During Nintendo's showcase at this year's E3, it was unveiled that Tekken's Kazuya Mishima would be joining the battle in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. With so many sword-based characters like Byleth, Pyra and Mythra being added to the game recently, a martial arts character was a welcome surprise. However, unlike other fighters such as Ken and Ryu or Little Mac, Kazuya is one of the most ruthless additions to the roster. In his long-running series, Kazuya has a complicated history acting as both an antihero and villain, turning him into one of fighting games' most complex characters.
As shown in his announcement trailer, Kazuya is a user of devastating attacks that come from his family's variation on Karate, the Mishima Style. But Kazuya didn't learn these techniques overnight, and it is only a small step in the long and tragic history behind the face of the Tekken franchise. Kazuya is the son of Heihachi Mishima and Kazumi Mishima. Heihachi was a deadly fighter trained from birth and he trained his son in the same manner. But Kazuya was nothing like his father and was a very timid young boy. As a result, Kazuya suffered years of abuse as his father sought to make him worthy of taking over his company, the Mishima Zaibatsu.
Kazuya's life would be tossed into further turmoil after witnessing the murder of his mother at the hands of Heihachi. In reality, Heihachi acted in self-defense as it was revealed Kazumi was tasked with assassinating him due to his strength and threat to the world. A carrier of the Devil Gene, the disease changed her body and made her stronger, making the battle with Heihachi both physically and emotionally draining. Scared that the same disease lived in Kazuya, Heihachi sought to even kill his own son to eliminate the threat. After easily winning a fight against Kazuya, who was trying to avenge his mother, Heihachi tosses the five-year-old into a ravine. Kazuya survived, but the experience and years of abuse awakened his Devil Gene, changing him forever.
In the original Tekken game, Kazuya is the protagonist, and players control him as he works his way up the ladder in the King of Iron Fist Tournament. His main goal is to exact revenge for his mother by killing Heihachi and taking over the world with the Mishima Zaibatsu. While never a hero in the first game, Tekken 2 shows the true dark side of the character. After believing he killed his father, Kazuya finally takes over the Zaibatsu, proving to be an even more ruthless leader than his father. At this time, the fighter also gained more control over his Devil Gene, which Heihachi fought so hard to prevent.
Future installments would see the leadership of the Zaibatu's shift between a revived Heihachi, Kazuya and his son, Jin Kazama, all of which often lead to disastrous results. However, no matter how many rivals Kazuya creates or faces, he never loses sight of his ultimate goal of killing Heihachi. By Tekken 7, Kazuya's dominion over his Devil powers reaches an all-time high and, in a show of power, uses his abilities to shoot a Mishima satellite out of orbit. As a result, many innocents die from the flaming debris, pushing Heihachi to a final confrontation.
Tekken 7 serves as a new beginning for many heroes and an end to a decades-long feud between Heihachi and Kazuya. Fighting over an active volcano, the father and son trade blows one last time, and while Heihachi puts up a valiant effort, using his immense strength against Devil Kazuya, he falls. In the act of poetic justice, Kazuya tosses him off a ravine in the same manner that was done to him as a boy. Now Kazuya is the undisputed leader of the Mishima Zaibatsu and even more of a threat than his father.
As part of his move list, Kazuya will take all of the best elements from his tragic backstory and bring them to the game. This includes the Mishima Dojo stage, his Mishima-style Karate, and his Devil Form. His Final Smash will also feature his devastating laser attack while in his Devil form. Kazuya may not have a rival like his father to constantly duel with in Smash, but that doesn't mean he won't fight with the same intensity built up over the years.