| Asuka |
|---|
| Asuka | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Heat |
|
| Heat Smash | Mid, i16, +10 |
| Heat Engagers |
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| Stances | (none) |
| Fastest | |
| Launch |
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| CH launch |
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| Wall splat |
|
| Archetypal moves | |
| Sabaki |
|
| Reversal | b+1+3 (high or mid punches or kicks) |
| Mid check |
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| Slash kick | wr3 |
| Generic moves | |
| Remapped | (none) |
| Missing |
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| External links | |
| Lore | Asuka Kazama |
| #T8_Asuka | |
| Discord | [1] |
This page is for Tekken 8. For Tekken 7, see Asuka (Tekken 7).
Asuka Kazama is a solid defensive character that is a good pick for beginner players that are looking to punish opponent habits. Her basic combos are very straightforward, and while her block punishment can leave a lot to be desired, she makes up for it in remarkable keepout tools, safe counter hit launchers, and multiple good panic buttons.
One of Asuka's most iconic moves is her f+2, Demon Slayer (known as Tooth Fairy before Tekken 5), a best-in-class whiff punish move that travels far, ducks under some highs, and can even be cancelled by holding down. This move, along with other damaging mid launchers, are core to Asuka as a character and define her general playstyle. The main tradeoff for this is that her short backdash can make it difficult to make things whiff, and her punishes on block for slightly unsafe strings are very below average. Fortunately, her inputs tend to be very simple, requiring little to no dexterity to perform her moves and react to opportunities in neutral as they turn up.
Don't let her apparent simplicity fool you, though—using her tools against high level players can be far more difficult than it seems, putting her weaknesses as a character at the forefront. Those who know how to crouch her safest strings and punish her attempts at a parry or lucky launcher hit force Asuka to only really rely on her whiff punishes, sidestep knowledge, reactive parries, and meagre offensive tools to play without taking massive risks. These aspects are undoubtedly the most intricate and demanding parts of her kit, relying on good knowledge of spacing, evasion, and matchups to reach their full potential. Although her inputs are generally simple to perform, she actually has some tricky combos in this game if one wants to truly optimize her damage, which is often warranted as she has difficulty simply opening opponents up and needs to use every opportunity to squeeze as much damage out of her punishes as possible. Understanding her parries and punch sabakis can also go a long way, as can scaring opponents with the fake-out cancels on moves like f+2,d and 2,1,d+1+2,b. Her new mechanic, Naniwa Gusto, can improve her offense after she does a combo with powered up versions of u+1+2, f,f+1+2, and WR1+2, but gaining it can often make her sacrifice damage or oki.
- One of the best whiff punishers in the game
- Good arsenal of panic moves and heat engagers to close rounds and turn the tide
- Strong keepout with midrange pokes and sabakis
- Solid confirmable mid strings and CH launchers
- No plus jab, generally risky and flawed offense
- Subpar backdash, forcing her to rely more on sidesteps and spacing traps to make things whiff
- Very weak 10-13 frame punishes
- Struggles vs defensive players
External links
| Characters (Tekken 8) |
|---|