⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ "I paid $60 for a fighting game but I only use three moves. 10/10."
Pros:
Heavy Dragon Lash is legally plus on block, meaning it is always my turn, forever.
Jinrai Kick follow-ups are absolute mental warfare in Silver because nobody knows when to take their turn back.
Ken looks incredibly cool running across the screen in his hobo-chic trench coat while screaming about fire.
Cons:
My Drive Gauge is permanently blinking red because I spent all of it on an Overdrive Shoryuken on wakeup.
Opponents who actually know how to crouch-block represent an existential threat to my sanity.
Deep down, I know that if I just learned how to anti-air instead of jumping every three seconds, I’d be in Platinum.
I picked Ken because I wanted to play a high-tier rushdown character with incredible corner carry. What I actually became is a human flowchart fueled entirely by caffeine and panic. Playing Ken in Silver is beautiful. The round starts, and before my opponent can even register what character I’m playing, I have already executed a full-screen Heavy Dragon Lash. Did they block it? Doesn't matter.
I am mashing Target Combo into Jinrai Kicks. If they manage to knock me down, I don't block on wakeup. Blocking is for Ryu players who have given up on joy. Instead, I bet the entire round on an OD Shoryuken. Does it get blocked? Yes, 80% of the time. Do I lose half my health to a massive punish counter? Yes. Will I do it again on the very next knockdown? Absolutely.
My neutral game consists entirely of throwing one full-screen Hadouken, getting bored after exactly two seconds, and doing a massive jump-in heavy kick. If the opponent hits me out of the air with a basic anti-air, I instantly slap the Drive Impact button out of pure disrespect. When it works, I hit them with the one single banger combo I practiced in training mode (Medium Punch -> Heavy Punch -> Run -> Dragon Lash)
and feel like an absolute tactical genius.The only reason this isn’t a 5-star review is that sometimes I match against an unhinged Modern-control Zangief who just stands there, screens my jumps, and thrashes me into the pavement. But overall, if you want to skip learning "footsies" and "fundamentals" and just want to turn your brain off and let the fire carry you, Ken is the absolute king.
