Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Kazuya (SSBU)

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This article is about Kazuya's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For the character in other contexts, see Kazuya Mishima.
Kazuya
in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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TekkenSymbol.svg
Universe Tekken
Availability Downloadable
Final Smash Final Blaster
Kazuya (SSBU)
Kazuya GETS READY FOR THE NEXT BATTLE
—Introduction tagline

Kazuya (カズヤ, Kazuya) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was officially announced at the E3 Nintendo Direct on June 15th, 2021 as the fifth downloadable character from Fighters Pass Vol. 2 and was released on June 29th, 2021 (June 30th, 2021 in Europe and Asia) as part of Challenger Pack 10. Kazuya is the second playable character from Bandai Namco after Pac-Man and is classified as Fighter #81.

Masanori Shinohara, Kazuya's voice actor since Tekken 4, reprises his role in Ultimate in all regions of the game.

Attributes

Kazuya is a brawler focused on ground offense, courtesy of his wide array of grounded moves and command specials. He possesses an impressive variety of microspacing options and ways to close in the distance, including a kick capable of reflection, a quick dash that grants intangibility, and attacks that move him slightly forward or backwards, allowing him to control his grounded movements better than most of the cast. His attributes reflect his ground-focused playstyle, as Kazuya's movement speed is very sluggish in general and requires use of his kit to properly close the distance. Apart from a very high double jump (similar to Mewtwo or Ness), Kazuya's walk and dash speeds are average, and his air speed is very low. Kazuya also possesses one of the lowest jumps in the game: while this assists his combo game due to his attack's launch angles, this is counterbalanced by his jumpsquat, which is uniquely 7 frames long instead of 3.

Moveset

  • Rage: Kazuya will be surrounded by a red aura after reaching 100% damage or 25% of his total health in stamina mode. In his home series, the rage effect increases the damage output of his moves, which is emulated with a 1.1x multiplier in SSBU. It also grants access to the unique Rage Drive attack, which will end the Rage state when executed. There's no time limit on the Rage states, meaning that it won't run out on Kazuya, although it will end if Kazuya takes more than a certain amount of damage. Furthermore, if Kazuya uses Rage Drive and it misses, the Rage state will end quicker. Rage can only be triggered once per stock.
  • Tough Body: Kazuya has a form of universal knockback resistance similar to Bowser's Tough Guy.
  • Several moves, including his special moves, smash attacks, and up-throw briefly turn him into Devil Kazuya. While the transformation itself is purely aesthetic, it indicates the attack is particularly strong. A majority of these moves also activate activate Special Zoom under certain conditions.
  • When throwing an opponent in a 1v1, the camera briefly shifts to a unique angle similar to the Tekken equivalent.
  • Kazuya utilizes unique visual effects from his series and, like Ryu, Ken, and Terry, utilizes unique hit sound effects derived from Tekken 6 onward.
  • Also like Ryu, Ken, and Terry, Kazuya automatically turns to face the opponent in 1v1 matches.
    • However, Kazuya is unique in that he does not always face the camera. This aspect comes from Tekken, where Kazuya is in and orthodox stance regardless of camera placement.
  • In general, Kazuya's moves cause extremely low hitlag compared to other characters, emulating the almost nonexistent hitlag in Tekken.
  • Kazuya possesses the most directional moves of any character, with diagonal directions set to additional standard attacks, and command inputs for others (such as Crouch Dash). He also has the only command input throw.
  • Kazuya's jumpsquat is set at 7 compared to the universal 3 frame jumpsquat shared by other characters.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier. For simplicity, "A" means a single press of the attack button.

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack Flash Punch Combo / 10-Hit Combo 3% Flash Punch Combo (AA-A):Two quick punches from his left hand followed by a stronger punch from his right hand. This functions as a standard neutral attack, with the third hit knocking opponents back. For an attack of its kind, the final hit is surprisingly strong, being capable of KOing at the ledge at 115%, though this can be DI'd.

10-Hit Combo (A tapped or held): A series of 10 hits: two left-hand punches, a right-hand punch, a backhand strike, a left up kick, a right axe kick, a right low sweeping kick, a left low kick, a right electric punch, and a bursting uppercut. The last hit is unblockable. Each hit moves Kazuya forward, making him travel half the distance of Final Destination for the whole move. The full combo deals a whopping 38%, making it by far the most damaging neutral attack in the game, and the final hit can KO at around 160%. However, its multi-hit properties make it very inconsistent: the full combo cannot be completed near a ledge as the opponent will fall off it, and the move can be DI'd out of due to its low hitstun. It is therefore very powerful near the center of the stage, but poor near ledges.

The first hit comes out at frame 6, making it slower than average.

3%
2% (combo), 9% (last)
3%
3%
4%
1.5%
1.5%
5%
12%
Forward tilt Oni Front Kick 14.5% A short kick comparable to Ganondorf's forward tilt. Grants lower leg intangibility. It moves Kazuya forwards about one character distance and deals good knockback and damage, making it a decent-ranged KO move.
Back tilt Flash Tornado 15% A tornado kick, similar to Ryu's held neutral attack. Grants body and leg intangibility, and moves Kazuya forward like forward tilt. It sends at a strong diagonal angle, and is able to combo into forward smash or a grab at low percents. At higher percents, it acts as an effective KO move.
Up tilt Twin Pistons 6% Two small uppercuts, with his left hand followed by his right hand. As with other natural combos, each hit is used with another button press. Each hit grants upper body intangibility. It can combo from certain moves, although it is questionable as a combo starter due to Kazuya's poor aerial prowess.
10%
Down tilt Nejiri Uraken 15% Spins while kneeling, and strikes downwards with his upper arm while moving forwards. Grants intangibility while Kazuya strikes, and moves him forward. Deals impressive damage for a down tilt, and is one of Kazuya's best combo starters due to it sending at a vertical angle. At low percents, it can combo into almost any grounded move if the opponent doesn't tech. At higher percents, it can combo into aerials, including neutral air near a ledge for a meteor smash. However, it can be difficult to use without a control stick set to attack, as Kazuya has to perform this tilt without going into a crouch (as this will instead perform a Crouch Jab), and inputting down too fast will end up with a down smash.
Up-forward tilt Roundhouse to Triple Spin Kicks 6% Does a high roundhouse kick, followed by three spinning kicks, with the last kick striking at a high angle. The first kick grants his legs intangibility. As with other natural combos, each hit is used with another button press. The full combo deals 22%, and the final hit is very powerful, KOing at the ledge near 105%. Due to the height of the first hit, it can miss very small characters like Pichu, and the opponent may be sent too far to be hit by the final kick if the first few hits connect near a ledge.
3%
3%
10.5%
Down-forward tilt Tsunami Kick 7% A high kick followed by an axe kick, similar to Ken's Inazuma Kick. Grants leg intangibility and moves Kazuya forwards, and acts like a natural combo. Acts somewhat like a high kick in traditional fighting games, as it can catch jumping opponents. Surprisingly, the first hit can hit ledge-hanging opponents, but it cannot connect into the second hit in this way.
10.5%
Down-back tilt Stature Smash 9% A low-angled kick in front of him. Grants leg intangibility and moves Kazuya forwards. Rather slow compared to his other tilts, but it always trips the opponent, making it excellent for followups regardless of percent.
Up-back tilt Jump Side Kick 13.5% Jumps backwards slightly while performing a side kick high in the air. Grants both legs intangibility and moves Kazuya very slightly backwards. Acts as a microspacing option that allows Kazuya to space backwards, as it is awkward to use otherwise.
Crouch attack Crouch Jab 5% Requires Kazuya to be fully crouched. A punch while ducking. Grants lower arm intangibility. Similar to other neutral attacks in the game, except being a bit slower. Very short ranged, but its speed allows it to combo into most grounded moves like forward tilt.
Forward crouch attack Tombstone Crusher 16.5% Requires Kazuya to be fully crouched. Gets on his back and kicks from the floor. Sluggish, but has a long period of intangibility. It is also very powerful damage and knockback wise, as it can KO as early as 95% near the edge.
Back crouch attack Crouch Spin Kick 11% Requires Kazuya to be fully crouched. A rotating kick from below. At low percents, it can set up for a tech chase scenario or a follow up into dash attack.
Uncrouching attack Demon God Fist 12% Requires Kazuya to be fully crouched. An electrified punch that crumples opponents.
Dash attack Leaping Sidekick 16% (foot), 14% (leg) Leaps forward and kicks in front of him.
Double dash attack Left Splits Kick 18% Moves forward before stretching his left leg upwards, swinging it downwards immediately after. Capable of reflecting projectiles. Used by dashing twice in the same direction in quick succession.
Forward smash Glorious Demon God Fist 26% (hand), 23% (arm) In his devil form, lunges forward with a straight punch. Hitting at the tip of the fist deals more damage and causes a Special Zoom.
Up smash Devil Twister 19% (clean), 15% (late) In his devil form, performs an uppercut.
Down smash Lion Slayer 17% (hand), 15% (arm) In his devil form, performs a knifehand strike that can meteor smash opponents.
Neutral aerial Jumping Knuckle 11% (clean fist), 9% (clean arm), 8% (clean body), 6% (late) Strikes diagonally downward while in the air, and can meteor smash, much like Ryu, Ken, and Terry's down aerials.
Forward aerial Searing Edge 13% (clean), 10% (late) An aerial side kick.
Back aerial Jumping Sobat 16% (clean foot), 14% (clean leg), 10% (late) An aerial kick from behind him.
Up aerial Rising Toe Kick 12% (clean), 9% (late) A high upwards kick.
Down aerial Demon Scissors 6% (hit 1), 15% (hit 2), 10% (landing) From the air, performs a somersault before swinging his leg downward, landing on his back.
Grab Reaches out with both hands.
Pummel Sternum Smash 3.4% Punches the opponent’s sternum while grabbing the opponent.
Forward throw Double Face Kick 5% (hits 1-2), 2% (throw) During a grab, kicks the opponent in the face before striking them with his heel, throwing them in the process.
Back throw Steel Pedal Drop 14% (hit 1), 0% (throw) Grabs his opponent by the leg and slams them on the floor behind him.
Up throw Air Inferno 2% (throw), 10% (beam) Throws the opponent upwards, then transforms into his demon form and shoots a beam diagonally upwards at them. The beam can hit other opponents in addition to the one being thrown.
Down throw Stonehead 7% (hit 1), 1% (throw) A headbutt.
Command input throw Gates of Hell 10% (hit 1), 13% (hit 2), 1% (throw) Bends the opponent's back, then kicks them away. Done by inputting ↘ ↓ ↘ before pressing the Grab button. Based on Kazuya's command grab from Tekken 5 onwards.
Floor attack (front) 7% (desc)
Floor attack (back) 7% (desc)
Floor attack (trip) 5% (desc)
Edge attack 10% (desc)
Neutral special Devil Blaster 11% (grounded), 12% (grounded, upwards), 10% (grounded, downwards), 10% (aerial), 11% (aerial, upwards), 9% (aerial, downwards) In his devil form, unleashes a laser blast from his forehead, similar to Robo Beam. Covers a long distance. He can also aim it up or down, even in the air. It can travel through two opponents before stopping on a third; the second opponent will take ×0.75 base damage and the third will take ×0.5.
Side special Devil Fist 11% (near), 6% (far) In his devil form, performs a straight lunge that travels through the opponent. If close, he will cause the opponent to crumble.
Up special Devil Wings ...% In his devil form, Kazuya flies straight up. He can move forward or back while doing so, and contact with the claws on his wings will damage enemies.
Down special Heaven's Door ...% A grabbing attack where Kazuya flies into the air in his devil form with the opponent before diving and slamming them into the ground. If the Rage mechanic is activated, it becomes a Rage Drive, which will cause a Special Zoom effect and deal more damage. Like a standard throw, it ignores shields.
Command input Crouch Dash A dash while crouching. During this, Kazuya has invincibility on his upper body, allowing him to dodge attacks such as Ryu and Ken's Hadoken. It can be done by doing the → ↓ ↘ motion, like in his home series.
Command input 1 Wind God Fist 13.5% (grounded), 13% (aerial), 14.5% (Electric grounded), 14% (Electric aerial) Dashes forward and does an electrified hook. Done by pressing A after Crouch Dash. If the direction and the button are pressed at the same time, it will become Electric Wind God Fist, inflicting Paralysis to the opponent and pushing back opponents that shield.
Command input 2 Dragon Uppercut 22% (clean), 18% (mid), 16% (mid-late), 14% (late) An electrified jumping uppercut with his left hand. Done by holding A after Crouch Dash. If Rage is active, connecting with the move will trigger a more damaging version of the Rage Drive.
Command input 3 Spinning Demon to Left Hook 6% (hit 1), 14.5% (hit 2) Does a low sweeping kick followed by a hook from his left hand. During the move, he can dodge the enemy's projectile. Done by pressing B after Crouch Dash.
Final Smash Final Blaster ...% In his devil form, Kazuya uses Devil Blaster to attack the opponent. If done, he will say ここが貴様の墓場だ! ("This will be your burial ground!"), and shoot out multiple lasers from his chest and wings that strike opponents while in a volcanic landscape. It is based on a variation of his Rage Art exclusive to Tekken 7's story mode that Kazuya uses in his final battle against Heihachi Mishima.

Taunts

  • Up Taunt: Crosses his arms and grins.
  • Side Taunt: Demon's Wrath. Starts with a high-angled kick with his left leg, followed by a quick straight punch from his left fist, then a low-angled kick from his right leg, followed by a short punch in front of him with his left fist that launches the opponent. It is the strongest taunt attack in the game. Demon's Wrath is a move used by Kazuya since Tekken 4.
  • Down Taunt: Transforms into his devil form and roars while spreading his arms and wings out before transforming back to his normal form.

Idle Poses

  • Enters a stance with one arm pointed towards the ground, and the other one curled to the side of his midsection.
  • Briefly waves his hands in circular motions in front of himself.

Victory poses

Uniquely, Kazuya is the first fighter in Smash history to not have a victory theme. Instead, his victory screens feature the announcer from Tekken 7 (voiced by Josh Keller) saying "Kazuya Mishima wins", rather than the Smash announcer (Xander Mobus).

  • Flying kicks in, then punches towards the screen in his devil form, before transforming back to normal while holding the punching pose. Based on one of his victory screens in Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection onwards.
  • Performs two roundhouse kicks, then stomps his foot on the floor while turning into his devil form. He then reverts to normal before holding a fighting stance. Based on one of his victory screens in Tekken 5 and Tekken 6.
  • Crosses his arms, then looks off to the side. Based on one of his victory screens in the original Tekken.
The Tekken 7 announcer announcing Kazuya's victory.

Classic Mode: Fighting Fists with Fists

Kazuya's route features opponents that fight with their fists, referencing his own fighting style and how Tekken in Japanese literally translates to "Iron Fist". Fitting his home series, most of his rounds are Stamina matches.

Round Opponent Stage Music Notes
1 Ryu (SSBU) Ryu Mishima Dojo Dojo (Japanese-Style Mix) Stamina battle. 100 HP.
Could reference Street Fighter X Tekken.
2 Captain Falcon (SSBU) Captain Falcon Port Town Aero Dive (Ω form Bit Crusher Stamina battle. 100 HP.
Could reference the appearance of a Captain Falcon costume in the Wii U version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2.
3 Little Mac (SSBU) Little Mac Boxing Ring Dist Thins Out Stamina battle. 100 HP.
4 Donkey Kong (SSBU) Donkey Kong and King K. Rool (SSBU) King K. Rool Gaur Plain (Ω form) Yodeling in Meadow Hill Stamina battle. Player: 100 HP. CPUs: 70 HP.
References the series use of animal characters.
5 Lucario (SSBU) Lucario Spear Pillar Moonlit Wilderness Stamina battle. 100 HP.
Could reference Pokkén Tournament, a Pokémon fighting game between featuring gameplay inspiration from Tekken.
6 Mii Brawler (SSBU) Mii Brawler (x6) Fourside (Ω form) Karma Horde Battle.
The Mii Brawlers wear the Bionic Helmet and Bionic Armor, possibly referencing the soldiers of G-Corporation, a biogenetic company responsible for resurrecting Kazuya in Tekken 4.
Bonus Stage
Final Kazuya (SSBU) Kazuya, then Metal Kazuya (SSBU) Kazuya Castle Siege (Underground) Desperate Struggle If the player uses Kazuya's default costume, the first opponent will use the Kazuya (SSBU) red costume instead. References the final boss of Tekken 7's story mode, where Heihachi fights Kazuya normally before taking on his devil form in a volcano-like area.

Note: If playing with two players, the CPUs will have 150 HP instead of 100 (in Round 4, Donkey Kong and King K. Rool will have 100 HP each instead of 70).

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Kazuya has Kazuya Mishima, Devil Kazuya accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Due to his status as downloadable content, Kazuya does not have a legitimate role in World of Light. Instead, he is unlocked for use in the mode after freeing 10 fighters from Galeem's control. If loading an existing save file that meets this condition prior to downloading Kazuya, he is immediately unlocked.

Spirit

Kazuya's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 coins. Unlocking Kazuya in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Unlike most fighters, this spirit only uses its artwork from Ultimate rather than artwork from a previous appearance, making him the only DLC fighter with this distinction.

Kazuya's coat outfit also has a Fighter Spirit of its own, available through the shop. Unlike his default outfit, his coat fighter spirit uses artwork from Tekken 7.

In Spirit battles

As the main opponent

Spirit Battle parameters Inspiration
No. Image Name Series Enemy Fighter(s) Type Power Stage Rules Conditions Music Character
1,477 Jin Kazama Tekken Series Kazuya ×2 (100 HP)
Shield
9,400 Castle Siege (Underground Cavern) N/A Stamina battle
•Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd
Jin Kazama

Alternate costumes

Alternate costume (SSBU)

Reveal trailer

Gallery

Trivia

The European Super Smash Bros. website saying "x KAZUYA" instead of "x TEKKEN".
  • Kazuya's internal codename is "demon".
  • Kazuya's reveal trailer contains multiple references to the Tekken franchise:
    • Kazuya's repeated act of tossing other fighters into a volcano during his reveal trailer is a reference to Heihachi Mishima doing the same thing throughout the Tekken franchise, as well as Kazuya tossing Heihachi off a cliff in his endings in Tekken 1 and Tekken 7.
    • The segment with him and King K. Rool about to punch each other on Boxing Ring is a reference to the Bandai Namco logo animation in Tekken 7, with K. Rool replacing Jin Kazama, and the Super Smash Bros. symbol replacing the Bandai Namco logo.
    • Kazuya can be seen fighting Ken and using his Crouch Dash to slip under one of his Hadoukens before retaliating with a Dragon Uppercut. This is a reference to a trailer for Street Fighter x Tekken where he and Nina fight Ryu and Ken.
    • Before his Final Smash is shown, he is shown slamming Incineroar into the ground. Incineroar is a stand-in for Heihachi, as both characters shared the same late-Japanese voice actor and Heihachi's Gi bears a tiger emblem.
    • The two initial gameplay scenes of the reveal trailer as well as the beginning of Kazuya's gameplay demonstration feature unique pannings of the camera, which are similarly done before a round in the Tekken series.
  • According to Sakurai, Kazuya's inclusion was difficult due to how different Tekken's gameplay was from Smash Bros.,[1] and wanting to capture the essence of Tekken in Smash. This reflects previous comments he made about Heihachi Mishima, which he turned down in Smash 4 due to similar reasons.
    • Additionally, Sakurai has claimed Kazuya was chosen over Heihachi due to the Devil Gene factor allowing Sakurai the perfect opportunity to make special moves revolving around Devil Kazuya, leaving standard attacks to normal Kazuya.
  • The splash art for Kazuya is the second that uses a font other than DF Gothic Japanese, the first being that of Piranha Plant. This does not apply to the splash art used in the Japanese trailer, which uses the DF Gothic Japanese font with the usual "Joins the battle!" tagline.
    • The 3D text for his "Gets ready for the next battle" tagline is taken from Tekken 7 's battle loading screen, albeit with "Get" replaced with "Gets" to be grammatically correct.
  • Kazuya is the third fighter in Ultimate to speak Japanese in all regions. However, unlike Cloud and Sephiroth, whose Japanese speaking is because of union issues with their English voice actors, Kazuya's Japanese speaking is in line with his home series, as all characters in the Tekken franchise (outside of a few spin-offs and crossovers like animated Tekken movies, and particularly Street Fighter x Tekken) are only voiced in their native language (Japanese in Kazuya's case).
  • Kazuya was released on the same day (June 29) exactly one year after Min Min was released. Like Min Min, Kazuya also originates from a fighting game series where all characters are voiced in their native languages.
  • Kazuya’s appearance in Ultimate marks the second time he is playable in a 2.5D fighting game, with the first being Street Fighter X Tekken.
  • For unknown reasons, the European versions of the Super Smash Bros. website say "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate x Kazuya" instead of Tekken in his newcomer banner. Likewise, the website was updated to remove the series names and logos for all characters in the "Sort by Series" section. However, the European video presentations still show the Tekken name and logo.
    • This is similar to how in the US broadcasts of Nintendo Directs, some M-rated games had their name replaced with a character's name, usually the protagonist or a prominent character.
  • Kazuya's name is written in kanji for the Tekken series, but in the Japanese version for Ultimate, it is spelled out in katakana.
  • Kazuya's artwork pose on the "Everyone is Here!" banner is similar to his pose in artwork for Tekken 6.
  • It appears that some of Kazuya's animations are pulled straight from Tekken 7, such as a quirk regarding Spinning Demon causing Kazuya's back to appear twisted for a few frames.[2]
  • Kazuya is the fourth character whose render on the official Ultimate website does not cast a shadow. The others are Bowser Jr., Banjo & Kazooie, and Pyra/Mythra.
  • Kazuya is the only playable character without a universal 3-frame jumpsquat, with it being 7 frames.

References