Kazuya (Life & Death)

Kazuya (カズヤ, Kazuya) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Life or Death.
Kazuya alternates between protagonist and antagonist within the Tekken games, with his story infamously having begun with his father Heihachi throwing him down a cliff, leading Kazuya to seek revenge on him during the King of the Iron Fist Tournament. Since then, Kazuya has been a mainstay within the Tekken series, as stated before, switching between protagonist and antagonist.
Masanori Shinohara, Kazuya's voice actor since Tekken 4, reprises his role in Ultimate in all regions.
==How to Unlock==
Kazuya is available from the start of a new game and doesn't need to be unlocked.
==Moveset==
* Rage: Kazuya will be surrounded by a red aura after reaching 100% damage or 25% of his total health in stamina mode. In his home series, the rage effect increases the damage output of his moves, which is emulated with a 1.1× multiplier in SSBU. It also grants access to the unique Rage Drive attack, which will end the Rage state when executed. There's no time limit on the Rage state, meaning that it won't run out on Kazuya, although it will end if Kazuya takes more than a certain amount of damage or misses several times with Rage Drive. Rage will end when ((Number of missed grabs or down specials × 110) + (Damage taken during Rage × 17.6)) ≥ 650. In context, with no missed Rage Drives, it will take 36.93% to force Kazuya out of Rage. Rage can only be triggered once per stock.
* Tough Body: Kazuya has a form of universal knockback-based armor similar to Bowser's Tough Guy, guarding against up to 14 units.
* Several moves, including his special moves, smash attacks, and up throw, briefly turn him into Devil Kazuya. While the transformation itself is purely aesthetic, it indicates the attack is particularly strong. A majority of these moves also activate Special Zoom under certain conditions or feature heavy armor.
* When throwing an opponent in a 1v1 with any of his throws aside from his up throw, the camera briefly shifts to a unique angle similar to the Tekken equivalent. On 2-dimensional stages such as Flat Zone X or in situations where the new angle would result in an obstruction of the fighters by level geometry (e.g., under a Battlefield platform), the camera will zoom in but not otherwise shift angles.
* Kazuya utilizes unique visual effects from his series and, like Ryu, Ken, and Terry, utilizes unique hit sound effects derived from Tekken 6 onward.
* Also like Ryu, Ken, and Terry, Kazuya automatically turns to face the opponent in 1v1 matches.However, Kazuya is unique in that he does not always face the camera. This aspect comes from Tekken, where Kazuya is in an orthodox stance regardless of camera placement.
* With the exception of moves that cause Special Zoom, Kazuya's moves cause no hitlag. This emulates the feel of Tekken, which does not feature freeze frames on hit.
* Kazuya possesses the most directional moves of any character, with diagonal directions set to additional standard attacks, and command inputs for others (such as Crouch Dash). He also has the only command input throw.
* Kazuya's jumpsquat is set at 7 frames compared to the universal 3 frame jumpsquat shared by other characters.
* Kazuya possesses a special jump. When jumping in midair, Kazuya will ascend in a floatier, curved trajectory. The upward momentum of Kazuya's double jump can be canceled by inputting a special move or throwing an item. This trait is shared with Ness, Mewtwo, and Lucas.
 	Name 	Description
Neutral Attack 	Flash Punch Combo/10-Hit Combo 	Flash Punch Combo (two button taps, then a delayed tap): Two quick punches from his left hand followed by a stronger punch from his right hand. This functions as a standard neutral attack, with the third hit knocking opponents back. However, it is difficult to use as it requires specific button timings; mistiming will transition into the 10-Hit Combo.
10-Hit Combo (button tapped or held): A series of 10 hits: two left-hand punches, a right-hand punch, a backhand strike, a left up kick, a right axe kick, a right low sweeping kick, a left low kick, a right electric punch that crumples, and a bursting uppercut. The last hit is unblockable. Each hit moves Kazuya forward, making him travel half the distance of Final Destination for the whole move.
Forward Tilt 	Oni Front Kick 	A short kick comparable to Ganondorf's forward tilt. Grants lower leg intangibility. It moves Kazuya forwards about one character distance.
Up Tilt 	Flash Tornado 	A tornado kick, similar to Ryu's held neutral attack. Grants body and leg intangibility, and moves Kazuya forward like forward tilt.
Down Tilt 	Twin Pistons 	Two small uppercuts, with his left hand followed by his right hand. As with other natural combos, each hit is used with another button press. Each hit grants upper body intangibility.
Up-forward Tilt 	Roundhouse to Triple Spin Kicks	Does a high roundhouse kick, followed by three spinning kicks, with the last kick striking at a high angle. The first kick grants his legs intangibility. As with other natural combos, each hit is used with another button press. Due to the height of the first hit, it can miss very small characters like Pichu, and the opponent may be sent too far to be hit by the final kick if the first few hits connect near a ledge.
Down-forward Tilt 	Tsunami Kick 	A high kick followed by an axe kick, similar to Ken's Inazuma Kick. Grants leg intangibility and moves Kazuya forwards, and acts like a natural combo. Acts somewhat like a high kick in traditional fighting games, as it can catch jumping opponents. The second hit deals high shield damage. Despite its looks, the first kick reaches down to the ground, allowing it to lock.
Down-back Tilt 	Stature Smash 	A low-angled kick in front of him, similar in appearance to Wolf's down tilt. Grants leg intangibility and moves Kazuya forwards. Rather slow and very low ranged compared to his other tilts, but it always trips the opponent.
Up-back Tilt 	Jump Side Kick 	Jumps backwards slightly while performing a side kick high in the air. Grants both legs intangibility and moves Kazuya very slightly backwards.
Crouch Attack 	Crouch Jab 	Requires Kazuya to be fully crouched. A punch while ducking. Grants lower arm intangibility. Similar to other neutral attacks in the game, except being a bit slower. Despite its similar function to fast down tilts such as Terry's or Ness's, it has much more hitstun and thus a higher frame advantage than the similar moves, allowing for followups into moves with even slightly below-average speed, such as into up smash or forward tilt.
Forward Crouch Attack	Tombstone Crusher 	Requires Kazuya to be fully crouched before attacking diagonally forwards. Gets on his back and kicks from the floor.
Back Crouch Attack 	Crouch Spin Kick 	Requires Kazuya to be fully crouched before attacking diagonally backwards. A rotating kick from below.
Uncrouching Attack 	Demon God Fist 	Requires Kazuya to attack during his uncrouching animation. An electrified punch that crumples opponents, similar to Focus Attack. Grants arm intangibility. If used a second time on an already crumpled opponent, it will send them in a fully horizontal trajectory. Allows for guaranteed followups similar to Stature Smash, though it can be difficult to use as Kazuya needs to uncrouch to perform it. A simple way to use it is to quickly flick the control stick down and attack as soon as Kazuya stands up.
Dash Attack 	Nejiri Uraken 	Spins while kneeling, and strikes downwards with his upper arm while moving forwards. Grants intangibility while Kazuya strikes, and moves him forward. However, it can be difficult to use without a control stick set to attack, as Kazuya has to perform this tilt without going into a crouch (as this will instead perform a Crouch Jab), and inputting down too fast will end up with a down smash. Uniquely, pressing the shield button before Kazuya swings his arm will cancel the attack, like in Tekken; this lets Kazuya bait reactions before capitalizing with any of his throws.
Double Dash Attack 	Left Splits Kick 	Used by dashing twice in the same direction in quick succession. Moves forward before stretching his left leg upwards, swinging it downwards immediately after. Grants his kicking leg intangibility, and deals vertical knockback. It grants much less distance than dash attack and deals mediocre knockback, but it can reflect projectiles, being one of the only four standard attacks capable of doing so (along with Min Min's up smash and Ness's and Lucas's forward smashes). It is the strongest reflector in the series with a multiplier of 2.4×, though its unique command input can make it difficult to perform consistently.
Forward Smash 	Glorious Demon God Fist 	In his devil form, lunges forward with a straight punch. Grants heavy armor before the punch. Hitting at the tip of the fist deals more damage and causes Special Zoom.
Up Smash 	Devil Twister 	In his devil form, performs an uppercut. Grants heavy armor before the uppercut.
Down Smash 	Lion Slayer 	In his devil form, performs a knifehand strike. Grants heavy armor before the punch, and deals heavy shield damage. It is unique as the sweetspot meteor smashes like Bayonetta's down smash, though it is quite fast in comparison and has extremely low knockback growth.
Neutral Aerial 	Jumping Knuckle 	Strikes diagonally downward while in the air, similar to the appearance of Ryu, Ken, and Terry's down aerials.
Forward Aerial 	Serial Edge 	An aerial side kick.
Back Aerial 	Jumping Sobat 	An aerial kick from behind him. Like Ryu, Ken, and Terry, this move is difficult to use without a Reverse Aerial Rush, since Kazuya automatically turns towards his opponent in a 1v1.
Up Aerial 	Rising Toe Kick 	A high upwards kick. Grants leg intangibility.
Down Aerial 	Demon Scissors 	From the air, performs a somersault before swinging his leg downward, landing on his back.
Grab 	N/A 	Reaches out with both hands. If the Rage mechanic is active, the resulting throw will be that of Rage Drive with no input needed, although a standard throw can be buffered and executed while preserving Rage.
Pummel 	Sternum Smash 	Punches the opponent’s sternum while grabbing the opponent. Extremely slow, similar to pummels from previous games, though it is also the most damaging pummel in the game by a large margin.
Forward Throw 	Double Face Kick 	Kicks the opponent in the face before striking them with his heel, throwing them in the process.
Back Throw 	Steel Pedal Drop 	Grabs his opponent by the leg and slams them on the floor behind him.
Up Throw 	Air Inferno 	Throws the opponent upwards, then transforms into his devil form and shoots a beam diagonally upwards at them. Does not cause a camera angle change in 1v1s unlike his other throws. The beam can hit other opponents in addition to the one being thrown.
Down Throw 	Stonethrow 	A headbutt.
Command Input Throw 	Gates of Hell 	Bends the opponent's back, then kicks them away. Done by inputting ↘ ↓ ↘ before pressing the grab button. It sends opponents behind Kazuya. Based on Kazuya's command grab from Tekken 5 onwards.
Neutral Special 	Devil Blaster 	In his devil form, unleashes a laser blast from his forehead, similar to Robo Beam. In the air, it causes Kazuya to hover briefly. It can travel through two opponents before stopping on a third; the second opponent will take ×0.75 damage and the third will take ×0.5. The laser has high startup and ending lag, and Kazuya can only use it once in the air without landing.
Side Special 	Devil Fist 	In his devil form, performs a straight lunge that travels through the opponent. If close, he will cause the opponent to crumple, similar to Focus Attack. If the opponent is in the air or gets hit late, they will instead be launched upward. It can be used in the air for a brief forward boost and it doesn't cause helplessness.
Up Special 	Devil Wings 	In his devil form, Kazuya flies straight up. He can move forward or back while doing so, and contact with the claws on his wings will damage enemies. It does not cause helplessness, allowing for attacks or an airdodge after. Kazuya cannot use his side special if Devil Wings is already used.
Down Special 	Heaven's Door 	A grab with heavy armor where Kazuya uppercuts in front of him. If it connects, Kazuya will grab the opponent by the head, fly into the air in his devil form, before diving and slamming them into the ground. The momentum of the grab can be altered with the directional inputs to move forward or back; the opponent can also resist in the same way, being more effective if they are at low percent. It can be used as a sacrificial KO much like Flying Slam, though it causes Kazuya to be KO'd first. The slam can affect bystanders, causes Special Zoom even if shielded, and is significantly stronger, making it powerful in team battles. If the uppercut misses in the air, it causes Kazuya to hover briefly.
If Kazuya's Rage is active, the move (when used on the ground) becomes a more damaging version known as Rage Drive, which consumes the Rage if it lands and deals additional damage to the opponent upon hitting the ground. It replaces various attacks while Rage is active: performing a grab, down special, or → ↓ ↘ + Attack input all performs Rage Drive, though the command input version deals the most damage and knockback.
Command Input 	Crouch Dash 	A dash while crouching. During this, Kazuya has invincibility on his upper body, allowing him to dodge attacks such as Ryu and Ken's Hadoken. It can be done by doing the → ↓ ↘ motion, like in his home series.
Command Input 1 	Wind God Fist 	Dashes forward and does an uppercut. Done by pressing A after Crouch Dash. Sends opponents directly upwards, allowing for followups such as up tilt and up smash.
If the ↘ input and the attack button are pressed at the same time (a 2 frame window: the same frame or a frame after the ↘ input), it will become Electric Wind God Fist (EWGF), inflicting Paralysis to the opponent and pushing back opponents that shield. Like in Tekken, Electric Wind God Fist is difficult to perform consistently as it is essentially frame-perfect, but it is significantly more rewarding than a standard Wind God Fist: compared to its regular counterpart, it has significantly increased hitstun and frame advantage.
Command Input 2 	Dragon Uppercut 	An electrified jumping uppercut with his left hand while rushing forwards. Done by holding A after Crouch Dash. The uppercut is delayed, but deals very high knockback, making it useful for KOing after dodging an attack with Crouch Dash. Its hitbox reaches so low that it can hit certain ledge hanging opponents, making it an effective surprise option.
If Rage is active, connecting with the move will instead trigger a more damaging version of the Rage Drive (see above).
Command Input 3 	Spinning Demon to Left Hook 	Does a low sweeping kick followed by a hook from his left hand. Done by pressing B after Crouch Dash. Gains intangibility during the move and deals very high knockback, making it an excellent finisher. If the special button is held for less than 5 frames, this move will still trigger even during Rage, but holding special for more than 5 frames will trigger Rage Drive.
Final Smash 	Final Blaster 	In his devil form, Kazuya uses Devil Blaster to attack the opponent. If successful, the music stops and a cutscene will play where Kazuya announces ここが貴様の墓場だ！ ("This will be your burial ground!"), before shooting out multiple lasers from his chest and wings that strike opponents while in a volcanic landscape. Because of how far it reaches, it is capable of KOing incredibly early near ledges. It is based on a variation of his Rage Art exclusive to Tekken 7's story mode that Kazuya uses in his final battle against Heihachi Mishima.
Side Taunt 	Demon's Wrath 	Starts with a high-angled kick with his left leg, followed by a quick straight punch from his left fist, then a low-angled kick from his right leg, followed by a short punch in front of him with his left fist that launches the opponent.
==Other Animations==
Kazuya's victory screens feature the announcer from Tekken 7 (voiced by Josh Keller) saying "Kazuya Mishima wins", rather than the Smash announcer (Xander Mobus). This is a reference to Tekken's win screens, which don't feature any victory fanfares; instead, depending on the installment and game mode, the stage's current music either gradually fades out, continues to play at full volume, or stops immediately during victory animations. If Kazuya wins a team battle as the leader, the regular announcer will call for his team, but no music will play.
Animation 	Description 	Notes
On-Screen Appearance 	Appears from a puff of dark smoke in his devil form, then assumes his fighting stance in normal form. 	
Taunt 1 	Crosses his arms and grins while grunting. 	
Taunt 2 	Demon's Wrath, a move used by Kazuya since Tekken 4. One of the few taunts capable of dealing damage, uniquely being capable of KOing under normal circumstances. 	
Taunt 3 	Transforms into his devil form and roars while spreading his arms and wings out before transforming back to his normal form. Resembles Devil's tag in animation from Tekken Tag Tournament when paired with Kazuya. 	
Star KO 	 	
Screen KO 	 	
Character Selection Screen	 	
Crowd Chant 	Ka - zu - ya! *drum beat 2 times* 	
Victory Pose 1 	Crosses his arms, then looks off to the side (similar to Fox and Falco). Based on one of his victory screens in the original Tekken. 	
Victory Pose 2 	Performs two roundhouse kicks, then stomps his foot on the floor while turning into his devil form. He then reverts to normal before holding a fighting stance. Based on one of his victory screens in Tekken 5 and Tekken 6.	
Victory Pose 3 	Flying kicks in, then punches towards the screen in his devil form, before transforming back to normal while holding the punching pose. Based on one of his victory screens in Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection onwards. 	
==Role in Classic Mode==
Like all other fighters, Kazuya appears in Classic Mode. Kazuya's Mini-Boss is unknown. 
===Kazuya Ending===
==Role in The Kiss of Death==
==Alternate Costumes==
Half of Kazuya's default costumes are based on his signature style of a flame embroidered Gi bottom with no top, and the other half are based off his alternate trenchcoat suit outfit from Tekken 7.
Image	Number	Color 	Notes 	Unlockable?
 	01 	White 	His default appearance in both Tekken 5 and Tekken 6. 	Default
 	02 	Black 	His default appearance in Tekken 7. 	Default
 	03 	Red 	Based on his Player 1 outfit in Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. 	Default
 	04 	White 	Resembles his Player 2 outfit in Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. 	Default
 	05 	Blue 	Resembles his Player 2 outfit from Tekken and Tekken 2. 	Default
 	06 	Purple	Based on his tuxedo costume from Tekken 2. Could also reference two similar alternate costumes that Kazuya has in Tekken Tag Tournament and Tekken 5, both of which are also purple tuxedos.	Default
 	07 	Black 	Based on Jin Kazama, Kazuya's son. 	Default
 	08 	Yellow	Features gold decorations first seen in Tekken. Also based on the metallic gold custom costume from Tekken 7. 	Default
 	09 	 	 	Unlockable
 	10 	 	 	Unlockable
 	11 	 	 	Unlockable
 	12 	 	 	Unlockable
 	13 	 	 	Unlockable
 	14 	 	 	Unlockable
==Smash Taunts==
===Palutena's Guidance===
===Snake's Codecs===
==Fighter Spirits==
Kazuya's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Kazuya in The Kiss of Death allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Life & Death.
File:Kazuya Mishima T6.png
File:Kazuya Mishima (Tekken 7).png
==Trivia==
Category:Fighters in Super Smash Bros. Life or Death