| Stamina: 1,075 | Stun: 1,100 | Tier Ranking: 43rd |
| Popularity: 18th | SF5 Tiers |
Zangief was released on February 16, 2016 as part of the launch roster for Street Fighter 5. He is one of the game's initial 16 playable fighters available with the base version of the game.
The powerful wrestler made his debut on February 6, 1991 as one of the original characters in Street Fighter 2: The World Warrior. He hails from Russia and fights for the pride of his country, being so strong that he trains by wrestling brown bears in Siberia.
Over the years, Zangief's looks really haven't changed much, and that remains the same in Street Fighter 5. The Red Cyclone still has his trademark mohawk and beard, keeps his large patch of chest hair, retains the scars he has all over his body (from wrestling bears), and wears his red trunks and boots.
Zangief keeps many of his classic maneuvers from previous titles, and he comes equipped with new, interesting techniques to help supplement his grappler playstyle. Those who have been Zangief players for years, though, may be sad to learn that he does not have his very effective Green Hand (Banishing Flat) special move here in Street Fighter 5.
As a grappler style character, Zangief's sole mission in combat is to get in close and create a handful of openings by way of mix ups and reads to steal each round. Those who aren't careful will undoubtedly get snatched up by Zangief's powerful Spinning Pile Driver command throw that does great damage and leaves the foe knocked down in a spot where Gief can create another mix up situation.
Though one of his most effective ways of dealing with projectiles traditionally has been omitted from his tool set this time around, Zangief has several new maneuvers that can help him deal with fireball users. His classic Lariat is here and still spins through projectiles, but his V-Trigger 1: Cyclone Lariat literally sees Zangief spin like a tornado and vacuum the opponent in if their within range of it to not only make projectiles null, but also bring the opposition to him.
Zangief's placement on the tier list has fluctuated a bit over the years, but more often than not he's found himself around the bottom of the list. While as good Zangief player can certainly still be dangerous, after the Definitive Update the general consensus is that he is still low tier.
Special Moves
Super, V-Trigger, V-Reversal & V-Skill
Command Normals & Target Combos
Normal Moves
Tips for Zangief
A couple things I've noticed with everyone's favorite Russian Wrestler. First of all the MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do to practice Zangief when you are beginning is to practice your SPD's so they come out whenever you want to use them; using SPD, especially as a punish against things that are -4 or so , can be tricky so this is incredibly important.
Zangief's v-skill is a very handy tool, but don't use it too liberally. I see a lot of players wanting to use it on player jump ins, but because it only absorbs 2 hits, it's very easy to break it on jump in. Some cool things you can do with his v-skill include following up with an SPD, or even dashing out of it into an SPD.
Other notable things Zangief can do:
Cancel fireballs with his f.HP
SPD from tapping v-trigger (only sucking them in, not after they get hit or block it.)
You can cancel cr.mk or cr.lk into light Siberian Express.
His st.LP is a great anti air tool.
YOU CAN SPD AFTER A HP CRUSH COUNTER.
Rating
Zangief isn't a character I really play with much, but here are the combos I've came up with
CR.LP,S.LK,3P 137
CR.MP,S.LK,3P 167
F.HP,S.LK,3P 207
F.MK,CR.LP,S.LK,3P 205
F.HP,CR.MP,FCB2.P 474
F.MK,S.LK,FCB2.P 431
Can also start with S.HK
S.HP,VTRIGGER,F.HP 314
S.HP,VTRIGGER,J.FCB.2P 384
S.HP,VTRIGGER,F,3P 314
Crush Counters
S.HP,FCB.HP 336
S.HP,F.HP,S.LK,3P 304
S.HP,S.HP,VTRIGGER,F.HP 396
S.HP,S.HP,VTRIGGER,J.FCB.2P 456
S.HP,F.MK,FCB2.P 503
S.HP,F.HP,CR.MP,FCB2.P 538
S.HK,3P 198
S.HK,F.HP 198
S.HK,J.FCB.2P 288
In v trigger mode, I like to throw out lots of mid range st.mk and st.mp with a buffered hp+hk (tap, not hold) behind them. If you catch something you get a free super. Works behind many other normals as well. Threat of super from as far as max range st.mk is a scary thing.
[For some reason does not work the same way if you are not already in v trigger mode; the opponent will get pulled but will 'block' the pull resulting in less advantage.]
Rating