Choosing the Ryujin best stance is the single most impactful decision you can make for your PvP build, because stances alter your move timing, damage windows, and combo routes far more than raw stat allocation ever will. While every fighting style in the game has its own identity, the stance you equip determines how that identity actually plays out in a real fight, which is why top players treat this choice as a core part of their loadout rather than an afterthought. This guide ranks the strongest stances across the current meta, breaks down exactly how to unlock each one, and gives you a clear recommendation based on your preferred playstyle.
The stance system sits alongside your fighting style and mode as one of three combat layers, and understanding how they interact is essential before you commit to a grind. According to the official Ryujin Roblox page, the game is built around training stats and competing in PvP, with multiple fighting styles and skills that let you create your own build. Stances fit directly into that customization loop, which means the best choice for you depends on your stats, your style, and the matchups you expect to face.
Ryujin Stance Tier List for the Current Meta
Trainer Fight Mastery: The Fastest Path to Unlocking Stances
Fighting your Style Trainer is the most efficient way to unlock stances, granting 20% Style Mastery on a win and 10% on a loss. Crucially, you can only fight the trainer matching your equipped style—a Boxing user cannot grind the Street Fighting trainer for Muay Boran progress. For optimal efficiency, target the trainer at the Outdoor Arena (Genji Kamogawa) if you are Boxing, as his requirements are 25% lower, allowing you to unlock the Iron Boxing stance faster than grinding standard NPCs.
The current meta rewards stances that offer either explosive burst damage or strong defensive counterplay, and the tier list below reflects what competitive players are actually using in ranked matches and clan wars. While every stance has a niche, some simply outperform others when you factor in stamina efficiency, combo potential, and how well they pair with the strongest fighting styles currently available.
| Tier | Stance | Best Paired With | Core Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | Muay Boran | Muay Thai, Street Fighting | Highest burst damage, devastating knee and elbow chains |
| S | Iron Boxing | Boxing, Karate | Relentless pressure, superior stamina management |
| A | ITF Taekwondo | Taekwondo, Hatsumi | Exceptional reach and mobility, strong counter-kick game |
| A | Hatsumi | Aikido, Karate | Redirection and evasion, punishes over-aggressive opponents |
| B | Traditional Karate | Karate, Boxing | Solid fundamentals, but outclassed by top-tier options |
The gap between S-tier and A-tier stances is narrower than most players expect, and the right choice often comes down to your personal timing and reaction speed. Muay Boran rewards aggressive players who can chain long combos without dropping inputs, while Iron Boxing suits fighters who prefer constant pressure and stamina advantage. If you are still exploring which fighting style fits you best, the fighting styles guide breaks down every style's requirements and trainer locations so you can plan your build around the stance you want to use.
Ryujin How to Get Stances: Unlock Requirements Explained
Understanding Ryujin how to get stances is critical because the unlock process is not explained clearly in-game, and many new players waste hours grinding the wrong stats. Stances are unlocked by fighting your Style Trainer, but the system has specific rules that dictate which trainer you can challenge and what you earn from the fight.
Trainer Fight Rules and Mastery Rewards
The trainer fight system works on a simple but strict rule: you can only fight the trainer for the style or mode you currently use. This means you cannot farm mastery for a stance you do not yet have, which forces you to commit to a style before you can unlock its stance. According to the Ryujin Trello board, beating your Style Trainer rewards you with 20% Style Mastery, while losing still grants 10% Mastery, so there is no penalty for attempting the fight early.
| Fight Outcome | Mastery Gained | Stance Unlock Progress |
|---|---|---|
| Win against Style Trainer | 20% | Significant progress toward stance unlock |
| Lose against Style Trainer | 10% | Slow but steady progress |
| Win against Mode Trainer | 20% | Unlocks mode-related abilities, not stances |
The key takeaway is that you should challenge your trainer as soon as you meet the stat requirements, even if you expect to lose, because the mastery gain is too valuable to skip. Each fight takes a few minutes, and the mastery percentage carries over between attempts, so repeated fights will eventually unlock the stance even if you never win a single match.
Stat Requirements for Stance Unlocks
Each stance has specific stat thresholds you need to meet before the trainer will even accept your challenge, and these requirements vary significantly between stances. The Muay Boran stance demands high Strength and Stamina because its combo chains are stamina-intensive, while the ITF Taekwondo stance prioritizes Agility for its kicking mobility.
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Muay Boran stance: Requires 120+ Strength, 90+ Stamina, and 80+ Agility
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Iron Boxing stance: Requires 105+ Strength, 100+ Durability, and 70+ Agility
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ITF Taekwondo stance: Requires 85+ Strength, 75+ Stamina, and 110+ Agility
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Hatsumi stance: Requires 95+ Strength, 85+ Durability, and 95+ Agility
These numbers are based on community testing and may shift slightly with future balance patches, but they provide a solid target for your training routine. If you are planning your stat allocation, remember that your stance requirements should influence your training order, because unlocking your stance early gives you more time to master its timing before you hit the ranked ladder.
Muay Boran Stance: Burst Damage and Combo Potential
The Ryujin Muay Boran stance is widely considered the strongest offensive stance in the game, and for good reason. It transforms your basic attacks into devastating elbow and knee combinations that deal massive damage in a short window, making it the go-to choice for players who want to end fights quickly.
The stance's signature move is a three-hit elbow chain that starts with a short jab, transitions into a rising elbow, and finishes with a spinning elbow that has knockback properties. This combo deals roughly 35% more damage than the standard Muay Thai light attack chain, but it also costs significantly more stamina, which means you need to manage your meter carefully.
| Combo | Damage Output | Stamina Cost | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light jab into rising elbow | Medium | Low | Poke and punish whiffs |
| Full elbow chain | High | Medium | Punish blocked attacks |
| Knee clinch into elbow finisher | Very High | High | End-of-round burst |
The knee clinch into elbow finisher is the stance's strongest tool, but it requires you to land a successful grab first, which can be risky against experienced opponents who know how to tech throws. Because of this risk-reward dynamic, the Muay Boran stance rewards players with strong reads and confident execution, while punishing hesitation and predictable patterns.
Iron Boxing Stance: Pressure and Stamina Advantage
The Ryujin Iron Boxing stance takes a completely different approach to combat, focusing on relentless pressure and stamina management rather than explosive burst damage. This stance is built around short, efficient combinations that drain your opponent's stamina while conserving your own, creating a slow but inevitable path to victory.
The core mechanic of Iron Boxing is its stamina drain on blocked hits, which means every punch you land on a blocking opponent reduces their stamina pool significantly more than other stances. Over the course of a round, this adds up quickly, and opponents who rely on blocking to survive will find themselves exhausted and unable to escape your pressure.
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Jab-cross body hook: The bread-and-butter combo that drains stamina while dealing chip damage
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Liver shot: A body blow that reduces your opponent's stamina recovery speed for five seconds
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Step-in uppercut: A forward-moving attack that closes distance and punishes retreats
The Iron Boxing stance pairs exceptionally well with the Boxing fighting style, and it also works surprisingly well with Karate because the stance's forward pressure complements Karate's counter-focused moveset. If you prefer a more methodical, grinding playstyle that wears opponents down over time, this stance is likely your best choice, and it is particularly effective in longer matches where stamina management becomes the deciding factor.
ITF Taekwondo Stance: Reach, Mobility, and Counterplay
The Ryujin ITF Taekwondo stance offers the best mobility and reach of any stance in the game, making it the premier choice for players who prefer a hit-and-run approach. This stance emphasizes kicking techniques that keep you at optimal range while your opponent struggles to close the distance.
What makes ITF Taekwondo unique is its back-step counter mechanic, which automatically triggers a counter-kick when you successfully dodge an attack. This creates a natural defensive layer that punishes aggressive opponents without requiring perfect timing, making it an excellent choice for players who are still developing their defensive reads.
| Technique | Range | Recovery | Counter Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front snap kick | Long | Fast | Excellent for spacing |
| Roundhouse kick | Medium | Medium | Good for pressure |
| Back-step counter kick | Long | Fast | Triggers on successful dodge |
The stance's main weakness is its lower damage per hit compared to Muay Boran, which means fights can drag on longer if you do not land consistent counters. However, the mobility advantage often compensates for this, because you can control the pace of the fight and force your opponent to overextend into your counter windows.
Building Around Your Stance: Synergies and Recommendations
Choosing the Ryujin best stance is only half the battle, because your stance needs to synergize with your fighting style, mode, and clan to reach its full potential. A stance that works perfectly with one build can feel completely underwhelming with another, so you need to think about your entire loadout before committing to a grind.
The best approach is to start with your stance and build backward, choosing a fighting style that complements your stance's strengths. For example, the Muay Boran stance works best with the Muay Thai style because both emphasize aggressive clinch work, while the ITF Taekwondo stance pairs naturally with the Taekwondo style for maximum mobility. Your clan choice also matters, because certain clan skills boost specific attack types, and you can check the clan tier list to see which clans offer the best synergy for your stance.
Recommended Builds by Playstyle
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Aggressive Burst Build: Muay Boran stance + Muay Thai style + Strength-focused stats, designed to end fights in under thirty seconds with devastating combos
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Pressure Grind Build: Iron Boxing stance + Boxing style + Durability-focused stats, built to outlast opponents and drain their stamina over multiple rounds
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Mobility Counter Build: ITF Taekwondo stance + Taekwondo style + Agility-focused stats, focused on spacing, dodging, and punishing whiffs
Your psyche selection also plays a role in stance performance, because certain psyches provide damage boosts or stamina recovery bonuses that amplify your stance's strengths. The psyche tier list ranks the best psyches for combat builds, and combining a top-tier psyche with the right stance can push your build from good to genuinely oppressive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ryujin best stance for beginners?
The Iron Boxing stance is the best choice for beginners because its pressure-based playstyle is forgiving and does not require perfect timing. The stamina drain mechanic rewards consistent aggression, and the simple combo routes let you focus on fundamentals like spacing and blocking instead of complex execution.
How do I unlock the Muay Boran stance?
You need to be using the Muay Thai fighting style and reach the required stat thresholds of 120 Strength, 90 Stamina, and 80 Agility. Once you meet these requirements, fight your Style Trainer repeatedly, because each fight grants 20% Style Mastery on a win and 10% on a loss.
Can I switch stances after unlocking them?
Yes, you can switch between any stances you have unlocked, but you cannot use a stance from a fighting style you do not currently have equipped. This means you need to own the base fighting style before you can use its stance, so plan your build around the styles you want to commit to.
Does the ITF Taekwondo stance work with other fighting styles?
The ITF Taekwondo stance works best with the Taekwondo style, but it also functions reasonably well with Hatsumi because both emphasize mobility and counterplay. However, the stance's kicking animations may feel slightly awkward with styles that rely heavily on hand strikes, so test the combination before committing to it.
Which stance is best for clan wars?
The Muay Boran stance is generally the strongest choice for clan wars because its burst damage can quickly eliminate opponents in team fights. However, if you are playing a support role or expect longer engagements, the Iron Boxing stance's stamina drain becomes more valuable as fights drag on.