Tekken 8 Technically, there are three different types of “campaigns”, one being the classic Arcade mode (including Character Sidestories), one being Arcade Quest, and the last being Story Mode: The Dark Awakens. The game is already selling pretty well, and the gigantic amount of content the game has at launch probably has a lot to do with it. Story Mode begins after the events of Tekken 7 with Jin Kazama doing what he always does, now that he's done being the mastermind behind a world war, trying to take out his father Kazuya Mishima. And at one point in the story, Kazuya Mishima gets super-powered (and a completely new Devil design, separate from Tekken 7 iteration) and here you will face the True Devil Kazuya for the first time.
Related
Tekken: The Strongest Female Characters, Ranked
Here's how the strongest female characters in the Tekken fighting franchise rank.
This battle can be quite tough, especially if you play Dark Awakens on Hard. And if you think it was rough the first time I faced this new version of Kazuya Tekken 8unfortunately, it won't be the last time, not by a long shot. So, to help those of you who are tired of “retrying” this fight over and over again, let's go over exactly which moves are the most dangerous in these fights, what to watch out for, and how to get past the True Devil Kazuya with as little trouble as possible.
Updated November 2, 2024 by Jacob Buchalter: It's very rare for fighting game story modes to be updated with new content, but that's exactly what happened with Tekken 8's story mode. Regardless of the new fights, the most frustrating matchup in the entire game (at least in my opinion ours), is True Devil Kazuya. The moveset this version of Kazuya uses, the input reading, the constant command, it's so frustrating to deal with. Fortunately, we've done the work to break down exactly how this fight works and how to defeat True Devil Kazuya with minimal effort, so let's get into it.
True Devil Kazuya's moveset
Well, more like the moves you'll need to know the most
From what players can tell, True Devil Kazuya is basically a combination of improved variations of moves from Kazuya's Standard Move List, many of the moves that Azazel uses against Kazuya in Chapter 6, and some completely unique moves. When fighting True Devil Kazuya, if you fight, it can really feel like Kazuya's CPU is unfairly using its inputs against you.
The true Devil Kazuya is relentless in his offense. For example, he likes to rely on Throws quite a bit, he overuses a variant of what appears to be the Goutsuiken Heat Move, where after he hits the ground and summons a bunch of Azazel Spikes, he surprises you on every attempt with an upgraded Roar. of the Devil who does absurd chip damage and will probably frustrate you quite often with a lot of super armor on his attacks.
Again, it's not like True Devil Kazuya is playable in the game (though fans have searched the files to see if it's playable), so there's no reference move list.
However, in our many attempts to fight him with multiple characters in the second half of The Dark Awakens, these are the (standalone) moves we noticed the most:
|
Name |
Explanation |
|---|---|
|
The damage |
Very similar to the standard Damnation throw, again it feels faster and harder to avoid. |
|
Abyss Damnation |
Almost the same as the standard Abyss Damnation in his regular Devil form. |
|
Azazel Spikes |
It doesn't have the same first strike as his standard Goutsuiken, but basically Kazuya tries to hit the ground directly whether you're in the way or not. It will summon purple spikes from the ground, pushing you back onto the block, with multiple hits all doing decent damage to the chip. |
|
Devil Blaster |
Not necessarily a variant of Inferno, but Kazuya has a few different moves where he uses the eye in his chest to shoot lasers across the screen. Kind of Inferno, but also kind of Devil Form Blaster. |
|
Tempest Blaster |
Just a faster and safer version of the standard Tempest Blaster. |
|
Shock wave |
A full-screen conical shockwave that Kazuya sends out with a wave of his hand. |
|
Azazel God Fist |
Just an even more absurd version of the Electric Wind God Fist, but instead of electricity around his arm it's that swirling dark energy of Azazel. |
|
Roar of the “True” Devil |
This is very similar to what Azazel uses at about 75 percent health in the second phase of his fight against Kazuya in Chapter 6. It charges up and unleashes a force wave that deals a ton of block damage. |
Outside of these moves, it's really just a fight against Kazuya, as if he was in Devil Mode the entire fight, and some of his attacks were enhanced by Azazel's power. Fortunately, in the story mode additions that reintroduce Heihachi Mishima into the story, there is no fight that is nearly as frustrating as True Devil Kazuya.
What works best against the true devil Kazuya
Like most of Tekken 8, aggression is key
Now that we know what moves True Devil Kazuya really likes to rely on, how does one help one defeat him? Well, we'll go over the good answers to each attack, but first, let's go over the general playstyle you might want to keep in mind when fighting TDK (True Devil Kazuya). Tekken 8 is a game where the key idea to remember is “aggression”. Arcade Quest's main NPC, Max, says just that right from the start of your arcade adventure. The more you press the opponent, the more they will usually be overwhelmed and the worse they will respond.
Of course, this does not apply to a processor that does not feel pressure, but overwhelming them with attacks and options until someone hits and taking advantage of the window there will always work well. Keep trying to get to Kazuya as much as possible, only really giving up or reacting when you see him go through your shots or end up summoning those absurdly irritating Azazel Spikes.
Mix lows in between highs, choose counters where you feel comfortable, use absolutely a lot of throws, and don't hesitate to rely heavily on Heat Rush and Rage Art. Both Rage Art and Heat Rush damage is greatly improved in Story Modeso they can be a very useful lifeline when the CPU feels like it's adjusting to your attacks. With all of that in mind, let's jump into what you might want to do in response to True Devil Kazuya's more annoying attacks:
|
“Name” moved modified |
Original movement |
Response |
|---|---|---|
|
Azazel Spikes |
Goutsuiken |
For us, these were by far the least enjoyable part of fighting the true Devil Kazuya multiple times. Maybe the CPU uses this a lot if you block a lot, but for us it was spamming at least twice every time it could, meaning just blocking it would push us back to the far end of the stage. Memorize the visual telegraph of this attack and always be ready to parry and block. If you get hit by this, Kazuya can easily trap you into another one, which can honestly take half your health in one blast if you're unlucky. It wasn't until I finally beat Story mode that I found out you can actually bypass the peaksso keep that in mind as well. |
|
Damnation & Abyss Damnation |
N/A |
Kazuya really likes to rely on these two throws, especially when you're fighting him as Jin in space. It seemed like we could never get rid of them, but that's just us. To avoid these as much as possible, be ready for the start of Kazuya's Hellsweep, which will lead to this, if you block this you basically stop this throw. For Damnation, try to never get that close to Kazuya while not attacking, and if you want, try to at least crouch. |
|
True Devil Blaster |
Inferno |
He has a few moves where he uses his Devil Laser, but this is the one he will use at long range. To avoid this, simply deflect if you see Kazuya finish and attack while he's out of range for anything to connect, as it will probably be this laser. |
|
Improved Wind God's Electric Fist |
Fist of the Wind God |
If Kazuya uses it once, he will probably use it again right after or shortly after. They come out incredibly fast, so it can be hard to block them, but if you're ready to block another one not long after, and make sure you punish him after he's blocked. |
Other than those specific moves, they just aren't too involved in locking down the mids or highs, as TDK mixes in a lot of lows in there as well, especially during his Reign of Terror four-hit combo he'll be using. Also, don't get too comfortable on the ground waiting to wake up your kick or spring kick, as True Devil Kazuya is very punishing when you're on the ground.
How often do you fight him?
It's probably more than you'd expect
One of the hardest parts about fighting True Devil Kazuya multiple times is that you only fight him twice with Jin Kazama. Aside from Jin, you'll also fight him as Reina and as Lars (hardest fight, hands down), amounting to about 4 times in total if you don't include his multiple phases per fight, the Azazel fight as Kazuya, or any of the Devil Kazuya and regular Kazuya fights as Jin.
So if you're only familiar with one of these three characters, being forced to beat a pretty tough CPU as any of the other two can feel pretty daunting. Again, this is where relying on Heat Rush and Rage Art will be of great help. And for those of you stuck in the final fight against True Devil Kazuya (you'll know if you fight him in outer space), stay on the offensive , as this version of TDK relies a little less on those Azazel Spikes and feels a lot more like a visually exaggerated online match than any of the other TDK fights.
- ISSUED
- January 26, 2024
