Ken notes (as of 3/29/2022)

(Thanks to Zaku for additional combo routes)

Adjustments (3/28/2022):
- cr. mk is now -2 on block
- vt1 hadouken can be cancelled into vs1/vs2 (combo/pressure followup)
- H Shoryu gains additional hitstop for hit #2 (probably better CA cancel
window)
- ex shoryu is fully invincible to the end of active frames (prevents
interruptions after the first hop, maybe)
- vt1 ex tatsu has more comboability
- vs1 in vt1 has more comboability
- vt1 extended v-timer
- vt2 allows for easy tatsu input buffer
- CA gains 2f active, loses 2f recovery, fully invincible for 8f.

At a Glance:

- Anti-Air:
- cr. hp
- srk+mp
- Poke:
- st. mp
- cr. mp
- cr. mk
- st. lk
- st. hk
- BnB:
- cr. mp, st. lk xx srk+hp
- Punish:
- b+mp xx hp xx srk+hp

Character Specific Mechanic:

Measured Insanity - Ken's one of the few characters in the game that gets any
sort of post-knockdown pressure from his ex DP. On the plus side, this rewards ken
for being a little bit wild, on the negative side, everyone knows ken can play
wild.

Start the Ruckus - Ken has very good tools for picking fights in the
midrange and forcing the opponent to do something. Run and air ex tatsu both are
difficult to deal with unless the opponent is specifically looking for them.

Normals:

st. lp (4/5/2) - decent range standing jab, good frame advantage on

hit or block.
st. mp (7/3/2) - decent range buffer poke
st. hp (9/5/-3) - a swinging haymaker, good as a shimmy, especially with
vs1.
st. lk (4/3/-1) - One of ken's better far-reaching light normals, moves ken
forward when used.
st. mk (8/1/-2) - forces stand on hit. mostly used as part of the lion
combo cancel
st. hk (14/3/-4) - big fat crush counter button, sends opponent into a
corkscrew knockdown.

cr. lp (4/4/2) - Native tick throw button.

cr. mp (6/2/6) - good crouching medium button, good buffer, awful
pushback.
cr. hp (6/2/-9) - anti-air, triggers a launching crush-counter.
cr. lk (4/4/1) - low light starter.
cr. mk (6/2/-2) - buffer button, incredibly fast.
cr. hk (8/D/-12) - A sweep.

j. lp (-/-/-) - short horizontal hitbox

j. mp (-/-/-) - awkward down-forward hitbox
j. hp (-/-/-) - almost straight-down hitbox, supremely difficult to anti-
air
j. lk (-/-/-) - up-forward air-to-air hitbox
j. mk (-/-/-) - crossup
j. hk (-/-/-) - broad heavy jump-in attack

Anti-Airs:

cr. hp - one of ken's best go-tos for anti-airing due to giving

good frame advantage and possible mixups with vs1
srk+mp - good for opponents almost directly over you, good anti-
air invincibility
srk+hp - good for further-out anti-airs
qcb+kk - catches incredibly far jumps

Command Normals:
b+mk (22/1/-7) - overhead, actually quite an absurd range
f+hk (26/2/-7) - hold to perform a forward-walking overhead, tap to perform a 34
frame total feint
- used for specific knockdown oki
- can land the hit meaty to be +3 instead of +2

b+mp (5/0/-2) - stumpy combo starter that is most notably used off of st. lp,
leads into...
b+mp xx hp - floats the opponent on hit, -13 on block. Can be empty
cancelled into

st. mk xx st. hk - second hit will whiff against crouching opponents, puts
opponent in a corkscrew knockdown.

Specials:

vs1 mp+mk - Quick Step

- Ken runs forward.
- Can be stopped as early as 22 frames after activation
- Can be cancelled into off of normals
- Holding down the button performs a step-kick
- -6 on block
- The preferred of Ken's two v-skills
- Used for oki post knockdown
- Used in combos
- Used in shimmies
- Used to steal back turns during blockstrings.

vs2 mp+mk - Ryusenkyaku

- Ken charges up and performs a short hopping strike
- Does not count as an overhead
- Uncharged, +2 on hit, -2 on block
- Charged, +4 on hit, +3 on block
- Can catch jumping opponents, and be used in b+mp combos
v-rev f+kkk - Senpu Nataotoshi
- 12f v-reversal, +2 on hit, -2 on block
- Leaves you close enough to tag them with cr. lk

fb qcf+p - Hadouken
- Fireball projectile
- Used as a safe blockstring ender at range
- -6 on block, -5 in vt1
- +1 for EX hadouken, +3 on hit.
- Only knocks down in vt1

srk srk+p - Shoryuken

- Uppercut
- LP starts up in 3f, throw invincible
- MP starts up in 4f, mid-air invincible
- HP starts up in 4f, strike invincible from 3-6F
- EX is completely invincible from 1-5F, starts up in 4f

tatsu qcb+k - Tatsumaki Senpukyaku

- Spinning kick attack
- LK starts up in 3f at point blank
- Starts up in 3f, so it works as ken's 3f reversal option.
- very punishable
- MK starts up in 6f, has a small amount of projectile
invincibility.
- very punishable
- HK starts up in 14f, is an arcing attack that launches the
opponent into the followup strikes.
- connecting with the later parts of this move make Ken +3
on hit, allowing for a lk tatsu followup
- -4 on block, if your opponent knows light punishes, this
isn't a great option

air tatsu qcb+k (air) - Airborne Tatsumaki Senpukyaku

- Adjusts the jump-arc of ken significantly mid-air
- EX strikes as a downward angle and launches the opponent, very
hard to anti-air
- Allows for juggle followups.

CA qcfx2+k - Guren Enjinkyaku

- horizontally striking kick that goes into a cinematic
- 5f startup, 1-6F full invincibility
- 340 damage.
- Actually provides oki!

Hitconfirms:
- when you get the opportunity, comboing into hk tatsu provides more stun than hp
srk, but with additional stun.
- EX DP and EX tatsu both have identical damage and stun, but EX tatsu has far, far
more corner carry.
(0 bar)
cr. lk, st. lk xx qcb+lk, srk+hp (185/318)
cr. lp, st. lp, st. lk xx srk+hp (130/259)
cr. lk, st. lp xx srk+hp (159/253)

cr. mp, st. lk xx srk+hp (199/283)

cr. mp, b+mp xx hp xx srk+hp (243/341)

cr. mp, b+mp xx hp xx qcb+hk (244/376) (point blank)
cr. mp, b+mp xx hp xx xx vs1 (held) (180/306) (good corner carry, vmeter+)

cr. mp, b+mp xx hp xx vs1 (held), srk+hp (264/396) (corner only)

st. hp xx vs1, qcb+lk, srk+hp (237/360) (used as a shimmy or punish)

(1 bar)
(any 0 bar ending in hp dp can be replaced with EX DP)
(any 0 bar ending in hp dp or qcb+hk can be replaced with EX tatsu)

cr. mp, st. lk xx qcb+kk (215/323)

cr. mp, st. lk xx srk+pp (215/323)

(3 bar)
cr. mp, st. lk xx srk+hp xx CA (421/243)
cr. mp, b+mp xx hp xx srk+hp xx CA (398/271)

Punishes:

(3f)
qcb+lk, srk+hp (176/235) (if you get both hits)

(4f)
st. lk xx srk+hp (156/205)
st. lp, b+mp xx hp xx srk+hp (213/311) (point blank)
st. lp, b+mp xx hp xx qcb+hk (214/346) (point blank)
st. lp, b+mp xx hp xx vs1 (held), srk+hp (234/366) (point blank)
st. lk xx qcb+lk, srk+hp (187/280)

(5f)
b+mp xx hp xx srk+hp (207/272) (point blank)
b+mp xx hp xx qcb+hk (207/312)

(6f)
cr.hp xx srk+hp (216/285)
cr.hp xx qcb+hk (217/330)
cr.hp xx vs1, qcb+lk, srk+hp (247/360) (added in the 5/18 adjustment,
ken's cr. hp is now plus enough on hit to allow for a successful run cancel)

(8f)
st. mk xx st. hk xx srk+hp (217/310)

(9f)
st. hp xx srk+hp (206/385)

st. hp xx vs1, qcb+lk, srk+hp (237/360)

(CC)
cr. hp (cc) xx vs1, cr. hp xx vs1 (164/300) (side switch)

st. hp (cc) xx vs1, b+mp xx hp xx srk+hp (255/390)

st. hp (cc) xx vs1, b+mp xx hp xx qcb+hk (255/420)
st. hp (cc) xx vs1, b+mp xx hp xx vs1 (held), srk+hp (271/435) (corner only)
st. hp (cc) xx vs1, st. lp, b+mp xx hp xx qcb+hk (256/440)

st. hk (cc) xx vs1, srk+hp (208/300) (far) (CC fish)

st. hk, dash, srk+hp (208/300) (CC fish - no longer
requires a run input due to the adjustment to his st. hk CC - the opponent stays
closer now. Makes the CC meaty post fthrow no longer require a hitconfirm.)

(N.J)
n.j hp, cr. hp xx srk+hp (301/435)
n.j hp, cr. hp xx qcb+hk (301/475)

n.j hp, st. hp xx vs1, qcb+lk, srk+hp (318/500)

Frametraps:
- cr. lp is ken's tick throw button
- st. lp has a monstrous amount of frame advantage on hit, especially on counterhit

cr. lp, st. lp, st. lk (beats 3f, hitstring)

cr. lp, st. lp, st. mp (converts on ch st. lp)
cr. lp, st. lp, cr. mk (converts on ch st. lp)

st. lp, st. lp, st. mp (converts on ch st. lp)

cr. mp, cr. mp (beats 4f)
cr. mp, st. hp (counterhit fish. 7f gap)

cr. lp, cr. lp, st. hp (counterhit fish with st. hp)
cr. lk, cr. lp (beats 4f)

Okizeme (against QR):

- dash is 15f
- f+hk is 26f

qcb+lk (+37)
qcb+mk (+36)
qcb+hk (+18)
b. mp xx hp xx qcb+hk (+19)
qcb+kk (+29)

srk+lp (+30)
srk+mp (+29)
srk+hp (+26)
- f+hk immediately after is meaty against QR, leaving you +3
b.mp xx hp xx srk+hp (+28)
qcb+lk, srk+hp (+27)
srk+pp (+24)

cr. hk (+24)

vs1 (held) (+33)

vt1, qcb+lk (+39)

vt1, qcb+mk (+35)
vt1, qcb+hk (+33)
vt1, qcb+kk (+32)

vt1, srk+lp (+32)

vt1, srk+mp (+32)
vt1, srk+hp (+34)
vt1, srk+pp (+24)

vt1, qcf+lp (+27)

vt1, qcf+mp (+27)
vt1, qcf+hp (+27)
vt1, qcf+pp (+37)
vt2 (+18)
vt2 (two taps) (+13)
vt2 (full) (+7)

VT1: Heat Rush

- 3 bar v-trigger, arguably Ken's best v-trigger.
- Initial activation is like an install, but Ken runs forward during this
time.
- Improves various moves:
- Uppercuts gain additional juggle points and damage and improved oki
- combos into srk+lp can be followed by srk+hp in the corner.
- Tatsus gain additional damage and improved oki
- Hk Tatsu counts as a projectile now, and is only -2 on block,
though it always knocks down.
- Fireballs gain additional damage, better frame advantage on block,
and knockdown on hit
- Allows for incredibly punishing corner combos
- While in VT1, fireball can be cancelled into v-skill, costs 50% of your v-
meter to do so.

example combos:
(activations)
cr. mk xx qcf+hp xx vt1, st. hp xx vs1, qcb+lk, srk+hp (261/416)
cr. mp, b+mp xx hp xx vs1 (held) xx vt1, srk+lp (175/282)
cr. mp, b+mp xx hp xx vs1 (held) xx vt1, srk+lp, srk+hp (280/411) (corner)
(post activation)
cr. mp, st. lk xx srk+lp, srk+hp (303/388) (corner)

VT2: Shinryuken
- 2 bar v-trigger
- Initial activation performs a large vertical uppercut. Additional hp+hk
inputs performs additional followup strikes mid-air.
- Has only projectile invincibility
- Allows for several followups:
- One charge: srk+hp, srk+pp (corner), CA
- Two charge: all previous levels and qcb+kk, srk+pp
- Full charge: all previous levels

example combos:
cr. mp, st. lk xx srk+hp (first hit) xx vt2 (two charges), qcb+kk
(277/358)

External Resources:

An unbelievably in-depth guide that I can only pretend to be as good as. It has
pictures and everything:
by NeverKnowsBest00
https://www.dropbox.com/s/riy1iig8j6ryt7c/SFV%20Ken%20Guide.pdf?dl=0