Dingding123
Smash Journeyman
A quick guide for newcomers to Ken as well as Street Fighter lovers new to Ultimate looking to master Ken Masters' kit! Everything in white is relevant for Ken in general and everything in red is regarding online play:
1.) Target combo &/-> H Shoryuken
Tap A twice quickly while standing next to an opponent, do Street Fighter's uppercut motion and press A a third time and hold it to combo into a H Shoryuken - Ken and Ryu's specials and motion attacks (except Focus) can all can be used immediately after connecting with any basic air or non-smash grounded attack except standing/forward H while alone. This deals 28% damage on its own, works at all %'s, can't be DI'ed out of and Shoryuken is also Ken's best killmove that can even hit the top platform of Battlefield from the bottom. Lol. At lower %'s it can combo from nair or uair before landing. Since Ken is so fast and always faces opponents this is very easy to find openings for! Ken can dash forward and execute this after blocking a heavy hit or out of a Focus counter. H Shoryuken is hilariously good and is not only Ken's best move but one of the best moves in the game! Keep in mind that the L versions of utilt and dtilt are alternative jabs that you can just run up and use infinitely on shields and still potentially combo into Tatsu/motion kick/Shoryuken; Venom has made great use of run up -> dtilts so far in his tournament sets on YouTube.
1a.) Omit jabs online!
Instead of jabs, focus on connecting raw Shoryuken at any% and the neutral H punch &/-> H Shoryuken at low%s and using other tools in neutral when climbing the online ladder. Ken's L attacks are his quickest moves, but pulling them off cleanly online is unfortunately no small feat. I'm currently elite as Ken and used to lose so many matches by constantly being just out of reach of opponents while jabbing like a moron lol. Dash -> immediate forward-to-down A using the forward motion of dashing as part of the attack is a great incremental approach tool. It hits high, contests with other attacks, ends extremely quickly and can block most projectiles. Neutral H while next to opponents is much more reliable of a setup for H Shoryuken at earlier %'s, and the alternative axe kick version of Neutral H has decent range and hits high first and low second. Either version of Neutral H is a killmove at high%s as well. Dsmash online is very worth noting as it is fine on shield from a distance and great at punishing rolls since Ken always faces opponents so long as he isn't in the middle of charging the smash attack.
2.) Half-circle A
Performing Ryu's Fire Hadouken as Ken brings out a quick and powerful long-range roundhouse. Holding A afterwards will cause Ken to follow it up with an axe kick that does not combo from it which is only worth doing for constant hitboxes or shield pressure. The motion can be buffered while dashing, rolling or landing. It can also be performed by omitting the back motion which will keep Ken from dashing in a standing state, but missing the downback motion as well causes Hadouken to come out instead. It is also a good killmove but unfortunately can't gimp as it sends targets diagonally upward.
3.) Fsmash, Fair, Grab & Focus; H Hadouken
These are Ken's best attacks in neutral besides his motion kicks. By "in neutral", I mean specifically before anyone has committed to something punishable. Ken can't combo from throws except for dthrow at low %'s, but grabbing people is fairly easy since he's so fast. bthrow deals a hefty 15% on its own and rolls opponents across the stage; fthrow is quite meaty too. H Hadouken is very worth using when there's a good amount of distance between players, or after launching opponents forward as it can force them to either eat the projectile or give up either a dodge or more stage control. Hadouken can also be used to edgeguard while running offstage as it has decent range and but watch out for accidentally side-B'ing or Shoryuken'ing off the stage! Use Neutral B to be safe!
3a.) Fullhop/shorthop options in neutral
Always prefer fullhops, timed aerials and empty fastfalls to shorthopping in neutral - one of Ken's most useful tools is his air mobility despite having awful air acceleration! Only ever shorthop for guaranteed aerial hits, moving Focus, fishing for H Shoryuken KOs and as an out-of-shield option (keep in mind that bair will easily miss grounded short targets). If you're ever falling on someone's shield with an aerial often, consider buffering Tatsumaki or H Shoryuken just in case you hit it so you don't get grabbed afterwards; Ken is combo fodder in some MU's and Focus only helps so much. Better yet, just empty fastfall and grab or do a motion axe kick! While at the peak of his fullhop, Ken can fastfall while starting the motion for Tatsumaki into a midair falling Tatsumaki; this can catch defensive players offguard and push them to the edge of the stage. Hadouken motion + shorthop -> H Hadouken is also a useful tool but leaves Ken wide open if the opponent closes the gap on foot. Online is a different story - considering the lag, go for either shorthop aerials without fastfalling (SHFFL'ing won't save Ken from getting punished by shield online if he tries to fastfall) or immediate double-jump approaches instead of fullhopping. Regarding Ken's double-jump: his first jump is very much true to his Street Fighter jumps but his second causes him to float up slowly like a floaty character despite being able to quickly come back down with a fastfall, much like Akuma's special jump in his later SF games. This gives Ken a very unique aerial approach that most players can't see coming. Ken's fullhop unfortunately isn't fantastic online where everyone sits around waiting for things to punish, but it can be used for fastfall -> aerial Tatsumaki, and Focus charging in appropriate MU's as well as simply a no-direction airdodge can be used to try to avoid punishes. Also considering the immediate height gain of jumps in Ultimate, Ken's fullhop itself can be used as a dodge in order to try to punish opponents with fastfall -> nair combo or bair for a finishing move.
3b.) Slip-N-Slide Usmash
This has become the newest deadly tool in my arsenal as Ken against slow floaties, partially thanks to the fact that Ken always faces his opponents in 1v1s so it can even crossup! Begin a dash then immediately usmash; Ken will magically slide in the direction of his dash letting his usmash - Ken's most damaging smash attack - have a moving animation. This is a safer anti-air alternative to H Shoryuken that also is a potential killmove. However, even just the end hit of H Shoryuken somehow manages to kill even earlier. If that's not a testament to H Shoryuken's power, I don't know what is!
3c.) Ledge options
While on ledge, consider hopping on and using Focus or hopping up and using Tatsumaki to fly back to center (although Ken's getup attacks are perfectly fine). Alternatively, just get back up regularly and play it out as getting up regularly is fairly fast and tough to react to unless they're standing right at the ledge. "Tournament winner" - simply hopping back onstage from ledge - can potentially be a good option but being stuck in the air above opponents isn't at all what Ken wants. When waiting for an opponent who's on the ledge, generally stick to Hadoukens, shielding next to ledge for usmash/jumping OoS + aerial (watch out for accidentally H Shoryuken'ing yourself offstage!), reading a roll back onstage for an fsmash/H Shoryuken punish or waiting for them to throw their shield up after getting back up and grabbing them again. Unfortunately Ken and Ryu have NO attacks onstage that can hit someone hanging on the ledge!
3d.) Platform options
Falling from platform while opponents are below him aren't Ken's forte as he has no attacks whatsoever that hit below him. Running off platform -> nair/fair/bair is solid but can be punishable; shorthopping diagonally off of platform back towards center is more or less the way to go. If they chase from below, use airdoges liberally; use Focus-> dash cancels as well so long as Focus is relevant in the MU. When below someone on a platform...oh boy. They're in a bad spot haha. Usmash wherever they land for either shield poke or meaty damage. Why people usually sit in shield against Ken is because they're terrified of getting H Shoryuken'd to the moon! Wait out their shield and try to H Shoryuken their escape route. H Shoryuken is a bit safer when landing on platforms but can still get punished; when the trade-off is a kill at 95%, however, it is well worth it to go for it. Ken jumps perfectly to the platforms on Battlefield which is a very nice perk! Online it is very useful to fullhop/fastfall around each platform of Battlefield in-between KOs as it makes Ken quite tough to keep up with, even against the fastest of characters. Also, many people won't see runoff platform -> fastfall fair/bair coming until Ken's done it a lot as it can be done surprisingly quickly. Finally starting matches running to the edge of your platform, short-hopping forward and landing with a fastfalled nair is often a good way to start the match and can lead into standing H -> H Shoryuken!
4.) Neutral H next to opponents &/-> Tatsumaki
Hold A while close to an opponent for an upwards punch, then do a backwards Hadouken to perform Tatsumaki in order to make a clean getaway. This is useful for shield poke as well as regaining center stage and Neutral H can kill at high %'s. Tatsumaki can also be used from ledge for a quick attack that brings him back to center after letting go of ledge and double-jumping. Despite Ken's Tatsumaki being a multi-hit, anything that comes after it is not a combo so be ready to act when the move finishes!
4a.) Forward-to-down A
This attack takes a moment to come out but ends extremely quickly, is Ken's most practical form of a poke tool in neutral and is a way to pile on damage after connecting jabs. This move (as well as half-circle A) stops Ken's movement and can be used at any time during a dash - even the starting frames! Use it to approach incrementally and throw people off in neutral online. Holding A causes an axe kick to come out that combos from it but also has more endlag.
5.) Bair, Axe kicks, Forward H
Ken's other killmoves. Reverse Bair is a great kill option and can combo into a reverse upB if you're quick enough! Sweetspot bair deals a whopping 19.2%! The axe kick from Neutral H while no one's near and also at the end of both forward-to-down A or half-circle A while holding A sends people directly forward; this can KO outright if not gimp them off the side of the stage. Forward H is a heavy punch with an initial hitbox that sends opponents straight forward with even more power than an axe kick but is also fairly tough to land.
Strong basic combos:
41.4%; works until ~40% on most characters:
nair -> target combo -> forward-to-down A (no hold) -> dsmash or half-circle A instead against floatier characters
Alternatively, try fullhop nair and falling on opponents with the end part of the move. It has nearly no knockback and combos into jab!
51.2%; works until ~10% on most characters:
bair -> target combo -> forward-to-down A (no hold) -> dsmash or half-circle A instead against floatier characters
38.6%; works until ~50% on most characters:
bair -> reverse upB (towards opponent)
31.0%; works until ~25% on most characters:
sweetspot fair upon landing -> fair
uair, nair and sourspot fair combo into H Shoryuken until very high %'s.
dair combos into H Shoryuken on grounded opponents, or midair at mid~high %'s in certain situations.
Dair on a grounded target combos into Shoryuken at high %s easily KOs but one might as well try to land raw killmoves at that point.
fullhop -> fastfall nair/back portion of fair -> neutral H -> H Shoryuken has been fantastic online at early %'s.
Back portion of fair -> H Shoryuken upon landing is a kill confirm! Back portion of fair -> motion axe kick nukes a shield and then shield pokes.
Best of luck with Ken Masters in Ultimate!!!!!
1.) Target combo &/-> H Shoryuken
Tap A twice quickly while standing next to an opponent, do Street Fighter's uppercut motion and press A a third time and hold it to combo into a H Shoryuken - Ken and Ryu's specials and motion attacks (except Focus) can all can be used immediately after connecting with any basic air or non-smash grounded attack except standing/forward H while alone. This deals 28% damage on its own, works at all %'s, can't be DI'ed out of and Shoryuken is also Ken's best killmove that can even hit the top platform of Battlefield from the bottom. Lol. At lower %'s it can combo from nair or uair before landing. Since Ken is so fast and always faces opponents this is very easy to find openings for! Ken can dash forward and execute this after blocking a heavy hit or out of a Focus counter. H Shoryuken is hilariously good and is not only Ken's best move but one of the best moves in the game! Keep in mind that the L versions of utilt and dtilt are alternative jabs that you can just run up and use infinitely on shields and still potentially combo into Tatsu/motion kick/Shoryuken; Venom has made great use of run up -> dtilts so far in his tournament sets on YouTube.
1a.) Omit jabs online!
Instead of jabs, focus on connecting raw Shoryuken at any% and the neutral H punch &/-> H Shoryuken at low%s and using other tools in neutral when climbing the online ladder. Ken's L attacks are his quickest moves, but pulling them off cleanly online is unfortunately no small feat. I'm currently elite as Ken and used to lose so many matches by constantly being just out of reach of opponents while jabbing like a moron lol. Dash -> immediate forward-to-down A using the forward motion of dashing as part of the attack is a great incremental approach tool. It hits high, contests with other attacks, ends extremely quickly and can block most projectiles. Neutral H while next to opponents is much more reliable of a setup for H Shoryuken at earlier %'s, and the alternative axe kick version of Neutral H has decent range and hits high first and low second. Either version of Neutral H is a killmove at high%s as well. Dsmash online is very worth noting as it is fine on shield from a distance and great at punishing rolls since Ken always faces opponents so long as he isn't in the middle of charging the smash attack.
2.) Half-circle A
Performing Ryu's Fire Hadouken as Ken brings out a quick and powerful long-range roundhouse. Holding A afterwards will cause Ken to follow it up with an axe kick that does not combo from it which is only worth doing for constant hitboxes or shield pressure. The motion can be buffered while dashing, rolling or landing. It can also be performed by omitting the back motion which will keep Ken from dashing in a standing state, but missing the downback motion as well causes Hadouken to come out instead. It is also a good killmove but unfortunately can't gimp as it sends targets diagonally upward.
3.) Fsmash, Fair, Grab & Focus; H Hadouken
These are Ken's best attacks in neutral besides his motion kicks. By "in neutral", I mean specifically before anyone has committed to something punishable. Ken can't combo from throws except for dthrow at low %'s, but grabbing people is fairly easy since he's so fast. bthrow deals a hefty 15% on its own and rolls opponents across the stage; fthrow is quite meaty too. H Hadouken is very worth using when there's a good amount of distance between players, or after launching opponents forward as it can force them to either eat the projectile or give up either a dodge or more stage control. Hadouken can also be used to edgeguard while running offstage as it has decent range and but watch out for accidentally side-B'ing or Shoryuken'ing off the stage! Use Neutral B to be safe!
3a.) Fullhop/shorthop options in neutral
Always prefer fullhops, timed aerials and empty fastfalls to shorthopping in neutral - one of Ken's most useful tools is his air mobility despite having awful air acceleration! Only ever shorthop for guaranteed aerial hits, moving Focus, fishing for H Shoryuken KOs and as an out-of-shield option (keep in mind that bair will easily miss grounded short targets). If you're ever falling on someone's shield with an aerial often, consider buffering Tatsumaki or H Shoryuken just in case you hit it so you don't get grabbed afterwards; Ken is combo fodder in some MU's and Focus only helps so much. Better yet, just empty fastfall and grab or do a motion axe kick! While at the peak of his fullhop, Ken can fastfall while starting the motion for Tatsumaki into a midair falling Tatsumaki; this can catch defensive players offguard and push them to the edge of the stage. Hadouken motion + shorthop -> H Hadouken is also a useful tool but leaves Ken wide open if the opponent closes the gap on foot. Online is a different story - considering the lag, go for either shorthop aerials without fastfalling (SHFFL'ing won't save Ken from getting punished by shield online if he tries to fastfall) or immediate double-jump approaches instead of fullhopping. Regarding Ken's double-jump: his first jump is very much true to his Street Fighter jumps but his second causes him to float up slowly like a floaty character despite being able to quickly come back down with a fastfall, much like Akuma's special jump in his later SF games. This gives Ken a very unique aerial approach that most players can't see coming. Ken's fullhop unfortunately isn't fantastic online where everyone sits around waiting for things to punish, but it can be used for fastfall -> aerial Tatsumaki, and Focus charging in appropriate MU's as well as simply a no-direction airdodge can be used to try to avoid punishes. Also considering the immediate height gain of jumps in Ultimate, Ken's fullhop itself can be used as a dodge in order to try to punish opponents with fastfall -> nair combo or bair for a finishing move.
3b.) Slip-N-Slide Usmash
This has become the newest deadly tool in my arsenal as Ken against slow floaties, partially thanks to the fact that Ken always faces his opponents in 1v1s so it can even crossup! Begin a dash then immediately usmash; Ken will magically slide in the direction of his dash letting his usmash - Ken's most damaging smash attack - have a moving animation. This is a safer anti-air alternative to H Shoryuken that also is a potential killmove. However, even just the end hit of H Shoryuken somehow manages to kill even earlier. If that's not a testament to H Shoryuken's power, I don't know what is!
3c.) Ledge options
While on ledge, consider hopping on and using Focus or hopping up and using Tatsumaki to fly back to center (although Ken's getup attacks are perfectly fine). Alternatively, just get back up regularly and play it out as getting up regularly is fairly fast and tough to react to unless they're standing right at the ledge. "Tournament winner" - simply hopping back onstage from ledge - can potentially be a good option but being stuck in the air above opponents isn't at all what Ken wants. When waiting for an opponent who's on the ledge, generally stick to Hadoukens, shielding next to ledge for usmash/jumping OoS + aerial (watch out for accidentally H Shoryuken'ing yourself offstage!), reading a roll back onstage for an fsmash/H Shoryuken punish or waiting for them to throw their shield up after getting back up and grabbing them again. Unfortunately Ken and Ryu have NO attacks onstage that can hit someone hanging on the ledge!
3d.) Platform options
Falling from platform while opponents are below him aren't Ken's forte as he has no attacks whatsoever that hit below him. Running off platform -> nair/fair/bair is solid but can be punishable; shorthopping diagonally off of platform back towards center is more or less the way to go. If they chase from below, use airdoges liberally; use Focus-> dash cancels as well so long as Focus is relevant in the MU. When below someone on a platform...oh boy. They're in a bad spot haha. Usmash wherever they land for either shield poke or meaty damage. Why people usually sit in shield against Ken is because they're terrified of getting H Shoryuken'd to the moon! Wait out their shield and try to H Shoryuken their escape route. H Shoryuken is a bit safer when landing on platforms but can still get punished; when the trade-off is a kill at 95%, however, it is well worth it to go for it. Ken jumps perfectly to the platforms on Battlefield which is a very nice perk! Online it is very useful to fullhop/fastfall around each platform of Battlefield in-between KOs as it makes Ken quite tough to keep up with, even against the fastest of characters. Also, many people won't see runoff platform -> fastfall fair/bair coming until Ken's done it a lot as it can be done surprisingly quickly. Finally starting matches running to the edge of your platform, short-hopping forward and landing with a fastfalled nair is often a good way to start the match and can lead into standing H -> H Shoryuken!
4.) Neutral H next to opponents &/-> Tatsumaki
Hold A while close to an opponent for an upwards punch, then do a backwards Hadouken to perform Tatsumaki in order to make a clean getaway. This is useful for shield poke as well as regaining center stage and Neutral H can kill at high %'s. Tatsumaki can also be used from ledge for a quick attack that brings him back to center after letting go of ledge and double-jumping. Despite Ken's Tatsumaki being a multi-hit, anything that comes after it is not a combo so be ready to act when the move finishes!
4a.) Forward-to-down A
This attack takes a moment to come out but ends extremely quickly, is Ken's most practical form of a poke tool in neutral and is a way to pile on damage after connecting jabs. This move (as well as half-circle A) stops Ken's movement and can be used at any time during a dash - even the starting frames! Use it to approach incrementally and throw people off in neutral online. Holding A causes an axe kick to come out that combos from it but also has more endlag.
5.) Bair, Axe kicks, Forward H
Ken's other killmoves. Reverse Bair is a great kill option and can combo into a reverse upB if you're quick enough! Sweetspot bair deals a whopping 19.2%! The axe kick from Neutral H while no one's near and also at the end of both forward-to-down A or half-circle A while holding A sends people directly forward; this can KO outright if not gimp them off the side of the stage. Forward H is a heavy punch with an initial hitbox that sends opponents straight forward with even more power than an axe kick but is also fairly tough to land.
Strong basic combos:
41.4%; works until ~40% on most characters:
nair -> target combo -> forward-to-down A (no hold) -> dsmash or half-circle A instead against floatier characters
Alternatively, try fullhop nair and falling on opponents with the end part of the move. It has nearly no knockback and combos into jab!
51.2%; works until ~10% on most characters:
bair -> target combo -> forward-to-down A (no hold) -> dsmash or half-circle A instead against floatier characters
38.6%; works until ~50% on most characters:
bair -> reverse upB (towards opponent)
31.0%; works until ~25% on most characters:
sweetspot fair upon landing -> fair
uair, nair and sourspot fair combo into H Shoryuken until very high %'s.
dair combos into H Shoryuken on grounded opponents, or midair at mid~high %'s in certain situations.
Dair on a grounded target combos into Shoryuken at high %s easily KOs but one might as well try to land raw killmoves at that point.
fullhop -> fastfall nair/back portion of fair -> neutral H -> H Shoryuken has been fantastic online at early %'s.
Back portion of fair -> H Shoryuken upon landing is a kill confirm! Back portion of fair -> motion axe kick nukes a shield and then shield pokes.
Best of luck with Ken Masters in Ultimate!!!!!
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