Continuing the SF? Ryu Exhibition (Evo2k9+OHN8) writeup, here are the next ten combo explanations.

1:50 / SFA2 While everything juggles within a Custom Combo, that first hit has to connect on its own merit. Ryu’s j.MP has enough juggle potential to connect one more time after the first three hits of the combo, and the CC takes care of the rest. The first fireball whiffs to give Chun Li time to drop a little further. You can see from the blue color that it’s an LP FB while the rest are red HP versions. Originally it was supposed to be a fake fireball but it turns out that fake FB recovery can’t be canceled the way whiffed attacks can be canceled in CC. Since the HK Hurricane Kick was executed just before CC meter ran out, its CC juggle properties remain even after the shadows are gone.

1:59 / SF2HF Ryu’s j.LK isn’t normally a crossup but it works here since he’s moving backwards toward Dhalsim. The first combo is s.LK -> c.LP CPS1 chain, linked into c.LK -> s.HP CPS1 chain. That j.HP works as a crossup because dizzy Dhalsim leans into it, much like SF2CE Guile earlier. The second combo is s.LK -> c.LK -> c.LK -> whiff s.LK -> c.LP CPS1 chain -> j.HK jump cancel. Due to far s.LK’s startup time, that whiff sequence must be frame-perfect to combo. Oddly enough, c.LK combos directly into c.LP as a one-frame link, which is actually easier because the whiff cancel method requires two one-frame actions. The MK air Hurricane Kick connects on the second spin because it looks cooler that way. Dhalsim doesn’t get up in time to show it, but it’s actually a redizzy combo. Hyper Fighting was the first SF game with air special moves, so they didn’t place any restrictions on which air normals could be canceled.

2:05 / MvC HF Ryu’s backward HK air Hurricane Kick transitions into MvC Ryu’s regular HK Hurricane Kick, which looks like it’s moving backwards because Captain America cartwheeled through him prior to the switch. Ryu hits Cap’s MP and LP Shield Slashes with c.HP and F+MP, respectively. The cool thing about the first exchange is that Ryu manages to suki cancel the c.HP before the Shield Slash threat disappears. Everything else is straightforward. Cap’s Hyper Charging Star protects him against Shinkuu Hadoken but not from Shin Shoryuken. The clip ends with Cap giving Ryu thumbs-up (by calling Anita assist, which was chosen because she takes the longest to appear).

2:17 / SFA Since Bison’s c.MP hits Ryu, he gets to utilize charge buffering to minimize the delay between LP Psycho Shot and HP Somersault Skull Diver. Since Bison created the Psycho Shot on the left side, it pushes Ryu to the right when it connects. The lvl1 Shinkuu Hadoken doesn’t knock down in SFA or SFA2, but it doesn’t cause much more hit stun than regular projectiles either. Ryu’s s.HK only combos because of a few extra pixels of starting distance between the characters, which allows the Shinkuu Hadoken to connect a couple of frames after the Psycho Shot does. Since the SFA version of Shinkuu Hadoken has a juggle potential of two, it juggles twice after the lvl1 Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpukyaku knocks down.

2:25 / CvS2 Blanka’s Counter Attack is unique(ly terrible) because it runs out of invincibility in the middle of startup. Here it’s used as a meaty setup for the second hit of Ryu’s close s.HK after blocking the first. Combined with the counterhit bonus, Ryu gets just enough frame advantage to link into far s.HP xx lvl3 Shinkuu Hadoken. The last part of the clip is kind of cool because Ryu rolls right before Blanka’s lvl2 Direct Lightning freezes the screen, then cancels it into HP Shoryuken after superfreeze, demonstrating roll canceling broken down into components.

2:33 / SSF2T Vega’s c.LK interrupts Ryu’s fireball recovery, Vega’s HP Sky High Claw attempt carries Ryu past his LP FB, Ryu whiffs c.LP and cancels it into s.LP in order to turn around faster, Vega ducks under the s.LP then stands up into it in order to make it meaty, Ryu links into c.HK to connect simultaneously with his LP FB to nullify knockdown, cancels into Shinkuu Hadoken at the precise range where the fifth hit whiffs, takes a step forward, links into F+HP, links into a second c.HK sweep in one combo, and knocks off Vega’s claw in the process. Normally simultaneous hits don’t register on the combo counter in ST, but in this case both the fireball and the sweep counted, possibly because they occurred later than the first hit of the combo. (This was the eighth combo i discovered. Right at that moment, as soon as i got the jab to link into sweep+fireball, i knew this video was going to work.)

2:39 / ST:HDR Normally this setup isn’t very useful for Ryu because Dhalsim’s s.HP hits Ryu’s outstretched palms while reaching for the projectile. Ryu still recovers in time to continue the combo, but he doesn’t get much mileage out of it. However, placing Ryu as close to the corner as possible without touching it allows Dhalsim to propel him forward when landing behind him. Then Dhalsim walks forward to push Ryu slightly further, all to keep the LP FB within Dhalsim’s s.HP range while Ryu recovers. As soon as Ryu’s ready, Dhalsim’s s.HP touches the projectile and Ryu connects with c.MK simultaneously. It barely works in time, but it’s worth the effort. Ryu takes advantage of the extra hit stun from the FB to link into c.LK xx Shinkuu Hadoken, which only connects three times because it so happens that Dhalsim can’t take the fourth hit without also getting hit by the fifth, which would knock him down and end the combo. The combo finishes with a blue fireball to complete the set. The counter registers seven hits but it’s actually eight because the first two were miscounted.

2:45 / SF3:3S Strangely enough, the knockdown on SF3 Ryu’s Shinkuu Hadoken happens on the first hit, not the last. Ken gets rid of that hit by parrying it, which sets up the rest of the first combo. It’s not that impressive, but i think it looks cool, mostly because i like Ryu’s SA1 startup animation a lot. The second combo requires the corner because it keeps the LP FB onscreen longer than it would midscreen, and also because it allows Ken to push off against Ryu instead of pushing Ryu back. Ryu uses MK Joudan Sokutou Geri because the LK version doesn’t cause enough knockback and the HK version is too slow. Then Ken makes the third combo possible by propelling himself forward using his B+MK into Ryu’s meaty F+MP. The whole sequence works fluidly because SF3 Ryu’s fireball doesn’t knock down airborne opponents.

2:56 / CvSP Ryo’s air FB interrupts Ryu’s lvl3 Shin Shoryuken, so he whiffs s.LK for style and follows up with lvl1 Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpukyaku to juggle, change sides, and put Ryo in the corner. Unlike SFA/SFA2, CvS Ryu’s super FB can’t simply juggle following any knockdown. The way it works is, the first hit always has zero juggle potential, then every remaining hit has juggle potential equal to the total number of hits. That’s why it works as anti-air but not after a sweep. In order to get Ryu’s lvl1 Shinkuu Hadoken to juggle, you have to strip away that first hit. Here that’s accomplished by making it pass through Ryo’s LP air fireball, which allows it to juggle once since Ryu’s first super FB already knocked him down and raised the juggle count to two. If the second Shinkuu Hadoken had been a lvl3 instead of a lvl1, it would have connected thrice. Finally, the third combo has Ryo use Tactical Recovery to stand up late into the LP red FB, which allows Ryu to link a lvl3 Shinkuu Hadoken and dash in to juggle with lvl1 Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpukyaku. This combo wouldn’t have been possible in CvS Amateur only because the lvl1 Hurricane Kick super has considerably less startup in CvS Pro. In order to keep Ryo alive throughout the sequence, he was picked at Ratio 3.

3:09 / SvCC In games based on SNK’s KoF engine, successful attacks often become invincible to projectiles during impact freeze. That’s why Ryu’s LP Shinkuu Hadoken doesn’t hit Demitri’s s.LK before he cancels it into his special backdash. Ryu rushes to catch up to his super FB, and blocks Demitri’s HP Dash Demon Cradle before Demitri gets hit. This allows Ryu to perform his Guard Cancel Attack with plenty of time to connect before the super FB is done hitting, but unfortunately Guard Cancel Attacks instantly render opponents invincible and kill the combo every time. So Ryu does it as late as possible instead, just before his block stun wears off. Demitri’s DB+LK interrupts Ryu’s LP red FB, and Demitri avoids getting hit for as long as possible by canceling into his special backdash and then HP DP. This gives Ryu time to recover, dash forward, and connect with F+LK hopkick which gives him enough frame advantage to link into j.HK. The last combo is basic, but sets up the transition into the following XSF clip and features SvCC Ryu’s s.LP -> B+LP chain. Double elbow combos!