Tatsumaki

The Tatsumaki (竜巻), commonly referred to as Hurricane Kick, is a special attack in the Street Fighter series used by Ryu, Ken, and other Street Fighter characters that use the same style.

Description
The practitioner jumps and, while in the air, rotates his or her legs, kicking the opponent 1~3 times depending on button pressed. It is usually performed by moving the joystick or D-pad a quarter circle backwards the opponent from the down position, then pressing a kick button. The Tatsumaki, in some games, will lift the user high enough to fly over projectiles, such as the Hadoken, Sonic Boom, Soul Spark and Yoga Fire.

Tatsumaki Senpukyaku
Users: Ryu, Ken, Akuma, Evil Ryu, Violent Ken, Gouken, Ace Debut: Street Fighter

The Tatsumaki Senpukyaku (竜巻旋風脚), also known as Hurricane Kick, is a special move that is usable by Ryu and Ken in Street Fighter. In its early appearances, it hit up to three times. In later games, starting with Super Street Fighter II, Ryu's Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, though spinning much, usually only strikes the foe once, harshly, while Ken's has more hits and is more combo-able. Both of their "evil" counterparts use it as well in their games. In Street Fighter IV, this attack has Armor Breaking properties and can also become an EX special move. Ryu's Shinku Tatsumaki Senpukyaku Super Combo becomes his EX variant, while Ken retains a normal Tatsumaki Senpukyaku flight pattern, albeit with more damage and better properties. Gouken can use it only as his airborne Tatsumaki.

In other games, Ryu also has a variation called the Senpukyaku that acts as a command normal, which is just a spinning kick done in the same fashion, but only for a single hopping back-spin kick.

In Street Fighter V Ryu's Tatsumaki Senpuyaku functions the same (as does the EX version) but Ken's has undergone a significant revamp. All versions of his Tatsumaki Senpukyaku attacks now knock down and, when he uses the hard variation, he first launches his opponent with his knee then performs an arcing Tatsumaki Senpukyaku as opposed to one that travels parallel to the ground. Ken's EX Tatsumaki Senpukyaku travels diagonally upwards, similar to how it is performed in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. The airborne Tatsumaki is mostly the same for Ken but his EX variant is closer to a dive kick wherein he travels downwards at a diagonal angle as opposed to following his jump arc.

Ryu 
 * Tatsumaki
 * Shinku Tatsumaki
 * Bofu Tatsumaki
 * Shin Tatsumaki

Ken
 * Tatsumaki Senpukyaku
 * Shippu Jinraikyaku
 * Kuzuryu Reppa (a combination of both his Shoryuken and Tatsumaki variations)
 * Guren Senpukyaku
 * Guren Enjinkyaku



Tatsumaki Zankukyaku
Users: Akuma, Cyber Akuma, Oni Debut: Super Street Fighter II Turbo The Tatsumaki Zankukyaku (竜巻斬空脚), also known as Hurricane Scythe Kick, is Akuma's version of the Tatsumaki Senpukyaku. Though his movement is similar to Ryu and Ken, in some games lightning may be created by his feet during his Tatsumaki. Like most of his techniques, it is much stronger and faster than Ryu and Ken's. It can hit multiple times, and is considerably faster and somewhat harder to control than Ryu and Ken's. It can combo well into his other moves, and it can be used in the air.

The traits of the move itself are a mix of Ryu and Ken's; it has the power of Ryu's and the multi-hitting property of Ken's. In the Marvel vs. Capcom series, the attack takes on lightning properties and hits 5 times, while in Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix, Akuma's version of the move is shown to produce a poisonous gas, as Ryu's moves are already enhanced with electricity in this game. Cyber Akuma, the boss counterpart of the regular Akuma in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, has a stronger variant dubbed Thunder Shock Zanku Kyaku. Oni's version of the Tatsumaki Zankukyaku is more damaging but slower than Akuma's. In Street Fighter IV, Akuma only hits once, but still allows for combos, such as the staple LK Tatsumaki Zankukyaku -> HP Goshoryuken. The EX variant is similar to Ryu's (spinning in place). In Street Fighter V, Gouki's Tatsu functions very similar to Ken's V variations. In addition, Akuma can link an EX Tatsumaki Zankukyaku at the end of an EX Hyakkishu for no additional meter.

Akuma also possesses the Messatsu Gorasen, a Super Art version of this move. In Super Street Fighter IV, Akuma receives what is probably the most lethal of all Tatsumaki techniques, the Demon Armageddon. In other games, he too also possesses the command normal Senpukyaku in his moveset.


 * Senpukyaku
 * Tatsumaki Zankukyaku
 * Thunder Shock Zankuu Kyaku
 * Messatsu-Gourasen
 * Demon Armageddon



Dankukyaku
User: Dan Debut: Street Fighter Alpha

Dan uses a parody of Ryo Sakazaki's Ryo Sakazaki's Hien Shippu Kyaku (飛燕疾風脚). as his version of the Tatsumaki called Dankukyaku (断空脚). He leaps in the air and performs up to three aerial kicks consecutively, depending on the kick button pressed.



Shunpukyaku
User: Sakura, Dark Sakura Debut: Street Fighter Alpha 2

The Shunpukyaku (春風脚), also known as Twirling Gale Kick, is Sakura's own version of Ryu and Ken's own Tatsumaki Senpukyaku. Instead of floating in the air, Sakura's variation allows her to uprise and then float back down while spinning.



Tornado
User: Sean Debut: Street Fighter III: New Generation

Sean is another fighter that also uses a variant of this move, called Tornado (トルネード). It looks similar to Ryu and Ken's Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, but uses both legs, thus making it more similar to Dan's version and also resembling Ryu's Tatsumaki Senpukyaku from the Street Fighter EX series.



Tatsumaki Gorasen
User: Gouken Debut: Street Fighter IV

The Tatsumaki Gorasen (竜巻剛螺旋) is Gouken's version of the Tatsumaki, based off Akuma's Messatsu-Gourasen Super Art from Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. However, instead of spinning in place or moving across the screen, the Tatsumaki Gorasen moves upwards, bringing the opponent with it. Once Gouken reaches the top of the screen, he finishes with a powerful final kick which sends the opponent flying across the screen while Gouken slowly descends to earth. This attack can be executed in mid-air, in which it becomes the Tatsumaki Senpukyaku.

Street Fighter EX series
User: Ryu, Ken, Kairi, Akuma, Evil Ryu, Cycloid Beta Debut: Street Fighter EX

The Tatsumaki received a different variation in the Street Fighter EX series. It was changed into a multi-input attack (similar to the Rekkaken) and is also different in appearance. It is a series of two (or three, depending on the character and game) turning aerial kicks, followed by a turning axe kick in midair that knocks the opponent away. The kick button used also determines the angle, with the LK version going diagonally up, and the HK version going straight forward. Meanwhile, the Senpukyaku command normal is more akin to a hopping back-spin kick as opposed to a move that is a Tatsumaki motion-wise.

In the original Street Fighter EX and its updates, Ryu and Kairi perform three kicks in total, and Ken, Akuma and Evil Ryu do four. Kairi's version is named Moryo Kasen (魍魎渦旋). Cycloid Beta has an unique variation, in that its kicks are performed automatically (without having to repeat the input), the number of kicks is decided by the kick button used (one with LK, two with MK and three with HK) and he always goes forward when doing them, regardless of the button pressed. It should be noted that the Shinku Tatsumaki Senpukyaku and Sakura's Shunpukyaku remain the same as in other games.

From Street Fighter EX2 onwards, the command for the Tatsumaki was simplified (the player can now hold back and press kick repeatedly after the first input, instead of doing the entire motion every time). Ryu and Kairi now perform four kicks. Ken was also given the original version of the Tatsumaki. In Street Fighter EX3, Evil Ryu and Ace have the original Tatsumaki as well.

Super/Ultra Versions

 * Shinku Tatsumaki Senpukyaku
 * Shippu Jinraikyaku
 * Messatsu Gorasen
 * Demon Armageddon
 * Guren Senpukyaku
 * Shin Tatsumaki Senpukyaku
 * Hyper Tornado

Trivia

 * Throughout the series, the way the Tatsumaki technique is performed has changed. Assuming the player is facing rightwards:
 * In the original Street Fighter, the player would spin to the left (or towards the background) and kick with the right leg via an inward kicking motion.
 * Since Street Fighter II - The World Warrior, the player would spin to the right (or towards the foreground) and kick with the right leg via a back-spin kick motion, until...
 * Street Fighter III: New Generation, where the player would spin to the left and kick with the left leg instead with the same aforementioned back-spin motion. From that point, most Tatsumaki techniques in every main series games and crossovers would be performed in that way.
 * Street Fighter V has Ryu's and Ken's Tatsumaki more or less the same way as it was from Street Fighter III onwards. Akuma, on the other hand, has gone back to using his right leg and spinning to the right (clock-wise).
 * In a chapter of the game Project X Zone, Ryu, Ken, and other members of their small group were presumed dead but managed to survive mysteriously due to the Kuuchuu Tatsumaki, and the Guren Senpuu Kyaku, most likely as a gag nod to the airborne-carrying momentum the techniques provide.
 * Gouken's air version of the Tatsumaki becomes the Airborne Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, and not Tatsumaki Gorasen. Also, instead of flying in an arc like Ryu, Ken and Akuma's Tatsumaki in the Street Fighter IV series, it flies straight forward like the Tatsumaki from the Street Fighter II series.
 * In Street Fighter: The Movie, the Tatsumaki Senpukyaku was called by its commonly-informal name "Hurricane Kick."
 * When voices are set to English in Street Fighter IV, Ryu, Ken and Akuma's voice actors (Kyle Hebert, Reuben Langdon and Dave Mallow respectively) do not say the name of the move (Or "Tatsumaki Zankukyaku in Akuma's case) when performing it (although Ryu will still shout "Shinku Tatsumaki!" when performing the EX version of it), instead belting out a generic battle shout. It was in Marvel Vs Capcom 3 where Ryu's English dub VA shouts the move's name as well as the hyper combo variant and in Street Fighter X Tekken, all three characters' English dub VAs now shout the name of the move when performing it.
 * In Street Fighter V the phrase will be shortened or spoken fully depending on which version of the attack is used (so for light versions only "Tatsumaki!" will be said, medium "Tatsumaki Senpu!", and for hard the entire "Tatsumaki Senpukyaku!" phrase). Both voice actors will use the full phrase.

References in Popular Culture

 * See: Tatsumaki/Pop Culture.

Sprites

 * See Tatsumaki/Sprites.

Similar moves

 * Bushin Senpukyaku
 * Spinning Bird Kick, operates similarly but with the user upside-down

竜巻旋風脚