is a playable character and newcomer in Super Smash Bros. 4 as the fourth downloadable character. First leaked through datamining of the 1.0.6 update, Ryu would ultimately be revealed as DLC, and was released alongside Lucas and Roy on June 14th, 2015. Ryu is one of the four third party characters in the game along with Sega's Sonic, Bandai Namco's Pac-Man, and Capcom's Mega Man and was the fourth third party character to be revealed in the game.

Like in Street Fighter IV and its update versions, Ryu is voiced by Hiroki Takahashi in Japanese and Kyle Hebert in English.

Attributes

Ryu's controls are unique in the Smash series, and attempt to emulate the control scheme of his home series: the strength of his attacks depend on how long the attack button is pressed (tap for a weak attack, and hold for a strong attack), and his neutral, side and up special moves can be inputted using half- and quarter-circles plus either attack button for stronger variations. Generally, his tapped tilts are good at chaining with one another due to their low knockback and speed, which gives him a unique combo-based damage racking ability which works by keeping opponents in hitstun before knocking opponents away by ending any combo chain with a finisher (typically a held tilt attack or inputted special move), similar to the combos in his home series. Additionally, all of Ryu's special attacks (sans his down special) gain benefit from using his unique button inputs, as they do more damage and knockback or have additional effects when done with inputs compared to just with the special button, making mastery of his button inputs imperative if the player wishes to deal higher damage and knockback at all times, especially since they can also be used as a reliable finisher for his tilt combo chains.

Ryu's moveset hence rewards players who know how to reliably use his special inputs and chain them together, and he excels at grounded combos that overwhelm opponents with quick, low knockback attacks that can be mixed up with his multiple special moves.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%, 5%, 5% (tapped), 10% (held)	Tapped: Ryu does a jab, cross, then a hook. Tapping the button without Ryu hitting anything makes him repeat the first hit as fast as the player can tap. His weak attack combo is based off his standing light attack, close medium punch and standing hard punch in that order from Street Fighter IV. Held: Ryu does a roundhouse kick. Can KO beginning at 125%. The held attack is based off his standing heavy kick in Street Fighter II.
Forward tilt		Collarbone Breaker (held)	6% (tapped), 3%, 4% (held)	Tapped: Ryu lifts his right leg and kicks, sending the opponent up diagonally. Good for following with a dash attack at low percents. Based off Ryu's standing medium kick in Street Fighter IV. Held: Collarbone Breaker: Ryu winds up his right fist before punching downwards, hitting twice quickly. Deals high damage to shields, designed to break them, but the attack's startup makes it difficult to use on quick fighters. A tapped up tilt can lead into this move.
Up tilt			2% (tapped), 12% (held)	Tapped: Ryu does a quick shoulder blow that can repeat as fast as the player can tap. Can chain into itself due to its speed, and can lead into many of Ryu's moves for a quick finisher. Based off of Ryu's close standing light punch in Street Fighter IV. Held: Ryu does an uppercut. An easy finisher for his tapped up tilt. KOs at 152%. Based off of Ryu's close standing heavy punch in Street Fighter IV.
Down tilt			1% (tapped), 7% (held)	Tapped: Ryu quickly kicks the opponent's feet. Can be repeated as fast as the player can press, similar to his other tap tilts. If used on a prone fighter, they will be popped back onto their feet, allowing Ryu to continue combos on them for extended periods of time. Based off Ryu's crouching light kick in Street Fighter II. Held: Ryu does a crouching kick, similar to his crouching medium attack in the original Street Fighter II. Despite having low power, it can be immediately cancelled into a special move only if Ryu hits the opponent or his shield, allowing Ryu to pressure his opponent. Shoryuken combos well with this tilt.
Dash attack			12% (main), 8% (late)	Ryu deals a leaping sidekick. Based off of his original jumping medium and heavy kick in the Street Fighter Alpha/Zero games. For a dash attack, it has high base knockback, and it can reliably combo into many of his tap attacks as a finisher. KOs at 140%.
Forward smash		Joudan Sokutogeri (上段足刀蹴り, "High-Level Leg Blade Kick")	16% (close), 17% (far)	Ryu performs the Joudan Sokutogeri, a powerful wind-back kick with his right leg while moving a step forward that is derived from Street Fighter III. It has the highest range of all his standard attacks, able to hit opponents 2 character lengths away from him, but has noticeable endlag. Deals slightly more damage and knockback when hit with Ryu's heel; it is Ryu's strongest standard attack if the heel connects. KOs at 110% with the heel, and 120% anywhere else.
Up smash			17%	Ryu performs a crouching uppercut, based off his crouching heavy punch in Street Fighter. Makes his profile smaller while attacking, making this a good anti-air. Slight endlag, and doesn't have much horizontal reach. A good finisher for his tap combos. KOs at 130%.
Down smash			16% (close, 15% (far)	A sweeping kick along the ground, sending opponents at a strong diagonal angle. Unlike most down smashes, this only hits in front of Ryu. Quicker than his other smash attacks, with more range than his up smash but less than his forward smash, making it his safest smash attack at a distance. Deals mediocre knockback, however, KOing at 190%. A good finisher for his tap combos, like his other smashes. Based off of Ryu's crouching heavy kick in Street Fighter IV.
Neutral aerial			8% (main), 4% (late)	Ryu does a short ranged punch close to his body with his right fist. Its limited range is benefited by the move's function as a sex kick. Based off of Ryu's jumping light punch in Street Fighter II.
Forward aerial			15% (early), 13% (late), 8% (sourspot)	A classic Street Fighter flying kick, based on Ryu's jumping heavy kick. The foot has high launching power, while the upper leg (sourspot) deals less damage, but high shield damage. A good combo move, and a powerful offstage finishing option. KOs at 190% onstage.
Back aerial			16%	Ryu does a reverse roundhouse kick behind him. Ryu's strongest aerial finisher, though it has a small hitbox. KOs at 115%. Based off on Ryu's neutral jumping heavy kick from Street Fighter IV.
Up aerial			5%, 6%	Ryu deals a left-handed uppercut that hits twice. Despite its looks, it has a good vertical range, and is reliable at catching opponents above Ryu. KOs at 155%. Based off of Ryu's jumping medium punch in Street Fighter IV.
Down aerial			15% (sweetspot), 11% (sourspot)	Ryu quickly punches downwards, similar to his neutral aerial except he uses his left fist and the attack has more range. Hitting with the attack's sweetspot (his fist when it comes down) is one of the few meteor smashes that powerfully sends opponents diagonally downwards; the sourspot sends the opponent diagonally upwards. One of the fastest meteor smashes in the game, and its angle of knockback can send opponents flying offstage if they're standing near the edge. However, it is hampered by its short range and sweetspot, which requires opponents to be right near Ryu's chest. Hitting opponents with the sourspot can also give them an easier time recovering, as it sends them upwards. Based off of Ryu's jumping heavy punch from Street Fighter IV.
Grab			—	Ryu holds his stance and reaches out with his right hand.
Pummel			2%	Ryu knees the grabbed opponent with his right knee.
Forward throw			9%	Ryu quickly spins and tosses the opponent over his shoulder. If the opponent doesn't react, this throw can lead into a down aerial meteor smash at medium percentages. KOs at 260%.
Back throw			12%	Ryu lies down on the floor and throws the opponent backwards with a judo throw. Heavy opponents can be knocked back onto their feet with a tapped down tilt, then thrown again. KOs at 215%.
Up throw			8% (throw), 15% (kick)	Ryu sends the opponent flying with an axe kick from his left leg before kicking downwards. The throw KOs at 210% and can combo into an aerial attack at low percentages. The downwards kick can damage opponents, dealing much more knockback than the throw itself (KOing at 115% at the middle of the stage).
Down throw			9%	Ryu throws the opponent on the ground and elbows them, sending them in front of him at low percentages. Combos well into aerial attacks and a Shoryuken until medium percentages, where thrown opponents fly too high to get hit.
Floor attack (front)			7%	Ryu kicks behind, then in front of him. Based off of Ryu's crouching heavy kick from Street Fighter III.
Floor attack (back)			7%	Ryu kicks around himself.
Floor attack (trip)			5%
Edge attack			7%	Ryu crawls up onto the stage, then kicks forward, similar to his get up attack.
Neutral special	Default	Hadoken	5-6% (standard), 6-7% (input), 7-8% (Shakunetsu)	Ryu quickly charges and releases a blue projectile which deals low damage and knockback. Only one Hadoken can be in play: attempting to shoot another results in a puff of smoke. Holding down the special button increases projectile speed and damage slightly. Three versions of the move can be released, two with directional input: a small blue Hadoken (only special button), a minutely stronger and larger Input Hadoken (down, down-forward, forward and attack/special), and a red flaming Shakunetsu Hadoken that hits multiple times (a downwards semicircle towards the direction Ryu stands, then attack/special). Combos well into his tapped tilt attacks, and is mainly used to rack up damage. Shakunetsu Hadoken deals some shield damage, though not to the extent of his Collarbone Breaker.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Side special	Default	Tatsumaki Senpukyaku	8-9% (close and unheld), 12% (held), 10% (input, unheld), 13% (input, held)	Ryu's signature spinning kick, which sends him forward like a top towards one direction, acting like a moving sex kick. Holding down the special button increases damage and distance, and gives the attack more knockback. Using an Input Tatsumaki Senpukyaku (down, down-back, back, attack/special) increases damage and distance even further and makes the move a decent KO option. The move can be used as a good horizontal recovery and does not cause helplessness, but can only be used once in the air without touching the ground. Can be a high risk, high reward approach option.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Up special	Default	Shoryuken	13% (unheld), 15% (held, input unheld), 18% (input, held)	Ryu jumps and performs his powerful signature uppercut while announcing "SHORYUKEN!!". Holding the special button increases damage and distance. An Input Shoryuken (forward, down, down-forward, attack/special) deals even more knockback and damage, and grants Ryu invincibility and no landing lag penalty. A held Input Shoryuken is Ryu's most powerful vertical KO option, and is also his main vertical recovery move. Ryu becomes helpless once he performs the move.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Down special	Default	Focus Attack	12% (uncharged), 17% (fully charged)	Ryu holds a stance while emitting a black ink-like aura, before unleashing a concentrated punch that crumples opponents where they stand with a lengthy stun animation if charged for more than half a second. Ryu can followup with any attack while the opponent is stuck in the animation. Ryu gains super armor that can withstand a single hit while charging; a second hit will interrupt the move. He can also cancel the move by tapping left or right twice to dash a set distance either forward or backward while charging to shrug off strong attacks before retaliating, or if the attack connects, which is called a Focus Attack Dash Cancel; if the punch misses, Ryu will be unable to cancel the move. If the move connects on an airborne opponent they will instead by knocked away with some heavy hitlag. The move's charge is indicated by Ryu flashing during the startup. With no charge, the attack will knock away opponents. At half a second, the attack will crumple an opponent, while a fully charged Focus Attack will deal more damage and crumple the opponent for longer. While the Focus Attack cannot block grabs and is countered by multi-hit attacks, it is a useful tool for baiting opponents and punishing.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Final Smash		Shin Shoryuken / Shinku Hadoken	41% (Shin Shoryuken), 29-30% (Shinku Hadoken)	A Final Smash that varies depending on range: at point blank, Ryu traps the opponent in a Shin Shoryuken, a three-hit combo that sends the victim flying with an extra-powerful Shoryuken. At any other range, Ryu unleashes the Shinku Hadoken, a large Hadoken that sucks nearby opponents into it before dragging them a distance and exploding. Shin Shoryuken has much higher KO potential against a single target, while Shinku Hadoken has more range and reliably affects more targets.

Ryu's special moves

Neutral special	Hadoken
Side special	Tatsumaki Senpukyaku
Up special	Shoryuken
Down special	Focus Attack
Final Smash	Shin Shoryuken / Shinku Hadoken

Taunts

• Turns away from the camera and tightens his headband, while stating "Come on!"
• Ryu holds his fist forwards, and declares "Talk is cheap!"
• Stomps on the ground and grunts while in the Ansatsuken fighter's pose.

Idle Poses

• Adjusts his gloves.
• Wriggles the fingers on both hands, then crosses his arms and pumps them.

Victory Fanfare

A techno remix of Street Fighter II Victory Theme.

Victory Poses

• Slings his bag over his shoulder while saying "The journey has just begun".
• Winds back and does a pose with his right fist facing the camera, saying "Give it your all!". The pose is identical to his Street Fighter IV win animation.
• Punches two times before doing a victorious uppercut, while saying "Your range is one fist short". The uppercut is a reference to one of his more recurring win poses, where he lifts a fist in the air triumphantly.

Alternate costumes

Reveal Trailer

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Ryu's reveal video contains many references of past Street Fighter games:

• The beginning of Ryu's reveal trailer is a remake of the intro to Super Street Fighter II.
• Part of his trailer shows him using the Tatsumaki Senpukyaku and Shoryuken while being pushed by Mario's F.L.U.D.D. This references Ryu's ending in Street Fighter II where he trains by continually performing Shoryukens under a waterfall.
• The final words Ryu uses in the video, "You must defeat my Shoryuken to stand a chance", is a correct translation of his win quote in Street Fighter II, and a phrase which was famously mistranslated as "You must defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance": Sheng Long was a mistranslation of Shoryuken, and the name was famously suggested by Electronic Gaming Monthly (who a decade later would create the equally notorious Melee Sonic and Tails rumor) to be a secret character in-game, which it was not.
• Additionally, Ryu's poster artwork is illustrated by AKIMAN, the character designer for Street Fighter II. It is also a direct imitation of a piece of promotional art for that game.

Trophies

Ryu

Ryu visits from the Street Fighter series! Ryu’s fighting style is based on karate, but he’s mixed in some other martial arts to make his own unique style. In Smash, he will perform either weak or strong attacks depending on if you press or hold down the buttons. His special attacks also have three power levels!

Ryu makes his Super Smash Bros. debut! His fighting style is based on a form of karate, but he's mixed in some other martial arts to make his own unique style. Here his attacks can be weak or strong depending on whether you press or hold the buttons. Each of his specials have 3 levels of power using the same method.

Ryu (Alt.)

Ryu’s Focus Attack move lets him withstand a blow and then counterattack.The longer you hold it, the longer your enemies will be stunned if you hit them. If it hits a standing enemy, the enemy will become defenseless. When that happens, cancel your Focus Attack and unleash a sick combo!

Ryu's down special, Focus Attack, allows him to withstand a single attack and then unleash a counter. The longer you hold the button, the longer a standing enemy will be stunned if you hit them. An enemy in the air will fall slowly, defenceless. When that happens, cancel the Focus Attack and go for the knock-out!

Shin Shoryuken / Shinku Hadoken

Use this attack when Ryu is far away from an enemy to unleash a Shinku Hadoken that penetrates through the stage. But if you use it when Ryu is close to an enemy, he’ll unleash a Shin Shoryuken uppercut attack. When it hits, Ryu will follow up with his other fist and launch the opponent up, up, and away!

Ryu's Final Smash takes on two different forms depending on how close Ryu is to the enemy. If he's farther away, he'll use Shinku Hadoken, a move that pulls in any enemies nearby. If closer, he'll instead use Shin Shoryuken. He'll hit the enemy once with a powerful uppercut, then follow it up with the other fist to finish the job!

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  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Shin Shoryuken

Gallery

• 

  Splash art

• 

  Artwork of Ryu from the official site.

• Ryu Luigi Shin Shoryuken.gif

  Shin Shoryuken used on Luigi on Suzaku Castle.

• 
• 

  Focus Attack.

• 

  Shinku Hadoken.

• 

  Shoryuken.

• 
• 

  Collarbone Breaker.

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  Shin Shoryuken.

• 
• 

  Shakunetsu Hadoken.

• 

  Joudan Sokutogeri.

Trivia

A screenshot taken from the English site on the top, and the Japanese site on the bottom.

• Ryu's "Challenger Approaching" image on the official website says "HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!" instead of the usual "WARNING! CHALLENGER APPROACHING!", a reference to the fact that when a player is doing single-player in Street Fighter games, another player can join any time, which the game will interrupt with the aforementioned tagline. Interestingly, this is done in English even on the Japanese site, where "参戦！！" is normally used.
  • The mobile version of Ryu's page on the official website is in Japanese no matter what language is set, likely due to a glitch.
• Ryu's attributes generally follow the mechanics of his franchise:
  • He the only fighter in the series who can perform special moves without ever using the special button; he can perform them using only the standard attack button, thanks to his unique button inputs.
  • All of Ryu's attacks make the sound effects from Street Fighter II if landed (This also applies to the copy ability Kirby obtains from Ryu). His shield also makes a unique sound if hit, and a perfect shield uses the parry sound effect from Street Fighter III.
    • This makes Ryu the second character to use different sound effects, the other being Snake (who, by coincidence, is another third party character).
  • Ryu's low air friction is possibly a nod to jumps in the Street Fighter franchise, which follow an arc and cannot be made to change direction once done.
  • Ryu's tapped and held inputs are a reference to Street Fighter I, where the player had to hold the button for stronger attacks, or tap for weaker attacks.
• The kanji written on Ryu's obi are "風林火山", or "fūrinkazan", a Japanese expression meaning something along the lines of "As fast as the wind, as quiet as a forest, as daring as fire, and as immovable as a mountain", in reference to The Art of War. These same kanji appear on the signs along Suzaku Castle.
• Ryu is the first and only character in the entire series with two Final Smashes.
• Ryu is one of the four characters to use different voice clips when using any of his smash attacks (except his forward smash). The other three being Wii Fit Trainer, Rosalina, and Roy.
  • Additionally, Ryu and Roy are the only two characters to use different sound clips when using battering items.