Kazuya (SSBU)

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Kazuya in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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Universe	Tekken
Availability	Downloadable
Final Smash	Final Blaster

“	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 surprisingly heavy brawler, being the 8th heaviest character in the game, who focuses heavily on ground offense, courtesy of his wide array of grounded moves and command specials which consists of almost nothing but grabs, throws, punches, and kicks. Reflecting both his weight class and series of origin, many of his attacks possess astounding damage and knockback, though both his movement and attack speed are lackluster, which renders his approach relatively limited. 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.

Kazuya's arguably most noteworthy attribute is his comeback mechanic in the form of Rage. This is a fighter ability that activates when Kazuya takes 100% damage (or is down to 25% of his health in Stamina mode), which grants a multitude of buffs. To start off, Kazuya's damage output on all of his attacks increases by 1.1x, which already improves his outstanding damage output and combo game. He also gains a strengthened version of Heaven's Door called Rage Drive, which deals massive damage and can KO most characters before 80% near the ledge. Acting as a command grab, this makes Kazuya very threatening to shield against or even approach, as his high damage capabilities grant him the ability to net stocks starting at very early percentages.

One of Kazuya's biggest strengths is his punish game once he closes the gap, being able to dish out large amounts of damage due to his very large and varied moveset. His kit is filled with numerous combo starters that deal high damage and hitstun, and a lot of his attacks are able to be interrupted halfway through, which creates multiple combo routes to go by, with even the more simple ones being able to dish out at least 30%. He also has options that counter shields, such as shield-breaking options with down smash and Tsunami Kick, as well as some attacks that outright beat shields, such as the last hit of the 10-hit Combo, and Electric Wind God Fist, which uniquely forces opponents out of their shield. This gives Kazuya a very strong close-range game once he does close the gap, as his kit is filled with mixups and routes which leaves the opponent on their toes, having to keep guessing what he's going to do next.

While his aerial movement is very lackluster, Kazuya's aerials in their own right have varied uses. Neutral aerial is unique in that it meteor smashes both grounded and aerial opponents, while also being very quick to interrupt, granting it the ability to combo into other attacks almost flawlessly, rising or landing with the move. Forward aerial has a similar attribute of being very quick to interrupt, but also has decent horizontal range in front of Kazuya while having respectable knockback, making it useful as a poking option and combo starter overall. Back aerial is the hardest aerial for Kazuya to use consistently due to his auto-turnaround mechanic in 1v1 fights, although it is also his strongest aerial. It deals high damage, has good range and KOs rather early when sweetspotted, making it a viable mixup in his kit. His up aerial has a very wide vertical range, hitting grounded opponents even when rising with the move. Like neutral and forward aerials, it is a fast aerial overall, having numerous combo routes out of the move. It also boasts good KO power when it hits clean. Lastly, down aerial is a stall-and-fall aerial that is risky when used offstage, but it deals high knockback, creating a large area of denial for the opponent attempting to get back to the stage. It also has low enough ending lag for Kazuya to be able to recover back to the stage afterwards, provided he has his double jump.

Kazuya's special attacks are unique, and further support his playstyle. Devil Blaster is a long-ranged projectile attack, similar to R.O.B.'s Robo Beam. It can be angled and deals good damage with respectable knockback to back it up, which makes it good for long-range edgeguarding and keeping the opponent away from the stage, while occasionally being able to net KOs from a long distance. His side special, Devil Fist, is an excellent combo starter that crumples opponents on a clean hit. It also grants Kazuya a horizontal recovery option, albeit a short-range one. His up special, Devil Wings, travels a moderately high distance and is one of the only up specials in the game to not put the character into a helplessness state, which grants Kazuya many recovery mixups. It also has a hitbox that is at its strongest when hit clean, being able to be used as a combo finisher and KO confirm. Lastly, Heaven's Door is a command grab that acts extremely similarly to Bowser's Flying Slam attack. It is capable of being controlled in the air, and the slam is very powerful and capable of KOing at high percentages.

However, Kazuya's flaws aren't to be overlooked. To start off, due to being a borderline super-heavyweight when it comes to weight class and having an above average standing height, he is very susceptible to combos. He has a hard time dealing with pressure due to the rather poor startup of most of his attacks, and his out-of-shield game is rather lackluster due to his unique 7-frame jumpsquat heavily hindering the potential for his aerials to be effective out-of-shield. His up smash and Devil Wings both have a 12-frame startup, which is still below-average speed for an out-of-shield option. This is also supplemented by his poor mobility overall, with his walk and dash both being slightly below average, and his air speed particularly being bottom 10 in the game. This gives him a poor ground-to-air transitioning that most other fighters do not share.

Kazuya's recovery can also be exploitable, despite its coverage. While having a high double jump and an up special that covers a decent distance, Kazuya's horizontal recovery options are subpar. Not only is Kazuya's air speed bottom 10 in the game along with a very slow air acceleration, his side special Devil Fist has a short travel distance in the air and very high ending lag, making it very risky to use if he is not close to the ledge; in this situation, either Kazuya won't be able to make it and suffer from its high lag, or the opponent can fend off the recovery attempt only for it to happen again. Devil Wings travels an average distance, and while it has a powerful hitbox and doesn't put Kazuya in a helplessness state, it is still prone to getting countered. Additionally, Devil Wings' ending lag is high enough to where a directional air dodge is rendered useless to try to gain extra vertical distance, meaning that Kazuya would have to recover in an area that is above the ledge (and thus, leave more of an opening) in order to get the most out of his options. To top it all off, Kazuya's aerials cancel almost all the momentum of his otherwise high double jump, which significantly worsens his chances of fending off opponents with his aerials who try to intercept his recovery.

Additionally, Kazuya's unique Rage mechanic has its own downsides. It does not last forever, as Rage Drive instantly consumes it, and whiffing a grab only reduces the time that it's active for. Kazuya has to pick his positions well in order to best utilize Rage Drive, as too many whiffed grabs can potentially determine the outcome of his combo strings. It also goes away upon taking enough damage, which means that Kazuya has to avoid being hit if he wants to sustain the additional buffs received, which is already hard due to his status as a super-heavyweight with a large frame and poor mobility.

Lastly, Kazuya's vast and large moveset grants him among the highest technical learning curves in the game. He doesn't have the ability to "cancel" his attacks unlike fellow fighting game characters Ryu, Ken and Terry, meaning that he has to be more precise and frame-tight with his combos compared to other characters. His wide range of attacks all have specific inputs and timings, most notably Electric Wind God Fist, which is extremely useful when mastered but can take a lot of practice to pull off consistently, making Kazuya particularly prone to misinputs and their associated consequences. In addition, misinputs can be especially common when dealing with fast opponents who can easily cross up Kazuya, and many of his tilts are fairly sluggish, which in combination with his lack of approach options means he cannot afford to be impatient in neutral. This forces the player to adapt to Kazuya's unique playstyle and learn the ins and outs of every move, carefully anticipate the right time to use a certain attack to avoid being left vulnerable, and see what is most optimal to string together to maximize his considerable damage potential.

All in all, like other characters of his weight class, Kazuya functions as a bait-and-punish type of character, though uniquely with plenty of combo routes and punishment options that differentiate him from other heavyweights. His ability to dish out extreme amounts of damage, sometimes more than characters heavier than him, combined with his ability to close the gap with some of his moves, such as his Crouch Dash, forces the opponent to stay on their toes against Kazuya. Once he is able to close the gap, it is often hard for the opponent to keep up in damage. However, Kazuya himself is very prone to combos and his rather sluggish startup on his attacks means that he must pick his spots well; coupled with his mediocre aerial abilities and Ultimate''s heavy focus on aerial combat, he can easily get overwhelmed on certain stages or against opponents with strong air games. Regardless, his high skill ceiling and formidable grounded abilities supplements this a lot, making him a very rewarding character when played in the right hands.

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 1.1× 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 state, meaning that it won't run out on Kazuya, although it will end if Kazuya takes more than a certain amount of damage or misses several times with Rage Drive. Rage will end when ((Number of missed grabs or down specials × 110) + (Damage taken during Rage × 17.6)) ≥ 650. In context, with no missed Rage Drives, it will take 36.93% to force Kazuya out of Rage. Rage can only be triggered once per stock.
• Tough Body: Kazuya has a form of universal knockback-based armor similar to Bowser's Tough Guy, guarding against up to 14 units.

• 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 Special Zoom under certain conditions or feature heavy armor.
• When throwing an opponent in a 1v1 with any of his throws aside from his up throw, the camera briefly shifts to a unique angle similar to the Tekken equivalent. On 2-dimensional stages such as Flat Zone X or in situations where the new angle would result in an obstruction of the fighters by level geometry (e.g., under a Battlefield platform), the camera will zoom in but not otherwise shift angles.
• 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 an orthodox stance regardless of camera placement.
• With the exception of moves that cause Special Zoom, Kazuya's moves cause very little hitlag. This emulates the feel of Tekken, which does not feature freeze frames on hit.
• 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 frames compared to the universal 3 frame jumpsquat shared by other characters.

For a gallery of Kazuya's hitboxes, see here.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Flash Punch Combo / 10-Hit Combo	3%	Flash Punch Combo (two button taps, then a delayed tap): 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. However, it is difficult to use as it requires specific button timings; mistiming will transition into the 10-Hit Combo. 10-Hit Combo (button 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 that crumples, 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 natural combo neutral attack in the game, and the final hit can KO at around 160%. However, its has multiple inconsistencies to offset this: the full combo cannot be completed near a ledge as the opponent will fall off it, the move is very easily DI'd out of due to its low hitstun and various SDI multipliers during hit 3-8 (with the third hit having a 5× multiplier), and its multiple pauses allow quick attacks to interrupt the move between hits. As a result, 10-Hit Combo is very situational as the full move cannot usually be completed; it is often more effective to cancel the move partway to mixup with other moves, and can also be used to forcibly make an opponent fall off a ledge, where they may accidentally perform a panic option like an airdodge. 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. It is surprisingly strong and launches at a low angle, making it very powerful as a KO move, especially against those with a poor recovery.
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. Its use is comparable to forward tilt, though it deals slightly more damage, reaches higher (since Kazuya kicks diagonally), and is safer as it grants intangibility to most of his body. 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. The first hit can be canceled to lead into other moves. The second hit can act as a combo finisher from attacks such as down tilt and down throw, although it is questionable as a combo starter on its own 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 and shield damage for a down tilt, and is one of Kazuya's best combo starters due to it launching at a vertical angle and having a good amount of hitstun. 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. Uniquely, pressing the shield button before Kazuya swings his arm will cancel the attack, like in Tekken; this lets Kazuya bait reactions before capitalizing with any of his throws.
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. The second hit deals high shield damage. Despite its looks, the first kick reaches down to the ground, allowing it to lock. 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, similar in appearance to Wolf's down tilt. Grants leg intangibility and moves Kazuya forwards. Rather slow and very low ranged 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 and disengagement option that allows Kazuya to space backwards, as it is awkward to use otherwise; it is useful for countering short hops and grabs due to the pushback the move provides.
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 before attacking diagonally forwards. 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 before attacking diagonally backwards. A rotating kick from below. Grants leg intangibility. Low ranged, but 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 attack during his uncrouching animation. An electrified punch that crumples opponents, similar to Focus Attack. Grants arm intangibility. If used a second time on an already crumpled opponent, it will send them in a fully horizontal trajectory. Allows for guaranteed followups similar to Stature Smash, though it can be difficult to use as Kazuya needs to uncrouch to perform it. A simple way to use it is to quickly flick the control stick down and attack as soon as Kazuya stands up.
Dash attack		Leaping Sidekick	16% (foot), 14% (leg)	Leaps forward and kicks in front of him. Grants his non-kicking leg intangibility, allowing it to travel over some low attacks. It grants a lot of distance compared to Kazuya's other moves, acting as a powerful burst option and approaching tool. It has a sweetspot at the foot that deals high damage and can KO at high percentages.
Double dash attack		Left Splits Kick	18%, 2.4× (reflected projectiles)	Used by dashing twice in the same direction in quick succession. Moves forward before stretching his left leg upwards, swinging it downwards immediately after. Grants his kicking leg intangibility, and deals vertical knockback. It grants much less distance than dash attack and deals mediocre knockback, but it can reflect projectiles, being one of the only four standard attacks capable of doing so (along with Min Min's up smash and Ness's and Lucas's forward smashes). It is the strongest reflector in the series with a multiplier of 2.4×, though its unique command input can make it difficult to perform consistently.
Forward smash		Glorious Demon God Fist	26% (hand), 23% (arm)	In his devil form, lunges forward with a straight punch. Grants heavy armor before the punch. Hitting at the tip of the fist deals more damage and causes Special Zoom. The sweetspot is extremely powerful and is capable of KOing as early as 12% near the ledge when fully charged, making it overall the second strongest forward smash in the game, narrowly beating Ganondorf's (only King Dedede's is stronger). Despite its high ending lag, it deals massive shieldstun, making it surprisingly much safer on shield than it appears to be (-13 on shield when sweetspotted, almost comparable to Bowser Jr.'s forward smash on shield), although it is much easier to punish on whiff, so it is a move that should not be thrown out without caution.
Up smash		Devil Twister	19% (clean), 15% (late)	In his devil form, performs an uppercut. Grants heavy armor before the uppercut. One of the few attacks in his kit that can attack through platforms, and its armor and reach makes it an effective anti-air and out of shield option. Also powerful, as it KOs at around 110%.
Down smash		Lion Slayer	17% (hand), 15% (arm)	In his devil form, performs a knifehand strike. Grants heavy armor before the punch, and deals heavy shield damage. It is unique as the sweetspot meteor smashes like Bayonetta's down smash, though it is quite fast in comparison and has extremely low knockback growth. This makes it an excellent combo starter: while most of the slower followups can be air dodged out of or teched, its speed allows it to combo into itself multiple times if the opponent doesn't react properly, or combo into any of his faster ground moves. It can also punish ledge hanging opponents (or drag them near one with a previous down smash). His arm causes vertical knockback with much higher knockback growth, though it is unable to KO at a realistic percentage.
Neutral aerial		Jumping Knuckle	11% (clean fist), 9% (clean arm), 8% (clean body), 6% (late)	Strikes diagonally downward while in the air, similar to the appearance of Ryu, Ken, and Terry's down aerials. It is the only neutral aerial in the game with the ability to conventionally meteor smash, although it is moderately weak; however, it is very quick to interrupt and has good startup for a spike, which makes it extremely versatile as a combo starter, both when landing or rising with the move. It also serves as an effective gimping tool. The sweetspot uniquely has altered knockback on grounded opponents to where the meteor smash puts them into tumble at any percentage, although on aerial opponents it's a lot weaker, only starting to do so at around 90%.
Forward aerial		Searing Edge	13% (clean), 10% (late)	An aerial side kick. Like neutral aerial, it has low lag all-around and is fast to interrupt, allowing it to combo into other attacks both when rising and landing with the move. It can also KO at high percentages due to its respectable knockback. However, it doesn't offer intangibility on his legs, which makes it prone to trading with other attacks.
Back aerial		Jumping Sobat	16% (clean foot), 14% (clean leg), 10% (late)	An aerial kick from behind him. Quite slow but strong, and can KO at the ledge at around 110%. Like Ryu, Ken, and Terry, this move is difficult to use without a Reverse Aerial Rush, since Kazuya automatically turns towards his opponent in a 1v1.
Up aerial		Rising Toe Kick	12% (clean), 9% (late)	A high upwards kick. Grants leg intangibility. It is Kazuya's fastest aerial, coming out on frame 4 at earliest. It hits quite low for an up aerial, being capable of hitting Mario immediately out of a short hop, and is quick to interrupt, although its combo potential is limited due to Kazuya's sluggish air mobility and high jumpsquat frames. It also has high KO power when hit clean, KOing at around 130% in the air.
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. Acts as a stall-then-fall, with low enough ending lag that Kazuka can recover with his double jump and up special. The first hit is a weak meteor smash, however the hitbox only lasts for 2 frames and is followed up by the second hit, which instead launches opponents away with high diagonal knockback.
Grab			—	Reaches out with both hands. If the Rage mechanic is active, the resulting throw will be that of Rage Drive with no input needed.
Pummel		Sternum Smash	3.4%	Punches the opponent’s sternum while grabbing the opponent. Extremely slow, similar to pummels from previous games, though it is also the most damaging pummel in the game by a large margin.
Forward throw		Double Face Kick	5% (hits 1-2), 2% (throw)	Kicks the opponent in the face before striking them with his heel, throwing them in the process. It deals decent knockback for a throw, although it doesn't KO middleweights until around 170%.
Back throw		Steel Pedal Drop	14% (hit 1), 0% (throw)	Grabs his opponent by the leg and slams them on the floor behind him. Deals high damage, but lacks KO potential until about 190%.
Up throw		Air Inferno	2% (throw), 10% (beam)	Throws the opponent upwards, then transforms into his devil form and shoots a beam diagonally upwards at them. Does not cause a camera angle change in 1v1s unlike his other throws. The beam can hit other opponents in addition to the one being thrown. It is Kazuya's strongest throw, reliably KOing middleweights at the ledge at around 145% (or around 170% anywhere else) due to its knockback and angle, and making it one of the strongest up throws in the game.
Down throw		Stonehead	7% (hit 1), 1% (throw)	A headbutt. Kazuya's only combo throw, having followups into Flash Tornado, both variants of Wind God Fist, and Tsunami Kick. It has low hitstun, so other followups usually require a read or reaction.
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. It sends opponents behind Kazuya and it is extremely damaging for a throw (24% total), and is technically the strongest throw in the game that isn't a special move. In addition to its high damage, it sends the opponent at a deep semi-spike angle with good knockback, making it excellent against foes with poor recoveries. However, as it sends behind Kazuya, this requires him to face away from a ledge to send his opponent offstage. Based on Kazuya's command grab from Tekken 5 onwards.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Kicks behind himself and then in front of himself before getting up.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Kicks around himself before getting up.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Kicks behind himself and then in front of himself before getting up.
Edge attack Edge getups			10%	Performs a crouching shin kick while climbing up.
Neutral special		Devil Blaster	11% (ground), 12% (ground upwards), 10% (ground downwards), 10% (air), 11% (air upwards), 9% (air downwards)	In his devil form, unleashes a laser blast from his forehead, similar to Robo Beam. In the air, it causes Kazuya to hover briefly. The laser covers a long distance, granting it edgeguarding capabilities, and it also deals rather high knockback. He can also aim it up or down; by default, the laser fires directly forward on the ground, and diagonally down if used in the air (aiming up in this case fires it directly forward). It can travel through two opponents before stopping on a third; the second opponent will take ×0.75 damage and the third will take ×0.5. The laser has high startup and ending lag, and Kazuya can only use it once in the air without landing.
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 crumple, similar to Focus Attack. If the opponent is in the air or gets hit late, they will instead be launched upward. It can be used in the air for a brief forward boost and it doesn't cause helplessness. However, its distance is poor and Kazuya is unable to use Devil Wings after, making his horizontal recovery very poor. It also has high ending lag and does not go through shields, making it punishable if shielded.
Up special		Devil Wings	18% (clean body), 16% (clean top), 16% (clean-mid), 13% (mid), 10% (mid-late), 7% (late)	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. It does not cause helplessness, allowing for attacks or an airdodge after, although it has such high ending lag (lasting till after the peak of the jump) that it is ineffective for pursuing opponents for aerial followups. Kazuya cannot use his side special if Devil Wings is already used.
Down special		Heaven's Door	10% (leap apex hand), 8% (leap apex arm), 10% (fall to bystanders), 17% (throw) 15% (Rage Drive fall to bystanders), 11.5% (Rage Drive impact), 13% (Rage Drive throw) 18% (command Rage Drive fall to bystanders), 13% (command Rage Drive impact), 16% (command Rage Drive throw)	A grab with heavy armor where Kazuya uppercuts in front of him. If it connects, Kazuya will grab the opponent by the head, fly into the air in his devil form, before diving and slamming them into the ground. The momentum of the grab can be altered with the directional inputs to move forward or back; the opponent can also resist in the same way, being more effective if they are at low percent. It can be used as a sacrificial KO much like Flying Slam, though it causes Kazuya to be KO'd first. The slam can affect bystanders, causes Special Zoom even if shielded, and is significantly stronger, making it powerful in team battles. If the uppercut misses in the air, it causes Kazuya to hover briefly. If Kazuya's Rage is active, the move (when used on the ground) becomes a more damaging version known as Rage Drive, which consumes the Rage if it lands and deals additional damage to the opponent upon hitting the ground. It replaces various attacks while Rage is active: performing a grab, down special, or → ↓ ↘ + Attack input all performs Rage Drive, though the command input version deals the most damage and knockback.
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 uppercut. Done by pressing A after Crouch Dash. Sends opponents directly upwards, allowing for followups such as up tilt and up smash. If the ↘ input and the attack button are pressed at the same time (a 2 frame window: the same frame or a frame after the ↘ input), it will become Electric Wind God Fist (EWGF), inflicting Paralysis to the opponent and pushing back opponents that shield. Like in Tekken, Electric Wind God Fist is difficult to perform consistently as it is essentially frame-perfect, but it is significantly more rewarding than a standard Wind God Fist: compared to its regular counterpart, it has significantly increased hitstun and frame advantage. It is crucial to Kazuya's combo game as a whole, leading into powerful KO confirms such as into up smash, forward smash or Devil Wings, or highly damaging loops with Crouch Jab or neutral aerial's meteor smash. It also heavily pushes back shielded targets and forces them out of shield, making it extremely safe on hit, and ledge-hugging opponents will fall off the ledge if they are shielding beside it, allowing for an edgeguard. For all its strengths, its strict window makes it very difficult to master, as mistiming will instead perform the less effective Wind God Fist, which has very limited followups. Despite this, Electric Wind God Fist's overall excellent versatility as a combo starter makes it commonly considered one of the best moves in the game.
Command input 2		Dragon Uppercut	22% (clean), 18% (mid), 16% (mid-late), 14% (late)	An electrified jumping uppercut with his left hand while rushing forwards. Done by holding A after Crouch Dash. The uppercut is delayed, but deals very high knockback, making it useful for KOing after dodging an attack with Crouch Dash. Its hitbox reaches so low that it can hit certain ledge hanging opponents, making it an effective surprise option. If Rage is active, connecting with the move will instead trigger a more damaging version of the Rage Drive (see above).
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. Done by pressing B after Crouch Dash. Gains intangibility during the move and deals very high knockback, making it an excellent finisher. If the special button is held for less than 5 frames, this move will still trigger even during Rage, but holding special for more than 5 frames will trigger Rage Drive.
Final Smash		Final Blaster	8% (init), 2% (center first hit), 0.8% (fanning loop hit), 1.2%/1%/0.8%/0.6% (center loop hit, close to far), 10%/8.5%/7%/5.5% (center final hit, close to far)	In his devil form, Kazuya uses Devil Blaster to attack the opponent. If successful, the music stops and a cutscene will play where Kazuya announces ここが貴様の墓場だ！ ("This will be your burial ground!"), before shooting out multiple lasers from his chest and wings that strike opponents while in a volcanic landscape. Because of how far it reaches, it is capable of KOing incredibly early near ledges. 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.
Side taunt		Demon's Wrath	6% (hit 1), 3% (hits 2 and 3), 6% (hit 4)	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 and is actually capable of KOing under normal circumstances. Compared to the rest of Kazuya's moveset, it is however not very useful, because of its poor range, high start-up and ending lag, lackluster knockback and lack of armor or intangibility frames.

On-screen appearance

• Appears from a puff of dark smoke in his devil form, then assumes his fighting stance in normal form.

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  Kazuya's on-screen appearance

Taunts

• Up Taunt: Crosses his arms and grins while grunting.
• Side Taunt: Demon's Wrath, a move used by Kazuya since Tekken 4. One of the few taunts capable of dealing damage, uniquely being capable of KOing under normal circumstances.
• Down Taunt: Transforms into his devil form and roars while spreading his arms and wings out before transforming back to his normal form.

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  Kazuya's up taunt.

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  Kazuya's side taunt.

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  Kazuya's down taunt.

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.

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  Kazuya's first idle pose

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  Kazuya's second idle pose

Crowd cheer

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer		File:Kazuya Cheer Italian & Japanese SSBU.ogg	File:Kazuya Cheer Italian & Japanese SSBU.ogg
Description	Ka - zu - ya! *drum beat 2 times*	Ka - zu - ya! *drum beat 2 times*	Ka - zu - ya! *drum beat 2 times*	Ka - zu - ya! *drum beat 2 times*	Ka - zu - ya! *drum beat 2 times*

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description	Ka - zu - ya! *drum beat 2 times*	Ka - zu - ya! *drum beat 2 times*	Ka - zu - ya! *drum beat 2 times*	Ka - zu - ya! *drum beat times*

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). This is a reference to Tekken's win screens, which don't feature any victory fanfares; instead, depending on the installment and game mode, the stage's current music either gradually fades out, continues to play at full volume, or stops immediately during victory animations. If Kazuya wins a team battle as the leader, the regular announcer will call for his team, but no music will play.

• Left: Crosses his arms, then looks off to the side (similar to Fox and Falco). Based on one of his victory screens in the original Tekken.
• Up: 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.
• Right: 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.

The Tekken 7 announcer announcing Kazuya's victory.

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Classic Mode: Fighting Fists with Fists

Kazuya's congratulations screen.

Kazuya's route features opponents that fight with their fists, referencing his own fighting style and how Tekken literally translates to "Iron Fist" in Japanese. Fitting his home series, all of his rounds are Stamina matches, except for Round 6 and final round. Uniquely, if playing with two players, the AI will have 150 HP instead of 100 (in Round 4, Donkey Kong and King K. Rool will have 100 HP each instead of 70).

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Ryu	Mishima Dojo	Dojo (Japanese-Style Mix)	Stamina battle. 100 HP. Likely a reference to Street Fighter X Tekken, where Ryu is his rival in that game.
2	Captain Falcon	Port Town Aero Dive (Ω form)	Bit Crusher	Stamina battle. 100 HP. Captain Falcon represents Hwoarang. Coincidentally, a Captain Falcon costume appeared in the Wii U version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2.
3	Little Mac	Boxing Ring	Dist Thins Out	Stamina battle. 100 HP. Little Mac represents Steve Fox.
4	Donkey Kong and King K. Rool	Gaur Plain (Ω form)	Yodeling in Meadow Hill	Stamina battle. Player: 100 HP. CPUs: 70 HP. Donkey Kong represents Roger and King K. Rool represents Alex.
5	Lucario	Spear Pillar	Moonlit Wilderness	Stamina battle. 100 HP. Likely a reference to Pokkén Tournament, a Pokémon fighting game with Tekken influences, also developed by Bandai Namco Studios.
6	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, then Metal Kazuya	Castle Siege (Underground Cavern)	Desperate Struggle	If the player uses Kazuya's default costume, the first opponent will use the 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: Every stage plays a track from the Tekken universe, no matter what universe the stage originates from.

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

Role in World of Light

The message that shows Kazuya's availability 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.

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  1,474. Kazuya Mishima

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  1,475. Kazuya Mishima (Coat)

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)		9,400	Castle Siege (Underground Cavern)	N/A	•Stamina battle •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Jin Kazama	Jin and Devil Jin

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Kazuya's splash art

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  Kazuya's unlock notice after downloading him from the Nintendo eShop.

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  Artwork of Kazuya, as posted by the official Twitter account of Tekken's director, Katsuhiro Harada.

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  Kazuya on Mishima Dojo.

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  Kazuya fighting Ness on Skyworld.

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  Kazuya attacking Wolf on Great Bay.

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  Kazuya fighting against Ryu, Ken and Terry on Mishima Dojo.

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  Devil Kazuya fighting Little Mac on Boxing Ring.

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  Devil Kazuya attacking Mario on Prism Tower.

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  Kazuya with Sephiroth on Northern Cave.

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  Kazuya fighting Ganondorf on Mishima Dojo.

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  Kazuya with Mario on Mishima Dojo.

• KazuyaTW.3.jpg

  Kazuya fighting Terry and Ryu.

Trivia

The European Super Smash Bros. website saying "x KAZUYA" instead of "x TEKKEN".

• Kazuya's internal codename is "demon", a reference to his demonic heritage of inheriting the devil gene across his family line.
• 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.
• In Kazuya's character presentation, Sakurai noted that Kazuya's inclusion was difficult as he wanted to capture the essence of Tekken in Smash despite fundamental differences in their gameplay. This reflects a previous comment Sakurai made about Heihachi Mishima, whom he turned down in Smash 4 for similar reasons.
  • By this token, Sakurai has explained Kazuya was chosen over Heihachi due to the Devil Gene allowing Sakurai to give Kazuya special moves, smash attacks, and a midair jump via Devil Kazuya, leaving room for Kazuya's normal attacks and basic movement to be as similar to their Tekken counterparts as possible.
  • Sakurai wanted to make Kazuya's normal moves faithful and stick to one button.
• 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 most characters in the mainline Tekken games (with a few exceptions such as Lei Wulong) are only voiced in their native language (Japanese in Kazuya's case).
• Kazuya's route is one of only five whose route does not feature a designated boss at all (i.e. all opponents are otherwise playable), with the other four with the same attribute being Jigglypuff, Bayonetta, Terry, and Steve.
  • Kazuya is one of only three characters to face a metal opponent in Classic Mode, facing a metal version of himself after his normal self is defeated in the final round. The other two are Sonic, who faces a giant, metal version of himself, and Bowser, who faces Metal Mario upon normal Mario's defeat in the final round.
• 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 series of 3D fighting games and both speak in their native languages regardless of the region. Min Min also appeared in Kazuya’s reveal trailer.
  • Kazuya is the first DLC fighter to release in the same month (of different years) as another DLC fighter. However, if Piranha Plant's early access release is counted, than he is the second fighter with this distinction, the first being Byleth (whose release date along with Piranha Plant's early release was in January)
• 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 were pulled straight from Tekken 7, such as a quirk regarding Spinning Demon causing Kazuya's back to appear twisted for a few frames.
• 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.
• Kazuya's English crowd cheer is the only one in the game which features an instrument (a drum).
• Upon entering Rage mode, the player's controller will vibrate in the rhythm of a heartbeat until its effect ends.
• When KO'd by reaching 0 HP during his final stock in Stamina Mode, Kazuya uses one of his heavy knockback voice clips instead of his standard KO voice clip. This trait is shared with Mario, Dr. Mario and all vocal DLC fighters except for Joker and Banjo & Kazooie.
• If Kazuya is set as a CPU-opponent in Training Mode, all three CPUs will always face the player, much like on 1-on-1 matches. He shares this distinction with Ryu, Ken, and Terry.
  • This also happens if Kazuya faces a single opponent in a team consisting of two or more characters in Team Battles, and in All-Star Mode when he appears.
• Interestingly, Kazuya's up taunt finishes faster when facing right if uninterrupted. A similar situation occurs with both Wolf (up taunt) and Hero (down taunt).
• While Kazuya normally uses the drumbeat sound effect when charging all three of his smash attacks, he uses the sharpening sound effect when charging a forward smash while holding a battering item. He's the only non sword-wielding character with this distinction.
• The level 9 CPU Kazuya was infamously difficult to fight against upon release, resulting in jokes about it being a top player. A few local tournaments entered the CPU into their bracket, and there has been one instance where the CPU had won a set. In reality, a CPU Kazuya doesn't have an inherently better AI than other CPU controlled characters, but it can bypass the execution barriers associated with most of his moveset (such as Electric Wind God Fist), allowing it to perform more advanced combos that a human player can struggle to pull off.