Attacks are moves that deal direct damage to the opponent. It is important to understand the nuanced properties of your character's attacks in order to play them effectively.
Block, Hit and CH Frames
Most attacks lead to very different situations on block and on hit.
Generally, an attacker who gets blocked is left at minus (-) frames, recovering slower than their opponent and losing the initiative. But an attacker who hits is at heavy plus (+) frames and can attack the stunned opponent again with less fear of getting interrupted. Low attacks typically have far more - frames on block and less + frames on hit while high attacks have less - frames on block compared to mids.
Certain attacks give more + frames on counter hit or give guaranteed extensions, which may be confirmable.
Status Properties
Counter Hit
A counter hit (CH for short) occurs when an attack interrupts or trades blows with an opponent's attack. All moves inflict slightly more damage on CH (to be precise, they are scaled by 120%), and in addition some gain unique properties. Some CH properties include:
- Giving a launch
- Extra frame advantage or a knockdown
- A string becoming a natural combo where an opponent would normally be able to block the follow-up hits (highly useful for hit confirming.)
Although virtually every character benefits from landing counter hits, it is seen as more central to certain characters' gameplans than others, such as Steve and Bryan. Nearly every character has a basic confirmable counter hit string off of their jab, which can easily help shut down mashing and cheese and is a good way to start conditioning opponents to respect you.
When attacking a Back turned or side-turned opponent these special properties however do not apply - Counter Hits do not change the hit effects or frames compared to regular hits although the damage is still increased. The exact angle at which this change happens is hard to determine mid-match but it very safely encompasses the 180° behind the character's front.
Clean Hit
A clean hit (CL) is a range-based property that certain moves have. CL gives improved effects when an attack is landed in a way that meets its CL condition (usually landing the attack particularly close to the target).
Some examples:
- Paul's qcf+2 - Deals extra damage to close opponents
- Nina's f,F+4 - Deals extra damage when clean hit on downed opponent
- Feng's SS 4 - Sweeps on clean hit
- Akuma's d+3 - Can combo on clean hit
Combo Properties
More information: Combo
Launcher
Launchers are attacks that initiate air-juggles by giving the player enough frame advantage to use moves before their opponent lands on the ground.
If an attack gives enough frame advantage only for particular guaranteed follow ups, it isn't considered a juggle combo and therefore not a launcher.
Bound
Bound is the name of the first combo extender introduced in the series, first seen in Tekken 6 and subsequently present in Tekken Tag Tournament 2. The opponent gets bounced off the ground allowing for more hits in the combo even at the wall.
Tailspin
Tailspin, also known as screw is a combo extension mechanic introduced in Tekken 7, replacing the bound mechanic from Tekken 6 and Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Each character's tailspin attacks are indicated with the green icon in the movelist.
Moves with the tailspin property will screw airborne opponents in an arc, causing them to land on their shoulders in a feet-up position. This allows for the player character to more easily follow up with a variety of attacks and extend their air combo.
Tornado
Tornado is the Tekken 8 combo extender. It differs from Tailspin in that it not longer Balcony Breaks, allowing for combo extensions at the wall. Additionally it doesn't give as much wall carry, instead allowing for easier pickups after with extended animation time.
Wall breaker
A move that breaks walls without spending screw. In Tekken 8, these attacks are called Balcony breaks and are indicated by a green icon in the movelist. Balcony breaks always wallsplat the opponent near the wall or activate a wall-based stage gimmicks when they're present.
Spike
Spike moves used on an airborne target force opponents into a knockdown that can only be teched by holding back. They can usually be recognised as moves that spike opponents downward.
They also initiate floor breaks when used on airborne opponents.
Examples include:
Slam
Similiarly to spikes, slams initiate floor breaks when used on mid-air opponents. They do not leave opponents face down.
Strong Aerial Tailspin
A strong aerial tailspin is a move property in Tekken 8 that is useful to use as filler in combos as attacks with this property propel the opponent in an upwards trajectory allowing for usually impossible follow-ups. You can use up to 2 tailspins in a combo, if you use a tailspin move the 3rd time in a juggle the pushback drastically increases leaving the attacker unable to follow up the juggle with any more attacks, essentially ending the juggle. The 3rd tailspin however can be used for highly effective wall carry.
Offensive Properties
Attack properties that bolster their offensive capabilities.
Homing
More information: Tracking
Homing attacks have large lateral hitboxes and automatically realign to the opponent, allowing them to catch sidesteps in virtually every scenario. This is not the same as tracking, which is often only relegated to catching a specific sidestep direction.
They are denoted in the in-game movelist by a blue circular arrow icon.
Reversal Break
More information: Parry
Introduced in Tekken 8, attacks with the Reversal Break property will ignore all parries, sabakis, and Power Crush armor (with the exception of Rage Art armor) grating a Counter Hit with a special glass shattering effect. By default, power crushes that have absorbed an attack, Rage Arts, Heat Smashes, unblockables and max hold charge moves have this property applied. In addition to these generic options, some characters have specific moves that are Reversal Breaks (such as Lidia's H.1+2 and many of Heihachi's moves in his Heat and Warrior Instinct modes.)
Defensive Properties
Attack properties that bolster their defensive capabilities.
Crush
The crush system determines which moves have invincibility to specific type(s) of attacks. It was introduced in Tekken 5 in order to ensure consistency in situations where certain attacks interact with each other. When an attack has a crush property active, it will avoid all attacks of the corresponding type regardless of its hitbox or collision detection.
High crush
sometimes written cs (crouching state) or tc (technically crouching)
Moves that crush high attacks, typically by appearing to crouch under them. This is perhaps the most common form of crush, as it applies to nearly all crouching moves, including standard ones such as the crouch jab and crouch shin kick.
Low crush
sometimes written js (jumping state) or tj (technically jumping)
Moves that crush low attacks, typically by appearing to jump over them. Low crushes tend to be less reliable than their high counterpart, as the most common form of low crush, the hopkick, is unsafe on block. Nonetheless, many characters still have many safe low crushing moves.
Crushing vs. evasion
Whilst a crush is active, the active frames of the opponent's moves of the crush's type are effectively negated. Though this typically refers to something that is binary and hard programmed into the game itself, there are also moves that may simply have higher or lower hurtboxes in certain parts. These may still be argued to be crushing moves, as they can be used in the same way and give the same result, even if the rules of such are less consistent in every situation.
For an example on how this distinction matters: some standing moves may duck under jabs and other small high attacks, such as Paul's df+2, but don't actually count as being in a crouching state. This means that, unlike proper crouching state moves, it won't evade high moves with a lower hitbox, such as throws. Another important exception is Xiaoyu's Art of Phoenix stance, which relies on ducking Xiaoyu's hurtbox so low to the ground that only certain mids can reach her. This may be colloquially called a "mid crush", but this isn't a true crush behavior as certain low reaching mids will still be able to make contact with her.
Power Crush
Introduced in Tekken 7, Powercrush attacks give super armor, allowing them to power through mid and high attacks without being interrupted.
- If a powercrush absorbs an attack, the move deals more damage and is safer on block. In Tekken 8, when a powercrush absorbs an attack it deals chip damage on block.
- Mid powercrushes are generally unsafe on block (unless they absorb an attack). High powercrushes are generally safe on block.
- Powercrushes cannot go through lows and throws.
- In Tekken 8, Powercrush armor typically starts up within 7 frames.
- Throwing an opponent during a power crush (even in its recovery) makes the throw inescapable. For chain throws, only the first throw becomes inescapable.
- Reversal breaks will always beat out powercrushes.
- Damage taken while armoring through an attack is completely recoverable health, but the damage is still lethal (This is unlike other forms of chip damage in Tekken 8 that deal non-lethal damage).
Rage Art special power crush properties:
- Armor starts up within 8 frames (1 frame slower than a normal powercrush)
- A 25% damage reduction of incoming attacks
- Attacks don't count as a counter hit if you hit a Rage Art startup before powercrush activation frames (usually frame 8)
- Uninterruptible by lows, throws and unblockable attacks
Powercrush hit absorption delay
Upon absorbing an attack the powercrush animation freezes for 15 frames. This allows some quick moves to recover in time to allow for blocking - a generic jab recovers in 19 frames after its hitbox becomes active which means it can safely hit a powercrush as long as it lands more than 4 frames before it's usual active frame.
Consecutive strikes reset this delay which allows some strings like Yoshimitsu's b+1,1,1,1,1 to stop the powercrush for a long time. This is useful becuase it allows common high->low or high->high->low strings to interrupt the powercrush if timed properly. Some characters may also use evasive moves/stances from strings to evade the powercrush utilizing the freeze frames eg.: Lili's Feisty Rabbit, Yoshimitsu's Spinning Evade, Steve's Swaying.
Notably, Rage Art does not have the same 15 frame freeze effect on hit absorption which is why it cannot be safely poked like normal powercrushes - a move's recovery would need to be faster than 12 frames in order to recover in time.
Sabaki
An attack that has a specific parry window within its startup is typically known as a Sabaki. Since the attack comes out even if it doesn't parry anything, Sabakis can double as predictive pokes or abare tools that are inherently harder to punish than a regular parry due to said follow-up. Since the parry frames of a Sabaki sometimes start up faster than other defensive tools like powercrushes, they may also be used in the gaps of strings and frame traps to get out of otherwise inescapable scenarios.
Asuka is a character known for her variety of strong and rewarding Sabaki moves. Other characters also have one or two moves with Sabaki properties.
Complete Evasion
Introduced in Tekken 8, techniques with this property can evade moves with the Reversal Break property.
Strong Parry
Techniques that can counter attacks like elbows, knees, headbutts, body charges, airborne attacks and weapon attacks. They cannot counter throws, unblockable attacks or maximum hold moves. They also cannot counter attacks with a Reversal Break property, such as Rage Arts, Heat Smashes and power crushes that have absorbed an attack. Examples of such moves include Clive's b3 or Lidia's Heaven and Earth stance.
Wall Properties
Wall Splat
If a move causes a Baclony break or is simply coded to interact with the wall on its knockdown, it causes an opponent to splat onto the wall. This enables a wall combo followup that differs in damage and advantage per character, even allowing use of a tornado for extension if it hasn't been used already.
Certain moves, though they may appear to knock back in a way that would wallsplat, are programmed not to do so, likely for balance reasons.
Wall Bounce
Added in Season 2 of Tekken 7, wall bounces are moves that cause an opponent's collision with the wall to rebound back towards the player, allowing for a juggle. They also cause a wall break. Wall Bounces are currently not present in Tekken 8.
Wall Crush (Wall Stagger)
Wall Crush (also known as Wall Stagger, or jokingly as "New Tactics") is a move property that grants the player extra frame advantage when it connects with the opponent at the wall - Some moves grant Wall Crush on hit, while others grant it on block.
This property makes moves like Azucena's uf+1, which is +7 on hit in the open, much more advantageous at the wall. In this case, Azucena’s uf+1 becomes +15g on hit. A Wall Crush never allows for guaranteed follow-ups and deals an additional 3 chip damage (grey health).
| Character | Move | On Hit or Block |
|---|---|---|
| Anna | TOM.2 | Block |
| Azucena | uf+1 | Hit |
| Feng | 1+2 | Hit |
| Hwoarang | 1,2,f+3 | Hit |
| Hwoarang | 2,f+3 | Hit |
| Jack-8 | b+2* | Block |
| Jack-8 | b+3,2,2* | Block |
| Jack-8 | f+1,2,2* | Hit |
| Jin | b+3,2 | Hit |
| Jin | ZEN.1+2 | Hit |
| King | f,F+3+4 | Block |
| Kuma & Panda | ws1,2 | Hit |
| Lars | db+2,3 | Hit |
| Law | 1,2,3 | Hit |
| Leo | qcf+2,1 | Hit |
| Raven | 2,4 | Hit |
| Reina | 1,1,2 | Hit |
| Reina | f+1+2 | Hit |
| Victor | 2,2,2 | Hit |
| Victor | df+4,2 | Hit |
| Victor | qcf+2 | Hit |
Miscellaneous Properties
Nosebleed stun
If opponent holds down they will fall on the ground briefly entering white airborne state [needs video]
Double-over stun
If opponent holds forward (up to Tekken 5:DR) or taps any direction (Tekken 6 onward) in a small window, they will escape the stun and will be able to block.[1]
Backsway
Not an actual property, but some moves move the character with their hurtboxes away from the opponent for a bit before the attack comes out.
Other non-exclusive properties of attacks
Notes
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| Techniques |
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| Miscellaneous |