Greeting one and all...
🥁🥁🥁
...to the Tekken 8 preview series! - Kazuya Mishima. The daddy of Tekken as it were. And while Jin has become the protagonist of the series, Kazuya has always been the main character - if that makes sense. His presence has been felt since the very first installment. There is no Tekken without Kazuya. Let's check out what they did to bring him up to snuff with the newest entry.
Character Name: Kazuya Mishima First Appearance: Tekken 1 Nationality: Japanese Fighting Style: Mishima Style
Never thought much about Kazuya when I was little. He went under the radar for me, mainly because of his absence in Tekken 3. It was all part of Harada's story design, however. And as I've said, Tekken has the best fighting game story out there. Not that that bar is super high or anything, but it still bears mentioning. That same flair is present in Tekken 8 as well. As Kazuya once more takes center stage.
And so! 🕺 Let's talk about him!
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🔷 GAMEPLAY TRAILER 🔶
I said Jin's situation was unique in the fact that we had two trailers to show, but that was a lapse on my part. I forgot that Kazuya was also featured in the initial reveal trailer. Setting up the ever-lasting battle of a son trying to kill his father. And as this trailer hints at - finally get rid of the Demon gene. 🎥
And then we move on to the gameplay trailer which in my opinion is the best one of the bunch. It is technically the first one that appeared (I'm not counting Nina's, that one was hella rushed). It left such a strong impression on fans that it carried over to all upcoming trailers. It's a super dope trailer even if you have never played a Tekken game.
In it, we see the new and improved Kazuya design and all of the new tech that goes with having a new entry into the franchise. I love how his devil form looks and all of the flashy effects. Since we're at it, let's talk about his appearance.
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🔷 APPEARANCE 🔶
As a very famous Tekken YouTuber/streamer once said "he looks propper f#$%ing scary now" and he most certainly does. All of the characters are aged up, and Kazuya is no different. With his strong jawline and jagged edges, he looks super cool and intimidating.
His coat is immaculate and his devil form is on point. I love his blue lighting in contrast to Jin's red. His voice actor also does a great job at delivering his arrogant, self-serving lines. 💯
His Rage Art is one of the best in the game. For many people, it's the undisputed best Rage Art, and it's easy to see why. It's very dynamic, very flashy, very Kazuya. The quality of the finishers in this game varies greatly, but that is neither here nor there. Kazuya's is S-Tier without a doubt.
The original voice actor is still here! That's saying a lot considering he's been voicing the character for over 30 years now. Kazuya also sounds very cocky and self-important as he should. His grunts and barks tell the player 'hey, this is effortless for me!'
On a side note, did you know that Kazuya is a huge sneakerhead? I didn't until this past week! That's so silly but I love it.
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🔷 NEW TECH 🔶
So Kazuya's tactics are mostly the same. His core has not been altered in the slightest. He is still one of the most skill-intensive characters out there. Very difficult to use correctly, with a lot of precise inputs required. He has not received any dumbing down as some characters have - Jin, Bryan, Law. But he has received some new tech to his arsenal.
Again, all of this information is from the network test, and it will most likely be changed before release. So take it with a grain of salt.
Kazuya is still one of the most side-steppable characters in the game. If you know how to play against him, the Kazuya player has to work super hard to land a hit on you. That hasn't changed, so in that sense, the character's essence has remained.
He does have a new string that hits the ground and does AoE damage. it's great at the wall, and if you don't know how to counter it, it will wreck you. This string has been the biggest topic of contention in the Tekken fandom. Some people say it needs to be nerfed to the ground, and others call it a Demo Man variant. I fall in the middle, it def needs a small nerf, but not the sledge hammer some people are saying.
Thank you for reading, you rock! (and maybe roll) 👏👏👏
Shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙
Jun Kazama, Kazuya's sweetie and the mom of Tekken is probably next. And with her, we will be done with he main cast as it were. Even though Asuka si rarely in the story. Afterwards I think we'll do Jack and/or Hworang, will see. This series has done better than I expected so thank you for that! I love Tekken so much, and seeing that there are Tekken fans in the hive community as well is super fun. Maybe we can host some tournaments when this game finally comes out? Here's hoping! See you next time!
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Have a great start to your weekend! 🙌
Return from Kazuya Mishima | Tekken 8 Preview to Јоцко's Web3 Blog
