How To Play Chun-Li In Street Fighter 6

Chun-Li is more than the First Lady of Street Fighter; she’s arguably the First Lady of Fighting Games! Her impact is so significant that she’s returned to every mainline Street Fighter since SF2 (Don’t @ me about SF3: New Generation and Double Impact. She made it into Third Strike. That’s what counts!)

Related: Street Fighter 6: World Tour Tips

The «Strongest Woman In The World» has always boasted an assortment of exceptional attacks using her «lightning legs.» But she’s more potent than ever in Street Fighter 6, with several new techniques! While Chun-Li has a steep learning curve, the time you take to study her will pay back tenfold.

Move List

Key

Abbreviation	Meaning
L	Light Attack [Modern Controls]
M	Medium Attack [Modern Controls]
H	High Attack [Modern Controls]
At	Any Attack Button [Modern Controls]
S	Special Move [Modern Controls]
N/A	This attack is not available in the Modern Control scheme
P	Punch
K	Kick
LP	Light Punch [Classic Controls]
MP	Medium Punch [Classic Controls]
HP	Heavy Punch [Classic Controls]
LK	Light Kick [Classic Controls]
MK	Medium Kick [Classic Controls]
HK	Heavy Kick [Classic Controls]
PP	Punch x2 (simultaneously)
KK	Kick x2 (simultaneously)
>	Used between buttons to denote a target combo
N	Neutral movement (not pressing any directional buttons)
OD	This move has an Overdrive version
[c]	This attack can cancel into special moves
↳	This attack follows the one above it.

Special Moves

Super Arts

Unique Attacks

Throws

Special Move Breakdown

Kikoken

Classic: [charge⬅️]➡️ + P

Modern: [charge⬅️] + S

Kikoken is Chun-Li’s projectile attack. What’s neat about this ki blast, compared to others, like Hadoken, is how it progresses with attack strength. Kikoken’s speed increases at higher attack strengths, but its distance decreases.

So, how will this trait affect your gameplay? Light Kikoken works great for planning an offensive approach. You can charge the attack from far away and use its slow speed to cover you while you walk toward your foe.

Medium and Heavy Kikokens will come in a pinch during a crouching guard, providing a counter-attack to your opponent. They’ll also work wonders in a close-range combo.

OD Kikoken is a gamechanger. It combines the Light Kikoken range with Heavy Kikoken’s power and adds multiple hits. This is a stellar option when you want to throw your opponent off-kilter.

Hundred Lightning Kicks

Classic: ⬇️↘️➡️ + K

Modern: N + S

Who doesn’t love Hundred Lightning Kicks? This offensive skill puts Chun-Li’s lightning legs to good use with multiple high-speed kicks!

While Hundred Lightning Kicks seems convenient, it comes with a catch: it is unsafe when blocked. So, you should combo this move out of a normal attack. By working this way, you can hit-confirm before taking on Hundred Lightning Kick’s inherent risks.

OD Hundred Lightning Kicks adds even more hits to the attack. You can follow this attack with Lightning Kick Barrage at no cost to your Drive Gauge. However, it would be best if you didn’t use this follow-up unless OD Hundred Lightning Kicks lands.

Aerial Hundred Lightning Kicks

Classic: ⬇️↘️➡️ + K

Modern: S

Aerial Hundred Lightning Kicks works under similar conditions as its grounded version. It immediately turns a jumping attack into a combo, making it great for confronting airborne opponents.

Start practicing by performing Aerial Hundred Lightning Kicks out of a Jumping Medium Punch. After you’re comfortable with this sequence, try performing OD Aerial Hundred Lightning Kicks after a launching attack, like Tenku Kick.

Spinning Bird Kick

Classic: [charge⬇️]⬆️ + K

Modern: [charge⬇️]⬆️ + At

Spinning Bird Kick, aka the ‘WTF-HOW-IS-THAT-EVEN-POSSIBLE-KICK,’ is a beautiful high-damage attack that feels satisfying whenever it lands.

Spinning Bird Kick is easy to perform out of a Crouching LK, LP, MK, or MP. Plus, it knocks down your opponent. So, if you can land any four of those crouching normal attacks, canceling them into a Spinning Bird Kick is a no-brainer.

Once you’ve become familiar with Spinning Bird Kick, you should try its OD version. This version launches your opponent, making it a perfect precursor to Tensho Kicks. But remember, OD Spinning Bird Kick only combos out of a medium attack or higher.

Hazanshu

Classic: ⬇️↙️⬅️ + K

Modern: ⬇️ + S

Hazanshu is a fast and furious flip kick that will keep your opponent in check and avoid sweeping kicks. It’s a great overhead that will punish opponents in crouching guard.

The Light Hazanshu, in particular, is very fast and takes advantage of its overhead quality well. However, even Medium and Heavy Hazanshus are safe bets since they leave some distance when blocked, allowing you to go on the defensive.

OD Hazanshu launches your opponent, making it a fantastic combo starter.

Tensho Kicks

Classic: ⬇️⬇️ + K

Modern: ➡️ + S

Tensho Kicks launch your opponent into the air with several high-speed kicks. This attack’s upward movement gives it outstanding offensive and defensive qualities.

Tensho Kicks is a highly effective anti-air attack if an opponent attempts a jump-in. Yet, this assault also has a malleable nature, allowing it to fit in several combo strings.

Suppose you’re a Marvel Vs. Capcom fan. In that case, Tensho Kicks will give you that aerial combo razzle dazzle!

OD Tensho Kicks is invincible to all attacks, making it the perfect reversal necessary for competitive play. Use this skill when you need to change the course of the match.

Related: Street Fighter 6: Beginner’s Guide To Luke

Chun-Li’s Bread And Butter Combos

Combo 1

Our first combo addresses most beginners’ main issue when learning a charge character: how do you charge an attack without moving backward?

One option is charging an attack via a crouching guard. The other is to use an attack to keep your character in place while you charge the special move.

Classic Input: ⬅️ or ➡️ + MP > [charge⬅️]➡️ + P

Modern Input: ⬅️ or ➡️ + M > [charge⬅️] + S

This combo displays both techniques at work. You must begin with a crouching guard to add valuable charge time. Then, once you enter Swift Thrust, you can cancel into Kikoken.

Combo 2

Chun-Li has incredible aerial combos. Even simple maneuvers, like our example below, can damage an airborne opponent significantly. This combo also shows off Aerial Kikosho, a great combo finisher that’s easy to execute out of Yoso Kicks.

• Serenity Stream
• Tenku Kick
• Yoso Kick (x2)
• Aerial Kikosho

Classic Input: ⬇️↙️⬅️ + P > HK > jump > ⬇️ + MK > ⬇️ + MK > ⬇️↘️➡️⬇️↘️➡️ + P

Modern Input: ⬇️↙️⬅️ + At > H > jump > ⬇️ + M > ⬇️ + M > S + H

When you’re looking for a Drive-free launcher, Tenku Kick does the job. Practice quickly canceling Serenity Stream into Tenku Kick to make these launches less predictable.

Combo 3

Our last combo adds meat to the format we reviewed in Combo 2. However, instead of a Tenku Kick, the launching attack is Hoyoku-sen, which can get canceled into a jump.

Crouching Medium Kick and OD Hundred Lightning Kick create an opening for Hoyoku-sen that adds extra damage to the front of the combo.

• Crouching Medium Kick
• OD Hundred Lightning Kick
• Hoyoku-sen
• Yoso Kick (x2)
• Aerial Kikosho

Classic Input: ⬇️ + MK > ⬇️↘️➡️ + KK > ⬇️↘️➡️ + K > jump cancel > ⬇️ + MK > ⬇️ + MK > ⬇️↘️➡️​​​​​​​⬇️↘️➡️ + P

Modern Input: ⬇️ + M​​​​​​​ > ⬅️ + S + Auto > ⬅️ + S +​​​​​​​ H > jump cancel > ⬇️ + M > ⬇️ + M > S + H

Notice how we condensed the input from OD Hundred Lightning Kick into Hoyoku-sen? You can use the ⬇️↘️➡️ motion from the first move to begin the input for the second. This will make canceling less cumbersome.

Modern Players can learn something from this lesson too. After entering OD Hundred Lightning Kick, hold the back button and press S + H. How simple is that?

Chun-Li General Strategy

Like any dedicated teacher, Chun-Li tests and challenges her opponents, even when they don’t realize it. So, to win as her, first, you should observe your opponent’s responses to pokes and projectiles. Then, you can punish them with a cavalcade of aerial attacks and close-range combos.

Kikoken portrays this sequence well. You can test the opponent with this projectile to see whether they’ll respond with a projectile cancel, a crouching guard, or a jump-in.

Once you see their response, you can punish them accordingly.

• If your opponent sends a projectile back, dodge below it with Snake Strike.
• If your opponent guards the attack, use Light Kikoken to cover you while you approach with some close-range pressure.
• If your opponent attempts a jump-in, punish it with a move from Chun-Li’s vast suite of anti-air and jumping attacks, including Tensho Kicks, Aerial Hundred Lightning Kick, Hoyoku-sen, and Ryuseiraku.

This is one example, but you can test the waters with your opponent in several ways while you strategize your next move. Chun-Li has great mid-range pokes. Her fast normals can also chain into Unique Attacks and Special Moves, which is great for counters.

Once you’re in melee range, focus on making an opening for your Bread And Butter combos. Besides your medium crouching attacks, you can also trick your opponent with Serenity Stream, which has six different options. They’ll never know what’s coming!

Too much hesitation is the greatest weakness of a Chun-Li player. If you spend too long in a crouching guard while you charge up that next Kikoken or Spinning Bird Kick, you’ll get crushed before you can react.

When you find yourself cornered or guarding for dear life, whip out that Kikosho. It’s a Drive-Free reversal that’s guaranteed to deflect opponent pressure.

Next: Street Fighter 6: Beginner’s Guide To Ryu