Juri Detailed Summary

*NOTE* THIS IS A VERY LONG SUMMARY! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED GET YOUR PEN & PAPER AND START



About Juri:

Juri is a fairly easy character to grasp at first but has a lot of complexity to her that makes her more advanced to use then a lot of the cast in SSF4. She is one of the most versatile characters in the game with many play styles to adapt to her matches and play styles of the cast. She can do well at any range of the screen but requires precision and ingenuity to do so. She can zone with her fireballs with clever use and timing. She can footsie with the best with her normal attacks and she can rush down, pressure, and mix up fairly well.

Strengths:
-Versatility to adapt to the match up and play styles of other characters
-Misleading jumping normals
-Really good normal attacks
-Fast dash speed that covers a lot of distance
-Really good ability to control space with her normals and fireballs
-Great corner game

Weaknesses:
-Below average defensive options. Lack of a really strong get off of me move.
-Below average vitality
-Poor walking speed
-Requires awkward finger positioning for advance play
-Doesn't excel in any particular area. Jack-of-all-trades but a master of none.

Juri's Normal Attacks:
*Hitxbox Information*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf7DCllf55o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMqBqqh68II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBO3T7kXXUM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfU0cWMlwvA


Notable Standing Attacks

Far Standing Strong (damage=80, stun=100) - Really good range on this attack but whiffs on crouching characters. It's good as a poke and one of her good moves in her footsie game. You want to use this move when you are closer to your opponent and your longer reaching attacks aren't as effective in that range. It can be used as an anti-air if your opponent jumps while father away from you. The timing and spacing is precise if you plan to use it as an anti-air but there are much better anti-air options at her disposal. This is the only move that can be used for a Kara throw.

Close Standing Fierce (damage=100, stun=200) - This move lifts Juri off the ground so it does go over low attacks but can whiff against other low attacks that shrink your opponent's hit boxes. When it connects it places your opponent into a juggle state allowing Short Pinwheel, EX Pinwheel, and Super to combo afterwards. It can be used when you have conditioned your opponent to option select tech throw or if they like to mash throws as it will cause the crouching short/throw to whiff and they will get hit by the close standing fierce. It is incredibly unsafe on block so use it sparingly.

Far Standing Fierce (damage=120, stun=200) - Can be used as an AA if your opponent is jumping a little bit outside of a character space away. Can be used as a poke but generally not a good idea.

Close Standing Short (damage=30, stun=50)- A very fast move that leaves you in favorable position on block. It is her safest normal to use in block strings due to the frame advantage on block. A versatile move up close that can be used more for frame traps, pressure strings, tick throws, and an easy hit confirm for her combos. Needless to say this is one of her best moves to use when in point blank range of your opponent. Some things to note is that two close standing shorts put her out of her throw range so for tick throw purposes you will need to use one standing short or Kara throw after the 2nd standing short. Also, two standing shorts puts you in optimal range for mix up games with her jumping normals.

Far Standing Short (damage=40, stun=50) - This move can be special and super canceled and has some uses within in combos and block strings. The range on this move when up close is pretty good and can be used in a shorter ranged footsie game.

Close Standing Forward (damage [1st hit]=30, stun=40, damage [2nd hit]=35, stun=40) - It's two hits and you cancel into a special/super from either hit. The second hit will whiff on crouching opponents though so keep that in mind when doing combos or guard strings. Up close it can be used to stop focus attacks but you really just want to apply it when you place reads on your opponent in abusing focus attacks when up close.

Far Standing Forward (damage=70, stun=70) - By far one of Juri's best standing pokes. It has generous range and hit boxes to it and in closer ranges it does two hits. It also moves her forward slightly so you will recover closer to your opponent so keep that in mind when poking and doing footsies.

Forward+ Kick (damage=70, stun=70) - This is her unique attack and her only command normal. This is also her overhead attack. It's slow like most overheads and doesn't give you a huge advantage on hit but is good when pressuring your opponent and carries the extra ability of going over low attacks such as Ryu's crouching Forward. It's best application so far is with Ultra 1 - Feng Shui Engine as you can combo after this move but it's a link and requires timing.

Close Standing Roundhouse (damage [1st hit]=40, stun [1st hit]=125, damage [2nd hit]=70, stun [2nd hit]=75) - It's two hits and is special/super cancelable on either hit. It looks deceptive because you would think it would be an overhead but unfortunately it's not. Strictly a move to be used within Ultra 1 - Feng Shui Engine for combo purposes.

Far Standing Roundhouse (damage=110, stun=200) - The range on this move is really good and it goes over low attacks but can whiff on smaller characters that are crouching so be careful with its use. It can hit opponents out of the air from longer ranges but the timing and spacing is very precise. When used as a poking tool it carries the extra ability to hit an opponent when they are starting their jump. This is a move you want to use sparingly and at the right ranges because it's a slow move with bad recovery leaving you vulnerable when used poorly.

Notable Crouching Attacks
*Hitbox Information*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2SUTMUnP2A

Crouching Jab (damage=30, stun=50) - Range is limited but a good move to hit confirm into combos and leaves you in neutral position when blocked.

Crouching Strong (damage=70, stun=100) - One of Juri's best normal moves. It is a very solid poking tool and great in her footsie game. It has a lot of active frames to it allowing you to stuff many attacks and it has shorter start up frames than some of her other normals so it's a very good go-to move. This is Juri's first solid anti-air move and will stuff most frontal jumping attacks but you will need to vary the timing depending on the match up. It can beat some cross ups but it becomes distance and timing specific. You generally need to time it later to stop the cross up. It has a unique property of being able to cancel the recovery into another attack, which will extend the range of the second attack.

Crouching Fierce (damage=100, stun=200) - This is Juri's next solid anti-air option and is best used when your opponent is jumping closer to you. It has the ability to stop cross ups as well. On hit it causes a crouching opponent to stand allowing Forward Fuhajin release to connect. Very solid damage in a combo if you can hit confirm from a jumping attack prior to it or within Ultra 1. On hit as an anti-air it causes your opponent to flip back allowing you to dash in and close the distance on your opponent for rush down and mix up purposes.

Crouching Short (damage=20, stun=50) - It's primary use is in combos and guard strings and it does have applications to her footsie game. You can chain these together but keep in mind that in order to combo into a special/super you need to link the last crouching short. Two crouching shorts puts you in optimal range to make your jumping attacks ambiguous as to whether they will cross up or not.

Crouching Forward (damage=60, stun=100) - This is one of Juri's strongest pokes as it has good range on it. It's her best hit confirm out of her ground normals. The unique property to this move is that it lowers Juri's hit boxes very low to the ground. Due to this it can be used to avoid a lot of air borne special moves like M.Bison's (Dictator) Head Stomp follow ups or C.Viper's Burn Kicks when timed correctly. You can use this move to go under fireballs as well; however, you cannot use this to avoid fireballs from mid to full screen, as she will get hit during the recovery. It will only avoid fireballs while you are fairly close to your opponent. You can actually counter your opponent's fireballs at close range allowing an easy hit confirm into a combo.

Crouching Roundhouse (damage=90, stun=100) - It causes an untechable knockdown on hit and sets her up for her mix up game. It can be combo'd off of certain special moves and Ultra 1 - Feng Shui Engine. It has applications in her footsie game that you want to use quite a bit, as the untechable knockdown is really important for Juri.

Notable Neutral Jumping Attacks
*Hitbox Information*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBwBjcuC2s

Neutral Jump Fierce (damage=100, stun=200) - This is good air-to-air move in closer distances and only if you do the attack while you are jumping not as you are recovering from the jump. If you read your opponent in attempting a cross up or jumping behind you, you can do a neutral jump rising Fierce to stop that attempt. Stuffs escape options like Ryu's air Tatsu clean.

Neutral Jump Forward (damage=80, stun=100) - Again, it beats other air attacks but it's quite good if you want to drop down with an attack and hit confirm into a combo. Though in comparison to neutral jump Roundhouse you really don't want to use this attack too much unless you wanted a faster attack to respond to your opponent's action.

Neutral Jump Roundhouse (damage=100, stun=200) - Very similar to Chun-Li's neutral jump Roundhouse but less height on the jump and has the longest forward hitting hit boxes of her neutral jumping attacks. The hit boxes are on both sides of her legs so if your opponent ends up behind you as you are falling they are susceptible to getting hit by the other leg. That tactic is useful against characters like Balrog as a means to punish his Rush Punch. It can also be used as an air-to-air attack much like her other neutral jumping attacks but with much better range and more leniency on timing. You can use this move to stop certain runaway scenarios like Viper's Super Jump or Ryu's Air Tatsu.

Notable Forward and Backward Jumping Attacks
*Hitbox Information*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_ftYSLe_jo

Jumping Strong (damage=50, stun=50) - This is the only aerial normal Juri has that can be special cancelled into Dive Kick. If you find your opponent is focus absorbing your jump ins then use this move and when they focus absorb cancel into Dive Kick. Depending on the height of when jumping Strong connects you will either Armor Break their focus attack or end up behind the opponent. It is arguably Juri's best air-to-air move and beats a lot of jumping attacks. It raises Juri's hit boxes as well so it causes people to time their anti-air normals differently. If it connects air-to-air it causes your opponent to be in a juggle state allowing for a lot of combo follow ups such as Ultra 2. As an air-to-air you want to time this in 2 different ways to maximize the effectiveness of the attack. First, you want to do this while rising from your jump just as your opponent is starting their jump so that the active frames on jump strong activate before your opponent's active frames on their attack. Second, you can do this during the peak of your descent so that if your opponent jumps in the air slightly after you do you will beat their attack.

Another thing to note is that you can use this move to do an instant overhead by creating a "fuzzy guard" scenario. You can jump in with a deep attack usually jumping Roundhouse or jumping Fierce then immediately do jumping Strong as you are rising. Normally, if you were to do a rising jumping Strong on a crouching opponent the attack will whiff. This is where fuzzy guard comes into play. Fuzzy guard is a glitch that is in many fighting games and it's caused by how the game registers the hit boxes of a character after they block a high attack. The game will still register the character's standing hit boxes even though they are in a crouching state. You can do trick setups by doing a jumping attack then a rising jump Strong cancelled into a Dive Kick then Ultra 2. Fuzzy guard setups don't work on every character in the game. In general, characters with a small hit box when crouching tend not to work.

Jumping Fierce (damage=90, stun=100) - This move has the ability to beat out a lot of reversal options when positioned directly on top of your opponent’s head. It is a very deceptive move as you can vary the timing to cause the move to cross up or not. It causes an immediate knockdown (techable) and puts you right next to your opponent and you will land just as they are recovering if they do a quick get up. However, if you land this early you will land before they start recovering. This makes for a good scenario to activate Ultra 1 - Feng Shui Engine. It's also a decent air-to-air attack but you need to perform the attack a bit earlier before your opponent's attack.

Much like her jump Strong you can do an instant overhead by creating a fuzzy guard scenario. You shouldn't abuse fuzzy guard scenarios too much as if your opponent anticipates and continues to block high you will be left extremely vulnerable as you will be left in recovery animation until you touch the ground. Fuzzy guard setups don't work on every character in the game.

Jumping Short (damage=40, stun=50) - This is one of her better jumping attacks, as the hit boxes are pretty much the space all around her knee and leg. It can beat out reversal attempts if positioned correctly and can be made very ambiguous making it difficult for your opponent to determine the correct blocking direction.

Jumping Forward (damage=70, stun=100) - This is her go-to cross up attack and is a solid air-to-air move. For mix-ups you can dash under after winning an air-to-air attack.

Jumping Roundhouse (damage=100, stun=200) - Very solid jumping attack and is extremely good when you've conditioned your opponent with cross ups because the same distance as to when a max range jumping forward will cross up, jumping Roundhouse won't. It does have the ability to cross up but the spacing and timing is really tight. It can cross up in the corner rather easily though. Good air-to-air against people who like to fish for air-to-air attacks like Rufus' jumping Roundhouse, Juri's j.Strong, or other good jumping normals like Ryu's jumping Forward.

Juri's Special Moves
*Hitbox Information*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN0z6-2ZTwc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHuQaq1jRVY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHjTSbBz8k0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuN_gs9LvLI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ss6lUHL1is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yaXd-FC3Bw

Fuhajin - Juri kicks straight up with her left leg with purple aura surrounding the leg then does a spin kick releasing a purple fireball from the kick. Fuhajin is Juri's fireball and they work very differently from other fireballs in that they can be considered as two different attacks. What Juri initially does when you perform the Fuhajin command is kick straight up, which counts as a projectile. If you were to press nothing afterwards she would shoot a fireball from her leg, which also counts as a projectile. If, however, you held down the Kick button when you perform Fuhajin she will not shoot the fireball until you release that button. She can store the fireball and release it later for zoning and combo purposes. The trajectory of the fireball changes depending on the strength of Kick you used. Lastly, she is able to store and release multiple fireballs.

Fuhajin Store (damage=100, stun=50) - Juri kicks straight up with her left leg with purple aura surrounding the leg. This is one of Juri's better moves as it has a lot of versatility and the general hit box is very good. It is safe on block and works really well in block strings to safely store fireballs up close for later zoning or pressure. Fuhajin Store has many unique properties. It counts as a projectile so it has the ability to nullify other fireballs when timed correctly. Although the timing is tricky this gives her the ability to keep up in fireball wars as you can use the Fuhajin Store to nullify one fireball and then use Fuhajin release to nullify another fireball. The Fuhajin Store can also be used as an anti-air but the timing is a bit more difficult then using crouching Strong or crouching Fierce. It can also beat out many ground pokes as well causing a techable knockdown.

Keep in mind that storing LK and MK fireballs limit Juri's defensive and some offensive options. By storing LK fireball Juri can no longer throw or tech a throw until you release the button. By storing MK version Juri can no longer perform focus attacks until the button is released. However, you can minimize the negative impacts through several methods by releasing the buttons during other actions. You can release the button while jumping, attacking, dashing, or blocking and then regain use of those buttons. It's important to know this especially when put on the defensive by your opponent's attack strings as you can safely release the button during block stun and be able to perform defensive actions like throw escapes.

Fuhajin Release - Release Kick after Fuhajin Store (damage=50, stun=50) - Juri does a spin kick either high, mid, or low releasing a purple fireball from the kick. As mentioned earlier, if you did not hold the Kick button down while performing the Fuhajin Store she will launch the fireball right away; however, if you press and hold down the button you can launch the fireball at any time by releasing the Kick button. The trajectory of the fireball is dependant on the strength the of the Kick button you use.

LK - Will release a fireball that travels across the ground. It will actually go under other fireballs including Sagat's low Tiger Shot. It can also hit opponent's who can shrink their hit boxes to go under fireballs like C.Viper's LP Thunder Knuckle, Blanka's DF + HP and coward crouch, and Hakan's Oil Slide and coward crouch. This is Juri's go to fireball up close because it gives a lot of frame advantage on block and hit. It combos into a lot of things and is one of her pressure tools in the corner. You have to be careful with the push back as depending on how deep you hit your opponent prior to releasing the fireball a follow up attack may whiff leaving you briefly exposed.

MK - Will release a fireball that will hit high. The trajectory of this move is higher then a normal fireball so it can be used as an anti-air with proper spacing and timing; however, this is also a weakness of the fireball as it will whiff on crouching opponents making it hard to combo into as well as forcing adjustments to your fireball pressure game.

HK - Will release a fireball high into the air. This is strictly for anti-air purposes and will whiff completely on a grounded opponent regardless if they are standing on crouching. However, at the right distances against tall characters such as Zangief and T.Hawk. This is key to her zoning game as you want to completely shut out your opponents ability to approach you but as such it is harder to use and time correctly in conjunction with her other fireballs.

Senpusha (LK damage=60*40, stun=40*40, MK damage=45*25x3, stun=40*30x3, HK damage=50*30x3, stun=35x3) - Juri fully extends her legs and spins around like a pinwheel. This move has been nick named to Pinwheel Kicks and you will often see it be referred to as Pinwheel. It's a multi-hitting move and the stronger Kick button you use the pinwheel will do more hits, damage, stun, and will travel a farther distance. All 3 versions of Pinwheels are unsafe on block though you can minimize your opponent's punishment opportunities by spacing them out. Some characters do not have a punishment for a maximum spaced pinwheel while others can punish regardless. It is generally not recommended to use this move in block strings and only use it in combos.

Shikusen (damage=40, stun=50) - It is Juri's only armor breaking Special move. It has two follow ups called 2nd Impact and 3rd Strike being obvious nods to the Street Fighter 3 series. The trajectory of the Dive Kicks is dependant on the strength of Kick you use and in general the stronger the Kick button you use the farther she travels. Her Dive Kicks are her best means to dealing with fireballs and can be used to beat jumping attacks. The Dive Kicks are unsafe on block if it hits deep but they are relatively safe if you aim for the base of your opponent's hit box. You can also do a TK (Tiger Knee) Dive Kick to make them come off the ground a lot quicker allowing to punish fireballs at closer ranges more quickly as well as making the Dive Kick much safer on block. The TK Dive Kick is pretty good and will beat low attacks and throw attempts but the timing can be a bit difficult. Dive Kicks can't be used as a heavy pressure tool as they don't leave you at an advantage on block and can't be done in rapid succession like Rufus or Cammy. This makes their use very specific and situational.

Shikusen 2nd Impact (damage=20*20, stun=20*20) - There's not much to say about this attack except only do it when you've hit confirmed the first hit of Shikusen. If you don't and your opponent is blocking you are left extremely vulnerable. If you don't follow up with 3rd Strike after this move the opponent will fall straight down.

Shikusen 3rd Strike (damage=80, stun=90) - Again, not much to say here other than don't do it until you've hit confirmed 2nd Impact. 3rd Strike is a techable a knockdown and will send your opponent flying to the other side of the screen, which is good for sending them to the corner.

Kasatushi - Juri taunts her opponent. This is what I refer to as Counter Movement. If Juri is hit while in this "taunt" animation she will do one of the three things depending on the strength of the Punch button you press.

LP - Juri will dash towards your opponent. If you are close to your opponent she will actually dash behind them. At an initial glance this would have been great against fireball characters but the recovery on the dash doesn't put you at an advantage. If your opponent anticipates on your recovery you can be thrown after wards. If you space yourself so you teleport behind your opponent at mid-to-max range of her pokes you can catch them by surprise and counter accordingly.

MP - Juri will dash away the opponent. A good move if you want to get some distance between you and your opponent but you have to be careful you don't back yourself in the corner.

HP - Juri will jump straight up. This is another way with dealing with fireball characters as you can use to get up in the air and if they throw another fireball you can quickly do Dive Kick to punish them. You can actually do the Dive Kick while rising so it's a good move to catch people off guard when up close.

Juri takes absolutely no damage from the attack, not even armor absorption damage so you do not have to worry about gauging how much health you have when absorbing attacks. As a wake up option against an incoming attack it depends on when your opponent is attacking. The start up of the Counter Movements has no invincibility so more often than not you will get hit before the Counter becomes active. They can also be baited and punished accordingly so use them wisely. Counter Movements are defeated by armor breaking moves as well as if your opponent gets a true reversal that causes a knockdown. Surprisingly, they can be used against Ultras, even multi-hitting ones as Juri will do the movement as soon as the first hit connects with her during the "taunt" animation. The Counter movement can build meter and against full screen fireballs this can be good to build meter.

Juri's EX Moves

EX Fuhajin (damage=50*50, stun=50*50) - Juri actually doesn't do the kick store and just shoots a fireball immediately that does two hits and causes a techable knockdown. In order to get a low fireball you press LK+MK, mid fireball you press MK+HK, and the high fireball you press LK+HK. Deals okay chip damage and gives good advantage on block so it's a useful pressure tool especially in the corner.

EX Senpusha (damage=30x6, stun=30x5*35) - The distance on EX Senpusha is very limited and doesn't travel as far as LK Senpusha but it gains fireball invincible properties. Despite what other people say this is a terrible wake up option so use this moves in combos or for the rare reversal situation if your opponent is over extending their offense. You can use this in frame traps like using it after a combo involving Short Pinwheel.

EX Shikusen (damage=50*25*25*60, stun=50*20*20*50) - Juri will do Shikusen, 2nd Impact, and 3rd Strike consecutively. The distance the dive covers is very narrow so you have to be close to your opponent for it to connect. It will cause a wall bounce with 3rd Strike and place the opponent in a juggle state. It's probably one of the best ways to land Ultra 2 but it is unsafe on block. Do not fish for EX Shikusen to land Ultra 2 only use it if you read your opponent or in response to a focus attack or if you land a focus crumple.

EX Katsushi - With EX Counter Movement you can control the direction Juri moves and you gain the ability to move in the Up-Left and Up-Right direction. You can use the additional directions to move behind your opponent and cross them up by surprise but your opponent can anticipate on that direction and punish accordingly. The EX Counter Movement comes out in 1 frame so it's more reliable as an escape option on wake up but just like any other reversal move it can be baited and punished.

Juri's Super
*Hitbox Information*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRlC-iNuSFs

Fuharenjin (damage=60x5*70, stun=0) - Juri will position herself differently depending on the strength of Kick pressed. The stronger the Kick pressed the farther back Juri will perform the super and with HK version she will do a flip back before performing the super. It has some purposes at avoiding moves with the HK version but usually not all hits of the super will connect at that point. It's easy to hit confirm into this super by super canceling off of the first hit of her Pinwheel.

Juri's Ultras
*Hitbox Information*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LO_WX-yAB4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N1RrgRVNto

Ultra 1 - Feng Shui Engine - Take note about the properties of the Feng Shui Engine:

-Feng Shui Engine is a gradual decrease of the Ultra Combo Gauge. A full Ultra Combo Gauge will last for approximately 15 seconds.
-If you are hit while Feng Shui Engine is activated the time limit does not increase but the damage will still build her Ultra Combo Gauge after the time limit is met.
-You cannot build your Super Combo Gauge during the time limit.
-Like any other Ultra you deal no stun damage during Feng Shui Engine.
-The chaining of normals are true block strings meaning your opponent cannot reversal in between the attacks.
-You can chain together a Punch followed by a Kick of the same strength or vice versa.
-Using Fuhajin release resets your chaining ability.
-You cannot chain together 2 Punches or Kicks of the same strength unless they are LP or LK for example you cannot chain MP twice or chain MP, MK, then back to MP.
-You cannot chain in reverse strength order.

There are a few ways to combo in FSE; the most reliable method so far is to combo into a Fuhajin release then cancel into a Level 2 Focus Attack to cause a crumple stun then activate Feng Shui Engine and resume the combo.

The more common setups for activating FSE and maintaining a positional advantage is to land an untechable knockdown, a techable knockdown that leaves you close to the opponent, or forcing your opponent to block a Fuhajin release to utilize the frame advantage. The preference is to have the opponent in the corner during these scenarios as it allows for a better pressure scenario and leaves your opponent little options to escape. Within the FSE you don't have many options to land a combo if your opponent is blocking your barrage. This is where Juri has to rely on resets and tricks to maximize the damage output of the FSE. Her overhead is pretty valuable in these scenarios as you can link an attack after wards and then resume a combo. Landing a combo into a Pinwheel then FADC the first hit of the pinwheel for a surprise attack is another reset trick available to Juri.

Despite some of the shot comings of the FSE, from a mental perspective once activated it forces your opponent to play a defensive game and look for counter opportunities allowing you a momentum shift to your favor.

Ultra 2 - Kaisen Dankairaku - This is Juri's second armor breaker. You can combo into this Ultra in various ways but the more reliable ones are after placing your opponent in a juggle state with jumping Strong, Dive Kicks, EX Dive Kick, and off of a Focus Crumple Stun. It can also be used in a situational anti-air but the timing becomes pretty specific. Although the damage output is high even when combo'd, the Ultra is limited and not always applicable to every match up.

Juri's Play Style

Juri has the tools and capabilities of doing pretty much everything but she doesn't excel in any one of those areas. This is good in that it gives her a more wide range of tools to cover her match ups rather than excelling against a few and doing terrible against others. The downside to this is that she doesn't flat out beat most characters and the majority of her match ups are either slightly in her favor, even, or slightly against her. It makes for a rather balanced character but it means she has to earn all of her victories at least until something ground breaking is discovered that changes this analysis.

Zoning - Fireballs
The number 1 thing that comes to mind with Juri's zoning game is obviously her fireballs. She has 3 avaliable to her that cover every aspect of the screen allowing her to zone with her fireballs effectively. Furthermore, she can store these fireballs for later use so your zoning patterns are less predictable to your opponent and because the animation for the store is the same for all three versions your opponent really has no way of knowing which fireball you've stored. It plays a mind game on your opponent as you continue to throw fireballs as they have to guess as to whether you will release the fireball right away or not and in which direction the fireball will come form.

In combination with the slow speed of the fireballs and her recovery time you can do some follow ups after releasing a fireball allowing you to punish your opponent's attempts at maneuvering around them provided you space yourself correctly. Juri can feint a fireball release after the fireball store with some movements or whiff some attacks to bait your opponent to act in your favor allowing you to punish accordingly. For example, you can perform the fireball kick store pause then do a few crouches to telegraph to your opponent that you are releasing a low fireball and if they jump you can anti-air them. While Juri can do some strong zoning with her fireballs she has flaws with her fireball game that typical fireball characters don't:

1) All of her fireballs are slow with the exception of her EX fireballs. You can't change up the speed of the fireball itself so the timing and pattern of the fireballs can become predictable.
2) They require two separate animations - one for the kick store and one for the kick release. This leaves gaps in her fireball zoning as it doubles the amount of time before the next fireball is released. This requires her to have to store multiple fireballs to cover these gaps, which leads into complications with timing, spacing, and momentum.
3) Her walk speed is slow so she has harder time spacing herself in reaction to her opponent's actions.

Rush Down
In terms of the specifics of Juri’s rush down, there's a lot of gimmicks that can be used such as dash under mix ups, offense use of the counter movement, and the ambiguous jump in. All of these require a good understanding of spacing and attack ranges. It's better to just play a more solid game then churn out a win through clever tricks or gimmicks as they will stop working once people understand how they work. Throwing in a gimmick or two once in a while to catch people off guard is fine as you want to use all available tools that a character has just make sure they don't become the basis of your strategy.

Juri rush down seems to be more about being a short-term aggressor with the goal of the rush down, is forcing your opponent into the corner because this is where Juri excels. To this effect her moves are designed to push your opponent into the corner with her normal moves having good range, full Dive Kicks, Pinwheels, Fuharenjin, and her forward throw.

Juri can do pretty much anything but her rushdown game is probably the weakeset of her play styles. The problem with Juri's rushdown is that it can be difficult to find the opportunity to start the rush down and to maintain it. The rush down itself relies on gimmicks, resets, mix ups, frame traps, ambiguous jump ins, and Ultra 1 - Feng Shui Engine. Her poor walk speed tends to contribute to this as it becomes difficult to position yourself correctly in the proper time frame.

Rush Down - Feng Shui Engine
Feng Shui Engine has so many applications during a match. It gives a much needed boost to Juri's offensive capabilties and can turn a match up where she plays defensively to a match up where she can play aggressively. However, FSE pressure can be a gimmick in itself as a strong defense puts a stop to it. It basically relies on landing the overhead or using various other tricks like FADC resets when looking to deal continuous damage to your opponent. You have to really do some calculations on the risks versus rewards when going for the damage as a mash reversal or mash jab can easily put an end to the rush and to your momentum. However, the real strength to FSE is not the potential damage output of the Ultra but the momentum shifting impact it has in a match. FSE has a mental impact once activated and forces your opponent to play defensively rather then offensively to minimize your potential damage output. This completely shifts the momentum of the match to your favor, as your opponent is no longer looking for opportunities to deal damage to you but looking at opportunities to stop you from dealing damage to them. This mental momentum can allow for you to move your opponent in the optimal position - the corner.

Rush Down - Corner
Juri's corner game is just absolutely dominating because she has solid control over her opponent's actions in the corner. Her most damaging combos are corner specific and her frame traps are most effective in the corner. This is due to the fact that the effects of push back on her attacks are lessened because your opponent is not pushed too far away with you since they are stuck in the corner. Putting that aside the reason Juri has so much control when the opponent is in the corner is that your opponent can't move back any more. There only options are moving forward, attack, or worst of all jump. Juri has a tool to deal with every escape opportunity that your opponent tries to do and to make it things sound simple it's about answering your opponent's actions with the correct response each time. Obviously, it's not that easy to do just that and this is where understanding attack ranges (your footsie game is important here) of both characters and placing reads on your opponent is key to this corner aggression. This isn't something your going to be able to do right away, this is something that gets developed over time with lots of experience. Adapt to the situation and go from there.

Overview of Juri's Play Style

Going over Juri's tool sets you'll start to see that Juri is essentially a passive aggressive character. She is not a character that can simply rush her way in nor is she a character that can really sit back and wait on the opponent. She has to actively seek controlling the space in front of her in order to force those mistakes from her opponents and capitalize on the opportunities that are presented to her. Her zoning is a bit more aggressive in that all of her fireballs only cover a certain amount of range and rather slowly to so she is more offensive based when initially throwing the fireballs but a lot more passive when it comes to following up the fireball. To put it in another way, she can be a mix of Chun-Li and Guile in that she is more aggressive with her fireball placement but more passive on the follow-ups due to her poor walking speed and the range of her normals. Throughout the match you will basically passively back your opponent into the corner using her zoning and footsies or force them to play recklessly to a point where Juri can play aggressively and force them into the corner and lock them down from there.


Few BnB combos

1) Cr. LK > St. LP > Cr. MK xx EX Pinwheel - 224 damage, 310 stun whiffs on crouchers.

2) Cr. LK x 3 > EX Pinwheel - 182 damage, 270 stun.

3) Cr. LK > St. LK > Cr. MK xx EX Pinwheel - 224 damage, 310 stun.

Fuhajin release combos

1) Cr. MK xx release Low Fuhajin > sweep 182 damage, 230 damage + untechable knockdown.

2) Cr. MK xx release Low Fuhajin FADC Cr.HP xx HK Pinwheel 288 damage, 420 stun.

Air-to-Air combos

1) J.MP > land/cancel EX dive kick -> land EX pinwheel - 330 damage, 314 stun.

2) J.MP > land > EX Pinwheel - 230 damage, 235 stun.


Super Combos

1) Air-to-air J.Strong > land > St.HP xx LK/MK Super - 446 damage, 250 stun.

2) Cr.MK xx LK Pinwheel xx Super - 416 damage, 140 stun.

3) Cr.MK xx Low Fuhajin release xx Super - 406 damage, 150 stun.

Ultra 2 Combos

1)EX Dive kick > Ultra 2 - 520 damage, 140 stun.

2) J.Strong xx Dive kick ( 1 hit) > land > Ultra 2 - 421 damage, 100 stun.


Combos into Feng Shui Engine :

1) J.MK -> activate FSE St.LK/LP -> do work.

2) Cr.MK xx Low Fuhajin release FADC activate FSE -> St.LK/LP -> do work.

Combos out of Feng Shui Engine

1) Cr.LK > Cr.MK > St.MP > St.HK > Cr.HP > EX Pinwheel - 363 damage, works anywhere, cr.hp whiffs on crouchers.

2) F+MK > Cr.MK> St.MP > St.HK > Cr.HP > EX Pinwheel - 413 damage works anywhere, whiffs on crouchers.


Lastly, if you need a visual check this Juri video out by Option-Select.com:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FNQreVzXko

Juri's Defensive Options

Juri is one of those characters that doesn't have a good reversal move and requires tighter play when placed on the defensive. She simply doesn't have a reliable move that stops all advances from your opponent but this doesn't mean she doesn't have many defensive options available to her. Her defensive options require more about match up knowledge and applying each option to the correct situation. So far Juri has the following defensive options - EX Pinwheel, Regular & EX Katsushi, EX Low Fuhajin, Forward Dash, Back Dash, and Block. That's right the best defensive option you will have with any character is blocking and I will explain why later on but for now I will go over her other defensive options.

EX Pinwheel
This is a lot of people's go-to move for pressure situations but simply put this is one of her weakest defensive options and you need to limit your use of it. It has projectile invincibility so it's good against Guile, Chun-Li, or Deejay when they opt to throw a fireball during your wake up then walk forward for an offensive momentum. It even goes through Guile's Sonic Hurricane or Chun-Li's Kikosho so if you spot them doing this for chip damage wins you can buffer in EX Pinwheel during the Ultra animation flash and beat them clean. EX Pinwheel can most definitely get you out if your opponent over extends their offense but there are a lot of draw backs to this move:
-It's -13 on block so it is most definitely punishable on block and will often be a free Ultra for your opponent.
-It can be thrown out of upon start up.
-It will often trade with normal attacks when used as a reversal situation during pressure strings.
-It can be avoided by jumping straight over her if your opponent reads at you doing EX Pinwheel.
Use it sparingly and only when you've made the correct reads on your opponent. Overall, I don't recommend using EX Pinwheel for a wake up option due to the drawbacks it's not worth taking the risk and because it's been used so often as a wake up escape people look out for wake up EX Pinwheels a lot. Throwing it out randomly will most definitely get you killed.

Regular & EX Katsushi
This is basically the next go-to move for people when EX Pinwheel is not applicable to the situation. It is a reversal that is definitely capable of changing the momentum of the match but it can also easily cost you the match. I will say keep in mind that Regular Katsushi is a 4 frame start up and more often then not will not be effective on wake up. Throw it out on the occasional bad jump in/cross up but learn to visually recognize when this version is applicable. You can use the Fierce Version to do the neutral jump then Roundhouse Dive Kick at the peak of the jump to get as far away from your opponent as possible. Alternatively, you can do the Dive Kick as early as possible and if you land a hit you can either do EX Pinwheel or Ultra 2. EX Katsushi is a 1 frame startup so the timing and application is less strict. Katsushi is also good to escape chip damage deaths against some characters. For example, Blanka players using Ultra 1 will go for the 50/50 guess after a forward throw; however, Juri can escape the 50/50 guess by using EX Katsushi and teleporting out.

EX Low Fuhajin
This is more a situational escape but the idea behind it is that EX Low Fuhajin significantly lowers Juri's hitbox that she is able to avoid some jumping attacks on wake up. If you auto-correct it you can also beat out said cross up attempt. It is situational and match up specific but it is another wake up option avaiable to her. Alternatively, her mid and high EX Fuhajins place her airborne allowing you to beat throw attempts as well so you can use it as a means to punish a walk up throw on wake up or against command grabs like Abel's Tornado Throw or Zangief's Spinning Pile Driver. Definitely be very weary in using this as a wake up reversal option as characters with reliable option selects can beat this strategy.

Forward & Back Dash
Back dashes has a few frames of invincibility so it has the ability to avoid a multitude of attacks but can be baited or punished severely when anticipated by your opponent. Certain characters option selects will punish the back dash so apply it on a match up basis. Forward dashing is a bit new and something that's been applied to SSF4 more so then SF4. Juri's forward dash actually lowers her hitbox significantly hence she can do interesting things like dashing under projectiles from certain characters. The forward dash will actually avoid poorly placed jump ins and allow you to catch opponent off guard. It won't give you an opportunity to punish the jump in as the recovery frames are too long for that. Alternatively, you can Focus Absorb back dash out of some wake up games but these are again match up specific as certain characters can punish this as well.

Block
Honestly, nothing beats solid blocking and this is easier said then done but for all the times that you want to throw out a reversal EX Pinwheel or EX Katsushi and get baited for doing it you could have done much better with just good blocking. Yes, it sucks when you are put on the defensive but pushing buttons is not the answer in these scenarios. This is where understanding the mechanics and options of your opponents character really comes in handy as you have a general idea of what they are capable of on their offensive game and what the gaps are. By holding out and looking for these gaps you can get out of their pressure game and reset the momentum without taking unnecessary risks.

You will hear this from many top players but having a solid defense provides you with a strong psychological advantage against your opponent. If you can successfully defend against our opponent's offense then you can force them to take bigger risks to try to deal damage to you and by reading and capitalizing on those risks you can come out on top. It's definitely not easy learning how to defend against every option a character has especially when your options are limited but it comes with practice and time. 90% of the time just straight up blocking will be better then doing a reversal move. The risk/reward from a reversal especially Juri's is not worth it.

Juri Advance Tactics

Offensive Option Selects
An option select is basically performing an action that has multiple outcomes depending on the situation. Offense option selects when applied to Super Street Fighter 4 is basically doing one action but inputting a 2nd action during the animation of the first action. Typically, you use offensive option selects during a jump in on someone's wake up.

Juri's first option select is off of a safe jump Roundhouse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XZYcHMalcY

Basically, during a safe jump Roundhouse you input crouch forward, and buffer Fuhajin Store. What will happen as the video demonstrated is that depending on the match up if the opponent does a reversal move that causes jump Roundhouse to whiff she can block or perform a crouching ForwardxxFuhajin Store. On some characters this crouch forward will beat their reversal or cause the reversal to whiff altogether if they back dash the crouch Forward will beat the back dash and she will store a fireball. If they block the jump Roundhouse she will do Fuhajin Store, this is not a true block string and is susceptible to a reversal but it doesn't occur that often at high level play.

Alternatively, you can use any normal or special move during a safe jump but crouch forward is typically the best one. You can use standing Fierce and if you are close to your opponent the close Fierce will beat various things like a throw or a crouch tech and if they back dash the far standing Fierce will hit them. Backdashes in general can be option selected with a variety of Juri's normals or special moves.

There is also an EX Pinwheel option select off of a meaty crouching short that works particularly well against Rose. If Rose back dashes, EX Soul Spiral, or EX Soul Throw to cause the crouch short to whiff she will get hit by the EX Pinwheel. If she blocks you can follow up with a block string. This will not punish Rose's Ultra 2 though as she recovers instantly after activation. She will be able to block the EX Pinwheel and can punish Juri afterwards.