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Kazuya Mishima is joining the fight in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Sakurai revealed that this his special ability earned him a spot on the roster.
The latest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter is Kazuya Mishima of the Tekken franchise. Kazuya has been around since the first game, and was initially the series’ main character. However, as the story continues, he has become less of an anti-hero and more of an outright villain who only wishes to beat his rivals, kill his father (Heihachi) and rule the world. While he carries his own iconography in fighting games, Kazuya’s inclusion has left many to wonder why his more recognizable father wasn’t chosen instead.
During Masahiro Sakurai’s character breakdown for Kazuya, the game director explained the reasoning for the character’s inclusion. Base Tekken fighters move at a much slower rate than the characters in Smash Ultimate; for Kazuya, a small string of jabs is considerably slower than Mario’s rapid punches. This means that, for someone like Heihachi, his lessened speed would leave him at a disadvantage, while speeding him up would be unrealistic. To counter this, Kazuya was chosen because of one ability that helps him transition into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: the Devil Gene.
The Devil Gene (or Devil Power) has been around since the beginning of the Tekken series, and it’s only found in the Hachijo bloodline. Chronologically, the gene makes its first appearance to Heihachi when his wife, Kazumi, attempts to kill him. After her defeat, Heihachi quickly deciphers that this gene has infected his bloodline, and the only way to end it is to kill his son, Kazuya. Heihachi believed throwing his son into a ravine was a surefire way to spare the world of the Devil Gene, but as it turns out, the gene is sometimes activated in life-threatening events.
Not much is known about the Devil Gene’s origins, but the prevailing theory is that it comes from one spirit that has bonded with the Hachijo bloodline. When Kazumi died, the gene then appeared in Kazuya. This was almost deconfirmed when Kazuya’s son Jin is shown with such powers, but it is later made clear that his gene is split from Kazuya’s. A secondary theory posits that there is no “Devil spirit,” but instead some unknown attribute that amplifies the user’s powers and alters their appearance.
Kazuya has lived with the Devil Gene for years, but that doesn’t mean that he has more control over it than when he started. By nature, the Devil spirit often acts as a split personality that corrupts the host to do uncharacteristically evil things. During early transformations, the host may lose their memories of the event and typically sacrifices control over everything from when they transform, what they do in their devil form and when they change back. While it seems like this unseen force takes over the host entirely, it is possible to regain control by uniting with the devil within. The best example of this is when Kazumi uses her transformation to battle Heihachi.
When transformed, the gene can give the user enhanced strength, speed, flight and energy projection in the form of lasers. Under Kazuya’s control, it even destroyed a satellite in orbit while firing his laser from Earth, showcasing his power level even at long range. In Tekken, it’s best to strike fast and hard to avoid any of his hits, but Smash will require a different technique. Since Kazuya only activates the Devil Gene for special attacks and his Final Smash, it’s crucial that players fighting against Kazuya avoid his lasers and keep him off balance. The Devil Gene is undeniably the most devastating ability in the Tekken franchise, and it will be just as dangerous in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
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