Ken

2v1, no fair

Combo notes

• Fuzzy target, requires delay j.C

Move	Response/notes
DP (blocked)	Upback j.2B will punish and prevent any use of super. Midscreen, this will allow for a 5DD follow-up, but in the corner you must use [5B] to follow up instead (no microdash, it's tight). If Ken has no meter, you can wait for him to fall and 2B him instead, just walk forward slightly first, as he may cross up and cause 2B to whiff if you don't.
Unguarded dog attacks (care if Ken ready to cover)	2C - on block, hit dog with j.A if high enough in air, or 5A > jump cancel on ground 5C - can sweep through it to hit the dog and not get hit as it's a chest move 5C incoming / Zetsu - Hakurou Battouga (Koromaru spinning in the air) - can 2B these as they are head attribute If dog is left alone - 2B > 2C > 214A will kill Koromaru from full health, as will 2A > 2B > s.j.A > j.BB > j.C Timing is strange as there's no hitstun. Use an 8 jump if Koro is close, 9 if far. You'll get some landing recovery, so you may want to j.D to cover it. 5A(A) can be used too.
Thunder Reign	If you're close enough to roll behind, the roll and 2B punish (fatal counter) Can also block and 2B punish, but Ken can OMC Hits only slightly behind him, so can run under after DP to be safe from this
Fire Breath	If done on the ground, can be rolled then punished with 5A (non-CH) If done from the air or after DP, roll then 2B (non-CH)
Super Gattai! Ultimate Cross	Roll > 5A for 5A CH Gears will work, beast and DP allow for OMC
Blockstring shenanigans	C/D Gears can catch Ken during pretty much any gap of the 236A/B > 5C string DP may work if he's close enough C Beast may work if he doesn't have the meter to OMC Sweep can also be used to invuln through either 236A/B or dog 5C if a large enough gap is given and Ken is close enough

Unique responses and punishes

Overview and tips

Dustloop page here

Ken is one of the more unique characters is what is already quite a unique game, and trying to fight him is an experience that can feel daunting. Strangely - his pressure isn't necessarily that good against Labrys, as although he can stay out of DP range, the Labrys gameplan rarely involves DP to begin with. That and Labrys always appreciates a second body to hit, so if you can get used to the hitstopless timing of hitting the dog, some interesting options to open up.

In general, Ken is pretty mediocre without Koromaru, which leaves you with two main options - attempt to kill the dog, or try to play an aerial game outside of Koro's reach. Which is correct will depend on your preferences, and whether the Ken player is good at covering the dog's approach or likes jumping also.

Neutral in this matchup is alll about siezing the right times to strike. Ken's 2B is quite bad (head invuln frame 14, comes out quite late), so as long as you can avoid the dog, j.B is a strong tool here. Equally, you can look to strike the dog with 5A/2B and jump cancel, or even just super jump to avoid the dog completely and mount your approach that way, as Ken's air to air game isn't that threatening (outside of a 7 frame j.A, but it only hits directly in-front on him).

Note that blocking the dog will lose you neutral if the Ken manages to follow up, but if he doesn't follow up and you block 2C in the air, you can do a falling j.A to hit the dog. If you block the dog on the ground, Koro is vulnerable but you must be very careful not to let Ken hit you. This can be done by either respecting his attack/approach, sweeping under his attack, or attacking koro with jump cancels to move out the way of Ken's grounded options. You can also send out 5C to deal with any dog approaches relatively safely, then cancel into spike, just make sure Ken isn't in range to punish you while you do this.

Once you're blocking, it's often about waiting patiently for the Ken player to slip up or try something that isn't real - get used to watching for those gaps, and either jumping out or attacking back if he's within range (remember Labrys sweep takes her forward, and will go under Ken's 5A, 5AAA. 5B, 236A/B and Koro's 5C).

Do be aware that Koro's attacks do have weaknesses - 5C is chest attribute so can be swept, and 5C incoming is head attribute so can be 2B'd. The same goes for the move where the dog spins in the air, which can be 2B'd as it's head attribute. Do bear in mind that Ken still exists while going for these, but equally you may be able to catch what the Ken player thought was a safe approach/roll by going for invuln moves.

If you manage to get Ken blocking, he doesn't have much in the way of ways to mash out, and his DP is susceptible to being out-ranged and forced to clash. Notably, max range 5A will cause his DP to whiff, and ranged 214A will clash with his DP, allowing for a full punish if he doesn't clash cancel immediately, and if he does clash cancel into a super, you can clash cancel into DP in response.

Some final quirks that you'll notice in Ken players that you can exploit:

• Watch for specific patterns in dog use, and the following movements from Ken - there will usually be a pattern that will allow for damage on Ken or Koromaru

• Some Ken players will go high into the air, which keeps Koromaru off-screen, but also baits your 2B, which Koromaru can punish - you can instead meet Ken in the air to deal with both issues at once

Main adjustments to make

Koromaru will usually prevent any orb use as it's very hard to protect Ariadne in this matchup, so use sparingly.

Ken has nothing that can contest safejump (both his super are 7 frames though, so keep your safejumps tight otherwise they'll hit you), and make sure you have the proper DP punish ready for when he does try to DP.

You may be able to surprise a Ken with the horizontal range of DP, although he will still be able to outrange it for the most part. Also remember that hitting the dog counts as it getting blocked, so you can DP > beast or DP > D gears to hit Ken in some scenarios.

Ken's DP can be outranged, so keep your distance if you can. Can be safely punished with a 7 jump into j.2B into land 5D.

Oki is relatively strong on Ken, although strange timings will occur due to the dog sometimes, and you may need to adjust base on who actually got hit. 214A also outranges Ken DP, so feel free to use that option more than normal.

Ken's 2B is a poor anti-air, so use IAD j.B more often, just watch for Koro's 2C hitting you as you jump at him.

Chain knuckle is a relatively bad idea in this matchup, as there are no projectiles to invuln though, and hitting Koromaru counts as a block, so you'll get full recovery. It does go above Koromaru if he is on the ground though.

Ken's answers to gears aren't great, as he either has to do a specific superjump setup, or do a specific delay using the B version of his awakening super after the superflash. Gears will also hit Koromaru unless he is fully sent away.

j.D will also lose to Koro 2C, but can be used to block the dog if done low enough to the ground - use sparingly when Koromaru isn't able to be sent out.