- "Sometimes it's more important to have a stylish victory than a quick one!"
- —Ken's win-quote in Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact
- "Take this! Ora ora ora ora ora! Shinryuken! (喰らえ！オラ, オラ, オラ, オラ, オラ ! 神龍拳！ Kurae! Ora ora ora ora ora! Shinryuuken!?)"
- —Ken
The Shinryuken (神龍拳 Shinryuuken?, "Shenlong/God Dragon Fist") is a special attack used by Ken. It debuts as one of his Super Combos in the Street Fighter Alpha series; the attack was created to honor Gouken, believed dead at the time.
It also appears as his second Super Art in the Street Fighter III series, and his first Ultra Combo in Street Fighter IV. The move also appears as one of Violent Ken's Hyper Combos in the SNK vs. Capcom series. In Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, the attack is Ken's second V-Trigger.
| Appearance | Input | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Street Fighter Alpha series | Super Combo |  +  (  or for more hits)
|
| Street Fighter III series | Super Art II |  + ( for more hits)
|
| Street Fighter IV series | Ultra Combo I | + 
|
| SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom | Hyper Combo (as Violent Ken) | +
|
| Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition | V-Trigger II |  + ( to change properties)
|
| Ken | 500 |
|---|
Description
Ken kneels and readies himself to perform a powerful spinning Shoryuken that vertically ascends straight up high for a nonstop multi hitting attack. Depending on the game, the Shinryuken is also engulfed in flames when it executes.
Street Fighter Alpha and Street Fighter III series
Executed by performing two quarter-circle motions and pressing kick, the number of hits can be increased by tapping kick (or punch in the III series).
Street Fighter IV series
Executed by performing two quarter-circle forward motions and pressing all three punch buttons, Ken draws downwards in an uppercut motion and then performs a Shoryuken. Should it miss, Ken will simply perform the move as he did in previous games (though it cannot be done in midair).
If the initial uppercut lands, Ken follows up with a flying kick, 3 more kicks (similar to those of Shippu Jinraikyaku) aimed at the legs, chest and head. He then throws another kick to the chest before landing a jumping kick to foul the opponent's balance, and finishes the combo by turning and performing an alternate-hand Shinryuken that transitions into the familiar spiral of flames. The attack is a 17-hit combo if landed in this way.
Slow Motion Glitch
In the original Street Fighter IV, there is a glitch (shown below) that causes Ken to perform the Shinryuken in slow motion, with the screen still darkened. To perform it, Ken will have to perform a light Hadoken, FADC it, then perform the Airborne Tatsumaki Senpukyaku in order to jump over his Hadoken. The other player will have to quickly move back, usually by jumping backward constantly to keep themselves from getting hit by Ken's Hadoken.
Once Ken comes close enough to his opponent, he must then perform his Shinryuken. The opponent will get hit by his Ultra Combo, then his Hadoken, giving them a brief window to act. The opponent should then performs their Super Combo, and if done correctly, the first hit should land, and Ken performs the Ultra Combo in slow motion.
Since, Ken's slow motion of the Ultra Combo lasts about 4 minutes, the round would eventually end if this is performed in a timed match. The glitch has been fixed in Super Street Fighter IV, since the slow motion stops after getting hit by the Ultra.
Tactics
The Shinryuken can be used as an anti-air move to punish a predictable jump-in. It also has a small vacuum effect when it starts, allowing it to draw in an unsuspecting opponent for a devastating surprise.
Street Fighter IV series
Like all Ultra Combos, the Shinryuken can be landed after a Focus Attack crumple. The player can perform a Hadoken and Focus Attack Dash Cancel into the Ultra Combo. Like with Ryu's Metsu Hadoken, the opponent can be caught with the Shinryuken after a Focus Attack Dash Canceled Shoryuken, although the full animation of the Ultra Combo won't occur unless the initial Shoryuken was a counter hit. It is also possible to land the Ultra Combo after an airborne EX Tatsumaki.
Sprites
Ken
Violent Ken
Screenshots
Video
Super Street Fighter 4 - Ken Ultra 1 Shinryuken
Shinryuken in SSFIV (Japanese voices).
Street Fighter 4 ken ultra glitch addendum
The Shinryuken Glitch in Street Fighter IV.