History Characters / SuperSmashBrosUltimate76To82

'''Individual Characters''': [[Characters/SuperSmashBrosGanondorf Ganondorf]] | [[Characters/SuperSmashBrosBayonetta Bayonetta]] | [[Characters/SuperSmashBrosJoker Joker]] | [[Characters/SuperSmashBrosHero Hero]] | [[Characters/SuperSmashBrosSteve Steve]] | [[Characters/SuperSmashBrosSephiroth Sephiroth]] | [[Characters/SuperSmashBrosPyraMythra Pyra / Mythra]]\\

->See his page [[Characters/SuperSmashBrosSteve here]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:78 – Sephiroth]]
->See his page [[Characters/SuperSmashBrosSephiroth here]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:79 / 80 – Pyra / Mythra (Homura / Hikari)]]
->See their page [[Characters/SuperSmashBrosPyraMythra here]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:81 – Kazuya]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssbu_kazuya.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[DemonOfHumanOrigin The Iron Fist of Darkness]]]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[labelnote:Business Suit]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssbu_kazuya_business_suit.png[[/labelnote]]]]
!!!!!!'''Voiced by:''' Masanori Shinohara
'''KAZUYA GETS READY FOR THE NEXT BATTLE!'''
->'''Home Series:''' ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''

-->'''Debut:''' ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' [UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}], 1994
-->'''Nintendo debut:''' ''[[VideoGame/Tekken6 Tekken 3D: Prime Edition]]'' [Platform/Nintendo3DS], 2012
-->'''Creator:''' Namco
-->'''Publisher:''' Creator/BandaiNamco

->'''Specials:''' [[EyeBeams Devil Blaster]], [[MegatonPunch Devil Fist]], [[PowerGivesYouWings Devil Wings]], [[MeteorMove Heaven's Door / Rage Drive]], [[VideoGameDashing Crouch Dash]] (Follow-ups: [[ElementalPunch (Electric) Wind God Fist]], [[{{Shoryuken}} Dragon Uppercut]], [[HurricaneKick Spinning Demon to Left Hook]])
->'''Final Smash:''' [[BeamSpam Final Blaster]]

->''"[[PreMortemOneLiner This will be your burial ground!]]"''[[note]](Translated from Japanese)[[/note]]

The Cold-Blooded Oppressor of G Corporation and first champion of the King of Iron Fist Tournament, Kazuya Mishima is one of the cornerstone characters of the ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' series by Creator/BandaiNamco, making him the company's second fighter after VideoGame/PacMan. He was introduced during the 2021 [=E3=] "WebVideo/NintendoDirect" on June 15, and details on how he plays were revealed in a "Mr. Sakurai Presents" video that aired on June 28, 2021. He was then released on the following day, June 29, 2021, as part of the Version 12.0 update.\\
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Kazuya is the son of Heihachi Mishima, an ambitious master of Mishima-ryu Karate and president of the [[MegaCorp Mishima Zaibatsu]]. As a child, he was thrown from a cliff by his [[AbusiveParents abusive father]] in a DieOrFly training exercise, daring his son to climb out from the ravine if he wished to live. This traumatizing event not only instilled Kazuya's lifelong hatred for his father, but it also awoke the latent "Devil Gene" in him, which granted him the powers of a demon while feeding off of his anger. When Heihachi later held the first King of Iron Fist Tournament - a competition between the world's greatest fighters and more with the offer of control over the Zaibatsu for the winner, Kazuya entered and exacted his revenge, setting into motion a multi-generational family feud that, in time, would force the entire world to pick sides.\\
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Like his ''Street Fighter'' and ''Fatal Fury'' contemporaries, Kazuya borrows heavily from his home series; but ''unlike'' them, ''Tekken'' is a 3D fighting game series with a stronger emphasis on combos. This shows in his unique fighting style, which boasts the largest number of normal attacks out of the entire cast, giving him a wide array of tools to attack opponents with barrages of blows. His special attacks let him tap into the Devil Gene for even more powerful attacks. He is on the slower and heavier side, and not all of his attacks will work against all opponents or in every situation, but players who master his deep intricacies can adapt to any situation and even turn a losing battle around and make a comeback.

'''Neutral Special:''' [[EyeBeams Devil Blaster]]
->Kazuya transforms into his Devil form and fires a laser beam which can pierce through multiple opponents. He can angle the beam before firing it, and performing this move in the air causes him to temporarily stall in place.
'''Side Special:''' [[MegatonPunch Devil Fist]]
->Kazuya dashes forward with a lunging fist strike. While risky, performing this move up close causes the opponent to enter into a crumple state, leaving them open for further combos.
'''Up Special:''' [[PowerGivesYouWings Devil Wings]]
->Kazuya uses his Devil form wings to launch himself upwards, damaging anyone directly above him.
'''Down Special:''' [[MeteorMove Heaven's Door / Rage Drive]]
->Kazuya transforms and grabs the opponent while flying upwards, and slams them down. Much like Bowser's side special, the opponent can influence where both they and Kazuya land if they are at low enough percentages. The move can also be used as a suicide attack, although Kazuya will be KO'ed first and the opponent will be given time to recover if they can. While Kazuya is under the influence of Rage, Heaven's Door is buffed into his Rage Drive, dealing more damage but at the cost of ending his Rage. In addition to its ''Smash'' input, Kazuya can perform a Rage Drive with a grab or by performing its original input (Crouch Dash + hold A button) - doing the latter method increases its damage output.
'''Input Special:''' [[VideoGameDashing Crouch Dash]]
->By performing the Shoryuken motion, Kazuya can perform the ''Tekken'' series' stable wavedashing mechanic. The dash allows him to bypass projectiles and some attacks due to his lowered height while he advances forward. Kazuya also has access to three different follow-ups after the dash is complete, outside of chaining them together. Pressing A has him perform a '''Wind God Fist''', an uppercut that launches enemies in the air. As in ''Tekken'', pressing A at the exact same time as the down-forward input is done leads to the stronger '''Electric Wind God Fist''', which stuns the opponent and can lead to further follow-ups. Pressing B leads to the '''Spinning Demon to Left Hook''', a string which leaves Kazuya temporarily invulnerable and deals good damage. Holding A normally yields the '''Dragon Uppercut''', a powerful kill move with some invulnerability, but doing it while under the effects of Rage leads to the aforementioned Rage Drive with increased damage.
'''Final Smash:''' [[BeamSpam Final Blaster]]
->Kazuya fires a short-ranged laser; if it lands, he transforms into his true Devil form from ''Tekken 7'' and unleashes a massive barrage of lasers from his eyes and wings.
----

->See [[Characters/TekkenKazuyaMishima Kazuya's page]] for more information on the character in his origin series.

* AdaptationPersonalityChange: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Kazuya remains [[ArrogantKungFuGuy as arrogant and brutal as ever]], but he notably lacks most of the [[PreBattleBanter banter]] that characters in ''Tekken'' are famous for, with the only full sentence he speaks being a PreMortemOneLiner for his Final Smash (quoted above).
* AmbidextrousSprite: {{Averted|Trope}}. Unlike his fellow traditional fighting game representatives, ''Tekken'' uses a control system that assigns a button to each limb. As such, in ''Smash'' as well as in ''Tekken'', Kazuya's stance does not change in relation to which direction he faces. This means that all his attacks contain a consistent limb for whatever moves he's using; for example, he will always use his right hand to perform his signature Wind God Fist, while his left hand is for his [[{{Shoryuken}} Dragon Uppercut]]. His fixed stance in ''Ultimate'' goes in direct contrast to the [[VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken last 2D fighting game he was in]], which played this trope straight.
* AnimeHair: Being part of the Mishima family, he possesses some wicked hairdo, having his hair upswept into a spike at the back of his head.
* AntiFrustrationFeatures:
** He jumps more slowly than the rest of the cast, so that those who play with tap jump on will have an easier time performing his multiple up tilts.
** The timing for the Electric Wind God Fist is more forgiving than it is in ''Tekken''. Wavedashing's execution was also made slightly easier, as the player does not need to return the left stick to neutral, making it closer to performing a {{Shoryuken}} input.
** His portrait in the character select screen is smaller, so his waist can be seen, allowing players to have some way of distinguishing his pants alts.
** In ''Tekken 7'', missing a Rage Drive or a Rage Art would automatically end Rage for the user. Here, Kazuya can attempt and miss it several times before it ends.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Very. As any character in ''Tekken'' can attest to, Kazuya is far from modest.
* AscendedMeme: His "crouch dash" move is a reference to the Wavedashing technique in ''Tekken'', which the infamous technique from ''Melee'' got its name from. He's also shown performing and cancelling successive back dashes, referencing a famous technique dubbed "Korean Backdashing" by ''Tekken'' players.
* AttackReflector: Kazuya's Left Splits Kick attack can send projects back at the opponent.
* AwesomeButImpractical: His Jab Combo is his 10-Hit Combo, a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown that looks cool, and does a lot of damage, like its ''Tekken'' self. Also like its ''Tekken'' self, it's not a True Combo[[labelnote:*]]A True Combo, as the name implies, is a combo the character can not escape without some sort of ComboBreaker.[[/labelnote]], and an opponent can use ''Smash''[='=]s Directional Influence mechanic[[labelnote:*]]The ability to drift in midair while in a Disadvantage State, in order to avoid further damage, among other uses.[[/labelnote]] to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydqrQgO7FdI easily escape it]].
* BadassInANiceSuit: His alternate costume gives him his suave business suit and [[BadassLongcoat long leather jacket]] ensemble from ''Tekken 7''.
* BattleIntro: Based on one of his intros in ''Tekken 7'', Kazuya decends in his Devil Form arms crossed, back facing his oppoent, looks back and takes his stance while coming out of his Devil Form.
* BigOlEyebrows: Got them from [[HereditaryHairstyle his father]].
* BigScrewedUpFamily: The Mishima family as a whole is ''[[DysfunctionJunction very screwed up]]'', to the point of a full-on war[[note]]This isn't an exaggeration either: Kazuya's son, Jin Kazama, arguably the "nicest" Mishima, started World War III with the specific goal of wiping out his entire family and luring out the precursor of the Devil Gene so the world would be freed from their destructive influence[[/note]].
* BilingualDialogue: Speaks in Japanese in every language track, which fits ''Tekken'' - many of its characters speak their native languages. As of ''Ultimate'', this makes him one of three fighters to speak in Japanese regardless of region - the other two being the ''FFVII'' fighters.
* BoringButPractical:
** His normal moves aren't that flashy compared to other fighters (they're basic martial arts moves with only an ember effect to emphasize the impact), and even his moves which have him turn into his Devil form don't really have him do things that haven't already been done by other fighters (firing a laser beam, using wings to elevate, punching, dunking people into the ground, etc.). However, he has a lot of moves in his arsenal, arguably making him the most versatile fighter in the series due to how many options he has at his disposal, and on top of that he is very strong. Put into the hands of a player who understands his particular characteristics and skillset, he becomes an absolute beast to fight against.
** More specifically, his Flash Punch Combo is this compared to his 10-Hit Combo. The latter is longer, more damaging, and cooler (the former just being two jabs, and a straight). That said, the latter can be escaped, and the former is generally more reliable if you get the timing down, not to mention the stronger knockback makes it much more viable to score a KO with.
* BreakingOldTrends:
** He's the first fighter to neither have a victory theme nor have the ''Smash'' announcer declare his victory. The announcer from ''Tekken 7'' does this instead.
** While Ryu, Ken, and Terry take inspiration from their original (or second) games for their ''Smash'' appearances, Kazuya instead takes inspiration from the (then) most recent game in his series, ''Tekken 7''. This is evident in how his ''Tekken 7'' outfit has a Fighter Spirit while his original outfit doesn't.
* CloseRangeCombatant: While he does have ''some'' ranged attacks through his Devil Blaster and Final Blaster, both of them are slow and clunky to execute while lacking sheer damage-racking potential, working best as launching finishers. The vast majority of his moveset absolutely ''needs'' him to get close to an opponent in order to truly damage them, with his strongest attacks requiring him to be practically staring them in the face before executing, which is already hard enough due to [[MightyGlacier how utterly slow his movement speed is normally]], but the tradeoff for this is that every one of his melee moves have high damage potential, and several on their own have strong launch power, so being good enough to close the gap will ensure you will be laying the hurt.
* ComebackMechanic: He brings in ''Tekken 7's'' Rage mechanic, which triggers when he's at least 100% or has 25% stamina left. It increases his damage by 1.1 times, and, if he chooses, he can sacrifice the Rage Mode for a powerful Rage Drive which is done with his throw, his down special, or Crouch Dash Hold A (which is based on the original input). However, while just like Sephiroth's OneWingedAngel SuperMode in that it won't decay over time, unlike it which specifically requires a KO (of Sephiroth or by him) to be lost, the Rage charge can also be lost by taking enough extra damage or whiffing an attempted Rage Drive repeatedly.
* TheComicallySerious: Much like Sephiroth, the cold-blooded, no-nonsense villainous bastard Kazuya is also susceptible to the comical shenanigans given in ''Smash'' via its environment and background, and it also has a similar hilarious effect. The difference is that ''Tekken'' already subjects Kazuya to this environment, mainly due to the non-canonical endings for Tekken's fighters like Kazuya's dad Heihachi for prime examples. Heihachi's ending in ''Tekken 5'' sees him launch a rocket with Kazuya, Jin, and Jinpachi tied against its surface. And his ending in ''Tekken 6'' has him binding Kazuya and Jin within astronaut suits before sending them off of a shuttle into outer space... unfortunately for Heihachi, however, Kazuya is able to [[TakingYouWithMe drag Heihachi (also wearing an astronaut suit) into space with him, leaving the three to crash back down to Earth like shooting stars.]]
* CompetitiveBalance: As noted by Sakurai during Kazuya's character showcase, ''Tekken'' is a grounded 3D fighter with a huge emphasis on frame data and micro-spacing, in contrast to ''Smash'' being a fast-paced 2D fighter with more emphasis on aerial movement and vertical positioning. If Kazuya were imported directly into ''Smash'' as he was in his home series, he wouldn't be a very powerful fighter as even the fastest moves in ''Tekken'' are considered "okay" at best and "slow" at worst compared to the rest of the ''Smash'' roster, requiring a lot of concessions to be made for his moveset, not just for accessibility, but also for viability. One result of these changes is that ''all'' of his moves were changed to have some of the fastest attack speeds in the game, since otherwise he'd have great difficulty actually executing most of his moves against other fighters.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: After dethroning Heihachi, he took over the Mishima Zaibatsu and began several illegal operations within the company. He would later gain control over G Corporation to counter his son Jin Kazama's takeover of the Mishima Zaibatsu, gaining the support of the masses due to his son starting a global war, when in reality, he wishes to use G Corporation to take out Jin and his rivals to {{take over the world}} himself.
* DemonOfHumanOrigin: Kazuya inherited the Devil Gene from his mother, which allows him to transform into a powerful demon known as Devil Kazuya, or just Devil. For his Smash attacks and Specials, he undergoes a PartialTransformation, and unleashes the Devil Gene's full power in his Final Smash.
* DifficultButAwesome:
** He has an utterly ''massive'' movelist, even moreso than Ryu, Ken, and Terry. He has a built-in wavedash, diagonal tilts, "while rising" moves (performed when getting up from a crouch), and Electric Wind God Fist, one of the hardest {{Just Frame|Bonus}} attacks in the game. He's also a CloseRangeCombatant with a MightyGlacier build. Said moveset makes him a very versatile character with many answers for various situations, and several of the moves are designed to make up for his slow movement, whether through bursts of speed or stunning moving opponents. It should be noted that this iteration of Kazuya is easier than in his home game -- where he also embodies this trope, with the 10-Hit Combo simply being his standard jab combo, his Electric Wind God Fist having a more forgiving frame window, and all of his Devil Moves being assigned to his Smash Attacks and Specials, and he's ''still'' an incredibly difficult to truly master fighter due to just how many moves he has that all have their specialties for combat.
** In terms of individual moves, the 10-Hit Combo is incredibly powerful, and if Kazuya is able to land the full string on an opponent at a decent percentage, it's enough to kill them outright. However, the move has slow startup, many gaps in which a faster player can dodge or shield (he can even pass through his opponent while maintaining the combo if he starts too close), and it requires Kazuya to commit to the entire string, leaving him unable to defend himself if his opponent escapes.
** Devil Fist, despite being a move that propels Kazuya forward, is best used at point-blank range to an opponent, placing them in a crumple state, and creating a cross-up that allows for free attacks. While the move otherwise has decent damage and knock back, it has poor frame data on block and can only crumple enemies close to the ground, making it very situational to use effectively.
** As noted by more competitive players, for him to stay on top of the tier list, his combo game and overall neutral option is heavily reliant on the Kazuya player being able to perform the [[{{SignatureAttack}} Electric Wind God Fist]] consistently. Said move, while having a slightly more lenient input (having 2 frames allowance in between the directional input and the A button instead of simultaneous input), overall still requires the strictest timing out of all the moves in the whole game. That said, like how it performs in ''Tekken'' proper, mastering it gives one of the best whiff punishers in the entire game, and an effective combo starter or kill confirm.
** Left Splits Kick (→→+A) acts as an AttackReflector, letting Kazuya literally kick projectiles back at his opponent. Its input makes it awkward to use for spacing due to Kazuya dashing forward, and the short duration of its hitboxes make it harder to actually reflect things with it, but players who can pull it off consistently are rewarded with the strongest reflect in the game, causing the returning projectile to deal more than twice its original damage.
* DownloadableContent: The fifth member of Fighters Pass Vol. 2, released on June 29th of 2021. Buying this fighter also comes with the Mishima Dojo stage, 39 songs from ''Tekken'', and a unique DLC Spirit Board, where ten Spirit Battles for ''Tekken'' characters await.
* ExpyCoexistence: He's ''Tekken''[='=]s equivalent of ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter''[='=]s Akira Yuki, who appears in ''Ultimate'' as an Assist Trophy. [[https://www.videogameschronicle.com/files/2021/06/kazuya-smash-3.jpg An official screenshot]] shows the two about to face off.
* EyeBeams: His Devil Gene gives him the ability to fire beams out of a third eye that grows on his forehead. His Final Smash has him tapping into his Devil Gene power to unleash BeamSpam upon his enemies from [[EyesDoNotBelongThere eyes that grow on his torso and wings]].
* FaceHeelTurn: His transformation from a hero to a villain in the ''Tekken'' series is referenced in his reveal trailer, first tossing Ganondorf off of a cliff and into a volcano, much like how the first ''Tekken'' game saw him do the same to his [[AbusiveParents abusive father]] Heihachi... followed by throwing other ''heroic'' characters afterward, paralleling how later ''Tekken'' games show him growing more power-hungry and at odds with other Mishima family members who are nowhere near as evil as Heihachi.
* {{Flanderization}}: PlayedForLaughs. Within ''Tekken''[='=]s canon, Kazuya throwing Heihachi off a cliff was simply a repayment in kind to Heihachi doing it to him as a child, and had only done this twice over the series; however, in his introduction trailer, he does this to (presumably) ''every'' character he defeats, despite lacking a similar history with these characters.
* GracefulLoser: Applauds the winner, even though he clearly doesn't look too pleased about losing.
* GuestFighter: The 17th third party character overall and the second fighter from Bandai Namco. He's also the second third party villain after Sephiroth.
* HeartbeatSoundtrack: While he's in Rage, the controller will begin to rumble in rhythm to a heartbeat.
* HomeStage: ''Ultimate'': Mishima Dojo, a mountain-side dojo where Heihachi Mishima is fought as the sub-boss in ''Tekken 7''.
* KnightOfCerebus: The second villain introduced as DLC after Sephiroth, and he is also especially this after the more light-hearted Pyra[=/=]Mythra. He is first seen tossing [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Ganondorf]] into a volcano (after some suspense), before battling the rest of the cast and visually throwing other heroic characters into the same volcano, including [[VideoGame/FZero Captain Falcon]], [[VideoGame/KidIcarus Pit]], [[VideoGame/{{ARMS}} Min Min]], [[Franchise/FireEmblem Marth]], and Franchise/{{Kirby}}.
* {{Leitmotif}}: A new remix and the arcade version of his boss fight theme from ''Tekken 2'', "Kazuya Mishima, Devil Kazuya", can be heard in his trailer. These are also included along with the console version, "Emotionless Passion". Also contained in the ''Tekken'' music list is a remix of "Desperate Struggle", the final theme which plays for the battle between Heihachi and Kazuya in the ending of ''Tekken 7''.
* LightningBruiser: He's a bit of a {{Zig|zagging Trope}}-zagged example. In terms of general stats, he's a MightyGlacier, being a slow-moving heavyweight fighter who doesn't launch easily and has all his attacks have high damage and launch potential at the cost of generally slow move start-up speeds, but ''unlike'' the average mighty glacier, the actual attack speed of those moves are so high, combined with having decent flinching effects, that once he gets going, he can perform combos faster and harder than a straightforward lightning bruiser. Likewise, he has a pretty decent recovery, with it being, on average, better than Mario if you count his double jump & up special.
* LimitBreak: Final Blaster; Kazuya performs the Rage Art he can perform as Devil in ''Tekken 7'', from the BeamSpam, to the volcanic background, and down to the PreMortemOneLiner exclaimed on its activation quote as Kazuya prepares to open fire!
* MechanicallyUnusualFighter:
** Just like Ryu, Ken, and Terry, he brings with him a plethora of combo-input-based attacks that grant a higher number of attacks than is normal for ''Smash''. ''Unlike'' those three, who as 2D-game fighters are limited to combos based on four direction keys and 2 attack buttons, Kazuya originates from a 3D fighting game that utilizes an eight-directional movement stick and four attack buttons, giving him an utterly ''massive'' selection of potential moves, moreso than any other character in ''Smash''. While his Devil Gene powers are restricted to acting as super moves through his Specials, Smash Attacks, and Final Smash to make things a bit simpler, that still leaves a large selection of the nearly ''100'' base moves usable in his original game, including diagonal inputs, two extra crouch attacks, and "while rising" inputs.[[labelnote:*]]It's done by putting an input while going from a crouching state to a standing state.[[/labelnote]]
** He technically has two sets of specials; his devil moves which are performed with regular B-button inputs, and his crouch dash specials which require a dragon-punch input on the movement stick. These include his [[SignatureAttack Wind God Fist]], Spinning Demon, and Dragon Uppercut.
** He is the sole exception to the standardization of jumpsquat frames in ''Ultimate'', having 7 frames of jumpsquat instead of 3.
* MightyGlacier: Kazuya is a very powerful fighter whose versatile moveset allows him to rack up a significant amount of damage in relatively few hits. His attacks are faster than most examples to make up for how many he has; however, he is still a heavyweight and he uniquely has the slowest jumpsquat in the game, taking more than double the time to jump compared to every other character.
* AMoltenDateWithDeath: As seen in his trailer, he disposes of all his opponents (sans Kirby) by tossing them off a volcano.

** The reveal video begins with Kazuya throwing Ganondorf off a cliff and into a volcano and, later into the video, various ''Smash'' characters off of the same cliff. This is a reference to Kazuya's ending in ''Tekken 1'' where, after defeating his father Heihachi, subjects him to the same fate he performed on him as a child. Then in ''Tekken 2'', Heihachi pays him back for it by throwing Kazuya into a volcano, and finally in ''Tekken 7'', Kazuya finishes off Heihachi and finally ends it all by throwing him into another volcano after their climactic final battle. Kazuya's PsychoticSmirk also harkens to his ''Tekken 1'' ending, where he gives a look of smug satisfaction after throwing Heihachi.
** Kazuya's splash text '''GETS READY FOR THE NEXT BATTLE''' is written in the same typeface and metallic style as it appears in ''Tekken 7'' after both players have selected their fighter; contrasting the usual font of the splash text for other fighter reveals. It is even accompanied by that game's announcer reciting the original line "''Get'' ready for the next battle!" -- a series staple which was introduced in ''4'' but was not vocalized by each game's announcer until ''5''.
** The first gameplay clip starts with the camera focused on Kazuya as he makes a pose, similar to his pre-battle intro, an element introduced in ''VideoGame/{{Tekken 4}}''. Afterward, there is an overhead view of two Kazuyas before quickly transitioning into the normal camera view, just like how the camera marks the start of a new round in ''Tekken''.
** Before they start exchanging blows, both Kazuyas are seen repeatedly crouching and dashing back-and-forth. This is a reference to high-level ''Tekken'' matches where players control the spacing of their characters.
** Kazuya and Ryu's fight has the camera rotate to a side view, another way ''Tekken'' starts a round.
** There's a shot of Kazuya and King K. Rool about to clash on an overhead shot of the Boxing Ring, as a recreation of the cutscene of Bandai Namco's logo in ''Tekken'' games of Kazuya clashing with Jin. The fact that Kazuya happens to be fighting a large reptile wearing boxing gloves also doubles as a nod to the ''Tekken'' character Alex, a boxing ''velociraptor''.
** Kazuya's Final Smash takes inspiration from the Rage Art he can perform as Devil from the story mode of ''Tekken 7'', down to his activation quote being reused. For a brief moment, the background of the Brimstone & Fire stage -- where he and Heihachi have their final battle -- can be seen as Kazuya readies his lasers.
** As with his fellow fighting game compatriots, his sound effects are taken directly from his home series, and even implement the exaggerated hitsparks of ''Tekken'' as well.
** If Kazuya wins a match, Josh Keller -- the announcer of ''Tekken 7'' -- substitutes Xander Mobus' regular ''Smash'' announcer in declaring Kazuya's victory. He even carries over ''Tekken''[='=]s usage of FullNameBasis when announcing a character's name, as opposed to ''Smash'' mostly remaining on a FirstNameBasis with its roster members. He also has no music attached to his victory, much like in ''Tekken'' which lets the music fade out during the victory screen.
** Unique to Kazuya is the cinematic camera movement when he performs a throw, which are a staple in ''Tekken'', harkening back to the first 3D fighter series, and the ''Tekken'' series' old rival, ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter''. This only occurs in a one-on-one match.
** On the banner, Kazuya is standing back-to-back with Byleth. Byleth's nickname in their home game is "The Ashen Demon".
** To demonstrate his wavedash mechanic, Kazuya is seen attacking Ken by wavedashing underneath a Hadouken, mirroring a similar scenario from the first CGI trailer of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken''.
** One of the screenshots uploaded to the website shows Kazuya facing off with [[https://ssb.wiki.gallery/images/5/59/SSBUWebsiteKazuya4.jpg Ryu, Ken, and Terry]]. Besides all being characters from traditional fighting games, it also calls to mind how ''VideoGame/Tekken7'' has {{Guest Fighter}}s from both ''Street Fighter'' and ''Fatal Fury'', not to mention the other crossovers the ''Tekken'' series has had with them.
** His [[https://twitter.com/fffightinfacts/status/1406327632111849478 Spinning Demon move]] causes his body to distort the same way it would in ''Tekken''.
** His home stage, the Mishima Dojo, has a carving on the floor that shows the Heihachi and Kazumi marking shown in ''Tekken 7'', both in story and in stage. It should be noted that Kazuya's name is a combination of theirs in kanji.
** The mechanics of the Mishima Dojo brings to mind Wall Breaks and Ground Breaks introduced in ''Tekken 6''. While there are no Ground Breaks in the stage, there is a ceiling that breaks in the same vein. Also, the Mishima Dojo itself in ''Tekken 7'' does not have either mechanic, but a pre-fight cutscene that plays in Arcade Mode against Heihachi shows him parrying a Jack unit into destroying one of the walls in the arena, making it visually similar to the destroyed areas seen in ''Smash''.
** The lighting of the Mishima Dojo stage closely resembles that of Honmaru from ''Tekken 4'', which returns in ''7'' as a story-exclusive stage that shares the same dimensions as the Mishima Dojo.
** His alternate palette swaps have a good amount of references hidden:
*** For his primary outfit, his P3 alt turns his pants red, similar to the primary colors it had in ''Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection''. His P5 alt turns it blue, bringing to mind his denim jeans from ''Tekken 1''. Lastly, while his black P7 alt is one he has not used yet, it was designed to be a reference to his son, Jin -- even down to being used by the Kazuya representing Jin for the latter's Spirit battle.
*** As for his suit, his P4 alt colors it white, similar to -- again -- the primary colors of his suit from ''Dark Resurrection''. His P6 alt returns the purple colors of his original suit from ''2'' to ''6'', while his gold P8 alt references golden customization options in ''7''.
** The SuperArmor on his Smash attacks can be considered a reference to the Power Crush mechanic in ''Tekken 7'', where one or two attacks in a character's movelist contain similar properties.
** His Left Splits Kick can reflect projectiles, likely a reference to a scene in ''Tekken 7'' where Heihachi knocks away missiles with his bare hands.
** A good amount of Kazuya's tilts are performed by tilting the stick in the same direction the move would normally be performed within ''Tekken'' proper. Could also count as a reference to ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'', where most of the command normals/non-special moves for the ''Tekken'' roster retain similar inputs from their source material.
** When showing off the Wind God Fist, Sakurai chains two together. In competitive ''Tekken'', chaining multiple Electric Wind God Fists is not only considered a staple combo for Kazuya players, but it is also a good way to practice getting the timing down.
** If an opponent blocks an Electric Wind God Fist, they are pushed back and forced out of shield, with Kazuya being able to act first between the two. This references one of the EWGF's core strengths in ''Tekken'': not only pushing an opponent back, but also being plus on block -- an attack which cannot be punished directly out of a block and allowing Kazuya to keep his momentum going by being able to move first.
** Kazuya's Classic Mode route has him battling opponents who specialize in hand-to-hand combat, bringing to mind how much emphasis is placed on it in his home series. Most of his opponents play with this by acting as stand-ins for other ''Tekken'' representatives, like Little Mac being a stand-in for Steve Fox. Ryu's presence is a reference to ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'' where he served as Kazuya's rival, while Lucario likely references ''VideoGame/PokkenTournament''. The final opponent of this route is Kazuya himself in the final area of Castle Siege, with an added gimmick that he respawns as Metal Kazuya upon being defeated; the choice of stage and music act as a reference to the final battle of ''Tekken 7'' (and to a lesser extent, ''2'') where Kazuya and his Devil form are the FinalBoss.
** Kazuya's jumps somewhat harken to how ''Tekken'' has handled its jumping mechanics; his initial jump being incredibly close to the ground is closer to how games from ''Tekken 3'' onwards handled them, while the more substantial height he gets off his double jump looks a lot closer to how jumps looked like in the first two games of the series.[[note]]An early issue with 3D fighting games including ''Tekken'' is that the jump physics are not necessarily on point. Affectionately called the Moon Jump, many characters would jump extremely high, often making it hard to hit for both players.[[/note]]
** One of the only lines of dialogue he has in this game is "Begone." (played when performing Heaven's Door), which is a quote used for some of his win poses from ''Tekken 4'' onwards.
* NoSell: Has permanent light armor that nullifies knockback from weak attacks, though not to the same extent as Bowser's.
* OneWingedAngel: The presence of the Devil Gene in his body allows him to transform into a devil himself, complete with wings and a third eye capable of shooting lasers. In ''Smash'', this is used to enhance his Smash attacks and his special moves. His true Devil form appears as his Final Smash, taking inspiration from its appearance in ''Tekken 7''.
* OverlyLongGag: His introduction video shows him repeatedly tossing various ''Smash'' characters off a cliff into the volcano below. By the time he drops Min-Min, her right arm snags on his leg and he has to shake it off. The video ends with him trying to throw Kirby down, only to look down in confusion while Kirby floats off in the background.
* PracticalTaunt: Kazuya's Side Taunt is Demon's Wrath, a four hit combo that is the most powerful taunt attack in the game. [[DownplayedTrope That said]], it has very little actual practical applications in the game, but it can be good for mind games.
* PreMortemOneLiner: As quoted at the top of the page, "This will be your burial ground!" (used in one hell of a MythologyGag before his [[LimitBreak Final Blaster]]). Notably, where other characters usually declare a PreAsskickingOneLiner (including ''[[TheSociopath Sephiroth]]'', whose one-liner[[note]]"Return to the Planet." (Hoshi ni kaere.)[[/note]] doesn't tell the opponent to outright "die"), Kazuya differs from them by ''{{avert|ed Trope}}ing'' NeverSayDie; he doesn't just want to win the fight, [[{{Jerkass}} he genuinely wants his opponent]] ''[[{{Jerkass}} dead]]''!
* PsychoticSmirk: Kazuya displays an impressively evil grin after tossing Ganondorf off the cliff in his reveal trailer. This is also a ShoutOut to his ending from ''Tekken 1'' where he smirks at the camera after dropping his father off a cliff.
* PurpleIsPowerful:
** Kazuya's body radiates with violet energy when he taps into his Devil Gene.
** Kazuya also comes with his signature purple color of his suit.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: His Devil Form and Business suit are black, his gloves, left eye, and tie are red, and he's one of the BigBadEnsemble in his home series.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: After being resurrected by G-Corp, Kazuya's left eye turned red. It can also give off a menacing glow (which it does in his render).
* RecurringElement: Within ''Ultimate'', Kazuya marks the third consecutive time (after Ken in the base game and Terry in Fighter Pass 1) that a traditional fighting game character marked the second-to-last reveal for their respective "set".
* RuggedScar: Kazuya is covered from head to toe in scars, including a massive scar on his chest from his fall down a ravine, and various others across his body from when he was brought BackFromTheDead by G-Corp.
* SignatureAttack:
** Wind God Fist, which is performed with the same crouch dash input as in ''Tekken''. It also has a more powerful variant, Electric Wind God Fist, which requires frame-perfect timing on the button input, but has increased damage, speed, invincibility frames, plus on block, and sets up for KO confirms. This is a staple of high-level Kazuya play both in ''Tekken'' and in ''Smash'', and is widely considered to be '''''the''''' signature move for the Mishima clan.
** As Devil Kazuya, he uses the infamous Devil Blaster, a laser beam fired from his third eye.
* SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou: One of his win poses is a recreation of his ''Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection'' one, where he punches the screen after a jumping sidekick. He even briefly transforms into Devil Kazuya for extra emphasis.
* SuicideAttack: Heaven's Door can be used to grab the opponent and dive both of you off the ledge, which is helped by the fact that you can move forwards or backwards during the animation. Though as Sakurai warns the viewer during the presentation, Kazuya will be the first one to lose a stock if he attempts to do this, so doing this if you're at even stock or at stock disadvantage is not a good idea. In addition, a character with a good recovery game can survive the attempt if they act quickly enough.
* SuperMode: Devil Kazuya, a version of Kazuya that's tapped into the Devil gene, transforming him into a part human, part demon with purple skin, horns, and bat wings. He assumes this when using specials and smash attacks, as well as minor actions like his double jump and up throw.
* SuperSpecialMove: Kazuya's "Final Blaster" is an even stronger version of his standard Devil Blaster, a laser beam fired from his eyes. Final Blaster has him transform into the Devil first, and several other beams across his wings fire in unison with the one from his eyes.
* TokenMinority: He's one of the scant few characters on the roster who hail from Earth; in his case, he is the third Japanese-born fighter playable following Ryu and Joker.[[note]]Fun fact: Kazuya actually ''renounced'' his Japanese citizenship; in a similar vein, Heihachi actually had his revoked by the government.[[/note]]
* VillainProtagonist: While other villains have become heroic, are put into EnemyMine situations, and/or faced with EvilerThanThou threats when they've become playable, Kazuya is notable to ''Smash'' as an unusual villainous protagonist who is still a villain in recent ''Tekken'' installments. He also made a bit of history by being the second third-party villain in ''Smash'' history, debuting in the same pass as the first one, Sephiroth.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: In the events of ''Tekken 6'' and ''Tekken 7'', he takes control of G Corporation and is seen as the savior from Jin Kazama and his takeover of the Mishima Zaibatsu, which Jin uses to start World War 3. Though once Heihachi spread pictures of Kazuya in his Devil form, the credibility dropped significantly (though he got the Mishima Zaibatsu's public image to also take a hit after sending their satellite crashing down to Earth, leading to them being held responsible for the collateral damage and thus could have allowed people to believe that his Devil form is just an illusion by the Zaibatsu).
* WalkingShirtlessScene: His default outfit leaves his ripped scar-covered torso uncovered.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Heaven's Door is basically a Chokeslam.
* TheWorfEffect: Inflicts this onto Ganondorf in his reveal trailer, one of the canonically most powerful villains in ''Smash'' next to Sephiroth.
* WouldHurtAChild: In his reveal trailer, Kazuya drops Kirby off the cliff with one hand. A short while after, Kirby flies up from the fall, while Kazuya is unaware of him.
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[[folder:82 – Sora]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssbu_sora_kh1.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[TheChosenOne Chosen by the Keyblade]]]]
%%[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Kingdom Hearts II]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssbu_sora_kh2.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Kingdom Hearts II]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssbu_sora_kh2.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Kingdom Hearts [=3D:=] Dream Drop Distance]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssbu_sora_khddd.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Kingdom Hearts III]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssbu_sora_kh3.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Timeless River]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sora_alt_4_ssbu.png[[/labelnote]]]]
!!!!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MiyuIrino (Japanese), Creator/HaleyJoelOsment (English)
'''SORA IS FINALLY HERE!'''
->'''Home Series:''' ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''

-->'''Debut:''' ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' [Platform/PlayStation2], 2002
-->'''Nintendo debut:''' ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'' [Platform/{{GBA}}], 2004
-->'''Creator:''' Squaresoft, Creator/{{Disney Interactive|Studios}}
-->'''Publisher:''' Creator/SquareEnix

->"''[[PreAsskickingOneLiner Let's go!]]''"

Sora, the legendary Keyblade Master of ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' was announced in the last "Mr. Sakurai Presents" livestream on October 5, 2021 as the final character added to the roster of ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''. He is the first fighter from a not predominantly gaming company: in his case, from the world-famous media group, Creator/{{Disney}}.[[note]]While ''Kingdom Hearts'' is a joint effort between Square Enix and Disney, Disney owns the series' copyright, making its characters Disney's property.[[/note]] He was released on October 18, 2021 as part of the Version 13.0 update.\\\
Hailing from the idyllic Destiny Islands, Sora lived a carefree life of mirth and whimsy with his ChildhoodFriends, Kairi and Riku, until the dreaded monsters known as TheHeartless laid siege to it, driving him and his friends apart as the world he called home was torn asunder. With a mysterious weapon known as a "Keyblade" in his hands, Sora joins forces with the short-tempered yet quick-witted mage [[WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck Donald]], and the clumsy yet stouthearted knight WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}}, to find his friends, along with [[TheGoodKing King]] [[WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse Mickey]], and save reality as they know it from utter oblivion -- a grand adventure that would take Sora on a journey through countless other worlds that defy imagination as he fought to defend Kingdom Hearts, the source of all hearts, from the dark forces of the Heartless, the Nobodies and Organization XIII, and the machinations of Master Xehanort and his many incarnations, [[ThePowerOfFriendship making many friends in the process]]. He's even met and fought [[AlternateSelf alternate versions]] of [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud and Sephiroth]].\\\
Living up to his name, Sora is a nimble and tricky fighter whose forte is aerial combat and combos: in addition to his light weight and excellent mobility while airborne, Sora is capable of executing {{Three Strike Combo}}s for his normal and forward-tilt attacks, on foot or in the air. In conjunction with special attacks that increase his aerial mobility, Sora is the king of the skies who can offset his otherwise low defenses that see him easily launched with a variety of attack options that can keep his opponents off-balance and open them up to big damage.

'''Neutral Special:''' [[SpellBlade Magic]]
->Sora casts a magic spell with his Keyblade. The move rotates between one of three spells when used: in order, [[PlayingWithFire Firaga]] (summons a {{Fireball}}), [[ShockAndAwe Thundaga]] (summons three lightning bolts in front of Sora), and [[AnIcePerson Blizzaga]] (summons a hail of ice that will freeze the opponent).
'''Side Special:''' [[DashAttack Sonic Blade]]
->Sora dashes forward at a target with his Keyblade up to three times. He can also perform this special immediately after performing Aerial Sweep.
'''Up Special:''' [[SpinAttack Aerial Sweep]]
->Sora propels himself in the air with a spin attack, knocking anyone caught in the attack away.
'''Down Special:''' CounterAttack
->Sora blocks with his Keyblade and immediately counters against any attack in front of him.
'''Final Smash:''' [[BanishingRitual Sealing the Keyhole]]
->Sora uses his Keyblade to trap his opponents in a key-shaped portal, trapping them behind a ''Smash''-adorned door, and locks the door with his Keyblade, causing it to [[StuffBlowingUp explode]].

->See [[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora's page]] for more information on the character in his origin series.
----
* AchillesHeel: His biggest weakness is his weight, or rather, his lack thereof. He's lighter than even Isabelle and Young Link, making him exceptionally vulnerable to being launched off stage.
* AdaptedOut: Nothing originating from other Disney works appears in ''Smash''. Hollow Bastion[[note]]Itself one of the few ''Kingdom Hearts'' worlds that's not based on another Disney property[[/note]] only features music that originates from ''Kingdom Hearts'', and no non-''Kingdom Hearts''-original Disney characters make cameos or appear as Spirits. The only thing obviously from Disney is the Mickey Mouse keychain on the Keyblade.
* AllLovingHero: His amount of compassion and understanding for others is nearly limitless, fighting for the sake of protecting those he cares for. As such, rather than antagonizing any other fighter like many characters before, his trailer focuses on him bringing light and hope to the cast, closing out the game with a confident handshake with Mario accompanied by every other fighter cheering him on.
* AnimeHair: His hair is distinctly [[SpikyHair spiky]], enough to give Cloud a run for his money.
* ArcNumber: The ''Kingdom Hearts'' games' most prominent Arc Numbers are [[ThirteenIsUnlucky 13]] and [[LuckySeven 7]], and Sora brings both motifs with him.
** For 13, the time between his reveal and his release is ''13'' days, in version ''13''.0.0 of ''Ultimate'', and including Piranha Plant and counting Pyra and Mythra separately, he's the ''thirteen''th DLC character. ''13'' Kingdom Hearts spirits are also included: 5 fighter spirits of Sora himself plus 8 spirits of various Kingdom Hearts characters exclusive to his DLC Spirit Board.
** For 7, he's the ''seven''th character in Fighters Pass Vol. 2, again counting Pyra and Mythra separately, and his home stage, Hollow Bastion, has ''seven'' different Dive to the Heart portraits.
* ArtShift: His P5 costume is a stark contrast to his other costumes, as it makes him look straight out of an old-timey Disney cartoon, complete with monochrome colors. The costume is based on [[FisherKingdom his change in appearance while exploring]] "Timeless River", a world in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' that is based on early Disney animated shorts, such as ''WesternAnimation/SteamboatWillie''.
* AscendedExtra: In the original games, Aerial Sweep and Counterattack are just generic resource-less combo modifier abilities unlike his more powerful and flashier Magic and Limits. However, in ''Smash'', they've been upgraded to being part of Sora's Special repertoire alongside his spells and Sonic Blade.
* AttackReflector: {{Subverted|Trope}}; his Counterattack block will change ownership of projectiles, but they'll maintain their current trajectory and fly behind him (dangeous in a free-for-all, less so in a one-on-one). This makes him the opposite of Mewtwo in ''Melee'', whose Confusion reflector would turn attacks around but keep their original ownership.
* AudienceParticipation: Much like with Bayonetta, Sora's inclusion was due to the Smash Ballot. However, Bayonetta was included as the highest-ranked fighter that could actually be included at the time -- Sora was the most requested newcomer, but he couldn't be included in ''[=3DS/Wii U=]'' due to not having the legal issues around him worked out in time. As a result, the developers set out to include him in ''Ultimate'' instead.
* BadassAdorable: His default appearance is based on the first ''Kingdom Hearts'', and he's just as cute and cheerful as he was there. His "Timeless River" costume is also adorable, being a pie-eyed rubberhose cartoon character.
* BanishingRitual: His Final Smash, Sealing the Keyhole, has him fire a beam that creates a keyhole-shaped portal, and opponents unfortunate enough to be sucked into it are locked behind a door with the Smash logo on it; Sora then fires a second beam towards the door's keyhole, twists his Keyblade as if to lock the door, which then explodes. The move itself is derived from the moment following the final boss battle against Ansem, Seeker of Darkness in the first game, where Sora and Mickey both seal the Door to Darkness together.
* BattleIntro: Flies in with some pixie dust, poses with his Keyblade, and takes his idle stance.
* BigNo: Does this when he's KO'd and his KO quote.
* BookEnds: His reveal trailer is a bookend for every other ''Smash'' trailer. The initial teaser trailer for ''Ultimate'' in March 2018 showed a burning ''Smash'' logo, reflected in the eyes of the Inkling Girl, with all of the characters standing in a dark void. At the beginning of Sora's reveal from October 2021, the burning ''Smash'' logo and the dark void reappear, complete with the Inkling Girl's eyes reflecting the logo once again.
* BoringButPractical: His Counterattack isn't as flashy as [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1 Shulk's]] Vision, [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu's]] Focus Attack, or VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'s Witch Time, but it can counter a wide variety of projectiles, attacks, and even recovery moves, in addition to causing opponents who hit it to stagger, thus making it one of the most powerful counters in the game.
%%* BreakingOldTrends: After a dozen fighters capable of dunking opponents into the abyss ([[TakingYouWithMe sometimes having to go along with them]]), Sora is the only DLC fighter to completely lack a [[MeteorMove meteor smash]].
* CallBack: Much as Mario took on the basic role of King Mickey in Sora's reveal trailer, Sora himself plays a role similar to Sonic in ''The Subspace Emissary'', being the last huge surprise of a third-party character and [[BigDamnHeroes showing up at the last minute]] to let everyone live and fight another day when everything looked to be over, against a near-unstoppable force (Tabuu or simply TheEnd itself) threatening to sap the imaginative life force out of everyone and turn them back into lifeless trophies.
* CallingYourAttacks: He exclaims "Fire!", "Thunder!", and "Freeze!" when casting Firaga, Thundaga, and Blizzaga respectively.
* TheCameo: Sora can appear in the background in the "Dive to the Heart" portion of the Hollow Bastion stage if he isn't partaking in the battle.
* {{Combos}}: Sora's Keyblade fighting style allows him to switch up his attacks depending on how he reacts during the combo, including movements and delaying attack timing for different results.
* CompositeCharacter: His default appearance is the one from the first ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' and his moveset is largely composed of attacks originating from that entry (with most of them reappearing at least once in the series except for Counterattack), but his alternate costumes use his outfits from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', while his voice is the deeper, mature variant used in those later entries. His face also resembles the older look used from ''II'' onwards instead of his younger self as seen in ''I'' and ''3D''.
* CoolSword: The Keyblade is part CoolKey, part Cool Sword, and part MagicWand. In spite of its blunt appearance, Sora's Keyblade is perfectly capable of [[AbsurdlySharpBlade cutting through just about anything]] thanks to its potent magic. It is also capable of locking and unlocking any kind of physical, magical, or even metaphorical lock; demonstrations of this ability range from opening simple treasure chests to sealing "Keyholes", portals that lead to a world's Heart, to protect it from the Heartless.
* CounterAttack: Sora's aptly named Counterattack down special interrupts and stuns an attacking enemy before slashing them in return, unlike most counters which tank the attack damage before paying it back. It also works on projectiles, but they'll be deflected upon unsuspecting opponents behind Sora instead of being bounced back to their user. Do note, however, that, being based on the Guard technique in his home games, it works best if he is attacked from the front instead of from behind, so don't leave yourself open when using it!
* CrosshairAware: His Sonic Blade can lock onto nearby opponents, marking them with the same Lock On targeting reticle from his home games.
* DashAttack: Sonic Blade serves as his Side Special. He can dash up to three times in a row, with the second and third dashes in any direction of the player's choosing, akin to Greninja and Pikachu's Up Specials, and it can be canceled from his own Up Special for recovery purposes. If he's near a foe, he can also automatically lock onto them for the attack.
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Sora's "Timeless River" costume features no colors, much like the level from where this costume originates, based on early Mickey Mouse cartoons.
* DimensionalTraveler: His involvement alone in ''Super Smash Bros Ultimate'' is similar to his source game series, where he travels to numerous worlds outside his own. The reveal trailer shows him fighting and interacting with the rest of the roster.
* DownloadableContent: The final member of Fighters Pass Vol. 2 and ''Ultimate'''s DLC fighters as a whole, released on October 18th of 2021. Buying this fighter also comes with the Hollow Bastion stage, 9 songs from ''Kingdom Hearts''[[note]]with an additional song included if you own ''Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory''[[/note]], and a unique DLC Spirit Board, where eight Spirit Battles for ''Kingdom Hearts'' characters await.
* EasterEgg: When Sora holds another item, Sora will use his Valor Stance from ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
* FireIceLightning: His neutral special allows him to cast Firaga, Thundaga, and Blizzaga in that order.
** Firaga is a fireball that shoots straight forward. Repeatedly pressing the button will have Sora keep shooting off fireballs until the button is no longer pressed.
** Thundaga shoots three thunder bolts down from above. Using it in the air will decrease its range, however.
** Blizzaga shoots a small cone of ice forward, with the potential to freeze whomever it hits.
* GlassCannon: He has high combo potential with decent power and KO potential, and is very quick and has a high jump and strong recovery options. However, he's extremely light, even lighter than Isabelle, which makes him very vulnerable to being KO'd himself, and some of his attacks have a start-up or lag to them that leaves him open for punishment.
* GrandFinale: Holds the honor of being the very last character added as DLC. This is emphasized in his reveal trailer, which opens with the burning ''Smash'' logo [[BookEnds that introduced Inkling and the game]] fading away and leaving the other characters as lifeless trophies before Mario uses the final small flame to conjure the Kingdom Key. And the "Mr. Sakurai Presents Sora" gameplay presentation is explicitly noted to show Sora fighting every other character in ''Ultimate'' at least once.
* GuestFighter: The 18th third-party character in the series. While Sora is the fourth character to hail from Square-Enix, he notably holds the distinction of being owned by the major media conglomerate Creator/{{Disney}}, making him also the first character to hail from them.
* HighAltitudeBattle: A major motif of his gameplay focuses on Sora's superior aerial mobility. Sora boasts an amazing recovery and his gameplay heavily favors launching his opponents into the air for aerial combos. Sora is also one of the few characters who's granted additional recovery potential ''after'' using his Up-Special.
* HistoryRepeats: [[https://twitter.com/PushDustIn/status/1450855097588609024 According to development info after Sora was released]], Fighters Pass #2 was meant to only have five[[note]]Technically six with Pyra/Mythra[[/note]] fighters, with Sora's inclusion being desired but thought of as an impossibility. It was only due to a chance encounter between Sakurai and a Disney representative during an awards show that negotiations made ground and eventually resulted in ''Ultimate''[='=]s last newcomer. Incidentally, a [=SquareSoft=] developer having an unlikely encounter with a Disney representative is how ''Kingdom Hearts'' came into existence to begin with.
* HomeStage: ''Ultimate'': Hollow Bastion. Based on its appearance in the first ''Kingdom Hearts'', this DiscOneFinalDungeon starts from the Rising Falls before traveling to the main castle, with platforming areas in the background recreated directly from the game. When a match is drawing to a close (either from the timer, low stamina, and/or low stock counts), it visually transforms into the famous "Dive to the Heart" tutorial sections from the original games, complete with stained glass visuals depicting other ''Kingdom Hearts'' original characters[[note]]Characters that can appear on said stained glass visuals: Sora, Riku, Roxas, Xion, Ventus, Aqua, or Terra[[/note]]. Functionally, it's a simple stage that has one auxiliary platform above the middle of the main one.
* HomingProjectile: Sonic Blade has homing properties on its second and third dashes, automatically slashing through a nearby opponent regardless of angle. However, as Sakurai notes, one should be careful doing this near a falling/self-destructing opponent, as activating the special prevents using Aerial Sweep, meaning that after it ends, Sora will be sent plummeting to his death with little chance of recovery.
* IBelieveICanFly: The ability to fly is a commonality among Keyblade wielders, and Sora is no exception: his Up and Side specials grant him increased aerial mobility along with his already excellent jumping height and speed, and his trailer shows him soaring as gracefully in the air as WesternAnimation/PeterPan (which makes sense, since he first gained the ability in Neverland).
* KidHero: He is 14 years old in the first ''Kingdom Hearts'' game, which his ''Smash'' appearance is based on. Even when he grew up by the time of the events of ''Kingdom Hearts III'', he's not yet 16.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: The fact that he's "finally here" reflects the fans' requests for him to enter the game for years. According to Masahiro Sakurai in Sora's October 2021 reveal, Sora was the most requested character for ''Smash'' since the ''Smash Bros.'' Fighters Poll was used back in the days of ''[=3DS=]/Wii U'', though he -- and presumably other highly-requested characters -- couldn't be implemented without their respective company's permissions, and Bayonetta was chosen as the last fighter for that game.
* {{Leitmotif}}: His trailer uses the orchestral version of "Simple and Clean", but it isn't available in the game. During the gameplay section of his trailer, "Fragments of Sorrow" plays, which under default settings, is also the song that would play the most often in Hollow Bastion, despite its theme being also in the game.
* LightIsGood: In contrast to Galeem, whose light is shown to bring ruin to the characters of ''Smash'', Sora's light is filled with life, returning the fighters back to normal from their figurine forms after the flames of the ''Smash Ultimate'' logo dies out. His fighter color is also a bright white.
* MagicKnight: Sora is a key-sword user who incorporates [[FireIceLightning Firaga, Thundaga, and Blizzaga spells]] in his arsenal to keep opponents at bay. Sakurai mentions in Sora's presentation that [[DeathFromAbove Thundaga in particular]] is a good anti-recovery spell that will thwart an opponent's attempt to get back onto the stage.
* MasterSwordsman: Acknowledged as being a "Keyblade Master". This is reflected in his gameplay as his down special allows him to parry and counter any attack with the correct timing. While he may not be as refined as other sword fighters, he's just as capable as any of them.
* MeaningfulName: His name is Japanese for "sky", and fittingly, he excels in fighting in the air. His reveal trailer even put special emphasis on his ability to fly, obtained from WesternAnimation/PeterPan.
* MechanicallyUnusualFighter: Downplayed. Unlike most other DLC characters, his controls are specifically noted by Sakurai to be rather straightforward, making it easy for anyone to play as him. He still has a few odd quirks, though, such as rotating automatically through magic spells and his three-hit combo system.

** The way that Mario throws the Keyblade (wreathed in flame) in the reveal trailer heavily resembles the iconic Strike Raid attack seen in virtually every ''Kingdom Hearts'' game except ''Kingdom Hearts III''.
** His reveal trailer has Sora replicating the iconic "Dive to the Heart" sequences as he enters the scene from the Keyhole, which also mirrors the opening cinematic for ''Kingdom Hearts 3D''. Shortly after appearing (and also in his appearance in the "EVERYONE IS HERE!" mural), he is shown flying around with golden sparkle effects, just like how he does with WesternAnimation/PeterPan's pixie dust in Neverland.
** His default pose in his P1 costume recreates the pose from his character art in the original ''Kingdom Hearts'' with one minor change. The teeth of the Keyblade facing up instead of down. Sora strikes this same pose for the splash screen in his reveal trailer. His poses in his P2, P3, and P4 costumes are based on some of his official renders for ''Kingdom Hearts II'', ''Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance'', and ''Kingdom Hearts III'' respectively, which are used for his Fighter Spirit artworks.
** At one point in his trailer, he slowly falls headfirst with the background of Galeem and Dharkon's stage behind him, a nod to the conflict between light and darkness that ''Kingdom Hearts'' is characterized by. It could also easily reference two things: his Dive to the Heart and his pose in the cover of ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', which symbolizes his [[spoiler:temporary fall into the slumber of darkness]].
** He's shown fighting Shulk on the Battlefield form of New Donk City Hall, a big sprawling open-world metropolis, just like [[WesternAnimation/BigHero6 San Fransokyo]] in ''Kingdom Hearts III''.
** His down and up smash attacks are inspired by Finishing Leap and Magic Flash from ''II'' and ''III'' respectively, though they lack the visual effects that make it obvious. Alternatively, it's been pointed out that due to the pose Sora makes during his up smash, it could also be Ripple Drive as seen from the first game's ''Final Mix''.
** While his Counterattack uses the Guard animation from ''I'', his pose while shielding evokes his blocking pose in ''II'' and ''III'' when an enemy attack has come in contact with his guard.
** In a Stamina Battle, if he gets the game-winning KO, time [[HitStop dramatically slows down]] as the final blow is dealt before the screen fades to white, much like when major bosses are slain in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series ever since ''II''.
** His Final Smash is based on the ending of the first ''Kingdom Hearts'' where Sora uses his Keyblade to seal the Door to Darkness. Here however, the door has the ''Smash'' logo on it; in effect, Sora seals the "Door to ''Smash''", symbolizing that he's the final character to be added to ''Ultimate''.
** Sora's Magic Neutral Special cycles between Firaga, Thundaga, and Blizzaga automatically instead of being manually selected. This is similar to the Command Deck system in several ''Kingdom Hearts'' games, where equipped spells and so forth automatically cycle to the next one after one is used and goes into cooldown.
** The ability to spam cast Firaga by ButtonMashing alludes to a common tactic in the first ''Kingdom Hearts'' game where the Fire family's low MP cost and BoringButPractical properties made spam casting it easily abusable. Thundaga's appearance in this game also resembles the Thunder spell in ''358/2 Days'', in which Thunder comes down in three bolts directly in front of the user.
** The non-standard properties of his Down Special Counterattack reflect the unique blocking/parrying system of the first ''Kingdom Hearts'' game, in which deflecting an enemy's physical attack with either your own physical attack or a Block would cause both Sora and the opponent to stagger backwards and cancel their attacks. The ability that the move is based on allows Sora to immediately retaliate with a backhand uppercut with the Keyblade upon deflecting an opponent's physical move.
** If he holds a battering item, he will do his Valor Form's dual-wielding pose and attacks from ''II'', such as his Sonic Strike aerial finisher as his dash attack.
** His reveal trailer has a scene of him fighting Sephiroth, alluding to the latter's status as a recurring {{superboss}} in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series. The specific attacks they use during the confrontation also reflect the boss fights directly; for example, Sora opens with an aerial attack, which is considered the optimal way to start attacking Sephiroth in the original ''Kingdom Hearts'', and Sephiroth attempts to use a Blade Dash only for Sora to block it, just like the Reaction Command used for Sephiroth's opening attack in ''Kingdom Hearts II''. The use of the Find Mii stage references both of the places Sephiroth is fought, a rocky outcropping like the one overlooking Villains' Vale in ''II'', but with the brown terrain and dark purple sky of the dark version of Olympus Coliseum in ''I''.
** Sakurai's gameplay demonstration of Sora ends with him battling both Cloud and Sephiroth, both of whom are recurring characters and optional bosses in ''Kingdom Hearts''.
** Towards the end of this trailer, Sora is seen staring onto the sunset in Kongo Jungle alongside a female Villager (who stands in for Kairi), referencing the signature shot of Sora and Kairi staring into the sunset at Destiny Islands.
** One of Sora's official screenshots shows him accompanied by Duck Hunt, who stands in for Donald and Goofy, another duck and dog duo.
** Sora's first victory pose is taken from his victory animation from the [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} Olympus Coliseum]] tournaments in the first game, while his second victory pose is adapted from the animation of Sora unlocking the gateways between worlds in ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
** [[https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/1446309374637477892 One of Sakurai's daily pictures]] shows Sora, in his ''3D'' outfit, jumping in Final Destination. The way the picture is framed, with Final Destination's background converging into the center, calls to mind the Dive Mode minigames in ''3D'', where Sora/Riku has to fall through the sky in order to enter a new Sleeping World.
** A battle in his Classic Mode route has him fight Cloud in the Coliseum. This is a call-back to Cloud's boss fight in [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} Olympus Coliseum]].
** His Classic Mode picture is a recreation of him holding a paopu fruit (a Star Rod in this case) from ''Kingdom Hearts III'''s main menu.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Sora's [=P5=] costume is based on how he appears in "Timeless River", giving him an InkblotCartoonStyle design that fits right in with the world of ''WesternAnimation/SteamboatWillie''.
* OriginalGeneration: Not to ''Smash'' per se, but ''Kingdom Hearts''' own nature as a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover makes Sora the first fighter whose home series is a crossover in itself, rather than a completely original IP.
* PaletteSwap: His are based on his different costumes from throughout the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series:
** P1 is his original ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' design.
** P2 is his ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' design.
** P3 is his ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' design.
** P4 is his ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' design.
** P5 is his [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts Timeless River]] design.
** P6 is his Valor Form from ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
** P7 is his Wisdom Form from ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
** P8 is his Ultimate Form from ''Kingdom Hearts III''.
* RuleOfThree:
** Sora's Neutral and Neutral Air Combos, as well as his Side Special attack, Sonic Blade, can hit an opponent three times.
** His Neutral Special Attack loops Firaga, Thundaga, and Blizzaga, in that order.
* ShockwaveStomp: By slamming his Keyblade downward for his down smash, it can make a shockwave with a hitbox that has widened range. Because he jumps up a bit before the slam, it can be used to dodge low attacks, and even attack opponents while they're in the middle of their ledge attack animation.
* ShownTheirWork:
** Sora has floaty and long-lasting aerial movement on par with Jigglypuff and Kirby, which seems strange for someone that isn't a literal balloon like them -- but it's completely accurate to the ''Kingdom Hearts'' games, where Sora and other Keyblade wielders can stay airborne for quite a while so long as they have combos to maintain and targets to lock onto. To a seasoned Keyblade user in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' universe, the law of gravity is but a mere suggestion.
** Sora's Counterattack being a powerful one fits into his source material. Especially on Critical Mode, Sora can easily be defeated by more powerful foes if a mistake is made; well-timed counters become an important part of winning.
* SlideAttack: His Dash Attack is, fittingly, his Sliding Dash ability from ''Kingdom Hearts Final Mix''.
* SpinAttack: His Up Special, Aerial Sweep, propels him upwards in a similar fashion to Link's Spin Attack; unlike Link, however, Sora is propelled into the air regardless of if he's on the ground or midair at the time of using the attack.
* StockAudioClip: His voice lines in both English and Japanese are taken directly from ''[=KH2=]'', ''Re:coded'' and ''Dream Drop Distance''.
* StuffBlowingUp: His Final Smash, Sealing the Keyhole, has Sora locking his enemies behind a ''Smash'' version of the Door to Darkness, which then somehow spontaneously explodes upon doing so.
* SwordPlant: He has both of his hands placed at the top of his Keyblade in his ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' design render.
* VocalDissonance: Despite his default design and his series' representation being almost entirely being based on the first ''Kingdom Hearts'', Sora uses Haley Joel Osment's deeper voice from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' that has been codified for all his appearances since then, even when he would reappear in spinoffs as his ''[=KH1=]'' self.
* WeaponAcrossTheShoulder: He casually hoists his Keyblade around his left shoulder (similar to Cloud's pose) for his original appearance in his ''Smash Bros'' artwork. He also does this pose for his Timeless River incarnation.
* WeaponSpecialization: The Kingdom Key Keyblade, commonly referred to as the "true power" of the Keyblade. While it's the most basic and typically weakest Keyblade, it's also the most recognizable in the series since it's the one that Sora starts his journey with at the start of the first game. It also happens to sport a Hidden Mickey for a keychain, which is as much Disney representation as Sora gets in ''Smash''.

-->'''Nintendo debut:''' ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} 3D: Prime Edition'' [Platform/Nintendo3DS], 2012

-->'''Debut:''' ''VideoGame/{{ARMS}}'' [UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch], 2017

-->'''Nintendo debut:''' ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} 3D: Prime Edition'' [UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS], 2012

-->'''Nintendo debut:''' ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'' [UsefulNotes/{{GBA}}], 2004

-->'''Debut:''' ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' [UsefulNotes/PlayStation2], 2002

->Sora dashes forward at a target with his Keyblade up to three times.

The Cold-Blooded Leader of G Corporation and first champion of the King of Iron Fist Tournament, Kazuya Mishima is one of the cornerstone characters of the ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' series by Creator/BandaiNamco, making him the company's second fighter after VideoGame/PacMan. He was introduced during the 2021 [=E3=] "WebVideo/NintendoDirect" on June 15, and details on how he plays were revealed in a "Mr. Sakurai Presents" video that aired on June 28, 2021. He was then released on the following day, June 29, 2021, as part of the Version 12.0 update.\\

** His reveal trailer has a scene of him fighting Sephiroth, alluding to the latter's status as a recurring BonusBoss in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series. The specific attacks they use during the confrontation also reflect the boss fights directly; for example, Sora opens with an aerial attack, which is considered the optimal way to start attacking Sephiroth in the original ''Kingdom Hearts'', and Sephiroth attempts to use a Blade Dash only for Sora to block it, just like the Reaction Command used for Sephiroth's opening attack in ''Kingdom Hearts II''. The use of the Find Mii stage references both of the places Sephiroth is fought, a rocky outcropping like the one overlooking Villains' Vale in ''II'', but with the brown terrain and dark purple sky of the dark version of Olympus Coliseum in ''I''.