Kazuya Mishima from theTekkenseries is making his way intoSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatelater this month. The reveal at Nintendo’s E3 Direct showed off an amusing cinematic trailer in line with previous DLC reveal trailers interspersed with a decent chunk of gameplay footage. While a full breakdown of Kazuya’s moveset inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateis coming at a later date, there’s enough information in the new trailer to make some pretty safe inferences about his role within the game’s meta.
Kazuya’sSuperSmash Bros. Ultimatemovesetwas largely revealed in the trailer alongside the tongue-in-cheek cinematics. The game’s penchant for creating very faithful adaptations of its guest characters abilities inSmashseems to be on full display with Kazuya. His signature moves like the Twister Kick, Dragon Punch, and even theTekkenmechanic of the 10-Hit Combo all look like near one-to-one adaptations from theTekkenseries. The obvious caveat is thatSmash Ultimateis a 2D fighter, so moves that would either hit in three dimensions or move a character into the back or foreground don’t do so in this case.
RELATED:Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 Gameplay Revealed at E3 2021
Kazuya Will Likely Be a Rush-Down Character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
At least at face value, Kazuya’s moveset seems to lend itself towards a rush-down strategy. AdaptingKazuya intoSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatemeans finding a way to balance out his almost exclusively melee moveset. It remains to be seen which commands will be tied to which command, and ifSmash Ultimatewill make use of a unique system similar to the way it does for Ryu and Ken.Tekkenhas a specific kind of command system where each button is tied to a specific limb, i.e. right punch or left kick. This is how combos are built inTekken, but doesn’t necessarily fit into theSmashmold with ease.
It’s more likely that combinations of Normal and Special commands will contribute to the lengthier combos Kazuya is capable of, but either way he looks like a strong offensive type character. Ironically, the crouching dash mechanic that all of the Mishima family is capable of inTekkenmirrors the wave dash mechanic that exists inMelee. This will likely make Kazuya a formidable opponent on the ground, as he’ll likely be able to avoid projectiles and close distances deftly. This versatility of movement could quickly put Kazuya higher onSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatetier lists. Though he is not without projectiles entirely, as evidenced by his Devil Gene form.
In theTekkenseries, Kazuya is one of the characters possessing the Devil Gene, prompting his transformation into the winged demon form shown in the trailer. It seems like the system for Kazuya’s Devil Gene could work similarly to Sephiroth’s One-Winged Angel form, where the mode is activated after reaching a certain damage threshold. This mechanic is part of what’s put Sephiroth andPersona 5’sJoker higher up on competitive tier lists. The mode grants Kazuya some special attacks including a dashing fist strike and his signature laser beams. As one of therumored DLC fighters forSmashfor a while, it’s been fascinating to see these iconic features on display.
The other thing to consider is that theTekkenRage system is also at work in the trailer. Presumably based on the mechanic inTekkenproper, Kazuya will receive a general damage buff after a certain damage percentage. While Kazuya was a characterfans wanted inSmash Ultimate, balancing out these two mechanics will go a long way in where Kazuya lands in the meta. Overall, the safest assumptions so far is that Kazuya will be a character focused on keeping the fight grounded, closing distance, and crowding out enemies with a flurry of attacks. More will be known once the full gameplay breakdown comes from Nintendo.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis available now on Nintendo Switch.
MORE:E3 2021 - Schedule, Where To Watch, Everything Announced, & More
