Let us all raise a fist so high in celebration that we actually jump off the ground and maybe even make little flames come out of it.

Yes, it’s 23 June again, and that can mean only one thing: Shoryuken Day! Also known as 623 Day in an effort to be inclusive to fans of other 2D fighting games, this is a day to celebrate those special “anti-air” attacks which causes the fighter to strike upwards to attack an opponent moving in from above.

Many times these special moves are executed by moving the stick forward, then down, then down and forward, and pressing punch. This command was popularized by Ryu and Ken of Street Fighter fame and reused in countless other fighting games since, either as a homage or straight rip-off depending how you look at it.

This style of move is often transcribed as a “623” move in Japanese in reference to the movements of the stick. That might be a little hard to visualize at first, because if you’re like me you might assume it’s representing the controller as if it were a clock. But actually it is more like the number pad of your keyboard, to also accommodate the neutral position (5).

For example, using this notation system a Yoga Flame is a 41236 move (at least it used to be) and Zangief’s Final Atomic Buster would be 63214-6321456.

There are a lot of combinations to be had, but this day is all about the Shoryuken and other associated fighting moves. As such, players shared their favorite 623 attacks via Twitter.

Even if you’re a little late to the party, feel free to join the celebration online yourself. Or get together with some friends and share your favorite dragon uppercut stories.

▼ Like that time you managed to clear the barrel
bonus round using nothing but shoryukens

Personally, I was more into the charging move characters, but I remember one time way back in the day of SFII Championship Edition at the arcade a little kid was playing a middle-aged man. The older guy was getting increasingly pissed off because the kid kept doing the same move over and over while shouting “ALL-YOU-CAN… ALL-YOU-CAN’T BEAT ME!”

Of course, “all you can” is what “shoryuken” might sound like to certain English-accustomed ears in a noisy arcade, and the funniest/most irritating part was the kid was playing as M. Bison and using the Psycho Crusher the whole time.

But anyway, forgive my meandering trip down memory lane. I tend to get sentimental during the holidays. Just be sure to take a moment on this day to remind your own favorite 623 move how much you love it. However, save your love for others for their own special days, such as 14 February — you know, Hurricane Kick Day.

Source: Twitter/@Charlie0816, My Game News Flash
Top image: YouTube/SAIGONONIDOU