Kazuya (SSBU)

Kazuya in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Tekken
Availability	Downloadable
Final Smash	Final Blaster
Tier	A+ (11)

“	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 outside of the Americas) as part of Challenger Pack 10. Kazuya is the second playable fighter 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.

Kazuya ranks 11th out of 82 on the current tier list, placing him at the top of the A+ tier. Kazuya possesses various strengths, the most significant being his deadly punish and combo game. He has a plethora of combo starters, including down throw, uncrouching attack, down-back tilt, and Electric Wind God Fist, the latter being one of the best combo starters in the game; likewise he has many powerful combo finishers, including up smash, Devil Wings, and Dragon Uppercut. As he also has a high overall damage output, this means he has several zero-to-death combos that are usually difficult to escape when perfectly executed. In addition, his damage output is increased when Rage is activated, which not only increases his damage output but also grants him a stronger variant of Heaven's Door, Rage Drive. All of these strengths makes Kazuya one of the deadliest, if not the deadliest, character to fight on the ground.

However, Kazuya suffers from several polarizing weaknesses, the most significant being his poor frame data, extremely slow mobility, and poor defense. Almost all of his attacks, from combo and KO moves, come out on at least frame 12 and have very high ending lag, making most of his attacks unsafe on shield. He is also among the slowest characters in the game, possessing slow ground speed, air speed, and mobility if he is not constantly using Crouch Dash. When coupled with his low range and very slow jumpsquat (which is uniquely 7 frames instead of the universal 3 frames), this forces Kazuya to actively approach with grounded options and gives him a poor disadvantage state, due to his jump being a poor disengagement option while also lacking effective aerial combo breakers. His advantage state is also mediocre, as he primarily relies on connecting combos to succeed: if his combo drops halfway, he usually has to win neutral again, and his offstage abilities are sub-par due to his slow speed and few aerial options, which prevents him from netting early kills offstage outside of certain ground combos. Rage also has its drawbacks, as it can be lost after Kazuya takes enough damage, enough time passes, or too many uses of Rage Drive are attempted. Lastly, Kazuya's recovery is relatively exploitable due to its overall high lag, allowing opponents to punish him if he is careless.

Overall, Kazuya's attributes provide a unique gameplay style in Ultimate: mastering his kit grants access to a hard-hitting ground offense with heavy punishment and comeback potential, and similar to his appearances in Tekken, his combos can often be long and heavily-damaging and he offers significant KO potential. However, his own weaknesses mean that if he misses an opening, he can find himself struggling to regain footing, while his sluggish frame data and poor disadvantage makes him equally as vulnerable to being overwhelmed. Utilizing him at his strongest is difficult due to the technical skill required and his large moveset, though Kazuya's strengths have been showcased through excellent results from players such as Riddles and Tea. Kazuya's strong strengths and "touch of death" punish game have led some to call for his ban, although this has not affected his legality outside of certain local regions.

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 outputs and knockback values, 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 dash speed is below average, and his air and walk speeds are very slow. Kazuya also possesses one of the lowest jumps in the game: while this assists his combo game due to his attacks' launch angles, this is counterbalanced by his jumpsquat, which is uniquely 7 frames long instead of 3.

Kazuya's most noteworthy attribute is arguably his comeback mechanic in the form of Rage. This is an ability that activates when Kazuya takes 100% (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 1.1×, which improves his already 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.

Much like how his fighting style reflects and based on his playstyle in his home series, one of Kazuya's biggest strengths is his punish game once he closes the gap. It is possible for him 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 several 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%. The most notable is Electric Wind God Fist: while it is very difficult to time due to its near-perfect frame requirement, the move's high paralysis effect and hitstun causes near a full second of vulnerability while disables opponents from escaping via SDI, allowing Kazuya to connect his combos with a myriad of followups, including KO moves like up smash. 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. Additionally, many of his ground moves have high shieldstun multipliers, making them surprisingly safe on shield if properly spaced in spite of their high lag. 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 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 similar to Flying Slam. 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 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, save for up air, which is frame 4 and frame 11 when shorthop buffered. 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 running speed being below average, and his walking speed, initial dash, and particularly his air speed being bottom 10 in the game or worse. 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 landing Rage Drive instantly consumes it, and whiffing a grab reduces the damage needed to take to lose it, eventually ending Rage upon too many whiffed grabs. 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, improper inputs 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 akin to how he plays in Tekken, 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.

Update History

Kazuya only received one nerf via game updates; update 13.0.0 made it so Kazuya could no longer footstool crumpling opponents hit by Devil Fist. This change removed a deadly infinite that he could do on numerous characters. However, due to the rest of his kit and combos remaining untouched, the nerf does not significantly affect Kazuya's competitive standing.

13.0.0

• Opponents put in a crumpling state by Devil Fist can no longer be footstooled.
• Rage Drive's collateral hitbox now inflicts hitlag on bystanders.

Moveset

• Kazuya has a unique fighter ability called Rage. It is indicated by Kazuya being enveloped in a red aura after reaching 100% (25% of his total health in Stamina Mode). In the Tekken series, Rage increases the damage output of his moves, which is emulated with a 1.1× damage multiplier in SSBU. It also grants access to the unique Rage Drive, which will end the Rage state when executed. There is no time limit on the Rage state, although it will end if Kazuya receives more than a certain amount of damage or misses Rage Drive repeatedly. Rage will end when ((Number of missed grabs or down specials × 110) + (Damage received 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.
• Kazuya has universal armor against attacks with low knockback, known as Tough Body. It guards against up to 14 units.
• Several of Kazuya's moves, including his special moves, smash attacks, and up throw, briefly transform him into Devil Kazuya. While the transformation itself is purely aesthetic, it indicates the attack being particularly strong. A majority of these moves also activate Special Zoom under certain conditions or feature heavy armor.
• Kazuya always faces his opponent when only one is remaining, counting teammates as opponents if Team Attack is on.
  • Unlike Ryu, Ken and Terry, Kazuya does not always face the camera. This aspect comes from Tekken, where Kazuya assumes an orthodox stance regardless of camera placement.
• Sound effects from Tekken 6 to Tekken 7 are used when Kazuya hits an opponent instead of the standard knockback sound effects. Kazuya also utilizes unique visual effects when he hits an opponent.
• When using his forward, back or down throw in a one-on-one match, the camera briefly shifts to a unique angle similar to the Tekken equivalent. On two-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 (such as under a Battlefield platform), the camera will zoom in but otherwise not shift angles.
  • In addition to the camera angle change, Kazuya's forward throw, back throw, down throw and Gates of Hell have special sound effects.
• With the exception of moves that cause Special Zoom, Kazuya's moves have significantly less hitlag than other characters. This is an emulation of the Tekken series' lack of 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 is the only character with command input grabs.
• Kazuya's jumpsquat is set at 7 frames instead of the universal 3 frame jumpsquat shared by other characters.
• Kazuya has a special double jump that propels him in a floatier, curved trajectory with significantly more height. This trait is shared with Ness, Mewtwo, Lucas, and Sora. The upward momentum of Kazuya's double jump can be canceled by inputting an aerial move.
• Battering items wielded by Kazuya use his unique Sparks effect instead of the typical Normal effect.

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 (閃光烈拳, Glinting Fury Fists) / 10-Hit Combo (10連コンボ, 10 Chain 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. Based on the string with the same name (Tekken input: 1, 1, 2 - left punch, left punch, right punch). 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 hits 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, and DI'ng forward usually causes it to fail; 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. Based on the traditional 10-hit combo route all Tekken characters can perform, with this string taking inspiration from the ones used by the Mishima clan. The first hit comes out at frame 6, making it slower than average. Flash Punch and the 3rd hit of 10-Hit Combo share a staleness slot, meaning they stale each other. Additionally, hits 4-10 of 10-Hit Combo also share a staleness slot.
			3%
			2% (combo), 9% (Flash Punch)
			3%
			3%
			4%
			1.5%
			1.5%
			5%
			12%
Forward tilt		Oni Front Kick (鬼蹴り, Ogre 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. Based on his f+3 (forward + left kick). Oddly, there are scripts for an up and down angled variant, but these are inaccessible in-game since Kazuya has unique diagonal-forward normal attacks.
Back tilt		Flash Tornado　(刃閃風, Blade Flash Wind)	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. Based on his b+4 (backwards + right kick).
Up tilt		Twin Pistons (ダブルアッパー, Double Upper)	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 very unrewarding and poor for followups due to Kazuya's slow jumpsquat. Based on the string of the same name (wr1, 2 - while rising left punch, right punch); unlike the rest of Kazuya's tilts, it is not performed with the same directional inputs used by Kazuya in Tekken. Both hits share a staleness slot.
			10%
Down tilt		Nejiri Uraken[1] (捻り裏拳, Twisting Backfist)	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 does not 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. Based on his d+1+2 (down + both punch buttons).
Up-forward tilt		Roundhouse to Triple Spin Kicks (螺旋幻魔脚, Spiral Illusion Demon Leg)	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%, making it a useful combo finisher. 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. Based on his uf+4, 4, 4, 4 string (up forwards + right kick, right kick, right kick, right kick). All 4 hits share a staleness slot.
			3%
			3%
			10.5%
Down-forward tilt		Tsunami Kick (踵切り, Heel Slash)	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. Based on his df+4, 4 string (down forwards + right kick, right kick). Both hits share a staleness slot.
			10.5%
Down-back tilt		Stature Smash (腿砕き, Thigh Smasher)	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 useful for followups regardless of percent. It is useful after landing Devil Fist, as the crumple animation will be replaced by a trip and allow for better followups. Based on his db+4 (down back + right kick).
Up-back tilt		Jump Side Kick (ジャンプサイドキック)	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. Based on the universal jumping left kick shared by the Tekken roster.
Crouch attack		Crouch Jab (シットジャブ, Sit 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. Despite its similar function to fast down tilts such as Terry's or Ness's, it has much more hitstun and thus a higher frame advantage than the similar moves, allowing for followups into moves with even slightly below-average speed, such as into up smash or forward tilt. Based on the crouching left punch shared by most of the Tekken roster.
Forward crouch attack		Tombstone Crusher (螺旋岩砕蹴, Spiral Rock Smash Kick)	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 (10 frames for his body, 12 for his right leg and 15 for his right arm), making it effective for disrupting attacks. It is highly damaging and has a decent knockback, as it can KO as early as 95% near the edge. Based on his FC, df+3+4 (full crouch, down forward + both kicks).
Back crouch attack		Crouch Spin Kick (シットスピンキック, Sit 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 (魔神拳)	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. Based on his ws2 (while standing right punch).
Dash attack		Leaping Sidekick (空斬脚, Air Slash Leg)	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. Based on the standard running left kick shared by most of the Tekken roster.
Double dash attack		Left Splits Kick (左踵落とし, Left Heel Dropper)	18%, 2.4× (reflected projectiles)	Used by dashing twice in the same direction in quick succession. Moves forward before performing a quick axe kick that hits once. 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 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. Based on his f, F+3 (forward, hold forward + left kick).
Forward smash		Glorious Demon God Fist (魔神閃焦拳, Demon God Flash Char Fist)	26% (fist), 23% (arm)	In his devil form, lunges forward to throw 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, and at 26% on the center, when fully charged, making it overall the third strongest forward smash in the game, tying with Bowser's forward smash (only Ganondorf's and King Dedede's are stronger). Though when Rage is active, it KOs at 22% when fully charged. Despite its high ending lag, it deals massive shieldstun (-13 on shield when sweetspotted, which is almost comparable to Bowser Jr.'s forward smash on shield). While this makes it surprisingly safe on shield despite its appearance, it is much easier to punish on whiff, so it should not be thrown out without caution. Based on his f+1+2 (forward + both punch buttons).
Up smash		Devil Twister (デビルツイスター)	19% (clean), 15% (late)	In his devil form, throws 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%. Based on his ss2 (side step right punch) while in his Devil Transformation, a mechanic unique to Kazuya in his home series.
Down smash		Lion Slayer (獅子斬り包丁, Lion Cutter Carving Knife)	17% (hand), 15% (arm)	In his devil form, performs a downward knifehand slam. 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 only capable of KOing airborne opponents at around 150%. Based on his db2 (down backwards right punch).
Neutral aerial		Jumping Knuckle (ジャンプナックル, Jump Knuckle)	11% (clean fist), 9% (clean arm), 8% (clean body), 6% (late)	Throws a diagonally downward jab, similarly to 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 is a lot weaker, only starting to do so at around 90%. Based on the universal jumping left punch from Tekken.
Forward aerial		Searing Edge (烈火脚, Raging Fire Leg)	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 does not offer intangibility on his legs, which makes it prone to trading with other attacks. Based on his uf3 (up forwards left kick).
Back aerial		Jumping Sobat (ジャンピングソバット)	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. Based similarly on the universal jumping left kick used as the basis for his up backwards tilt.
Up aerial		Rising Toe Kick (ライジングトゥーキック)	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. Based on the universal hop kick shared by most of the Tekken roster.
Down aerial		Demon Scissors (破砕蹴, Crushing Kick)	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 Kazuya 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. Based on his 4~3 (pressing the right and left kick buttons in quick succession).
Grab		Grab (つかみ)	—	Reaches out with both hands. Above-average range. If the Rage mechanic is active, the resulting throw will be that of Rage Drive with no input needed, although a standard throw can be buffered and executed while preserving Rage.
Pummel		Sternum Smash (六腑砕き, Six Entrails Smasher)	3.4%	Punches the opponent's sternum. It is the strongest slowest pummel in the game by a significant margin, but it is also the slowest pummel being extremely slow, similar to pummels from previous games. Based on his df+1 (down forward + left punch) from Tekken Tag Tournament onward. In the Tekken series, this move is known in English as "Entrails Smash"; however, the Japanese name is the same between Tekken and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Forward throw		Double Face Kick (旋蹴り, Whirling 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 does not KO middleweights until around 170%. Based on Kazuya's throw performed with 1+3 (both left attack buttons).
Back throw		Steel Pedal Drop (鐘楼落とし, Belfry Dropper)	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%. Based on Kazuya's throw when approaching his opponent from the left side in Tekken.
Up throw		Air Inferno (エアインフェルノ)	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 which, just like Devil Blaster, deals 0.75× and 0.5× damage to the third and fourth opponent, respectively. 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. Based on the Air Inferno move used by Angel and Devil Jin in the Tekken series though the laser is fired at a steeper angle in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to better fit its use as a throw attack.
Down throw		Stonehead (超ぱちき, Super Headbutt)	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. Based on Kazuya's command grab, performed with f, F+1+2 (forward, hold forward + both punch buttons).
Command input throw		Gates of Hell (地獄門, Hell Gate)	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 most damaging throw in the game that is not 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, performed with FC df, d, df+1+2 (while in a full crouch, down forward, down, down forward + both punch buttons); unlike in Tekken, the move in Smash does not need to be performed from a full crouch.
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. Based on his face down wake-up attack in the Tekken series.
Neutral special		Devil Blaster	11% (ground), 12% (ground upwards), 10% (ground downwards), 10% (air), 11% (air upwards), 9% (air downwards)	Assumes his devil form to unleash an energy beam 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)	Assumes his devil form to perform 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)	Assumes his devil form to soar upward. 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 (風神ステップ, Wind God Step)	—	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 (風神拳) / Electric Wind God Fist (最速風神拳, Fastest 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. Grants upper body intangibility and 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 3-frame window: the frames before and on the ↘ input or the frame after if the ↘ input is still held), it will become Electric Wind God Fist (EWGF). This version grants upper body intangibility then full body intangibility before the hitbox comes out, and inflicts paralysis to the opponent while pushing back opponents that shield. Like in Tekken, Electric Wind God Fist is difficult to perform consistently as it essentially requires a frame-perfect input, 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 forward smash, up smash and 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 (雷神拳, Thunder God Fist)	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. It also grants high amounts of intangibility (frame 2-17 for upper body and 7-14 for his entire body), allowing it to act like a delayed counterattack. 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 (奈落旋風, Naraka Whirlwind)	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 before the first hit comes out 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)	Kazuya uses Devil Blaster and, if it hits an opponent, 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 Kazuya's Rage Art exclusive to Tekken 7's story mode that he uses in his final battle against Heihachi Mishima.
Side taunt		Demon's Wrath (魔神烈衝拳, Demon God Fury Piercing Fist)	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.

Stats

Stats	Weight	Dash speed	Walk speed	Traction	Air friction	Air speed	Air acceleration	Gravity	Falling speed	Jumpsquat	Jump height	Double jump height	Empty landing Lag
Value	113	1.58 – Initial dash 1.55 – Run	0.66	0.115	0.01	0.89	0.01 – Base 0.03 – Additional	0.108	1.7 – Base 2.72 – Fast-fall	7	18 - Base 12 - Short hop	49	4

Announcer call

• English/Japanese/Chinese

• French

• German

• Italian

• Russian

• Spanish

• Spanish (Europe)

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 from Tekken 4 onwards (Tekken input: b+3, 1, 4, 1 - back left kick, left punch, right kick, left punch). 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. Resembles Devil's tag in animation from Tekken Tag Tournament when paired with Kazuya.

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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 (All versions)
Cheer
Description	Ka - zu - ya! *drum beat 2 times*

Victory poses

Uniquely, Kazuya is the first fighter in Smash history to not have a victory theme. His victory screens feature the announcer from Tekken 7 (voiced by Josh Keller) saying "Kazuya Mishima wins" instead of the standard Smash announcer. This is a reference to Tekken's win screens, which do not 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). 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.

Announcer Voice Clip 175 (VA: Josh Keller): The Tekken 7 announcer announcing Kazuya's victory.

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In competitive play

Most historically significant players

See also: Category:Kazuya players (SSBU)

•  Miru - He is most well known for his run to 2nd at the major Maesuma'U22 where he defeated two top twenty players, Hurt and Asimo. While his performances on the national level remain mixed, he notably placed 4th at the superregional Karisuma SP 19.
•  Raki - Co-mains Kazuya alongside Steve. Raki's breakout performance came at the supermajor Maesuma TOP 13, where he used a combination of his mains to upset Atelier en route to placing 17th. His consistency improved in 2024, often placing in the top 32 of majors leading him to rank 58th on LumiRank 2024.1.
•  Riddles - Co-mains Kazuya alongside Terry and is the best Kazuya player in the world of all-time, as well as a top 10 player from mid-2022 to 2023. He is currently the only player who has won majors primarily with Kazuya, doing so at The Big House 10 and Collision 2023.
•  Tarik - Co-mained Kazuya alongside Greninja for most of 2022 and was the best Kazuya player in Europe in 2022. He has used the character to place highly at several majors such as 9th at COLOSSEL 2022 and 13th at Ultimate Fighting Arena 2022. He was ranked 69th on the UltRank 2022 with the character. He has since relegated Kazuya to an occasional counterpick.
•  Tea - Co-mains Kazuya alongside Pac-Man and is considered one of the best Kazuya players in the world, often rivaling Riddles in performance, and was a top 10 player in 2022 and the current best Kazuya player in the world. Tea notably used Kazuya to help him win Crown 2 and Ultimate Fighting Arena 2022.
•  Wildz - He is best known for his runs at supperregionals. He placed 3rd at MomoCon 2024 after defeating Kola and 5th at COST 2024 after taking a set off Lima. While he hasn't had a breakout performance at the national level, he did manage to get 17th Patchwork 2024 and often places in the top 48 at supermajors. Through the first half of 2024, he has been the best Kazuya player from the United States.

Tier placement and history

Even prior to his release, Kazuya gained notoriety for his immense moveset relative to the rest of the cast, along with the inclusion of his near frame-perfect Electric Wind God Fist; many stated that this would give him an unprecedentedly high learning curve among Ultimate's roster, and could take a long time before his full potential is realized in the competitive scene. While his representation is below average, he has seen notable results from select players such as Riddles, Tea, and Axiom XL displaying how effective Kazuya can be with his extreme power, versatile toolkit, and great endurance, which has shown him to be more than capable of pulling off zero to deaths and difficult comebacks. As a result, Kazuya has received positive reception from competitive players, often being considered a top tier fighter due to these factors, and as such was ranked 7th on the first tier list.

However, his aforementioned learning curve and unorthodox play style has continuously limited his tournament representation. Additionally, while he is notorious for his zero to death combos, he can just as easily be given a taste of his own medicine, as his slow mobility, abysmal air speed, high weight and fall speed make him susceptible to combos and give him a hard time getting out of disadvantage, meaning Kazuya himself can be easily KO'd in a zero to death. Opinions on Kazuya's viability would fall a bit in 2023, where only Riddles and Tea were consistent threats at majors, and even then Riddles complemented Kazuya with Terry while Tea's Kazuya was noticeably weaker than the prior year. As such, Kazuya fell to 11th on the second tier list, now ranking at the top of the A+ tier.

Ban discussion

Kazuya has been the subject of serious discussions for a ban from competitive play, although not as widespread compared to Steve. Discussion heightened starting from early 2022 with a sudden rise in Kazuya players and results, such as Tea, Axiom XL, and most notably Riddles.

Proponents of Kazuya's ban argue that his strengths make for games that are more campy and less enjoyable to fight against or watch. This is due to Kazuya's movepool, which proponents have criticized as being broken due to the generous intangibility on certain moves and abundance of zero-to-death combos that either kill or deal massive damage, regardless of weight or percentage. This has led proponents to believe that there is little effective counterplay against Kazuya other than "don't get hit", as a single mistake could potentially lead to death.

On the other hand, opponents to a ban argue that Kazuya has noticeable flaws that can be crippling to the character, such as his poor disadvantage state and linear recovery, and the difficulty of executing such zero-to-death combos in high pressure tournament settings. They also point out how Kazuya's representation at a top level is lower compared to other characters perceived as "broken," with Riddles being the only player who saw consistently strong results with Kazuya, and even then he not only still maintained Terry as a co-main, but was also still prone to random upsets and underwhelming performances.

While no serious Kazuya ban has been implemented nationally, every power ranked local in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas region has banned Kazuya (along with Steve) as of April 16th, 2023, for, as they claim, "the health of their competitive scene" following a large amount of Kazuya and Steve results.

Classic Mode: Fighting Fists with Fists

Kazuya's congratulations screen.

Kazuya's route features opponents that, like him, specialize in hand-to-hand combat. Aside from Round 6 and the Final Round, the first 5 Rounds feature stamina matches as a reference to the Tekken series. Uniquely, if playing with 2 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). The name of Kazuya's route also references how "Tekken" translates literally to "Iron Fist" in Japanese.

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, though Hwoarang cannot wear it.
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. Additionally, if this route is played with two players, King K. Rool will wear his main green outfit.
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, and in which Lucario is a playable fighter. Lucario specifically could be a subtle reference to the Tekken series, as its aforementioned name translates to "Tournament of the Iron Fist" in English and Lucario is a Steel-Fighting type.
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	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. If the player is using the red costume, the first opponent will be the default Kazuya.

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.

Spirits

Kazuya's default fighter spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode as Kazuya. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Kazuya has been downloaded. 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 amiibo.

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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 attacking Ness with Spinning Demon to Left Hook on Skyworld.

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  Kazuya attacking Wolf with his back tilt attack (Flash Tornado) on Great Bay.

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

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  Devil Kazuya using Devil Fist against Little Mac on Boxing Ring.

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  Devil Kazuya plummeting Mario with Heaven's Door on Prism Tower.

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  Kazuya using his up smash (Devil Twister) with Sephiroth on Northern Cave.

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  Kazuya getting ready to hit Ganondorf with his down throw (Stonehead) on Mishima Dojo.

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  Kazuya with Mario on Mishima Dojo.

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  Kazuya fighting Terry and Ryu on Boxing Ring.

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  Kazuya alongside all of the other DLC fighters of Fighters Pass Vol. 2.

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 as a result of the Devil Gene being inherited across his family line.
• Kazuya is coded to have a rapid jab alongside its finisher in his character scripts (named Attack100 and Attack100End), but they go unused due to him having no animations for them.
• 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, 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.
• Kazuya's side taunt is the only damaging taunt that can stale.
• 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" being replaced with "Gets" in order to be grammatically correct.
• Kazuya's act of throwing all of the defeated fighters off of the cliff in his reveal trailer is reminiscent of his endings in Tekken and Tekken 7 where he did the same thing to Heihachi after defeating him.
• Kazuya is the third fighter in Ultimate to speak Japanese in all regions. However, unlike Cloud Strife and Sephiroth, whose Japanese speaking is likely 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 Alisa Bosconovitch and Sergei Dragunov) are only voiced in their native language (Japanese in Kazuya's case).
• 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. This is in line with the pattern that European marketing does not include the names of crossover games with a higher PEGI rating than Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Tekken 7 is rated 16). However, the European video presentations still show the Tekken name and logo.
• With a weight value of 113, Kazuya is the heaviest DLC character in Ultimate.
  • He is also the third heaviest newcomer overall, behind Incineroar with a weight value of 116, and King K. Rool with a weight value of 133, and the eighth heaviest character overall.
• 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 only fighter who:
  • Does not have a universal 3-frame jumpsquat, with it instead being 7 frames.
  • Does not suffer from hard landing lag when landing from a fullhop, due to his low jump height.
  • Has additional tilt attacks set to diagonal directions.
  • Has a crowd cheer which features an instrument (a drum).
  • Vocalizes during their pummel attack.
  • Does not have a victory theme. This comes from his home games not having victory music.
  • Has a default spirit which includes only the render from Ultimate, but also has an alternative spirit that features artwork from a previous game in addition to the render from Ultimate.
• Despite using orthodox inputs, Kazuya's neutral attacks, forward tilt, up tilt, down tilt, and dash attack are all simply referred to as command-input moves in the Tips, likely due to overlap with unorthodox inputs.
• Kazuya, Dark Pit, and Wii Fit Trainer are the only playable characters in Ultimate that do not appear in a Nintendo Switch game outside of Ultimate.
• Masahiro Sakurai showed pre-release material of Kazuya in a YouTube video and showcased several changes made before the final version:
  • Kazuya's eyes and eyebrows were pulled upward to look more angry.
  • Sakurai decided to use a unique knocked down animation that resembles Kazuya's knocked down animation in the Tekken series.
  • The position of Kazuya's wings while airborne were altered to make the pose more energetic while retaining a bat-like silhouette.
  • The story mode for Tekken 7 was used to inspire Final Blaster almost 1 to 1.
  • Kazuya's wings during Final Blaster were initially too rounded and Sakurai suggested they be made more angular.
  • Kazuya's wings during Devil Blaster were adjusted to catch the wind during startup, release the wind, and the flutter upon activation.
  • Kazuya's wings during Devil Fist were repositioned so players could see the punch connect.
  • Sakurai suggest adding a line that goes through opponents during Devil Fist to add atmosphere.
  • Kazuya's wings were initially only visible for two frames during his landing animation, which Sakurai suggested to be extended to make the land more impactful.
  • Sakurai suggested that Kazuya should immediately enter his damage animation when hit by a Final Smash.
• 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 with Team Attack off, and in All-Star Mode when he appears.
• Coincidently, Kazuya's release date (June 29th 2021 or June 30th 2021 depending on region) was exactly one year after Min Min's (June 29th 2020 or June 30th 2020 depending on region).
  • Adding on to the coincidence, both originate from fighting games and Min Min released alongside the returning Heihachi Mii Costume from Smash 4.

Notes

1. ^  translates into "Twisted Back Fist"