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Tekken 8has one of the most robust launch rosters you could ask for in a fighting game, offering 32 unique characters to play, making it hard for you not to find at least one character to gel with as your main, even if that character is the main antagonist of the story.
That is, of course, the one and only Kazuya Mishima, the master of the Mishima-Style Fighting Karate style and wielder of the Devil Power that his father tried so hard to exterminate over the years through a series of… unethical ways. Nonetheless, if Kazuya is your man, there are ways to optimize his gameplay and rise through the ranks!
Kazuya Mishima Overview
Kazuya Mishima,in many ways, is like his son in that heexcels in the neutral gameand can dominate his opponents bybaiting out key attacks to whiff punish theminto next week. However, the most significant difference is thatKazuya relies much more on ‘Wave Dashing’* and landing Electric** attacksthan Jin, making him a bit harder to comprehend for newcomers.
While hisplaystyle has remained essentially unchangedin Tekken 8, theuniversal changes to backdashes and the noticeable increase in the game’s tempo make Kazuya strugglemore than usual. However, thenew Heat systems will help make up for thatonce you get a firm grasp on how to implement them into your gameplay properly.
That said,Kazuya pretty much has an answer to everythingand can dish out a lot of damage in short bursts if you canconsistently hit Electrics and learn how to punish or counter most attacks.He has tremendous potential to control the spacing and temp of any match, but it won’t be easy!
- Wave Dashing is an advanced movement method that chains together standard Dashes with the unique Wind God Step possessed by the Mishima family.
** - Electrics are attacks performed via the f★d/f command and offer unique properties when executed with perfect timing and precision.
Kazuya Mishima Important Moves
Being one of the staple characters of the series,Kazuya Mishima has a robust and extensive Move List,showcasing his legacy and why he’s so formidable. However, as tremendous as it is, we willonly be covering a handful of his most crucial ones in the table below,but we encourage you to look into everything he’s capable of in the Training Mode!
d = Down
u = Up
b = Back
f = Forward
★ = Neutral (Don’t Press Anything)
Wind God Stop
f★d/f
Kazuya dashes forward with a low profile, which he can chain into an Electric Attack with proper timing.
f/F 3
d/f 2
f 2
2+3
Activates Heat Gauge, turning Kazuya into his Devil Form.
Grants access to several new moves when in Devil Form.
As you can tell, the moves provided in the table above don’t come anywhere close to the sheer amount of moves Kazuya has access to in the game. However, themoves presented above are some of the more common onesyou will be using, making themessential to learn firstfor combos!
Kazuya Mishima Combos
Now that you understand what Kazuya can do in Tekken 8, it’s time toprovide combos highlighting his playstyle.Due to him being a monster in the neutral game, you will see some extensive combos via Counter Hits, which he excels at.
In addition toStandard Combos and Counter Hit Combos,you can also expectWall Carry Combosandones that include Heat and Ragein the sections below, covering all of your bases to get the most out of Kazuya in combat!
Kazuya Mishima Heat And Rage Combos
Kazuya Mishima Closing Thoughts
With everything that’s laid out above, it’seasy to see what makes Kazuya shine in Tekken 8and how theHeat system makes up for the noticeable nerfs he receivedvia the systemwide nerfs to backdashing and the overall faster pacing in this game. Overall, he is still the same dominant Kazuya you know and love once you familiarize yourself with the new systems.
Despite everything that Tekken 8 implemented and changed from the previous entry,Kazuya is still a menace in the arenaand can beone of the most formidable charactersin the game with enough practice and dedication.
IsKazuyaabeginner-friendlycharacter?Not necessarily,as he doesrely heavily on landing Electric Attacks, Wave Dashing, and the new Heat mechanics.However, that doesn’t make him impossible to learn. It just means it willtake a bit more effort to feel comfortable withhim than some of the other members on the roster!
