56. RYU

Franchise / home series: Street Fighter
Notable non-Smash games: Street Fighter II (1991); Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (1999); Street Fighter V (2016)

Ryu joined Smash 4 as DLC, representing Capcom’s legendary Street Fighter franchise. His arrival marked the introduction of more “traditional fighting game” mechanics into Smash.

In Smash, Ryu retains command inputs for special moves—quarter-circle and Shoryuken motions—as well as light and heavy versions of many attacks based on button press duration or tilt vs. smash inputs. He also faces the opponent automatically in 1v1 situations, enabling consistent combo execution and cross-up defense more akin to classic fighters.

Ryu’s kit includes Hadoken, Shoryuken, and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, along with strong close-range normals and combo potential. His design bridges Smash’s platform-fighting style with traditional 2D fighters, creating a hybrid that rewards execution and fundamentals familiar to Street Fighter veterans.