I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… there’s still so much to learn about Street Fighter 6. While the meta and some of the most powerful tactics to aim for are taking shape now a little over a year into the game’s lifespan, I can’t help but get the feeling that there’s still so much more to discover about its intricacies.
Clips like the one we have here for you today just further reinforce this theory of mine, and things we never knew possible are actually exactly that. Footage of a crazy Ryu combo was uploaded to Twitter this weekend and showcases a sequence using a special move that isn’t know for creating juggle situations normally — though here it does and it’s spectacular.
Twitter user and streamer whatiskami uploaded the footage featuring a bout against a Ryu player online. When the clip starts, Kami’s Akuma is locked in a long-range fireball war against the rival Shoto with Ryu being very close to a KO and Akuma having a solid life lead.
After a few fireballs are thrown, we see the Akuma player dash forward and parry a fireball, then dash back to create some space and parry the next fireball that’s coming.
Feeling that Akuma would throw a fireball of his own at this point, the Ryu player made a very hard read and fired off a preemptive heavy kick Tatsu from nearly full screen away to hopefully pass through the oncoming projectile. The read here was perfect as Akuma throws the Gou Hadoken, Ryu sails right through it, and the Tatsu finds its mark towards the end of the special move’s animation.
That last part is important because with the Tatsu hitting how it did and hitting as a punish counter, this means that Ryu actually recovered fast enough from the animation to follow up after a heavy kick Hurricane Kick — which is something that isn’t normally possible.
Ryu combos after this Tatsu with a Dragon Punch into Critical Art, and though the clip ends before we see a KO, we can assure you that Akuma definitely died here.
Generally speaking, when it comes to Ryu’s HK Tatsu this move is most commonly used for its side switch abilities. In basic combos, it will actually hit the opponent and see Ryu keep going as he travels to the other side of his foe.
It can and is also used in the same manner as it was in the clip below, though typically we’d see it used as a single-hit counter to fireballs in neutral that pushes the opponent toward the corner.
However, because this Tatsu hit with the tail end of the animation, Ryu doesn’t travel much further after the opponent is actually hit and sent into the air. And thus, he is able to connect a full combo after for the win.
Ryu is Top 1 …#SF6_Ryu pic.twitter.com/iJldJAapYa
— ًً (@whatiskami) September 29, 2024