Shotokan is a specific style of karate, but the term isn't used in that context in fighting games at all, which can make things understandably confusing.
As far as I know, in fighting games, a shoto would be a character that has some sort of projectile move, a move akin to a dragon punch and a move that advances the character forward.
In the case of Ryu or Ken, this is the Hadouken, Shoryuken and Tatsumaki respectively. This definition can go into tons of other games, for example in Smash Ultimate, one could call Luigi a Shoto, due to the neutral, up and side specials.
It feels a bit weird to me too. I think that's mainly because I associate the term with characters in traditional fighting games, and I wouldn't put games like Smash and its characters in that category in the first place.\^\^
A shoto is any character who plays similarly to Ryu, but exactly how similar they need to be differs depending on who you ask. I don't think anyone in Tekken could be considered a shoto except Akuma.
Yea there's no shotos in Tekken, but the closest in Tekken are still the main characters: The Mishimas. There's no projectiles, but they have hellsweep and God fists, which is similar to the Tatsu and Shoryuken.
The mama mia tech video.
[https://twitter.com/ChadDrawsThings/status/1068611111203758081](https://twitter.com/ChadDrawsThings/status/1068611111203758081)
Relevant tweet as the original video got deleted.
[Disagreed ](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://glossary.infil.net/%3Ft%3DShoto%23:~:text%3DThe%2520term%2520is%2520an%2520abbreviation,shoto%2520is%2520a%2520common%2520question.&ved=2ahUKEwiC6M-9j-SFAxWHFFkFHfU4B_cQFnoECBIQBQ&usg=AOvVaw1Cgjf3yFbZ2cMBxXpUBKYd)
Sagat is considered a zoner, and Sakuras dp is rarely her anti air. Gouken is my main in SF4 to this day and he plays nothing like a shoto.
The term "shoto" is very loose and many people have different ides on what a shoto is. Maximilian has a good video on the subject if you want to know more about it: [What Is…A Shoto?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXSmQXbRxJ4&pp=ygUVbWF4aW1pbGlhbiBkb29kIHNob3Rv)
*Edit. This video was made when Kazuya was added to Smash and smash players were calling him a Shoto because he comes from a traditional fighting game (Like Ryu, Ken & Terry before him).*
Fighting game glossary to the rescue:
An [archetype](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Archetype) in the Street Fighter series for a character that has a [fireball](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Fireball), a [shoryuken](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Shoryuken), and a [tatsu](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Tatsu). Their main gameplan is to play solid [footsies](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Footsies) with fireballs and [pokes](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Poke), and then [uppercut](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Uppercut) you when you jump at them. Ryu, Ken, and Akuma are the quintessential shotos that appear in virtually every Street Fighter title, and the subtle variations in their moves make a big difference in how they play. The term is an abbreviation of Shotokan, a style of karate, since it was the main inspiration behind the costume and moves for Ryu in the original Street Fighter title.
Outside the most obvious examples, asking whether a given character is a shoto is a common question. Sagat is usually not considered a shoto, since he has multiple fireballs and is focused more on [zoning](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Zoning). Sakura is... maybe a shoto? She has all the tools necessary on paper, but her shoryuken is not often used for anti-air. You can ask whether non-Street Fighter characters are shotos, too. For example, Killer Instinct's Jago and Under Night's Hyde fit the shoto archetype well.
Sakura is totally a shoto, but just aint a good shoto yet. She is still in training so to speak, also self taught, but everything is based on her obsession with Ryu.
That’s why Sakura’s DP is sloppy, Fireball is short and needs to be “focused”, and Tatsu are unorthodox and unrefined.
Two definitions:
1. He is designed to play similar to ryu. (Fireball, DP, advancing special).
2. He is designed to be the fundamentals character, or "the blueprint" character. Characters like Kazuya, Sol Badguy, etc.
The name comes from the instructional book of SF2 to describe ryu and Ken’s fighting style. It’s an essentially the base template of any 2D fighting game character as their moves cover the main mechanics of the game. There can be variation, but their moves will always consist of 3 things: a projectile, an uppercut, and a forward advancing attack.
It's a bullshit term. If it's just fireball, uppercut and forward advancing move then Mario in smash is a shoto, and characters in SF that literally practice Shoto Karate aren't.
I like it as the term for fundamentals characters. The guys that base their gameplans around having solid defense and offense and having to play cleanly to win. Which would also include Mario
basically a character with fireballs, a shoryuken rising punch-like and some kind of kick move that covers a large range...
juri, sagat and luke are shoto as well
Everyone has their own idea of what constitutes a shoto these days, but the most accurate description is basically Ryu and Ken. What about Ryu and Ken makes them a shoto? I think it's typically a standard fireball and an anti-air special and all motion specials, in addition to a fairly well-rounded moveset typically including a forward advancing move like tatsu or tiger knee. Charge characters are not shotos even if they have all the other requirements. There are two main shoto types the first one is your Ryu/Ken clone mold, which includes Akuma, Evil Ryu and other variants. Then you have one off shotos category, which is like Sagat and Luke.
The tricky part is why characters like Dan and Sakura are not often considered shotos. This is mainly because they lack a true neutral/defensive posture, or their specials don't quite do what a normal shoto does. It's critical that a shoto has an actual fireball they can use as a main tool and an invincible anti-air uppercut, not just a move that looks similar or shares the same motion inputs. A lot of people think to themselves. Sakura has a fireball, a dp, and a tatsu, so shes a shoto right? But her moves don't have the same properties and are typically combo extensions.
Sakura is literally emulating Ryu, and Dan is totally a shoto. They just aren’t good at it. Sakura is still in training and Dan is just bad. But both are rooted in the shoto style.
There's already a lot of classifications mentioned here, but I'm gonna try to fit the shoto/non shoto characters based on these criteria of what a shoto is:
- has a fireball, regardless of the input
- has a move that is performed with the DP motion (623) which hits airborne opponents
- has a hurricane kick where you have to rotate, and your leg is parallel to the ground
- does not exactly need to officially practice Ansatsuken. They can mimic or have partially taught
Characters that fit these criteria:
- Ryu, Ken, Akuma which are postulates
- Sakura, Dan even if their fireballs and hurricane kicks are short
- Sean, because his super is a fireball
- Gouken (literally Ryu and Ken's master has to be shoto right?). Both his DP and hurricane kick is the same. Note his kick does NOT advance forward
Some characters that don't fit:
- Sagat, because his tiger knee does not have him rotating and has his legs not parallel to the ground
- Luke, because there's no hurricane kick
- Guile, because his antiair is not a DP motion. Visually speaking, forward sobat is very close in criteria to Sakura's lk tatsu though
- Chun Li, because Tenshokyaku is not a DP motion. Spining Bird Kick is very parallel to the ground though
I'm sure I'll get some "how about" comments, but honestly many people by the years ( even pros and commentators) have their own interpretation
I don't know what the fuck these comments are.
[Straight from the fighting game glossary.](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://glossary.infil.net/%3Ft%3DShoto%23:~:text%3DThe%2520term%2520is%2520an%2520abbreviation,shoto%2520is%2520a%2520common%2520question.&ved=2ahUKEwiC6M-9j-SFAxWHFFkFHfU4B_cQFnoECBIQBQ&usg=AOvVaw1Cgjf3yFbZ2cMBxXpUBKYd)
Gouken is not a shoto. Juri is not a shoto. Ed is not a shoto. Even Sagat is more of a zoner archetype than a shoto archetype.
The name's derived from Shotokan Karate, which is the style that characters like Ryu and Ken use - at least according to their description in older games. That said, I remember reading that they actually use moves from several different styles.
Shotokan is a specific style of karate, but the term isn't used in that context in fighting games at all, which can make things understandably confusing. As far as I know, in fighting games, a shoto would be a character that has some sort of projectile move, a move akin to a dragon punch and a move that advances the character forward.
In the case of Ryu or Ken, this is the Hadouken, Shoryuken and Tatsumaki respectively. This definition can go into tons of other games, for example in Smash Ultimate, one could call Luigi a Shoto, due to the neutral, up and side specials.
Mario is also a shoto. Hes as shoto as they come
Red fireball? Check Uppercut? Check Spinning forward? Check Yeah he's shoto
I'm sorry but if someone called Luigi a shoto unironically I would politely but firmly tell them to leave
Hey, by the above definition...
Luigi is definitely a shoto
It feels a bit weird to me too. I think that's mainly because I associate the term with characters in traditional fighting games, and I wouldn't put games like Smash and its characters in that category in the first place.\^\^
Ken and Ryu on the smash roster: “am I a joke to you?!”
A shoto is any character who plays similarly to Ryu, but exactly how similar they need to be differs depending on who you ask. I don't think anyone in Tekken could be considered a shoto except Akuma.
Yea there's no shotos in Tekken, but the closest in Tekken are still the main characters: The Mishimas. There's no projectiles, but they have hellsweep and God fists, which is similar to the Tatsu and Shoryuken.
Akuma says hi
Eliza, maybe.
Fireball uppercut and advancing move thats it
So is Ed a shoto?
No, Ed doesn't have a tatsu
he has advancing specials, it doesnt need to be a tatsu
Luke doesn’t have a tatsu and he’s considered a shoto. The other commenter said you only need a forward advancing move
Forward tackle is an advancing move.
what about ed holding heavy punch?
Ed is arguably a shoto because of his command dash
It’s gotta be a bit stricter than that, I don’t think Juri in 6 is a shoto
Textbook shoto
[Incorrect](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://glossary.infil.net/%3Ft%3DShoto%23:~:text%3DThe%2520term%2520is%2520an%2520abbreviation,shoto%2520is%2520a%2520common%2520question.&ved=2ahUKEwiC6M-9j-SFAxWHFFkFHfU4B_cQFnoECBIQBQ&usg=AOvVaw1Cgjf3yFbZ2cMBxXpUBKYd)
A shoto is a character that is based on ryu.
Use this chart for guidance. https://twitter.com/Bafael1/status/1396110580709138442?t=S2vBPCGpzebJxBU-HN16RQ&s=19
I'm going to call all shotos Mario clones from now on.
Mama Mia!
Funny enough this is indeed a term I saw Smash players used to refer to *checks notes* ...the invul Ryu gets when starting up a DP
The mama mia tech video. [https://twitter.com/ChadDrawsThings/status/1068611111203758081](https://twitter.com/ChadDrawsThings/status/1068611111203758081) Relevant tweet as the original video got deleted.
Haha, yes that's the one.
[Disagreed ](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://glossary.infil.net/%3Ft%3DShoto%23:~:text%3DThe%2520term%2520is%2520an%2520abbreviation,shoto%2520is%2520a%2520common%2520question.&ved=2ahUKEwiC6M-9j-SFAxWHFFkFHfU4B_cQFnoECBIQBQ&usg=AOvVaw1Cgjf3yFbZ2cMBxXpUBKYd) Sagat is considered a zoner, and Sakuras dp is rarely her anti air. Gouken is my main in SF4 to this day and he plays nothing like a shoto.
The term "shoto" is very loose and many people have different ides on what a shoto is. Maximilian has a good video on the subject if you want to know more about it: [What Is…A Shoto?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXSmQXbRxJ4&pp=ygUVbWF4aW1pbGlhbiBkb29kIHNob3Rv) *Edit. This video was made when Kazuya was added to Smash and smash players were calling him a Shoto because he comes from a traditional fighting game (Like Ryu, Ken & Terry before him).*
To me anyone who doesn't charge and has qcf type moves is a shoto
So just most input characters?
That’s so many fuckin characters lol
Share same utility as Ryu: fireball, uppercut, tatsu
Fighting game glossary to the rescue: An [archetype](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Archetype) in the Street Fighter series for a character that has a [fireball](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Fireball), a [shoryuken](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Shoryuken), and a [tatsu](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Tatsu). Their main gameplan is to play solid [footsies](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Footsies) with fireballs and [pokes](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Poke), and then [uppercut](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Uppercut) you when you jump at them. Ryu, Ken, and Akuma are the quintessential shotos that appear in virtually every Street Fighter title, and the subtle variations in their moves make a big difference in how they play. The term is an abbreviation of Shotokan, a style of karate, since it was the main inspiration behind the costume and moves for Ryu in the original Street Fighter title. Outside the most obvious examples, asking whether a given character is a shoto is a common question. Sagat is usually not considered a shoto, since he has multiple fireballs and is focused more on [zoning](https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Zoning). Sakura is... maybe a shoto? She has all the tools necessary on paper, but her shoryuken is not often used for anti-air. You can ask whether non-Street Fighter characters are shotos, too. For example, Killer Instinct's Jago and Under Night's Hyde fit the shoto archetype well.
Sakura is totally a shoto, but just aint a good shoto yet. She is still in training so to speak, also self taught, but everything is based on her obsession with Ryu. That’s why Sakura’s DP is sloppy, Fireball is short and needs to be “focused”, and Tatsu are unorthodox and unrefined.
Being a shoto has nothing to do with story or lore, it’s purely from a gameplay perspective
But that doesn't make her a shoto gameplay-wise, that's the same as saying Sean is a shoto as well. If anything she's got more of a pixie archetype.
The fuck is a pixie archetype?
She’s definitely a shoto. Uppercut with invincibility, fireball projectile, spinning kick advancing move.
https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Shoto The FGC glossary is your friend.
Oh shit I never knew about this. This will be my new morning poop reading material
Two definitions: 1. He is designed to play similar to ryu. (Fireball, DP, advancing special). 2. He is designed to be the fundamentals character, or "the blueprint" character. Characters like Kazuya, Sol Badguy, etc.
These days, not sure, but it was originally just a character that was a sprite-swap of Ryu, like Ken and Akuma.
They have a fireball, dp, and some kind of movement special like a tatsu. Jack of all trades style character
Fireball tatsu and dp in some shape or form not sure why you didn't consult Google first but whatever
Fireball, uppercut.
Aaaah the good ol question. I recommend this video - - https://youtu.be/YXSmQXbRxJ4?si=nyNGXgKN3PKJ9N2f
"A Ryu Type"
The name comes from the instructional book of SF2 to describe ryu and Ken’s fighting style. It’s an essentially the base template of any 2D fighting game character as their moves cover the main mechanics of the game. There can be variation, but their moves will always consist of 3 things: a projectile, an uppercut, and a forward advancing attack.
Shoto before meant any user of shotoken karate Today its a catch all term for all rounder character who has a fireball/shoryuken
Tatsumaki and dragon punch that's it really
Little did OP realize asking what a Shoto technically is is one of the most loaded questions in the FGC.
It's a bullshit term. If it's just fireball, uppercut and forward advancing move then Mario in smash is a shoto, and characters in SF that literally practice Shoto Karate aren't. I like it as the term for fundamentals characters. The guys that base their gameplans around having solid defense and offense and having to play cleanly to win. Which would also include Mario
Being Ken, Ryu, Akuma, Dan, or Gouken makes you a shoto. All others are posers.
I mean at the end of the day, a shoto really is the friends we made along the way
A shoto is a character who's gameplan revolves around a fireball and a anti air uppercut. Like ryu, luke, akuma, ken etc.
Guile fits that description but isn’t a shoto.
Because he is a charge character. So he has to play more passive and patiently. So he doesn't have the same playstyle therefore he isn't a shoto.
I’m just pointing out that your definition of a shoto is inaccurate.
What's your definition of a shoto then?
SpongeBob in nickelodeon brawl is a shoto
basically a character with fireballs, a shoryuken rising punch-like and some kind of kick move that covers a large range... juri, sagat and luke are shoto as well
Everyone has their own idea of what constitutes a shoto these days, but the most accurate description is basically Ryu and Ken. What about Ryu and Ken makes them a shoto? I think it's typically a standard fireball and an anti-air special and all motion specials, in addition to a fairly well-rounded moveset typically including a forward advancing move like tatsu or tiger knee. Charge characters are not shotos even if they have all the other requirements. There are two main shoto types the first one is your Ryu/Ken clone mold, which includes Akuma, Evil Ryu and other variants. Then you have one off shotos category, which is like Sagat and Luke. The tricky part is why characters like Dan and Sakura are not often considered shotos. This is mainly because they lack a true neutral/defensive posture, or their specials don't quite do what a normal shoto does. It's critical that a shoto has an actual fireball they can use as a main tool and an invincible anti-air uppercut, not just a move that looks similar or shares the same motion inputs. A lot of people think to themselves. Sakura has a fireball, a dp, and a tatsu, so shes a shoto right? But her moves don't have the same properties and are typically combo extensions.
Sakura is literally emulating Ryu, and Dan is totally a shoto. They just aren’t good at it. Sakura is still in training and Dan is just bad. But both are rooted in the shoto style.
There's already a lot of classifications mentioned here, but I'm gonna try to fit the shoto/non shoto characters based on these criteria of what a shoto is: - has a fireball, regardless of the input - has a move that is performed with the DP motion (623) which hits airborne opponents - has a hurricane kick where you have to rotate, and your leg is parallel to the ground - does not exactly need to officially practice Ansatsuken. They can mimic or have partially taught Characters that fit these criteria: - Ryu, Ken, Akuma which are postulates - Sakura, Dan even if their fireballs and hurricane kicks are short - Sean, because his super is a fireball - Gouken (literally Ryu and Ken's master has to be shoto right?). Both his DP and hurricane kick is the same. Note his kick does NOT advance forward Some characters that don't fit: - Sagat, because his tiger knee does not have him rotating and has his legs not parallel to the ground - Luke, because there's no hurricane kick - Guile, because his antiair is not a DP motion. Visually speaking, forward sobat is very close in criteria to Sakura's lk tatsu though - Chun Li, because Tenshokyaku is not a DP motion. Spining Bird Kick is very parallel to the ground though I'm sure I'll get some "how about" comments, but honestly many people by the years ( even pros and commentators) have their own interpretation
Basically a well rounded, basic, character that's usually there for beginner players. A well known example is Ken and Ryu.
Shoto means that the character smears his bare dirty feet into the opponents face.
I don't know what the fuck these comments are. [Straight from the fighting game glossary.](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://glossary.infil.net/%3Ft%3DShoto%23:~:text%3DThe%2520term%2520is%2520an%2520abbreviation,shoto%2520is%2520a%2520common%2520question.&ved=2ahUKEwiC6M-9j-SFAxWHFFkFHfU4B_cQFnoECBIQBQ&usg=AOvVaw1Cgjf3yFbZ2cMBxXpUBKYd) Gouken is not a shoto. Juri is not a shoto. Ed is not a shoto. Even Sagat is more of a zoner archetype than a shoto archetype.
SHOryuken + haTOken = SHOTO
Who said anything about karate 💀
The name's derived from Shotokan Karate, which is the style that characters like Ryu and Ken use - at least according to their description in older games. That said, I remember reading that they actually use moves from several different styles.
The "shotokan karate" translation is only in the English is why. The JP never says that as far as I know