The King of Fighters '98 UMFE/Ryo Sakazaki

Command List

Introduction

Ryo is a dangerous all-rounder who is scary at every range. On defense, he has great pokes and some of the best anti-air tools in the game, making him a real walking wall. On offense, he has a fairly basic mixup but can confirm into huge damage from any situation with or without meter, even having some relatively practical near-100% combos with Extra meter. He is playable at every spot in a team, and is also quite simple and easy to pick up for new players.

Changes from Previous Versions

98 to 98UM

Normals:

• Recovery of st.B is now 2 frames longer

• Recovery of st.C is now 10 frames shorter

• The startup of st.CD is now 2 frames slower, and there is now 1 fewer active frame

• The startup of f+A is now 2 frames faster

• GCCD's hitbox has been increased, and can no longer be low-profiled

Specials:

• qcf+A's recovery is now 2 frames shorter

• The recovery of dp+A is now 2 frames longer

• The startup of qcb+C is now 3 frames longer, and you can no longer combo into it from heavy normals

• You can now cancel qcb+C into dp+P or hcb+K on hit or block

• hcb+B now has 3 frames more recovery, and hcb+D now has 5 frames more recovery

Supers:

• qcf,hcb+AC now starts up faster and has the same frame data as the light version

• qcfx2+P's damage has been increased

• qcf+AC's damage has been decreased

98UM to 98UMFE

Specials:

• qcf+C now has faster startup, more recovery

Supers:

• f,hcf+P's C and MAX versions now have faster startup

Normal Moves

Close

• cl.A: Standard close jab, has a big hitbox so it will hit where st.A might whiff on small characters. Use in confirms from cr.B. Chainable and cancelable.

• cl.B: Longer-range close light button, but generally less useful than cl.A or cr.A. Cancelable.

• cl.C: Slow and with less damage than cr.C, but easier to use in combos. Cancelable.

• cl.D: Same as cl.C, really. Same damage. Activates from further away but comes out a little slower. Cancelable.

Standing

• st.A: Cancelable hop anti-air, also good for confirms from cr.B. Chainable and cancelable.

• st.B: Great poke to keep the opponent at bay and whiff-punish.

• st.C: Pretty okay poke, not as hideously unsafe as it used to be. More damaging than Ryo's other normals.

• st.D: Can anti-air in situations where cr.C lacks horizontal range, but too slow to react with; you'd rather use st.A or dp+P.

Crouching

• cr.A: Not great, but use it after cr.B instead of st.A/cl.A if the opponent is too short for those to hit. Chainable and cancelable.

• cr.B: Low combo starter. Links into cr.C. Chainable.

• cr.C: Very reliable anti-air normal, one of the best in the game. Insanely fast, hits on the second frame. Also does more damage than Ryo's other cancelable buttons. Links from cr.B for combos. Leaves you very open when whiffed, so use with care. Cancelable.

• cr.D: Fast sweep with okay range. Cancelable, cancel into qcf+B for low->high gimmick.

Jumping

• j.A: Decent air-to-air, but j.B works just as well.

• j.B: Best horizontal range of his air normals. Use for air-to-airs, or to poke when too far away for j.C/j.D/j.CD.

• j.C: Same damage as j.D and just as fast. Can crossup.

• j.D: Same damage as j.C and just as fast. Can crossup. More horizontal range.

CD Normals

• st.CD: Quite fast, recovers fast enough to link into dp+A after a counterhit in the corner. Enough range to connect after cr.B,cr.B blockstring. Nice to fish for counterhits to combo. Cancelable on hit, block, and whiff.

• j.CD: Good move. Easy to hit crouchers with. Great for pressure and ending juggles. Enough blockstun to run up or jump in an again after connecting. Also good air-to-air. Lets you combo on counterhit.

Throws

Tani Otoshi: b/f+C (close)

• Throws forward. Causes a backturned hard knockdown, allowing for pressure.

Tomoe Nage: b/f+D (close)

• Throws back. Causes a soft knockdown, making it only useful to throw the opponent into the corner.

Command Moves

Hyouchuu Wari: f+A

• Overhead when done raw. Reaches surprisingly far. Pretty safe to throw out.

• Loses its overhead property when canceled into. Not cancelable into other moves directly. When done REAL meaty on opponents wakeup you can link st/cr.A to combo further.

• It is also possible to combo from this move using quick max or cancel into dodge and its follow-up attack.

Special Moves

Ko Ou Ken: qcf+A/C

• Stationary projectile.

• Both versions only combo from heavy attacks, but are not optimal for combos since other options are more damaging.

• C version deals more damage and moves further. Both are safe on block if spaced properly and punishable when not, they make good pokes to throw out at the right distance.

• Easily beaten by slide moves.

Kohou: dp+A/C

• Ryo's DP. Incredible anti-air.

• Both versions will beat most jump-in attempts, but are punishable when missed. A is harder to punish, C equals a free combo of choice for your opponent.

• Both versions have some invincibility, but the C version has it extending into the active frames, making it a true invincible reversal.

Moh Koh Raijin Satsu: qcf+B/D

• Overhead that travels forward in an airborne arc. Useful to punish reckless projectile usage, less useful as an overhead itself.

• B version travels about halfscreen, D version travels almost fullscreen.

Moh Koh Raijin Gou: qcb+A/C or A+C

• Forward-travelling move that has armor frames during startup and is cancelable into certain other special moves.

• Unsafe on block.

• A version is fast enough to combo from heavy normals and is cancelable into dp+P. C version is too slow to combo from anything, but can be canceled into dp+P or hcb+K.

• Pressing both buttons together combines the best parts of both versions into one, a move that can combo from heavy normals and cancel into hcb+K for an extremely damaging combo ender.

Hien Shippuu Kyaku: hcb+B/D

• Ryo does a series of advancing flying kicks.

• Both versions combo from light attacks. B version alone does more damage than dp+A/C or qcf+A/C, D version does even more damage. This is the meterless combo ender to use for longer confirms.

Kyokugen-ryuu Renbu Ken: hcf+A/C (close)

• Proximity unblockable that launches the opponent.

• Use j.CD after launch for extra damage, this does more damage than hcb+D alone. Ender of choice for confirms from lights.

Desperation Moves

Haoh Shou Kou Ken: f,hcf+A/C

• Standard Kyokugen projectile DM. Good for taking up space and eating other projectiles.

• A and C versions both combo from heavy normals and deal the same damage. C version moves much faster.

• MAX version also combos from heavy normals. Moves about as fast as C version, but does more hits and damage, and has a bigger hitbox.

Ryuuko Ranbu: qcf,hcb+A/C

• Ranbu type move, as name suggests.

• Both versions combo from heavy normals and deal the same damage, but the A version has less startup and thus combos more reliably while the C version has some invinciblity.

• MAX version combos the same way the A version does and deals more damage. Also has some invincibility.

• Ryo's most damaging DM by itself, although qcfx2+AC's followups put it ahead in total damage output.

Tenchi Haoh Ken: qcfx2+A/C

• Ryo's big punch. Both versions deal the same damage, with significantly more extra damage than normal on counterhit.

• A version is fast enough to combo from light normals, while C version has some invincibility on startup.

• MAX version also combos from lights; it does much less damage, but instantly stuns the opponent.

• This makes it his most damaging metered combo ender, since it lets you do a free combo of your choice afterward and Ryo's meterless damage is enormous.

• ICHIGEKI HISSATSU

Combos

General Notes:

• It is more reliable to use only one cr.B in confirms. Using more than one cr.B usually works, but often deals less damage or completely fails against crouching characters by making qcb+AC and hcb+D not connect all hits. Multiple cr.Bs also make it impossible to link a cr.C afterward.

• Most combos work after jumpins (j.C or j.D, same damage) with slight adjustments, just skip light normals for a heavy or do one less cr.B.

• You can use any close heavy normal instead of cr.C when not linking from cr.B, like after jumping in. But cr.C is still optimal since it deals more damage.

• Use cr.A instead of st.A/cl.A for crouching Chin and Choi. qcfx2+P also completely whiffs on them when crouching; however, qcfx2+AC still works.

Meterless

Low

cr.B, cl.A, hcf+P, j.CD

Basic confirm into proximity unblockable. You need to be close, only 1 cr.B possible. Remember j.CD does more damage than hop.CD.

cr.B, cr.C, qcb+AC, hcb+D

More damaging but much more difficult low confirm.

Mid/Jump-In

(j.X), cr.C, qcb+AC, hcb+D

Ryo's extremely damaging meterless BnB.

Other

hcf+P, j.CD

Very basic. Unblockable launcher into juggle j.CD. Jumping CD deals more damage than hop CD.

With Meter

Low

cr.BxN, st.A, qcfx2+A

Does unspectacular damage, but you can get many cr.Bs in for easy confirming on standing characters.

cr.BxN, st.A, qcfx2+AC, j.C, cr.C, qcb+AC, hcb+D

Start the same as above, but use the MAX version for stun and follow up with his most damaging meterless combo.

cr.CxN, st.A, qcfx2+AC, ABC, j.C, cr.C, qcf,hcb+P

Great way for Ryo to spend a lot of meter with Advanced meter.

cr.B, cr.C, qcf,hcb+A

Best 1-bar conversion for damage alone.

Mid/Jump-In

(j.X), cr.C, qcf,hcb+A

Basic conversion with meter.

(j.X), cr.C, qcfx2+AC, j.C, cr.C, qcb+AC, hcb+D

qcfx2+AC conversion. Does a lot of damage.

(j.X), cr.C, qcfx2+AC, ABC, j.C, cr.C, qcf,hcb+P

Great way for Ryo to spend a lot of meter with Advanced meter.

With Quick MAX

cr.Bx1-2, cr.C, qcb+AC, hcb+D, ABC, dp+C

Corner Quick MAX conversion.

cr.B[x1~2], cr.C, qcf,hcb+ABC

More consistent low confirm into qcf,hcb+P, using MAX bypass.

cr.BxN, ABC, cl.D, f,hcf+C

Main low meter bnb.

(j.X), cr.C, qcb+AC, hcb+D, ABC, qcfx2+AC, j.C, cr.C, qcb+AC, hcb+D

His best damage.

Videos

King of Fighters 98 UM FE: Ryo Guide by Mash It Out