Being an M.Bison with a fireball, Raphael is in no doubt one of the better characters in the game and is prevalent in the meta. With a top tier projectile game with Jamboree that is only rivaled by the likes of Armaggon, a swift & deadly Chestbuster that clips through projectiles and a Powerdrill that can threaten to trap opponents who lack effective reversals such as Donatello, Wingnut, War & C.dome, Raphael is able to dominate a match in little time! Packed with great normals as well, particularly his cr.LK, Raphael is equipped to turn on the offensive pressure at practically all times and confirm into his game winning blows. Do keep in mind however, Raphael does have a few minor weaknesses to watchout for, as similar to Michelangelo, he gets dizzied rather easily. He is also rather limited when backed into a corner, as he lacks the options Michelangelo & Leonardo have in their abilities to mixup their reversals. A Chestbuster reversal against a seasoned opponent will be readily blocked and punished with a throw right back in the corner where Raphael doesn't want to be in.
Identical to Mike's far standing light punch. It's a slow hook with decent priority. Most of its usage comes from the overheads and unblockables it can cause on Shredder, Aska, and Armaggon.
A quick elbow. This is a mostly forgotten normal, mainly because of its relatively strict proximity. Its priority allows this to be a quick non-commital anti-air in some situations, but Raph has better options.
Raph's best far anti-air. Raph's lowered hurtbox and range allow you to get lucky trades, it also makes this good as a last-second poke. Something to keep note of is that because of this normal, Raph is one of the few characters who has little trouble punishing Chrome Dome's dive with a trade anti-air when zoning.
A weird two hitting normal. This doesn't see much usage, but you don't get punished for having it blocked. This sets up an unblockable against a crouching Aska and Armaggon when done into cr.hk. Regardless, Raph has better options. The hitstun listed above is the stun of the first hit, second hit, and both hits respectively. Keep in mind that this move only hits once against crouhcers and War, the only exceptions to this are Shredder and Wing Nut, who will always get hit twice no matter how they're blocking.
Disturbingly underrated move. Although this normal isn't a low, has less range, and is slower than cr.lk, it has much better priority (Raph's arm and sai are completely invincible) stun, and has a higher-positioned hitbox. This makes it a better non-commital normal for punishing advances and attacks. It is especially good at calling out Aura Crusher. Although the move doesn't combo into itself on HS1, it can chain into cr.lk, allowing you to rack up high-stun combos from afar if need be. The cr.lk propaganda is easy to get lost in, but DO NOT sleep on this normal!
Raph's infamous hyper normal. This is an amazing poke in neutral because it allows you to call out moves and button presses and end the combo with a swift Chest Buster. Never be afraid to abuse this move to catch the opponent when they're not blocking. The only lackluster things about this normal are its below-average stun and very mediocre priority. From HoopsTheWaffleBurner: When getting an advantaged airborne hit in the corner, I like to wait at the bottom, start cr.lk'ing as soon the opponent lands, then finish it off with a heavy Chest Buster if they don't block. If done successfully (and without the opponent reversing), it will grant you a nice amount of stun but will put you in the corner, the opponent's knockdown will give you enough time to jump out, but keep that in mind.
Fantasitc anti-air with amazing priority. The priority on this normal is so good that at worst, the opponent will trade after jumping in. This is similar to Ryu's cr.hp in the various versions of Street Fighter 2 in the sense that it's great at controlling vertical space, but not so good at controlling horizontal space. Make sure to always switch this up with other anti-airs depending on where you are, and where the opponent jumps.
A sweep he shares with Leo. Not as much range as you'd like, BUUUT canceling it into Powerdrill offers an immense amount of pressure and offensive advantage. Canceling this into Jamboree is also a good option, but the inputs required to pull it off are a bit strict.
The universal command aerial all turtles have. It's the best lingering aerial they have though its priority can be questioned. Raph gets a lot more usage out of this normal due to his far-reaching cr.lk, but remember to switch it up with his other jumping normals.
This is a good jump-in for dizzy punishes and stun fishing. It is also a good air-to-air in certain situations, but its priority can definitely be questioned. From HoopsTheWaffleBurner: This normal is a weird one. Its priority is good enough, most of Raph's arm is completely invincible. Despite this, it is a rather picky normal. Because of this, I think it's best to use it as an offensive jump-in as opposed to something you want to just throw out immediately after jumping.
Body Slam (Begin holding back) > 3Xcr.LKs > Chestbuster/Powerdrill (The staple base combo game most can be familiar with. The plan is simple: Abuse Raph's great cr.LKs to create a "buffer" and react to the situation accordingly. If the opponent is being hit by the cr.LKs, confirm into a Chestbuster. If the opponent is blocking, you can most likely chain into a Powerdrill and keep the pressure, even being able to link a Jamboree after the blocked drill.)
J.HK (Begin holding back) > close HP > Chestbuster (This is a staple and very consistent dizzy punish. Redizzies Mike & other Raphs.)
Cross up J.HK (Begin holding forward since you're ending up on other side) > close LK > standing LK > standing LK > cr.LK > Chestbuster ( A very challenging dizzy punish to master, but very rewarding unlike Leo's LK punish due to allowing Raph to redizzy the ENTIRE CAST. You will see many Raphs attempt and fail this punish. Please remember that since this requires a cross up, perform the punish above this one if crossing up the dizzy opponent is not possible.) https://www.twitch.tv/yartarr42/clip/ColdbloodedSullenPeppermintHassaanChop-oBQh3g_xM69PtPub?filter=clips&range=7d&sort=time