Gaming
shoto
What does shoto mean?
The archetypal fundamentals character. Fireball to control space, a jumping uppercut (DP) for anti-air, and a gap-closing kick. Ryu and Ken are the blueprint, and any character cloning that kit is a shoto.
"Pick a shoto if you're learning, the fireball and DP teach you the basics of the game."
Origin
Short for 'shotoclone', from the Street Fighter II SNES manual mislabelling Ryu and Ken's fighting style as Shotokan karate. The name stuck and now describes any character built on that fireball / uppercut / spin-kick template.
Frequently asked questions
Why are they called shotos if they don't do Shotokan?
It's a fossilised mistake. The old Street Fighter II manual wrongly called Ryu and Ken's style Shotokan, and the term stuck across the whole genre.
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