[USF4] Cody for Complete Beginners
0. Stats, Overview
-Cody is an aggressive character, relying on his punches to gain frame advantage and pushing opponents to fall for tick throws or frame traps, which I will be covering another time.
-His ideal range is just past the front of his opponent, as many of his normals and specials hit reliably in this range and he still has access to options like anti-airs, focus attacks, throws, and forward heavy kick.
-Like many aggressive characters, he does not want to be put on the defensive or in the corner, as he only has only invincible reversal.

Reasons to play Cody:
-he has a knife to shank you with. This is the only reason you need. It was mine when I started street fighter 4, and I had never played street fighter at that point. Shank shank shank... Shank shank shank... Shank DAT booteh
-otherwise he has rocks, a wrench, and pocket sand.
-really, though, if you are looking for a quarter circle character that likes to press buttons up close with a nice amount of health, Cody's the one for you.
-He has simple, high damage combos, particularly at more advanced execution levels, and his stats are reasonably well-rounded, making him a nice beginner character for those looking to be aggressive. I would recommend Ryu over him, though, or at least experimenting with both, because most new players tend to be passive and are actively looking to block and react rather than set the pace of the game.
-I also find the mechanic of holding down a button for zonk really interesting, and it's easier on pad

-Cody has the standard 1000 health. He has slightly higher stun threshold at 1050.
-Cody has a somewhat slow walk speed. His forward walk speed is just a tad slower than Ryu's, but his backward walk speed is among the slowest in the game.
-His forward dash doesn't go very far, but it is quicker than others, so it's still fairly useful. His backdash, on the other hand, is somewhat slow and hardly goes anywhere, making it only useful when backdashing is absolutely necessary.
-His jump is pretty standard, being a bit slower and shorter than Ryu's.

1. Specials and their Applications
-It's important to note that all of Cody's specials are fairly unsafe, except when used with proper spacing. If you see a Cody spamming specials, just learn to block and punish and he will be dust.

Bad Stone (Rocks)
-This is Cody's basic fireball.
-All versions of the rock throw have very slow startup, so you can't really combo into them, but they do have slightly quicker recovery. Still, the startup makes it critical to use them mostly at longer distances, even the EX ones.
-All versions have the same startup and damage, but the button strength you press determines how far the rock goes, with the stronger ones having more recovery. Because of this, you should definitely try to use the one suitable for how far away the opponent is.
-You can charge all the regular versions of rock throw for up to a few seconds. The longer you hold it, the more damage it will do.
-Like any other fireball, it can eat a projectile, but you may eventually lose a fireball war due to the rocks' slow startup.
-Either way, it doesn't deal much damage or hitstun, so its main uses are to bait non-fireball characters to come in, to keep out grapplers, or to gain some space from a longer distance (show by dashing in after they block the rock). The EX version is particularly useful for the last one since it comes out quickly, has high hitstun, and has 2 projectiles to beat other characters' fireballs.
-One thing I like to do with rocks from a long distance is throw one (normal or EX) and dash forward, as you typically gain some space regardless of whether your opponents block or jump over them. Gaining space wherever you can is crucial to pushing your opponents to the corner. This is also a useful habit to have for fireball characters like Ryu, though they might be walking instead of dashing.

Fake Bad Stone
-Cody can do a fake rock throw by pressing down/heavy punch/heavy kick. It has the same startup, but is really useful for baiting people to jump in so that you can get a sick anti-air with something like a heavy Ruffian kick.
-This is really really useful in matchups against characters you want to keep out, like grapplers. Mixing rock throws with fake rock throws is essential in these matchups.
-However, the issue of proper spacing still applies since it has the same startup. (show someone jumping in while you're doing it up close)

Criminal Upper
-This is Cody's main special for finishing combos, and it deals the most damage of Cody's specials. It's not something you can use in neutral because it has slow startup, has no invincibility, and all versions are unsafe. Even the light one is -4, meaning it can be punished by light normals into a combo or by a DP. You might get away with it if you're too far away, but at that point, why did you even press the button?
-The button strength determines the damage dealt and its recovery, with the light one being the safest and dealing the least and the heavy one being -10, which is basically a full punish, and dealing the most damage. You can FADC these to make them safer or to go for another mixup with throw or Zonk.
-Note that at longer distances, people might not be in range for all the special's hits, so Ruffian Kick might be a better alternative in some situations.
-The EX version deals the most damage and has half the startup of the others.
-The EX one has some strike invincibility, making it a decent reversal for wakeup and blocking. You can also use it when people mess up their safe jumps since it has a fairly high hitbox. However, it can be thrown during startup so watch out.
-The tornado is a projectile, so it can negate other projectiles, but doing this can give away a lot of space during its recovery so you might as well focus attack instead.

Ruffian Kick
-It cannot be stressed enough that these are unsafe. Plenty of newer Cody players spam this special since it's a high risk/high reward button that can beat people who are walking or pressing buttons, but it's a very bad habit to build and you'll eat a lot of damage for it.
-Each version serves a different purpose:
  -The light kick version hits low, goes the farthest, and causes a hard knockdown. It's generally unsafe except at longer distances, and has the most startup. You can catch people who are walking around with this special. It's harder to combo into than the other versions.
  -The medium kick version hits mid, has slightly less range, deals the most damage, and causes a soft knockdown. This is a great alternative for combos since it has good corner carry and deals all its damage in a single hit. Again, it's unsafe on block and has a bit of startup, so be careful using it. It can catch people when you expect them to press a button.
  -The heavy kick version has a high hitbox that hits mid, does the least damage, and causes a soft knockdown. It can be used in FADC combos, but it whiffs on crouching characters so you can only really do it from close or crouch heavy punch. Since it whiffs on crouching characters and has low range, it's definitely not for the neutral game. It's a decent anti-air though, especially against grapplers. If you hit it with the tip of its hitbox, you can juggle into something like a medium kick Ruffian. However, it does move Cody forward, so in some situations like crossups it might just miss completely while you still get hit. It can also combo into super, but there are probably better uses for your meter.
  -The EX version has faster startup, is projectile invincible, and causes a hard knockdown, so it can be used against fireballs from a distance. It's pretty unsafe on block though. (show it successfully/unsuccessfully going through fireballs)

Zonk Knuckle
-No matter what version of the punch you charge, they all have the same properties, except for EX. They are all unsafe, though spacing might change that fact in some situations. For the non-ex versions, the longer you charge it, the more damage it deals. It takes about 2 or 3 in game seconds to charge the strongest version.
-Zonk is critical to Cody's gameplan, particularly against fireball characters. It has upper body invincibility so you can use it to go under fireballs and possibly smack opponents if they're close. It can also be used when you are anticipating a poke, particularly those at a distance since they are active longer and extends the character's hurtbox, making them more susceptible to getting hit. However, players who understand the matchup know that it can be beat by some low buttons like Ryu's crouching medium kick, so be careful for that.
-It can also catch backdashes, so there are some gimmicks possible with exZonk (show f.HK + exZonk hitting someone backdashing after a knockdown)
-It's not a very reliable antiair, so DON'T get into the habit of using it as one. If they block it, they WILL punish you.
-EX Zonk does 2 hits and has full invincibility, making it something you can use as a wakeup reversal. It also can't be thrown, so in some respects it is better than EX Criminal Upper as a wakeup reversal.
-You can FADC zonks on block to make them safer or to go for a mixup. You can also do FADC combos with the EX version and the Level 3 version of the normal zonk, but there's no real signifier for when you have a level 3 zonk, so I'd avoid it if possible.
-Personally, I like to have a Zonk held almost all the time, but note that you will lose access to whatever punch you are holding while you are charging Zonk. If you hold light, you lose access to throws and crouch light punch which is an excellent combo starter and pressure button. If you hold medium punch, you lose access to one of your best anti-airs, back medium punch, and forward medium punch. That leaves heavy punch, which means you lose access to your most damaging version of Criminal Upper and crouch heavy punch, a high damage combo starter. Stand heavy punch's range is generally covered by stand heavy kick, so that doesn't really matter to me.
-EX zonk takes away 2 punches, so learning when to use it is a key part of playing Cody.
-Since I play on a 360 controller, it's very easy for me to hold a zonk since I just have to hold down the right bumper. For stick players, you might need to practice playing with and without a Zonk held since it takes away one of your fingers and you might want to avoid having it held all the time. I suggest practicing combos with and without Zonk held, or releasing a zonk during your pokes so that you can combo into heavy Criminal Upper. Alternatively, you can combo into medium Ruffian kick.
-You can start charging a zonk at any time, but it's best to do so when you won't need to whiff a punch, like during a knockdown, a dash, a jump, or during an attack animation. Otherwise, try to whiff the punch when you're further away from your opponent.

Bad Spray
-This move can only be used during a soft knockdown, which means anytime you can do a quick stand. It's extremely unsafe on block, very slow, and has no invincibility. However, it's something no other character can do and can catch people who are looking for the tech message, jumping in, dashing in, or generally not blocking.
-You can experiment with it, but watch out since it can become a bad habit very quickly as it is a high risk/high reward move.
-It can also be caught by people who jump over its hitbox, like during a crossup.
-You can FADC it to make it safer or for a combo, so more recently I've actually been working sand FADC EX Criminal Upper into my gameplay... but that's 3 meters.

2. Basic Anti-Airs
Anti-airs are important for any character because they deny your opponents a form of attacking, keeping them in the space you want while dealing damage to them. Being able to anti-air well effectively makes jumping forward a significant risk instead of an easy mixup that gives them space.
Cody doesn't have any solutions quite like a DP, but they are important and effective nonetheless.

back medium punch (Jaw Crusher)
-easily one of Cody's most reliable anti-airs
-has a large hitbox above Cody's head and moves Cody's head back
-deals only 70 damage, but that doesn't matter as much since it comes out quickly and can reliably beat many options that would deal a lot of damage to Cody otherwise.
-Can be done at most jump ranges besides cross-up range, which you probably won't autocorrect
-This is such a significant option that most characters will look for ways to specifically beat out this move if they want to jump

heavy kick Ruffian
-reliable for mid/far range jumps
-less reliable for close-range jumps because Cody moves forward during this special, making it whiff in some situations. Also has slower startup than back medium punch
-if you can get the read, it deals more damage than back medium punch, and if you manage to hit it with the tip of Cody's foot you can juggle into medium Ruffian kick

stand heavy punch/heavy kick
-slower options than back medium punch, but deal more damage
-goes significantly farther, making it useful for jumps that you anticipate at long distances and against grapplers
-heavy punch comes out slightly faster than stand heavy kick and deals a bit more damage, but has less range
-as noted before, I tend to hold heavy punch for Zonk, so I use heavy kick to cover this airspace when I can

stand light punch
-only really useful as an immediate answer to jumps, like against divekicks or something you reacted really late to
-hardly deals any damage

crouch heavy punch
-deals a lot of damage, but is very situational in that it's only for extremely far jumps and I hold heavy punch down anyway

Ultra 1
-deals a lot of damage, can be done fairly quickly
-however, can be blocked if it's an empty jump and has short range

Zonk/ex zonk
-deals a decent amount of damage
-can go under air attacks
-not entirely reliable; has a slow startup and can be blocked after empty jumps

Ultra 2
-you could, but you'll miss all the other hits except in some very lucky or difficult cases, leaving you to get easily punished while dealing mediocre damage and using your revenge meter. The sand's low damage often means you should just stick with more reliable options instead.

If you have the knife, note that you now have access to crouch heavy punch which is excellent because it deals a lot of damage, comes out fast, and moves Cody's hurtbox much farther down. You still have access to most of your other options, but you lose back medium punch.

You can practice anti-airs by setting the AI recording to jump in. Make sure to have a variety of jumpin distances, attacks, and to mix in empty jumps.


3. Basic Punishes
Punishes are essential because they give easy, high damage combos while your opponent can't do anything about it. With your punishes, you want to be using high damage moves or combos that you can easily and reliably execute for the appropriate range. Keep in mind that punishes are highly character dependent, and it's up to you to find out which moves are unsafe and for how long. With a successful punish game, you can effectively make your opponents' unsafe options a risk that they're rarely willing to take, so mastering these should take high priority in your training. Otherwise, you'll be missing out on free damage or using autopiloting with less optimized combos.

For easy reference, you can check out the Shoryuken wiki's frame data at a glance sections. If you've blocked a move, you'll want to compare the frame advantage on guard to the startup of what you want to punish with. If they whiffed their move, you want to compare the recovery to the startup instead.

Because GroundedSF does a really good job of showing what punishes are possible, I'll try to show some applications of these punishes instead, and discuss what punishes you might want to focus on mastering. Even though his video is for AE2012, most of the concepts still apply. His video is linked in the description below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MDo-cm5GtQ