Tekken Tag Tournament: Kazuya Mishima Strategy Guide Version 11.0 January 31, 2001 FAQ written by Devil_Jin for the Arcade and Sony PlayStation 2 E-Mail Address: MCDevilJin@tekken.cc Yahoo IM Screen Name: Devil_Kazuya_28@yahoo.com AIM Screen Name: DevilLee19 IRC and Tekken Zaibatsu BBS Screen Name: Devil_Jin EZBoard BBS Screen Name: MCDevilJin Visit my BBS here: http://pub21.ezboard.com/bmcdeviljinstekkenbbs Unpublished Work Trademarked (TM) and copyrighted (c) Devil_Jin 2001- 2002. All Rights Reserved. IMPORTANT: YOU MUST READ AND AGREE TO EVERY PART AND EVERY WORD OF THIS DISCLAIMER. USE OF THIS FILE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE TO THIS DISCLAIMER. Unpublished work Copyright 2001-2002 Devil_Jin This FAQ and everything included within this file cannot be reproduced in any way, shape or form (physical, electronical, or otherwise) aside from being placed on a freely-accessible, non-commercial web page in it's original, unedited and unaltered format. This FAQ cannot be used for profitable purposes (even if no money would be made from selling it) or promotional purposes. It cannot be used in any sort of commercial transaction. It cannot be given away as some sort of bonus, gift, etc., with a purchase as this creates incentive to buy and is therefore prohibited. Furthermore, this FAQ cannot be used by the publishers, editors, employees or associates, etc. of any company, group, business, or association, etc., nor can it be used by game sites and the like. It cannot be used in magazines, guides, books, etc. or in any other form of printed or electronic media (including mediums not specifically mentioned) in ANY way, shape, or form (including reprinting, reference or inclusion), WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR (Devil_Jin). This FAQ was created and is owned by myself, Devil_Jin . All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged and respected that are not specifically mentioned in this FAQ. This FAQ was written for GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com), Tekken Zaibatsu (http://www.tekkenzaibatsu.com), Catlord's Tekken Collection (http://www.catlord.com), Freshly-Baked Games (http://www.fbgames.com) and Tekken Sucks (http://www.tekkensucks.com) ONLY. I don't want it to be put up on any other web sites at this point and am not above explaining this to your ad banner guys or whoever else I can get ahold of if you decide to violate this disclaimer. To continue, this FAQ and everything included herein is protected by the Berne Copyright Convention of 1976, not to mention International Copyright Law. Remember that plagiarism is a crime, and that this is a copyrighted work - stealing from this guide is putting yourself at risk, plain and simple, because the law is on my side. I feel the need to mention that the following publishers/publications/companies have ripped from many Tekken authors in the past, namely: the Ziff-Davis Video Game Group (publishers of EGM, Expert Gamer, etc.), and Game Cave. If you want to show your appreciation for having this nice free FAQ to read, please do so by not reading any of these rags, or refraining from buying anything at Game Slave - er, uh, Cave ^_^. And I mean this to full effect - THAT _ESPECIALLY_ MEANS ALL OF YOU ASSHOLES AT GAME CAVE! YOU'VE BEEN STEALING EVERYONE'S FAQS FOR BLOOD MONEY FOR TOO GODDAMN LONG, AND IF I FIND OUT YOU ARE GOD FORBID _SELLING_ MY FAQ (WHICH IS _MY_ WORK THAT I POURED MY SWEAT AND SKILL INTO), I AND MANY OTHERS WILL TELL YOUR PROVIDERS TO SHUT YOUR ASSES DOWN FOR GOOD AND SEND YOU BACK TO THE TOILET YOU CAME FROM!!! Author's Note: I would especially like to thank Chris MacDonald, a.k.a. Kao Megura, for his incredibly-thorough Copyright Statement. This man is the best FAQ writer ever for a reason, and it's sad that the populace that reads his FAQs feel the need to rip it for petty reasons such as monetary gain, impressing someone by making them think THEY wrote it themselves, etc., and it's even sadder that these same fans have forced him to retire from FAQ writing from all this stress. To all you people I've mentioned (you know who you are), I give you a hearty, well-meant "FUCK YOU!" The Tekken series, Kazuya Mishima, and all related events/characters are (c) of Namco Hometek. All Rights Reserved. This FAQ can be found at (and ONLY at): Tekken Zaibatsu (http://www.tekkenzaibatsu.com) GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com) Catlord's Tekken Collection (http://www.tekken.net/catlord) Freshly-Baked Games (http://www.fbgames.com) Tekken Sucks (http://www.tekkensucks.com) If ANY other sites I am not aware of aside from GameFAQs, Tekken Zaibatsu, Catlord's Tekken Collection, Freshly-Baked Games, and Tekken Sucks have this FAQ on their site/database, I _URGE_ you to mail me the site address, name, and/or link. NO OTHER SITES SHOULD HAVE THIS FAQ ON IT, _NONE_ WHATSOEVER!!! ================= TABLE OF CONTENTS ================= 1. Conventions - Movement Conventions - Linking and Special Conventions - Grounded Positions - Extra Combo Conventions - Move List Abbreviations 2. Strategy Guide Introduction 3. A Special Note To A Good Friend 4. Latest Revision History - Version 10.0 - Version 10.5 - Version 11.0 5. Credits/Sources 6. Kazuya Mishima's Bio 7. Strengths and Weaknesses - Overall Analysis - Strengths - Weaknesses 8. Moves List - Throws - Attacks - Unblockables - Strings 9. Frame Data - Throws - Attacks - Unblockables 10. Moves Analysis - Ranking Chart - Throws - Attacks - Unblockables 11. Combos - Jugglestarters - Stun-Combo Starters - Standard Combo Arts - Counter-Hit Combo Arts - Class 1 Combo Arts - Class 4 Combo Arts - My Favorite Juggles - My Favorite Tag Juggles 12. Strategy - Story Time - The Art of the Crouch Dash - Unofficial Moves - Official Moves - The Wavedash - Sidestepping - Okizeme - Custom Strings - Chickening - Commonly-Reversed Moves - Bait For Chickens - Countering/Interrupting 13. Versus Fights - Alex/Roger - Anna Williams - Armor King - Baek Doo San - Bruce Irvin - Bryan Fury - Devil/Angel - Eddy Gordo/Tiger Jackson - Forest Law - Ganryu - Gun Jack - Heihachi Mishima - Hwoarang - Jack-2 - Jin Kazama - Julia Chang - Jun Kazama - Kazuya Mishima - King - Kuma/Panda - Kunimitsu - Lee Chaolan - Lei Wulong - Ling Xiaoyu - Michelle Chang - Mokujin/Tetsujin - Nina Williams - Ogre - Paul Phoenix - Prototype Jack - True Ogre - Unknown - Wang Jinrey - Yoshimitsu 14. The Best Partners for Kazuya 15. Submitted Strategies - Kazuya VS Anna Strategy - Kazuya VS Michelle Strategy - Kazuya VS Julia Strategy 16. Upcoming FAQs 17. Review Of Versus Book's TTT Perfect Guide 18. All About Me 19. In Conclusion... ======================================================================= 1. Conventions ######################################################## ======================================================================= MOVEMENT CONVENTIONS (Note: These are assuming your character is facing to the right. If they are facing to the left, reverse all b, f, B, F, SSL, and SSR commands. 1 - Left Punch 2 - Right Punch 3 - Left Kick 4 - Right Kick 5 - Tag d - tap Down u - tap Up f - tap Forward b - tap Back d/b - tap Down-Back d/f - tap Down-Forward u/b - tap Up-Back u/f - tap Up-Forward D - tap and hold Down briefly U - tap and hold Up briefly F - tap and hold Forward briefly B - tap and hold Back briefly D/B - tap and hold Down-Back briefly D/F - tap and hold Down-Forward briefly U/B - tap and hold Up-Back briefly U/F - tap and hold Up-Forward briefly N - Neutral joystick position (Joystick is not touched) SS - Sidestep (u,N or d,N) SSL - Sidestep Left (u,N) SSR - Sidestep Right (d,N) qcf - Quarter-Circle Forward (Move stick from down to forward) qcb - Quarter-Circle Back (Move stick from down to back) hcf - Half-Circle Forward (Move stick from back to down to forward) hcb - Half-Circle Back (Move stick from forward to down to back) LINKING AND SPECIAL CONVENTIONS + - Moves must be done together ~ - Moves must be done IMMEDIATELY after the other _ - Or (When used between two moves, they are interchangeable) < - Move following the < has the option of being slightly delayed [] - Brackets surrounding an item indicates an optional output () - Parenthesis indicates moves grouped together {} - Curved brackets indicate buttons needed to break a throw CH - Major Counter-Hit CL - Clean Hit GROUNDED POSITIONS PLD - Play Dead Position, face up & feet away KND - Knockdown Position, face up & feet towards SLD - Slide Position, face down & feet away FCD - Face Down Position, face down & feet towards EXTRA COMBO CONVENTIONS WGF - Wind Godfist (f,N,d,d/f+2) EWGF - Electric Wind Godfist (f,N,d,D/F~2) TGF - Thunder Godfist (f,N,d,d/f+1) big - Can only be done on big characters cc - Crouch Cancel (tap u during crouch) iWS - Instant WS (d~d/b_d~d/f+button) (,) - The hit in parenthesis misses during the combo MOVE LIST ABBREVIATIONS BK - Your back facing the opponent OB - Forces opponent's back to face you OS - Forces opponent's side to face you OSB - Forces opponent's side to face you when blocked JG - Jugglestarter BN - Bounce Jugglestarter RC - Recover Crouching after a move CH - Requires a Counter-Hit DS - Double-Over Stun FS - Fall Back Stun LS - Lift Stun GS - Gut Stun KS - Kneel Stun HS - Hunch-Over Stun TS - Trip Stun CS - Crumple Stun CFS - Crumple Fall Stun CF - Crumple Fall BS - Low Block Stagger SH - Stagger Hit GB - Guard Break FL - Float # - see corresponding footnote c - CH modifier (eg. JGc is a juggle starter on counter hit) cl - Clean Hit modifier (eg. DScl is a double over stun on clean hit) co - Crouching Opponent Modifier (eg. KSco) cco - CH on Crouching Opponent Modifier (eg. FScco) h - Attack hits High (block High or duck) H - Attack hits High and on ground (block High or duck) m - Attack hits Mid (block High) M - Attack hits Mid and on ground (block High) l - Attack hits Low (block Low) L - Attack hits Low and on ground (block Low) Sm - Attack hits Special Mid (block High or Low) ! - Unblockable hit - Unblockable hit which can be ducked {!} - Unblockable hit which hits grounded opponents *!* - Unblockable hit which hits big grounded opponents " - Indicates block point in Strings NEW TTT MOVES If Kazuya has a new move in TTT that he did not have in Tekken 2, I typed that move on the Moves List in CAPITAL LETTERS! ======================================================================= 2. Strategy Guide Introduction ######################################## ======================================================================= Well, thank you for taking the time to plop your Tekken-playing asses down in front of this computer screen and read this tome of Kazuya goodness. The reason I've compiled this FAQ is rather simple - ever since Tekken 2 first came out, Kazuya has ALWAYS been my favorite character in every Tekken. He's just a MAJOR bad-ass, with some awesome attacks with which he can demolish many an opponent in no time flat. In Tekken 2, Kazuya was within the top five characters in the game - he had very powerful juggles, re-defined the meaning of "stun" with his incredibly-powerful Demon Gut Punch, had the nigh-invincible, Mid- hitting Wind Godfist, and was the first character in Tekken to recieve a sidestep of some sort - however, to make that particular advantage even more deadly, Kazuya could enter his Crouch Dash (the most important Mishima move) by simply tapping d/f, from which he could go into a vicious guessing game with his Wind Godfist and Hell Sweep. He had power, speed, and ease of use all combined into one deadly package - the only real weakness he had was the lack of an Attack Reversal. In the words of tragic in his excellent Tekken 2 guide, "If he had a reversal, he would be rated number one or two hands down." - and he hit it right on the mark. Kazuya, much to the displeasure of many Tekken 2 vets, was excluded from Tekken 3, and mostly replaced by his son, Jin Kazama. While Jin was given several qualities that Kazuya lacked (he actually had an Attack Reversal, along with the best moves of his mother, Jun Kazama), several of Kazuya's staple attacks and characteristics, such as a WS+2 Demon Gut Punch, the Wind Godfist (the BEST move ever in Tekken), and the Mist Step were either changed, weakened, or altogether scrapped. While newer players to Tekken didn't really care, just as slikatel stated, Tekken 2 veterans knew that those attacks were the heart of Kazuya's power and effectiveness. The absence of a Mid-hitting Wind Godfist SEVERELY hampered Jin's game. It is a strong opinion (but when you think about it, it's more like a fact) that if Jin had been given a Mid-hitting Wind Godfist in Tekken 3, he would be the strongest character in the game. Well, Tekken 3 is now old news, and Tekken Tag Tournament is in (well, kinda). TTT has EVERY single character ever to grace a Tekken game in this sucker - and that means Kazuya is back to kick ass, and he's come packed with several new moves and quirks that have acclimated Kazuya to TTT's multi-faceted game engine. Although he has been toned-down in many areas, with practice, Kazuya is one of the most frightening match- ups for any opponent, and STILL one of the game's top characters. Virtually everything in Tekken has changed since the heyday of Tekken 2 - so that's where this guide will come in handy for the aspiring Kazuya player. This guide is meant for the intermediate to advanced Kazuya player, so if you don't know about the general game engine, check out the Tekken Zaibatsu or read up on one of the two Tekken Tag Tournament books. If you're gonna buy one of the books, I highly suggest the Versus Books guide, because even though it's been cut up like a Scream flick, it's still a shitload better than the Prima book. Although I am not the foremost authority on how to kick ass with Kazuya, I am pretty good, and a very observant learner, so remember that this is not THE way to play Kazuya and win, but the way that I play Kazuya and win. So, for those that want to learn just why Kazuya is so feared in match play, read on... and most of all, enjoy the FAQ. - Devil_Jin ======================================================================= 3. A Special Note To A Good Friend #################################### ======================================================================= To Lee Kian Chong (ILuvMomo): For those that do not know yet, ILuvMomo, Kazuya extraordinare and good friend, has recently announced his retirement from all things Tekken and has stopped posting at the Tekken Zaibatsu. This to me is a truly sad occurence, as he's without a doubt one of the most intelligent Tekken players I've had the priviledge of speaking with. We've both been credited with having some of the best FAQs out for TTT, and while I myself would not agree to that when it comes to my FAQ, I would be lying if I didn't say that Lee's Kaz FAQ is a work of art. He truly has the best FAQ for Kazuya and I'd be hard-pressed to even touch the level of strategy and work in there. And his FAQ with DayFul for Julia is even better. You'd never expect so much strategy and advice crammed in there on one character. He was just hitting his stride as a great FAQ writer, but sadly, as he announced, he's being drowned in personal troubles stemming from his Tekken play, and has officially quit as Tekken player and FAQ writer. I do not hold that against him. Obsession is a horrible thing when not aimed correctly. I wish him all the best Lee, and hope you'll keep in touch. It was great having you there all this time to help with revising my FAQ and placing your well-observed criticisms in the places I needed it. Your witty sarcasm was also funny as hell. And it sure was fun watching me, bluu, and Rev flame right? Again, I wish you all the best and will continue to spread the strategy of our favorite Mishima. Best of luck with getting your life back in order. When I next play P-Jack and block his f+3+4, I'll dedicate the cup of coffee I'll drink during the horrid recovery time to you, before I drop a WGF on him. Cheers! - Mark Campbell (a.k.a. Devil_Jin) ======================================================================= 4. Latest Revision History ############################################ ======================================================================= This keeps track of the last three revisions: v10.0 - All or most of the errors have been fixed, and misc. info added to some moves (WGF, DGP, etc.). My very own Tekken BBS is now up, so I added the address and info of it. Modified Copyright Statement to mirror the latest version of Kao Megura's Copyright Statement (thank you again), added to Overall Analysis of Kazuya, went more in-depth with Kazuya's bio, and added to/altered the Credits section. This will be the final update, until I pick up a PS2 and TTT to test out some fishy- looking errors or something like that. It's been a long time coming, but the FAQ is done. Yes people... DONE!!! Woo-hoo, party party party! v10.5 - Well, screw that promise about not having any more updates for a while. I didn't realize I had so many errors here and there... semi- minor update, added Catlord's site as a carrier of my FAQ, added info on Gut Punch, Right Splits Kick, and a few other moves, added "Electric Wind Godfist" (don't worry, it's a joke... just read it) and added a lot of Submitted Strategies. v11.0 - Well, I've found out new info on the Right Splits Kick, Hell Sweeps, Gut Punch and WGF, changed the title of the FAQ around a bit (to better represent the content of it), stopped being lazy and included everyone into the Versus Fights section, removed the High Pounce stuff (it appears Kaz DOESN'T have this move after all... big loss, right? ^_^), removed the Fighters.Net address and replaced it with Tekken Sucks (since Fighters.Net is gone), changed the roman numerals to regular numbers, got rid of the Links section (too many to keep track of), basically refined and corrected my mistakes all over the place, found other miscellaneous data, AND own the PS2, TTT, and the TTT Perfect Guide from Versus Books to confirm my stuff. This was originally going to be the final revision, but I decided that there had to be room to make changes if anything came up (like the frame data for a blocked WGF and the possible follow-ups), so for the time being, this will be the last update in a long time unless something really major comes up. ======================================================================= 5. Credits/Sources #################################################### ======================================================================= Like I've stated before, I feel that the people that inspired me and motivated me to create this FAQ are the ones that deserve credit for this FAQ. Let's get this on... - Rev, hey, it's always fun getting flaming lessons from you dood. I have gone from being wimpy-ass Devil_Jin to being one of the baddest motherfuckers in the Tekken Zaibatsu (or maybe I'm just full of myself)thanks to your "kind tutelage", if you can call it that. To be honest, your FAQs are pretty damn good anyways (if not for the info, for the personality all over it), and I do admit you are my main inspiration for writing this stuff in the first place. Props go out to Exar Kun, whose Heihachi and Kaz FAQs are also EXCELLENT themselves (in fact, since he has just revised them once again, he's totally killed me once again with his info). And Lee, it was real, it was fun... - Victar, keep it real, man. For those that haven't read it yet, I urge you to check out his site and read his incredible Tekken fanfiction. His latest, and finally finished fanfic, "Phoenix Reborn", is an essential read for any respectable Tekken fan. His site, Victar's Mortal Kombat/Tekken Fanfiction Archive, is very comprehensive, with a huge list of crazy links and fanfics. Check it out at: http://members.aol.com/sglkht - Raijin Aoki for his absolutely incredible Lee Chaolan Tribute movie. I love it more than any movie of Tekken so far! The BGM RULES! If you are a Tekken fan, download it. _Now_. LEE KICKS ASS!!! My God, I must have like every good Lee movie out so far... UnknownHP's, Agent316's, tragic & Castels, Raijin's... any others that I don't know of? MAIL ME IF YOU KNOW SOME OTHER GOOD ONES!!! - Kevin, Amaro, and my pal Kenny at Time-Out Arcade in Danbury Fair Mall, CT, for killing my ass (well, Amaro, I almost always beat Kenny and I haven't seen Kevin in a while...) with your mad skillz... especially Amaro with his insane Baek/Hwoarang team, cuz his New Haven skillz are to be feared, rekonized, and rezpekted, cuz he iz just beez- naughty. Kenny, keep working on your game dood, you'll get good someday. Of course, you can start on the path by blocking my Thunder Godfists first, and you'll be on your way (lol)! Kevin, try some other strategies with Paul, ok? You got too much potential to waste on doing 5,296 Deathfists in a row... - Castel, for supplying all the masses with your sick knowledge of the greatest fighting game ever made. Keep it coming, man! AND _BIG_ PROPS GO OUT TO TEKKEN ZAIBATSU FOR THE COMBOS, CONVENTIONS, FRAME DATA, AND ENDINGS!!! - Agent316, for having the crazy skills (he's got the best editing I've ever seen!) to make those insane movies! Keep it up and visit his webpage at: http://www.geocities.com/martb_perez - The guys at Tekken Zaibatsu's Forums: Reverend C. (the well-known "Asian Sensation"), tragic (who's T3 Yoshi FAQ is the greatest Tekken FAQ known to man), Catlord (mad cool dood, I talk to him on IRC), prizim, SPMAN (gorrila-boy Cuban), Night (bluu's bastard love-slave), tomhilfiger (Mr. American Wavedash), KOFTEKKEN and jjt (owners of the immensely-helpful TTT Advanced Techniques FAQ), Chinky-Eye, 7ronko, DatBastardSho (one of the kuhlest doods in the Tekken community, with a great Jun FAQ), Chinky-Eye (King Of Twin Pistons), Renick (excellent FAQs dood!), Shukudai, Izakushi, -NewUltraCowLand (probably the biggest moron I've ever talked to, lol, until I met this next one), Vegetta X (one of the biggest morons I've even seen, without a doubt, with a name based upon a SHITTY cartoon too), Chris Mishima, Proxer (Defender of "Kazuya does NOT have EWGF!"), FusionTech, toshinjin, EDDYRULZ69 (I mean I69EDDY, another idiot), KaNE (fellow Vegetta X hater and Asian Sk8er), avkazama, RedFooT, elfty (plays a mean Baek), and my main mans bluu (MoFo Ultraflamer # 2), Exar Kun, ILuvMomo (Ultimate Master Of The 1,2,2, and we shall miss him), Joshimitsu, Triple Lei, Guppie, J&H, SeanPyro, and Trekk. You guys kick ass in Tekken and are cool to debate, argue, chat, and/or bitch with. Keep it up. Thanks Chinky for the Twin Pistons info and strats, thanks 7ronko and Rev for the 13-frame WGF info, and thanks bluu for all the Hell Sweep data (and thanks also go to ILuvMomo for including this info in his FAQ where I could find it!) and the invincible WGF info. You ROCK dood! You are hereby designated "The Confirmer" and "MoFo Crazy-Ass UltraFlamer #2 (Rev is #1, and I'm stuck at #3, lol) in my book... er, FAQ. - And I can't forget Annaquin, or as we Zai goers call him, Analquin. HE IS THE BIGGEST MORON EVER. No one comes close (Well maybe YoshiMishima). Never listen to anything he has to say, EVER. - And here's the time to put down a rampant rumor. For those that aren't in the know, the popular rumor is that EVERY Mishima, not just Kazuya, can do a WGF with just f,N,d/f+2, and in the case of Jin and Heihachi, do an EWGF with just f,N,D/F~2. The theory is that the 'd' part is skipped, because apparently the 'd/f_D/F' command fulfills BOTH the 'd' and 'd/f_D/F' commands, bringing out a WGF/EWGF just like magic without pressing 'd'. I've tried it out, and it does happen about 80% of the time, but I'm almost certain that I'm hitting Down sometime, and I did try it in Tekken 2 and 3, and not ONCE did I get WGF with just f,N,d/f+2, because you can see the commands you input at the bottom of the screen in Practice Mode, and I've gotten confirmation from peeps with programmable D-Pads and joysticks who have said it is total bullshit. And if that's not enough, Dohee, the Korean WGF/EWGF master and owner of the Tekken Zone, has proven this method to be full of shit in his Wind God Style Manuals. And if you don't believe Dohee, you're a moron, plain and simple... - The Tekken Salute BBS, for being the most hardcore BBS ever for Tekken strats, even if it NEVER freakin' updates. Many thanks for the info guys. - DOA2 Online, for having a huge forum filled with total jackasses and morons alike. Makes you wonder what GURT was thinking when he created it. "HEY! Let's make a big site filled with dumbasses, and base it on a skilless, moronic, scrubby, tits-and-ass showcase of a game!" And you're welcome Wind-X (or as I call him, Windex), for being such a jerk, as well as being a retarded, asinine, one-minded DOA2 whore (you retarded smart-ass). http://www.doaonline.com - Ummmm... GURT, I'm doing you a huge favor by letting you put my FAQ on your strange little anti-Tekken web site (www.tekkensucks.com). You're damn lucky I let you keep it when you originally didn't ask for my permission, but since I'm kind, I let you keep it there. I don't know why you want my FAQ, but as long as you keep your anti-Tekken comments to yourself and don't try to make an example of me or my colleagues, everything will go peachy. But be warned - any breach of the copyright and I WILL take action, and any reason to take my FAQ off of your site will be implemented if I so choose. - UnknownHP and 666 for having a kickass TTT movie site. Their capture card is even better than Castel and Agent316's! Here's the site (be warned, it's in Japanese, although the movies are easy to find): http://www.coara.or.jp/%7Ekei666/ttt/tetutop.htm - Chris MacDonald, better known to the FAQ world as Kao Megura, for his well-put, comprehensive Copyright info. This man is the best FAQ-writer on the planet, no doubts about it. You simply cannot dispute the knowledge of Kao Megura, God Of FAQs, no matter who you are! Thank you man, you are an inspiration for many. Enjoy your retirement, you deserve every bit of it. I hope you can write some more killer FAQs some day. - BMW, for cracking out with all the mama snaps on IRC and for being the owner of a sick Tekken website. And thanks for those quick little Kazuya Mist Step videos. Here's the address: http://www.tekkenstuff.hypermart.net - And finally... ME, for having the time, energy, friends, and desire of Tekken to create my very first website AND Tekken BBS! On that note, I'd like to thank my moderators: Exar Kun, ILuvMomo, Triple Lei, JyH, Joshimitsu, Guppie, and Sean Pyro for being awesome sons of bitches and helping to make the site your place for the everyday Tekken fan. Check it out at: http://pub21.ezboard.com/bmcdeviljinstekkenbbs In the words of my man Joshimitsu, "Uh... go there." ======================================================================= 6. Kazuya Mishima's Bio ############################################### ======================================================================= Kazuya Mishima's history is quite convoluted, so it's difficult to include everything in detail, but here goes... Kazuya is the son of Heihachi Mishima, the head of the extremely wealthy Mishima Financial Empire. Throughout his childhood, Kazuya was the victim of a nearly- endless string of physical abuse from Heihachi, who believed solely in building a child's strength by beating them during their training exercises. Then, at the age of five, Heihachi threw Kazuya into a ravine, which left a huge scar running from his upper-right shoulder to his lower-left adbomen. Kazuya as a result grew up devoid of emotion, and things only grew worse when Heihachi adopted a Chinese orphan named Lee Chaolan when Kazuya was around 13 years old. From the first time they saw each other, an intense rivalry and hatred flourished between Kazuya and Lee, to which Heihachi exploited to the fullest. He openly embraced Lee into the Mishima family as a way to incite Kazuya's jealousy and hatred so that Kazuya would grow up and make Heihachi proud when he inherited the MFE. However, this only made Kazuya's hatred for his father blossom into murderous rage. When Kazuya was around 18, he left the MFE to search the world to secretly gain power to overthrow his father, while at the same time living off of his father's money - he devised plans while maintaining the cover of a spoiled, rebellious rich-boy turned vagabond. It was at this time he was troubled in his dreams by an entity known as Devil. In exchange for possessing Kazuya, he would grant Kazuya almost limitless power in order to overthrow his father. Kazuya accepted Devil's offer, and became an agent of evil. Now all Kazuya needed was an opportunity to strike... During the year 1995, Heihachi organized a blood-sport tournament called the King of the Iron Fist. The winner would recieve a large cash sum, as well as becoming the new owner of the Mishima Financial Empire. Kazuya was one of the lucky few who recieved an invitation. So now, fueled with unholy power, Kazuya entered, and proceeded to not only demolish Lee, but topple Heihachi as well, throwing him off of the same cliff that he himself had been thrown at the age of five, believing him to have perished, although he would find out that he had survived later on. Kazuya became the new President and CEO of the Mishima Financial Empire, and then instantly began corrupting it with his evil power. In 1997, Kazuya organized the second King of the Iron Fist tournament. During the course of events, Kazuya fell in love with the "Ecology Fighter", Jun Kazama, and were drawn together by the supernatural power of Devil. In the final match of the Iron Fist, Heihachi, who had come out of hiding to topple all challengers in the tournament, fought Kazuya again in a bloody battle. This time, Heihachi defeated Kazuya, and made sure he would never come back to menace him again by throwing his corpse into a raging volcano, while at the same time, Devil was battling a pregnant Jun Kazama for ownership of an unborn Jin's soul. Jun emerged victorious, and fled to the isolated Japanese island of Yakushima to raise Jin away from the horrors of his father and grandfather's crimes. Now, the confusing thing about TTT is that originally it was considered separate from the Tekken series in terms of storylines, but the fact that Namco included endings for the characters in the PS2 version of Tekken Tag makes it a bit harder to swallow. I doubt that Namco would include endings just to bullshit with us - there are too many plots explored and involved in them to write it off as nothing. However, in the same respect, it is unknown how Kazuya, along with Devil, have surfaced for this latest Iron Fist. His presence in Tekken Tag is supported by the strong evidence in Tekken 3 that he, indeed, survived at the climax of Tekken 2. This is clearly shown in Eddy Gordo's ending in Tekken 3 for the PSX, where he reveals that the leader of the crime syndicate called the "Organization", as well as the man who ordered the hit on Eddy's father, to be non other than Kazuya Mishima. Now, Tekken 3 takes place roughly in the year 2016, 19 years after the second King Of The Iron Fist tournament in 1997, and Eddy is 27 years old in 2016. When Eddy was 19, around the year 2008, his father was murdered by the Organization, and Eddy spent 8 years in jail. The hit on Eddy's father was executed 11 years after Kazuya's supposed "death" at the hands of Heihachi, PROVING that he is indeed, alive, or was alive at least until the time of Eddy's father's death. KAZUYA _IS_ ALIVE! =======================================================================7 . Strengths and Weaknesses ########################################### ======================================================================= OVERALL ANALYSIS Kazuya is the most hardcore of all the Mishimas. His attacks intimidate more than any other of the Mishimas' attacks do, and his whole attitude exudes a simple, bad-ass "I'm gonna kick the shit out of you, then spit on your fucking carcass" arrogance that we all know and love. He thrives on landing Counter-Hits perhaps more than any of the other Mishimas as well - examples are Kazuya's Demon Gut Punch, Gut Punch, Twin Pistons, and of course, the Wind Godfist. He has the best Wind Godfist in the game in that it can be executed one frame faster than any of theirs can, and he also has the best Hell Sweeps of the Mishima clan, and is possibly the only Mishima that keeps the Crouch Dash guessing game alive (to an extent). While his arsenal is limited, he benefits in that just about all of his attacks are useful in some way. IMHO, he has the most "effective" arsenal in the game. Having 20 or so moves may not be much, but it's better to have 20 or so useful moves than 70 moves with limited use, right (*cough* *hack* *EDDY* *haff*)? Added to that, Kazuya is THE pick that almost all of the tournament players (and winners) choose when they want to win. Go to Korea or Japan and you see Kazuya is the most picked character in tourneys along with Jin. Dohee himself also believes that Kazuya is even better than Jin in most areas, which may be debatable to some, but in the right hands (with a lot of WS-Cancel Twin Pistons from your Crouch Dash/Wavedash), Kazuya can beat pretty much everyone... And if that isn't reason, who's a bigger badass than Kazuya? ^_^ Thought so. STRENGTHS - Kazuya has the most elaborate arsenal of stun attacks in the game, and when given an opportunity to unload, his stun combos hurt more than anyone else's. He has the insanely-powerful (although crappy) Demon Gut Punch, the extremely-useful Gut Punch, and the powerful Glorious Demon Fist with which to stun them and combo. Your best stun move is the Demon Gut Punch (if it hits on CH and they do not escape the stun), as it is rather fast, easy to do, hits Mid, Double-Over Stuns on Counter- Hit, does insane damage, and Kazuya can follow-up with almost any of his moves for a powerful combo. However, it has been toned-down a LOT in TTT, as a stun can be Tagged out of, and even if it is a Counter-Hit, the opponent can simply hold Forward to fall quickly and escape the stun. The others are also effective in situations, but they are best suited for times when you want to vary your attacks, and many of them are also very effective juggle enders, like the Gut Punch and Glorious Demon Fist (on big guys). - While not having as much finesse and damage as Jin or Heihachi, Kazuya's juggles are powerful and simple. It only helps that he is gifted with possessing the best jugglestarter (and perhaps the best move overall) in Tekken - the Wind Godfist. While it now can be blocked standing or crouching, and is not as good as Heihachi's due to his much broader juggle options, it is still Kazuya's best launcher (and one of his only) by far, and a low-blocked WGF will stagger them slightly. It is also immensly helpful that the WGF cannot be reversed or parried in TTT. The altered blocking is not too much of a setback, as the WGF was always better-used when countering an opponent's attack or hitting them if they whiffed, and to add to it, a blocked WGF leaves Kazuya open to VERY few attacks. Jabs usually won't connect because the WGF pushes them too far back, and a throw is only guaranteed if you do anything but duck after the WGF blocked. However, to make up for his pathetic Demon Gut Punch, Kazuya has the EXTREMELY useful Twin Pistons, which hit Mid twice, execute in 11 frames, launches to a cozy height for several powerful juggles, combos guaranteed from the first hit, recovers very fast, is easy to do, and can be worked into your Crouch Dash strategies, so Kazuya can have a decent mix-up game from his Crouch Dash by mixing up his Hell Sweeps and his Twin Pistons to create a nasty guessing game. And of course, the d/f+2 Gut Punch is more than an equal to the Demon Gut Punch in almost every way. - Kazuya possesses the Mist Step (f,N), which is a quick sidestep that can lead into an automatic Crouch Dash by tapping d/f. From his Crouch Dash, he can go into three very useful attacks - the Thunder Godfist, Wind Godfist, and Hell Sweep, and one of the most useful movement properties in the game, the Mist Step Cancel. These three attacks come out more deceptively from the Mist Step Crouch Dash than in a normal one (and faster if done with Mist Step Cancel), so it is best to go into the Mist Step as often as possible as it basically comes out of nowhere. As a bonus, it is also has a much easier joystick motion than the normal versions. WEAKNESSES - Kazuya's biggest and most glaring weakness is that arguably his most powerful move in Tekken 2, the Demon Gut Punch, has been toned down so massively that it is near-uselessness in TTT at high-level play. Not only is it slower coming out, it also recovers longer than it did in Tekken 2, and has much less priority. But the worst by far is that the Clean Hit and Counter-Hit stuns can be escaped easily by holding Forward, or in the case of a Clean Hit, Tagged out of, and the escape window is a long 20 frames, unlike Bryan's CH WS+3 or Paul's CH QCF+1. When combined with the lag time and recovery time, lessened damage potential since Tekken 2, as well as the predictability of it, you're going to find it close to impossible to land a successful Counter-Hit DGP, let alone a stun combo. - Kazuya has no Attack Reversal or any type of Parry outside of the universal Low Parry, so he is forced to block or counter everything coming at him, and pressure is a relatively weak area in Kazuya's defense. Use the Wind Godfist and Twin Pistons FREQUENTLY in this case (i.e., duck high attacks and throws and retaliate with Twin Piston, when mid-range, use WGF to override their attacks). - Kazuya's Okizeme game is quite limited. His Low hits simply aren't fast enough, damaging enough, or have enough range to keep them on the ground for the whole fight, unlike guys like Nina, Heihachi, Law, Xiaoyu, Paul, and the Ogres. - When Kazuya and Devil are teamed together, they do not normally Tag in and out like most teams. Instead, Kazuya/Devil hunches over, and transforms into Devil/Kazuya, depending on who the partner is. Not only does this make Tag combos virtually impossible, it also leaves Kazuya/Devil open to just about any attack, and while their attack is repelled (much like if you touched Jin during his Force), Kazuya/Devil cancels the transformation. To make matters worse, Devil cannot recieve the Netsu Power-Up, so a Kazuya/Devil team is a big weakness for both members. - Kazuya is generally poor in the area of Netsu Power-Ups if you are a player that relies on them to do damage. Kazuya is a badass mofo ;^), and is often emotionally unnaffected by his partner's plight. It takes around 7 hits on average for Kazuya to get angry and charge-up. Worse, Kazuya has many teams in which he will not gain Netsu, so if you are playing Kazuya, be careful and use a character that has a strong Netsu combination with him (like Gold Tetsujin, but then again, he's got a 5- hit Netsu with everyone...). Ironically, Kazuya gets Netsued with Jun after _10_ freaking hits! You'd think he'd care a little more for his own wife than he would for a walking gold dummy, don't you think? - Kazuya lacks quite a bit in the area of throws. He only has one special throw, and his other throws can be easily escaped, so do not rely on grappling with him when in-close. - Kazuya also cannot do the Tag Slide, Tag Slash Kick, or Tag Flying Cross-Arm, hampering his Tag-in game quite a bit and making him a whole lot more vulnerable when Tagging in. Ouch! Many thanks Silver Haired Devil for bringing that up! ======================================================================= 8. Moves List ######################################################### ======================================================================= ****** THROWS ****** Throw Name Command Properties Bitch Kicks 1+3 {1} #1 Hip Throw 2+4 {2} #1 Stonehead f,F+1+2 {1+2} #1,#7 = TAG, REVERSE ARMBAR = ~5 #8 Ultimate Tackle D+1+2_D/B+1+2 {1+2_2} #5 = Ultimate Punches = 1,2,1,2,1_2,1,2,1,2 {2_1} #6 STEEL PEDAL DROP 1+3_2+4_2+5 {1} #2 SKULL SMASH 1+3_2+4_2+5 {2} #3 Reverse Neck Throw 1+3_2+4_2+5 #4 #1 - Front Throw #2 - Left Side Throw #3 - Right Side Throw #4 - Back Throw #5 - Tackle #6 - Tackle Attacks #7 - Opponent can Tech Roll the Stonehead. #8 - Special Tag Throw with Jun. Jun comes in and finishes with a Reverse Arm Bar. Total damage is 30. ******* ATTACKS ******* Move Name Command Properties Spinning Backfist b+2 h Quick Demon Slayer 2,2 h,h Left Right Combo 1,2 h,h Demon Slayer 1,2<2 h,h,h TWIN FANG STATURE SMASH 1,2,4 h,h,l Flash Punch Combo 1,1<2 h,h,m Twin Pistons WS+1,2 m,m/JG = TAG = ~5 #1 Demon Gut Punch WS+2 m/FScl/DSc/#4 Tsunami Kick WS+4~4_d/f+4,4 m,m Left Splits Kick f,f+3 m/FL Right Splits Kick f+4 m/GB/SLDc/KSco Demon Scissors 4~3 M Roundhouse u_u/f+4 h = Triple Spin Kick = 4,4,4 L/FL/BS,L/FL/BS,m GUT PUNCH d/f+2 m/GSc/CFScl+c ENTRAILS SMASH d/f+1 m/HS SOUL THRUST f+2 m/KNDc/GS/GB GLORIOUS DEMON FIST f+1+2 m/CFS STATURE SMASH d/b+4 l Leaping Side Kick f,f,f+3_WR+3 m/GS Thunder Godfist f,N,d,d/f+1 m/#2 = Spinning Mid Kick = 3 m = Hell Sweep = 4 L Wind Godfist f,N,d,d/f+2 Sm/JG/SLDc = TAG = ~5 #1 Hell Sweeps f,N,d,D/F+4,4 L/FL/BS,L/FL/BS Mist Step f,N #5 = Crouch Dash = D/F = Thunder Godfist = 1 m/#2 = Spinning Mid Kick = 3 m = Hell Sweep = 4 L = Wind Godfist = 2 Sm/JG/SLDc = TAG = ~5 #1 = Hell Sweeps = 4,4 L/FL/BS,L/FL/BS ************ UNBLOCKABLES ************ Unblockable Name Command Properties Lightning Godfist b+1+4 *!* Lightning Screw Godfist B+1+4 *!* ******* STRINGS ******* String Name Command Block Range Ninestring f,F+2,1,4,4,2,4,3,2,1 hh"mm"Smm"L"m! Tenstring # 1 f,F+2,1,2,2,3,4,4,1,2,1 hh"hh"mm"Lhmm Tenstring # 2 f,F+2,1,2,2,3,4,4,3,2,1 hh"hh"mm"LL"m! #1 - You cannot buffer a Tag if Kazuya is teamed with Devil. #2 - Damage is 43 on Clean Hit and the opponent will be knocked down. #3 - Damage is 18 on Clean Hit if only one Hell Sweep is executed. #4 - Must also be a Clean Hit to stun, and the damage is 37. #5 - Kazuya will sidestep left if f is tapped on an odd frame number. He will sidestep right on an even frame number. #6 - Damage depends on proximity. Requires both Clean and Counter Hit to stun, and damage is around 46. ======================================================================= 9. Frame Data ######################################################### ======================================================================= Ok, for the newer Tekken player reading this, you may be reading the FAQ and come up with the term "frames". Now, what is a frame, and what does it do for you? Basically, a frame is an animation taking place during 1/60 of a second during a fight. Tekken Tag Tournament runs at 60 fps (frames per second), which is in fact almost twice as fast as normal television (TV runs at 32 frames)! Now, what does that have to do with all this? Well, in TTT, attacks give you a certain frame advantage and disadvantage in certain situations. For example, Kazuya's Wind Godfist executes in 11 frames, roughly 1/6 of a second, once you've pressed the Right Punch (2) button. When blocked, a Wind Godfist has a 10-frame disadvantage, which means that Kazuya will be left open for approximately 1/6 of a second. If it hits on normal or Counter Hit, the opponent will be launched and fall to the ground afterwards. Dig? Here is another important thing - the frames of a move's execution only pertain to how fast it comes out WHEN YOU PRESS THE BUTTON TO DO THE ATTACK, and does not take into effect the amount of frames per directional input. So, while a Wind Godfist may execute in 11 frames once you press 2, it will take AT LEAST 14 frames overall to come out, because it takes at least 3 more frames when you count the Crouch Dash input (f=1, N=1, d=1, d/f+2=11). It is VERY IMPORTANT to note that sometimes you can block before you can actually input a command - this is often the case with minor stuns and guard breaks. Thus a -12 for example doesn't necessarily mean you can't block for 12 frames - it means that you cannot attack for 12 frames. Most moves with a disadvantage of 8 or less can be considered safe moves as it takes at least 8 for your opponent to execute a standard jab and in some cases your opponent will not even be within jab range and you have to add on whatever amount of frames it take for him to dash within hitting range. Eddy has to ability to shorten recovery time after certain moves with Sidestep or Recover Crouching cancels. Each of the Frame Data List columns contain specific move information. To keep it all as organized as possible, I have divided the list into Throws, Moves, and Unblockables. Command Column Pretty self explanatory, this is how you execute the listed move. The directions are in relation to which way your character is facing, of course. F Hit Column Indicates how many frames it takes for a move to hit after you have finished the command. This does NOT included the number of frames it takes to input the command. B Adv Column The number of frame advantage or disadvantage when the move is blocked. Meaning the amount of frames it takes before you can input a new command. Positive numbers are advantages over your opponent, negative numbers indicate a disadvantage and KD indicates the opponent gets knocked down. This can either be a juggle, stun or any other kind of knockdown. H Adv Column The number of frame advantage or disadvantage on a hit. Keep in mind a hit does not necessarily results in an advantage over the opponent. Frame advantage on stagger moves reflects the amount of stagger frames, this does not equal the number of frames your opponent cannot block attacks. CH Adv Column The number of frame advantage or disadvantage on a Counter-Hit. Keep in mind a Counter-Hit does not necessarily results in an advantage over the opponent. ****** THROWS ****** Command F Hit B Adv H Adv CH Adv 1+3 12 x x x 2+4 12 x x x f,F+1+2 12 x x x ******* ATTACKS ******* Command F Hit B Adv H Adv CH Adv b+2 17 -13 -2 -2 2,2 10,x 0,-13 +9,-2 +9,-2 1,2 10,x +1,0 +9,+8 +9,+8 1,2,4 10,x,x +1,0,-14 +9,+8,+2 +9,+8,+2 1,2<2 10,x,x +1,0,-12 +9,+8,+1 +9,+8,+1 1,1<2 10,x,x +1,+1,-17 +9,+9,KD +9,+9,KD WS+1,2 11,x -2,-6 +9,KD +9,KD WS+2 16 -13 KD KD WS+4~4 11,x -3,-15 +8,-4 +8,-4 d/f+4,4 13,x -9,-15 +2,-4 +2,-4 f,f+3 19 -12 KD KD f+4 19 +11 +8 KD 4~3 25 x KD KD u/f+4~3 24 x KD KD u_u/f+4 25 -12 KD KD = 4,4,4 x,x,x -12,-26,-10 KD,KD,KD KD,KD,KD d/f+2 14 -14 +5 KD d/f+1 16 -1 +3 +3 f+2 20 -1 +8 KD f+1+2 25 -16 KD KD d/b+4 20 -9 +7 +7 WR_f,f,f+3 22 +17 KD KD f,N,d,d/f+1 22 -14 +1_KD +1_KD = 3 x -14 KD KD = 4 x -23 KD KD f,N,d,d/f+2 11 -10 KD KD f,N,d,D/F+4,4 16,x -23,-23 KD,KD KD,KD ************ UNBLOCKABLES ************ b+1+4 43 x KD KD B+1+4 63 x KD KD - d/f+2 will only KD on Clean and Counter Hit. - f,N,d,D/F+4,4 will not KD if it hits at maximum range. - On Clean Hit or Counter-Hit, f,N,d,d/f+1 will KD. - The B Adv of the second hit in u_u/f+4,4,4,4 is -26 when started as u/f+4,4. - d/f+4,4 can be delayed inbetween hits by 5 frames. ======================================================================= 10. Moves Analysis #################################################### ======================================================================= ************* RANKING CHART ************* I have a ranking chart that I use in all my FAQs that I use to tell you how effective a character's moves are. Now, remember that this is only my opinion of how effective the move is, and is NOT the final word on it's power - it's my opinion on how useful it is, and ONLY an opinion. However, just to let you know, I DO consult several others on it if I am not totally sure of it, so rest assured that my opinions do have merit to them (usually)... * - One of Kazuya's worst moves, plain and simple. This move will basically get Kazuya into a shitload of trouble if used more than once per match play. These moves usually have a lot of recovery or lag time, or they may simply do little damage and are easy to see coming or easy to block. Keep away from it. Do NOT overuse this in any way, you will get beaten badly for it. ** - This move is not very useful. While it may have tactical value in certain situations, it may come out slowly, or be extremely predictable, and easily blocked. Outside of certain special situations, this should generally not be used if you're trying to win. Kazuya has better options and/or substitutes for this. Try to limit your use of this to about two or three times every few matches. *** - A good, effective move that Kazuya can employ reasonably in match play. This move has an even balance of strengths and weaknesses - it may be incredibly powerful, yet come out incredibly slow, or it may simply have a difficult joystick motion with poor/mediocre results. However, it is generally a good move that Kazuya can bring out semi- often. These are usually comprised of Kazuya's throws, and a few of his power hits. **** - A great move for Kazuya to use in match play, and one he can bring out quite often. These comprise many of Kazuya's moves. These are usually quick pokes with fast recovery or little lag time, or they may be quick, powerful attacks like a jugglestarter. Overall, it is an excellent move that can pay-off in the long run when used wisely, and will be a highly-employed attack for Kazuya. ***** - One of Kazuya's best moves by far. These usually comprise powerful jugglestarters, stun attacks, or they may be very fast attacks with insane priority that are good for overriding other attacks. These attacks should be included in almost every strategy that Kazuya uses, as the reward is HIGH if it hits. This move can even be abused at times, due to its power/priority/speed. ****** THROWS ****** ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Throw Name Command Escape Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Bitch Kicks 1+3 1 *** The old favorite of Kazuya from past Tekkens, the Bitch Kicks are definitely a crowd-pleaser when you connect with more than one in a row =^). However, unlike what I thought previously, they are out of range for a d/f+4 to connect, which means that it's not quite as good as Jin's speical 1+3 (only with Jun or Kazuya on team), which guarantees him a b+4, d+3, or d/f+4 (and does more damage to boot). The only real problem is the ease of escape, but hey, it's damn cool-looking, so it's worth the risk once in a while. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Throw Name Command Escape Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Hip Throw 2+4 2 ** This is rather plain-looking, and not only is it easy to escape, it has no guaranteed follow-up options afterwards and does only 28 points of damage, so generally, you should stick with the Bitch Kicks and Stonehead. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Throw Name Command Escape Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Stonehead f,F+1+2 1+2 ***** This is Kazuya's best throw by far, and unfortunately, his only command throw. However, it does slightly more damage than a normal throw, is easy to do, requires a double-button escape, and Kazuya can follow it up with a d/f+4 or d+3 Front Kick for even more damage if they don't Tech Roll. It is best used in the middle of Kazuya's Custom Strings, like so: dash-in, d+1, WS+4, d/b+4, 1,2,4, dash-in, d/b+4, d/f+4, f,F+1+2. This is a decent String, and the opponent will almost always be caught unawares and tossed to the ground after blocking such a series of changing attack heights. As always, the best use of this usually comes from the Crouch Dash - f,N,d,d/f,N,f+1+2. It's easy and the CD gives it insane range. Like some of the throws in TTT, they can Tech Roll this throw (it's also easier to do in TTT), but strangely enough, Kazuya can get a guaranteed Leaping Stun Kick (U/F,3) if they try that, so it isn't wise to Tech Roll all-too-often on the opponent's part... =^Þ = Tag, Reverse Armbar = ~5 - ***** Kazuya has an extra Tag Throw that he can use aside from the regular one that everyone else has. What he does is perform the normal Stonehead, knocking the opponent into Jun, who wrestles them to the ground for an Armbar. Although it inexplainably does less damage than a normal Stonehead, it does look very cool, and Tags Jun in safely, so if you happen to be partnered with Jun, go for this when you hit with the Stonehead and need a safe Tag. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Throw Name Command Escape Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ultimate Tackle D_D/B+1+2 1+2_2 * Although the Ultimate Tackle gets weaker and weaker due to the new ways of reversing them added in each Tekken installment, it is still a good move for characters like Jin, King, and Paul (with their multi's), but to be honest, Kazuya's Tackle just really sucks. The only thing he can do after the Ultimate Tackle is the Ultimate Punches - no Cross-Arm Lock or Leg Cross Hold. So, basically, it's best to only do this to throw in a surprise every now and often, as the Ultimate Punches do pathetic damage and are easily escaped. Hell, those with Attack Reversals and Mid/Punch Parries can even reverse this, so stay away from it in match play. BTW, this can also be executed from a Crouch Dash by tapping 1+2... but it's still pretty useless. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Throw Name Command Escape Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Steel Pedal Drop 1+3_2+4_2+5 1 *** This is one of Kazuya's new throws (side throws weren't added until Tekken 3, so Kazuya recieved both left and right side throws in TTT), and it looks very cool. Kazuya takes his opponent's leg, and basically whips them over his head and slams them into the ground HARD. It does a good 40 points of damage, and of course is effective when you've wrapped around an opponent's side with your Sidestep. While it is easy to escape, it seldom is escaped due to the surprise factor. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Throw Name Command Escape Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Skull Smash 1+3_2+4_2+5 2 *** Another of Kazuya's new throws, the Skull Smash looks like Law's back throw (the Dragon Bite), except Kazuya punches them right in the forehead (OWWW!!!). Like his other side throw, it does 40 points of damage, looks cool as fuck, sets them up nice and close for Okizeme, and of course fits right into Kazuya's side game. Just like the Steel Pedal Drop, use this when you've whipped around an opponent, like when they use a Flying Cross-Arm and miss. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Throw Name Command Escape Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Reverse Neck Throw 1+3_2+4_2+5 None *** It's not the greatest of back throws as it does a measly 50 points of damage as compared to Yoshimitsu's/Gun Jack's 70 points, and it also looks very boring, but hey, 50 points in any case is great! Of course, it is best used when you run/Sidestep under a flying opponent, such as when Devil/Angel does the Devil Blaster/Reverse Devil Blaster, True Ogre's Hell's Flame, Yoshimitsu's Moonsault Slayer and Deathcopter, and Armor King/Ogre/True Ogre's Jumping Knuckle Bomb. They'll fly right over your head, only to realize they've landed into some PHAT damage. In the words of Ben Cureton, FLOUNCE! ******* ATTACKS ******* ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Spinning Backfist b+2 * Think of the Demon Slayer. Got that in your head? Now, think of the final, slow, High-hitting backfist thing at the end. Here you go. Avoid it like the plague. By far the most useless move in Kazuya's arsenal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Quick Demon Slayer 2,2 * Do NOT do this move. While it inflicts OK damage if it hits, both hits go High, leave Kazuya wide open if ducked, recover crappy, and aren't worth the risk. Kazuya has much better options. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Left Right Combo 1,2 **** This two-punch combo doesn't have as many options as Jin's, but it still leads into two different and semi-useful links. However, it is also excellent in that it has forward movement, is totally safe if blocked, and guarantees either the Demon Slayer or Twin Fang Stature Smash combos on a hit. Because of its excellent recovery time, you should throw this out freely in your Custom Strings, but be warned that experienced/fast players will duck and punish Kazuya with a WS attack if you abuse this (watch out for Jin - one WS+2 and you'll lose 30-40%). Many thanks to Chinky-Eye, bluu, and ILuvMomo for their input concerning the usefulness of this move! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Demon Slayer 1,2<2 ** While this move goes High for all three hits, there are still some places where you can stick this in and get good results. First, if it is blocked, Kazuya will be moderately safe from retaliation, as the recovery is decent. Second, it is a very fast, easy juggle finisher for those who are just starting Tekken, as it does good damage. However, once you master your Crouch Dash, you'll be using the Thunder Godfist and Wind Godfist a lot more often in your juggle enders, but if you don't want to risk whiffing, go for this, although the 1,1,2 is still better. Third, if the first punch connects, the entire combo is guaranteed, and does decent damage. However, you're much better off with the regular 1,2 or the 1,2,4. For more info on this move, mail/contact ILuvMomo, the King of Kazuya's 1,2,2 (LOL). He'll tell you how "good" it REALLY is (lol). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Twin Fang Stature Smash 1,2,4 *** A new link for Kazuya in TTT, and a very effective one - when used sparingly and/or in the right situations. Kazuya throws out the one-two punch, then flows straight into the Stature Smash. The last hit isn't blocked (the Stature Smash feints a high kick, and instead goes Low) too often, but decent/good players will tap d/f to Low Parry the kick. The whole combo is guaranteed if the first punch connects, though, and while it won't exactly kill them in terms of damage, the ticks will add up after a while. If you know they'll block the last hit though, cut the string short - the recovery is a crappy 14 frames, which means you'll get a WGF or Hop Kick for your troubles. Remember to be careful when using this against good players - if the 1,2 is blocked, they love to duck and Low Parry the final hit. Due to that, it is best used as a mix-up tool with d/f+2 and d/f+4,4, and it is also a good Okizeme tool to use to fake them out: when they are on the ground, do the 1,2,4. Most guys will think you goofed, and rise with an attack, only to get smacked by the Stature Smash! Another effective mixup to use after they've blocked a few 1,2,4's is to switch up and do 1,2, then throw out the Gut Punch! They'll duck to block the Stature Smash and get punched in the mouth for some nice damage, and if they threw anything out, WHACK, Counter-Hit! Go into a quick Lightning Godfist. It's also a decent and cool-looking finisher in juggle combos as the Stature Smash slams them into the floor pretty hard ;^). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Flash Punch Combo 1,1<2 ***** This is the Mishima standby combo, and by far one of Kazuya's main offensive attacks. The first two hits go High, then Kazuya busts out a fast Mid that will knock them down if it hits. However, the reason it is so effective and hits so often is that the final Mid can be delayed slightly. So, throw out 1,1 (if blocked, Kazuya recovers before they can attack), and wait for them. If they block, end the link, but if they twitch after they've ducked/blocked the first two hits, throw the final Mid and put them on mat. Its fast speed will override almost any single High/Mid attack. Since the first two hits gives Kazuya a mad frame advantage (9 frames), a WGF, Gut Punch, or throw is guaranteed if they try anything afterwards (and it will be a CH too!). Naturally, this is also good for Custom Strings, as you can throw out 1,1 and be without risk, so if they continuously block high, expecting the Mid, switch up and do Twin Fang Stature Smash. They'll block high again, then smack! After they've tasted a few of those, complete the Flash Punch Combo for real when they've been trained to block low. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Twin Pistons WS+1,2 ***** = Tag = ~5 At first, I really didn't use this move too much because of my blind faith in the Demon Gut Punch as well as the change in controller input (as an odd paradox, I use Heihachi's and Devil's Twin Pistons all the time). I thought it was simply a weaker substitute of the WGF and DGP, but now I realize that Twin Pistons is used in different situations, and in the situations that you can use Twin Pistons... it is an EXCELLENT move. Now that I've found out that the DGP stuns can be escaped by holding Forward, and that Tsunami Kick, while fast and very useful, is only inflicts damage and nothing else, this is in fact Kazuya's best move from the While Standing position BY FAR. While Kazuya's Twin Pistons have been weakened a bit in TTT since Tekken 2, they still remain a main part of his strategy, and are the fastest-executing Twin Pistons of all the Mishima family. And listen up: for all those people who say "I can just WGF instead of Twin Pistons!" are gonna learn the hard way - believe me, I was one of them. You're not going to have time to do the Crouch Dash before a character with fast jabs/low jabs like Julia/Michelle, Bruce/Bryan, Yoshi, or Xiaoyu will snuff you easily. And GOD HELP YOU if you think you can pull off the Demon Gut Punch as a substitute for Twin Pistons... Twin Pistons just plain KILLS Demon Gut in terms of usefulness. How, you say? If you're in close and you're getting pestered, say, by a masher Hwoarang or Baek, you can duck their d+4,4/3,3,3,4 and Twin Pistons them for a free juggle! You will most likely not have time to pull off a WGF and definitely not a DGP in such pressure (play a good Bryan or Bruce and you'll know what pressure is), and if you are trying to get off a quick jugglestarter, you should go for this! I mean, does DGP execute in 11 frames like Twin Piston? NO! It takes 16 frames, and that's enough for you to get snuffed when you would have hit them with Twin Pistons! IF it hits, sure, it'll do a big chunk of damage, but you're not gonna get a combo, because it's easy to escape the stun! And even worse, if you get the Demon Gut Punch blocked, you are going to get punished harshly. However... A blocked Twin Pistons = NO GUARANTEED RETALIATION. There is NO risk whatsoever: it has disgusting priority, combos guaranteed for an instant launch, and has almost no recovery time, so a blocked TP won't leave you vulnerable AT ALL. The only hitch is when the first hit is blocked - if your opponent has either a Mid/Punch Parry, Attack Reversal, Sway (qcb), or Bruce's d/b+4, they can reverse/parry/avoid/ counter the last hit. However, that's why should always buffer a Chicken on the second hit in case they have reversals. This is also guaranteed to work if you block a Mishima Hell Sweep or Low Parry a kick - they will be displaced for 23 frames on the low-block stagger, and 16 frames on the Low Parry - ample time to get the WS+1. DGP won't be fast enough. Tsunami Kicks will work, but won't give you a free juggle like TP does. Just make sure you're close. It also works well when you're ducking and near the opponent, as they will be expecting a WS move and may stand to block it. Surprise them by standing and throwing them, or cutting low with Hell Sweeps. And if they choose to be idiots and continue to duck, let loose with the Twin Pistons. Now, what if they are the pitbull type that likes to stay in your face? You can always test the waters by sticking out a d+1 or d+3. Quite possibly the best setup is your simple d+1. If it's blocked, you'll be ok, if it hits, you'll poke them out of any attack they throw out. Either way, even if they block, do WS+1,2 to keep up the pressure. This will even work well in your Okizeme... if you feel they will stick out the Mid Kick, you can bust out Twin Pistons prematurely and hit them, sending them back to the floor once again. As a jugglestarter, this isn't bad at all - it is VERY fast, is an instant combo and launch (plus it launches higher than Jin's), does pretty good damage, hits Mid for both hits, has very fast recovery, and can start some good combos, as it launches almost as high as a WGF. However, you cannot set up Tag combos with this, as it will not knock them high up enough for your partner to come in and continue the combo, and this will also not launch the big guys like the Jacks, Ganryu, and True Ogre - it will only imbalance them, but hitting with a standing 1 or 2 will knock them slightly into the air for a short juggle (chase after them with 1, 1, f+2/WGF for decent damage), even though they can prevent juggles by tapping f quickly. Even better, this can be worked into your Crouch Dash/Wavedash strategy by inputting f,N,d,d/f, then tap b or d/b. By tapping b or d/b at the end, it cancels the CD and puts Kazuya in a While Standing position - train them to eat the TP by going for a couple of Hell Sweeps and getting them to block low. After they've gotten hit a few times, go into the Crouch Dash and see if they block low or not. If they don't, do Hell Sweep again, and if they do, pull out the TP and slam them with a combo (I suggest WS+1,2, 1,2, d/f+4,4 for style points, or a simple WS+1,2, 4 for simplicity and damage). The CD/WD cancel to Twin Pistons alone makes Kazuya one of the most powerful characters in the game. Every advanced player I've talked to says that this move is possibly the evilest technique in the game when abused. As an even better way of setting this up, you can use the instant WS attacks trick mentioned in jjt and KOFTEKKEN's awesome Advanced TTT Techniques FAQ. To do this, input d~d/b,N, or d~d/f,N (d~d/b,N is easier and works better), and the attack you wish to use (1,2 for TP, 2 for DGP, 4~4 for Tsunami Kicks). You will pull off the WS attack almost instantly, making it look as if you pulled the WS attack from a standing position! This is extremely effective when placed in your Custom Strings (thanks ILuvMomo!) like so: d/f+1, d+1, WS+4, d+3, WS+4, d~d/b+1,2. After this confusing, constant string of attacks that go mid/special mid/mid/low/mid, after the WS+4, they'll be expecting another low attack after seeing the mini-crouch of the instant WS, and BAM, pull out the instant Twin Pistons and they'll think twice about foolishly blocking low again. This works with any WS attack, but IMO much better with Twin Pistons, as one hit = guaranteed juggle. Now, what are the weaknesses of this move? Well, there aren't many - they aren't quite "weaknesses", but more like built-in restrictions. The Twin Pistons is a POWERFUL move, and needs restrictions. I mean, would Namco give the Mishimas half-screen range for their WGF? Of course not, it's powerful enough at mid-range and especially in-close. And the Twin Pistons are no exception... which addresses the first setback - the range of Kazuya's Twin Pistons is pathetic. While there is forward movement in the move, it isn't all that far (unlike Devil/Angel's and Hei's), so you need to be pretty close to connect with this. The second is that unlike Devil/Angel and Heihachi's versions, Kazuya's Twin Pistons require proper setups to connect with it, as it comes out of a While Standing position and therefore can be seen coming pretty easily when used out in the open. Devil/Angel (ESPECIALLY them) and Heihachi can do the Twin Pistons instantly without crouching or signalling (which is why IMHO an expert Devil/Angel is probably the most frustrating Mishima to fight against) the attack. Third, expert players who have eaten/blocked a lot of Twin Pistons will try to reverse the second hit when they get sick of getting pecked. In the case of reversals, simply buffer a Chicken into the second uppercut (done with f+2+4) to teach them. Then again, since this comes out so fast, almost no one reverses this, but keep your Chicken at ready against those Reversal-capable characters. No matter what your feelings are about this move, it is bar none one of Kazuya's most important attacks, and not using it will make your WS game (as well as your Kazuya game overall) suffer greatly. Trust me, I know, after having all those DGPs missed/blocked/countered and getting WGF/Deathfist-ed out of my shoes =^). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Demon Gut Punch WS+2 *** I had to get to it sometime. WHY did Namco do this to poor ol' Kazuya? I mean, this is Kazuya's trademark attack that set him apart from the Mishimas, and now it has more escapes than Houdini. It's been confirmed (many thanks Rev and 7ronko, as well as bluu for confirming it) that, in fact, you CAN escape ANY of the DGP stuns (Counter-Hit or Clean Hit) by simply holding Forward OR by Tagging out (Counter-Hit included, unlike how I previously thought). While they may be vulnerable if they Tag out, they can always cancel the Tag run-in with u/b~b and be safe from almost anything. Well, in my book, combining that weakness with the lengthened start time, lengthened recovery time, and weaker damage potential since Tekken 2, this move has been knocked WAY down my "usefulness" chart. The fact alone that you can escape the stun at ANYTIME regardless makes this WAAAAAAYYYY less useful than it was in Tekken 2 during good competition - along the lines of "nearly useless in high-level play" in TTT. Sure, if you catch a scrub or intermediate player (and I mean those players and only them, not anyone that has decent knowledge of TTT) with a CH/CL Demon Gut Punch, then it's GAME OVER for them, no question about it, but any good/expert player that knows how to escape stuns is gonna make Kazuya's life rough if you rely on stun combos (although the damage from the DGP itself is EXCELLENT) and stun combos only. But, not to take everything away from it, this attack comes out at ok speed, does INSANE damage on Clean/Counter-Hit (55 points on CH+CL and 46 on CL!), hits Mid, and will catch the opponent in an evil Double-Over Stun with a Counter-Hit, and a Fall Back Stun on Clean Hit. However, it can be reversed if they see it coming, so you need to buffer a Chicken (with f+2+4), so they'll get smacked in return. This is also decent to use for some damage potential by smacking an opponent recovering from a low attack (you won't get a stun though) like a Stagger Kick, Dragon Tail, or Snake Edge, and it can be set-up fairly well on beginners and intermediates with a d+3. For reasons I cannot guess, just about EVERYONE attacks you right away if they eat a d+3! The recovery time, while not huge, is rather significant (13 frames), so beware when fighting opponents like Law, Lee, Bruce, Xiaoyu, and the Changs (characters with fast attacks/pokes). Now, what are the options Kazuya has off of a CH/CL Demon Gut Punch? Well, the easiest and most damaging option would be a Thunder Godfist to Spinning Mid Kick - this combo does an absurd amount of damage with only three hits. You could also do a FAST Wind Godfist to launch them into a 40-50% juggle combo (the timing, while nowhere near as hard as a Jin CH b,F+2, EWGF, is still kinda tough), or you can even throw out a Lightning Godfist after a CH stun for an easier, damaging combo. But like my esteemed colleague ILuvMomo said in his respective FAQ (and I quote)... "BIG F***IN' DEAL!" I know, "What damaging moves does he have other than DGP from WS?" Well, you have Twin Pistons, one of the best moves in the game. Use that, man! Not only does it juggle, it executes in 11 frames, has HIGH priority, almost instant recovery, combos twice guaranteed from the WS+1, and has so many setups it's not even funny. Sure beats the hell out of a stun hit that can be escaped any time, executes in 16 frames, recovers in 13 frames (as opposed to the 6 it takes for TP, which prevents ALL retaliation), and comes out so predictably that it's near impossible to hit with it on a good opinion. Added to that is that the DGP is SOOOOO easy to see coming, since it doesn't come out the fastest AND needs to come out of a WS position. I mean, if you need to trick them into getting hit with _Twin Pistons_ (one of the fastest, safest moves in the game) for Christ sake, do you really have a chance in getting THIS flawed attack to connect in anything resembling SKILLED play? Not unless you're God (or Jang Ik-Soo). Almost all of that good stuff I wrote is pretty much WORTHLESS if they know how to escape the stun, and it isn't hard at all (it's got a 20- frame escape window, unlike Bryan's CH WS+3 and Paul's CH QCF+1). If you are the type that throws out this move constantly... you are a dumbass moron, to put it bluntly. To be fair, though, hitting with the DGP itself does insane damage, and at times, the shock of being CH Demon Gut Punched will usually have the opponent forget to escape, allowing you to murder them with one combo. I'm just saying that don't expect this to work on anyone who's fluent with TTT's game engine and not have them escape. Be patient, unpredictable, and use your brain when employing it, and the rewards will be VERY good... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Tsunami Kick WS+4~4_d/f+4,4 ***** By far one of Kazuya's best kick attacks (outside of the Hell Sweeps), the Tsunami Kick is the perfect weapon for aggressive players, Custom Strings, Kazuya's Okizeme game, and for turtlers, simply because it has INSANE priority, good damage, very fast speed, two guaranteed hits, and almost instant recovery. Not only that, it can be done from three different sources: from a While Standing position, from the normal ready position, and even from Kazuya's Crouch Dashes. All you need to do when executing it from the Crouch Dash is tap 4,4. However, be sure you don't hold D/F when you Crouch Dash, or you'll get the Hell Sweeps instead. It is best done from the standing position, as is will cleanly counter or hit pretty much any attack thrown at the same time. It will also smack rolling opponents twice and put them on the floor, making for a mean Okizeme game Game trick to employ. It's really simple - as soon as you see them twitch, you can stick out this and it will hit them. The speed and priority are THAT high. Put this attack in all of Kazuya's Custom Strings because it's mad speed will keep them pinned- down for as long as Kazuya wishes, afraid to stick out an attack. As a neat (though worthless) trick, Kazuya can actually delay inbetween the two hits by 5 frames, like Heihachi, where it looks like the Front Kick comes out, then a quick pause, and the axe kick comes out. It is also an easy, quick, stylish juggle finisher to employ if you don't yet have those TGFs and WGFs down... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Left Splits Kick f,f+3 ** While Jin and Heihachi's versions have uses, Kazuya's (and Devil's too) pretty much sucks. I mean, Jin can at least go into a 3-Ring Circus to juggle 'em up for a combo (if it hits), and Heihachi's recovery time is ridiculously short, allowing him to recover and start setups for crazy combos with his awesome Twin Pistons and WGF. Kazuya's is identical to Jin's, except he practically has nothing in terms of floats (you can get a simple Hell Sweep hit off though), and this attack also has a significant 19-frame lag-time, a slight though vulnerable recovery time, and is easily reversed, so you're better off leaving this one alone. If you want to know, it can be executed from Kazuya's Crouch Dash by going into the Dash, and tapping f+3. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Right Splits Kick f+4 **** This has been beefed-up massively since Tekken 2. While it comes out rather slow at 19 frames, has slightly short range, and is bait for an Attack Reversal, it still has quite a bit of priority, the block stun it incurs an 11-frame advantage, and on normal hit gives Kazuya an 8-frame advantage. While nothing is guaranteed to hit, the advantage is definitely in Kazuya's favor. Since Kazuya has such a staggering frame advantage, you can press the advantage with the Gut Punch, Wind Godfist, and Hell Sweeps to form a powerful mixup. If they try anything other than block or reverse, they'll get CHed for huge damage opportunities. On Counter-Hit, it immediately floors them into an SLD position, which allows for a guaranteed Hell Sweep (and b+1+4 on fatties if they don't roll to the side), or allows you to flow into an Okizeme game. From watching Castel's Kazuya Combo Arts Act 2, I've discovered that a Right Splits Kick done on a crouching opponent will stun them just long enough for you to get in a GUARANTEED Wind Godfist and phat combo! Now, before, I originally thought that the timing was insane, but after practicing a few times over and over (and hitting the WGF execution faster), I was able to nail it 100%. The only hitch is that it's quite unlikely you'll catch them while they're crouching unless they're taking a nap, and even if it does, they'll usually throw something out and get CHed to the floor. But if it DOES happen, by all means go for a sick combo. But keep in mind the slow 19-frame execution of the move, and use it at a sensible range where the opponent will be forced to block it. Few players know about the advantages of using this move, and fewer Kazuya players use it properly, but when used sparingly and wisely, it can be quite dominating. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Demon Scissors 4~3_u/f+4~3 ** The once-penultimate ground attack of the Mishimas is not quite as good as it used to be, due to the fact that guaranteed ground hits are pretty much non-existent in TTT due to the additions of Tech Rolls and more wake-up options. This can even be reversed by Attack Reversals and Mid Parries (King can NOT Reverse with his Kick Attack Reversal!). However, unlike Heihachi's and ESPECIALLY Jin's (my God, his comes out in 37 frames!) this is still actually an effective move in situations. First, it will cut through almost all of Eddy's sweeps and spins and send him to the ground. Second, lots of scrubs when knocked down have little clue on how to Tech Roll, and will eat this attack regardless. Third, Kazuya and the other Mishimas (the Ogres cannot) can actually execute the Demon Scissors one frame faster by tapping u/f+4~3. Normally, Kazuya pauses, then does the attack, but tapping u/f before the 4~3 makes it come out without the delay. So, if they foolishly try to wake- up with an out-of-range Low/Mid Kick, do the Demon Scissor to slam them. Finally (and this pertains only to Kazuya and Devil), and most usefully, it will also connect as a guaranteed hit after a combo following a CH Wind Godfist in certain special occasions... more to come on that in the Combos section... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Roundhouse u_u/f+4 * This attack starts off the Triple Spin Kick, an attack that all Mishima scrubs love to use. However, the Roundhouse is a pretty slow 25 frames, hits High (meaning it is easily ducked), and has low priority, so it is always best to go into the Triple Spin Kick, although that isn't all that much better. If you're going to use this against a player with a reversal (not a Parry), buffer a Chicken into it. = Triple Spin Kick 4,4,4 ** The overabused scrub attack for the Mishimas (a.k.a. the Cheese Wheel), Kazuya lands from the Roundhouse into two Hell Sweep sweeps, finishing with a Mid-hitting kick. As a plus, Kazuya's version of the Triple Spin Kick is better than Jin's, because if the second hit connects, the third and fourth are guaranteed, unlike Jin's, where if the second hit, the third would floor the opponent immediately, preventing the Mid kick from hitting. However, it is still not that great. Not only is it easy to block, it also falls prey to the new low block stagger (which leaves Kazuya at a whopping -26 frame disadvantage), allowing HUGE retaliation attempts, such a rival Mishima (except Jin... but he has WS+2) getting a guaranteed Twin Pistons/WGF and a massive juggle. Any of the two low sweeps can be easily Low Parried, and the final Mid kick is easily reversed, so it is best to just leave this alone. The only truly safe use is after a CH+CL Gut Punch or Glorious Demon Fist for an easy-damage combo. As a plus, if the Mid kick is actually blocked, Kaz is relatively safe from retaliation, although they will usually make Kaz stagger long before that, and if he does, it's hurtin' time... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Gut Punch d/f+2 ***** A new move for Kazuya in Tekken (it has replaced his old d/f+2 Uppercut) - it is basically a standing version of his Demon Gut Punch, except it only stuns on Counter-Hit AND Clean Hit, inflicts Crumple Fall Stun, not Double-Over Stun, executes two frames faster, and recovers one frame slower (which amounts to 14 frames), but only if blocked at its outer range: if it's blocked close, it inflicts enough block stun to leave Kazuya safe from attack. On Clean Hit and Counter-Hit, I'm telling you... this thing does INSANE damage. And finally, it's been discovered (thanks to ILuvMomo and Kazuya Kazama for this!) that a Wind Godfist IS GUARANTEED FOR A FULL LAUNCH AFTER A CH+CL GUT PUNCH! Yes, it's true, you can WGF them and launch for a combo! However, it's kind of offset that the timing IS FREAKING INSANE to pull this off! You need to execute the WGF as fast as humanly possible for it to launch. And that fastest-possible speed is 13 frames. One frame faster, and it's gonna knock them down. No joke. To quote ILuvMomo, you have _exactly_ 13 goddamn frames to hit with the WGF! So not only must it be done out of Mist Step Cancel, it is virtually impossible to do it from the degree of difficulty! I have yet to pull this off even on my PS2 (and I'd like to think I'm pretty good with a PS controller). So, even if a WGF does work, the insane timing still makes it not as useful in terms of stun combos. However, that doesn't mean much - THIS ATTACK IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO KAZUYA, COMBOS OR NOT. It is still LOADS better than the Demon Gut Punch - it comes out faster, hits Mid, the stun is totally inescapeable, it's a good finisher for a juggle combo (check out the Combo section), and there are still some very damaging follow-ups you can use (like a Lightning Uppercut and Triple Spin Kicks) when you do connect with it. Set this up by going for lots of low hits like Hell Sweeps and Stature Kicks, followed by a low jab (d+1), then a Front Kick (WS+4), and repeat. They'll get quite annoyed with your poking and most likely attack. It's also great to use when you have a significant frame advantage (after a blocked/hit f+4, d/b+4, or blocked WR_f,f,f+3 for example), since the Gut Punch is quite fast and will always hit them if they counter attack. In either of those cases, send out d/f+2 and watch them get stunned! Like ILuvMomo said, you should use this in every situation you would use the Glorious Demon Fist, as they have the same stun (except the Gut Punch needs to be a Clean Hit and CH), but comes out MUCH faster. Opponent is constantly throwing out Paul's Deathfist? Block the first and do the Gut Punch as he rushes right into it with his second, then go for a power juggle. This attack is nearly perfect with its great damage, solid stun capability, and quick speed and decent recovery (when close enough). You should use A LOT more than the Demon Gut Punch in every case... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Entrails Smash d/f+1 *** A new move for Kazuya, and overall not the greatest, but it has a few uses. Kazuya punches the opponent in the kidney area with an Mid- hitting underhand body blow. It stuns slightly, although no follow-ups are guaranteed, but it does give Kaz the initiative and shifts them off- axis. A good strategy is to SSL once this hits. If they throw anything it will most likely whiff. Side throw! Or better yet, WGF and side combo. However, it comes out with a little lag and it has VERY short range, so you're better off using the Gut Punch instead of this. However, this is actually decent to use in your Custom Strings, as the recovery is almost instantaneous, so Kazuya recovers fast enough to resume offense with his pokes, like 1,2,4, 1,1, and his d+1. It is also a decent combo filler, since it comes out moderately fast and recovers instantly, so afterwards you can follow up with a jab to keep the combo going (found this out in Castel's second Kazuya vid), or simply end with d/f+4,4 for 53 easy points of damage. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Soul Thrust f+2 *** This is basically Kazuya's version of a Demon's Paw, albeit the slower execution and shorter range. Kazuya takes a stride forward and throws a slightly slow chest punch. It has much less range than the Demon's Paw, but it hits harder and smacks them away to the ground on Counter-Hit, although it will knock them too far away for Kazuya to follow-up with anything other than a Hell Sweep hit, and to make it worse, the slow speed makes it easy bait for an Attack Reversal - which is why you should always buffer a Chicken into it. However, it does a lot of damage and looks deceptively like a High attack, so anyone who tries to duck it will get a nasty surprise. The recovery is good due to big block stun it dishes out. It is good in situations (like when you block/avoid a slow-recovery move), and it is also a good juggle finisher (provided it's at least a Class 2), so like a lot of Kazuya's moves, it isn't great, but it is very useful, so if Tag combos aren't your thing (they should be though), and you don't like WGF as a juggle ender, use this (you should use WGF over this any day though). It blows 'em across the screen when you connect with it in mid-air! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Glorious Demon Fist f+1+2 *** This is another new Kazuya move, and boy does it hurt... although anyone stupid enough to see this coming and eat it should be smacked in the head. Kazuya lunges forward, crouching slightly, as he aims a slow, left-handed sidewind punch into their stomach, instantly stunning them with a Crumple Fall Stun regardless of hit type. Not only does this look hella-sick (which is why many players call it the "Assassin's Fist"), have a sweet name, and track SSers VERY well, it is oh so damaging - a Counter-Hit Glorious Demon Fist will take off 20% or more of their life! But... it's kind of a moot point because the move's power and stun combo follow-ups are kind of offset by the disgusting lag time (a whopping 20 frames), so half the time you're going to get poked out of this before it hits. However, the recovery (25 fucking frames!) isn't as big an issue as you'd think, because it pushes them FAR back if blocked, so Kazuya generally won't suffer serious damage even if blocked. I'm pretty sure those with Crouch Dashes can get in and hit you before you recover though, so be careful. Your best bet is to do this to interrupt, since the animation ducks under many attacks. You need to anticipate an attack and throw it out as they're doing their attack (or better yet, use it as they Tag in!), or they may recover and attack. However, the true beauty of this attack is its insane range. This is quite useful for hitting Tagging opponents due to the lunge, so if you time it just right and know they're gonna Tag, let loose and watch them get hit and murdered. The same goes for if they Tag in - they'll be hit before they can even cancel the run-in! You can also throw this into a juggle (against a big guy) for a powerful finisher, and it works even better after a stun from a Demon Gut Punch (although that will be rare...). After an opponent is stunned by the Glorious Demon Fist, Kazuya can follow up with more than a few options - your best bet is to do the Roundhouse to Triple Spin Kick (must be done with u+4, and not u/f+4) for sick, easy damage. For style, you can use Tsunami Kicks, Hell Sweeps, a Crouch Dash Front Kick (f,N,d,d/f+4) to scoop them up for a jab or two into a finisher, or even a Thunder Godfist or Lightning Screw Uppercut (on big characters) for unreal damage if you want it simple. Contrary to popular belief, the b+1+4 DOES work afterwards on normal-size characters, but the timing is so insane you're better off leaving it alone. And for those who like showing off, Kazuya can Tag after he recovers, allowing some characters to come in and land a combo guaranteed (i.e., f+1+2, 5, (Bruce) d/f+3, b+4,3,4). So like many of Kazuya's moves, it's not insanely powerful, but when used correctly, it can be very useful. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Stature Smash d/b+4 **** One of Kazuya's new moves, and one of his most useful, the Stature Smash is one of Kazuya's sneakiest attacks, and it thankfully hits Low, which is good since he lacks in Low attacks. Kazuya feints a mid/high-level kick, then cuts low for a kick to the shins. People are surprised and hit by this on an almost consistent basis. While it comes out slowly due to the built-in fake-out, if it is blocked, Kazuya is safe from retaliation (a minor 9-frame attack, which only allows 8-frame jab/low jabs to sneak in) and when you throw this out during your Custom Strings, mix it up with d+1, d/f+2, Tsunami Kicks, d+3, and the Stonehead when you KNOW they will block high. It's so easy to hit with this - you can do this by baiting them with quick High/Mid attacks like 1,1, d/f+4, and d/f+2, then cut low and hit them in the leg! The only real problem is if you're facing a good player that like to Low Parry your d/b+4, which in that case, you could mix-up after a couple of Stature Smashes and switch to a Mid hit like d/f+2 to dissuade them from throwing out a Low Parry, then switch back to d/b+4, etc. If it hits, Kazuya has a 7-frame advantage - enough for you to get an guaranteed throw, d/f+2, WGF, or d/f+4,4 if they do anything but block or reverse - but you must be quick. Speed is the key word here - if you're too slow, they may interrupt you if they have an 8-frame jab or use d+1. This attack is also vital to Kazuya's Okizeme game, as it will smack rolling opponents and put them back on the floor, afraid to move. Mix that up with his Hell Sweep, and you'll be able to keep them on the floor for a decent piece of the fight. Now, as Exar Kun said in his FAQ, there must be _something_ wrong with this move due to how it connects so often - well, not really. The only real drawback is the low damage and the slow start (20 frames). I wouldn't really agree with ILuvMomo and Chinky-Eye in saying that the risks outweigh the rewards - d/b+4 is one of Kazuya's few Low attacks, does decent damage (17 points, 25 on CH), has insane priority, a deceptive wind-up, and better yet, one of the few attacks he has that is relatively risk-free to throw out randomly. And a 7-frame advantage on hit is definitely not bad either. The only thing you should not do is over-abuse it. Also beware when fighting good players, as they may see the wind-up and Low Parry. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Leaping Side Kick f,f,f+3_WR+3 **** Everyone has this move, and Kazuya's is no different. As always, remember that this is easily telegraphed and blocked/reversed/parried, but hits Mid, does insane damage on hit, and gives Kazuya an insane 17 frames of advantage when blocked. That means mix-up time (with d/f+2, WGF, etc.)! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Thunder Godfist f,N,d,d/f+1 **** The classic, ultra-damaging, elemental Mishima uppercut of death is back to menace scrubs once again. A Clean Hit or Counter-Hit with a TGF will guarantee a loss of at least 25% of their energy, and if Kazuya is Netsued, you're gonna see 40% down the potty! Of course, power comes at a price, as anyone with half a brain will see the Crouch Dash, and block high, and to be even more crappy, it has pretty bad recovery time, too. The damage has also been toned-down quite a bit from Tekken 2, although it is still very powerful, and like back in Tekken 2, it won't combo off of anything less than a Class 1 Launcher or CH DGP because it comes out so slowly (three frames slower than Heihachi's) and doesn't hit as low to the ground as Hei's. So, why use this? Well, that's because it is the coolest, deadliest, most stylish juggle finisher/filler ever in Tekken! It will only connect after a Class 1 Launcher, against a big guy (and in certain cases Armor King) after a WGF, or a CH/CL Demon Gut Punch, however, due to its slower start (Hei's executes in 19 frames, as opposed to Kaz/Jin/Devil's 22 frames). A Thunder Godfist to Spinning Mid Kick after a Counter-Hit Demon Gut Punch alone does around 50% damage, and if you connect a TGF after a Tagged-out Class 1 launcher like Hwoarang's Sky Rocket or Kuma's f,f+2, you're gonna have your opponent growling for a while! Other than that, NEVER EVER use this out in the open, because you can get messed up bad if they block. It's not super slow-recovering - only 14 frames - but that's usually enough for them to stuff a jugglestarter down your throat. Only use this in a non- combo situation by going under a High or Mid attack to interrupt/hit them while recovering - if that happens, the Thunder Godfist will pimp them for a quarter of their life and leave a very nasty expression on their faces! Again, do NOT get this blocked - you will be punished quite harshly by good players. = Spinning Mid Kick = 3 **** No, do NOT think that this will come out fast enough to counter attacks after a blocked TGF, because the interim between the two hits is DAMN slow, and the recovery time if blocked is a slow 14 frames. It's main use is for an added hit after the TGF during a juggle or stun combo - in that case, it is excellent - ALWAYS go for it! Only useful in juggles. = Hell Sweep = 4 * Do not use this move. While it will connect in the combos described above, the damage it does is laughably poor, so screw this and use the Spinning Mid Kick. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Wind Godfist f,N,d,d/f+2 ***** = Tag = ~5 The Wind Godfist is the penultimate Tekken jugglestarter - it is one of the fastest moves in the game (it executes in 14 frames counting the Crouch Dash input), juggles to a perfect height for any of Kazuya's juggles (and Tag combos too!), has insane priority, does great damage, and can be delayed since it comes out of Kazuya's Crouch Dash, which lulls many opponents into letting their guard down, and BAM, there they go! However, in TTT, the Wind Godfists have been toned down in that they now hit Special Mid, which means that you can block the move standing or crouching. When combined with the toning-down of the Hell Sweep, Kazuya's Mid/Low evil Crouch Dash mixups from previous Tekkens have basically been killed, although Kazuya's Twin Pistons from CD are arguably more dangerous. It is also not as good as Heihachi's due to the much broader juggling options available to him, as well as the shorter horizontal range. And as I've recently discovered, Kazuya has the slowest-recovering Wind Godfist of all the Mishimas - Heihachi can get a free 1,1,2 if your WGF is blocked (only Hei, since his arms are so long), and of course, anything less than 10 frames will get through too. I've even heard rumors that Hei can get a Twin Pistons (13 frames) in there, but since no one has really confirmed this, it stands at 10 frames of block disadvantage. And as you most likely already know, in TTT, the Wind Godfists/Electric Wind Godfists of the Mishimas are now TOTALLY irreversible. The only exception is Jin (he must buffer in a ~5 after the input to make it into a Special Mid irreversible (E)WGF, and even then it's pretty unreliable). Yes, I didn't believe it myself until I tried it myself (and got some info from SauerKraut's TTT Notes and Castel's Reversal Charts), but it is true - not ONE Attack Reversal, special or otherwise, can reverse the WGF or EWGF, and it cannot be parried by a Mid Parry, special or otherwise, either! Also pointed out by my good friend bluu at the Zai, it's been confirmed that a blocked Mishima WGF from the edge of its range is TOTALLY SAFE and TOTALLY INVULNERABLE from ALL attacks - Julia/Michelle's 1, Kuma's f+1, Yoshi's d/f+4 and f,f+4, all of them - CANNOT hit Kazuya if the WGF is blocked - they will all whiff or come out too slowly, giving Kazuya time to block. Just remember that this is pertaining to a LONG range blocked WGF - in close, Kazuya will eat an 8- 10 frame attack if blocked. Don't let the Special Mid blocking setback fool you into thinking that the WGF is now weak - it's simply been altered to a way that makes the WGF a more useful tool for defensive players (and this was always the best strategy for the WGF anyways). All you need to do to hit with this consistently is hang back and wait for them to attack. If they whiff and/or get blocked, you get a free Wind Godfist and killer juggle. The Wind Godfist is the single best mistake-punisher in every Tekken if you know your juggles. And while Kazuya's WGF isn't the best of the bunch pound-for-pound, it is faster, a whole lot better than Jin's crappy WGF (and some may debate that Kaz's WGF is better than Jin's EWGF too), and Kazuya still has some power juggles up his sleeves that can do some real damage. And if Kazuya's juggles aren't enough for you, you can always Tag out and bring in a power juggler (Bruce, Jin, Hei, Bryan, etc.) to finish up for you, as the damage from their Tag juggles will do more than Kazuya can do on his own (and look a whole lot cooler to boot). A quick WGF is also guaranteed after a f+4 on crouching opponents (not fatties though) for HUGE damage. And of course, Kazuya's Wind Godfist is only deadlier when used in the infamous Mist Step Cancel, as it executes one frame faster and is a bit easier to do. While one measly little frame may not make much of a difference on paper, TRUST ME - if you can consistently do MS Cancel WGF, you will be getting LOTS more WGFs to connect than any of the other Mishimas. I've taken back my original opinions on the CH Wind Godfist. Truth is, it's actually a bit more beneficial in getting a CH WGF as opposed to waiting for a whiff, then doing WGF. Why? Well, the damage of a CH Wind Godfist is awesome (37 points), and the potential juggle damage exceeds that of the normal Wind Godfist juggles because of the unique properties of the Counter-Hit WGF. On Counter-Hit, the WGF flips them backwards in mid-air, to land in the SLD position. Now, to be honest, it's much harder to juggle proficiently following a CH WGF, but there's only a handful of juggles you should use in that situation to begin with. CH WGF, 4 is the simplest and does a disgusting 61 points of damage in two hits. CH WGF, WGF is almost identical, albeit harder to do. However, your best bet overall is to do CH WGF, 1, 1, WGF, u/f+4~3. If you land the second WGF at the right time (right before they land), the Demon Scissors is in fact GUARANTEED afterwards. You can always use three jabs, but the timing is a bitch (your dashing needs to be perfect), and it's only 5-6 points difference - you're better off with only two jabs. That little five-hit is about 80 points by itself - much much more than a non-CH WGF will get you. Some may disagree in saying that a CH WGF is better than a non-CH, but put it this way. Bottom line is: a Wind Godfist hits = BIG damage opportunity either way. I'm telling you now, it is absolutely IMPERATIVE that you master the use of this attack. It is by and far his best move, and the reason Kazuya is so dangerous. Wise use of it is why you'll win most of the time even against the toughest opponents. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Hell Sweeps f,N,d,D/F+4,4 ***** Unfortunately, Kazuya's Hell Sweeps, like the other Mishimas, have been toned down a bit in TTT. Now, Kazuya's Hell Sweeps do less damage, and it is further weakened by the new low-block stagger. And to put the final nail in the coffin, the Mid/Low mixup Crouch Dash games that were so effective with every Mishima (especially Kazuya) have been killed by the Wind Godfist's new Special Mid blocking position in conjunction with the aforementioned blocking setbacks of the Hell Sweep. However, despite all of these flaws, the Hell Sweep is still a powerful, hard-to- anticipate tool of Kazuya warfare. This is also due to the unique difference of Kazuya's Hell Sweeps from Heihachi's and Jin's. Unlike theirs (unless you input it f,N,d,D/F~4 for Jin), Kazuya's Hell Sweeps sweep them off of their feet regardless of Counter-Hit, but like Jin's it still requires a Clean Hit to sweep. If it hits on non-Clean Hit (about the edge of its range), it will unbalanced them, but not sweep. However, this is kind of offset by the fact that the Clean Hit range is MUCH larger than Jin's, so you can still sweep them off of their feet from what seems to be a non-Clean Hit range. The second hit, however, ALWAYS sweeps regardless of Counter-Hit or Clean Hit, and recovers much faster than if you stopped after one sweep. What this means is that Kazuya can actually do a combo off of the second sweep if that one is the sweep that hits! It acts kind of like Heihachi's Hell Sweep on CH - like Hei, Kazuya can float them with a Wind Godfist before they hit the ground, and follow-up with a d/f+4,4 for a TRUE combo. However, this is balanced by ease of blocking it. Kazuya's Hell Sweeps are the no-frills version, hitting twice Low - and that's it. No Mid kick, Tsunami Kick, or Thunder Godfist follow-ups. This makes it very easy for a player who's anticipating it to block Low and stagger Kazuya, leaving him open for a quick attack. So, you're probably asking "Why the hell do you say it's effective, then?" The reason is this - it is incredibly hard to see coming at times, especially when you've been pecking them with a continuous volley of Highs and Mids like d/f+4 and 1,1, and BAM, you pull out the Hell Sweep and put them on the ground. And yes, I did say the CD mixups are dead - with the Wind Godfist and Hell Sweeps, it is. But that's why Kazuya can cancel into WS attacks from the CD, and mix-up with Hell Sweeps and Twin Pistons. And that one mix-up is the main reason Kazuya is so powerful at high-level. It isn't the hardest mix-up in the world - when they duck, use Twin Pistons - when they stand to block, use Hell Sweeps. If the Twin Pistons are blocked, you're perfectly safe. The Hell Sweep should not even get blocked, since if they duck you automatically switch to Twin Pistons. The command is pretty tough though, and will take you practice. There are several ways to do it, which will be explained below. Either way, once you master mixing up with Hell Sweeps and Twin Pistons, your Kazuya is one to be feared. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Mist Step f,N ***** The Mist Step is a special Sidestep that Kazuya possesses (Lee has it too, but he has no moves from it, and he only does a Crouch Dash-type move, and no Sidestep). It is basically an extra Sidestep for Kazuya that he had back in Tekken 2 (when no-one had a Sidestep-type move except for Kazuya, Heihachi, Baek, Michelle, etc.). Kazuya, however, has an extra-special feature built into the Mist Step - by simply tapping d/f, he can go into an automatic Crouch Dash that moves and comes out faster than the normal one! From the Mist Step Crouch Dash, Kazuya can go into the Thunder Godfist, Wind Godfist, and Hell Sweep. On an even frame number, Kazuya Sidesteps to the left with the Mist Step - on an odd frame number, he goes to the right. The Mist Step is VITAL to playing Kazuya to his fullest. Not only is it easier to pull off his Crouch Dash attacks with the Mist Step, they come out more deceptively than the normal versions and are more evasive due to the built-in sidestep. Not only that, but by just doing the Mist Step without the Crouch Dash (tap f,N), you can do any of Kazuya's normal attacks, such as the Flash Punch Combo, Twin Fang Stature Smash, and other attacks with no hitch. From the Crouch Dash, Kazuya can pull off the Tsunami Kick by simply tapping 4,4, and if you delay the CD to the end, Kazuya can do any While Standing move - the Tsunami Kick and Twin Pistons come to mind (or you can always cancel the CD into WS if you're good). This makes it very easy to simply slip under all attacks and deal them a big juggle or stun combo. All attacks from the Mist Step Crouch Dash are identical to the normal ones, so strategies are found on the individual move analysis. And finally, you have the most feared part of Kazuya's Mist Step (many, many thanks to the good Reverend C. for this info) - the Mist Step Cancel. It's been around since Tekken 2 as I've recently discovered (and tested), but not widespread knowledge until Rev brought it up. This works with all the Mist Step CD moves, but for obvious reasons, is much much more effective with the WGF. When you go into the Mist Step and IMMEDIATELY tap D/F~2 (BEFORE he auto-sidesteps), you can pull out a WGF that is actually FASTER than a conventional EWGF, because the WGF cancels the auto-SS that is built-in to the Mist Step. What does this mean in the long run? Well, when done naturally, a Wind Godfist takes at least 14-15 frames total to execute, because every point in the f,N,d,d/f motion counts for one frame, equalling 4 frames of CD input, then tapping 2 for the WGF, and adding 11 frames, bringing it to 15 frames total (it can be shortened by tapping d/f and 2 simultaneously, making both the d/f and 2 count for one frame input and bringing it to 14 frames total). HOWEVER, by using the Mist Step Cancel, this means that by inputting it f,N~D/F~2 saves one frame of the execution by skipping the d part of the motion, and overall comes out at 13 frames, faster than a Mishima (E)WGF done at fastest possible speed! As of late, I've been using this EXTENSIVELY, with much success in match play. It comes out faster than an EWGF guaranteed, and it will start juggles better and faster than anything else Kazuya has, so fling away! And not only is 13 frames the fastest, it is also REQUIRED in order to launch after a CH+CL Gut Punch. Anything slower will knock them down. And remember, Mist Step Cancel also works extremely well with the Hell Sweep due to its stealthy speed and Low-hitting range. I've found out a trick from the Mist Step of my own - during or after the animation of the auto-sidestep, Kazuya can tap F to get an automatic, buffered-in dash. From that, Kazuya can pull off his Left Splits Kick, his Strings, and the Stonehead. If you don't feel like using the MS Cancel (DON'T BE STUPID), this is another decent mix-up opportunity from the Mist Step, and by using this I've landed quite a few Stonehead throws lately =^). I still suggest you use the MS Cancel more than this... ************ UNBLOCKABLES ************ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Lightning Godfist b+1+4 **** While it is still a slow 43 frames to execution, the Lightning Godfist is by far a very useful Unblockable. It comes out very fast for an Unblockable, and it will evade almost every High attack and even some Mids, deals a great 40 points of damage, and is the best follow-up from a d/f+2 stun (and even f+1+2). It still is slow, though, when compared to most non-Unblockables, and it can be easily reversed, so don't misuse it or you'll pay for it. This can connect after Class 1 Tag Launchers as well for good damage. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Name Command Rating ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Lightning Screw Godfist B+1+4 * While this attack does tremendous damage, it is so damn slow that anyone seeing it will sidestep, counterattack, Attack Reverse, or Parry it easily. However, it isn't TOTALLY useless, as just like the Lightning Godfist, it will evade lots of High attacks and a few Mids as well (and hit Tagging-in opponents unless they attack/cancel the run-in), so if they are stupid enough to throw out a jab or a high power hit like a Mach Breaker, this will rip off about 60% of their life. The only guaranteed Lightning Screw Godfist you can get is after a Glorious Demon Fist or after a P-Jack SS+1/Angel SS+2 on a big character. ======================================================================= 11. Combos ############################################################ ======================================================================= As you all know, Kazuya is a Mishima. The name Mishima goes hand-in- hand with crushing combos in every Tekken, and Kazuya is no exception (more or less). While he lacks the finesse and damage of Jin and Heihachi, he still possesses some very powerful combos that can decimate an opponent's energy by half when employed right. However, unlike Heihachi, and to a lesser extent, Jin, Kazuya is primarily a Mishima that relies a little more on stun combos instead of juggles to win. Kazuya lacks a varying amount of jugglestarters, unlike Jin and Heihachi. He relys on starting combos with his Wind Godfist, Gut Punch, and Twin Pistons, and his juggle combos are moderately powerful and simple. His stun combos are also arguably the most powerful in the game. (Note: The rating I give a move pertains to how effective it is for combos, not as a move overall) ************** JUGGLESTARTERS ************** 1.) Wind Godfist Command: f,N,d,d/f+2_f,N,d/f+2 Damage: 25 Height: Sm Class 2 Rating: ***** As you all should know, the Wind Godfist is the ultimate jugglestarter in every Tekken. Its range, speed, good damage, priority, and ease of execution (from the Mist Step especially), and irreversibility make it the perfect tool for a pitbull Kazuya that lives on getting out his juggles. While it can be blocked Low now, the guard stun it incurs is enough to offset any retaliation attempts. It will set up any Tag juggle perfectly and will also override almost any High/Mid attack thrown at the same time. Remember though, that a CH Wind Godfist will juggle them in a different manner (they flip backwards to land on their stomach and face) and that there are less options after it. Your best bet after a CH Wind Godfist is to finish with a standing 4, WGF, or 1, 1, WGF, u/f+4~3 (just make sure to hit that second WGF as low as possible). 2.) Twin Pistons Command: WS+1,2 Damage: 12,15 Height: m,m Class 2 Rating: ***** This is an excellent launcher for normal juggles, but it does not work as a Tag Launcher simply because they land before your partner can come in and finish the combo. Remember this is used at different times than the WGF. The Twin Pistons are used in-close, when they are in your face and you need a jugglestarter that won't put you at risk by doing a complicated motion like a Crouch Dash or Mist Step that would get snuffed by a jab. In the case of in-close fighting, the Twin Pistons is one of the best moves in the game. It has INSANE priority, extreme speed (the WS+1 executes in 11 frames), great rewards if unblocked, comes out of nowhere, and has extremely short recovery time. If you by any chance don't have Kazuya's Crouch Dash down to a science (which you need to know before you can get any good), this is the next best thing to use. The only hitch is that you need to be close to get both hits guaranteed. As a definite plus, the recovery is extremely short. Very effective, and one of Kazuya's top three attacks. ******************* STUN-COMBO STARTERS ******************* 1.) Demon Gut Punch Command: WS+2 Damage: 25 (37 on Clean Hit) Height: m Stun Type: Fall Over Stun (on Clean Hit), Double-Over Stun (on Clean and Counter-Hit) Rating: **** One the most feared moves of Kazuya (IF IT IS NOT ESCAPED), although it bites comapred to the Tekken 2 version. As said before, if the opponent gets hit with a Counter-Hit DGP and does not escape, they will most likely lose at least 50% due to the huge combo that will inevitable follow, and if you happen to be fighting Wang or another character with bad stamina, may very well kill them. The options Kazuya has after a DGP are almost limitless... for style and originality, you can do f+1+2, d/f+4,4 when fighting large characters. If you're one of those crazy Kazuya jugglers, you can do a fast WGF to pop them up for a disgusting juggle, or you can really pack on the damage by Tagging out of the WGF and continuing the combo if you have a partner like Bruce or Jin. And, if you want, in the words of Jason "Isiah" Cole, phat damage and quick wins, you can go for the Thunder Godfist to Spinning Mid Kick to drain up to 60% of their energy on a weak opponent, go into a delayed u+4,4,4,4 (make sure the u+4 misses) for an extremely easy and powerful combo, or use the Lightning Godfist to get almost equal damage but less style points. A Lightning Screw Godfist is also guaranteed on large characters. My advice: pray that they suck and hope they don't escape the stun. 2.) Gut Punch Command: d/f+2 Damage: 21 Height: m Stun Type: Crumple Fall Stun (on Counter-Hit) Rating: ***** This is extremely similar to Kazuya's DGP, albeit better. While this comes out faster, does nearly identical damage, looks identical, and is slightly easier to do and MUCH easier to set up, it is not as effective in terms of stun combos, because there are less options than if you hit with the DGP, and recovers one frame slower than the DGP if done too far away. However, I'd trade the larger options, damage, and escapability for similar follow-ups, high potential damage, and an inescapeable stun like with the regular Gut Punch. And like the DGP, if you are fast (and I mean FAST, as in 13 fucking frames!), you can land a Wind Godfist for a full launch and combo after a CH+CL Gut Punch! Outside of that, there is a decent list of follow-ups available afterwards, but if you don't have the insane timing to pull the WGF (and I totally understand), do yourself a favor and do the b+1+4, as it's guaranteed, looks cool and does a lot of damage, or use u+4,4,4,4 for simplicity and damage. It is a very effective juggle finisher by the way... 3.) Glorious Demon Fist Command: f+1+2 Damage: 26 Height: m Stun Type: Crumple Fall Stun Rating: *** While again, this is REALLY slow, it has insane power, and when put into play against the big guys, Kazuya simply DEMOLISHES them with the supa stank combos he can pull afterwards (Glorious Demon Fist + Lightning Screw Godfist = pEaCe OuT)! Just be careful when you use this, as it has tremendous recovery time and can be easily punished by a long-range power hit like a Deathfist, Mach Breaker, Konvict Kick, and countless others. Don't overabuse this, and the reward can be VERY high. ******************* STANDARD COMBO ARTS ******************* Starters Wind Godfist: f,N,d,d/f+2 Twin Pistons: WS+1,2 Class 2 Tag 1, 1, f,N,d,D/F+4,4 1, 1, 1, 1,(1),2 1, 1, d+1, WS+2 1, 1, 1, 1,2 1, 2, WGF 1, 1, 1, 1,2,4 1, 2, d/f+4,4 1, 1, 1, f+2 1, 2, f,N,d,D/F+4 1, 1, 1, d/f+2 1, 1,2, WGF 1, 1, 1, d/f+4,4 1, 1,2, d/f+1 1, 1, 1, 4 1, 1,2, d/f+2 1, 1, 1, d/b+4 1, 1,2, d/f+4,4 1, 1, 1, 1, WGF 1, 1,2, d/b+4 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,(2),4 big 1, 1,2, f,N,d,D/F+4 WGF, WGF 1, 1,2, 1,2,4 WGF, d/f+4,4 1, 1,2, 1,(1),2 WGF, 1,(2),4 1,2, f,N,d,D/F+4,4 WGF, 1,1,2 1,2, 1, d/f+1 WGF, d/f+2 1,2, 1, d/f+4 d/f+4, WGF 1,2, 1, d/b+4 d/f+4, d/f+2 1,2, 1, 4 d/f+4, 1, WGF 1,2, 1,1,2 d/f+4, 1,(2),4 1,2, 1,2, d/f+4 d/f+4, 1,(1),2 1, 1, 1, d/f+1 d/f+1, 1, f+2 d/f+1, 1,(2),4 d/f+1, d/f+4,4 ********************** COUNTER-HIT COMBO ARTS ********************** Starters Wind Godfist: f,N,d,d/f+2 1,2, d/f+4,4 1, 1, 1,1,2 1,2, f,N,d,D/F+4,4 1, 1, 1,2,2 1,2, WGF 1, 1, 4 1,2, d/f+2 1, 1, 1, 1,2 1,2,4 1, 1, 1, d/b+4 1, 1,2, d/f+4,4 1, 1, 1, d/f+4,4 1, 1,2, d/f+2 1, 1, 1, WGF 1, 1,2, f,N,d,D/F+4 1, 1, 1, 1, d/f+4 1, 1, f,N,d,D/F+4,4 1, 1, 1, 1, d/f+2 4 (cheap and easy) Gut Punch: d/f+2 f+1+2 big d/f+4,4 d+1, WS+4,4 f,N,d,D/F+4,4 d+1, cc, 1, d/f+4 u+(4),4,4,4 d+1, cc, 1, d/f+2 TGF,3 big d+1, cc, 1, WGF TGF,4 big late WGF FAST WGF, any Standard Combo d/f+2 d/f+1, d/f+4,4 Demon Gut Punch: WS+2 f+1+2 big 1,2, 1,1,2 WGF, any Standard Combo 1,2, 1,2, d/f+4 1, 1, f,N,d,D/F+4,4 1, 1, 1, d/f+1 1, 1, d+1, WS+2 1, 1, 1, 1,(1),2 1, 1,2, WGF 1, 1, 1, 1,2 1, 1,2, d/f+1 1, 1, 1, 1,(2),4 1, 1,2, d/f+2 1, 1, 1, f+2 1, 1,2, d/f+4,4 1, 1, 1, d/f+2 1, 1,2, d/b+4 1, 1, 1, d/f+4,4 1, 1,2, f,N,d,D/F+4 1, 1, 1, 4 1, 1,2, 1,2,4 1, 1, 1, d/b+4 1, 1,2, 1,(1),2 1, 1, 1, 1, WGF 1,2, f,N,d,D/F+4,4 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,(2),4 big 1,2, 1, d/f+1 TGF,3 1,2, 1, d/f+4 TGF,4 1,2, 1, d/b+4 b+1+4 1,2, 1, 4 4 (REALLY easy and REALLY cheap) iWS+1,2, any Standard Combo Glorious Demon Fist: f+1+2 d+1, WS+2 big 4~3 f+1+2 big f,N,d,d/f,f+4, 1, 1, d/f+2 WGF f,N,d,d/f,f+4, 1, 1, WGF TGF,3 big f,N,d,d/f,f+4, 1, 1, d/f+4,4 TGF,4 big f,N,d,d/f,f+4, 1, 1, d/b+4 u+(4),4,4,4 f,N,d,d/f,f+4, 1, 1, f+2 f,N,d,D/F+4,4 f,N,d,d/f,f+4, 1, f,N,d,d/f,f+4, d/f+4 b+1+4 big d/f+4,4 B+1+4 big ********************** CLASS 1 TAG COMBO ARTS ********************** Starter Class 1 Tag WGF, BT 4 U/F+4, 1, 1,2, 1,(1),2 f,f+3, BT 4 U/F+4, 1,2, f,N,d,D/F+4,4 f+1+2 U/F+4, 1,2, 1, d/f+1 f+1+2, d/f+4,4 f+1+2, WGF big TGF, 1, f+2 U/F+4, 1,2, 1, d/f+4 TGF, 1, d/f+2 U/F+4, 1,2, 1, d/b+4 TGF, 1, WGF U/F+4, 1,2, 1, 4 TGF, d/f+4,4 U/F+4, 1,2, 1,1,2 TGF,3 U/F+4, 1, 1, d/f+1 TGF,4 U/F+4, 1, 1, 1,(1),2 TGF,3, d/f+4,4 big U/F+4, 1, 1, 1,2 TGF, BT 4 big U/F+4, 1, 1, 1,2,4 U/F+4, 1, 1,2, WGF U/F+4, 1, 1, f+2 U/F+4, 1, 1,2, d/f+1 U/F+4, 1, 1, d/f+2 U/F+4, 1, 1,2, d/f+2 U/F+4, 1, 1, d/f+4,4 U/F+4, 1, 1,2, d/f+4,4 U/F+4, 1, 1, 4 U/F+4, 1, 1,2, d/b+4 U/F+4, 1, 1, d/b+4 U/F+4, 1, 1,2, f,N,d,D/F+4 U/F+4, 1, 1, 1, WGF U/F+4, 1, 1,2, 1,2,4 ********************** CLASS 4 TAG COMBO ARTS ********************** Starter Class 4 Tag u/f+4~3 f,N,d,D/F+4,4 ******************* MY FAVORITE JUGGLES ******************* 1.) WS+1,2, 1,2, d/f+4,4 Twin Pistons, Left Right Combo, Tsunami Kick A quick, easy juggle for the aspiring Kazuya player that doesn't have those mad reflexes needed to pull TGFs and the like as juggle finishers. 2.) f,N,d,d/f+2, 4 Wind Godfist, Standing Right Kick The WGF can be a regular or Counter-Hit (looks cooler IMHO on CH =^). EXTREME damage for two hits, but lacks skill and is really just a quick juggle to use if you're losing badly and need a comeback. Don't use this combo repeatedly, though, or you'll get some trash talk. 3.) f,N,d,d/f+2, f,N,d,d/f+2, d/f+4,4 Wind Godfist, Wind Godfist, Tsunami Kicks This is probably Kazuya's most damaging combo from the Wind Godfist, and it's also pretty easy to do. It does about 60 points of damage by itself, and absolutely INSANE damage if preceeded by a CH WS+2 or f+4 on crouching opponents. Use this all the time! 4.) f,N,d,d/f+2, d/f+1, d/f+4,4 This is Kazuya's other bread and butter juggle from the WGF. It does around 53 damage (a lot more when preceeded by a CH WS+2 or f+4 on crouching opponents) and is a lot easier than Combo # 3, so if you don't feel up to doing two WGFs, use this. 5.) CH WS+2, f,N,d,d/f+1,3 CH Demon Gut Punch, Thunder Godfist to Spinning Mid Kick The bread and butter, mega-damage Kazuya combo is back and almost as good as before. This is easy to do, works 100% when done fast, and destroys about half of their energy in three hits. Overall, it should be a combo used OFTEN by Kazuya, whenever possible, although getting off the Demon Gut Punch is another story ^_^. While you can substitute the Hell Sweep ender for the Spinning Mid Kick, it doesn't do as much damage and looks rather weak itself... 6.) CH WS+2, b+1+4 CH Demon Gut Punch, Lightning Godfist A nice little bread-and-butter combo off the Demon Gut Punch. You should only use this if you can't pull off the Thunder Godfist, as that combined with the Spinning Mid Kick does more damage. You can always use the standing 4 to really tear them a new one (about 80 points of damage in two hits!). 7.) f,N,d,d/f+2, f,N,d,d/f+1,3 Wind Godfist, Thunder Godfist to Spinning Mid Kick You can only do this combo on the bigger guys: the Jacks, Kuma/Panda, Ganryu, and the Ogres. It also works on Armor King, but it's really iffy and whiffs often. Does quite a lot of damage, too (about 40% everytime). You must pull the TGF quickly though or they will Tech Roll. It would be cool if you could pull this on anyone, but since it executes at 22 frames (and because Kazuya has no EWGF to pop them higher or recover quicker from) and doesn't start out as low as Hei's, it's pretty much impossible. Makes you wish Kazuya had a 19-frame TGF like Heihachi. It's kinda weird too, since a WGF, 1, TGF combo was guaranteed on everyone in Tekken 1 and 2 with every Mishima. 8.) f,N,d,d/f+2, f,N,d,d/f+2, f,N,d,d/f+2 Wind Godfist, Wind Godfist, Wind Godfist This is arguably the hardest combo in the game, although it is slightly easier to do than in Tekken 3. Heihachi and Jin can do it too, and easier since they have easily-recognized, conventional EWGFs (although they can do 3xWGF too). The timing is all in the second WGF - if you're REALLY fast with it, you will have a little slop to pull the WGF easy. If you were slow with the second one, you'll need to do a DWGF (explained later) to pick them off the ground with it. It is of course much easier to do this on the big guys. You could try using it with the Mist Step Cancel, although it seems to be a little harder to learn at first. If you can do this at will or at least once per match, your Kazuya is most likely never going to lose, to be bluntly honest =^). 9.) f,N,d,d/f+2, 1, 1, 1, 1, f,N,d,D/F,2 Wind Godfist, Standing Jab, Standing Jab, Standing Jab, Standing Jab, Wind Godfist Cool, and pretty hard (I think it's much easier in Tekken 3). You must have mad dashing skillz for this one inbetween the jabs, and delay the WGF until the end of the Crouch Dash to pick them off the floor by like an inch =^). You also need to do the jabs like f,F+1, and not f,f+1, as doing it like f,F+1 saves three frames of the recovery, allowing you to dash after the jabs to continue. If you're having trouble with the four jabs, use three for equal damage and style points. 10.) f+1+2, f,N,d,d/f,f+4, 1, f,N,d,d/f,f+4, d/f+4 Glorious Demon Fist, Crouch Dash to Front Kick, Standing Jab, Crouch Dash to Front Kick, Front Kick Very sweet-looking, although it will be hard landing the Glorious Demon Fist! Make sure you Crouch Dash in as close as possible before scooping them off the ground with the Front Kick. After that, remember to dash then jab with f,F, not f,f (saves three frames of recovery on the jabs), CD into another Front Kick, then d/f+4 will be easy. 11.) CH f,N,d,d/f+2, 1, 1, 1, f,N,d,d/f+2, u/f+4~3 CH Wind Godfist, Standing Jab, Standing Jab, Standing Jab, Wind Godfist, Demon Scissors HOLY HELL, this one is phat! I got this from the Castel's Kazuya Combo Act 2 movie, and the Demon Scissors is, in fact, 100% GUARANTEED! You must hit with the second WGF AS CLOSE TO THE GROUND AS POSSIBLE for the SLD Tech Roll to be nullified, and you MUST tap u/f+4~3, and not 4~3, as fast as possible, to have it combo in. I know, I know, there are a lot of peeps that don't believe it works, but it IS GUARANTEED if done right. I find it easier and more reliable when only two jabs are used... besides, the damage difference isn't too much. Practice! 12.) f+1+2, B+1+4 Glorious Demon Fist, Lightning Screw Godfist OWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! Only works on the big guys. If they get hit with this, you can say "Goodbye!" to 60-70% of their energy! 13.) CH d/f+2, f,N,d,d/f+2, f,N,d,d/f+2, f,N,d,d/f,f+4,4 CH Gut Punch, Wind Godfist, Wind Godfist, Tsunami Kicks The timing for this one is quite literally INSANE. You have EXACTLY 13 frames to hit with the WGF, or it will simply knock them down with no combo. That means you need to have the most beeznaughty timing skillz on this planet to land this! Thanks to Kazuya Kazama for this one. On anyone less than a big guy, the second hit of the Tsunami Kicks will whiff, but if it does hit... 101-105 points of damage! 14.) (On crouching opponents) f+4, f,N,d,d/f+2, d/f+1, d/f+4,4 Right Splits Kick, Wind Godfist, Entrails Smash, Tsunami Kicks It's not quite as hard as I once thought. You just need to be fast after the f+4. The rest is easy, and will rip out quite an assload of damage. *********************** MY FAVORITE TAG JUGGLES *********************** (Note: The cool thing about Tag Combos is that being hit with one inflicts unrecoverable damage. Huzzah!) 1.) (Yoshimitsu) 4~3~5, (Kazuya) f,N,d,d/f+1,3, d/f+4,4 (Yoshimitsu) Kangaroo Kick to Tag, (Kazuya) Thunder Godfist to Spinning Mid Kick, Tsunami Kick Just insane. Super mad damage... in the immortal words of Martin Lawrence in "Blue Streak", "Belie' dat!" Hard, though. When you Tag in, you must back up a bit, then do the TGF to Spinning Mid Kick, or cancel the run-in with the Mist Step (which makes landing the TGF a lot easier). You can only do this on the big guys, though. For smaller guys, a simple TGF, d/f+4,4 does more than enough damage. 2.) (Kazuya) CH WS+2, f,N,d,d/f+2~5, (Bruce) 3, b+4,3,4 (Kazuya) CH Demon Gut Punch, Wind Godfist to Tag, (Bruce) Turn Kick, Triple Knee Combo The hated, dreaded, Kazuya/Bruce Tag Juggle of Destruction. This combo does so much damage it is plain scary. If Bruce is on Netsu when he comes in, this combo will LITERALLY kill them if you hit with it unless they're a sturdy guy like Devil, the Jacks, or the Ogres. Without Netsu, it drop kicks about 110-120 points of their energy into the great beyond. You have to be fast with the WGF, and you need to be fast after Bruce's standing 3 to pick them up with the Cheese Knees. The 3 an be substituted with a lot of moves... 2, b+3, d/f+3, f+4, pretty much any quick-recovering move, since the Cheese Knees have INSANE range and will pick them up from what seems like an impossible distance. If you happen to have Bruce on your team and don't use this, you're just plain stupid! The only real problem is landing the DGP and them not escaping the stun ^_^, although it will do insane damage with or without the DGP. Let the cheesiness ensue! 3.) (Lee) d,d/b+4~5, (Kazuya) f,N,d,d/f+2 (opponent flips over), BK+4 (Lee) Blazing Kick to Tag, (Kazuya) Wind Godfist, Back-Turned Standing Right Kick Another VERY cool combo. LEE ROCKS!!! Even better when Lee and Kaz are both decked out in their pimp suits (Start for Lee, Kick for Kazuya), lol. You need to pull off the WGF so they flip over Kazuya, and have them land in Kazuya's BK+4... BTW, off the subject... don't you wish Namco kept the old Kick T2 Kazuya outfit in here? You know, the one with the white jacket & black Devil symbol, flyscreen shirt, jeans, and combat boots? That outfit kicked ass... erm, ha, let's go on... 4.) (Baek) f,N,d,d/f+3~5, (Kazuya) b+1+4 (Baek) Wing Blade to Tag, (Kazuya) Lightning Godfist Pretty cool to see and does quite a bit of damage, since the Wing Blade pops them up so damn high, and that the Lightning Godfist just HURTS. Actually, Kazuya can set up his Lightning Godfist by any Class 1 Launcher, but I didn't want to leave Baek out of my Tag combo list =^). Is Baek like Pepsi's Tekken spokesman or something? That really looks like the Pepsi symbol on the back of his jacket... 5.) (Kazuya) f+1+2, 5, (Heihachi) f,N,d,D/F+4,4,N,1, d+1 (Kazuya) Glorious Demon Fist, Tag, (Heihachi) Hell Sweep x 2 to Spinning Thunder Godfist, Hammer Fist Whoa. I'd never had known this would work until I saw Agent316's Mishima Unleashed video. But pull this off in a crowd, and you'll get MAD props, believe you me. The Glorious Demon Fist stuns them long enough for Heihachi to come in with his Hell Sweeps (you need to be extremely fast), but it also works fine (and easier) with a CH+CL d/f+2. Kinda compensates for their lack of a Netsu Power-Up of both guys... too bad they hate each other... =^( 6.) (Kazuya) f,N,d,d/f+2~5, (Julia) FC+2, FC,d/f+4,3, d/f+4,2 SS). You can choose to WGF them if they are a pitbull sort (King, Yoshimitsu, Anna, Nina, Xiaoyu, etc.), punish them for throwing out slow attacks (Jacks, Kuma/Panda, Ogres, etc.) by doing the Thunder Godfist to go under their attacks, or chase after them if they are turtling (Paul (sometimes), Law, Nina/Anna, Jin, King) and Hell Sweeping them when they go for a Mid Parry/Attack Reversal. And that's not counting the Crouch Dash cancel to WS moves, from which you can use Twin Pistons to mixup with the Hell Sweeps! Wait for them to throw out their main attack, and block it first. Chances are, if it pushed you back a bit, they'll go for it again to get more initiative (common with Paul and his Deathfist). This is when you sidestep, Mist Step/Crouch Dash, and smack them hard! ******* OKIZEME ******* Kazuya has a pretty good Okizeme game due to his powerful Crouch Dash attacks. All of them (Wind Godfist, Thunder Godfist, Hell Sweeps) will hit a rolling opponent for massive damage, and of course will floor them again, afraid to do anything but lie there. However, unlike Paul, Nina, Heihachi, Jin, the Ogres, and Xiaoyu, Kazuya cannot keep an opponent on the ground forever, as his attacks aren't powerful enough or fast enough to chase them all over the arena. However, there are plenty of options to choose from. Here are your main Okizeme attacks: f,N,d,D/F_f,N,D/F+4 f,N,d,d/f,f_WS_d/f+4,4 d/b+4 1,2,4 WS+1,2 d/f+2 f,N,d,d/f_f,N,d/f+2 f,N,d,d/f_f,N,d/f+1 u_u/f+4,4,4,4 d+3 d+1 u/f+4~3 These are all very straightforward and decent attacks for which to try and keep them grounded. Your overall best Okizeme attack is the Tsunami Kick, as it comes out extremely fast, will cut through their Low Kick/Mid Kick and Flying Cross Chops (in their early frames), will smack them twice for good damage if they twitch, and slam them back into the floor, petrified. It will also snuff out Spring Kicks, provided you use it EARLY in their animation - if you pull it too late, they'll smack you and you will instead be on the wrong side of a nasty Okizeme game. If you think they'll go for the Ankle Kick (d+3_4 if they have it), set them up by dashing in and out of the Ankle Kick range, and wait for them to throw it out. While the Ankle Kick has insane priority and will allow them to safely rise if it hits, whiffing it guarantees punishment, as they are completely vulnerable until they stand, allowing you to come in and WGF them out of their boots for a huge combo. If they try the old-school Low Kick, you can duck in front of them and move to d/f for the Low Parry, and follow up with a Twin Pistons for a juggle. The Mid Kick, however, is slightly tricker. If you block it or get hit at max range, they'll push you back enough to rise safely. Like with the Ankle Kick, you should dash in and out of Mid Kick range, let them whiff, and slam them with a vicious Mid hit or WGF if you want a combo to connect, or if you want to fake them out, duck right in front of them, and when you see them twitch for the Mid Kick, go for Twin Pistons! This will come out faster than the Mid Kick, hit twice guaranteed for a combo, and launch for a nasty juggle. For those that Tech Roll, it's a trickier issue. Tech Rolls can only be punished in their later frames as the first couple or frames are invulnerable in some way, and to make it worse, it rolls them to the side, so your Okizeme hit may need to track to hit. Remedy this by sidestepping in the direction that they Tech Roll, and greeting them with a power hit when they rise, 100% vulnerable to your Wind Godfist! If they like to roll forwards and backwards, not only can you tell that they are probably novices/intermediates, but they are open to a variety of Kazuya's attacks. If you want to keep it simple, you can use Tsunami Kicks or Stature Smash for tick damage, and if you want real damage from knockdowns, you can WGF/TGF them as they roll for some nice chunks of energy. If they are the type that waits on the ground for you to make the move (very dangerous players... watch out), you can fake them out by doing the Twin Fang Stature Smash. Since the first two hits are High- hitting jabs, they'll think you goofed, throw out a Low/Mid Kick to stuff you, and get smacked by the final low Stature Smash! Or if you wanna play it safe, wait them out and back up. If they decide to get up, resume the game. Other than that, Kazuya's Okizeme game is very basic, and should be kept simple. Don't go for Hell Sweeps and Thunder Godfists every time you see them move, or you may whiff and Kazuya will be left open. Stick to using fast, quick-recovery moves like Tsunami Kicks and Wind Godfist for your damage, and if they do get up, go back into your Custom Strings and confusion tactics to throw them back down and smack 'em around again with more vicious Okizeme games. ************** CUSTOM STRINGS ************** I'll be honest with you: I'm not too good at putting together Custom Strings and explaining all of the changing attack heights, discussing psychological mixups, etc. I simply use what works at the current situation, like if Jin is pestering me with his WGF and Laser Cannon/Scraper links, I stick out a low jab and see if he'll attack afterwards, if he does, I throw out Twin Pistons or DGP (only if I'm certain it will hit) and combo him. If he blocked it, I resume my defense. Besides, the other FAQ writers (especially ILuvMomo, check out his excellent FAQ) explained it pretty well in their respective FAQs, so I have nothing really new to add right now. On another note, it really is not good to obsess over Custom Strings - doing so will make you into a crappier player and to be honest, the only times a Custom String should be used is when you have a frame advantage. So heed the warning. ********** CHICKENING ********** Against those that are happy for Attack Reversals, you will need to learn how to Chicken their Reversals. Attack Reversals can be an extremely deadly aspect of a character's arsenal when mastered, and if you can successfully take that away from them, they will be crippled. For those that don't know, a Chicken is when you reverse and Attack Reversal by pulling your grabbed limb away and attacking with your opposite limb (so if you had a Left Punch reversed, you'd smack them with a Right knee): when you perform one, the announcer says "Chicken!" (officially, it's called an Attack Reversal Reversal, but I could care less about the official names... for God's sake, they call the Demon Gut Punch a Demon God Fist! WTF?). For instance, let's say that Nina does her f,f+3, which Wang reverses via his Attack Reversal. Wang grabs Nina's leg, but Nina pulls her leg back and punches Wang with her right. That is a Chicken in action. How do you Chicken? Well, it depends on which button you pressed for your attack that got reversed. If you used 2 or 4, you Chicken by pressing f+2+4 when they reverse, and if you used 1 or 3, you Chicken with f+1+3. However, there are some moves where Kazuya uses two buttons: his Ultimate Tackle, Demon Scissors, Glorious Demon Fist, High Pounce, Lighting Godfist, and Lightning Screw Godfist. With these attacks, you must know which limb Kazuya used for the attack that was reversed. For example, Kazuya's Glorious Demon Fist (f+1+2) has Kazuya punch with his left hand. Therefore, you must Chicken with f+1+3. Beware, as there are some Attack Reversals that cannot be Chickened and are final once you are reversed. These are: King's Kick Attack Reversal, Law's Fake Step Punch Reversal, and Wang's Attack Reversal(you cannot Chicken left-based Punches once Wang has reversed it). As for Parries of any type, they are final: they cannot be Chickened at all. Now, be aware that you simply cannot Chicken once you see your attack being reversed - 90% of all players do not have the reflexes. To remedy this, you must "buffer a Chicken". By inputting the appropriate Chicken command, you have placed the Chicken command into the game's short-term memory, so if they DO reverse, the Chicken will come out and automatically reverse their Attack Reversal attempt. What are the attacks that Kazuya should buffer a Chicken for? They are usually the staple attacks that you use on a consistent basis, or perhaps they are slow attacks that are MEANT to be bait for a Chicken. An exception to the rule are non-reversible attacks: Kazuya's only non- reversible/parriable attack is the Wind Godfist. Here they are: -- Commonly-Reversed Moves -- WS+2 WS+1,2 (second hit) f,N,d,d/f+1_f,N,d/f+1 f+2 f+4 f,f+3 f,f,f_WR+3 d/f+1 d/f+2 u_u/f+4,4,4,4 (first and last hits) -- Bait For Chickens -- f+1+2 f,N,d,d/f_f,N,D/F+1 f,f,f_WR+3 f+2 f+4 f,f+3 u_u/f+4,4,4,4 (first and last hits) WS+2 d/f+2 Not included in the lists are Kazuya's Strings. For his Tenstrings, Tenstring #1 has common reversal points at the 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, and 10th hits, Tenstring #2 has common reversal points at the 5th, 6th, 9th, and 10th hits, and his Ninestring has common reversal points at the 5th, 9th, and 10th hits. *********************** COUNTERING/INTERRUPTING *********************** This is the jackpot with Kazuya, as Rev put so well in his FAQ. Kazuya thrives on Counter-Hits because he has SOOOO many moves that cause BIG damage/combo opportunities on CH and Clean Hit. Of course, you're all thinking "Yep, can you say Demon Gut Punch?". If so, get that though out of your head (unless you're playing scrubs/beginners). Kazuya has a much better interrupting tool: the almighty Wind Godfist. And unlike his Demon Gut Punch and Twin Pistons (to a much lesser extent than DGP), which must be properly timed and set up carefully, the WGF doesn't even need any complicated setups due to its simpleness of use. Its insane speed will catch just about any attack if it whiffs (short of a jab), and even if they do stick out an attack, chances are that 80% of their attacks will get smashed by the Wind Godfist and its insane priority. The only attacks that have a real chance against a WGF are low jabs and a Chang f,f+1, and they must be thrown ahead of time to smack them as they come in with the WGF. However, you can easily remedy this by simply hanging back to let them attack. If you're fighting guys like Bruce, Julia, and Ling, this is a good idea, as their insanely-fast pokes (i.e., Bruce's 2,4_d+4 mixups, Julia's deadly jab games and f,f+1, Ling's 1,2, WS+2, etc.) will keep Kazuya out and pressured if he's in their face trying to get WGFs. However, sitting back and letting them whiff makes it a bunch easier. Try to accomplish this by keeping them out with simple stuff like d+1, d/f+4,4, f+2, and d/f+1 - quick attacks with very little recovery time and excellent spacing. Once you've gotten them back to about Range 2, they'll start to let loose with their longer-range big guns, doing attacks that can get them back in your face, such as Julia's d~D/F+1<2, Paul's Deathfist, Bryan's QCF mixups, Nina/Anna's u/f+4,3,4, and King's 1+2,1. This is where you pull out the WGF once you've pushed them back and Counter-Hit their asses into the sky! Sure, it sounds disgustingly simple in terms of strategy, but it really is just as easy as it sounds. The WGF is so fast and powerful, it will override almost anything they stick out. If you're more into getting a Counter-Hit with your Demon Gut Punch, it's a LOT tougher. Since it executes so slowly and is easily seen coming, you're probably never going to land it on a good player without them escaping. However, beginners and intermediates are another story. Perhaps the best setup for the DGP against those types is a simple d+1 or d+3. No move in the Tekken series infuriates players as much as getting nicked with this for some odd reason. They almost ALWAYS attack afterwards! If you are SURE that they will throw out a slower attack in response (or you know they suck), go ahead and throw out the Demon Gut Punch, then rock them with a massive combo to teach them "UH-UH!" Beyond that, for a more advanced strategy, you can use this in your Custom Strings with the Instant WS technique. Like I said with the Twin Piston, you can throw out a lot of Mid hits, but instead of attacking continuously, you should pause inbetween the hits to see what your opponent will do. If they choose to block still, continue the pattern, and if they decide to attack, throw out the Demon Gut Punch prematurely: they'll see the mini-crouch of the d~d/f and throw a Mid out to teach you not to crouch... but then, your bigass fist will slam into their stomach, and the look on their face will be priceless. =^Þ If you want to use the Twin Pistons, it will apply for all of the DGP strats, but only better, because of the faster speed and recovery. Why don't I do a section on Twin Piston, you're asking? It's not that I'm lazy, I'm just efficient (lol). If there is demand, I will do an individual section, but the strat I listed for DGP will work just fine. Another move that works well with Counter-Hits is the Gut Punch. Not only does it come out faster than the Demon Gut Punch, it does more damage on Clean and Counter-Hit and is done from a standing position, unlike the DGP. What's better, there are also several combos that you can do off of a CL+CH Gut Punch that can rack up some mean damage, especially if you have the insane timing to pull off the Wind Godfist for a launch. And since it comes out from standing, it's a whole lot easier to time and use than the DGP. Since it has great priority, it is a nice deterrent to those who like to throw out random power hits like the Deathfist and Bad Habit inbetween their pokes in order to get a Counter-Hit of their own. Block their first attempt and see what they do. If you think they will throw it out again, do the Gut Punch prematurely and watch them run into it. Tack on a b+1+4 afterwards to teach them their error. The best use for the d/f+2 is to throw it when you have a frame advantage - a blocked/connected f+4, a blocked WR_f,f,f+3, a connected d/b+4, etc., since anything they do after will be clipped unless they block/reverse. And whatever you do, don't get this blocked from farther away, because the recovery is horrible. If it's blocked in-close, the block stun it creates leaves Kazuya safe. That's all the strat I could think of for now. Any other suggestions can be e-mailed to me or sent via Zaibatsu Forum. ======================================================================= 13. Versus Fights ##################################################### ======================================================================= As you know, Tekken is all about competition. You're gonna run into some good comp out there, and some bad. But to win, you need to know how to beat the character they are using. Face it, not everyone is gonna pick Kazuya (lol), so here's some tricks of the trade in beating the characters that you'll inevitably fight. Alex/Roger Difficulty: Easy Alex/Roger are, in my opinion, some of the weakest characters in the game. Although I wouldn't put them at Tier 4, they are definitely mid/lower Tier 3 at best. They can't really juggle that well, their moves do little damage, and although they have most of King's staple attacks, they possess no Muliti-Throws, have slow power hits, absolutely pathetic punching range, and limited Okizeme tactics. However, they DO have a few tricks up their sleeves that can put the hurting on you. The first is their f,N,1. When blocked, it gives them a staggering +41 frame advantage, which guarantees at least 50 points of damage from their POWERFUL Animal Godfist, although they have other follow-ups that do less damage. Second, they have a decent Sidestepping game because of their SS+4, which comes out FAST, hits Low, and can start a quickie float combo. The good thing is, the recovery of a blocked SS+4 is quite horrible, so you know what to do. Third, they have a VERY good Hop Kick which is exactly like King/Armor King's, so beware of that - one Hop Kick and it's a 1, f,N,d,d/f+1 for you. In a fight with Alex/Roger, you're most likely going to see the Frankensteiner (d/f+3+4) come out a lot. Since it does so much damage, can't be escaped once grabbed, and can be Tagged out of for a free hit (if they tried to block it), this is one of Alex/Roger's most important attacks. However, there's a big flaw of this move - you can simply block low and recieve no damage, and Alex/Roger will be grounded and open to a quick Okizeme hit. Block their Stagger Kicks and respond with a DGP or Wind Godfist, and SS their Konvict Kick and go into your Crouch Dash attacks. If they throw out the f,N,1 (which is telegraphed by their "Popeye" wind-up), duck and slam them with a Twin Pistons juggle or DGP. Past that, you should have no trouble smashing their cuddly asses. Anna Williams Difficulty: Hard Ouch. Ever since Nina has been toned-down SOOOOO much since Tekken 3, Anna has become the Queen of the Williams sisters. She is by far the most improved character in Tekken Tag since Tekken 3, and in the right hands is one of hardest characters in the game. She has the QCF+1, which juggles on CH and comes out in 13 frames, her u/f+1,3 which can combo-in a guaranteed f+1+2 on normal AND CH, even more poking tools to use like d+1,N+4 and d+4,1, an Attack Reversal, a Mid Parry from her FC,f+2, a useful Unblockable (d+1+2), a few of Law's Somersault Kicks, as well as a nasty Okizeme game like Nina's. However, she isn't quite as good in the Multi's department as Nina is (not that it matters anyways). She also doesn't really have much she can do about Kazuya's WGF, as it cannot be reversed or parried, and comes out a good deal faster than her own power hits. The main thing you need to do is stay away from her. If you try to fight in-close, you'll get a sorry ass- whooping. Her main poking attacks are her d+1,N+4, d+4,1, and u/f+1,3, which all set up her u/f+1+2 throw pretty easily. Be careful about that - u/f+1+2 executes in 11 frames, requires a 1+2 escape, and can be Tagged out of. They can Tech Roll the throw, but if they do, a Tag Flying Cross Chop is almost guaranteed - the only way it can be escaped is by Tagging out as fast as possible. And don't forget about that QCF+1, which comes out at a DAMN fast 13 frames, ducks under High attacks, and juggles on CH. The main problem with that is that it hits High, and therefore is NOT the best choice for experts. Most will agree that u/f+1,3 is her best move. Like Nina, Anna MUST be in-close to win, as her attacks have pathetic range, and her pressure games are only going to work if you're in close. Keep her out with WGFs, Twin Pistons, d+1, and your 1,1/1,2,4_d/f+2 mixups, then when you're far enough away to see her stuff coming, send a WGF up her nose. Armor King Difficulty: Hard Armor King, when played correctly, is one of the best characters in the game. He has the Palm Upper, which hits Special Mid, executes almost as fast as your WGF, juggles, and has only 8 frames of disadvantage when blocked. He has a powerful Crouch Dash game, as his attacks from the CD are pretty fast, have a lot of priority, and hurt like a bitch. He has a whole bunch of throws that hurt quite a bit, and his poking game is also very good with his FAST d+1,N+2 and 2,1. He also has the d/b+4, which is a quick Low hit that can floor you for his powerful Okizeme game with d/b+4 and his quick People's Elbow (borrowed from The Rock, of course). AK also has the WS+1 Elbow Knife, which inflicts Fall-Over Stun on a normal hit, allowing Armor King to do a quick float combo, and on CH turns them into the BK position, where AK gets a free Palm Upper or back throw and MAD damage. AK has also been given a ground throw in TTT, and while not as good as King's, it is still useful and can lead into an extremely dirty trick that only works in the arcades: the Armor King Handcuffs, with which AK repeats an inescapeable d/b+1+3_2+4 (without the punches) on an SLD/FCD opponent (doing no damage), which leaves them stunned enough to repeat the throw forever until the time runs out. And the worst part is that AK's Shadow Lariat (f,N,d,d/f+1) sets this trick up perfectly. However, his Crouch Dash game is not quite as good as yours or any of the Mishimas, simply because he lacks a low attack from the Crouch Dash to stick in there. The only constant danger from his Crouch Dash is the Palm Upper and Shadow Rising Knee, as his new multi (which comes out of the Crouch Dash) executes at a very slow 30 frames, and his Shadow Lariat hits High, meaning it can be ducked and punished by a Twin Piston or DGP. You should never take that move head-on, because the priority is nuts and will smash you in the mouth HARD. It's also a risk to block it, as he'll recover a whole lot faster than you and can choose to follow up with another Lariat, or Shadow Rising Knee if you duck. His juggles also aren't the most damaging ones, although that is made up for by his extremely powerful jugglestarters, like the Palm Upper and his excellent Hop Kick. Also beware of his b+3, which comes out very fast and has loads of priority: it will probably be AK's most used counterattack outside of the Palm Upper. What you want to do is get in and pressure Armor King. While AK fights well on offense, he isn't the best on defense because he lacks a Parry or Attack Reversal of any kind (except the universal Low Parry), unlike King, but be aware that he can defend when needed. His d+1,N+2 and standing jabs are all 8-frame attacks and have insane priority, so it'll be a bitch getting in. If you block the Palm Upper, low jab and start your Twin Pistons setups. He can't do much about your WGF, and his power attacks come out slow enough for you to interrupt with WGF or Hell Sweeps. A hard match indeed. Baek Doo San Difficulty: Medium Although most Baek players are mashing fools or Tenstring-happy idiots, I've seen (and fought) some extremely good Baek players that mix up his kick strings, Sidestep like maniacs, and use his deadly Flamingo Stance Cancels to their extent. Added to that is that he possesses a Class 1 Launcher from a Crouch Dash, a whole bunch of new punch attacks to help round him out, a d/f+2 Uppercut that doesn't require CH to launch, and his extremely fast Flashing Halbred (3+4_u/f+3+4), which hits twice, does 24 points of damage, connects easily in combos, and sends the opponent across the floor if it hits, allowing a guaranteed run-in f,f+4. He also has that cheap f,N,d,d/f+3, d/b+3+4 combo which does INSANE damage with only two hits (I'm not sure if the Unblockable tracks them if they Tech Roll). And did I mention his Sidestep game is just insane? Most Baek players will b+3, SSR, b+1, which will wrap around any opponent in no time flat and hit them in the back. If he SSRs, he can cancel to b+2, which has a mini-SSR built-in to it. However, he STILL lacks punch attacks, and most of his kick strings hit High, which is prime time to unleash a Demon Gut Punch or Twin Pistons on them, or you can back up and WGF him in the middle of his strings to show him the error of his ways. However, the one attack to watch out for is his Albatross (d/f+4,4,3_WS+4,4,3). This is Baek's best move by FAR. It leaves him safe if blocked, the hits can be delayed for a huge amount of time, can be executed from a Crouch Dash, executes in 13 frames, is totally guaranteed from WS/CD... it's practically screaming "Abuse me!". Since this attack flows seamlessly from his Crouch Dash, you need to be ready at all times to block when Baek has a chance to execute it. Just beware of his d/f+2 (and moreso his f,N,d,d/f+3, although it's so damn slow anyways) as it will guarantee you some MAJOR hang time from his multiple 1,2,3~f's... Bruce Irvin Difficulty: Hard What can I say? Bruce is simply one of the top characters in the game. While his arsenal is kinda limited, and he can't really beat down the Mishimas and Changs whenever he wants, he just about reigns over everyone else right after those guys. Why? Because he has an extremely powerful jugglestarting string (3,2,1) that comes out fast, has high priority, it totally safe on block, does an assload od damage itself, and combos if the first hit is a CH (or if the second hit connects at all)... can we say "ABUSE ABUSE ABUSE!"? And let's not forget he has the f,f+2, which hurts bad AND auto-reverses all High/Mid punch attacks (although you won't see it used too much), his ultra-annoying mixups from his 1,2 combos and 2,4_2,d+4, and his other, extremely-easy and damaging juggles that can be done from his excellent Hop Kick and his Double Facebreaker (d/f+1,2) which is like your Twin Pistons but only combos on CH, has only -2 disadvantage on block, and sets up a free U/F+4 to that dreaded three-hitter (explained below). He's also got the b+1, which comes out pretty stuns on CH for all sorts of nastiness to ensue, ducks under a few attacks if done right, and hurts. And Bruce's d/f+2 easily competes with Yoshi's... this launches EVERYONE. Yep, Gun Jack, Ganryu, TOgre, EVERYONE gets launched by that d/f+2. Not to mention it hits Mid and has little to no disadvantage if it's blocked! Bruce's jab game is also nasty... comes out in 8 frames, and a CH 1,2 gives him a +10 advantage - that equals a guaranteed f+2,f+4, and 65 easy points of ridiculous damage. But nooooo, that's not the half of it! Once he hits you with a 3,2,1 (or pretty much anything that launches), he's gonna go into that three- hit motherless bastard of a combo that everyone knows and hates - Triple Knee Combo! They're called the Cheese Knees for a reason, you know. When fighting Bruce, those three words are your DEATH. Yep, one b+4,3,4 after anything resembling a jugglestarter and 60% of your life is GONE GONE GONE with oh-so-minimal effort. Ok, so maybe I'm blowing it out of proportion, but seriously, is there anyone in the game that can equal that kind of unreal combo damage with such ease? Nope. No one I've ever played that I connect a CH 3,2,1, b+3, b+4,3,4 on has ever won easily against me. And let's not even get STARTED on landing two combos with that THING in it! This one move is why you'll rip your hair out fighting Bruce. He's the BFG 9000 of TTT (Doom reference). And he can always do that illogical b+4,3,4 in a Tag combo, and knock off lots of the red life! AND the range is HUGE! I swear, you can pick them off the ground from what seems to be four feet away and juggle their asses to oblivion! Fuck the Haha Step, _THIS_ is a goddamned game imbalance! All is not lost, however. First, Bruce's arsenal is pretty limited, as most of his power hits come out really slow, and they all track poorly, so a picking a good Sidestepper like Bob, Ling, or Michelle as your partner will give you a big advantage. Second, some of his attacks, such as the f,f+3, b,F+4, f,f+2, b,B+4, and d/f+3 have poor lag and recovery time, so punish any blocked attacks with your WGF and Twin Pistons. Also watch out for the 3,2,1. You don't really have anything that can go head-to-head with that since it has insane range, damage, speed, and priority, so wait it out until you block the third hit, then go offensive so he can't go into it again. He also has VERY few Low attacks, (like Bryan) so much of the time you can block his strings high and/or duck them (the Low-hitting b,B+4 guarantees a b+4,3,4 on CH though, so be careful...). Just beware of getting launched, although avoiding Bruce's sick jugglestarters is the bitchy part... Bryan Fury Difficulty: Hard Bryan is another character from Tekken 3 that hasn't recieved many new attacks, but the ones has has recieved have made him one of the top characters in TTT. First off, he has a new Punch Parry, which guarantees a free Mach Breaker off of a Left Punch parry, or a Stomach Hook off a Right Punch parry, which guarantees a f,f+4, d/f+3 combo for insane damage. Second, his WS game is by far the best in TTT, as he's got the WS+1 Left Uppercut, which is a Mid-hitting jugglestarter that comes out fast and tosses them extremely high (the tip of Class 2 jugglestarters), the WS+2, which leads into the Fisherman's Slam and a 50-60% juggle, and finally, the dreaded WS+3, which stuns on CH, has a TINY escape window, executes in 13 frames, has _INSANE_ priority, and can lead into a WS+1 combo. Not to mention that ALL of those can be executed from his QCF Rolling Dash, which ducks under all High attacks and lots of Mids. His Sidestepping game is also top-notch, with his fast SS+2 (loads of priority too) and his nasty SS+1_1~2 guessing game. He also has his nasty Chains Of Misery (FC,d/f,d,D/F+1+2), which does big damage, intimidates like no other throw, and can be mixed up with his WS game with his d+1 and is guaranteed after a CH WS+3 and after he Low Parries a kick (gotta be FAST!). He's also got the annoying 3,2,1,2_4 mixups, his slow-but-powerful d/f+3 Snake Edge which can start some powerful floats, and of course, the phat, fast, and dreaded Mach Breaker (f,f+2). Thankfully, he doesn't have Bruce's Cheese Knees, cuz if he did, boy would I bitch to Namco. However, he lacks BIGTIME in low hits. He's only got the d/f+3, which comes out SLOW and has a nasty block stagger recovery, and his little shin kick enders from his strings, which do pathetic damage. His Strings are also the worst in the whole game, as they can all be blocked High as there are no Low hits (doesn't mean too much as Strings are worthless at high-level play, but some Strings' first few hits are good for poking... which does not hold true for Bryan), and his Mach Breaker hits High, so you can either duck that and punish him with your WS+1,2, or you can Crouch Dash under it and WGF him out of his boots for a nasty combo. And as for his WS game, if he throws out the low jab, stand up and block. Sure, that may leave you open for the Chains Of Misery, but if that happens, tap 1+2 to escape, as its the only semi-guaranteed hit after the d+1 setup and if you're facing the typically-skilled Bryan, that's exactly what he's gonna go for. If not, you'll block any of the WS moves with no disadvantage to you, and 1/2 of the time you'll get a free hit after blocking them. If he continues to crouch and throws out a low hit like FC+3 or FC+4, just eat it. The small damage you will take is nothing in comparison to a Fisherman's Slam combo or Left Uppercut combo. Also beware of Bryan's Hands Of Doom/Wolf Bite mixups (b+2,1,2_4). If that first punch hits on CH or if the second hits at all, he can drop another Wolf Bite on you or something even worse (CH b+2,1, b+3,2,1, f,f+2 = OUCH OUCH OUCH!) and send 80% of your life down the toilet. However, remember that they hit High, and the last Mid kick ender is slow enough for you to stand and block, or jab/d+1 out of. Just don't try to take them head on - the priority is HIGH. He can also cancel the second punch with a Sidestep, so make sure you don't counterattack until his punch is recovering. Devil/Angel Difficulty: Medium/Hard Devil is by far the most underrated Mishima in Tekken, but a good Devil is a very frightening entity. Many place him in the 2nd Tier of characters (ah-hem... DayFul)... but then again, what the fuck do they know? Devil is no doubt right up there with the other Mishimas (and he IS better than the Changs). Everyone thinks he is nothing but a beginner's Kazuya and has nothing exclusive to him to make him stand out. Sure, the scrubs always throw out his lame laser Unblockables, hoping to God they'll connect, but any good player sees juggle practice for those that do. Sure, he's kinda juggle-challenged compared to Jin and Heihachi (except maybe Kazuya), but he can hold his own with the power juggles that he has (when you factor in the SS+2, I'd say he's just as good or better than Kazuya at juggling). However, most would be surprised if they knew that the Korean masters call him cheap and ban him from tournaments. Why? Well, he's got the same Wind Godfist as Kazuya - which, suffice to say, is excellent and almost unstoppable(even if it can't be done from a Mist Step like Kazuya), although it seems to have less horizontal range than the other Mishimas. He also has an excellent Sidestepping game all because of his new move, the Devil Twister (SS+2). This is one of the best Class 1 Launchers in the whole game - it does HUGE damage, is simple to do, ducks High attacks during the wind-up, launches them HIGH HIGH HIGH into the air, can NOT be Tech Rolled upon landing, which pretty much guarantees a juggle, and finally, you can of course Tag out of it, and certain partners can Tag on their Unblockables guaranteed due to the flight trajectory! HOWEVER, to be honest, the move is pretty slow coming out, has horrible recovery, and is easily reversed, so the good Devil player will only throw it out when you've whiffed a slow move. But that's what makes the move deadly - it's a disgustingly-powerful mistake punisher. Even if his partner isn't the greatest at Tag juggles, Devil can do a simple TGF,3 or u+1+2 (flip), 1, WGF, 4~3 for sick damage. That's not it, however. He also has the horrific weapon that everyone knows and hates in Tekken - the dreaded, cheesy, overpowered Twin Pistons. And ironically, Devil, the most basic Mishima, has the best Twin Pistons in the whole game - it comes out of standing (d/f+1,2), executes in 13 frames, has more forward movement than Jin or Kazuya's, no recovery time on either hit (as opposed to Heihachi's), combos guaranteed from the d/f+1, starts juggles that can remove 25-30% health, has INSANE priority... in other words, it has 'ABUSE' written all over it. And a good Devil will do just that. This one move is why IMHO I think that an expert Devil is probably the hardest Mishima to fight against. This one move will literally stop everything you can throw at him, unless you can get a WGF out at god- like speeds to override him, get that d+1 out REAL early, or if you're partnered with Yoshi and use that b+1+4 or f,f+4 ^_^. My suggestion is to pick a partner with a Punch Parry or Mid Parry (Law, Bryan, Ganryu, Baek) and bring him out against Devil. Reverse his Twin Pistons attempts, and he will be crippled, pure and simple. However, chances are if you're fighting a Devil that uses Twin Pistons, you're fighting a good player (come on, when do you ever see a scrub or beginnner use Twin Pistons unless it's an accident? He probably fucked up doing his laser or something...), so hold back on using partners with normal Attack Reversals unless you know he cannot Chicken them. To get back to reality, though, Devil is pretty predictable. He has the least moves of anyone in the game and only really has the basic Mishima attacks with which to attack you - but that's also why he's so powerful. So again, your best bet is to pick a partner with a Mid Parry or Attack Reversal (Law is a good choice) and use your Mid Parry/Reversal to take away his Twin Pistons. Without it, Devil pretty much sucks, as he has little to fall back on except his Wind Godfist, SS+2, and Hell Sweeps... although they're hard enough to punish... Eddy Gordo/Tiger Jackson Difficulty: Easy Well, this is where your work is cut out for you. 99.9% of Eddy players are button-mashing idiot scrubs that know little about Tekken itself and only like the funny-looking animals and pretty pictures =^), so basically you can do the Roundhouse to Triple Spin Kick all day long and watch as they totally lose their composure. The Wind Godfist also snuffs pretty much everything Eddy can throw out. Eddy has huge delays inbetween his links, so you can use that normally-useless Demon Scissors to cut through his BS and smack him around. Your only real problem is if you're actually playing a GOOD Eddy player who uses his arsenal instead of just his 3~4. In that case, you had better watch out - these guys are some of the deadliest players you'll face in Tekken. However, Eddy still lacks a good arsenal of punch attacks (although the new b+2 is pretty good), and he STILL has quite a bit of recovery and lag time after his attacks, so you can pretty much throw out WGF after WGF and demolish him with no sweat. Forest Law Difficulty: Hard Forest was by far the best character in Tekken 3. When played correctly, he was unstoppable. However, he's been toned down quite a bit in TTT, but he's still deadly. His Fake Step no longer has as many combo options afterwards due to the changed properties of his 3,4 (the 3,4 will only combo on Counter-Hit now), his Dragon Storm (b+1,2,1) is weaker now in that the b+1 hits High, his b+2,3,4 is pretty useless by itself since it no longer combos even on CH, but since he's recieved so many new moves, it's almost made up for. His new WS+2 hurts like hell, launches very high and is easy to set-up, his Poison Arrow (f+2~1) does huge damage and more importantly can set up EXTREMELY DAMAGING Tag combos with certain partners (WATCH OUT FOR PAUL!), and his F+1+2 comes out quick, hurts a lot, gives him a +1 frame advantage on block, and causes a Master Counter-Hit (i.e., Bounce Juggle) on CH. And not to mention his combos are still very easy and extremely damaging, and you still have one of the best characters in the game in the right hands. However, once you recognize his patterns of Somersault Kicks, are careful in defending his b+1,2,1, always remember to Tag out of the stun from his Poison Arrow to avoid the nasty Tag combos, use the Low Parry after blocking his d/f+1 and b+2, Law doesn't have much he can use against you... on offense. On defense he's probably the best character in the game, due to his insane arsenal of parries... hell, he's got an un-Chickenable Punch Reversal (and it even reverses some of Yoshi's sword attacks!), Mid Parry, Low Parry, universal Low Parry, so he can deal with pretty much anyone's attacks. What you have to do is outsmart him and attack him where he isn't defending. Bait him by throwing out lots of High/Mid attacks (Gut Punch, Glorious Demon Fist), then when he's gotten into parrying your High/Mids, cut low and hit him with Hell Sweeps. Law's big problem is also that he's quite predictable. Most players have seen his BS a hundred million times before, and he doesn't really have any truly advanced tactics to use (i.e., Wavedash, Haha Step, Crazy Legs, etc.). Beware of his Low Dash (FC,d/f,d,d/f), because a good Law will mix-up the Dragon Slide with his WS+2 to punish the foolhardy. However, he also can't do anything about your Wind Godfist, so if he's one of those players that is Fake Step-happy, give him a WGF and watch him drop his jaw as you juggle away 40% of his energy. =^Þ Ganryu Difficulty: Medium Ganryu is a big surprise in Tekken Tag Tournament. He was probably the worst character outside of Kuma in Tekken 1 and 2. You think he's like as fast as a snail, but nothing could be farther than the truth. For a tub of lard, Ganryu is pretty damn quick, and has a lot of moves to handle just about any opponent. He has the Twin Walls (b+1+3_b+2+4), a Punch Parry that guarantees a 1+2 back throw and sizable damage, which could spell trouble for your Twin Pistons and 1,1,2 attempts. His 1+2_d+1+2 inflict guard stun, come out fast, do huge damage, and have little to no recovery, which translates to an abusable move from a distance. His crouching game is also top-notch due to his Sit stance and the mix-up he can pull from it (i.e., d+3+4, 1 hits Mid, d+3+4, 2 hits Low). Also beware of his b+1+2 Unblockable, which has no warning charge-up, ducks under LOTS of attacks, can be cancelled into the Splits (b+1+2, D), which avoids ALL High and Mid attacks, or can be cancelled into the Fake Tackle Upper, which stuns on any hit, allowing some really sick combos. His WS+1+2,1+2 is truly awesome - if the second hit connects, Ganny has a 23-frame advantage! And you've always got to handle that f+1 - one CH, and the WHOLE f+1,2,1,2,1,2,1 chain hits guaranteed. He possesses a solid Okizeme game due to his insanely-fast d/f+3 and his deceptive-looking d/f+2+3. He's also got the Megaton Palm (b,d/b,d,D/F+1), a Class 1 that sneaks under LOTS of High and Mid attacks AND pushes them back if blocked. Even his slow-ass Salt Upper (b+2) has its uses - huge block stun and guard break, huge damage, starts juggles, and ducks under a lot of High attacks (and even a few Mids)! To be brutally honest, Ganryu does not truly lack in any areas. He possesses excellent stamina (meaning he takes less damage than most), yet also deals a lot of damage in his strikes. He is also pretty hard to juggle consistently due to his weight, yet the simplest of his combos can decimate 1/3 of their life bar (i.e., b+1+2,2, d+4). He has a solid SS game with his SS+1+2 (identical to the d+1+2), and SS+1, which hits High, but does huge damage and comes out insanely fast. Most of his best attacks are fast and cause block stun and guard break, and use of his Twin Walls can shut down MANY opponents who rely on their punches. However, all is not peachy with Ganny. He does have a weakness here and there to exploit. Foremost is his speed. He may be darn quick for a big guy, but he's no Lee Chaolan, so you can still outspeed several of his key attacks with the Wind Godfist, WS+1,2, and even d/f+2 when timed right. He can't play a jab game with your 1,1,2 since his basic jab (2) is 14 frames - the slowest jab in the game. Ganryu's attacks also don't track too well, so use that Mist Step to SS frequently when you have room to manuever to get around his attacks and juggle the big guy. While it may be difficult to juggle him with conventional juggles, a quick WGF, TGF,3 can do the trick quite nicely. And he also can't really do jack against the WGF due to its irreversibility. Just don't let him get into super turtle mode, and you'll do ok. Gun Jack Difficuly: Easy Even though Gun Jack is most likely the best Jack in the game and a powerful opponent when mastered, against Mishimas, the Jacks just suck. Everything he does can be countered/interrupted by the Wind Godfist and 1,1,2, and he's a huge target for Okizeme. Even landing one f+1+2 will spell the end of his game if you follow up with B+1+4. And since he's so damned slow, you can pretty much run circles around him. But be careful and stay outside of throw range - Gun Jack has a LOT of throws, and one d/b,F+1+2 can REALLY fuck you up. But you shouldn't have much trouble here. Heihachi Mishima Difficulty: Medium/Hard Heh... Old Man Hei is by far my best character in every Tekken, and no doubts about it, he's one of the most feared and respected characters in Tekken Tag. When played correctly, he's just as good as Kazuya if not better. While he isn't overpowered anymore due to some new drawbacks in TTT, a good Heihachi can slap down Kazuya in a heartbeat, although his horrible stamina and poor Netsu capabilities hold him back. Hei's CD mixups are the most powerful and est confusing out of all the Mishimas, his juggles are the most varied, easiest and most powerful in the whole game for such little effort (due mainly to his huge array of jugglestarters), his WS+2 does a lot of damage, stuns them for a nice Deathfist or TGF (AND the stun is inescapeable), has a built-in mini- SSL, is totally safe if blocked... AND he possesses the deadliest weapon in the whole game - a Special Mid, irreversible Electric Wind Godfist that just kills your WGF (and Jin's EWGF!). This one move alone can almost cripple Kazuya by itself if Hei gets a chance to unload. Even worse is a player that incorporates his EWGF into a Wavedash - WATCH OUT. Those players are the most devastating players you will ever encounter in Tekken. NOTHING is more unstoppable than a Hei that has EWGF AND Wavedash down pat. Fortunately, there are about 20 people in the world that can do this consistently ^_^. First off, Hei's EWGF is so damn hard to pull off in the first place, you'll be lucky to find a player that can pull off more than two in match play (Hei must press d/f and 2 within 3 frames as opposed to Jin's, which is around 7 frames), although his regular WGF is still incredibly deadly. Second, a Wavedashing Hei that actually knows what he's doing is even harder to find. As for the Hell Sweeps, my GOD are they pathetic now... Hei needs a CH to actually sweep them off of their feet! AND that's not even counting the -26 frame disadvantage Hei gets if its blocked! And as noted before, Hei takes damage VERY poorly... one big Tag combo and it's "pEaCe OuT!", plain and simple. However, a good Heihachi will not fall upon his Hell Sweeps, and more importantly, will be CONSTANTLY attacking, so there won't be too many chances to smack him in the interim of his attacks. Beware of his Twin Pistons... while they recover like shit if blocked (28 fucking frames of disadvantage!), if it hits, YOU ARE GOING TO BE HURT BADLY. You never want to trade or interrupt the Demon's Breath (1+2), which is kind of like Heihachi's panic button - it comes out like lightning, guarantees an u/f+4~3 on CH (unless they quick recover by hitting f the moment they land), and has priority out the ass. Luckily, a lot of Hei's attacks have poor recovery (TGF, f,N,d,D/F+4, f,f+2, d/f+1,2, 1,1,2, Hell Sweeps) and poor lag time (b+2, f,f+2, TGF, f,N,d,d/f_D/F+3), so you will have ample time to counter after he misses his main attacks. Above all, you must be CAREFUL when counter-attacking - one miss and he'll make you SOOOOOO sorry for it! Hwoarang (a.k.a. Bob) Difficulty: Medium/Hard Definitely the most improved character aside from Anna in Tekken Tag, our man Bob can be extremely deadly in the right hands, but it seems these days that it's all about the scrubs picking him and doing d+4,4 and 3,3,3,3 the whole damn day. If you are fighting one of those types, remember to ALWAYS duck under the last hit of both attacks and punish them with extreme prejudice with a CH Demon Gut Punch. However, if you're fighting a good player (i.e., one that uses Bob's punches to full effect, Wavedash, Crazy Legs, Triple Flamingo SS), you're going to have a nice (i.e., PAIN IN THE ASS) match on your hands. Bob's kicks are INSANELY fast in-close, where he fights his best game. Beware his standing 4, because it will stagger on CH and leave Kaz open for a NASTY f,f+4, d/f+2, 1,2,4 combo - the good Bob players will use this FREQUENTLY. There are three ways to escape it, however. If you get hit with the CH 4, hold Down to fall to the ground and Bob will fly over your head, leaving him wide open. If he already gets the f,f+4 on you (which leaves you with your back turned and gives Bob a free d/f+2 pop- up), IMMEDIATELY attempt a throw. You'll turn around and eat the d/f+2, but instead of launching you you'll stagger, which you can escape. And you can also simply Tag out once you're hit with the f,f+4. Also beware of the Crazy Legs... this is when Bob uses his 3+4 to interrupt his special movements (walking, dashing, CD, Flamingo) by switching Stances, at insane speeds, making his legs look spazzy to confuse you and allowing Bob to attack with extreme confusion and speed. If he goes into the Crazy Legs, pull out your WGF as soon as possible so he can't get you confused and bait you into dumbass mistakes. Although it's easily seen coming, yes, we all get hit with the d+4,4 sometimes. Remember to ALWAYS duck the last hit if it's not a CH, but if it is, you'll just have to grit your teeth and take his 40% juggle. After hitting you with a combo, lots of Bob players like to Supercharge (1+2+3+4) to set up their d+4,4... when they do, immediately block low, then rise with DGP for a CH stun and massive damage. And also watch out for that f,N,d,d/f+4... one mistake and you'll have a Class 1 slammed up your ass. Bob's biggest weaknesses are that he lacks in punching attacks, but the punches he does have are pretty effective. His 1,1,3,3 is extremely annoying, does excellent damage, is delayable inbetween hits, and is a guaranteed combo if the first 1 hits on CH. His next weakness is that he is lacking in Low hits - he only has a few, and none of them are really effective when you compare it to your Hell Sweep. He's also lacking a fast, mid power hit like a Deathfist or Demon's Paw... his power hits (RFF 3~4, f,f+4, RFF 3,3, etc.) are pretty damn slow. Jack-2 Difficulty: Easy Read Gun Jack's section. Jin Kazama Difficulty: Very Hard Wow. If anyone is truly advantaged in Tekken Tag, it is without a doubt Jin Kazama. Jin was already a top five character in Tekken 3 where he made his debut, but in Tekken Tag, he's been given just about EVERYTHING, and just about nothing has been taken away. He has no apparent weaknesses. Jin is BY FAR the best character in Tekken Tag Tournament. He's got the Electric Wind Godfist, which comes out just as fast as Heihachi's and is a lot easier to do (although some might debate whether Kaz's WGF is better or not). Although it hits high, a good Jin player lets his opponent attack, then throws out EWGF to hit them because he knows damn well NOTHING can stop an Electric Wind Godfist. While it can be reversed or parried, Jin can work around this by buffering in a Tag (~5), which automatically makes his WGF/EWGF a Special Mid AND irreversible (although the Special Mid property is notoriously unreliable), and like stated above, a good Jin uses EWGF to counter, not to attack. And if it's blocked, HE gets a +4 advantage! Let's not forget he has the most elaborate Crouch Dash game of all the Mishimas, with his WS+2 Uppercut (which is the best WS+2 in the game), his weaker-though-still-semi-useful Twin Pistons (WS+1,2), and Tsunami Kicks, as well as the f,f buffered moves like the f,f+2 Demon's Paw, Left Splits Kick, and Stonehead - ALL of which can be incorporated into Jin's near-invincible Wavedash. Oh yes, and we can't forget Jin's b+4, which comes out in 16 frames, has ridiculous priority, stuns on CH, has almost no recovery time, AND is a great juggle finisher, not to mention the extremely-useful b,f+2,1,2_d+2 mixups which do insane damage in Jin's juggles, as well as Jin's powerful Hell Sweep (although slightly weakened), which CAN be a guaranteed knockdown at any range if done at EWGF-speed... AND it starts combos! Add all of those factors up, and you'll see why a good Jin player is damn near IMPOSSIBLE to beat. Fortunately for Kazuya, he is the originator of a lot of Jin's attacks and many times over, his versions are much better. First off, Kazuya has Twin Pistons, which does NOT need a CH to combo and launch AND comes out in 11 frames, unlike Jin's which come out in 13 frames and requires CH for both to hit guaranteed. Kazuya also has his regular WGF, which is better than Jin's EWGF most of the time due to it's much longer range, guaranteed Special Mid blocking, irreversibilty, and faster execution (via Mist Step). Jin's EWGF is also still not as good as Hei's simply because by even buffering a Tag, sometimes the thing will just whiff a crouching opponent for no reason, unlike the other Mishima WGFs. Jin is also lacking in Low hits and he still has trouble defending them (even with the universal Low Parry), so using Hell Sweeps often will usually prove to be effective against him. If you block his EWGF, wait a split-second, then throw out d+1. If Jin tried EWGF, he'd get snuffed or you'll simply duck the EWGF, leaving Jin open to Twin Pistons or Demon Gut Punch. Also beware of Jin's b+1+4, because just like yours, it is an effective surprise attack when used properly (watch out for that d/f+2+3 that he uses to set it up!). If he Wavedashes, you need to make sure to snuff it EARLY, or you, to be frank, WILL FUCKING REGRET IT. Use d/f+4 and d+1 to WS+1,2, and once you've stopped his WD momentarily (don't give him an opportunity to get into it again!), send him on a space trip ala WGF, then go into your own to turn the tables on him and destroy him with your better CD Cancel - WS game. Julia Chang Difficulty: Very Hard Julia is extremely annoying, and in the right hands can be almost impossible to defeat. However, there are quite a few things keeping her from being as good as the Mishimas - a Class 1 Launcher, a quick jugglestarter that is safe to use (u/f+4 has shit recovery), no real power hits, too much dependency on Counter-Hits, and her massive recovery time after her attacks and jugglestarters. The attack you want to watch out for is Julia's standing 1. Easily the best jab in the game, it comes out 8 frames, recovers with no disadvantage, and combos into the 1~1,1 and 1~2,1 which can see 60% of your life away in one juggle (and will probably drop about 5,761 elbows on ya). However, both attacks have a massive recovery time and if they're blocked, Julia is screwed (especially if they try to Tag from 1~1,1, which increases the frame disadvantage to 28 fucking frames!). Also beware of her mixups (like 1~1,4,3_1~1,1) - after the second 1 or d/f+1, block or Low Parry. If you get the Low Parry, Twin Pistons or WS+4,4. If she decides to go into the uppercut, you have just enough time to stand and block that - if you blocked high, chances are she'll get off the Bow & Arrow Kick and mess you up. Julia's d/f+4 also deserves mention - it has a LOT of range and chains directly into the Mountain Crusher, arguably her best new move. On CH, the first two hits will connect, but it's much more deadly as a juggle finisher since it does insane damage. Also beware of the Mad Axes throw (qcb,f+2). No doubts about it, this is the best throw in the game - the time to input the f+2 in the throw has MAD slop time, which means she can SS after the qcb, then pull off the throw. To make matters worse, it's the fastest throw in the game (10 frames), has ludicrous range, an almost-nil 8-frame escape time, and does a respectable 42 points of damage. Some Julia players like to set this up after a low jab, d~D/F+1 (which comes out mad fast with no recovery time), or u/f+1 (I believe RedfooT used this to fool Seok once in the World Finals, if I read correctly in that ancient Eeker post). Be careful about the d~D/F+1, as good players just love to delay the second hit so they can CH stun you for a free u/f+4 or d/f+2,1 and a LOT of damage. If you happen to get hit with it, Tag your ass out of there and cancel the run-in (u/b~b). Again, be CAREFUL about the f,f+1 - it will stuff EVERYTHING Kazuya throws out except for his d+1, and you need to throw that out early. Luckily, the Elbows do pathetic damage, have little range, and knock Kazuya far away, so Tech Roll and defend against her attacks until you see an opening. Overall, if you keep to your WGF and Twin Pistons, and mix in a Hell Sweep or two when they least expect it, you can handle the little bitch ok... but don't underestimate her. That's why she kills 90% of the cast of TTT. Jun Kazama Difficulty: Easy Jun is probably the worst character in the game. She's just like Wang - atrocious frame data, horrible stamina - except unlike Wang, she has no power and can't juggle to save her life! However, one thing that Jun actually is decent in is her Okizeme game. A lot of her attacks leave the opponent grounded in odd positions and allow her to tack on some free hits here and there. Her FC game is also decent, with her FC,d/f+2 allowing a free WS+3 on CH and crap like that. Also beware her standing 2, which launches EVERYONE, Jack or no, for a little juggle. Good Jun players also love using her standing 4 to CH attackers since it's an 11- frame attack (I think), so be careful with going crazy on the WGFs or she'll CH you out of it sooner or later. She also has an Attack Reversal, so buffer those Chickens. But other than that, there's really nothing to fear. Her mixups are pretty pathetic and her infinite strings that the scrubs love are even more crappy. Beat her ass, you'll do fine. Kazuya Mishima Difficulty: Hard Hmmm... well, I think you can figure out how to beat this particular character at this juncture... ^_^ King Difficulty: Medium While I don't agree with Exar Kun that King is the cheapest in TTT (Jin and Julia take that one) by any means, he is still quite annoying to play against. His punching game with 2,1, while weaker in TTT, is still quite effective and can pin an opponent down easy. Since he can't combo a guaranteed f,hcf+1 after a 2,1 anymore, he's not quite as advantaged, but be aware that the f,hcf+1 still has ludicrous range. The d+1,N+2, his fastest poke, also has the odd randomness of the second hit whiffing for no apparent reason. King's new f+4 is also an extremely useful weapon due to its speed, priority, range, and recovery. King's Disgraceful Kick (b+4) is also more effective since it still hits extremely fast, and now can net King a guaranteed BK 3 (the Mule Kick to the nuts, a personal favorite of mine ^_^) on a close Clean Hit. And let's not forget those ultra-powerful and annoying Multi-Throws of his, while kind of pointless at high-level play, are extremely frustrating to be hit with when you're not a Multi-Throw escape expert. The starters you'll see the most are his f,N,d,d/f+1+4, SS+2+4, f,D/F+2+3, and f,D/F+1+3_2+4. If you see King Crouch Dash, throw out a d+1 immediately - they all come out slow as hell and will be snuffed. If he SSes, you can always bet he's going for the SS+2+4 starter - rise with a DGP and teach him to learn some new shit. The other two f,D/F starters are telegraphed with a little Rolling Dash-type movement, so you can usually hit him before he gets you. LEARN THOSE ESCAPES! Kuma/Panda Difficulty: Easy/Medium Kuma/Panda was the worst character in Tekken 3. However, it's been reversed in TTT. Kuma/Panda are MUCH better in TTT, which they can owe to the Tag system, f+1~1,1, better f,f+2, and their new Hunting Stance. Kuma/Panda can be an actual threat in TTT if played correctly, but if they're fighting Mishimas... well, it's not pretty. Kuma/Panda may be better in TTT, but they're still no match for the Mishimas and their Wind Godfist. Although Kazuya's juggling will be a little impeded by their low juggling height and crappy floating time, the WGF will go under the f+1 if your timing is good, and even if Kuma/Panda falls faster, you'll still be able to land more-than-average amounts of hits because they're so damn big. Another thing to definitely look out for is the f,f+2. This could possibly be the best Class 1 Launcher in the game - it hits Mid, does good damage, hits grounded opponents, comes out pretty quick, launches to an insane height, and ducks under many High attacks. However, it's still kinda slow and is no match for a WGF thrown out beforehand/at the same time. Twin Pistons aren't as useful here since they won't juggle Kuma/Panda, but due to their insane priority and speed it's still a must. Just beware of that f+1, due to its huge range, 8-frame speed, and huge combo possibilities on CH, the Hunting Stance since it ducks a LOT of attacks (I don't think it ducks WGF though), as well as that f+1+2 with its speed and free 1+2 on hit, and you'll be ok. Kunimitsu Difficulty: Medium I've played with Kuni a couple of time to get a handle on her, and I think she's best classified as the thinking man's character. She has nowhere near as many abusable moves that Yoshi does, but the ones she possesses are still really deadly - d/f+2, standing jab, and better D/B+3,3,3,3,3 since hers tracks REALLY well (unlike Yoshi's). She also has a few launchers Yoshi lacks (f,f+2 is a prime example) that really round out her juggling abilities. However, her big problem is that a lot of her attacks are just slow as hell and recover as such. And also due to the fact that she takes damage poorly and doesn't do too much damage by herself, you won't have too much trouble here. Just make sure you stay a good distance away, since she needs you in-close to win. Beware the f+1+4 throw - the minute you are caught with it, hold D/F to escape and leave her with her back turned to you. Prime time for a back-turned Hop Kick (BK u/f+4) and combo. Lee Chaolan Difficulty: Medium Don't let Lee's stereotype as a weak character fool you. An expert Lee is DANGEROUS. He has one of the top pressure games in Tekken Tag, the fastest kicks in the game (his f+4 is 8 frames (!) and his 4 is 10 frames), a solid juggler with practice, and his Hitman stance is one of the trickiest stances to deal with as he has a whole arsenal of attacks and mixups from it (the mid-hitting 2, which juggles to set up a free f+3+4 or f,f,N+3,4<4, the low 4, which starts floats but comes out slow, the high 3, which has insane range and starts an auto-throw if it hits on non-CH), not to mention it auto-blocks High/Mid attacks and has a very useful Sidestep (u,N or d,N). Lee also has the ultra-effective Blazing Kick (d,d/b+4), a Class 1 Launcher that comes out pretty fast, ducks under High/Mid attacks, and pushes them far away when it's blocked. Lee also possesses the ultra-annoying d+4 Laser Edge mixups, which can chain into the whole Laser Edge Combo (d+4,4,4,4... all the hits can be delayed, AND Lee can go into Hitman by tapping 3 after the last kick!), go into the Machine Gun Kicks (d+4,N+4,4,4), go into the High Kick to Somersault (d+4,N+4,u+3), or even go into a surprise Silver Cyclone (d+4,N~4~3+4) for the stupid people that don't duck it (or unless it's a big dood trying to Tech Roll after a combo, in which case it is GUARANTEED!). Lee's b+3,3 combo is very annoying, hits Mid, High, and comes out fast, but the deadliest thing is that it can be chained into an auto-throw (b+3~3~4) if Lee hits the 4 on the exact frame of the High kick being blocked (if it's done right, the Mid kick is cancelled into the High kick) for cheap, easy damage (thankfully, it doesn't happen too often since the timing is insane). Lee also has the tricky d/b+3 Bunt Kick, which hits Low very quickly, stuns slightly on CH, and hits grounded opponents, as well as the classic Low Dash (FC,d/f,d,D/F), which chains into the Dragon Slide, or can mixup into a WS+2 uppercut for a nice juggle. When played right, he can give you a tough match. However, Lee also has his downfalls, and they are significant. He lacks a fast, powerful Mid hit like a Deathfist or Demon's Paw, has mediocre juggles (his powerful juggles are HARD to do!), takes a lot of damage due to his crappier stamina, has no real power in his attacks, and has a weak defensive game. But that doesn't mean it's going to be easy for Kazuya. You're going to see the Hop Kick a lot since it's arguably Lee's best jugglestarter. If he does it with u/f+4, you'll have just enough time after blocking to smack him a good one. If he decides to use u+4, you won't be able to counterattack (most of the better players use u+4). You'll probably also see the generic d/f+2 come out as it's only a little slower but safer. If he goes into the Laser Edge bullshit, hold d/f to parry the next kick, and rise with Twin Pistons. If he goes for the Blazing Kick, WGF him out of it as quickly as possible, because if you're hit with it, you're good as finished since just about every Lee player picks a Tag partner like Hei, Bruce, or Julia to kick your ass all over the place with one juggle, since Lee cannot do many easy and damaging juggles. Also beware of his b+3 mixups - if the Mid kick comes out first and not the High kick, you can duck after the Mid kick and the High kick will whiff. Your best bet is to counter the b+3 with your d+1, and after it hits, go into your WS game. You shouldn't worry about the autothrow since hardly anyone can get the timing. Lei Wulong Difficulty: Medium/Very Hard This fight all boils down on how good your opponent is. Most Lei players love to charge in with the Razor Rush and try to enter an Animal stance from it to confuse you. Most novices go for the whole f,N+1,2,1,2,4~u_d and end in the Crane Stance, to go into the 3,4,2,3 combo (and the final hit never comboes and has short range). Stop their efforts by throwing out a d+1, which will stop any of his dances and give you the advantage to go into a Twin Pistons and a possible combo. If he's the type that likes the Play Dead position, do not rush in - he can go into the Spring Kick (PLD 3+4) to pop you up or he can go for a quick float with the first hit of the Rave Spin (PLD 3) and juggle you up. If he is playing dead, wait him out, or charge in with a d/f+4,4. If he tries anything, he'll get kicked twice and you'll have the advantage. And of course, your WGF will kill any of Lei's attacks rather easily. The problem is if the Lei opponent knows how to do the Haha Step. If he does, you're in for a real match. The Haha Step is done by continously tapping b+3~4~b, which makes Lei do cancelled Back Turns, flying backwards faster than anyone can run, Wavedash, etc. Even the fastest WDer will NOT catch a Haha-Stepping Lei. The thing that makes the Haha Step so dangerous is that at anytime, Lei can cut it short, like a WD, and go into a Razor Rush or Rave Spin at the slightest opportunity. Like ILuvMomo said in his respective FAQ, the Haha Step alone can make Lei one of the hardest characters to fight in TTT. I'm being quite serious in saying that there is NO proven method to beat a Haha Step. Your best bet is to WD after him, and when he goes into the Razor Rush, duck under it with your Thunder Godfist to pimp him good (many thanks to bluu and Shauno for this tactic!). Ling Xiaoyu Difficulty: Medium/Hard Ling is REALLY fucking annoying. She's the fastest character in the game by far and her pokes have INSANE priority (1,2 comes out 8-frames and stops everything). She's also one of the best SSers in the game, with her tricky Rain Dance (b+3+4) and its auto-SSR (which she can use for her Triple SS: SSR, b+3+4, SSR, and BAM, she's behind you), as well as her BK SS which covers INSANE distance. And out of her Sidestep, she can do the SS+4, which comes out fast and hits twice High for good damage. And let's not forget about that ultra-annoying d+1+2 Art Of Phoenix stance, which will evade pretty much every High and Mid attack and has several jugglestarters from it (such as 1+2, d+1+2~1+2, u/f+3, U/F,N+3, etc.). And did I mention she's a great juggler? Yep. One CH FC+3,2,1,4, 1,2, d/b+1 or f,F+1+2~1+2 = 1/2 your life gone with minimal effort. Her d/f+2~1 is also kind of annoying since it juggles and also hits grounded opponents, but if you block it you can mess her up pretty bad since the recovery is 17 frames. However, she has a few apparent weaknesses. One, she takes damage incredibly bad, so while she can give a beating, she can't take one. Two, she has pathetic range with her attacks - she needs to be close to you ALL the time to be effective. That means you need to go into turtle mode and counter most of her attacks with your Wind Godfist and Twin Pistons if she decides to follow. Just make sure to throw out your attacks in advance so she doesn't have a 1,2 or d/f+2~1 waiting for you when you attack. And as anyone will tell you, one d/f+2~1 = juggle time. And finally, her last weakness is that in order to do her damage, she usually needs her back turned to do so. Capitalize on this by hitting her hard when she goes for the b+3+4, or after she whiffs or has her attacks blocked - she suffers from huge recovery. If you want to hit her out of the b+3+4, you could SS to the left first to stay on axis with her (since b+3+4 has a built-in SSR), or Mist Step if you're a frame-counting maniac =^P. Michelle Chang Difficulty: Hard/Very Hard Michelle plays very similar to her daughter, but in many experts opinions, an expert Michelle is better at high-level play than an expert Julia. While she isn't as good as Julia in juggles or stamina, Michelle's juggles are simpler and still do a lot of damage, and she benefits from having better jugglestarters that don't require a CH to connect (i.e., d/f+3+4, SS+3,4, etc.). Michelle also has a lot of moves that are unique to her that Julia doesn't have, such as her d/f+3+4, which sneaks under almost any High/Mid attack, has little recovery (if both kicks are blocked) and pops them up for any juggle, Tag or otherwise. She also has a better SS game due to her myriad of options - the jugglestarting SS+3,4, her triple SS (SSR, 3+4, SSR), which can open up a free 4,4,1 and crazy juggle if you're caught unaware, the SS+1, which comes out very fast, does good damage, and hits Mid (probably Mich's best power hit), and the SS+2, which executes in 19 frames (I think, gotta ask Rev), hits Low, has 0 disadvantage on block, recovers crouching, a WS+4 is guaranteed on hit, and even worse, she can drop elbows down on you after the WS+4 for a nice phatty juggle. It's safe to say that SS+2 is going to be her most abused attack. There are really no disadvantages to it and so much to gain if it hits or even if it is blocked. However, the good thing is that since it's a 19-frame attack, they'll only use it at a decent distance, as using it in close will get her ass kicked. And let's not forget those cheap, annoying jabs of hers, which on CH leads into 1~1,1 or 1~2,1 and a 50-60% juggle. Don't let her get in a crouched position, because her FC and WS game is also very effective. If the Bow and Arrow Kick is blocked, WGF her into the sky for a sick juggle. Beware her annoying f,f+1 elbows, as it does not knock down like Julia's, and instead guarantees a f,f+1,4 combo and also allows her to throw on more elbows. Again, as said before, Michelle has VERY poor stamina, so it shouldn't take too much effort on your part to defeat her. Her throwing game is pathetic too, as she has no double-button escaping moves... P.S. - Go read Rev's new Michelle FAQ. Great stuff! Mokujin/Tetsujin Difficulty: Varies Mokujin/Tetsujin are arguably the better of the two impersonators in TTT. Mokujin/Tetsujin can be pathetic or deadly depending on who they're impersonating. Like Unknown, Mokujin/Tetsujin cannot mimic the Ogres and Devil/Angel. Unlike Unknown, Mokujin/Tetsujin can mimic the heavy characters, and they also have good stamina and functions almost universally with the Netsu system (which means if Mokujin/Tetsujin is the legal man in and imitating Heihachi and you're teamed with Jin, Mokujin/Tetsujin will take 4 hits before Jin gets angry). Gold Tetsujin always has a Netsu of 5 for EVERY character, whether they're Ling or the Ogres, whereas Unknown does not recieve or affect her and her partner's Netsu. All I can say is make sure you know your fighting stances so you can discern who you're fighting against. Nina Williams Difficulty: Medium/Hard Nina has been THE most raped character ever in Tekken (excluding Wang from T2, of course). She was awesome in Tekken 3 (behind Law, Paul, Jin, and Heihachi though) and an expert Nina was pretty much unstoppable. However, in TTT, just about ALL of her good moves have been weakened. Her Divine Cannon comes out in 20 freaking frames, even if it appears to come out no slower than it did in Tekken 3 (if Nina's DC was also 20 frames in Tekken 3, would it be any less of a great move?). The only chance of her connecting it is akin to Kazuya landing a Demon Gut Punch on CH - as in, it's freaking impossible on a good player. Her Geyser Cannon (d/b+4,3) is also very weakened now due to the low block stagger and slower start... AND it requires a CH to combo! The d+4,1, arguably her best poke, hits Sm,h instead of l,h in Tekken Tag, so you can now block it standing, AND it no longer gives you a free d/f,d/f+1 on CH. And on that subject, the d/f,d/f+1 has been raped to shit too. Back in Tekken 3, it was totally guaranteed after a CH d+4,1, AND it did 50 points of damage... in TTT, it's slower to come out and does 33 points! The same goes for the u/f+1+2 - it's like 16 frames to execute now and can be Tech Rolled SO easily (although that's not a good thing since a Tag Flying Chop is almost guaranteed if they do). However, beware that her EXTREMELY effective poking game is still mostly unchanged - so Nina can STILL keep many opponents on their toes whenever she wants. Ninas like to use d+4,1 for pressure (even though its now Sm,h and slower), d+1,4 for mad-speed poking, d/f+3 mixups for everything and in combos, and her standing jabs for poking and Tenstrings (although any Nina using a Tenstring is pathetic). And don't forget about her really nasty juggles - one miss, you get a Divine Cannon and a 40% juggle for your troubles, and unlike what some people say, the d/b+4,3 is a great interrupter as well as her highest lifter. Also beware of her Attack Reversal and buffer those Chickens unless you're going crazy on your Wind Godfists (provided you're smart and do it from a decent distance). You shouldn't need to worry about the Bad Habit (f,f+3_QCF+3), as it has poor tracking and is SSLed easily, or her Low Parry, because the DC (or pretty much anything else) is no longer guaranteed after it. Thankfully, Nina's Multi-Throws are fairly useless at even medium/higher-level play due to their huge lag time coming out. Nina also needs to stay IN CLOSE to be effective... if she's not near you, Nina will die, plain and simple. Incredibly weakened, and IMO no longer even mid-tier character... ...WHICH MEANS LIFE IS GOOD. I HATE THIS BITCH! Ogre Difficulty: Medium Ogre has been weakened pretty badly in TTT. In T3 he was arguably one of the best characters due to his insane damage, range, excellent Okizeme game, simpleness, and super-cheap standing 4, which would stop any attack and had a limitless Clean Hit buffer (in layman's terms, it could do anywhere from 45 to 60-70 points on Clean Hit - it was never a set amount of damage, as compared to Paul's Deathfist on Clean Hit which does 49). He also had the fastest and largest Sidestep in the game, a great WS game with his Infinity Kicks and insanely-powerful Demon Gut Punch (which YOURS should have been like), which inflicted block stun, had an inescapeable stun on Clean Hit, did incredible damage, and set up just about any attack for huge damage. Ogre also possessed one of the cheapest Okizeme games in T3 with his f,f+1+2, u/f+3,4,3, and FC,d/f+2. Times have changed though. First off, the standing 4 is slightly slower and does less damage, maxing out around 45 points on Counter-Hit. Second, Ogre can no longer do the SS to standing 4, since the SS+4 command has been changed into a new Low attack (and jugglestarter too), so Ogre must do it like SS, b (to cancel the SS), 4, which is slower in the long run. Third, his Okizeme game is weaker now that the f,f+1+2 is slower and does less damage. The WS game is not as powerful anymore for Ogre since the DGP is so much weaker in TTT. However, despite all of these weaknesses, Ogre remains an effective character that has a large variety of useful attacks. His Okizeme game is still powerful and if he lands one stun, you're getting a standing 4 for your troubles and seeing 50% of your life gone. What you need to do is get in and pester him with Twin Pistons and WGF, since his attacks are slow and need room to come out. His 1,1,2 is particularly pathetic now, requiring a CH to make the whole thing guaranteed, so even if he blocks the WGF, you won't be in any real trouble. Also to be noted is Ogre's d/f+1. This is just like Bruce's d/f+1, which has insane priority, comes out VERY fast (not sure about the frames... 12? 13?), and has an 8-frame advantage on hit, which means... free d+1! And we all know how good Ogre's FC game is, don't we? What you need to watch out for is his FC game with his d+1, FC,d/f+2, WS+3,3,3_d+3_f+3 links, and his WS+2. While his WS+2 isn't quite as powerful anymore since it can be Tag escaped and has lost the block stun, it can still decimate your life bar in a hurry if you flail away like a moron. His main weapon is the d+1 to WS+3 Infinity Kick links, since it cannot be interrupted on hit. If that WS+3 connects on Counter-Hit, there goes 40% of your life. However, if you block the d+1, that's a different story. Interrupt the WS+3 with your own d+1, and go into Twin Pistons, as Ogre's attacks aren't fast enough to interrupt them. FC,d/f+2 can be Low Parried with practice. Paul Phoenix Difficulty: Medium/Hard It all depends on the player. If he's a button-mashing cheapo Deathfist moron, you can have lots of fun smashing his ass into the dirt :). However, if he's the Paul that only Deathfists to counter whiffed moves, uses his juggles to the extent, employs Paul's mad poking games and killer Okizeme, mixes up his Deathfist with his Thruster (QCF+1), you have a real fight on your hands. Paul's been really rounded-out in TTT, but like always, at high-level play, he gets pretty predictable. Paul's poking game is top-notch - he's got one of the best jabs in the game (8 frames, 9-frame advantage on hit!), his Deathfist is 13 frames, the Falling Leaf Combo (d+4,2), while weakened horribly, still comes out VERY fast and in close can be extremely hard to see coming. And unbeknownst to many Tekken players, Paul also has arguably one of the evilest Okizeme games in the whole Tekken universe. The d+1 and d+4,2 will stop any Forward/Back rolls, Flying Cross Arms, and Handspring Kicks. SS, d+4,2 or f+1+4 will stop Tech Rolls. The f+1+4 will stuff Ankle Kicks and Side Rolls. The f,f+3,4 will cut through any Low/Mid Kicks AND get Paul a free f,f+3,4, 1, QCF+2 combo. Paul can even duck to fake the guy into standing with a Mid Kick, and eat a FC,D/F+2,1 combo for lots of damage, or if they're really stupid, stand and reverse the Mid Kick and put them on the floor. His options are nearly limitless, so you NEED to be careful and do NOT let him floor you. Paul also has a sick throwing game because his good throws (d/f+1+2, f,F+1+2) come out faster than your normal throw, do a lot of damage, combo from a standing 2 or CH QCF+1, and require a double-button escape. Also beware of Paul's qcb crap... many players like to go into the qcb+1 to counter attacks and set up combos, and the qcb+2 blasts them into a comfy range where Paul can see their attacks easy and counter accordingly. qcb+3,2,1_2 is best used in combos, but it is also a decent tool for mixing up. Like tragic said in his T3 book, an important thing to remember is to NOT lose your cool when Paul hits you and takes away 1/3 to 1/2 of your energy in one hit. Paul's main weapon is his Deathfist (as much as I hate it, it's true), and if you take it away from him by poking him out of it (with d+1 and 1,1,2) or by smacking him with a WGF every time you block it, he'll be a lot less scary. If you DO get hit with it though, mash d/b to stop your roll-back or he'll get a running shoulder tackle if you try to Tag or stand up. Just beware of his jabs and duck, and make use of your Twin Pistons and DGP to punish him. Block his f,f+3,4 and d+1 him out of the follow-ups. Also watch out for that WS+2... it starts juggles, comes out fast, hits Mid, and juggles very funny (lol)... ^_^ Prototype Jack Difficulty: Easy P.Jack is a little different from the other two Jacks. He's more of a juggler than Jack-2 or Gun Jack due to his better launchers, but overall he doesn't have as many good attacks to use. However, he does have a few attacks that can have him hold his own in a fight - Paul/Hei's d+1,2, his excellent SS game (SS+1 induces block stun (as long as you don't attempt to Tag out), hits grounded opponents, and is a Class 1 Launcher, SS+2 hits Mid, has huge range, and goes into an auto-throw on Clean Hit, and a decent Okizeme game with SS+1 and the f+1+2. The b,d/b,d,D/F+1 is also noteworthy as it inflicts huge block stun, is a Class 1, and hits grounded opponents. However, it doesn't do much to solve the problem - Kazuya goes through the Jacks like crap through a goose. Anything they do can be cut down with the 1,1,2, Twin Pistons, and WGF. An easy fight for you. Just don't get hit if you can help it - any time a Jack hits you, that means HUGE damage scored... True Ogre Difficulty: Easy/Medium It depends on the player. If they're one of those guys that just picks him and mashes 1+2 to do the Hell's Inferno, you can easily Sidestep twice and kill him with a few WGF, TGF+3 combos. If they are the type that stays at a distance and uses his insane punching range to get CH's with his WS+2, juggles mistakes with his d/f+1+2, and uses his nasty-as- hell Okizeme game, you are gonna have some trouble. True Ogre masters are actually very dangerous because if you make the simplest of mistakes, he can (and WILL) decimate 1/2 of your life with little effort (i.e., d/f+1+2, f,f+4, d+1, FC,d/f+2). You're also going to hurt a lot if he gets you on the ground - f,f+1+2, d/f+1+2, FC,d/f+2, FC,f+2, and SS+4 all do insane damage, come out reasonably fast, and hit grounded opponents! What you must do is make sure you TECH ROLL AT EVERY POSSIBLE TIME! However, the same does not go for him - he's the biggest target in the game, but is lighter than the other big guys, which means attacks that may not launch/effect the big guys work normally on him (for example - Armor King's Palm Upper and Kazuya's CH WGF flip him over, launchers launch higher on him than with Jacks) and allow HUGE, disgusting combos that would not work on Jacks or Kuma/Panda. A shitload of your attacks will hit him on the ground (TGF, WGF, f+1+2, d/f+2, etc.) and damage him. Just be careful and try to get in on him slowly and carefully - he doesn't need to get in on you due to his insane range. But once you do, one or two Wind Godfists, and he's finished. Can you say "Wavedash Hell"? Unknown Difficulty: Varies Unknown is both more limited and and advantaged over Mokujin/Tetsujin. When played by a human, she has the worst stamina in the game, and regardless of CPU or human, she does not recieve Netsu (and neither do her partners), and she cannot mimic the Jacks, the Ogres, Kuma/Panda, Ganryu, or Devil/Angel. However, unlike them, she can change mimics on the fly during a match by pressing the L3 button on the Dual Shock 1/2 (the left joystick), which allows for some extremely confusing fights and some SICK SICK SICK-looking juggles. Like I said before, your best bet is to memorize the fighting stances and capitalize on her mistakes. Wang Jinrey Difficulty: Medium Yes, you read correctly. Wang can be a tough opponent to beat in Tekken Tag Tournament if you don't know what you're doing. While he may be the overall worst character in Tekken Tag (which I don't really agree with, but if MIC said it...it's gotta have some merit to it right?), take hits like a bitch, have the most atrocious frame data ever in a Tekken game, and have only a handful of good moves, a good Wang CAN contend with a good Kazuya when played right. First off, he's a great anti-Mishima because their Left Punch (1) attacks, such as the Flash Punch Combo, Glorious Demon Fist, Left Right Combo, Twin Pistons, etc. can NOT be Chickened if Wang reverses with his Attack Reversal (b+1+3_b+2+4). I don't know why this is true, but it is, and it's abusable. Second, Wang has some EXTREMELY powerful juggles that he can unload. Wang can set these up with his d/b+2, which is probably his best jugglestarter, his regular u/f+4 (which has crap recovery but is the strongest hop kick in the game), the d/b+4,2, which combos on CH (the last hit is identical to the d/b+2, but with more recovery) and executes fast, but you're still better off using d/b+2. The recovery is 10 frames long, but it comes out pretty fast and is great for a mistake punisher and for landing side juggles (since Wang's SS is fast and wide). All Wang needs to do is d/b+2, 1, 1, d/b+4,2, d/f+1+2 and 50% of their life is gone. They can't Tech Roll the d/f+1+2 either, since the d/b+4,2 hits so low to the ground (preventing the Tech Roll). Third, Wang has the always-cheap G- Clef Cannon (1~1,1) which is a Tag launcher, combos on CH, executes in 8 frames, and does around 25% damage by itself, but unlike the Changs, is not great for mixups since Wang is lacking a 1~1,4,3 or other equivalent. Finally, and probably the most important, Wang has a sick SSing game, all due to one move: the Horse Tamer (SS+1+2). This is most likely Wang's best move. Although it takes 19 frames to come out, has slightly limited range, and will most likely be blocked, that's a good thing - the advantage is 27 frames! Yes, 27 frames. While there aren't any actual guaranteed attacks, according to the frame data he DOES get a Dragon Throw (d/f+1+3+4) or guaranteed dash-in throw. You know what that means, right? WANING MOON (d/f,D/F+2+4)! This is Wang's most important throw BY FAR. 1+2 escape command, quicker execution than a normal throw, sets up a free hit (since they are knocked into a BK position), OR can be Tagged out of for some SICK stuff (like Kuma u/f+1+2 (misses), which sets up a free back throw for Kuma, or Yoshi's f,F+1+4, which can only be escaped by Tagging out). Wang can also set this up with a QCF+1 (modified WS+1) and use the frame advantage (even if blocked or hit) to get a free WM if they take the bait and try to attack. He also retains the Paul/Hei Deathfist, which we all know about, right? All of these factors combined can spell trouble for even an adept Kazuya. However, it's kind of moot since Wang has a disdvantage after almost every one of his attacks is blocked. AND he takes hits like a bitch, too... one time I killed him like so: I got a CH d/f+2, and let him fall. Then I threw out a WS+2, which slammed him on CH as he tried to do d/b+2, so I continue with TGF,3... and he's dead? Yes, four hits. But I'm telling you now, above all, DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE HIM! If you get hit with a CH 1~1,1, a Waning Moon, a d/b+2_d/b+4,2, a SS+1+2 (or even if you block it), or a CH Deathfist, you're fucked... Yoshimitsu Difficulty: Hard Yoshimitsu has always been one of the best characters in every Tekken when in the right hands. In Tekken 2 he was totally unstoppable, as one FC,d/f+3 or d/f+2 saw the end of the opponent (Yoshi had a little-known infinite in Tekken 2) in only a few juggles. In T3, his d/f+4 and b+1+2~ANY pretty much owned the game. In TTT, he's still got that massive-priority/range/speed d/f+4 Savior Boot (although the recovery seems to be lengthened), those jabs that are just like Paul's (which is bad for you), and lets not forget the d/f+2 "Uppercut" (it's more like a freaking WGF to me... it's so damned abusable!), which has ludicrous range, priority, juggles on any hit, mad speed, inflicts freaking block stun if Tag is buffered, sets up an easy 40-point combo... he's got it all. And he's also recieved a LOT of new moves, a much better SSing game with his new SS+2 jugglestarter, SS+4 CH stun move, and of course, the b+3+4 which evades just about any move in the game, and he's still got that 4-frame (!) b+1+4, which hits any move coming in, stops Wavedashes very effectively, does a lot of damage, and can start some easy and extremely-damaging combos (b+1+4, 1+2,1+2, f,f+4). Yoshi's still has the f,f+4 (Fubuki, Knee, whatever the hell you wanna call it), which executes in 7 frames (faster than anything in the game except his b+1+4), has extreme priority and range, is basically annoying as hell, and can help add some nice hits onto his combos. He's also retained the d+3+4 and other crazy healing moves. Yoshi is THE man in Tekken Tag. However, he does have a few weaknesses. First, he doesn't inflict all that much damage with his attacks. Second, his juggles aren't the strongest, and the powerful ones are damned hard to do. Third, his Fubuki, while fast, has a bit of recovery time which allows you to smack him with a WGF (I think, not sure...) if he starts going crazy with it. Fourth, his Poison Breath (b+1+2~ANY) now hits High and recovers slower than it did in T3, so less juggles are possible. Finally, his throwing game is also not that good... he only has one command throw and it's a pain to do in the heat of battle without getting hit first, but be warned that it will combo off of a standing 2 guaranteed (I think), so watch out and don't rush in, or you'll get beaten up by his superior poking game. There isn't much you can do about his d/f+4 and d+1 pokes... just block them and back off, let him whiff, and trash him when he does... ======================================================================= 14. My Best Partners For Kazuya ####################################### ======================================================================= It's a rule that some characters work well and complement their respective partners better than others. I mean, who would win, a Kazuya/Alex team or a Kazuya/Jin team? Of course, it would be Kaz/Jin because they are both strong characters that compliment each other well (Kazuya has a better WGF and WS game but less juggles and less moves, while Jin has a better poking game, better juggles, and lots of moves), while Kazuya/Alex is kinda pointless (Alex has crappy stamina, crappy juggles, crappy... everything). I'm not going to list all of the characters and tell you how they are as partners - the fun of Tekken Tag comes from making your own teams and customizing them to your liking. These are my favorite personal teams with Kazuya. 1.) Kazuya/Baek I love Baek. He's fast becoming one of my favorite characters, so I placed him in a team with Kazuya and see if they go good together. Baek has just about everything that Kazuya lacks (except juggles) - a Class 1 jugglestarter that can set up those nasty TGF juggles (even if it is kind of useless at high-level play), a great WS game with the WS+3,3,4 (since it combos on CH and an u/f+3+4 is guaranteed afterwards)one of the top SSing games in Tekken Tag (with his b+3 Flamingo Stance, b+1, b+2, etc.), better poking, better throwing game with his f+2+3 (or Flamingo f+2~3) and f,f+2, the ultra-effective d/f+2, which launches almost everyone and can go into his annoying 1,2,3~f juggles, and he also possesses a better Okizeme game. His only real weaknesses is that he doesn't do the most damage, lacks in low attacks, has weaker juggles, and lacks severely in punching attacks (although the ones he has are very good). A good team for those that love to attack away. 2.) Kazuya/Jin I'd be stupid not to say it. Kazuya/Jin is probably the best team in the game. They compliment each other in just about every area. What's worse, they BOTH have extremely powerful WGFs (and Jin, of course, has the EWGF), good poking games, an excellent WS game, the most dangerous Wavedashes in Tekken Tag, powerful juggles, good stamina, powerful attacks... master the Wavedash to WGF/EWGF/Twin Pistons and you will be unstoppable, plain and simple. And let's not forget you can go into your WS game from a Wavedash... heehhee... 3.) Kazuya/Lee Kazuya and Lee together are actually an excellent team in their own right. And don't even argue about this one: they are THE coolest- looking team in Tekken Tag by a mile (come on, purple tux Kazuya with Lee's black tux? It exudes pimpness.). Lee is actually a good juggler, but the only hitch is that his good juggles are damn hard to do. However, his Class 1 Launcher (the d,d/b+4) is VERY effective and allows Kazuya to come in with those crazy Thunder Godfist combos. Lee also has one of the top poking/pressure games in Tekken Tag with his d+4,4,4,4, d,D/F+4, b+1<1,2, and b+3,3. He's also got those nasty and effective Infinity Kicks, which are effective against anyone. A great team. The only hitch is that Lee takes damage poorly and that he lacks in Mid attacks and power hits. 4.) Kazuya/Heihachi Juggle heaven. Nothing beats getting Kazuya's WGF~5 out and having Hei come in with a 50+ damage combo and leaving their mouth hanging stupidly as their bar flies deep into the red ^_^. While their style is pretty similar, Heihachi relies more on getting his EWGF/WGF to hit, while Kazuya relies on his WGF and Twin Pistons a lot more. Nothing much to say, they compliment each other very well, but the two have no Netsu together and neither has a Class 1 Launcher, so be warned. Flail away with those EWGFs ^_^. 5.) Kazuya/Bruce This team should be banned. No, I'm joking. But seriously, no team can do as much damage in Tag juggles as Kazuya and Bruce. One WGF~5, and it's a 3, b+4,3,4 and 70% of their life gone. Not to mention that Bruce's poking game is top-notch, and that his jugglestarters are incredibly simple to use and employ, and you have one of the best teams in the game. 6.) Kazuya/Angel Be aware that this team is only available on the PS2, since trying to select Angel with Kazuya in the Arcades will only result in Devil being automatically chosen - and we all know how horrible Kazuya and Devil are when teamed, right? The reason this team is so good is that Angel and Kazuya Tag normally when paired together, and don't morph like Kazuya and Devil. Need I say why Angel is so damned good? Ummm... Twin Pistons? Insanely-powerful Wind Godfist? SS+2~5 to b+1+4/TGF combos? Better 1+2 than Devil's? And did I mention Twin Pistons? Hee hee. ======================================================================= 15. Submitted Strategies ############################################## ======================================================================= ======================== Kazuya VS. Anna Strategy ======================== ----------------- From: Reverend C. ----------------- Well, Anna is a REALLY good CH character... and she has the BEST jab... But a lot of her moves hit high... take some risks and duck, then retaliate with WS+1,2. A good Anna will not risk losing frame advantage and give up free hits... so don't expect free 1,1,2 and free WGFs. Anna will mostly rely on her jabs, which gives Anna advantage, so don't retaliate after blocking jabs - that's Anna's strength. You'll be jabbed outta whatever you do; they're just jabs, but they REALLY add up... watch out for Anna's u/f+1,3, that's her best move: a few of those and you're dead, and it can also be mixed up with u/f+1+2. Anna can also throw A LOT... everytime you get hit with a 1 jab, watch out for d/f,d/f+1 and regular throws... read the pattern of your opponent... if opponent does a lot of u/f+1,3 and get blocked, watch out for uf+1+2. Anna is faster than Kazuya, and most of her moves move her forward and keep her on offense for a long time... but if you just block and turtle ALL DAY, Anna can't do much... and optimize the fact that Anna rely on high hits... duck it and do WS+1,2... good Anna players don't use QCF+1... but if your opponent uses Anna's QCF+1, WS+1,2 and make them pay... --------- From: Cel --------- Let me see...my sparring partner is Jwoarang who plays a very good Anna... I hope this helps: When you see Anna do the Rolling Dash (QCF), duck because most of the time Anna players will do the QCF+1, which is high. Try to TP him or DGP Anna once you duck the elbow near you. However when you block the elbow don't react; she has a frame advantage when you block it, so just wait and block whatever move he follows up for it. Just be careful when you block the elbow and then she throws you with the u/f+1+2; it's almost always hard to see it so always be ready to escape by tapping 1+2. This is why it's best to learn to anticipate to crouch the elbow. In some cases Anna QCFs and instead of doing the elbow, he does the U/F+4 Somersault Kick which is mid. It's so fast to see the change so when you see something unusual while Anna QCFs (because when she QCFs you should be ducking) stand up and block the Somersault Kick or risk getting juggled. When Anna does her custom strings and suddenly does the d+4,1~d (Sidestep Cancel), she can follow it up with SS+2 (low) and SS+1+2 (mid, mid). In this case after she does the d+4,1 sidestep I'd try to interrupt the sidestep with 1,1 (I'm not sure with this). I think it is useless do d+1 her because she is Sidestepping so be quick enough for the 1,1. When you're not quick with the 1, block the whole thing standing (it's ok to be hit with SS+2; just don't get juggled by SS+1+2.). I think between these transitions there is a point when Kaz will be able to interrupt. Just don't get hit with a CH u/f+1,3 because a f+1+2 is guaranteed. Be careful when you tag. Most Anna players will try to find a CH QCF+1. When you don't have any choice when you Tag (and the Anna player you are fighting against is waiting for your next character to come in, so Anna can QCF+1 you) just don't react or you will get CH by the elbow and you'll eat a very damaging juggle which can erase 50% of your lifebar. Also don't get CH with d+3,2. Be careful with this. Anna players love to try to interrupt you with this so be careful. If you can see her doing this block the first hit low and the next hit high. Most Anna players are aggressive; so try to be more aggressive and just don't get CH by her attacks; try to fight her with d+1,FC+4; WGF, Hell Sweeps, etc. Well that's enough for now. I'll post again when Jwoarang chooses Anna against me... ----------------- From: Reverend C. ----------------- A few corrections on Cel's post... f+1+2 is ALWAYS guaranteed after the kick in u/f+1,3, CH or not - on CH, you get a free juggle (like d+4,1, 1,2, f+1+2, etc.). d+4,1~SS will beat 1,1, SS+1+2 will counter and juggle, SS+2 will duck and juggle... your best bet is to just watch and block. It's actually quite easy, because both SS+2 and SS+1+2 are pretty slow. As for tagging in... just cancel the Tag run-in (u/b~b)like you're supposed to and you wouldn't get any problems... you won't get any problems against ANYONE if you just cancel the run. And DON'T do d+1,FC+4... that's what Anna wants. The d+1 doesn't give you advantage the way standing 1 does... so Anna'll ALWAYS beat you with her d+1~N+4 and d+2~N+4... and on CH, it does pretty good damage on its own... -------------- From: MacJ_007 -------------- This was Ricky's strat against my Anna. Because before when I used an elbow, I usually use d+1 then D+3,N+4 after that. After the elbow he ducks it, and then does a DGP or TP. It juggled/stunned my Anna almost all the time. Since then I changed my strat after the elbow - I do u/f+1,3 now. They wont duck it or they will get hit with the 3. So I mix it up with u/f+1,3 or u/f+1, u/f+1+2 or u/f+1, d/f+2. One of these will hit for sure so watch for it. I usually do d/f+2 after Anna throws a u/f+1,3. Be ready to break throws. The u/f+1+2~5, f,f,N,1+2 is very damaging, so watch out for it. The d+4,1~SS+2_1+2 can be stopped by a d+1. Someone did a Mist Step when I threw a QCF+1 and Wavedashed my elbow somehow. I've only seen it once, so I don't know if you could exactly do that. Maybe I just did it too slow. I just wish Kaz got a Punch Parry, that would be easier. Just Punch Parry her QCF+1 all day, hehehehe... ============================ Kazuya VS. Michelle Strategy ============================ ----------------- From: Reverend C. ----------------- Two things to watch out for: SS+2 and f,f+1. Both are extremely safe and extremely fast. When SS+2 is blocked, it has no lag, and puts Michelle in FC. On hit, a WS+4 is guaranteed (sick). The f,f+1 is 10 frames, and unfortunately for Kazuya, f,f+1 CAN beat out everything Kazuya has... and on CH, Michelle gets guaranteed juggle. As always, 1~1,1/1~2,1 CH does MAD damage... 1~1,1 is a great tag juggle starter (it actually juggles higher when tag is buffered). Other than that, always watch out for 1, 4, f,f+1, etc. Michelle is a GREAT CH character (not as dependant on CH like Julia, but equally capable, since Michelle has just about EVERYTHING Julia has)... so when playing against Michelle, never do more than 1 or 2 moves, and watch your frame situation... if the frame advantage does not favor you, stop and regroup. Kazuya's WGF, d/f+2, and d/f+4 are great moves, but not as fast as Michelle's fastest moves... -------------- From: MacJ_007 -------------- Now about Michelle strats, they're a bit similar to Julia. Just watch out for 4,4,d+4_4,4,1. Low Parry the second if you can. Her elbows are a killer as well. Sometimes they do f,f+1, 1, f,f+1, 1, SS+3,4, pokes like that. Her d/f+3+4 is slow. If you block it, then you could juggle her, and d/f+2 will surely hit for a nice chunk of damage. Watch out for FC+1, D/F+4,3_FC+1, D/F+2_WS+4_WS+2,2_WS+2,1,1 mix-ups. People like Ricky and Redfoot do a SS+2, which is an automatic crouch, then D/F+4,3. And also watch out for CH 4. Usually they sidestep then 4. Ricky does SS~f,SS~f - a front dash, which is harder than backdash, and front dash tracks backdashers. -------------- From: ILuvMomo -------------- Well, the thing about Michelle is that she has a severe lack of throws, so at least you don't like have to worry about Mad "Asses" (D_J: LOL)... --------- From: jjt --------- After you block Michelle's f,f+1, remember that the _only_ move that a Mishima has that has priority over her is the d+1 (8 frames). If you try anything else, you'll probably eat a CH 1~1,1. Also, f,f+1 doesn't track at all, so even a little baby SS cancelled will make f,f+1 whiff. As a result, Kazuya's Mist Step works really well versus Michelle. Don't bother ducking when up close vs. Michelle. She has only single button- escape throws, so you at least have a 50/50 chance there, and that's much better than ducking and eating an u/f+4 juggle. --------- From: Cel --------- Michelle is a very difficult opponent to beat (like Julia). If you block a f,f+1, you do d+1. That would give you the initiative and make a Michelle player think twice in making a WS guessing game. When A Chang player whiffs a string like FC,D/F+4,3 or a d+4,1, you should 1,1,2 or WGF (this WGF has got to be a fast one). Be careful when you poke, because you might get CHed by a d/f+3+4 or a 1~1,1. Low Parry if you can - Parry the second hit on strings like 4,4,d+4_4_1 or d+4,D+4. Blocking a f,f+2 will give Michelle a 19-frame disadvantage, so take advantage of the situation (only problem is, who does a f,f+2?). Watch out for his SS games - SS+2 makes her recover crouching, so after blocking it, do a d+1 to gain initiative and make her think again of her WS games (I'm not sure of this, though). Blocking the SS+3~4 will give you a 10-frame advantage. Don't tag recklessly or you may eat a d/f+3+4 on CH. --------- From: Cel --------- Oh yeah, a Michelle player might try to keep on Sidestepping while you are grounded. Michelle will wait you to make a mistake in getting up so she can unleash a SS+3,4. So be cautious while standing up, and don't try to kick her out of her Sidesteps or you'll get it. ========================= Kazuya VS. Julia Strategy ========================= ---------------------------- From: new_blood (a.k.a. Cel) ---------------------------- I myslf have a hard time figthing Julia when I use Kaz. I hope this helps: After a blocked 1~1,1, try using mist step WGF as fast as you can. I'm not sure about this one if this is guaranteed, but I've done it for a couple of times. A Kaz player should know the difference between 1~1,1 and 1~1,4. Good Julia players will alternate 1~1,1 (or even just use the first two hits of this string) and 1~1,4. Low parry the 4 in 1~1,4, followed by a df+4,4. If she thinks he can get aways with 1~1,4 and finishes it with the 3, you have a lot of advantage and punish her with a WGF, a hellsweep or a throw. Also know the difference between: 1~1,1; df+1,1; 1~1,4; df+1,4. After a WS+2 it is for sure that it will be followed by a 4, which makes 1 guaranteed. I've seen Julia players set this up when they jump towards you, making them recover from crouching position, thus a WS+2 can be done. Parry the 4, or even block the whole string when they become hesitant. Punish them if you block the whole string. Be careful after a Julia player sidesteps; she can buffer the QCB (for the QCB,f+2 mad axe), and as she sidesteps, finish with the f+2. This throw is arguably the fastest and best throw in the game, so you should have quick reflexes to escape with 1+2 or duck it and try Kaz's TP. Julia can also buffer it after her bread and butter more, d,df+1. This move is advantageous for her, and AFAIK even if you block this she still has the advantage (I'm not so sure with this, that's because of the -8 block disadvantage to her, yet if I make a mistake interrupting this I fly high to the sky). After the d,df+1 portion she can buffer the madaxes, so duck and TP her. Or after blocking it, try a d+1 to interrupt the 2 (I'm sorry I'm not also so sure with this). She can delay the 2, and YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO GET HIT IN ANY WAY BY THE 2 because it will causea double over stun, making her uf+4 sure and her df+2,1 guaranteed. If you get hit in any way by the 2, then say goodbye to your lifebar (pray she makes a mistake!). One weakness I've seen is this can easily be SS, so if you are quick enough you can SS this. About the d,df+1, she can trick you by whiffing it, and if you attack her while she whiffs it, she will follow it up with the 2. Don't get to backdash happy against her or you will get knocked down with her f,f+1. After blocking this move I believe she can also buffer the mad axes. Also she can follow this move up with a d+1 (the follow the d+1 with her FC and WS guessing games). Also she can follow this up with the fearsome 1~1,1. The best way to interrupt her after blocking the f,f+1 is to d+1 her to stop her momentum. I forgot, she can also follow this up with a f+1, if you attack with a high move after blocking it, so really be careful. Her 4,4 strings is one of the most irritating part while fighting against her. After the second 4 she can follow this up with a d+4 (l), a 4 (high), a 1 (mid). But most of the time Julia will just stop at the second for, abling her to access her FC and WS games. But the real problem is the 4,4, string, so LEARN TO LOW PARRY the second 4. AFAIK even though you've been hit by the first 4 you can still parry the second. I've done it a few times, yet I'm having a hard time parrying it because she sometimes goes off axis with a SS and 4,4 me. This is when I really hate Julia when she sidesteps and do 4,4. Mediocre Julia players will use b+3 a lot. Her b+3 can be easily detected, so block it and finish up with a hellsweep or maybe a WGF (I think TP has less range to make it guaranteed after you've blocked b+3, unless you've blocked it at a very close range). B+3 makes her access her WS and FC moves. I've experienced that when I become to hesitant to CD I get interrupted with a 1~1,1, so plan out your CD/WD games very carefully. Tag cancel while tagging in because she can wait you for an uf+4 or a df+2 or even a d,df+1. Don't try to outpoke her because Kaz will lose to her in poke wars. Be on the defensive side when fighting against her. Oh yeah, I forgot you got to watch out for her 3xSS, which will make her face your back, thus guaranteeing a 4,4,1. Watch out for this and be careful while being on the offensive. My suggestion is to try to stop whatever you are doing/trying to do when you notice her triple sidestep and jump forward before she unleashes the 4,4,1. ----------- From: Night ----------- A few notes - b+3... there's a big ass debate about how good this move is, both on standing and as okizeme... TZ frame data says it gives +2, but this could be wrong. f,f+1 - d+1 might work on SOME julia players after this, but a good technique that expert julias use after f,f+1 is blocked is to tap df, this low parries an enemy d+1 and ducks a high jab. Anyway, what I can suggest vs her 3xss is to abuse the df+2... this tracks ss like a bitch, and can be of great use against michelle (as I find out to my misery) even though Julia won't rely as much on a ss game as michelle, df+2 is still useful.. -------------- From: ILuvMomo -------------- Duh what so hard? WD WD WD WD WD. Its Julia which has a hard time beating Kaz... not the other way round. LOL. ------------ From: DayFul ------------ LOL wavedash in to an elbow wavedash in to d/f+4 (As we know Mishimas need distance to get in to there WD game d/f+4 has the range to piss all over it). If i'm feeling realy lucky throw you out of your WGF with mad axes. And Julia has a major speed advantage I think your overating WD a bit (You made Hei sound god like in the Vs strats ). Hey do any of you guys WD in to d/f+2 as i've started using that quite a bit pretty handy IMO. ---------- From: bluu ---------- Quick tip: When you succesfully low parry her annoying low string (bow, arrow)don't do d/f44, go for mist step WGF. Do it FAST!!! There will be a best scenario and a not too bad scenarion The best scenario is that you get a guaranteed WGF juggle! Any Mishima has a guaranteed (E)WGF fater a succesfull low parry. But due to the mist step Kazuya should be easier. The not so bad scenario happened when you push it too fast. What will happen is that you won't get a WGF but a d/f+2 instead. This is actually better then d/f44 because the d/f+2 WILL CLEAN HIT and does higher damage than d/f44. Not to mention that you have more frame adv after connecting d/f+2 then d/f44. So general rule after low parry with kaz is too do a FAST mist step WGF. You do it fast enough you'll get WGF, you do it too fast you'll get d/f+2. Either way is better than d/f44. Oh yeah watch spacing. Make yourself out of 1 and elbow range. Her movement is slow, you got WD. I dunno what Cel (New_Blood) meant with don't backdash but IMO backdashing elbow is a good strats. Oh yeah I have saved "Tactic to beat Mishima Julia Bruce SVGL worker" threads. I'll search for it and copy some Julia stuff by the elites . I dunno if you already save it. -------------- From: ILuvMomo -------------- For the most part, Julia has a hard time keeping her opponent away. Maybe Wavedash is an understatement... how about light dash. Trying df+4, 4, or even d+1 when the opponent wavedash (also lightdash) towards you is very dangerous. df+4 hits you gain df+4,2 and thats all. Its not worth the pay off versus WGF on CH and juggle. WGF CH juggle is Wayyyyyyyyyy more damaging for Kazuya remember? Also WD to TP is much much safer than WD to Gut Punch. Gut Punch gives -14 when blocked, but does guard stun a bit if it is in close, but TP is completely safe. Besides both of them have about the same range (though df+2 edges TP here) And I'm not overrating WD. If you thought I made Hei sound like God, you should just read the vs. Jin section. Trust me, a good wavedasher is almost impossible to beat, let alone beat consistently. And waddya mean fake low parry can't be used in your opponents face. LOL. Just look at Hameko's Bryan. He fake low parries right in front of his opponent 2-3 times in a row. Well here is a tip from Shafi, try using 1 or d+1 to buffer the low parry. Hence 1,d+1+3, and D+1, FC+1+3. Most of the time when your opponent will be too afraid to counter you after seeing the first low parry. Heck I just throw out fake low parries at times for the heck of it. Actually I'm seriosuly considering but then after finishing the whole load of crap of vs strats, I guess I wil just stick it in. Not that they are very good anyways since the last few are quite half assed. ------------ From: DayFul ------------ Night d/f+2 to punish SS sucks Julia can cancel her SS with 1~2~1 so it's a no go. Also she can cancel the recovery of her spin too it's 3+4~F then whatever you wnt to put in there, great mad axes buffer too. I'll stop there or else i'm just going to write out my move description of Julia's spin (Both descriptions have a lot of different stuff in suprisingly). ---------- From: bluu ---------- Although 121/111 is 8 frames and d/f+2 is 14 but you're SSing before the 121/111. your 121/111 won't be 8 frames if you include the SS animation. -------------- From: ILuvMomo -------------- You can't just stand there and have them LD at you all day if you do that your screaming you own me. You should check out the thread on avoiding EWGF some good stuff in there shame about Analquin's posts. If EWGF was that avoidable and LD can be defeated that easily you'd figure everyone wouldn't be rating Mishima's top tier anymore. Fact of the matter is that LD owns you. The minute you let your opponent LD, you are always on the defensive no matter what. df+4 is 14 frames and EWGF will eat it. 4 is 10 frames but is high.. LD will go under it. I sopose I just suck at WD cancel in to WS moves a altenative. Use WD cancel to df+4,4. Safer. Ok not overated but not invincible. Not invicible but very close to it. Once you get into LD its almost impossible to beat him out of it. Best is again to stay in defensive mode and guess. ------------ From: DayFul ------------ Well i've lost count of the amount of times Rev has said a turtling Chang is the most difficult to beat. You can beat out EWGF with a 4, bitch timing but it can be done. BTW should be able to get the FAQ to you tonight it's best to look through my stuff first before sorting out the format. bluu Julia can cancel her SS at any time with 1~2~1 1~1,1 ect. That's one MAJOR advantage she has over Michelle she is far less vunerable when she SS, Michelle has to cancle her SS then use 1. ---------- From: bluu ---------- I've found out that with Kaz the clean hit d/f+2 does 31 pts damage, better than d/f44 which does 28 pts damage. ---------------------------- From: new_blood (a.k.a. Cel) ---------------------------- Night: As for the b+3, when used while Julia is standing, I see it as too slow and a good opponent will be able to low parry/block it immediately. IMO can be good for okizeme purposes, as it also brings you to FC position (just makes sure your opponent won't tech roll and block the b+3). Yeah, that is the problem using d+1 after a blocked f,f+1. Julia could parry your d+1, leaving you open. I guess this is where the real mind games begin; I think when you expect her to input a df or d+1+3_d+2+4, do a fast mid attack like a df+1 to stop any intitiative. bluu: Yeah, backdashing is good to make those elbows whiff, as long as you got the proper distance (I think you should be one jump away as you backdash in order to make f,f+1 whiff. The problem is just me (I have a bad habit of backdashing too often, so when this habit starts I eat a lot of f,f+1 and WGFs) so I said in my previous post not to be backdash happy. Thanks for the tip about mist step WGF after a manual low parry. I thought that would never work. -------------- From: Analquin -------------- Note from author: Devil_Jin here. I decided to post Analquin's "strat" because put bluntly, he's a fucking idiot and has little clue as to what he's talking about, and I just wanted you to see his laughable excuse for "strategy". I'm sure anyone who knows him wholeheartdely agrees with my decision. So for your amusement, here's his "strategy", in its edited, unaltered format. His dialect is totally baffling. Now, I am telling you now: DO NOT TAKE HIS ADVICE. He really is an idiot. ***** Dayfull: you think that you can beat a WDer just like a turling mode. Let me explain you why Kazuya is 1000 more dangerous than Jin when he WD. First a way to wd is really safe with Kaz is jsut f,f,N ( which is finnaly not a WD but a dash forward cancel into standing guard ). After that smatarss motion the N will be counted as neutral so the guard is active BUT Kazuya is a Killer too way powerfull because If everybody attack on this neutral guard df+2 will generate a WGF in pure 12 frame. Guess what happen, Kaz can just turle in front of you with ff,N all the day and Julia can't even side step without to fly. That why Michelle is better than Julia in compet I think. Second thing: If the guy WD with a correct motion f,qcf,b,f... Kaz will include a fucking sidestep randomly and when double it with a normal side step you are fucked. And now the WGF and hell come out from any WD motion as TP. Third thing: The fucking side step is something to focus on, if Kazu do f,n,f,n,f the smartass will turnaroud out on your right and receive any moves from you by WGF+juggle. If he does f,N,f,N,f,N he will turn around on your left and now WGF,WGF,uf+4,(4),4,4 become a joke to do. So the best advise I can give you is side step right block as fast as you can and abuse 2+3 and d,df+1,DB+1,ub,b. But may be dayfull you can use the Kick game of Julia to piss of Kazuya :-). MGAHAHAHAHAHAHA ***** ------------ From: DayFul ------------ Analquin you can SS a WGF, also did you know that a 10 frame standing 4 can interupt a WGF or EWGF when timed correctly even a 1 can as well (The timing is MUCH harder though becuase of the hit area). BTW Analquin you are crap LOL shame I can't go to euro 3, SS+3 LOL considering the lazer cannon crap you fell for. I think you need to realise you have been humiliated . And as we have establised Julia can use d/f+4 with the correct distance. O I LOVE abusing d/f+4 against Michelle players who try to abuse elbows they go fucking nuts. ------------------------------------------- From: bluu (in response to Analquin's post) ------------------------------------------- OH MY FUCKING GOD!!!!! JUST KILL ME!!!! KILL MEEEE!!! JUST K.I.L.L ME!!!! ------------ From: DayFul ------------ Jesus I know bluu. WTF is f,f,n? Does Julia have a D/B+1 move? Julia has a backflip dam i've got so much to learn about Julia I suck. Sod it he's gayed up another thread with his twisted logic. I can't take him seriously anymore I thought he would at least be decent i'd piss all over him and his Michelle/Anna team, d/f+3+4,d+4,1 isn't that the pinacle of skill? =======================================================================1 6. Upcoming FAQs ##################################################### ======================================================================= Tekken Tag Tournament Armor King FAQ - January 2001/February 2001 Tekken Tag Tournament Baek Doo San FAQ - To Be Announced Tekken Tag Tournament Lee Chaolan FAQ - To Be Announced That's all for now... ======================================================================= 17. Review Of Versus Book's TTT Perfect Guide ######################### ======================================================================= Being a big fan of the Tekken 3 Ultimate Guide (and Versus Books products in general), as well as being one of the more rabid fans that's been waiting for this for like months, I went over to my local Electronics Boutique and picked up the TTT Perfect Guide for a bargain of 12.72$ (they were on sale I assume). I was already well-aware of the cut text that was in the original version, but I picked it up anyways. There were about four of 'em there, all stacked up next to the Prima TTT book, which I read as well (and laughed pretty hard doing so). Giving my opinion, I'll tell you about some of it... Presentation - 8/10 Very nice job on the front cover. The poster is also kick ass, and just happens to be of my favorite part in the intro ^_^. I was a little dismayed at the back cover... no text to describe the guide, just a few pics and their two-word description. But overall, very good. Strategy - 6/10 What the fuck happened? True to tragic's words, this thing was the incarnation of "rush job". TWO, yes, two, pages of strategy per character, when the original promise was a whopping 14. Due to time constraints and lackluster work ethic, 90% of the strat was cut. The guide runs at 140 pages, out of what was supposed to be 400. But as it is, the strategy that is there is very good, and focuses on the character's best moves and such. A few omissions simply baffled me... there was NO strat for several of the character's key moves (i.e., Yoshi's f,f+4, Kazuya's WS+1,2, Hei's EWGF, Lee's d+4 links, etc.) and there were several mentions of the Wavedash... yet NO explanation as to what it was or how to do it. I hate publishers. Yes I do. I am most certainly mailing ttt@vsbooks.com and bitching my fool head off. They even had a disclaimer on the inside cover explaining how Empire 21 (the publisher) was IN NO WAY RESPONSIBLE for the cut text! Well, that was noble of them (fucking pricks). Combos - 3/10 My God. I am telling you now, you will find about 20-30 combos in this entire guide, compared to the 20+ PER CHARACTER in the Tekken 3 guide. Most per character is three to four, least per char... NONE (Kuni, I feel for ya). Ouchies. That Bob/Jin Tag combo is sick, though. How did this happen? Even with Castel as Combo Editor too... Jesus H! Screenshots - 9/10 Excellent quality guys, good job. Basics Section - 10/10 IMHO the best part about the guide. The basics are explained so in- depth, it makes you wonder what the hell happened to the rest of the book... Secrets Section - 0/10 WHAT IN THE FUCK IS _THIS_? It tells you on the back "EVERY SECRET" in big-ass, bold lettering. Yet, you will not find a secret mentioned ANYWHERE in here. What in the hell? I mean, I do know them all anyways, but how about throwing those non-Internet players a fucking bone, right? OVERALL - 6.5/10 Ok, ok, it wasn't THAT bad. It definitely reads like a more sophisticated book with REAL strategy as opposed to the VS Book Tekken 3 guide's whack strat ("Hwoarang's Sky Rocket is a no-risk attack."... HAHHAHAHAH), but at the same time, you can FEEL the rush-job vibes pouring off of the damn thing. It truly is tragic (no pun intended) about the outcome of what was touted as the biggest, baddest, best strategy guide for a game in existence. But it is at least a good book for those just starting or are at the intermediate/beginner stage of learning. But for us experienced players, this is a big letdown. Please though... PLEASE do not slack off next time guys... PLEASE!!! ======================================================================= 18. All About Me ###################################################### ======================================================================= Well, you've read through these 50-60 pages of my FAQ, so it's only fair I tell you about myself, of course. My real name is Mark Campbell. I'm 16 and a junior in High School. I live in Brewster, NY, about an hour north from New York City. My favorite music is mostly punk rock, and my favorite bands are blink-182, NOFX (the greatest punk band ever), Nirvana, Green Day, and Fenix-TX (notice... about four or five of them are California bands... jeez, they got everthing there!), although I like anything that's got a sick beat. I'm in a punk rock band called Stolen TCM with three of my friends. I play guitar (with a sweet Fender Stratocaster, and a Seymour Duncan pickup). I think I'm not too bad so far (I can play all of my favorite songs and a few others) for only playing a few months or so. I have like three younger brothers (Chris, Connor, Steve) and a little sister too (Sarah). Every now and then I have a girlfriend... but at the moment, I'm blissfully single, which means I can stare at any sexy beeyatch I want, thank God (lol). I started playing video games when I was 6 (Super Mario Bros., of course), and first played Tekken 1 when it came out for Sony PlayStation in 1994 (I'm pretty sure it was 1994...) and was hooked. I bought Tekken 2 and 3 the day they came out, and just recently picked up Tekken 1 for the nostalgia factor. I didn't get really serious about Tekken play until about 5-6 months ago, when I became one of the earlier members of the Tekken Zaibatsu (started January 17, only about two weeks after the forum was set up). On November 10, 2000, I recieved my PS2 and TTT, which has become my favorite game for a while. Ever since then, I've been sharing my info and strategy to other Tekken players (and flaming the scrubs that populate 80% of the Tekken Zaibatsu Forums these days...), and here you are, at the pinnacle of my Kazuya skills. For the time being, at least. ======================================================================= 19. In Conclusion... ################################################## ======================================================================= Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? The first version of my FAQ came out in about February 2000, where I was a smart-ass little scrub that got flamed like a hundred times a day from my mentor, Reverend C., with his 30-inch male organ and general bad attitude that everyone knows and loves these days. Thank God I've seen the light. And here it is, the end of January 2001, and it's fucking finally FINISHED! Woo-hoo. I hope this FAQ helped you out and guided you into becoming a good Kazuya player. Keep on the look out for more FAQs from me sometime. Until then, pEaCe OuT. ~fini~