Shoto

Shoto or Shotoclone refers simultaneously to:

• Ryu
• Ken

The term originates from what Street Fighter players call characters derived from Ryu, a phrase derived from "Shotokan", which is a colloquialism for anyone who fights using his style in the Street Fighter series of games—typically restricted to having a fireball, a jumping uppercut that functions as an anti-air, and a spinning kick that gives forward momentum. It is derived from an error in the instruction manual of the SNES version of Street Fighter II, which claimed this was the branch of karate that Ryu and Ken practiced (in reality, they practice an in-universe art called Ansatsuken). Since Ken is an Echo Fighter of Ryu in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, players may use this term to refer to both of them simultaneously when applicable.

In the context of Ultimate, Terry and Kazuya are occasionally grouped as shotos. However, this is a common misinterpretation as both characters come from "traditional" fighting games, which feature 1-on-1 battles with command inputs and always face their opponent, while in actuality these do not meet the requirements of being considered a shoto. As such, this distinction does not apply to either Terry or Kazuya.

In non-competitive contexts, particularly those related to hypotheical moveset design, Mario and his clones may be referred to as shotos due to having some similar moves to Ryu and a similar "beginner fighter" role.

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