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Why is Ken considered the "noob" pick? And how did he get here?

Jadow

Jadow

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,969
ken.jpg
8g0k02f89u5z.jpg


Pretty sure this flowchart originated with SFIV, I don't recall Ken having this reputation back with ST/HD Remix or 3S. You may think this is just a meme but this is reality, just yesterday I fought a Ken who did SHORYUKEN every single time he was unsafe and heavy tatsus from fullscreen, not to mention run cancels at every possible time. The big question is why Ken? Its not like he is the easiest to use no? I don't play shotos but I would suspect someone like Cammy or Birdie would a much better pick if you wanna shut down your brain for a bit, atleast at the lower ranks.

It doesn't help that Ken in SFV looks like shit a madman both in looks and animations, he is spinning and on fire all the time plus they gave him the most weird looking wheel kick which I think is his VTrigger II? Ken used to be cool man, just look at this beautiful man

ken-3rd.jpg
 
Hikari

Hikari

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,689
Elysium
every ken in SFV does tatsu shoryuken or tatsu grab. easy scrub character to pick up
 
entremet

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge
Member
Oct 26, 2017
60,069
Its actually the way Ken's AI was programmed in the early SF2 titles. Dude just DPs all day, super unsafe lol.

When SFIV game back in the scene, it's hilarious how the Flowchart Ken's basically aped the original AI lmao. Super unsafe.
 
TaterTots

TaterTots

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,963
I don't know much about SFV, but he might be the easier character to pick up. Kind of like how Ryu was in IV.
 
Sargerus

Sargerus

â–˛ Legend â–˛
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
20,841
I remember vanilla SF4 all too well
36241C528E2478B1C6F98C52D91153C189391ED4
 
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Alek

Alek

Games User Researcher
Verified
Oct 28, 2017
8,471
His not a 'noob' pick, it's just that a lot of Ken players are bad. He draws in folks that don't have a good mindset for learning the game.
 

xii_7

Alt Account
Banned
Aug 1, 2020
240
I'm a noob, barely play, but when I do I pick Ken. He just..flows so well.
 
Sanox

Sanox

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,553
Because bad players lose to equally bad Kens so they consider him the scrubby mash character add the fact that shotos are popular in general and you have a situation of serious confirmation bias where all the lower ranked Kens stand out even more


The noteworthy player here isn't Ken going ham with dps its the Cody player struggling with this
 
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hey it's that dog

hey it's that dog

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,102
Ken is simple but more interesting to play than Ryu. You can do wild shit in low ranks where people don't know frame data well or have their punishes on point.
 
Doskoi Panda

Doskoi Panda

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,955
wake-up dp tends to hit consistently against friends who think they're hot shit but really aren't (like me)
 
IMCaprica

IMCaprica

Member
Aug 1, 2019
9,428
People who can't do complex inputs want to be able to have cool shit happen when they button mash.
 
Jaded Alyx

Jaded Alyx

Member
Oct 25, 2017
35,369
mnz said:
I feel like it doesn't exist in SFV so much. Maybe because crush counter made punishing easier.
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You think these players give any consideration for that? Sir, they don't respect frame data, they don't respect you, they don't respect themselves, and they certainly don't respect Crush Counters

/s

 
Kinsei

Kinsei

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
20,526
In SF4 there were a ton of flowchart Ken's online. When people first start playing they don;t have the knowledge necessary to counter this play style so they assume it's super good, becoming flowchart Ken players themselves, leading to there being even more online.
 
Noema

Noema

Member
Jan 17, 2018
4,905
Mexico CIty
GOOD MORNING MR. MASTERS



Whatcha gonna do when the round begins!? Sho-ryu-ken! Sho-ryu-ken!
What you gonna do when they block that ht? Sho-ryu-ken! Sho-ryu-ken!

So map all your buttons to fierce and mash them
Preventing any cases of fingers lap-sing

mnz said:
I feel like it doesn't exist in SFV so much. Maybe because crush counter made punishing easier.
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Plus there's no invincible instant reversal non-ex SRK FADC on Wakeup as a get out of jail free card.
 
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Dirtyshubb

Dirtyshubb

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,555
UK
mnz said:


it just works
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This is the epitome of what I hate with 'good' players in online games, and I'm not talking about the Ken player.

Time and time again I see good players online get pissed at other players and berate them for being shit at the game when the fact of the matter is, that persons strategy worked and the good player lost.

Be it fighting games or fortnite, it seems that if a pro player comes across someone who's play style isn't 100% following the meta and goes outside of something they would expect, the good player doesn't know what to do and will shout them down as crap at the game.

I play with my nephew in Fortnite and the amount of times he will be super pissed at someone for doing something and call them crap or ask why they did something and I'm there like "well it worked didn't it?"

Makes me stay away from all of that bullshit and just play how I wanna play.
 
thepenguin55

thepenguin55

Member
Oct 28, 2017
11,806
As a kid I always viewed Ken as the lame 2p Ryu... which is saying a lot as Red is my favorite color. It wasn't until 3rd Strike and CVS2 that I finally liked some Ken designs. Having said that since those games the only other Ken design I've liked was HD Remix. His Alpha design has grown on me but I didn't like it at the time but yeah, anything that wasn't his Alpha, 3rd Strike, CVS, or HD Remix designs I hate. I despise his classic SF2 & SF4 designs and don't like his SFV design (though some of his alternate costumes look decent).
 
Mugy

Mugy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,424
Due to the fact that shoto's are the entry/most easiest way to play Street Fighter and such, since SF II probably. Also, yeah, mashing buttons
 
QisTopTier

QisTopTier

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,717
Dirtyshubb said:
This is the epitome of what I hate with 'good' players in online games, and I'm not talking about the Ken player.

Time and time again I see good players online get pissed at other players and berate them for being shit at the game when the fact of the matter is, that persons strategy worked and the good player lost.

Be it fighting games or fortnite, it seems that if a pro player comes across someone who's play style isn't 100% following the meta and goes outside of something they would expect, the good player doesn't know what to do and will shout them down as crap at the game.

I play with my nephew in Fortnite and the amount of times he will be super pissed at someone for doing something and call them crap or ask why they did something and I'm there like "well it worked didn't it?"

Makes me stay away from all of that bullshit and just play how I wanna play.
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There are no good players in this vid, good players do not berate casual players in matches
 
KamenSenshi

KamenSenshi

Member
Nov 27, 2017
1,866
SF4 showed just how popular Ken is, I mean, he's a flashy guy to play as. He has the hadoken that Ryu has but it's faster, his punches/kicks have flames, and he's quick to pick up at a basic level.
Also, the first video is funny in that the guy spent more time complaining about how "trash" Ken was than actually shutting him down.
 
Ferrio

Ferrio

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,064
PlanetSmasher said:
His Shoryuken has fire. That's pretty much the long and short of it.
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To this day I still don't know why Ken got the Fire Shoryuken and not Ryu.

Only reason I can think is he had the fireball graphic glitch and they were like "Well we can't give him a fire shoryu now, he has that glitch we have to make into a real move instead"
 

Deleted member 2752

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,110
Dirtyshubb said:
This is the epitome of what I hate with 'good' players in online games, and I'm not talking about the Ken player.

Time and time again I see good players online get pissed at other players and berate them for being shit at the game when the fact of the matter is, that persons strategy worked and the good player lost.

Be it fighting games or fortnite, it seems that if a pro player comes across someone who's play style isn't 100% following the meta and goes outside of something they would expect, the good player doesn't know what to do and will shout them down as crap at the game.

I play with my nephew in Fortnite and the amount of times he will be super pissed at someone for doing something and call them crap or ask why they did something and I'm there like "well it worked didn't it?"

Makes me stay away from all of that bullshit and just play how I wanna play.
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You shouldn't get worked about DSP like that. He's the most sore loser known to man. He literally blames the spoon when he can't eat noodles with it.
 
PlanetSmasher

PlanetSmasher

The Abominable Showman
Member
Oct 25, 2017
115,625
Ferrio said:
To this day I still don't know why Ken got the Fire Shoryuken and not Ryu.
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Ken needed SOMETHING to make him stand out. Despite the fact that the Shoryuken is kinda talked about as the Ansatsuken "signature" ability, Ryu is definitely more associated with the Hadoken so Ken got the buffed Shoryuken instead.
 

Deleted member 4034

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
26,560
Dirtyshubb said:
This is the epitome of what I hate with 'good' players in online games, and I'm not talking about the Ken player.

Time and time again I see good players online get pissed at other players and berate them for being shit at the game when the fact of the matter is, that persons strategy worked and the good player lost.

Be it fighting games or fortnite, it seems that if a pro player comes across someone who's play style isn't 100% following the meta and goes outside of something they would expect, the good player doesn't know what to do and will shout them down as crap at the game.

I play with my nephew in Fortnite and the amount of times he will be super pissed at someone for doing something and call them crap or ask why they did something and I'm there like "well it worked didn't it?"

Makes me stay away from all of that bullshit and just play how I wanna play.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I mean, lowering the time limit is a bit more than a playstyle. No one does 30 second fights.
 
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