Ken Super Smash Bros Ultimate Guide - Unlock, Moves, Changes, Ken Alternate Costumes, Final Smash
Super Smash Bros Ultimate Full Character Roster, plus guides on every fighter in the game, covering changes, moves and alternate outfits.
Nintendo is bringing out the big guns for Super Smash Bros Ultimate. There’s the largest roster of any Smash game so far, over 800 music tracks and hundreds of stages too. Every single fighter from previous games is returning, and there are plenty of new faces as well. One of these new faces is Ken, who has been added into Super Smash Bros Ultimate as an Echo fighter to Ryu. He has some key differences though, which we’ll outline in this Super Smash Bros Ultimate Ken Guide. We’ll also take a look at the Alternate Costumes that are on offer, and what his Final Smash is.
We’re gradually adding more and more character guides in the lead up to launch day. You can find all of the ones we’ve put together so far in our Super Smash Bros Ultimate Characters Guide.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Ken Guide
Ken is a brand new addition to Super Smash Bros Ultimate, acting as an Echo Fighter to Ryu. He is more focused on combos than his counterpart, and deals more damage overall. There are some extra differences too, in visuals and taunts. We’ve listed everything you need to know below.
Ken Smash Bros. Ultimate Moves Set and Final Smash
One of the counterparts of Ryu coming into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from Street Fighter. In the table below, you can find a list of the moves that are at Ken’s disposal in the game.
| Special Move Controls | Special Type | Special Move Name |
|---|---|---|
| B | Neutral Special | Hadoken |
| Left Stick Left/Right + B | Green Missile | Tatsumaki Senpukyaku |
| Left Stick Up + B | Up Special | Shoryuken |
| Left Stick Down + B | Down Special | Focus Attack |
| B when FS Meter is Full | Final Smash | Shippu Jinraikyaku/Shinryuken |
How to Unlock Ken in Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Unlike previous Smash games, fighters are unlocked in the same way for all, rather than character-specific challenges. This means that while it can be a bit of a grind, all you need to do is play the game naturally and you’ll eventually unlock all of the characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. We’ve listed the three ways you can unlock characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate below:
- Playing the World of Light single-player mode.
- Completing Classic Mode with a character.
- Playing the ‘Challenger Approaches’ fights that appear regularly, you will need to win them.
The fastest method involves triggering the Challenger Fights by reloading the game regularly. We’ve listed the method below:
- Quit to the home screen and Restart the game.
- Create a match with a custom rule set.
- Make sure the match is 1 minute long, or 1 stock if you'd prefer.
- After finishing the match (you can win or lose) you will offered a new Challenger Fight.
- You'll need to win the Challenger fight
- Repeat.
For more info on unlocking characters using the modes listed above, head over to our Super Smash Bros Ultimate Character Unlock Guide .
Super Smash Bros Ultimate Ken Differences
Given that Ken is an Echo Fighter of Ryu, it is worth pointing out the differences between the two. They’re not too drastic, but there will definitely be players that prefer on over the other. We’ve listed all of the key differences below.
- Ken has a different Hadoken, with his hands shown in the energy blast.
- Taunts are different.
- New victory poses.
- Ken is faster than Ryu generally.
- Ken has Nata Otoshi Geri as his roundhouse kick attack.
- New Final Smashes.
- New Neutral Aerial.
- Ken’s Shoryuken deals more damage.
Super Smash Bros Ultimate Ken Alternate Costumes
Much like the rest of the Super Smash Bros Ultimate Roster, Ken has some Alternate Costumes that players can choose from. They are simple color swaps of his default outfit, in charcoal, purple, white, green, yellow, blue and black. You can check out the black variant in the image embedded above.
Super Smash Bros Ultimate Ken Final Smash
Just like Ryu, Ken actually has two Final Smash moves. They are Shinryuken and Shippu Jinraikyaku. They are triggered depending on the distance from the enemy, with Shippu Jinraikyaku being used when opponents are within grabbing distance. You can see the Shinryuken move in action in the video embedded above.
That’s everything we know about Ken in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. We’ll be updating this guide and other character guides as we get more info, so be sure to check back in regularly. For more on the game, head over to our Super Smash Bros Ultimate Guides hub. It’s got stages, trailers, details on amiibo, and more.