Kazuya Mishima

Kazuya Mishima is a major character in the  series. Originally a protagonist in the first , he has continuously changed position between being a protagonist and an antagonist depending on the game or media. He was released as a downloadable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Kazuya was revealed as the fighter for Challenger Pack 10 for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's downloadable Fighters Pass Vol. 2 during a Nintendo Direct on June 15, 2021. A follow-up Direct showcasing his moves in depth was streamed on June 28, 2021. In his debut trailer, he was also shown disposing of various defeated opponents into a lava flow below a cliff, including Ganondorf, Captain Falcon, Pit, Min Min, and Marth, as well as Kirby in the trailer's end, although Kirby escapes by flying away with him not noticing. His home stage is Mishima Dojo, which comes bundled in when players purchase his DLC pack.

According to Masahiro Sakurai in the Mr. Sakurai Presents "Kazuya" video, Kazuya was chosen over his father Heihachi Mishima, who was previously considered for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, due to the former's possession of the Devil Gene, which allowed for a better potential moveset than Heihachi.

His moveset is derivative of his fighting style in the Tekken series. His attacks are combo-based, requiring the player to input commands in order to execute several moves. Kazuya's fighter ability is Rage, a furious state which increases attack power by 10%, but can only be activated once per stock. This ability enables Kazuya to use a special move called Rage Drive: a drop throw similar to Heaven's Door, but with extremely high damage. Rage Drive can be activated using a grab, connecting Heaven's Door with an opponent, or using the Shoryuken command input alongside the attack button. Using the Rage Drive attack ends the Rage state, which can be reactivated if Kazuya loses one of his stocks.

He is one of the heavier fighters, being heavier than Piranha Plant but lighter than Incineroar and Pokémon Trainer's Charizard.

Kazuya is the first Super Smash Bros. fighter not to have a victory fanfare, instead having the classic Tekken announcer declare Kazuya's victory against a silent background.

Classic Mode route
Every round except the sixth and final rounds are Stamina battles, referencing the fighting mechanics of the Tekken series.

Special moves
When using any of his special moves, Kazuya transforms into Devil Kazuya and can perform the following actions.

Devil Blaster
Kazuya's neutral special, Devil Blaster, is a beam of light shot through his Devil form. It travels extremely quickly, can pass through multiple opponents, and has a long range. However, Devil Blaster loses power as it passes through fighters, can be reflected, absorbed, or pocketed by certain special moves, and can miss opponents who are short or crouching, due to the attack's high placement. Devil Blaster can be shot downward or upward to improve its aim.

Devil Fist
Kazuya's side special, Devil Fist, involves him charging sideways to strike opponents, electrocuting them and leaving them stunned on the ground. If used to attack when in the air, Devil Fist will just knock the opponent back. Devil Fist cannot be used to stun shielding players.

Devil Wings
Devil Wings is Kazuya's up special move, functioning as his main recovery move. Despite Kazuya possessing a short ground jump, Devil Wings allows him to cover considerable air distance when used alongside his midair jump, and also lets him float left or right. Similarly to Luigi's Super Jump Punch, Devil Wings allows Kazuya to get a powerful launch on his opponent if it hits them at the beginning of the attack.

Heaven's Door
Heaven's Door is Kazuya's down special move, allowing him to grab his opponents and piledrive them. Much like Bowser's Flying Slam, Heaven's Door can be used to leap off the stage and take opponents alongside Kazuya, although Kazuya will get KO'ed first. Opponents can also fight back against Heaven's Door; pushing Kazuya backwards if they input. Heaven's Door will grab opponents regardless of whether they and Kazuya are airborne or not, and can damage other opponents if Kazuya slams his grabbed fighter into them. The attack cannot be cancelled if an opponent tries to attack Kazuya when he starts the attack.

Final Blaster
Final Blaster is Kazuya's Final Smash. It involves Kazuya shooting a beam of light in his Devil form, trapping multiple nearby opponents and showering them with oscillating laser beams. However, if the beam doesn't hit the first opponent, the Final Smash will be cancelled. Kazuya exclaims "This will be your burial ground!" in Japanese if the move connects. If an opponent is close to the edge of the arena while performing Final Blaster, it is capable of KO'ing at 0% damage. It is harder to land Final Blaster when targeting shorter opponents with the beam of light.