King strategy

This page is for Tekken 8. For Tekken 7, see King strategy (Tekken 7).

Key moves

FunctionDegree to which the move is fit for this purpose.
	Core
	Secondary
	Extra

Move	PokeFast and safe, see Poke	CounterStronger against enemy attacks, e.g. has evasive, crush, parry, or counter hit properties.	MixupUseful against a guarding opponent.	KeepoutUseful against an opponent moving in.	ApproachUseful when moving in.	OkiUseful against a grounded opponent, see okizeme.
1,2,1
2,1
d+3
df+1,2
f+3:1+2
df+2,1
b+1,2
4
f,2,1
f,f,n,2
f,f,n,1+2
f,f,F+3
FC+d/f+2
uf+4
f+1+4
f, hcf+1
f, hcf+2
f,f,F+2+4
db+3

Pokes

1,2,1

Very useuful h,h,m jab string to defend against mashers. The final hit gives +10 on CH, making 2,1 guaranteed for an extra 25 damage.

2,1

h,m jab string that is King's best 10-frame punish and gives good frame advantage on hit. After it hits, any buffered throws or moves faster than 18 frames are uninterruptable.

d/f+1,2

Delayable double mid natural hit combo that works as an excellent poke for being an unparryable elbow on the first hit and works great as a move to use to discourage opponents from trying to duck King's throw mixups.

d/f+2,1

Delayable and counterhit-confirmable counterhit tool to use against offense that evades high attacks.

Mixups

f,hcf+1

Giant Swing, a major component of King's ambiguous throw mixups because it looks like a 1+2 throw, but can only be broken by pressing 1. Using it with your back close enough to the wall gives extra damage, but opponents will see this and try to break it in that scenario.

f,f,F+2+4

Shining Wizard (referred to as Tomahawk in-game) is the other essential component of King's ambiguous throw mixup game because it shares its animation with Giant Swing, but must be broken with 1+2. For opponents who are sharp enough to break Giant Swing when your back is to the wall, you can use this throw instead so you'll maintain the pure guessing game. This same input is also used at the end of King's combos as a high-damage ender (and combo extender on floor breaks or floor blast).

u/f+4

King's 15-frame launch punish from standing and another unparryable mid that can be used to capitalize on hard reads on opponents who like to duck throws. It also works as a low crushing move, but its hitbox can whiff against certain evasive lows.

Approach Tools

f,f,n,2

Good advancing low to open up defensive opponents and force mixups with heavy frame advantage.

f,f,n,1+2

Fast mid check that is neutral on block. On counter hit, guarantees a f+2,1 for a heat engager or b+3:1+2 for damage.

f,f,F+3

Plus on block mid with chip damage while leaving King very close to the opponent, but susceptible to sidestep and interrupts. Knocks down on hit for a guaranteed f+2+3 or ground throw attempt.

Keepout Moves

4

Generic magic 4 that knocks down on counter hit for a guaranteed ground throw attempt.

b+1,2

Fast high string that launches on counter hit. Very hard to counter hit confirm.

FC+d/f+2

Long range mid that launches on hit. Great to catch advancing opponents. -14 on block so can be launched by some characters.

uf+4

Launching mid that crushes lows. Can be used similarly to FC+d/f+2, trading range for lower risk at -13 on block.

Tracks left

Tracks both

Tracks right

Neutral

King's main objective in the neutral is to control space, condition his opponent to sit still, and open them up with his multiple approach tools that set up his amazing throw game.

Approach

There are 2 main parts in King's approach, first is to condition the opponent to sit still.

f,F+1 is an excellent move for this purpose. It is a homing, long ranged, counter hit knockdown, safe mid that hits low to the ground and gives +14g on hit, setting up a free mixup.

Once the opponent is scared to move, King can then use f,f,F+2+4 (Shining Wizard) as an approaching throw, though this is quite telegraphed.

Mix this with mids such as f,f,F+3 which is a plus on block knee that deals chip damage and knocks down for a guaranteed f2+3 or ground throw attempt, and the previously mentioned f,F+1.

King can also use f,f,n,2 as a relatively safe approaching low that high crushes, gives plus frames on hit to enforce a mixup, and leads to a high damage throw on counter hit.

Another safe approach option is King's f,f,n,1+2 which is a very fast mid that deals 0 damage, but guarantees a f+2,1 heat engager or b+3:1+2 on counter hit.

Whiff Punish

A skilled turtle can give King a hard time since most of his approach tools can be intercepted. Fortunately, King can also punish these keep out moves heavily if he is able to bait them out via movement.

f+2,1 is King's easiest whiff punish tool because of its speed, range, and heat engager properties, though be careful as the second hit can be ducked.

b+1,2 is another excellent whiff punisher as it is faster than f+2,1, but with a bit less range and a relatively high hitbox which makes it vulnerable against moves that go just a bit lower than head height.

At the opposite end, b+3:1+2 is slower but has more range and damage than the previous two, with the added bonus of being able to absorb attacks should you press this too early.

Lastly, King can also use his uf+4 hopkick to launch opponents reliably due to its good range and hitbox.

Keep Out

In previous Tekken games, King can effectively keep his oppponents out using b+1 as this initial hit is a fast i12 counter hit launcher, but in Tekken 8, he now has to fully commit to the full b+1,2 string to launch the opponent, which is very risky as the second hit is a -13 duckable high.

Instead, he can now rely on his magic 4 to keep opponents out since this gives him a free ground throw attempt on counter hit. Either way, his ability to turtle has been weakened in Tekken 8 due to a weaker backdash and a now risky counter hit launcher.

Offense

When King is right next to the opponent, his throws now become much more threatening. His pokes are great at conditioning the opponent to sit still, which opens them up for his highly damaging throws when they least suspect it.

Pokes

Just like most other characters, King's 1 jab is a fast high that is +1 on block. This can continue into 1,2 for a jailing jab string, and 1,2,1 for a highly delayable mid that guarantees a 2,1 on counter hit. Practice recognizing the white lines that appear on counter hit to cash out on free damage.

To keep his opponents from crouching, King has df+1 as a safe mid poke. This has a delayable extension in df+1,2 that can discourage opponents from mashing, although it is unsafe at -10.

King also has a faster mid check in df+2. Although this is worse on block, this has a highly delayable and counter hit confirmable high follow up in df+2,1 which can discourage opponents from mashing. Practice recognizing the white lines that appear on counter hit since this is a counter hit launching string on medium sized characters.

For a safe mid check that has a bit more reward on hit, King has f+3:1+2. Upon pressing 1+2 as f+3 hits, King transitions into a throw that deals additional damage and good oki afterwards. Practice inputting the 1+2 even on block to get the most out of this move. Do take note however that this is -9 on block.

On the slower end, King has f+1+4 – a +3 on block mid, and d+3 – a +1 on hit low, to enforce his advantage.

To catch sidestepping opponents, King can use df+3 – a safe i14 mid poke that tracks to his weak side, f+4 – a safe homing mid, and his throws which now fully track on both sides.

By utilizing all of King's pokes, opponents will become conditioned to keep blocking, which opens them up to his throws.

Mixups

As Tekken's iconic grappler, King mixes up his opponents with his damaging throws instead of conventional power lows. His most notable ones are f,hcf+1 Giant Swing for a 1 break with a deceptive 1+2 throw animation, f,hcf+2 Tijuana Twister and hcb,f+2+4 Tombstone Pile driver for a 2 break, and his f,f,f+2+4 Shining Wizard and qcb+1+2 Muscle Buster for 1+2 break. Mix all of these options and do the quick versions of his Giant Swing, Tijuana Twister, and Shining Wizard to reduce the chances of your opponent breaking the throws.

If the opponent instead avoids all of King's throws by ducking, they are now susceptible to King's powerful mids. The aforementioned mid pokes that King has can be used to safely discourage opponents from ducking. For riskier but more rewarding mids, King has his uf+4 hopkick for a -13 mid launcher, and his db+2 for a slow but safe mid launcher. King can also use his now unbreakable crouch throws in d+1+3, d+2+4, and the heat engager d+1+4 to catch ducking opponents, though do be careful as these throws whiff on standing opponents.

Lastly, King can also use his lows as a safe way to chip at the opponent's health. d+3 and d+4 are great options for this, with d+3 giving advantage on hit and d+4 being a fast high crushing low poke which has surprisingly good tracking. On the slower end, King has db+3 for a high crushing low that enforces a crouch mixup on hit between his throws and ws+4, and also guarantees a ground throw attempt on counter hit. King can also use his f,f,n,2 up close for its high crush and advantage on hit.

Defense

On defense, King really struggles against opponents who can continuously keep him locked down. His backdash is slower than the rest of the cast, so passively backdashing to create space during the opponent's offense is not as effective. He needs to rely on generic tools and hard reads to get out of a sticky situation, but when he does guess correctly, he can cash out on big damage or great okizeme.

Power Crush Moves

King can utilize his multiple power crush moves to blow through the opponent's attacks, his most notable one being db+1+2 (Muscle Armor) for its utility.

This starts absorbing hits at frame 6, one frame earlier than his other power crush moves, and only takes 50% damage upon absorbing hits. King can then perform Emerald Elbow from this stance by pressing 2 for a safe mid heat engager, or he can cancel out of the stance and do his regular standing moves. This allows King to tank through hits, not suffer any blockstun, and retaliate with either a launcher, a fast poke, or a damaging throw. Get creative with using this move and make your opponents hesitate during their blockstrings.

Aside from his Muscle Armor, King has B+3:1+2 that is fast (i16), deals high damage, and provides okizeme after the throw on hit. Be careful though as this is a high and can be ducked, even after absorbing an attack.

To avoid this, King can instead use uf+3+4 which is a -14 mid power crush that transitions into JGR mixups on hit.

Reversals

Aside from the universal low parry done by holding df right before a low attack, King also has b+1+3 which is a right punch parry that floor breaks or guarantees an ali kick, and b+2+4 which is a kick parry that guarantees ground throw attempts or d+2+3. Do take note that King's reversals deal 100% recoverable damage, but the ground throws that are guaranteed afterwards leave no recoverable health.

Panic Buttons

King doesn't have many tools to get out of a sticky situation and must rely on generic moves to do so. His fast high crush options is the generic crouch jab d+1 for an i10 special low that is +6 on hit, where King can buffer throws or ws4. On counter hit, the full d+1,2 string is guaranteed for more damage but less frame advantage.

For other evasive options, King can use the very risky d+1+2 atlas hammer for an evasive high damage launcher, though keep in mind that this is very punishable at -24. King can also use his SS 2+4 to quickly sidestep far into the opponent's side while also crushing all highs. This transitions into his Reverse Special Stretch Bomb chain throw, though this can be cancelled by holding back during the startup. Even though this is very evasive, this is also quite committal since King is stuck in this crouching animation even when cancelling the throw by holding back.

Heat

When King is in heat, he can indefinitely stay in heat by utilizing his signature throws. f,hcf+1 Giant Swing, f,hcf+2 Tijuana Twister, f,f,F+2+4 Shining Wizard, and qcb+1+2 Muscle Buster all recover King's heat bar. With this much meter to work with, King can threaten with his improved Jaguar Run mixups where JGR 1 is now a safe instant Tornado launcher, and JGR itself gains armor which prevents King from being interrupted by attacks that are not lows and throws.

Additionally, remember that King also gains the universal perks of being in heat, like chip damage from his pokes, and the threat of heat dash and heat smash. His heat smash Ultimo Jaguar in particular is a very damaging mid that leads to a JGR mixup on block. Don't be afraid of cashing out your heat bar with this very strong move.

External Links

TEKKEN 8 In Eight Minutes | King Guide