Ken’s dragon punch is legendary, and it’s pretty easy to see why. Sure, there are other characters that possess similar moves–some of them even have their own take on the rising uppercut–but none of them capture the imagination quite like that of Mr. Masters. It’s probably the fire.
That Shoryuken also affords him some options that other purveyors of the move don’t have due to the way and number of times that the fierce version of the attack hits. In the short video below, Bafael demonstrates a handful of ways that Ken players can take advantage of these properties and use them to net some staggering damage output, as well as how defenders can avoid these situations outright with a well-timed focus attack.
The video’s description says it best:
This is safe(ish) on block, leads to ultra if it hits, full ultra if it counter hits, catches backdashes, and beats most reversals. However, if you absorb the 1st hit with focus, you can backdash later than normal, allowing you to dodge the 2nd and 3rd hit by invincibility and range, respectively. This removes the 2nd hit from ever connecting, and thus Ken can’t FADC it even if he has the bar to do so.
This is the sort of information that many of our readers have undoubtedly known for quite some time, but it’s also easy to overlook. If you’re new to Ken or don’t have much experience fighting against him, check out the video below to get some ideas.
Source: Bafael