Posted by Justin 'AdaptiveTrigger' Gordon • July 6, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. PDT • Comments: 10
The addition of Tekken's Kazuya Mishima as a DLC character has now set Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's roster count to 85 characters. Like many other Smash players, I've been spending quite a bit of time with Kazuya to get a better understanding of how he fits into the overall meta.
Being that Kazuya hails from a fighting game, he inherits a lot of the mechanics that are also used by Street Fighter's Ryu and Ken, as well as Fatal Fury's Terry Bogard. Most notably, Kazuya is another fighter that has the auto-turnaround mechanic that, during 1v1 matches, keeps Kazuya facing the opponent automatically while grounded. Like the other fighting game characters, this gives Kazuya a particularly strong ground game, but this also results in him having an awkward — yet still functional — air game.
Though Kazuya does fall into the "fighting game character archetype" in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he is quite different from the other three found in this archetype. For example, Kazuya actually doesn't have any normal attacks that are special cancellable as this isn't really a prominent mechanic in the Tekken series.
Those in this fighting game character archetype are known for having a higher than average pool of attacks to choose from, but it seems like Kazuya blows even Ryu, Ken and Terry out of the water in this regard. Kazuya is the only character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to have 8-way directional tilts, which takes a lot of getting used to. Kazuya also has plenty of moves that can only be accessed through special motion inputs.
As mentioned by Masahiro Sakurai during the recent presentation, it's not actually necessary to use all of Kazuya's attacks during gameplay — which I actually feel is different to my experience with playing Ryu in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
One example that immediately comes to mind is Kazuya's 10 hit combo, a sequence performed by either mashing the normal attack or simply holding it. Although this deals about 45% damage on its own, I believe that this is a move that will be rarely seen at high level play.
Kazuya's 10 hit combo suffers a huge weakness in that it can be easily escaped with proper SDI (smash directional influence) on the part of the opponent. It won't be possible to escape it in all situations, but the inconsistency makes Kazuya's Flash Punch Combo look like a way more attractive choice.
This isn't to say that the 10 hit combo is completely pointless as it probably will be viewed to be quite strong at lower levels of play. Essentially, it feels like the 10 hit combo is made specifically with beginner players in mind, and this is perfectly fine.
Even outside of this, it feels like there are plenty of moves that a player may choose to not want to use for whatever reason. As such, this suggests that different players will be able to inject their own identity into Kazuya as they might have different preferences on their "go-to moves" while ignoring the existence of others.
Having said that, there are certainly a number of moves that will most definitely be used by all high level Kazuya players as they will just be perceived as objectively strong options once the data is understood. The Electric Wind God Fist, for example, is clearly one of the best options that any character in Smash can access.
With enough practice, Kazuya can use the Electric Wind God Fist to combo into his smash attacks, which are absurdly strong. The Electric Wind God Fist has a shocking amount of stun attached to the move, and it's also just safe to throw out against shielding opponents.
Of course, getting the Electric Wind God Fist to come out consistently is a true challenge, but one that will be rewarded. As mentioned by Sakurai, there's a bit more leniency on the inputs compared to how it is in the Tekken series, but this is still going to take a lot of practice. From what I understand, the timing of the inputs have to be precise down to about a 2-frame window.
In combination with Kazuya's down throw and certain other attacks, the Electric Wind God Fist can actually be used to setup into touch of death combos. In some regards, this actually makes Kazuya feel like a bit of a grappler since opponents will want to avoid getting grabbed at all costs.
Kazuya also has a special move that acts like a command grab and even has the deadly "Gates of Hell" special that throws opponents at an angle that a number characters simply won't be able to recover from. Since Kazuya can use his down special while airborne, platform camping is not a viable strategy against Kazuya.
You especially want to be careful against Kazuya when his Rage Drive is active. In terms of just raw damage, this can deal somewhere in the vicinity of 33-40% damage in a single, unblockable attack. If you've accrued too much damage already, this will just result in an instant stock loss.
In addition to having a weight of 113 (which makes Kazuya one of the heaviest in the game), Kazuya's high double jump and high flying up special gives Kazuya an incredible amount of survivability. I really was not expecting Kazuya to be able to recover from the distances that he's able to cover with his recovery options.
Though Kazuya's recovery is quite linear, it's actually a big risk to go offstage against him since his attacks have little to no hitlag. Kazuya might just be the most difficult character to perform grounded or wall techs against in the entire game as a result. Kazuya's up special is quite fast and hits hard, so you have to be ready for it.
While all of this does paint Kazuya as being a very strong character, he is not without his weaknesses. Since his range is overall reliant on the reach of his limbs, he will struggle somewhat against characters with swords, long reaching attacks and projectile-based gameplay. Kazuya players will often need careful usage of armored moves to get in on certain playstyles.
As mentioned before, his double jump ascends to surprisingly great heights, but it is extremely floaty and a bit awkward. This left me with the impression that Kazuya will be mostly limited to grounded approaches which means that his gameplay will be somewhat predictable.
With all this said, Kazuya Mishima is certainly a most welcomed addition to Smash's roster and deserves to be here. Overall, I think Kazuya might be a solid high tier character, but there's definitely an extremely strong case to be made for top tier status. Playing Kazuya will require a mastery unlike any other in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, so be prepared to put in the work if you want to win with this character.
Of course, if you're the type that just wants to have fun with a Tekken character in Smash, that's perfectly fine as there are also some beginner friendliness injected into his moveset for this very purpose. No matter how you look at it, I think Kazuya is well worth the purchase for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Closing thoughts: Kazuya falls under the "fighting game archetype" in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate along with Ryu, Ken and Terry, but still manages to be a very unique challenger in the 85 character roster. It feels like Kazuya's move pool is a bit too vast for everything to be used by one player, but that seems to be by design. This leaves plenty of room for every Kazuya player to express themselves in unique ways however they want during gameplay.
To play Kazuya at a top level, hour upon hours of practice will likely be needed, but there's plenty present that will help beginners get started. A lot about Kazuya definitely makes me think that he might end up being a top tier in the long run, but I also find myself wondering how much of this stuff Nintendo will let him keep in future patches. If mastered, Kazuya will be able to convert into touch of death combos from many attacks.
Overall, Kazuya is a great character that will reward players that like to practice execution and a solid ground game. Kazuya isn't really recommended for the type of players that like to stay airborne due to Kazuya's awkwardly floaty jump. Those that haven't gotten used to the auto-turnaround mechanics of the other fighting game archetype characters in Smash will still struggle when playing Kazuya.
Kazuya can be picked up for $5.99 individually or can also be acquired in the Fighters Pass Vol. 2 for $29.99 along with Min Min, Steve, Sephiroth, Pyra & Mythra as well as one more as of yet unnamed fighter. The character is not only strong, but offers loads of fun and is definitely worth the purchase.
