Ken Masters
- For fighter info, see Ken (SSBU).
| Ken Masters | |
|---|---|
 
Official artwork of Ken from Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition. | |
| Universe | Street Fighter |
| Debut | Street Fighter (1987) |
| Smash Bros. appearances | SSB4 Ultimate |
| Most recent non-Smash appearance | Resident Evil Requiem (2026, cameo) |
| Console/platform of origin | Arcade |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Place of origin | Japan (born) United States (residence) |
| Created by | Takashi Nishiyama |
| English voice actor | Reuben Langdon |
| Japanese voice actor | Yūji Kishi |
| Article on Wikipedia | Ken Masters |
Ken Masters (ケン・マスターズ, Ken Masters) is a main character from Capcom's Street Fighter series of fighting games. Having been trained and raised together with his friendly rival Ryu, Ken utilizes a similar fighting style, making him one of the most famous and archetypal examples of a moveset clone in fighting games.
Origin[edit]
Ken is Ryu's best friend, training partner, and longtime rival, appearing in every single Street Fighter game along with him. Ken is cockier and more energetic than his stoic rival, as reflected by his fiery, in-your-face moves, but is fundamentally goodhearted and matures over the course of the series. Between tournaments, he settles down with his wife Eliza, succeeds his family's charitable Masters Foundation, and takes on an apprentice of his own named Sean in Street Fighter III.
Ken was introduced as the second-player character of the first Street Fighter game, in which he was a pure clone of Ryu. Beginning with Street Fighter II and its numerous updates, the series would progressively distinguish the two; Ken's playstyle became informed by his greater mastery of the Shoryuken, his preference for kick-based techniques, and his flame-imbued elemental attacks. Ken is particularly distinguished by his signature Super Combos, the powerful Shippu Jinraikyaku, Shinryuken, and Shoryureppa, which reflect all of the above aspects of his arsenal. While Ken wields the Hadoken like Ryu, he is more adept at physical combat, and ironically does not use its fiery Shakunetsu variant.
Within the storyline, Ken is the spoiled Japanese-American son of the wealthy Masters family, sent to train under the martial arts master Gouken during his adolescence. There, he met Gouken's fellow student Ryu, and the two would forge a lifelong bond. He becomes an experienced tournament competitor in America, and reunites with Ryu in Japan during the Street Fighter Alpha series, set in between Street Fighter I and II. The Alpha series depicts much of the early strengthening of the pair's bond. After emerging victorious in a sparring match with Ryu, Ken gifts Ryu his red hairband as an act of encouragement, reminding him always to stay focused. In honour of this, Ryu wears it as a headband throughout the series, becoming his signature. Ken later helps save a Psycho Power-possessed Ryu from the evil M. Bison. Though complicated by newfound commitments to his family, Ken's friendly rivalry with Ryu consistently motivates his ongoing competition in the series's world tournaments. Street Fighter 6, however, depicts a hardened Ken having been framed by a criminal conspiracy. He searches to clear his name and rescue his kidnapped son Mel, eventually going into hiding to protect his family.
In Super Smash Bros. 4[edit]
Ken appears as a downloadable content trophy in both versions of Super Smash Bros. 4, using his model from Street Fighter IV. His trophy is unlocked immediately upon downloading Ryu. In addition, Ken Stage, his theme from Street Fighter II, is available as a music track on Suzaku Castle in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U in its original version, its Super Street Fighter II version, and a new remix. Lastly, Zero Suit Samus adopted his pose in Ryu's reveal poster for the same game.
Trophy[edit]
- Ken
Ken has been Ryu's number-one rival and best friend since they trained together as children under the same master. In fact, the headband Ryu wears was a gift from Ken! Along with being a very talented martial artist, Ken is also heir to his rich father's Masters Foundation. But sorry, would-be suitors, Ken's married and has a son!
Ken has been Ryu's number one rival and best friend since they trained together as children under the same master. The head band Ryu wears was a gift from Ken. Heir to his rich father's Masters Foundation, Ken is a highly skilled martial artist, but eventually goes home and becomes a family man with his wife Eliza and their son, Mel.- Arcade: Street Fighter (1987)
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
As a playable character[edit]
Ken appears as an unlockable newcomer in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, serving as Ryu's Echo Fighter. His inclusion was leaked on September 21st, 2018 through a screenshot, before his official reveal on November 1st. Despite being classified as an Echo Fighter, Ken falls more in line with the definition of a semi-clone, having more unique moves and differences from his base fighter compared to any other Echo Fighter pairing. Like Ryu, Terry and Kazuya, Ken always faces his opponent when there is one left in a match, counting teammates if Team Attack is on.
Similar to their home series, Ken focuses more on extensive combos and damage racking compared to Ryu's emphasis on zoning and powerful single hits. Along with a faster running speed, many of Ken's standard and special attacks have different properties from Ryu's. Ken's Hadoken is weaker and less controllable than Ryu's, and he cannot perform the Shakunetsu Hadoken. However, he can instead perform roundhouse kicks with unique inputs; these can be special-cancelled into and can themselves cancel into Inazuma Kick for extra shield damage. Tatsumaki Senpukyaku hits multiple times, making it more effective as a combo starter, though it is much weaker and leaves Ken vulnerable even if it connects. Finally, Shoryuken also hits multiple times, dealing much more damage and launching more reliably with the late hits, with the command input version being a fire attack.
Due to his flashy, combo-oriented playstyle and in spite of his high learning curve, Ken has seen impressive representation and results in competitive play, especially in comparison to Ryu.
Spirit[edit]
978. Ken
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
 Japanese |
ケン, Ken |
 English |
Ken |
 French |
Ken |
 German |
Ken |
 Spanish |
Ken |
 Italian |
Ken |
 Chinese (Simplified) |
肯, Ken |
 Chinese (Traditional) |
Ken |
 Portuguese |
Ken |
 Korean |
켄, Ken Ken (in-game texts) |
 Dutch |
Ken |
 Russian |
Кен |
Trivia[edit]
- Ken is the first and currently only third-party playable character to have appeared in the series in a non-playable capacity prior to his playable debut, as he appeared as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. 4 before making his debut as a fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
- Ken is the only Echo Fighter to debut in the same game of their home series as the character they were based on.
- Ken's SSB4 English PAL trophy description contains a reference to Guile's iconic phrase from Street Fighter II, "Go home and be a family man!".
 Street Fighter universe
| |
|---|---|
| Fighters | Ryu (SSB4 · SSBU) · Ken (SSBU) |
| Assist Trophy | Guile |
| Stage | Suzaku Castle |
| Trophies and Spirits | Trophies · Spirits |
| Music | SSB4 · Ultimate |
| Other | World Tour |
