Up smash now starts up much faster than before. Although this is unsafe on block, this move has always been an important tool in Cloud's arsenal. His dash attack now functions as a much better kill option. Ryu and Ken have been made to be more consistent, but their weaknesses will probably keep them from dramatically affecting the meta.Ĭloud's buffs are fairly significant looking. Having said that, both of the Street Fighter reps will likely still struggle at the highest level of play since their approach options are still problematic. There are now perfectly legitimate reasons to pick Ryu over Ken and vice versa. Since these buffs are actually more beneficial to Ryu, their power levels have been equalized a little better. They can also approach zoning characters marginally better thanks to the side special invincibility.īefore this latest update, Ken was - for the most part - the superior choice over Ryu. Overall, both characters will now be rewarded a little better for getting in on opponents (especially Ryu). The Shakunetsu Hadoken's multi-hitting properties will now connect more reliably too. This helps to emphasize Ryu's fireball game over Ken more. This helps them deal with camping a little better.įinally, Ryu's neutral special projectile now induces more shield stun. Additionally, both characters now have added partial invincibility to their legs while traveling on the ground. In the case of Ken, his side special's multiple hits will now connect more reliably. Combined with the heavy down tilt change, Ryu now has a very consistent kill confirm added to his arsenal that doesn't rely on hitting with short ranged tilts, jabs, or the focus attack. Ryu's side special has received a damage and knockback increase. Now certain combos work a little more consistently. Previously, certain character's wouldn't be hit by a special cancelled fireball after hitting with the tilt. Their heavy down tilts now send opponents at a different angle. This particular buff supplements their combos, pressure, and shield break setups. At this point, the Street Fighter reps Ryu and Ken are probably the two characters that have received the most plentiful buffs since the game was first released.Īs of version 7.0.0, Ryu and Ken are now both able to special cancel their down smash attacks on hit and block.