Cannon Spike

The Cannon Spike (キャノンスパイク), also known as the Thrust Kick, is a special attack performed by Cammy, Juni and Juli. It was introduced in the Super Street Fighter II games.

Description
Executed by performing a "Shoryuken" motion (forward, downward then down-forward) and pressing kick, the user launches in the air leg-first for a singular, powerful strike that often overpowers any aerial strike. Upon impact (whether hit or block), they flip backward a relatively safe distance, though some games increase the length of their recovery animation to increase chance of retaliation. The angle is determined by the kick button pressed. The Light version has the fastest startup and goes almost straight up. The Heavy version travels more forward and up. The Medium version's angle is somewhere in between.

The EX Special version introduced in the SFIV series has even less startup time, covers a longer horizontal distance and is completely invulnerable. In SFV, it has the fastest startup compared to the normal versions, making Cammy invincible in at the start of the move.

In Street Fighter V, the move can be enhanced while Delta Drive is active, whereupon Cammy will rise into the air and hit the opponent five times while alternating her feet, like Chun-Li's Tenshokyaku.

Updates
In Ultra Street Fighter IV, a successful hit of the EX Cannon Spike can be optionally followed in air by a quick Cannon Strike, in a similar fashion of how T. Hawk can chain EX Tomahawk Buster into EX Condor Dive. The same can be done in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, where Cammy can link her Delta Drive V-Trigger Cannon Spike into V-Trigger Cannon Strike.

Tactics
Cannon Spike is Cammy's main anti-air tool. This move is great for catching jump-ins. It is also a solid combo ender, doing more damage compared to Spiral Arrow. Players have to choose the right version of Cannon Spike for the right situation. The Light version is mainly used against neutral jumps and potential cross-up scenarios. The Medium version is used against deep jump-ins, where the Heavy version may miss. The Heavy version is an excellent tool against deeper jump-ins. The EX version is Cammy's go-to reversal. Because she is invincible for the beginning of the move, players can use the EX version to escape pressure and create space. Finally, Cammy's V-Trigger version makes Cammy invincible in the beginning of the move. It is also a good combo ender, linking from V-Trigger Spiral Arrow. However, Cammy players should not throw this move out indiscriminately. All versions of this move are extremely unsafe on block. If the opponent successfully blocks it, Cammy will be vulnerable for punishes and heavy damage combos.

Sprites

 * Animations


 * Stills

Trivia

 * In the 1994 Street Fighter movie, Cammy can be heard yelling "Thrust Kick!" while fighting soldiers near the end of the film, though she's doing a standard kick at the time.
 * A multi-directional shooter arcade game named Cannon Spike (known as Gunspike in Japan) was released in 2000. Cammy and Charlie are two of the playable characters in the game.