Razer is one of the leading brands in third-party gaming hardware and released its own leverless controller, the Razer Kitsune, in 2023, when leverless controllers became the most in-demand for competitive fighting gamers. Razer’s version became an instant success and one of the premier brands of leverless controllers. Now in 2026, Razer and Capcom have teamed up to introduce the Razer Kitsune – Ryu Edition, ready to pummel the competition, which we are fortunate to get our hands on and see how it holds up.

In 2010, Hit Box introduced the first leverless controller, an arcade stick that replaces the joystick with four directional buttons arranged in a curve for your thumb and three main fingers. It was certainly an odd design, but it proved to be very effective for pulling off certain moves in fighting games, especially charge moves like Guile’s Sonic Boom and Flash Kick.

Other brands have introduced their own versions, and although the controller style has been around since 2010, it wasn’t until 2023 that it began to truly gain popularity, with many professional Street Fighter players and champions switching from their arcade sticks to leverless controllers.

Leverless controllers were literal game changers, creating new ways to play as certain characters. Capcom even banned these controllers from their tournaments at one point, believing they gave players an unfair advantage. This is ironic, as they introduced the Modern Control scheme in Street Fighter 6, which allowed special moves to be performed with single buttons and made them tournament-legal. Thankfully, they have since reversed this decision, allowing pro players to create some exciting matches and even teaming with Razer to create an officially licensed leverless controller.

The Razer Kitsune – Ryu Edition is identical to the original Razer Kitsune, which is a good thing, since the original already performed excellently. As the name suggests, the top features some beautiful ink-wash-style art by the Capcom design team of Ryu from the Street Fighter series, specifically his Street Fighter 6 outfit. Not only does the controller play well, but it also looks good with the fighting game legend, adding style and personality.

As a die-hard fighting gamer since childhood, I tested this across various fighting games on my PlayStation 5, as well as a few non-fighting games. I’ve tried this out on Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Mortal Kombat 1, and a few retro fighting games, and it works fantastically.

Whether it’s a 2D or 3D fighter, the Razer Kitsune – Ryu Edition allows players to execute all their favourite moves and combos with near-zero latency with either a wired or wireless connection. For the lowest possible latency, a wired connection is recommended and required by tournament rules to fully disconnect controllers from consoles when players have finished their matches.

Much like the other brands of leverless controllers, it also helps create new ways to play as certain characters. Of course, for those new to a leverless controller, it will take some practice to get used to the layout of the directional buttons, but it is well worth it for those serious about their fighting games and willing to put in the time.

The Razer Kitsune – Ryu Edition can work with many non-fighting games, but not all. The directional buttons are mapped to a regular controller’s d-pad instead of the left analog stick, so games that only use the left analog stick to move around are not compatible, as those games can still run, but you won’t be able to move around. The lack of a right analog stick means you can’t move the camera either. Games that utilise a regular controller’s D-pad will work with leverless controllers, such as retro and retro-themed games.

Leverless controllers are made specifically for fighting games, and Razer’s version is one of the best around. Unfortunately, just like the original Razer Kitsune, it is not compatible with the PlayStation 4. PlayStation consoles are the standard for fighting game esports events, and many still use the PS4 for retro fighting game tournaments to save money on buying more PS5’s.

You can play PS4 games on a PS5 console with this controller, but not on PS4 consoles, which is a shame for players wanting to enter tournaments that use a PS4 with their Razer Kitsune. Hopefully, Razer can change this in a future firmware update, though it’s been out for three years, so it doesn’t seem likely. An alternative solution is to use a converter, of which is widely available and not that expensive.

The main button layout is the same as other brands, which helps keep things consistent, and this version includes the unique buttons found on PS5 controllers. They include the Options, Share and PS buttons plus L3 and R3 buttons in place of the analog sticks, a switch to change between PS5 and PC connections, and a Tournament Lock switch to help prevent accidentally pausing the game and getting disqualified. The top side has a clasp that can be unlocked to insert the provided USB-A-to-USB-C cable, then closed and locked to help prevent accidental disconnection of your controller.

Around the entire edge of the controller is the Razer Chroma RGB strip lighting. It doesn’t interact with specific games or have any specific functions; it’s mainly there for aesthetic purposes, but it sure does add plenty of style to your controller. With the Razer Synapse program, which is free to download from the official Razer website, you can customise the RGB lighting effects such as the brightness, speed, and animation styles like wave and breathing or choose to turn it off if you wish. The Razer Synapse program is also handy for keeping the controller’s firmware up to date.

The overall appearance is the same: sleek, sturdy, and lightweight, like the original Razer Kitsune. The top plate with the Ryu art is made of dye-sublimated premium aluminium that can be smudged but is easy to clean. Along with the Ryu art on the top plate are all the PlayStation button labels. Underneath is a rubber grip that covers almost the entire underside, helping to prevent slipping on smooth surfaces.

With its flat design, it can be placed on a desk, on your lap, on a chair, on the floor, or wherever the individual players prefer to play. Razer’s version of a leverless controller has a thinner design than some others, making it perfect for travel, as it easily fits in backpacks and takes up less space. The lack of a joystick means it won’t get caught on anything during removal.

Leverless controllers are some of the most sought-after controllers for competitive fighting gamers right now, so now is as good a time as any for those interested or curious to try them out and see how they feel. The official Australian price is $549.95 AUD, which is quite steep compared to other brands, but with how well it performs and its almost zero input latency, it is one of the premier leverless controller brands for a reason. It is recommended by pro players and even champions, so you know this is well worth the money to give you the edge over opponents because every millisecond matters.

The original Razer Kitsune was already a highly popular leverless controller in the Fighting Game Community for a reason, and the Razer Kitsune – Ryu Edition brings that same premium performance with some added style, officially licensed by Capcom, and it pulls no punches.

Written by: Sammy Hanson