Hadoken
| Hadoken | |
|---|---|
 Hadouken's preview icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. | |
| User | Ryu |
| Universe | Street Fighter |
Hadoken (波動拳, Surge Fist) (also spelled Hadouken) is Ryu's neutral special move in Super Smash Bros. 4. It involves Ryu charging up and releasing a large energy projectile while announcing its name. As with most of Ryu's special moves, performing specific direction inputs changes the properties of the Hadoken. Each version has low speed and variable damage, and travels half of Final Destination's length; because of these properties, all variations of the Hadoken are ineffective at KOing, but good for racking up damage at range, useful in Ryu's tapped tilt combos, and can be used as a option to wall off opponent's approaches, albeit being less effective than other projectiles like Megavitamins as only one Hadoken per player can be in play at any given time. Additionally, all versions of the projectile have extremely low priority and can be interrupted during their flight with almost any attack, including extremely weak projectiles, which makes Hadokens easy to counter at a distance. Shooting the projectile midair gives Ryu a tiny amount of lift, like Mario's Cape, although this lift does not occur if Ryu fails to shoot a projectile (eg. if another Hadoken is in play).
Variations
Standard Hadoken
| “ | A projectile from a world-class fighting game. Hold down the button to vary how fast it travels. It’ll disappear after a set distance. | ” |
| —In-Game Tip | ||
Pressing only the special button performs the standard Hadoken, a small blue energy projectile, while Ryu voices out "Hadoken!" in a slightly stern voice. Ryu can only have one projectile in play; attempting to fire another while one still exists makes him do the move's pose with only a puff of smoke appearing from his hands. The damage and speed at which the projectile moves can be altered based on how long the button is held. Deals 5-6%, with low enough knockback that it can jab reset opponents.
Input Hadoken
| “ | Quickly input down, down-forward, forward for 1.25x power. You might have to practice a bit to really figure out howtodo a Hadoken. | ” |
| —In-Game Tip | ||
Inputting the original arcade input for the move (down, down forward, forward, attack/special) makes Ryu perform a stronger Input Hadoken, with him voicing out the attack with a fiercer voice. The projectile becomes slightly larger and minutely stronger in the process, doing 6-7% damage, but still travels slowly with similar range as the original. The attack emits a tiny spark if the player successfully inputs it correctly, similar to the spark seen by fast falling fighters. Ryu can also perform this while in standby after breaking the Smash Ball.
Shakunetsu Hadoken
| “ | Input back, down-back, down, down-forward, forward to unleash a fiery Shakunetsu Hadoken that can deal multiple hits. | ” |
| —In-Game Tip | ||
Performing the move while moving the control stick in a semicircle towards the direction Ryu is facing (back, down back, down, down forward, forward, attack/special) will unleash a Shakunetsu Hadoken (灼熱波動拳, Red-Hot Surge Fist). This Hadoken is coloured a blazing red, does flame damage, and deals multiple hits before exploding upon hitting an opponent. The projectile deals a total of 7-8%; like other versions of the move, however, knockback is weak and distance is unchanged. The first hit doesn't make the opponent flinch, making it possible for them to shield the rest of the attack. Ryu voices "Shakunetsu!" when using the move.
Copy Ability (Kirby)
Kirby can also perform all versions of the Hadoken once he Inhales Ryu, by inputting the same motion on the control stick. He voices out all attacks like Ryu as well, albeit in his more lighthearted voice; attempting to shoot a Hadoken while one is still in play makes Kirby voice out a short "Hah!", unlike Ryu, who simply scoffs. Kirby can also perform an Input Hadoken while in standby after breaking the Smash Ball.
Customization
Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:
| 1. Hadoken |
|---|
 |
" Fire an energy wave from your palms. Move the Circle Pad as shown to power it up. (Pad icon: Down and front)  Fire an energy wave from your palms. Move the Control Stick as shown to power it up. (Stick icon: Down and front) "
|
- Hadoken: Default
Like the other DLC characters, Ryu lacks custom move variations.
Origin
Hadoken is one of the special moves for several characters such as Ryu and Ken in the Street Fighter series. It involves the user thrusting their palms forward to fire a blue fireball projectile, or a surge of spirit energy, or Ki. It is normally performed by the player moving the joystick or D-pad a quarter circle forward towards the opponent from the down position, then pressing a punch button. The creator of Street Fighter, Takashi Nishiyama, credits the 1970s anime Space Battleship Yamato as the inspiration of Hadoken, based off of a missile called Hadouho.
The Shakunetsu Hadoken was originally introduced in Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers as a new move for Ryu, which is a special red fireball that could burn the opponent. The move was included due to an easter egg in the original game (originally thought to be a glitch) that would occasionally turn the regular Hadoken red, leading to rumors that this "red Hadoken" was stronger. Capcom thus decided to include an official "red Hadoken" that actually did have different properties than the regular blue Hadoken. During the Street Fighter Alpha series, excluding Street Fighter Alpha 3, the Shakunetsu Hadoken was not a separate move, instead the Hadoken could briefly take on the appearance of the Shakunetsu Hadoken when the Heavy Punch button was pressed whenever Ryu used this move and could only burn the opponent at point-blank range (It would be a separate move in Alpha 3). For the Street Fighter III and Street Fighter IV games, Shakunetsu Hadoken would serve as the EX version of the Hadoken (where it used a small amount from the Super Combo meter). Aside from Ryu, his counterpart Evil Ryu and Akuma can also use this move. Unlike Ryu, Akuma's version of the move has it done half-circle back instead of forward for the control pad command. Originally in Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Ryu's Shinku Hadoken was also referred to as just the Hadoken, as none of the characters' Super Combos were properly named onscreen in their debut, though this problem was later fixed with the release of Street Fighter Alpha.
In the Street Fighter series, Ryu's Hadoken cannot be performed in the air. However, in crossover games, such as Marvel Vs. Capcom, Ryu has been able to use it in midair.
Trivia
- The Input Hadoken (including the Shakunetsu Hadoken) can still be performed while in Final Smash standby mode, making Ryu (and Kirby with Ryu's Copy Ability) the only fighters who can use a neutral special move in standby after breaking the Smash Ball, barring glitches and disc load delay.
- Kirby's appearance with Ryu's Copy Ability resembles Fighter Kirby, which in turn pays homage to Ryu. Various games allow Kirby to perform some of Ryu's other attacks, like the Shoryuken (as "Rising Break") and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku (as "Aerial Spin Kick"), and both Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby Triple Deluxe allow Kirby to fire the Instant Mega Force Blast using the traditional Hadoken command, which is called "Hadou-Shot" in Japan.
