Advanced Guide to Kicking Ass with KAZUYA MISHIMA
version 1.3
by Lee Kian Chong (iLuvMomo)
email : kianchong@netscape.net
helsmley@yahoo.com
ICQ Uin : 6477770
This guide is written using Wordpad usings Courier New (Western) Size
10 Fonts.
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Legal Stuff
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Tekken and all the characters in Tekken are copyrighted by Namco. Feel
free to print this guide for your personal use. If you wish to
distribute this guide, make sure that it is distributed free and in its
unaltered state, even with typo and grammatical errors. Make sure that
you have my written permission before you in anyway distribute this
guide. Please give credit where credit is due.
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Content
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What's New
About the Authour
Why another Kazuya Guide?
Why Kazuya?
Kazuya's Weaknesses
Kazuya's Moves
Move Analysis - throws
- Special techniques
- Unblockables
Pre-canned 10 Hit Strings
Movement - Sidestepping
- Wave Dashing
- Tagging
Custom Strings
Attack, Countering and Interrupting
Kazuya's Juggles - Juggle List
- My 2 Cents on Juggling
Okizeme
Chicken Buffer
The Funny World of Tekken - Scrub
- Novice
- Intermediate
- Advanced
- Expert
Character Specific Strategy (Vs. Strategy)
Suggestions for Tag Partners
Sites of Interest
Credits
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What's New
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v 1.0 First release of the guide. Rather incomplete and there are still
some sections not filled in yet.
v 1.1 Added, Yoshimitsu Vs. Strategy, slight mods on Vs. Strategy of
Hwoarang, Julia, Michelle. Small update on Wave Dash section and
Sidestepping strategy.
v 1.2 Added "Sites of Interest" Section
v 1.3 Added "About the Authour" Section, "Contents", update on Ganryu,
Gun Jack, Heihachi, Lee in Vs. Strategy. Also updated my Credits
list. Other minor updates. Added some more "Wave Dashing" tips.
to be added in v 1.4
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I'll finish off all the other characters in the "Vs. Strategy" section.
Maybe add a "Partner Analysis" section.
*****************
About the Authour
*****************
I am an 18 year old boy who lives in Ipoh, a small town in Malaysia.
Currently I am not studying or anything after my SPM (thats equivalent
to 0 Levels). I will be moving to Kuala Lumpur to do my A levels
sometime in June. I would consider myself a hardcore gamer and have
been playing games in the arcades since I was 6 playing the then
popular Street Fighter II series (the ironic thing about this all is
that people under 18 are banned from going to arcades!... so you would
say I had to illegally sneak into arcades time and time again) Anyways,
back to the topic. My first taste of Tekken was Tekken 2 on the
Playstation and I have to say I never liked it in the first place. (to
slow for me) I really got into Tekken when Tekken 3 was released for
the Playstation, and I addictively play Tekken Tag Tournament right
now, spending most of my allowance in the local arcades learning new
combos or practising new strategies. If any of you readers live in Ipoh
(or KL for the matter), do e-mail me as I would be glad to have a game
or two with you. It doesn't matter if you are better than me and if you
beat me because if you do , I will still be learning something new.
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Why another Kazuya Guide?
*************************
Other than the fact that I have nothing better to do than to write my
first FAQ on my favourite character, I feel that there have been some
points not covered by other FAQ authors. The FAQs by Reverend_C and
Exar_Kun have given me great inspirtation to write this FAQ so in some
instances my strategy may sound similar to theirs, so I would like to
give them great credit for their initial FAQ. Also, I feel that almost
all the guides OVERemphasize Kazuya's Demon Gut Punch. Sure it is a
very good and important attack of Kazuya, but the problem is that the
move can be tag escaped in Tekken Tag Tournament when compared to
Tekken 2 thus making the move less powerful than it should be. I'm not
saying its useless, but it is terribly hard to hit the Demon Gut Punch
on CH against good players consistently. I would say the Demon Gut
Punch is similar to Paul's Deathfist - it is hard to land on good
players but IF it does land you are in a major world of hurt. I'm sure
I will get a lot of hate mails and mail bombs from people for saying
this though. As this is my first ever FAQ, all those fussy critics out
there, please be kind on me, kay? Also before reading this guide, I
expect most players to know the basics of Tekken Tag as in how to quick
recover, and for Kazuya how to do CD's and WS moves.
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Why Kazuya?
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For one moment lets try and forget him having one of the best juggle
starters, the Wind God Fist. And lets forget that he has the Hell
Sweeps which is stronger than Heichachi's. And lets forget he has all
those Mishima trademark attacks (shining fists, tsunami kicks etc.)
Kazuya kicks ass because of his Demon Gut Punch (WS+2) which when
followed up, will almost spell the end of the fight (if not the end of
the fight) for your opponent. The Demon Gut Punch (now known as DGP)
stuns you opponent for hell of a long time that you can follow up with
some painful blows or a juggle. Even a roundhouse kick is extremely
damaging (which I will get to later). Kazuya has a regular Gut Punch
(think of it as a burger sans the cheese) which is easier to initiate
but does not stun as long (you can still get some pretty good hits from
it though...) Because of all the Demon Gut Punch glamour, many players
forget that Kazuya has the Twin Pistons which is MUCH better than Jin's
sorry offering. The Twin Pistons is a very useful move as it will
juggle if the 1st hit hits cleanly. Moreover, Kazuya's Hell Sweeps
isn't as pathetic as say Heihachi's as his will trip on the first hit.
(I'm not saying that Heihachi's Hell Sweeps is useless - it can be
devastating when used in combos.) Plus, Kazuya has the Mist step from
which you can initiate the Hell Sweeps in an instant and more deceptive
manner, thus making it almost impossible to block. There are a hell
load of reasons why you SHOULD play Kaz that I won't bothering
mentioning here as this will make the FAQ too long, so just read on.
Kaz is MY favourite character (along with Bruce) in Tekken Tag and you
can always see me playing him in the arcades.
1. His grunts are weird
2. His Wind God Fist (like Heihachi's) hits special medium now and this
kills of the crouch dash guessing game.
3. His Demon Gut Punch is tag escapable *boo!*
4. His Hell Sweeps causes him to stagger (what do you expect for such a
powerful kick) when blocked.
5. Lack of moves (but at least the moves he has are very good)
6. Some of his moves take forever to come out. Example the Glorious
Demon Fist (f+1+2) and some have poor recovery time.
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Kazuya's Moves
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Throws:
Command Name Escape Property
1+3 Bitch Kicks 1
2+4 Hip Toss 2
f,f+1+2 Stone Head 1+2 #1#2
FC_d_db+1+2 Ultimate Tackle #3
1+3_2+4_2+5 Steel Pedal Drop 1 #4
1+3_2+4_2+5 Skull Mash 2 #5
1+3_2+4_2+5 Reverse Neck Throw n/a #6
#1 Opponent can quick recover after this throw.
#2 Jun can tag in after this throw can finish with Reverse Arm Bar.
#3 Same as general tackle everyone has, except Kazuya can only con-
tinue with ultimate punches.
#4 Left side-throw
#5 Right side-throw
#6 Back-throw
Special Techniques:
Command Name Range Property
1,2 Double Punch h,h
=<2 Demon Slayer h
=4 Stature Kick l
1,1<2 Shining Fist m,m,m
WS+1,2 Twin Piston m,m JG
d/f+1 Entrials Smash m HS
f,N,d,df+1 Thunder God Fist m
=3 Mid Kick m
=4 Hell Sweep L
f+1+2 Glorious Demon Fist m CFS
f,N Kazuya Mist Step n/a
=df+2 [~5] Wind God Fist [tag] sm JG
=df+1 Thunder God Fist m
=df+4,4 Hell Sweeps L,L
WS+2 Demon Gut Punch m DSc JG
df+2 Gut Punch m JG CFSc
2,2 Demon Back Hand h,h
f+2 Soul Thrust m GB GS KNDc
f,n,d,df+2 [~5] Wind God Fist [tag] sm JG
f,f+3 Split Axe Kick m
f,f,f_WR+3 Leaping Slash Kick m GB
f+4 Axe Kick m GB KS
WS_df_f,n,d,df+4 Rising Kick m
=4 Tsunami Kick m
f,n,d,DF+4,4 Hell Sweep L,L BS
uf+4,4,4,4 Spinning Demon h,L,L,h BS
4~3 Demon Scissors M
db+4 Stature Kick l
Unblockable:
Command Name
b+1+4 Lightening God Fist
B+1+4 Lightening Screw God Fist
Unlike other FAQs, I am not going to rate any of the moves because even
if the move seems sucky to me, someone out there may have found a good
use for it that I haven't. But I'll try here and there to point out the
excellent moves that you should use often (but not over abuse). First
off though, I must stress the strategys I have written here is based on
vs. Humans and not vs. CPUs. If you need some strategy as to how to
beat the CPU in record time, go look up other FAQs (I'm sure there are
some out there)
Throws
-------
Command Name Escape
1+3 Bitch Kicks 1
The good ol Kazuya kick (which Jin also learnt) Gives you two good
kicks in the face and leaves your opponent on the floor near to you,
close enough to use some okizeme tactics. I think the df+4 kick is also
guranteed.
2+4 Hip Toss 2
Throws your opponent over your shoulders to the ground. Your basic 2+4
throw which leaves a small window for Okizeme.
f,f+1+2(~5) Stone Head 1+2
Kazuya's best throw. Does a little more damage than your normal throw
but has so many uses. First of all you can do it from a CD or dash
buffer it. Secondly if Jun is on your team, you can tap 5 to have her
safely tag in. Lastly, your opponent will be on the ground close to you
and the df+4 kick is almost guranteed (I think). Even if it isn't you
still have lots of options for okizeme.
FC_d_db+1+2 Ultimate Tackle special
Use this on slow witted opponents or those who don't know how to break
reverse this throw. This move is so bad because your opponent has loads
of time to counter this throw, and even if it connects he can reverse
it to his advantage. Moreover this move is slow to start of with and
your opponent may have already whupped your butt before you could even
grab him. Sadly, Kazuya doesn't even have and arm lock to add more
damage (and mix things up).
1+3_2+4_2+5 Steel Pedal Drop 1
Its a side throw. It does more damage than a normal throw. It can be
easily escaped unless your opponent was committed to an attack before
you grabbed him which means he would probably have no idea you were
going to throw him anyways.
1+3_2+4_2+5 Skull Mash 2
Read above.
1+3_2+4_2+5 Reverse Neck Throw n/a
Its a back throw therefore it cannot be escaped. Does a good deal of
damage but nothing in the range of Heihachi's or Yoshi's back throw.
However when your opponent is on the ground, you can still follow up
with okizeme tactics though.
Special Techniques
-------------------
Command Name Range
1,2 Double Punch h,h
Two fast punches that hits high. Not really useful except when used in
juggles, but then I myself prefer 1,1 more than 1,2 as 1,1 comes out
faster, and if the 1,1 connects, the 2 follow up is guranteed
1,2<2 Demon Slayer h,h,h
Why do the Mishima's bother teaching their children this move. Other
than being damaging, this move is rather poor. Slow,three consecutive
high hits. Use this move when I play Kazuya and you will probably be at
the receiving end of a DGP. Of course on the last hit (backhand), Kaz's
body is surrounded with electricity. The only time I'd used this move
is when playing against a scrub (but then the move's recovery time is
soooooo slow that you probably get hit in return if it is blocked).
Lastly this move doesn't knock down and has no guranteed follow-ups,
but if it does connet, it will push your opponent far away enough to be
safe from retaliation. Use this move in juggles (easy and moderately
damaging since Kaz has so few juggle options) or if you KNOW that your
opponent is trying to parry your 1,2<4 stature kick combo.
1,2<4 Stature Kick h,h,l
A good move overall since the last kick is quite hard to see coming but
since this is the only other option other than the Demon Slayer (and
good grief I myself wonder who'd use the Demon Slayer in a higher level
of play) the Stature Kick will be expected and thus low parried.
However most of the time though, this move is useful for ticking away
the last bit of your opponent's life. Throw this once in a while and
your opponent will not know what kicked them.
1,1<2 Shining Fist h,h,m
If you already know how to play Jin or Heihachi then you might as well
skip this part. Being a Mishima trademark move, the Shinig fist is one
of the better moves passed down the generations. The 1,1 hits quick and
is useful for poking purposes. In addition to that, the 2 can be
delayed and thus you may sucker your opponent into eating the 2.
Another advantage is that if the first punch connects the follow up is
all but guranteed. However if your opponent blocks the last punch (2),
be prepared for some hurting as there is a slight delay in recovery.
Lastly since it hits so quick, the punches are uncounterable.
WS+1,2 Twin Piston m,m JG
At least this isn't as bad as Jin's Twin Piston (which is only
guranteed if the first hit hits on a counter). Basically , Kaz double
uppercuts your opponent into the air for an air juggle. For characters
like Hei or Jin this would be good but since Kaz has modest air
juggling capability, the Twin Piston isn't going to be as worthwhile as
theirs. Still, this move has forward momentum and is useful in custom
strings. Just make sure you don't whiff this move or you will be at the
wrong end of Paul's Deathfist. I don't understand why every single
Kazuya FAQ out there rates this move 3/5 (average move) because I
myself find this move extremely useful. For example if you blocked a
Hell sweep and your opponent is recovering from the sweep stagger, it
is more advisable to pull off the Twin Pistons because if you connect
with the Demon Gut Punch, it won't count as a CH, so a juggle is a
smarter thing to opt for. Also, this would be a better move to opt for
since it comes out wayyyyy faster than the Demon Gut Punch, recovers
amazingly fast, has insane priority AND the Demon Gut Punch can be tag
escaped. Drawbacks? The Twin Pistons just REFUSES to juggle big
characters. But then, you wouldn't want to use this move all the time
right? Cuz....
WS+2 Demon Gut Punch m DSc JG
You have this move! Hits mid, comes out of crouching. Stuns your
opponent for almost eternity, has high priority, recovers fast (but you
could still be whacked). Basically if you are playing Kaz and you don't
make use of this move, then why pick him in the first place? I mean Jin
has a larger variety of moves, Hei has better juggles and Devil/Angel
has the SS+2. This is what all Kaz's strategy should be based on =
tricking your opponent into eating the DGP on a counter. I mean COME
ON... if you hit this move its probably curtains for your opponent. The
problem however with this move is plain and simple = tricking your
opponent into eating the DGP on CH. I mean the DGP isn't the fastest
move to perform from WS position so it is kinda hard to actually hit
your opponent on CH. Think of this move as Paul's Phoenix Smasher on a
counter or Nina's Divine Cannon Combo- its hard to hit on CH in the
first place, but if it does, your opponent will be in a major world of
hurt. After this move, you have some lovely follow ups which I will get
to later in the Stun Juggle section. The only draw back of this move is
that your opponent can quickly tap 5 to tag out and thus cancel the
stun, but if you look at his hand when he plays (which a good player
should always try to do), you can prepare for the tag in and whack your
opponent hard with the juggle starter or power move of your choice.
d/f+1 Entrials Smash m HS
Actually, I haven't figured out how to use this move properly yet, but
somehow since not many people actually use this move they eat it
easily. I usually use this move after my DGP hits but not on CH and I
know my opponent is trying to use a slow move to counter (Phoenix
Smasher/ Deathfist anyone?). If this hits, your opponent will be
slightly stunned giving you initiative but no free hit is guranteed. If
this is blocked, your opponent will be pushed back but retaliations
with quick moves is still very possible. Use this in a good string and
your opponent will more than likely eat this. This move can be used in
a juggle to push your opponent far away from you so that you can have
enough room for a tag in, but for this purpose, I'd rather finish the
juggle off with a WGF~5.
f,N,d,df+1 Thunder God Fist m
=3 Mid Kick m
=4 Hell Sweep L
Well well, what can I say. To say this move is slow and can be easily
countered is true. But then since this is Tekken Tag and your opponent
at some point of the game has to tag in (unless of course he plays to
lose or your game is so pathetic) you can use this move to anticipate a
tag and hit him hard. The follow up for this move (both the Mid kick
and Hell sweep) can be easily interrupted by quick moves. So this move
is bad? HELL NO! This move should be used if possible in your juggles.
What do you do if you tag your sorry opponent with a DGP? Finish him
with a TGF,3 of course! This will make your opponent sorry for trying
to hit you in the first place and he will fear the wrath of the DGP as
it will take off LOADS of damage. The other instance in a juggle where
this move can be used is after a Class 1 launcher (ie Yoshis 4~3,
Hwoarangs f,N,d,df+4 etc ). If you are playing against a opponent with
low intellect and low reactions, you can use this in your crouch dash
guessing game, after doing loads of Hell sweeps and your opponent is
too slow to react (but seriously though, even my Sis will be able to
block this move as it comes out so slowly). Moreover, if the initial
TGF is blocked, both the Mid kick (3) and Hell Sweep (4) follow up
comes out so slowly you can be jabbed out of it. I strongly advise
against using the Hell Sweep follow up in all cases since it does poor
damage when compared to the Mid Kick. All in all a good move but only
if you use it at the right place, and at the right time.
f+1+2 Glorious Demon Fist m CFS
So what if it hits mid and stuns on a counter. This move takes such a
long time to come out that any opponent who is awake would be able to
poke you out of it, or at least block this move. However in the event
that this ACTUALLY connects, you can do a single Tsunami kick to kick
your opponent into the air for a small juggle. But seriously though, I
never use this move at all, preferring to use the Gut Punch instead
(df+2). The only occasion this move is useful is when you have your
opponent stunned after a DGP and you can't seem to get the TGF,3 out as
in this special situation, this move is actually useful. Then again,
I'd rather use Kaz's Unblockable as it looks so much more cooler.
f,N Kazuya Mist Step n/a
=df+2 [~5] Wind God Fist [tag] sm JG
=df+1 Thunder God Fist m
=DF+4,4 Hell Sweeps L,L
This baby is what seperate Kaz from the other Mishimas (or Kazama if
you'd like). After doing f,N , Kaz does a small sidestep. After his
mist step, Kaz can easily perform an instant WGF or Hell Sweep, or he
can opt to go into his crouch dash. Performing moves from his mist step
is quite useful especially if you can't perform a quick crouch dash.
Have your opponent stunned with a DGP and can't seem to be able to
connect with the normal TGF? Try doing the TGF after a Mist Step.
Performing moves after Mist step allows the moved to be pulled out of
no where especially where the Hell Sweep is concerned. Since the Wind
God Fist has been tonned down to hit sM, your opponent will block low
when he sees you starting to crouch dash... but what if he doesn't see
you CD? What if you suddenly come out of a small sidestep with a quick
Hell Sweep. He will more than likely eat the Hell Sweeps and since
Kaz's Hell Sweep trips on the first hit, you can easily follow up with
another Sweep for okizeme purposes. But best of all, he doesn't
necessarily have to do one of the follow up moves as he use his normal
arsenal of moves (1,1 / 1,2 etc). Use this move in your strategy and
I'm sure your opponent will be cursing you when you are done with him.
I must stress that although the motion to perform the WGF from Mist
step may seem faster, the WGF still comes out at the same speed because
of the small SS caused by the Mist step.
f,n,d,df+2_f,n,df+2 Wind God Fist sM JG
Just in case you don't know how to do this move, it is CD+2. Another
vital move that is in every Mishima's strategy. Although the WGF has
been tonned down so much so that it now hits special medium, it's use
hasn't diminished one bit. Sure you don't have no crouch dashing game
to fool your opponent with anymore, but I myself use this move whenever
I see an opening. See your opponent winding up for a Deathfist? WGF
immediately. You blocked Laws flip kick... WGF of course! This move
comes out fast (and even faster if initiated from a Mist step) and has
superb recovery time so use it to counter or interrupt your opponent.
Even though Kaz does not have much damage opportunity after popping
your opponent up into the air, you should still use this move. Why?
Remember this is Tekken Tag, and you can easily buffer in the tag
button so that your partner tags in immediately to finish off the
juggle. Unlike Old man Hei where all his strategies are based on
popping your opponent up into the air with WGF, Kaz on the other hand
is blessed with the DGP which is the heart and soul of his strategy. So
even though his WGF is the same as Hei, it should be used only
defensively. Also since the WGF is now non parriable and non
reversible, you should still NOT abuse this move because your opponent
can still poke you out of it (though dangerous). The only drawback from
this move is that if it hits on CH, your opponent will be flipping in
the air and some of the combos cannot be done. Just be thankful it
isn't as pathetic as Jin's. Now if only Namco would at a bit of
Electric animation to Kazuya's WGF....
f,n,d,DF+4,4 Hell Sweeps L,L
Another bread and butter move passed down by his father. However, Kaz
must have gotten lazy or something because he does two low sweeps and
stops, while Hei has so many variations. However old man Hei must be
getting real Old now since his first sweep doesn't trip, while Kaz does
making it more useful since you can suddenly come out of Mist step and
sweep you opponent. However the introduction of sweep stagger in Tekken
Tag means that if you are near and your opponent blocks your hell
sweep, you will stagger a bit giving him the chance to clock you. Also
the Hell sweep is an ideal okizeme tool which I will further discuss
later on in the "Okizeme" Section.
df+2 Gut Punch m JG CFSc
In any situation that you would use the Glorious Demon Fist, use this
instead. First it can be initiated from standing position (so you won't
need to be in the crouched person first of all) and more importantly it
doesn't take as long as the Glorious Demon Fist to wind up. Although
the Gut punch looks the same as its cousin the DGP, the stun animation
is not as long. However this is a good move for beginners and players
who can't seem to do WS moves. *you'd better learn to do them quick
though as the DGP is THE most important move of Kazuya*
2,2 Demon Back Hand h,h
f+2 Soul Thrust m GB GS KNDc
This move when hit on a counter will put your opponent in the face up,
head away knocked down position. I myself don't use this move often and
usually only in combos..... but then I'd rather tag in my partner to do
the dirty work =)
f,f+3 Split Axe Kick m
Hey... I'm slow. I hit mid and I knockdown. Actually though, I think
this move is totally worthless. At least when Jin uses this move (and
if it can actually connect) he can juggle with the White Heron Combo.
I mean gosh... this move is so slow, your opponent could nail you cold
without you knowing what hit you. Wait, you can actually do some
juggles after the knockdown from this move, but MAN its hard and you'd
probably do yourself a favour by not using this in the first place.
f,f,f_WR+3 Leaping Slash Kick m GB
The same Leaping Slash Kick that everyone has. Use it when you run at
your opponent and they're moving, but it's not long enough for should-
er ram. If blocked, it'll stun them long enough to leave Kazuya safe.
But if you actually get to use this move, I'd rather use the running
slide or the shoulder ram.
f+4 Axe Kick m GB KS
If your opponent blocks this kick, he will be stunned and stagger,
giving you the slight initiative. There are however no sure follow ups
should your opponent block it. I don't use this much either as it comes
out rather slow and any good opponent would have already poked you out
of this move.
WS_df_f,n,d,df+4 Rising Kick m
=4 Tsunami Kick m
Another trademark Mishima move, and a good one too. Kazuya can do this
move by tapping df much like Jin can but he can't initiate it using QCT
like Heihachi. Some say that he won't be able to gain more forward
momentum, but you can easily do so by CD and doing the Tsunami Kick.
The First tsunami Kick is the most important as it can be used to lift
your opponent who is on the ground for a juggle. It is also used in
Okizeme. Also, as demonstrated by Castel's Juggle video (Kazuya Act 2),
the first hit of the Tsunami Kick can be used to stun crouching
opponents for a meaty juggle....ideal in your custom strings. Lastly
the tsunami Kick has forward momentum and is useful in custom strings
since it has very low recovery time. Oh and did I forget to mention
that it is useful in juggles?
uf+4,4,4,4 Spinning Demon h,L,L,h BS
So the guy who challenged you just pick Eddy Gordo and is now mashing
as hard as possible on the controls? Use this move. This will kill him
as Kaz will jump into the air, do a spinning kick, land and do 2 hell
sweeps before ending with a roundhouse kick. The sweeps will be what
usually kills them, and since this has good tracking ability, you won't
need to worry about those Gordo's spinning all around the arena. At a
higher level of play though, this move is practically useless. First
the kicks can be low parried by anyone (given the inclusion of the
universal low parry) which leaves you at a disadvantage. Secondly if
the sweeps are blocked, the second sweep will leave you staggered, and
you will be beaten up like hell. It has its uses though as it can be
done after a Gut punch (df+2) on CH for an easy, damaging combo, but
hey, I'd rather see a perfectly timed b+1+4 unblockable hit.
4~3 Demon Scissors M
Since the addition of Quick Recover in Tekken 2, the Demon Scissors use
has been severely weakened to the point of uselessness. What more,
Kazuya WILL take damage if the Demon Scissors wiff. However, I do not
think that this move is completely worthless since Kazuya's WGF on CH
will cause your opponent to flip over thus guranteeing a free okizeme
hit. Therefore after a WGF (CH) 1, 1, 1, WGF you can add a 4~3 Demon
Scissors for good measures since your opponent will not be able to
quick recover.
db+4 Stature Kick l
An excellent move, one you should throw in during your mixup of
strings. The kick is hard to see coming and your opponent will most
likely eat it. The damage however is rather low but can you really
blame it for being such an excellent move? Just remember that at the
end of the round every lil drop of damage counts. The only drawback of
this move is that if your opponent is somehow psychic enough to see it
coming and parry it, you will be in trouble. However I don't remember
anyone able to block let alone parry this move other than if I did
nothing in that round but Stature Kick him. Other than that this is one
of Kazuya's important poking move bar bad controls that is.
Unblockables
-------------
Command Name
b+1+4 Lightning God Fist
Usually, unblockables are so damn useless except for a few. Kazuya's
Lightning God Fist is among the few exceptions. This move comes out
real fast for an unblockable and does good damage (40%). You can use
this move in combos after a Class 1 launcher or during a stun combo.
You can connect with this after a Demon Gut Punch if you can't seem to
be able to pull off the TGF fast enough. This move can also connect
after a df+2 though I think it will only hit big characters. Lastly,
you can pull this move out at random because even good players freeze
when seeing an unblockable. Just make sure that you don't over use this
move.
B+1+4 Lightning Screw God Fist
Well if the Lightning Screw God Fist is useful, well this move is
really so useless I can't think of anyone getting hit with this. Even
Eddy Gordo mashers will kick you out of the wind up before you can
actually hit them. If you can connect this move at a consistent basis
on an average tekken player, consider yourself a master. Hey, you can
perform this move when anticipating your opponent tagging out, but
chances are that your opponent will tag slide/ cross chop you out of it
before you can hit. Still, if in some miraculous instance it does hit,
it does a whole lot of damage.
*************************
Pre-canned 10 Hit Strings
*************************
I don't understand why people STILL practise the 'religion' of 10 Hit
combos. I don't understand why after parrying their 10 hit string on
the 9th Hit for the 10th time they STILL come at me with the same 10
Hit string. Hmm... in my opinion 10 hit strings are useful only against
the CPU since the CPU will fall for the last few hits of the 10 Hit
string. Don't ask me why but even on Ultra Hard (and cheesy) setting,
the CPU still falls for certain 10 Hit strings (like Julia's for
example) However against good players , I will never ever allow a 10
hit string to go unpunish. Whether its a simple parry or a perfectly
timed Demon Gut Punch on CH, I will make my opponent pay.
f,f,N+2,1,2,2,,3,4,4,2, Ten string
f,f,N+2,1,2,2,3,4,4,3,2,1 Ten string
f,f+N+2,1,4,4,2,4,3,2,1 Nine string
Anyways back to Kazuya's 10 Hit string. They actually look kinda cool
but since the first 4 hits of his 10 hit string hits high a d+1, d+3
etc will easily poke you out of the act. However if your opponent is
stupid enough to allow the whole combo to hit, then you do get to see
some very flashy unblockable finish.
His 9 string on the other hand has 2 high hits so at least there is a
better chance of completion against scrubs (but then I'd parry the Low
hit) Also if you some how manage to complete it, the 9th hit will stun
your opponent giving you the advantage to do something like go buy your
opponent a bus ticket to go home.
********
Movement
********
This is something that I realize is sorely lacking from most Tekken
players. Most players just do a move, stand there and block and attack
again. Sure against beginners and average players this will work out
fine. However , if you are to play it as a 2D game in a 3D world, I'm
sure you are going to get a serious trashing against good opponents. DO
NOT ADOPT THE MENTALITY OF "HIT, BLOCK, HIT". Think of this as a boxing
match. You don't punch your opponent and wait for him to react and
punch you back right? Come on, you have so many options available to
you. Namco didn't just put the Sidestep feature into the game for no
reason, did they? Besides, you have the CD which gives you a bigger
advantage. By moving around a lot, your opponents chances of hitting
you and landing that major butt-kicking juggle starter is lower.
Moreover, he may wiff and therefore allow you the chance to counter
attack him. By blocking you gain ZERO advantage when compared to
sidestepping or dodging the move. The best example is a blocked WGF.
When blocked, a WGF recovers fast enough so that there isn't any
GURANTEED move you could counter attack with. However if you
succesfully sidestep or dodge the WGF, you can easily counter attack
him with a WGF of your own or maybe go for a throw (not advisable).
Sidestepping
------------
I don't think I need to teach you how to sidestep, but I wish to
emphasize how important it is to sidestep. Try to incorporate
sidestepping in your game step by step (no pun intended). At first you
may find it really hard to successfully sidestep attacks but with
practise you will be able to sidestep most moves easily. You should
also include side stepping in your movement for example :-
f,f,N,SSD, b,b,N, SSU, f,f etc
By simply moving around you create confusion for your enemy as he will
have a harder time anticipating when to attack you since his attacks
will miss more often than not. For Kaz, he can be more confusing as he
can add his Wave Steps and Mist step into his sidestep movement
(although this is hard)... and come out of it with a WGF or Hell Sweep.
Sure Kazuya doesn't have good moves that come out of his SS unlike Jin,
Devil, Changs etc. , but that doesn't mean that he shouldn't sidestep.
Learn how to do a WS+2 and WS+1,2 out from a SS and you'd be surprised
how many times you will be able to catch your opponent on CH with the
DGP. You may go for a sidethrow from your sidestep but side throws are
easily broken by good players.
Wave Dashing
------------
I actually used this move first before reading any of the Kazuya FAQs
but I will not take any credit away from whoever first discovered it.
The idea of the Wave dash is to cancel the CD by inputting f which is
also the start of another CD command, hence, a continous chain of
CD'es. In short :-
f,N,d,df,n~f,N,d,df,n~f,N,d,df,n~f and so on
What makes this so dangerous is that you can pull the trigger from the
Wave dash any times, namely you can come out from it with a WGF,Demon
Gut Punch or Twin Pistons. To come out of a CD with a WS move, just
press b + Button(s) from the CD. Sure it is hard to perform at first,
but with a lil practice, your CD game will be feared (as you can now
mix up the Hell sweeps with the Twin Pistons or Demon Gut Punch - not
recommended though). So who was it that said that the Mishima's CD
strategy was completely killed now that the WGF hits sM? Also from the
CD, you can buffer a stonehead throw (f,N,d,df,f+1+2) The Wave dash
will become extremely useful if you incorporate sidesteps and
backdashes into it.... even Mist steps as you can pull a Hell Sweep out
of no where (how many times have I said this? ) One last thing which
I'm not entirely sure of is that since you have to input the motion
rather quickly, I think that you will be relatively save from low
attacks since the df command is the universal low parry. Can anyone
confirm this?
However useful the Wave dash can be, it does not have 'ABUSE' written
all over it. My point is, don't just simply wave dash. Do NOT simply
Wave Dash in to close down distance on your opponent, because more than
likely, you will get a nice hopkick for all your trouble, and you know
what happens after a hopkick *especially* with Julia. I'm not saying
that you CAN't use it to close distance, but use it sparringly and as I
said before, mix it with Sidesteps, backdashes etc. Use Wave dashing
when your opponent is down to apply pressure on them.
Tagging
-------
A lot of players do NOT understand the tagging system of Tekken Tag
Tournament. From what I observe when playing, many players blindly tag
out when they are low on health. Yes, I know that you have to bring in
a fresh new partner because your character can be easily KO'ed but by
foolishly tagging out, they leave the poor tagging in character open to
all kinds of dangers. Do this to me and I will undoubtedly punish you
with an unblockable.
Think about this, your character is low on health but if you bring a
fresh new character in and say Julia hits you with a Heaven Cannon
Unblockable + Juggle, your partner could be even badly hurt than the
initial fighter that just tagged out. Morever, your opponent is given
the initiative to pound you into oblivion with all kinds of Okizeme
attacks.
As a rule of thumb you should only tag out when
1) Your opponent is on the ground or your opponent is far away and not
is not able to hit you.
2) You use a tag throw or do a tag combo. If you missed your
first opportunity to tag out during a juggle starter, you can still
tag out if you finish your juggle with a juggle starter. Example :
WGF, 1, 1, 1, WGF~5.
3) The worse time to tag out is when your opponent is charging up an
unblockable or heavy hitting move. More likely than not, your
partner will come rushing in only to be hit by the said move.
4) If your opponent is all over you and you need to tag out, try to
knock him down or at least push him away so before making a tag.
5) When you do tag, try to come in with a cross chop or tag slide so
that your opponent will not get into a habit of always trying to
counter you when you tag out.
6) Tag frequently when given the chance to tag out. The small health
regained may be the difference at the end of the bout. Also, do not
get predictable with your tagging.
With all said, I also find that a lot of Tekken Tag players do NOT use
tag juggles enough. Come on, the damage lost during tag juggles cannot
be recovered. I can't remember how many close battles I won because of
the 'extra' health I could regain from tagging out. Remember, Kazuya
isn't the best juggler on the block so try experimenting to find the
best juggling capable team. =)
**************
Custom Strings
**************
First off, these are just some suggestions. The rule of thumb about
custom strings is that you should not follow exactly everything that I
do. Be original, be creative and most importantly vary what you do.
There is nothing worse than being predictable in any game you play. A
human opponent WILL sooner or later catch on and punish you for it. By
being unpredictable, your chances of catching your opponent offguard is
higher. So if you just used my pre-canned strings and you do come
challenge me, be prepared for me to DGP you each possible chance I get
to. Another thing is, after watching some of the Tekken Tournament
Videos, I have come to a conclusion that short strings are better than
long confusing ones. Also, most of the expert players, do NOT use long
strings and rather use better movement techniques (haha step, wave dash
etc.)
Moves to poke and string with :-
1,1
1,2
1,2,4
d+1
d+3
WS+4
WS+1
df+1
db+4
Moves to end the string with :-
WS+2 (of course!)
WS+1,2
WGF
Hell Sweep(s)
1,2,4
1,1<2
and other moves which I don't recommend
Basic Poking Strings :-
-----------------------
Here is are basic punch + kick strings which are used don't do much but
slowly chip away at your opponent health bar.
f,f,1,1 N, 1,1<2
The real basics here. You do two left punches but do not finish the
Shining fist combo. This is to lure your opponent into countering, but
since your jab comes out faster (and you have a frame advantage) your
opponent will most likely eat the next left jab which gurantees the
full Shining fist combo. However, your opponent can easily duck after
the initial 1,1 if he knows that you aren't going to follow up with the
full combo. You can however remedy this by pressing 2 since the last
hit of the Shining fist hits Mid.
f,f, 1,1, d+1, WS+4, f,f,1,1, f,f, 1,2,4
Another basic string. The whole idea here is to train your opponent to
block high before coming out with a sudden low kick in the 1,2,4. Note
the use of 1,1 since if your opponent crouches, you can follow up with
a 2 to hit in (2 hits mid).... and to mix things up you can use this
string.
= f,f, 1,1, d+1, WS+4, f,f, d+1, d+3 ,WS+4, f,f, 1,2,4
For those expecting a high 1,1 after the Rising Kick, you can go into a
crouching d+1, from there you can opt to rise with a WS+4 or continue
in the FC position with a d+3. Your opponent will probably be screaming
at you because he won't know where to block next (the whole idea of
your custom strings). Moreover, the moves chosen here recover fast so
you are safe from any retaliation. If the WS+4 connects, complete the
Tsunami kicks.
Demon Gut Punch Strings :-
--------------------------
Unlike the basic poking strings, the basic strategy here is to trick
your opponent into countering after a hit while u rise up with your DGP
to hit on CH. The idea here is to get into a FC position so that you
can rise up anytime with a WS+2, so I'd suggest the below.
a) d+1, WS+2
b) d+3 , WS+2
However your opponent would have to be rather dumb to get hit by the
DGP on CH so you would have to hide your basic string in a longer, more
complicated string. Some suggestions are.
*NOTE* Anytime that you rush in and do a standing attack, you could
easily substitute the punches with a throw. I'd suggest the Stonehead
throw (f,f+1+2) since you can dash buffer the throw.
*NOTE also* You can easily substitute the WS+2 with a Twin Pistons
WS+1,2 or Tsunami Kicks (WS+4,4) since they both work off the same
formula. It is even easier to connect with the WS+1,2 since all you
have to do is make sure that the WS+1 hits and the 2 is guranteed (not
as crappy as Jin's) I strongly suggest you use WS+1,2 instead of WS+2
unless you are REAL sure that the WS+2 is going to hit on CH.
f,f, 1,1, d+1, WS+2
2 basic left jabs is added to this string. Not really complicated
really, but then this is a start.
f,f 1,1, d+1, d+3 , WS+2
Just add the d+3 if your opponent is expecting you to rise from the
crouch position with a DGP after the d+1. As an added benefit, most
players try to counter after the d+3 which means your DGP will hit on
CH.
= f,f, 1,1, d+1, d+3 , WS+4, f,f, 1,1, d+1, d+3 ..... WS+2
Basically an further extended version of the above string and from the
FC position, you can come out of it anytime with a WS+2 if you sense
your opponent is trying to counter you. The WS+4 single Axe kick is
used because of its forward momentum and priority over most other
attacks.
= f,f, 1,2, d+1, WS+1, f,f, 1,1, d+1 ..... d+1, d+3, WS+2
You can substitute the 1,1 for 1,2 since the 1,2 has forward momentum.
The reason I use more 1,1, than 1,2, is because if the first hit of the
1,1 hits, you can follow it up with a 2 (shining fist) for a knockdown
and be able to position yourself for a string again. For the 1,2, both
the follow ups do not knockdown thus breaking the fluent string.
Also, I'd use a single piston (WS+1) as it comes out quick, recovers
quick and has a small forward momentum. You can sub that for a WS+4,
but I'm just trying to make things fresh here.
You'd also notice that I use d+1 and not d+1, d+3 except when I wish to
finish with a WS+2. As I said, this is because a lot of players like to
counter the d+3 and thus you get the DGP on a CH. Of course you can
remove the d+3 and go straight to the WS+2 after the d+1.
f,f, d+1, d+3, WS+4, f,f, d+3, WS+2
This is just to mix things up if you have been going f,f, 1,1 all day
and your opponent crouches in anticipation of your high punches. Again
the basic strategy is to get into a crouch position and come out from
it with a WS+2.
f,f, 1,1, df+1, d+1, WS+4, f,f, 1,1, d+1, d+3, WS+2
or
f,f, 1,1, df+1, d+1, WS+2
This is used for those anticipating a low jab after a 1,1 since the df+
1 will hit them mid and the small stun will give you time to go into
the d+1 jab. From there, the fun starts as you can rise for a WS+4 or
continue with a d+3. After fustrating your opponent into blindly
counter attacking, feel free to rise up with a DGP to answer his needs.
There are many other strings to get a DGP, but I wouldn't want to
expand more on them as I feel that the current ones given here should
give you a clear idea so start getting creative!
1, d+1, d+3, WS+4 ,f,f,N,DF+4,4
Just another variation of combos since you have been doing f,f, 1,1, so
much your opponent could well be prepared to block high or reverse your
next high attack... so a nifty hell sweep outta do the trick and one
more should be tacked on for Okizeme.
1,2,4, d+1, WS+4, 1,2,4, d+1, d+3, WS+4, f,N,DF+4,4
The basic train your opponent to block high and then come out of no
where with a Hell Sweep from mist step. This time, the stature Kick
combo is used for some nice tick damage.
f,f, 1, d+1, d+3, WS+2, df+1_ WGF
After a WS+2 which connects but isn't on CH (therefore no stun effect)
most players will try to counter attack, therefore counter with a WGF
or df+1 (entrails smash). The df+1 comes out on the slow side but I
have caught one or two good players with this move and the small stun
will give you enough time to rush in and start any of your strings
again. Remember I mentioned that the WS+ 2 has to hit even if its not
on CH because if it is blocked, some faster characters will be able to
poke you out of the WGF or df+1. You can also use the above DGP strings
to set up the df+1 or WGF.
f,f, db+4, 1,2,4, f,f, 1,1, d+1 , WS+4,4, WGF
If the opponent blocks your WS+4,4 Tsunami Kicks, some will try to
retaliate. COUNTER with a WGF and a nice juggle. However, again faster
characters will be able to poke you out of the WGF after the blocked
WS+4,4.
***********************************
Attack, Countering and Interrupting
***********************************
There isn't anything new that I would add so read the opinions given by
other FAQ authours for a good idea on what to do.
If all you did was scroll right down here to read the Juggles section,
then don't be surprised if your sorry @$$ is creamed by someone who can
properly set up juggles. I am rather lazy with the juggles section so
all I did was copy out the juggle list from www.tekkenzaibatsu.com so
all credit to them for the good job. Please remember that the stun
Juggles CAN be escaped.
It is always important to remember that during a close fight to do not
only the most damaging juggle but also the one you are most confident
of pulling off. I mean sure you may be able to pull off the triple WGF
consistently when playing around with your buddys but when you are up
against a Tekken Expert in the arcades things will be very different.
My advice is to do an easier juggle if you aren't confident of
finishing a more complicated juggle rather than settling for a missed
opportunity. Below are my favourite juggle list which I do depending on
the situation.
1) WGF, 1,1_2, df+4,4_f,N,d,df+4,4
The easiest juggle from the WGF and one which I know I won't miss. I
will do this during a really really close battle and am under
tremendous pressure. Moreover, the damage done from this juggle is more
than satisfying. A small note, if you do 1,2 then the df+4,4 will hit
almost all the time. If you use 1,1 though, the last hit of df+4,4 will
have a higher chance of missing therefore use f,N,d,df,f+4,4 instead.
2) WGF, WGF, WGF
Done when I'm facing a scrub or have won the first round and intend to
have fun during the second. More for showing off actually since it may
be hard to pull off consistently in arcades with bad diagonals.
3) WGF (CH), 1,2, f,n,d,DF+4,4
I like doing this combo because if the opponent is flipped and I hit
him on the ground there seems to be this nice rumbling effect. The
damage done here is about the same as the 1,2, df+4,4 finish so I'd
only do this if I'm tired of pulling the df+4,4 off.
4) WS+2 (CH), WGF~5, tag juggle
Now I admit the fact that I don't really use the TGF,3 finish after a
WS+2. This is because when I choose a team mate for Kazuya, I usually
choose one who has excellent Juggling capabilities (like Hei or Bruce)
Therefore a WGF to pop them up for a nasty juggle would be much better
than TGF,3. Add this to the fact that damage lost during Tag Juggles
cannot be recovered. However timing the WGF after the WS+2 is extremely
hard and I usually do this ONLY if I'm confident of winning the round.
5) WS+2_df+2 (CH), b+1+4
This is an easy yet flashy and damaging juggle (although the WS+2,
TGF,3 juggle is more damaging). However, I choose this juggle over the
others because of it's ease to perform. Good for those tight situations
when you are neck to neck with your opponent.
6) WGF, 1, 1, 1, 1, WGF
On a good day I may get this combo down, but since I pull this combo
off all to inconsistently (and because I could do an easier combo
rather than do this) I only use this combo to intimidate my foe when I
am toying with him. For close battles though, I'd do 1, 1, 1, WGF
instead of 1, 1, 1, 1, WGF. Remember to have all the left punches
connect you need to do f,F+1 instead of f,f+1.
*******
Okizeme
*******
I must admit that if there is ONE glaring weakness of Kazuya, it is
that his Okizeme game isn't up there with Nina, Ling, Anna etc. Problem
is he can't keep his opponent on the ground the whole day. But that
doesn't mean that Okizeme isn't an integral part of his game. I'd take
any free hits that I can come along because the damage will add up at
the end of the day. That said, Kazuya has some good Okizeme moves like
db+4,
d+1
d+3
f,n,d,DF+4,4
df+4,4_f,n,d,df+4,4
4~3
WS+2
df+2
and others......
If you see your opponent rolling on the ground, either do d+1, d+3 or
db+4. You can do df+4,4 too. I'd suggest hell sweeps but if it is
blocked, you will suffer the sweep stagger syndrome. You can safely
hell sweep if he is rolling on the floor but I strongly suggest you do
not Hell sweep him if he is quick recovering and is going to block low.
Use WS+2 to get a CH on opponents who rise with a standing kick or df+2
if you weren't in the FC position before this. You can also use your
WGF to punish a missed rising kick or sweep. The Demon Scissors should
only be used if your opponent has been flipped over (a WGF on CH easily
does the job) and cannot quick recover or if he is rolling forward
towards you. Be careful when you throw the Demon Scissors though
because its execution time is awfully slow and you will take damage if
you so much as wiff.
**************
Chicken Buffer
**************
Chicken is another name for a reversal reversal. To do a chicken you
press either f+1+3 or f+2+4 depending on the punch or kick that was
reveresed. Some moves though use two buttons (f+1+2) so you have to
know which buttons to press to chicken it. (its f+2+4 btw). Although
I'd strongly suggest you incorporate chicken buffering into your normal
game against reversal capable/happy characters, most average players
find buffering chicken a confusing job and one which hampers their
gameplay.
There fore, for the aforementioned players, they have to use the tactic
known as chicken baiting. Basically, they do an easily reversed move
and buffer chicken hoping to catch a reversal happy player. Usually the
moves chosen are slow, easily telegraphed moves like df+1, f+1+2, f+2.
However as I mentioned before this, a good opponent will look at your
hands to see if chicken is buffered and resist all temptations to
reverse. Instead, he will just jab you out of all these moves as they
come out so slowly.
*note* You cannot chicken King's Kick reversal and Wang's Left Punch
reversal.
*************************
The Funny World of Tekken
*************************
There are many different kind of players around in the Tekken world.
Here, I would break them all up into different categories, and explain
which moves/tactics work extremely well on them
1. Scrubs (aka I Want to Play even if I don't know how to)
If you lose to any of these players at ANY time, you can be considered
a scrub yourself
1.1 Eddy/Law/Hwoarang/Baek Mashers
These are players who couldn't care less about what you are doing or
what they themselves are doing. They just bang the buttons as hard as
possible, usually 1 or 2 buttons at most, and hope to win. I hate
these players a lot because they are the reason of faulty buttons, and
inaccurate controllers. Basically, all your specially thought out
custom strings are not going to work here, as you can't train them to
do anything. To beat these scrubs, just abuse certain moves like crazy
since they never learn how to block low. Example : Spinning Demon (uf+
4,4,4,4), Hell Sweeps (since they will probably not know how to get up,
you can just sweep them to death). In the case of Hwoarang mashers,
just duck the last hit of the 3,3,3,3 and counter with the DGP for
~INSANE~ damage. The same applies to Baek and his strings. Do them a
favour by canning them in record time and then giving them some money
to go home.
1.2 Paul Deathfist/ Falling leaf players
Basically, these players play with only 2 moves..... deathfist (qcf+2)
or the falling leaf combo (d+4,2) All their strategy revolves around
confusing you between these 2 moves. Since the introduction of the
sweep stagger in TTT though, the falling leaf combo has been tonned
down a lot as in the sweep will only take you off your feet if is
extremely near or hits on CH. Best yet, if you block the sweep, he will
have suffer a looooooooong stagger recovery time. This is to the
benefit to players as it kills the guessing game of deathfist or
Falling leaf combo. However, a good player will probably poke the hell
outta the fella before he even winds up with his deathfist. Good moves
that Kazuya can use is the Gut Punch (df+2), WGF (which hits most of
the time if you time it properly) , Hell Sweeps (for okizeme).
Beware as these players may or may not know how to block low. Remember
to becareful at ALL times because a Deathfist on CH is as bad as
getting hit by most Unblockables.
1.3 i-M-Reversal-happy (Paul/Jin/Nina and rarely Jun/Wang)
*yAy* These are the most fun to play against. They think they are
probably an expert player because they can reverse every move
around...NOT! Do not mistake reversal happy scrubs with players who
reverse at correct times (unchicken buffered moves). To identify this
class of players, watch how they play. If they do a move, Reverse, Do
another move, reverse, and never bother to use a low parry (because
they say its a worthless move which does no damage) ... they are
probably a scrub and this is where the fun begins. Just throw a move
buffered with a chicken to bait them and laugh in their faces as they
stare in horror at what you had done. Repeat again and again until they
have finally learnt their lesson and stop using reversals permanently
or they are dead. The sure sign that they are a scrub is when they
can't fight back because you have thrown off their game plan. From
here, just murder them with juggles and stun juggles of all sorts. For
more info about chickening and chicken baiting, refer to the
1.4 I-Am-The-Best-10-Hitter (Paul/Nina/Yoshi/Baek/King are common)
Haha! Actually I love playing against players who think that 10 hits
rule the world. To be honest, I was once a player in this class (until
I got canned by my friends Julia and all her poking). These players do
nothing but practise the 'ultimate art of 10-hit combos' while maybe
throwing an odd move or two (maybe a rare deathfist or double palm). To
have the most fun with these characters, I usually block the first 9
hits of the combo to tell them that I know how to block their 10 hit
combos and then poke him out of the 10th hit. But Alas, they never
learn and will start again with the 10 hit combos. While playing these
players, use low parries to your full advantage. You SHOULD always poke
them out of the combo whenever possible since blocking isn't to your
advantage (and this applies ESPECIALLY to yoshimitsu since the last few
hits of his 10-hits are Unblockable). If possible CH him if he uses a
slow move. Example, Block the first 9 hits of Pauls 1231421421 combo
and rise with a DGP immediately after blocking the 9th hit (which hits
low).... or you could easily just WGF him when he starts the 10 hit
since most 10 hit scrubs prefer to start the first few hits far away
(aka Wiff the first few hits).
2. Novice (aka I think I'm an expert because I can beat Scrubs)
Novice players think they are hell great because they can do away with
scrubs in record time or beat the CPU in the quickest fashion ever
using a few moves. In my opinion novice players are more fun to play
compared to scrubs because they KNOW what they are doing but still fall
for each and every trick you pull out of your pocket.
2.1 Juggle Crazy
Juggling is undeniably an essential part of any tekken player's game.
However a novice player probably has only one thing in mind - juggle my
opponent. Sure... if it hits cool, you will do loads of damage.... but
getting your opponent to eat your juggle starter is another thing. My
evolution from a 10-hit scrub went into this stage when all I did was
try a juggle starter over and over again hopping my opponent would eat
it. All I did was use Nina and Divine Cannon over and over again until
I popped my opponent up into the air. Since the CPU is sadly extremely
stupid and will fall for the Divine Cannon even if the first one is
blocked, I abused this move a lot... but was soon taught a harsh lesson
of reality. Juggle starters need to be set up properly if your opponent
is going to eat it, but these players will probably go around doing
consecutive WGF's, Divine Cannons etc even if they KNOW its going to
be blocked. In this case, just poke the hell out of them, use your
custom strings to set up your own juggles and then laugh at them for
being so foolish.
*note* if your partner has a reversal... abuse it, since most juggle
happy novices never bother with chickens, and if they do, it will mess
up their gameplan anyways.
2.2 Multi-Throwers (King/Nina are common, Armor King/others are rarer)
I'm not sure whether to put these players in the scrub category or the
novice category, but since they have done so much HARD work memorizing
the multi-throw list, I should give them credit shouldn't I? All they
do is just try to get you in a multi throw. Common are King's SS+2+4/
SS+1+3 series, the CD+1+4 series and Nina's QCF+1+2 series. Just duck
whenever you see them aim for their multi throws (but beware as some
King players may cancel the Multi throw in the SS series .... but then
again if they do cancel their Multi's they are not novices) and learn
the breaks if you unfortunately get caught in them. As a show off, you
may want to break Nina's Multiparts or King's CD+1+4 series when they
are extremely low on health as the minute amount of damage caused to
them will kill them off.
3. Intermediate (aka I am getting there....)
Intermediate players can be easily recognized by their style of play.
They know probably the best moves of the character they are playing and
how to block a few 10-hit strings (usually the common ones). They know
how to pull out some of the character's most damaging combos though
even some hard ones (example :WGF,1,1,1,WGF) still elude them.
Intermediate players can be identified by their limited amount of
combos used, usually sticking to one or two which they find easiest to
do.
3.1 Ways to identify an intermediate Mishima
Most players may have gone through this stage. While trying to learn
any of the Mishima characters, they'd probably have had trouble doing
the crouch dash motion. They may pull it off once in a while, but as
everyone knows, consistency is the key in Tekken. (I mean you want that
WGF to interrupt the ass outta what your opponent is doing everytime
right?) Morever, most intermediate players have trouble pulling off WS
moves consistently, and this puts them at a severe disadvantage since
all 3 Mishima... or should I say the 2 Mishimas and the Kazama have
excellent WS moves. Kazuya has his DGP (WS+2), Twin Pistons (WS+1,2),
Jin has his single Piston (WS+2) or Twin Pistons (WS+1,2) and Heihachi
has this new move which works similar to
Kazuya's DGP but is slower , again WS+2.
An intermediate player should be treated cautiously at all times and
any attempts to show off may backfire severely on you (since as I
pointed out they DO know how to play) I don't know how many times this
has happened to me before but I got beaten by some fella who I knew I
could beat easily because I tried to do one of those fancy (AND
useless) moves/ juggles.
The best way to play against an intermediate players is to pressure him
all out (I mean you are Kazuya right?) Poke the hell outta him and wait
for his mistakes (due to his lack of experience)
3.2 Stance changers
If your opponent plays a character with lots of stance changes (Ling,
Lei, Eddy, Hwoarang etc ) observe the way how he plays. Does he know
how to change from one stance to the other stance with ultimate ease?
For example, for Ling to go into her Backturned stance, does he ONLY
use the f,f+3 racoon swing? An intermediate players KNOWS how to play
in each stance, but gets predictable because he uses only a few moves
to get into the stance. My point being that he can't change stance
fluidly (which is important for the surprise factor). Another thing is
when they change stance unknowingly, they'd get suprised themselves and
may not know how to play correctly....so punish them with a meaty
juggle/ stun combo so that they will finally choose someone as basic
(yet as effective) as Kazuya.
Actually there are lots of ways to identify an intermediate player
so the above are actually just some examples.
4. Advanced (aka I'm there....almost)
Well well well... they are probably one step from becoming an expert...
but then that one step is a rather huge step. An advanced player is one
who knows almost every trick of the trade in the game. But that doesn't
mean that he will not fall for some moves at times. He knows how to
break multi throws, he knows the break points for each 10-hit combo and
WILL punish you each time you are foolish enough to use it. Hmm.... the
best way to identify an advanced played is to watch him play against a
reversal enabled character. If he can play consistenly while buffering
chicken commands for each move then he probably is a advanced (if not
close to expert player) An advanced player has very good juggle
abilities though he may still not be able to do the extremely HARD
combos (Ex: Jin's b,f+2 CH, WGF, TGF +3) Still, he will be able to pull
out some rather amazing and difficult combos consistenly.
4.1 Pitbull
Players who pitbull will do nothing but attack attack and attack all
day. They will go all out at you trying to beat you into submission the
minute the announcer goes fight. The problem with pitbull players are
that if they somehow get pinned back by their opponent, they will be
under immense pressure and sometimes may crack under it. Pitbulls
utilize poking and interrupt tactics in their custom strings to their
advantage, making sure you eat a juggle for each and every mistake that
you commit. Best way to play against a pitbull is to play as one
yourself, not giving the chance to attack, because in my personal
opinion, the best form of defence is offence.
4.2 Turtler
Not many characters can play a turtling game well. Probably Law and
Ling are the best turtlers in the game because they can parry almost
anything. Some people belive parrying is rubbish because it does no
damage but come on.... a parry cannot be chickened, its final. A
reversal can be chickened and you could end up looking like a fool for
eating the damage yourself. Moreover, after a parry, you are given the
initiative while your opponent struggles to find his footing, hence he
may fall for your juggle starter. Law has the punch parry for example
which has guranteed follow ups (not to mention a meaty juggle at the
end of it) The best way to play against a turtler is cautiously... lead
him into your traps and not go blindly rushing in with a WGF (because
he will probably d+1 you out of it most of the time before you can get
anywhere near) Remember that given the opportunity, a turtler WILL
attack so remember never to keep your guards down.
5. Expert (aka I am there)
Oh come on, you don't need me to elaborate anymore bout this do you?
Well an expert will probably pull out all the stops on you. He probably
knows each and every move in the game and will use them to their
fullest of capability. Even seemingly useless moves will be utilized by
them at the right time. An expert will be able to perform out all kinds
of juggles, some seemingly impossible. He plays both a good turtling
and pitbulling game, knowing when to switch between the two styles,
often confusing his opponent. My observation has led me to conclude
that experts have extremely good movement during battle. They bob,
weave, sidestep, haha step, wave dash etc. just to get that single
opening to finish you off. A battle between to expert usually comes
down to the psychological battle. When facing an expert, your best bet
is to pray hard that he doesn't cream you in 10 seconds flat.
******************************************
Character Specific Strategy (Vs. Strategy)
******************************************
These Character Specific Strategys will work against another player of
similar skill as yours. Even though some characters may be rated Easy
or Hard it doesn't mean anything if your opponent is an expert or a
button mashing punk. Although some characters may be better against
others, in good hands any character can be deadly. I disagree with
statements saying in a masters hand this character is more dangerous
than others, its just a matter of how the player plays it.
Alex/ Roger
Difficulty : Joke ~ Easy
Hmm... why would ANYONE want to play Alex/Roger? This is basically King
from Tekken 1 without his multi throw capability (but then multithrows
are kinda useless at a higher level of play). Beating Alex/ Roger
should be rather easy if you play all out offense and cream him. In my
arcades I haven't seen anyone sane enough to use these freaks.
Angel/ Devil
Difficulty : Easy ~ Medium
Angel/ Devil is a favourite choice among players who know a limited
repertoire of moves. Well well, they actually think that Angel/Devil's
laser is some sort of messiah. Just duck the standing laser (or if they
are actually STUPID enough to use it in close, duck it and Demon Gut
Punch or Gut Punch him for being such a fool) and run behind him when
he flies high for the air laser. Beware that Angel/Devil has a fake out
where he will dash to the other side before firing the laser, but this
shouldn't be a problem as it is easily telegraphed.
However, at a hands of a good player, Angel/Devil can be rather
dangerous because he HAS all the Mishima trademark moves (shining fist,
WGF, Hell Sweeps, TGF) AND the SS+2, Devil Twister (especially if Devil
is teamed with Heihachi). Be extra careful not to be hit by the Devil
Twister as it could spell a LONG painful juggle.
Anna Williams
Difficulty : Hard
Be prepared to be assaulted by a bombardment of pokes. Anna is as mean
as her sister when it comes to poking so counter appropriately and only
when you have an opening. Be prepared for her high moves like QCT+1 and
high jabs and counter with 'You-Know-What'. Lastly, know the breaks for
her multis, but be aware that she is the ONLY character that I know of
that can chicken a multithrow escape.
Armor King
Difficulty : Medium ~ Hard
If you go into a fight using all the tactics that you'd use to fight
any King, you will get a sorry ass kicking. Although he has a lot of
King's grapple (including some of his own) Armor King is played very
very differently (a huge mistake made by a lot of people whom I have
seen play Armor King). I mean why wouldn't one use his version of the
WGF (called Dark Uppercut or something) which although isn't as good as
yours is deadly in its own right. Whatever happens do NOT allow him
space to get into CD distance because he is the master of mixups. Since
Armor King has only ONE multi throw (which comes out of the CD) learn
the breaks for it as you may get caught in it occasionally due to his
excellent CD game. Oh did I forget to mention that he has a great
poking game with his d+1,N+2?
Baek Do San
Difficulty : Easy
Don't let this rating fool you. Baek is extremely deadly if is used in
the right hands. (the Tekken World champ uses Baek!) Its easy to see
whether you are up against a masher or an expert because a masher will
never use any punches. Learn his strings and duck under the Highs and
reply with the Demon Gut Punch. You may want to choose King as your
partner as your opponent won't be able to chicken your Kick
reversal.... however I don't see any reason why you would want to
reverse his kicks when you can easily WGF him out of the act.
Bruce Irvine
Difficulty : Hard
My partner of choice! Bruce is deadly because his juggles are so easy
to do yet extremely damaging. A juggle with his triple Knee combo can
easily see of 50% of your life in one sitting. Bruce has an excellent
poking game with the Gatling Gun Combo 3,2,1 which pops you into the
air and the last two hits are guranteed if the 3 hits on CH. This
happens a lot since his legs are long, it comes out fast and has insane
priority. His punches are fast and his basic uppercut cannot be
reversed. Also he has the (1),2,d+4 / (1),2,4 which confuses the hell
outta you. Play smart against a good Bruce player and do NOT rush in
blindly as you will get your ass sent off in record time.
Bryan Fury
Difficulty : Hard
Like erm.... at least your WGF can't be punched parried. Even with his
pathetic lack of low attacks, Bryan Fury is an extremely dangerous
character that you will fight against.Bryan has probably one of the
best WS gussing game. His WS+3 should be treated with the same bane
that he treats your WS+2. A CH with a WS+3 could easy see your life bar
depleted very quickly. Lets not forget he has the WS+1 and WS+2. Also,
from FC position, he has one of the coolest throws in the game - Chains
of Misery. A fight against Bryan will probably end up in another poke
fest. However be prepared for any of his powermoves (he has to tap f,f
to initiate them) and counter with WGF. Since his Mach Punch f,f+2 hits
high, your WGF should duck under it if timed correctly and nail him
each and everytime. This will be a close fight.
Eddy Gordo/ Tiger Jackson
Difficulty : Easy ~ Medium
Scrub? Just help sweep him to death and parry all the low kicks he
throws at you. IF however you are going up a player who KNOWS what he
is doing, this could be tricky. Be prepared to change blocking heights
at a dime. Since Eddy/Tiger's recovery time for moves can be bad,
punish any blocked/parried hits with a WGF or DGP (depending on your
position.)
Forest Law
Difficulty : Hard
Against mashers you'd probably be having a fun time. However if you are
up against a turtler beware. Law has many tricks up his sleeves that
can punish you. The first card he draws is the Punch parry and its
follow ups. You should be careful with your poking/strings. Don't get
over predictable because you could end up at the wrong end of a 70+
damage juggle. On a good note, I am quite sure that Law cannot punch
parry a WGF (anybody can confirm this?) Law is an excellent poker
himself so be prepared for lotsa punches in your face. He also is
blessed with both a high and low parry so once again you must be very
very careful with your moves. Law players often switch between b+1,2,1
and b+2,3,4 moves. Learn how to read both of them and parry the second
low hit of the b+2,3,4. Also you must remember that the hits in the b+
1,2,1 combo can be delayed so do not go blindly rushing in and eat the
hits on CH (which means a float => juggle) Last but not least, if he
manages to hit you with the Poison Arrow on CH, remember to tag out (to
cancel the stun) as he has some follow ups depending on his partner.
Ganryu
Difficulty : Easy
He is slow, you are fast. He is big, you are not. He is strong, you are
to. Wait.... looks can deceive! Ganryu isn't as slow as you think he
is. He has some really good moves which you should be aware off and his
power is second to none. I don't what they are called or how they are
performed (because I haven't played Ganryu myself) so I hope my
description will be good enough. He has the one handed uppercut thingie
where he moves forward a lot. This move is comes out rather quick and
WILL be used to punished and wiffed attacks. He also has some of the
power attacks of the Jacks (which everyone should be familiar by now).
He has this two handed uppercut which comes out WS position which also
has a lot of forward momentum, does plenty damage and will duck under
high attacks. Ganryu has this low kick thingie which comes out almost
as discretely as your db+4 Stature Kick and is useful for poking. Also
his Earthquake stomp (d+4) is very dangerous if a Ganryu player
properly sets it up. If your partner has a Class 1 launcher, take full
advantage of it for some fun, meaty Juggles. Among all the big
characters, I think Ganryu is the best (and most underestimated) of
them all.
Gun Jack
Difficulty : Easy
Read my opinion on Ganryu and you are almost set. Once upon a time, I
actually lost to a Gun Jack player, but then again, I lost because the
right Punch button was out of order (no WGF, no gut Punch, not DGP...
arghhhh) Just beware of his Punishment Drop catch which has INSANE
range and does INSANE damage. Other than that, you'd probably have to
be a rather dim wit to lose to someone this slow.
Heihachi Mishima
Difficulty : Easy ~ Medium
This old fart is actually still around? Since he takes damage like an
old man (dohhh!!!) a juggle or two should see him off in no time. This
is almost a mirror match.... well almost as I said. Although Heihachi
has the multiple enders to his Hellsweep, his hell sweep is so pathetic
now that it doesn't trip on the first hit. So unless you are retarded
or something, block low even if the first hit of his hell sweep
connects. Hei has been blessed with an EWGF which is better than your
plain vanilla WGF.... but you have the Demon Gut Punch right? Anyways
since Heihachi is after all a Mishima, most of the strategy's here will
apply (CD, Wave steps, WGF's, yada yada yada). Keep up the full offense
on him and Heihachi will be dead in no time.
Hwoarang
Difficulty : Easy ~ Medium
Again, fighting Hwoarang can be tricky if you are up against a master
(but then I guess fighting against even Kuma would be hard against a
master). Against a beginner, duck the last hit of Hwoarang's 3,3,3,3
combo and d+4,4 and tag him with a Demon Gut Punch. IMO , Hwoarang has
the best movement in the game, as he can easily sidestep behind you and
give you a nice kick in the back. Hwoarang has many strong moves, but
most of them come out slowly, so poke him out of the act.
I'd say becareful of players who use the technique known as Crazy Step.
Hwoarang will appear to be dancing all over the ring. His movement will
help Hwoarang evade a lot of high attacks and make a lot of other
attacks wiff. Don't blindly go charging in with a WGF because it may
well miss and he will reply with a f,n,d,df+4 + juggle or just one of
his powerful kicks *ouch!*Lastly, don't underestimate Hwoarang's
punching abilty because a good player should and WILL use his punches
to its full capability. Since Hwoarang doesn't have many good moves
which actually hit low, exploit this weakness!
Jack 2
Difficulty : Easy
Unless you have really slow reflexes, any DUMB ass would be able to
poke Jack out of any move he trys to throw at you. However be careful
because if you actually are dumb enough to get hit by his moves, it
would mean some MAJOR hurting.
Jin Kazama
Difficulty : Hard
Jin is one of the hardest characters to beat if played in the hands of
a master. When played right, he has no apparent weaknesses. Jin is a
mix between Jun and Kazuya, but playing in the style of either will
result in a quick victory for you. Although Jin must have learnt
everything wrong from his father and mother, he has some excellent
moves of his own. His WS+2 uppercut launches you high into the air for
some meaty juggles, while his b,f+2 gut punch while not as good as
yours can lead to some devastating juggles. However, Jin is not without
his weaknesses as stated because his (E)WGF pathetically hits high
which means that any time he crouch dashes, block low. Even if he
decides to go into the tsunami kicks, you will have enough time to
block on reaction. After crouching his WGF, you know what to reply with
right? Even his Hell sweeps isn't as good as yours because it hits low
and then high (compared to yours which hits twice low) As I said, even
with his weaknesses, Jin is a very formidable opponent when played
correctly.
*note* If Jin is teamed up with Heihachi, he will have the opportunity
to turn into Devil Jin after a force block (b+1+2) In this form, Jin's
body is surrounded with electric. Along with a new string, Jin's WGF
will now hit Medium and juggles you higher.
Julia Chang
Difficulty : Very Hard
Of all the characters I have played against, IMHO I think that Julia is
the hardest fighter to fight against. WHY? For one, Julia is very fast,
has good power and knock the wind out of you from the start of the
match if you aren't ready. She has loads of mixups from almost every
position : standing (CH) 1~2,1 or 1~1,4,3 (and others), Crouching WS+2
or FC,df+4,3. Because she has a quick jab, you have to be really careful
with the WGF that you throw at her because a blocked WGF = one jab.
Although the damage isn't much, at the end of the round, all the tick
damage WILL add up. If you are a psychic, be ready to parry any of
her low shots she throws. Always parry the 2nd hit of her 4,4,4_d+4_1
combo or you could be left with a guessing game later whether to block
high or low. Hit df the minute u see the 1~2,3_4 combo because it will
parry the low 3 kick and go under the high 4, unless of course your
opponent got you on CH and you are flying high in the sky after the Sky
uppercut. Beware also of her d,df+1<2 and WS+2<2 as players may delay
the 2nd hit hoping to get a CH.If your opponent is foolish enough to
finish the 1~1,1 combo on a non CH (though I have NEVER seen good
players go for 1~1,1 as they'd opt for 1~2,1) , punish them with a jab
at very least. Julia has very good SS ability and coupled with her lil
spin move (3+4) she can get behind you before you know it. Watch out
for her Mad Axes throw (QCB
motion. Remember the break for this throw is 1+2. I think that Julia is
also good at time wasting because after a float she can waste LOADS of
precious time with her multiple elbow juggles which do about as much
damage as a swat at a fly. Whatever you do, be ready to change your
blocking height or you could be at the wrong end of her damaging
juggles.
Jun Kazama
Difficulty : Easy
If you haven't fought against a Jun player before, you could be in some
trouble. Jun is an infinite stringer and if you don't know her well you
could be blocking and taking hits all day from the get-go. With that
said, even if you haven't played her before, most of her moves are
rather slow and are easily interrupted. One move to be REALLY careful
about is her Can-can Kicks which hits low and comes out of no where.
Any move with slow recovery will probably be answered with Jun's Tooth
Fairy (F+2) into a juggle. Jun is the most ideal fighter to practise
low parrying (df) against since a lot of her attacks hit low and come
out slow.Remember to buffer chicken for your moves because Jun is one
of the few characters blessed with a reversal. Overall though, Jun
starts getting predictable once you know her strings, and her poor
stamina makes the job easier for you. =)
Kazuya Mishima
Difficulty : How good are you?
You've read the FAQ, so now is the time to pit your skills against
another fellow Mishima.
King
Difficulty : Medium
Played in the right hands, King can be a big thorn in your ass. He has
a good poking game, d+1,N+2 , df+1,2 and 2,1 but the most important of
the poking tools is d+1,N+2 which comes out incredibly fast and the
first hit is low. He also has the most extensive list of very damaging
throws including a throw which will grab you from crouching position.
Moreover, some of his throws will set you up on the ground for a ground
throw if you aren't quick enough off the ground like the Tombstone
Piledriver (db,F+2) . From his sidestep, he can do the Deadly Bommerang
which is HELL damaging or start his multi throw. Learn all his multi
throw escapes (most are broken with either 1 or 2).If you must, look at
the players hand to know which throw he is attempting. His b+4
disgraceful kick can be dangerous and most often used as a counter.
From the BK position he can pull off his Lariat unblockable *ouch* or
his new BK+3 mule kick which is irritating. As long as you stay out of
his throw range and punish him everytime he wiffs a throw, King isn't
all that tough. Overall, King is a good fighter when played right, but
since the removal of the guranteed Giant Swing after his 2,1 , King is
no longer a "cheater" character.
Kuma/Panda
Difficulty : Easy
Ok, so Kuma may not be as pathetic as the Jacks, but he is damn near.
He is a big target and slow to boot which makes poking and juggling so
much more fun. However, as I said, he isn't as pathetic as the Jacks
because he has the G-clef Cannon move of the Changs (performed f+1~1,1)
which could juggle you for some huge damage. However other than that,
Kuma won't be a huge threat to you.
Kunimitsu
Difficulty : Medium
Again, there aren't any good Kuni players in my arcades and I am still
in the process of learning how to play Kuni so I can't write much about
this. Basically Kuni is a Yoshimitsu clone with some moves to call her
own. Her d/f+2 uppercut isn't as good as Yoshimitsu but you should not
underestimate it because she can do some mean juggles off a single
uppercut. Kuni has a move where she disappears into the ground and
comes flying out of the air with an unblockable Sai attack (u+1+2)
which she can mix up with the fake. Though this unblockable can be
easily seen a mile away, if you actually get caught in it you will be
juggled. Kuni's most dangerous weapon however is her okizeme tactics
which is up there with the best. She can keep you on the floor all day
with moves such as her D,df+3,3,3,f+4, poison wind (uf+3+4) and if you
move she can nail you with an unblockable (b+2 or f,f,(N)+2. Do not
underestimate Kuni even though she is said to be inferior than you are.
Lee Chaolan
Difficulty : Easy
I haven't had much experience with Lee so I will write more about him
when I learn how to play him. Most Lee mashers like to do the stupid
Inifinite Kick string. Block the first few kicks and then punish them
when you have the space. Lee has a Class 1 tag launcher (FC,db+4)
which, like all Class 1 launchers, you should be extra careful of.
Lei Wulong
Difficulty : Medium / V.Hard
I don't think Lei is that difficult if you have enough experience
playing against Lei players. Lei is the master of stances and you must
know each and everyone of them as well as the moves from which they can
perform from the stance. Lei has some rather powerful moves but most of
his moves come out slow and easily interrupted. Also, from his stances,
most of his moves either hit High or Medium bar a few moves. Even then,
those moves are slow enough for you to block on reaction. Lei also has
some moves and stances which will evade/parry attacks. Take for
instance his drunken headbutt (b+1+2) where he will take a step back
before delivering a headbutt. You have to becareful when charging in
because he could easily evade the attack you were trying to dish to him
and land you a blow on a CH.
More advanced players employ a technique which is known as the 'Haha'
step. Basically, Lei dashes back by cancelling the backturn. (b~3~4, b,
b~3~4, b and so on) I must highlight how important it is to not dash
blindly into a backturned Lei because he can easily come out from it
with some razor punches. Go download the Tekken Tag Championship Finals
movie and watch how Seok makes full use of the Haha Steps. The best you
can do is dash into just out of his attack range, sidestep and hope
that he commits himself to an attack by psyching him out. You could
also use tag slides or cross chops though it is NOT a guranteed
solution. Other than that, your best bet is to play it save and back
away. The HaHa step technique pratically tranforms Lei from an average
fighter to one that should be feared.
Ling Xiaoyu
Difficulty : Hard
Ling is a pest! Since my sparring partner likes to play Ling a lot (he
likes to play really quick characters like Ling, Julia, Mich etc. ) I
have learnt that Ling can be a thorn in Kaz's side because she can
easily poke you out of your moves and irritate you with her parrying
skill. Since Ling has amazing speed, you MUST be sure that your move
will connect or you will eat irritating lil pokes which do small damage
that WILL add up at the end of the day. More importantly though, you
should only throw a WGF if you are sure that it will connect. Because
of Ling's good movement, she can easily dodge your WGF and pop you with
a juggle starter. Kaz has one of the best anti Art of Phoenix moves in
his stature kick (db+4). When you see her go into her Art of Phoenix,
immediately do the stature kick to knock her out of the act. Whatever
happens do not throw moves out in fustration because of continually
taking poke damage ESPECIALLY on a backturned Ling... she isn't as
defenceless as you think she is. Just bear in mind that she is a lil
girl and as such takes damage like one so be patient and wait for the
opening.
Michelle
Difficulty : Hard
She plays the same as her daughter, but she has a few moves to call her
own. Namely the df+3+4 and SS+3~4, both juggle starters. Her SS+3~4
puts her sidestepping game in the same league as Jin and Devil even
though the SS+3~4 may miss at times (it has to be near to be sure of
connecting). Her df+3+4 ducks under high attacks and she will use it if
you are not careful with your pokes. A correctly timed df+3+4 can
interrupt your WGF so this is another warning not to go throwing WGF's
like crazy. Yes I know the WGF is very useful but she has so many other
ways to punish you like the 1~1,1 for example. Keep the pressure on her
and do NOT let her get into her WS game. She can be extremely dangerous
if you allow her to get into a Crouched position. I have already
touched on the WS of Julia's and hers is equally dangerous. Punish a
blocked bow and arrow kick (FC, df+4,3 or any of its variants) with a
Shining fist or WGF. I have changed Michelle's rating from V. Hard to
Hard because Mich has very poor stamina so if you just keep on top of
her and do not allow her breathing space, she will be out in no
time.... thoug hitting her may pose to be the biggest problem.
Mokujin / Tetsujin
Difficulty : -variable-
Can you tell which character your opponent is playing from the start by
just looking at the entrance animation or the way they move? If you can
that is a good start. Mokujin / Tetsujin is as good as the character
being used but in some cases the size factor makes it a bit different
(Mokujin is bigger than Ling but smaller than the Jacks for example).
You'd better be prepared to learn stances if you are to defeat an
expert Mokujin player.
Nina Williams
Difficulty : Hard
OK, so Nina Williams has been weakened like a LOT since Tekken 3 (she
was my favourite character in Tekken 3 btw). A lot of her moves have
been weakened to balance out gameplay but Nina is still a very good
character. She has excellent poking moves (d+1,N+4 , d+4,1 etc) She can
can easily stick in your face the whole day with her poking games and
if you are not careful may eat a Divine Cannon on CH ->juggle -> major
butt whupping. Her CD game can be deadly too as she can come out of it
with an uppercut, Bad habit kick (you know the kick to the men's area)
or go into one of her multi throws. However, her multi's aren't as
dangerous as say King's and can be easily broken plus she will take
damage when you break out of it. Make sure you KNOW how to break her
multi's because they still pack major damage (though not as much as
King's INSANE Rolling Death Cradle multi). Nina is one of the most
complete character in the game as she has it all (throws, combos, fast
pokes,reversals ... you name it) so be prepared for a long hard fight.
When she is just outside throw range, throw a WGF or df+2 gut punch (or
if you were in a FC position rise with a WS+2) the moment you see her
move an inch because she will most probably be coming at you with her
long, seizure inducing strings. My advice against a good Nina player is
to psyche your opponent into wiffing a move and go for a WGF + juggle
which is easier said then done, but at a higher level of play it is all
down to psychology after all. Also, make full use or your side stepping
and CD ability although you have to really careful as some of Nina's
moves have excellent tracking ability.
Ogre
Difficulty : no idea
- to be added -
Paul
Difficulty : Easy / Medium
At least Paul has been weakened this time around so much so that his
Falling Leaf combo will only trip if he is near or hits on counter. If
you manage to block the sweep portion of the Falling leaf combo,
retaliate with the Twin Pistons while he is still recovering from the
sweep stagger. In this instance, I'd recommend the Twin Pistons over
the DGP because this won't count as a counter hit and the resultant
juggle from the Twin Pistons will add up to more damage.
Good Paul players are extremely hard to find (though not as rare as
good Eddy players) and are easily identified because they will never
ever be stupid enough to throw Deathfists (QCF+2) at random because you
will be able to easily poke him out of it. They only use Deathfists to
hit on CH (which is still a bad thing...). They actually ultilize pokes
(whoop tee dooo!!). They amazingly use CD tactics to confuse you *wow!*
They go for juggles with the hopkick (uf+3 or uf+4), QCF+1 , WS+2 etc
even though Paul may not be the best character to juggle with. Overall
though, since Paul has a limited arsenal of moves like you, at least
you have to bear in mind that only some of his are particularly useful
(though his Deathfist is still cheap in my opinion)
P. Jack
Difficulty : Easy
Read section on Jack and Gun Jack
True Ogre
Difficulty : Medium
- to be added soon -
Wang Jinrei
Difficulty : Medium
Hmmm... if you thought that Heihachi being alive was impossible , this
fella is a greater exagerration. Anyways though, I think that Wang
should just be put to rest because his stamina is attrocious. Moreover,
he has poor frame data. His moves are slow to recover and even slower
to come out. Be careful though of his db+4,2 combo on CH because if the
db+4 connects on CH, the 2 is guranteed and leads to a very damaging
(and easily done combo) Wang has a deathfist too but it is no where as
cheap as Paul's. Becareful when poking with 1,1,>2 (Shining fist) as
Wang has an Unchickenable Left Punch reversal (he can reverse other
moves too but only left punches are unchickenable) Wang may be
disadvantaged with his poor frame data BUT he has enough tricks to pull
out of the hat to defeat you if you take him on lightly. Keep the heat
on him and he will be done.
Yoshimitsu
Difficulty : Hard
Yoshi is very dangerous for many reasons. First off, he has the
infamous df+2 uppercut which is the best basic uppercut in the game. It
comes out fast, has good range and has insane priority. Off a single
df+2 uppercut, Yoshi can do a juggle which will take more than 40+ life
off of ya. Although the Roo Kick (4~3) isn't used much by good players,
be warned that IF it does connect, you are in a major world of hurting.
Yoshi has loads of unblockables some of which are very useful. If the
match is running out of time, you can be sure Yoshi players will use
the spinning sword attack to waste time should he be winning or do a
jump-in suicide move as a last attempt to get a Double KO if he is low
on life anyways. I don't know how many times this has happened but
players will freeze when Yoshi jumps in.... a simple d+1 or 1 would the
the trick. When fighting Yoshi, its vital to be careful because he has
his sword reversal, so don't just go charging blindly into him hoping
for something to happen ... more than likely you will hit his sword
instead. Yoshi's jump in Knee or Fubuki (f,f+4) which has exceptional
speed and priority and is mostly used to punished wiffed or slow
recovering attacks. If you do block the Fubuki though, make sure to
punish Yoshi to the fullest because it has a long recovery time. Good
Yoshi players also make use of the Bad Breath attack so when you do see
Yoshi turning back ready to blow, CROUCH, and reply with the Demon Gut
Punch or Twin Pistons. Lastly, beware of Yoshi when he goes into FC
positio because he can come out of it with a FC, df+3 which hits low
and sets up a juggle.
***************************
Suggestion for Tag Partners
***************************
The teams that I frequently use are as below :-
1)Kazuya/ Bruce
This is my favourite team right now. Bruce is an excellent partner for
almost any character but nothing is more fun than popping your opponent
up with a WGF before calling Bruce in to finish it off with a Triple
Knee Combo. Moreover Bruce is more than capable of holding his own
because he has excellent pokes and juggling moves. Also the different
styles will lead to your opponent being confused. Btw, just try this =
DGP (CH), WGF~5, b+3, b+4,3,4.... major hurtin'
2) Kazuya/ Heihachi
Before learning to play Bruce this was my number one choice team. I
still use this team a lot though. Since Kazuya has a WGF and better
stamina than Heihachi, I would play with Kazuya and when I see an
opening... WHAM... WGF~5 and Heihachi would finish the juggle for me.
The problem with this team however is that both characters style can be
rather similar, (I did not say exactly the same as Heihachi relies more
on his (E)WGF while Kazuya's tactics is based on his DGP) so if your
opponent manages to figure out how to overcome one of your character's
tactics, you can be sure he roughly knows how to beat the other.
3) Kazuya/ Jin
Same reason as above, though this time Kazuya and Jin's strategy are
almost the same (both rely on getting their (Demon)Gut Punch to hit on
CH) Since Jin's WGF hits High (sM if buffered with a tag) and knocks
too far away on CH (this does not apply if tag is buffered though)
Kazuya's WGF can be the answer as you can call Jin in to finish the
juggle with a simple TGF,3 or any of his b,f+2,1.... juggles.
Be creative when coming up with your own tag team. What works best for
me may not work for you. Experiment a lot until you find the Tag
partner of your choice.
*** Whatever it is I recommend you NOT play Kazuya / Devil because this
team sux big time (it takes so freaking long to morph from one to the
other thus spoiling tag Juggle opportunities and you are left open to
whatever @$$ whupping your opponent has in store for you) ***
*****************
Sites of Interest
*****************
http://www.tekkenzaibatsu.com/
In my opinion this is the best site to get ALL the Tekken you could
ever want, from those awesome juggle movies to fabulous Tekken art.
Also helpful is the complete (well more than complete) juggle list for
every character and frame data. Lets not forget this is the home to
many great Tekken FAQs. However, I'm not sure if its my connection or
what but the site takes a tad on the slow side to load (however the
movie downloads are at a nice fast rate.)
Tekken Rating : 5/5
http://www.counterhit.com/
The best part of this site is the extremely good coverage of WGF and
EWGF. I admit that before reading this site, I had problems doing the
EWGF consistenly... not anymore. This site also has combo list for some
characters though it is still under construction. This site does have
some Combo movies though the number is rather limited. The only
complaint about this site is that it does not have enough Tekken Art
and some of the screenshots on this page appear muddy.
Tekken Rating : 3/5
http://www.tekkentagtournament.com/
This is Namco's official website. I don't usually visit this website
though because what ever information that I can find here, I can find
on TekkenZaibatsu.com.
Tekken Rating : 2/5
http://www.gamefaqs.com/
Before learning of TekkenZaibatsu (tekken.net) I used to frequent this
page for Tekken FAQs. Most of the FAQs found on TekkenZaibatsu is found
here. There are some FAQs here which never made it to TekkenZaibatsu (I
have no idea why) Gamefaqs.com is also a place to get FAQs for other
games. They have some EXCELLENT faqs on Final Fantasy, Marvel Vs Capcom
2, Baldur's Gate etc.
Tekken Rating : 3/5
http://www.fighters.net/
Another site which may be of interest to most people. This is where I
downloaded all those Tekken Tag Tournament Competition movies. Any
serious Tekken fan should download these movies to watch and learn.
This site also contains most of the FAQs found on TekkenZaibatsu. Also
worth checking out if you are an avid fan of other fighting games. I
myself play Soul Calibur and Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 though I admit that I
am no where as good in those games as I am in Tekken.
Tekken Rating : 3/5
http://www.geocities.com/helsmley/
Well this is my homepage. It does not contain much on Tekken other than
well this FAQ (and upcoming FAQs should I write any. However do check
out my page if not to see how whacko me and my friends are. I have a
modified (with permission) version of Andrew Lee's Baldurs Gate FAQ.
Tekken Rating : 1/5
********
Credits
********
I give full credit to the following :-
1) My Girlfriend, Pang Kwai Lee
She has tolerated me countless times and time again for playing Tekken
even when we go out for a date. Also credit to her for being a nice
huggable human bear when I lose to some scrub due to fatigue.
2) Reverend_C & Exar_Kun
Both have written excellent Kazuya Guides from which I have built my
guide upon and added more details. Also Reverend_C's Kazuya guide got
me interested in playing Kazuya a lot and ditching my old Heihachi /
Jin team for a Kazuya / Heihachi team. His guide has enlightened me a
lot about the strenghts (and weaknesses) of the Demon Gut Punch. Last
but not least, I have used the format of his guide to write my own
guide.
3) Catlord
For his movelist, since Reverend_C based his movelist on yours in the
first place..... I wonder how he finds ALL the moves in the game.
4) Tekken Zaibatsu and Castel
For having excellent and up to date Tekken Info. Castel for his various
Kazuya juggle movies which has made me play Kazuya even more.
5) Han Tzen
My sparring partner who gives me a good trashing in Tekken 3 on the
Playstation but ultimately gets a good trashing in Tekken Tag in the
Arcades.
6) Han Shin
He is my Sinsei in Tekken, helping me improve my game a lot. Before
playing him, my game was very linear, but he has thought me a lot
since, especially with his irritating poking Changs.... Just love to
hate them.
7) Tekken Scrubs
They give me the best time in the arcade as I enjoy it the most as I
beat them effortlessly, parrying every 10 hit combos they throw, WGFing
every Deathfist they want to try to initiate and chickening every
reversal they go for.
********************************** END ********************************
