You got Wrecked!
If you play fighting games, especially Tekken 7, you should be familiar with this feeling. That awful feeling you get when your opponent literally steamrolls you and most of his high damage shots and combos connect, and yours barely land. That feeling of getting wrecked.
Just like any fighting game, Tekken 7 is all about wrecking your opponent, and certain characters just do it better than others. Having played more than 5,500 hours of the game, and every single iteration before, I should know. I've wrecked my fair share of opponents, and got wrecked myself.
Taking note of the sheer brutality and trauma that getting wrecked can bring, I've made a list of 15 characters in the game that can wreck, and wreck hard. These characters can just take the win from you so convincingly that you might get salty if you're not disciplined enough.
Some of these characters will use pure defense and safe pokes to wreck you. Others will just flat out demolish you with their insane damage output. Others will just rush you down and not give you a chance to breathe, or mount a counter-attack. There are many ways to wreck an opponent in Tekken 7, and these characters excel in all of them.
Hi, I'm EDGE I No Mercy and these are my Top 15 Tekken 7 characters that wreck hard!
Note:
Tekken's controls use four main buttons, the left punch, the right punch, the left kick, and the right kick. For the sake of convenience I will abbreviate them as follows;
LP-left punch
RP-right punch
LK-left kick
RK-right kick
Players press these buttons together and/or combine them with directions from the pad or stick to perform special moves. Depending on the type of controller you use, various button configurations can also be assigned to extra buttons.
For the sake of convenience I will also assign directions as follows; Example Up, forward will be uf, down forward will be df, etc.
f-forward
b-back
u-up
d-down
wr-while rising(moves done when character is rising from a crouch)
cd- crouch dash(crouch then dash forward)
ss- side step
But of course you already knew all this because you play Tekken!
The Top 15 Wreckers:
15. Leroy Smith
Coming in at #15, is the controversial character, and my personal favorite Leroy Smith. When he first came out as a DLC, Leroy gained instant notoriety for being so overpowered that he almost broke the game. This was most evident in EVO Japan 2020, when just about all the top-placing players opted not to use their mains and instead went for Leroy.
When he first burst into the scene, Leroy was laughably overpowered, with insane damage output, frame advantage on a lot of moves, and god-like parries. Unfortunately, with the passage of time, he suffered several big nerfs and this led to his getting significantly weaker. The link to the video below shows many of his significant nerfs. Prominent nerfs that Leroy suffered include the b-LK and d- LP+RP moves not juggling the opponent anymore, the punch follow up after the parry being jab punishable if blocked, and reduced frame advantage and damage to many of his signature attacks.
With all these significant nerfs you might think that Leroy has dramatically dropped in the power rankings of Tekken 7. While it is true that he suffered heavy nerfs all over, Leroy is still a very fearsome character.
Leroy still has many powerful tools at his disposal. He still has 9 parries(the most parries of any character in the game), and his uf-LP and b-RP can parry any move. He still has arguably the best unseeable lows in the game, and his once per match pimp cane is a legalized item move that has the best range and speed among all the melee item moves in the game.
How Leroy can wreck you hard:
Despite all his nerfs, Leroy still remains one of the best poke-centered, and versatile characters in the game. He has great offensive moves like his d-LK, RP Hermit stance, his great lows, and the best defensive tools in the game with his parries. Unlike most characters he has almost no fluff, or useless moves making him extremely efficient. He is also still very easy to pick up, making him a very good pick pick for beginners and new players looking to wreck opponents on their first tries.
14. Steve Fox
Tekken's master boxer comes next on this list at #14. Steve is an offensive beast that will pressure you hard and never let up. Steve's speed is phenomenal, and his various stances and flicker moves are accurate to a T, of real boxing moves and stances. Just like Muhammad Ali he can literally “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.”
In Tekken however, nothing comes without a cost. Or at least almost nothing comes without a cost, and Steve does pay, to a point, for all his gravy. Steve holds the distinction of being the character in the game with the fewest kicks, knees or elbow moves. He is virtually a punch-exclusive character. Being a character with only punches in his arsenal severely limits Steve's versatility and options in the fight. It can also make him vulnerable to characters with good parries or counters like Leroy, Asuka, or Jin.
Steve is also hampered by his lack of hard-hitting punish moves. Often his punish tools are simply hard jabs and punches that deal decent damage but nothing as strong and dependable as other characters' punishment tools. Lastly, Steve has an execution barrier as most of his moves and setups are often tricky and hard to pull off.
How Steve can wreck you hard:
If you can overcome his execution barrier and learn to master and time his hits correctly, Steve is one of the best pressure-based characters in the game. He has several fast, and safe punches that hit hard and can lead to damaging juggles, notably df-RP and b-RP. Once Steve gets going, it's hard to counter his vast arsenal of punches which are safe and can lead to many setups that will chip away your life bar in no time.
13. Heihachi Mishima
Heihachi's key moves and techniques demonstrated in detail.
The grand old man of the Mishima clan comes in at #13. While Heihachi is also one of the best offensive and pressure-based characters, he is still held back by several key moves being launch punishable. This makes him a little risky at higher levels of competition.His first low hellsweep of his hellsweep string and his db-RP, are both key lows that Heihachi needs to pressure and intimidate the opponent. Both can hit hard, but both are also launch punishable. His cd,d-LK is also launch punishable, and his cd LK mid kick can be floated and juggled with jabs. All these make Heihachi a high risk, high reward character.
How Heihachi can wreck you hard:
Heihachi can pressure you and leave you gasping for breath with all his good offensive moves. But he still has the Mishima's staple weapon, the God fist, including the Electric Wind variant that gives insane speed and pushes back on block. Add all that together and you have a character that wreck you before you can even make a move or retaliate.
His only significant weaknesses is that a lot of his key moves are open to chunky or even significant launch punishes. If the opponent guesses right and punishes him, Heihachi could be on the wrong end of a nasty juggle. Despite his insane offensive power, this really keeps him down at #13, on this list.
12. Ganryu
Perhaps, Ganryu may be the most misunderstood character on this list. This is because a lot of people don't really understand how the big man should be used, which is kind of sad. Players who use the sumo champ this way miss out on a lot of potential chances to devastate their opponents.
Ganryu is a big man and because of his size, some players automatically think that he is slow and easy to get open or vulnerable. They think that he should be played cautiously, in a “pick your shots” kind of way, like his fellow big man, Jack. This could not be further from the truth!
How Ganryu can wreck you hard:
There is really only one way to play Ganryu and that is to play him offensively, at full throttle. With Ganryu, the player should throw caution to the wind and charge right at the opponent. It's not exactly a pretty looking, or scientific style but it will definitely wreck the opponent!
Tachiai stance LK+RK, opens up several good moves that give him great pushback on block notably his Dosukoi cannon f-LP+RP. The video below demonstrates this very well. When the opponent's back is behind the wall, it gives him insane frame advantage and makes him virtually unstoppable.
This isn't even going into detail with his other great offensive moves like his df-RP launcher into LP, RP which makes it a safe and fast launcher, or his Top Knot tackle, b-LK+RK done after Tachiai stance. The Top Knot is the low variation to the Dosukoi cannon, and while it isn't necessarily safe, only certain characters with good ground and pound moves can punish it optimally. This is just scratching the surface as he has a whole plethora of other moves designed to push you back, and keep him on the offensive. The only true drawback to Ganryu is that his style is quite one-dimensional. He is designed only for offense, and isn't really a good defensive character. He also needs walls to fully shine, so if you're on an infinite stage he might have some trouble.
11. Hwoarang
The young and cocky taekwondo master comes in this list at 11, and for many good reasons. Hwoarang is feared and hated, especially at intermediate levels because of his insane pressure-based game, that won't pause for a second. He even has a surprisingly good grab game that can confuse many opponents that already have their hands full with his pressure.
How Hwoarang can wreck you hard:
A character like Hwoarang can wreck you in so many ways it's crazy. With his huge plethora of moves, you literally won't see where his next kick is coming from.
His Backlash (left stance, slide LK then RK,) is arguably his strongest and most infamous move, especially at intermediate levels. It comes out fast, is an armor move, and at first glance seems to be the perfect move. It is only hampered by the fact that it is high and can be crouched, but even the wr launch punish is a little tricky.
His skyrocket(cd-RK) can be performed in just frame. When the input of the move is timed at exactly just the right time(hence the term “just frame”), the move will come out extremely fast and is Hwoarang's answer to the Mishima's Electric Wind God Fist, or EWGF, another just frame move. Done correctly, it will give Hwoarang insane pushback, and frame advantage on block. Those are just two of his key kicks. Hwoarang has a vast array of kicks that will leave you blocking forever.
Aside from his kicks, Hwoarang has a surprisingly good grab game. If the opponent keeps blocking all day from the kicks, he can suddenly nail you with any of his command grabs that are tricky to escape from, at intermediate levels. With all the kicks the opponent already has to deal with, it's no wonder he does garner more than his fair share of haters.
Despite all of these amazing offensive tools, Hwoarang does have some weaknesses that keep him just under the top ten of this list. Like Steve, his execution barrier is extremely steep, so not a lot of players will be able to maximize his full potential. And while his moves are fearsome, a lot of them can also still be jab punished. Add this to his being a kick-exclusive character, and he will have some weaknesses his opponents can still work with.
10. Law
Tekken's answer to Bruce Lee comes in right at #10 on the list. Like his name suggests, he is definitely the Law in this game, and it's not easy fighting the authority. On paper Law is one of the most balanced, if not arguably the perfect character. Just like the man he's modeled after, Law can do it all.
How Law can wreck you hard:
Law's ws RK to Dragon Sign, Stance (DS) on block, gives Law a huge frame advantage. This gives him the luxury of constant pressure, and with his fast kicks and punches that do great damage, he will definitely make the most of it. Law also has arguably the best 14 frame chunky punisher with his LK+RK bicycle kick. If the move hits, he can follow it up with another RK for a good launcher. If the opponent blocks it, it's a safe move with no punishment against Law. This gives him a fast, safe launcher that does great damage.
Law is strong and balanced in all aspects, but his only true weakness lies in his strength, the DSS. The notation to do it is usually just b,f,f but it is rather tricky and requires a good deal of practice and timing to master. This alienates some players from using Law.
9. Kazuya Mishima
Tekken's perennial antagonist takes the #9 spot on the list. As one of the legacy characters that have been around since the first game, Kazuya has always been one of the game's most fearsome characters.
How Kazuya can wreck you hard:
Through the years, Kazuya has utilized a classic style of gameplay that has remained relatively intact. He has always been a 50/50 character with a complete moveset, utilizing hard-hitting fakes forcing the opponent to guess if he will go high, mid, or low.
At the core of this simple but effective gameplay is his Electric Wind God Fist (EWGF) and his hell sweep. Both use the same notation and movement only the hell sweep ends with a RK, and the God fist ends with a RP. When the opponent thinks Kaz will hit high or mid, he can use the hell sweep to go low. When they think he will hit low, or when spacing out the opponent, Kaz can pressure them with the EWGF, or his other good mid moves. It's a simple but very efficient 50/50 game that has stood the test of time.
8. Marduk
Marduk is one of the most one-dimensional and broken characters in the game. And only Marduk can make this a good thing!
How Marduk can wreck you hard:
Despite having a clear lack of wr punishes, Marduk more than makes up for it with his insane and broken damage. Marduk's wr-LK doesn't launch, and while his wr-RK does, it is painfully slow and cannot really punish as well as it should. This is one of Marduk's key weaknesses, but is clearly outshone by his strengths.
Marduk is one of the most devastating characters when it comes to damage. His damage output is just broken when it comes to juggles, and one hit moves. This broken damage is shown in full detail with these videos, and while they are quite old, his damage was never nerfed and is still insanely high, up to now. His beast stance to tackle or his “spear” move is also very hard to escape from at intermediate and even sometimes high levels making him one of the game's most fearsome characters.
7. Leo
Some of Leo's devastating combos
Although the developers have been vague about whether Leo is a girl or a guy in the game, that doesn't change the fact that they can wreck you hard! Yes, for the purpose of convenience I will refer to “them” as “them.” Despite their vague gender, Leo is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
How Leo can wreck you hard:
Some have compared Leo's game to an offensive version of Leroy, and that is actually a pretty good gauge of just how dangerous they can be. Their game is offense based on a solid move set with some prominent weapons.
Leo's df-RP is arguably the strongest df-RP in the game, and for good reason. It has great range and speed, and unlike other df-RP punches, can launch crouching opponents. Leo also has a very good low in their qcf-LP. It's only -12 on block but gives terrifying 50 damage on counter hit with a guaranteed combo. It can also be executed quickly by Leo experts, making it hard to read. Qcf-RP, LP is Leo's best poke, as its range reaches almost half a screen away and does decent damage. Both hits are also safe on block, making a very good poke indeed.
6. Jin Kazama
Jin's moveset
The troubled protagonist of the Tekken series Jin Kazama comes in at #6 on this list. Many fans of the Tekken series found his darker character a little off the mark, and this led to his course being corrected back to the light in Tekken 8. Regardless of his unusual story direction, Jin is definitely one of the best characters in the game.
How Jin can wreck you hard:
While many players struggle with Jin at the intermediate levels, it is at the higher levels of play that Jin truly shines. He is the perfect Mishima at this level, having just about every tool offensiveand defensive that a character could ever need. He has a good EWGF, a great stance, and a parry that can parry anything like Leroy's parries.
The only true weakness that Jin has, is that he has a rather steep execution barrier. His EWGF has the same fcd-RP notation like the other Mishimas, demanding strict timing and input of the directions. His other moves are all useful and relatively simple to execute, but knowing when to use them properly can prove to be a chore.
5. Bryan
Closing in on the Top 5 wreckers of the game is European cyber-terrorist Bryan Fury. Bryan just makes the cut at #5, and definitely earns his spot.
How Bryan can wreck you hard:
Bryan may not be the flashiest or fastest character in the roster, but he's got everything else. His move set is top notch, with his jet uppercut able to launch punish 14 frame moves that normally would only grant chunky punishes. The move itself is a defensive god fist, making him arguably the best defensive character in the game.
The jet uppercut is also safe on block because of its push back but a high move. Still, it only magnifies Bryan's greatest strength. Aside from his snake edge low which can be launch punished, his moves are virtually safe, or at most jab punishable. This makes him also arguably the safest character in the game.
Bryan will punish you for all your mistakes and make you sweat hard, while he gets away with safe options and great attacks. This will make him whittle down your life bar, with only minimal risk on his end. His only weaknesses are a lack of speed, and a very steep execution barrier as a lot of his moves are wonky and hard to master.
4. Paul
Paul is another legacy character that has been around since the first Tekken game. And in all that time, Paul has just been a monster! Marshal Law's best friend in the series has always been at the top tier of characters, and it's unlikely he'll ever be knocked off.
How Paul can wreck you hard:
Paul is a godlike character with fearsome damage. His signature move, the Phoenix Smasher, qcf-RP has changed little since its inception in the very first Tekken game. Hit an opponent with it on counter hit, and it can potentially wipe out 90% of his life bar. His rage drive move with the same notation only adding a LP with the RP has the same if not even more damage potential. If you don't want to get hit by the Phoenix smasher, and block high, Paul can go up close and hit you with his demo man string, d-RK, RP, LP+RP. The string used to be just frame with strict timing but the game has noticeably made it much easier to do through the years. Paul also does not have a high execution barrier like a lot of the characters on this list. This makes it easy for any player, at any skill level to access his terrifying damage potential.
Paul's only noticeable weaknesses are his lack of speed, and the fact that some of his damaging moves can be ducked, or blocked. The demo man is also noticeable here as if you block the first low of the string, the whole string is stopped, and you can launch punish Paul.
3. Zafina
Zafina has only the thinnest of a backstory, and not much exposition about her character. Not too many people know much about her, or even how she got ahold of Azazel(Tekken 6's boss character)'s hand. That being said, this isn't an RPG or action-adventure, story rich game. It's a fighting game that Zafina absolutely dominates, shallow character backstory or not.
How Zafina can wreck you hard:
All of Zafina's stances serve a specific purpose and some could argue that they're the most powerful stances in the game. Moves from her stances are difficult to punish, come out very fast and most of her stances have auto-guard which means you only need to hold back during the stance to automatically block highs and mids, a feature that a lot of stances other characters don't have.
Her b LP+RP low, is one of the cheapest lows in the game, as its unassuming look and minus frames on hit make it look weak. However, its speed, high (and sometimes mid) crush properties and range make it really strong as evidenced by Arslan Ash's use of the move, effectively using it to cripple opponents and to force them to crouch.
Zafina also has an array of deadly df- LP strings. Zafina's df-LP is one of the strongest in the game as it is very quick and has extensions, most of which are extremely difficult to punish making it virtually safe and spammable. When combined with her other moves and insanely powerful mobility this simple string can end games very quickly.
To be honest Zafina doesn't really have too many weaknesses except perhaps for her strange style of play that may take a little getting used to. Most of her moves are safe, or if they are chunky or launch punishable, require fast and precise inputs to punish properly.
Because of all this and more, Zafina has garnered her fair share of haters. She has also been used to near perfection by Pakistani esports pro Arslan Ash. But either way, there's no question that she can definitely wreck her opponents, and wreck them hard!
2. Feng
The monster monk introduced in Tekken 5 tore up the scene then, and has never looked back since. Feng has always been a strong character, but his current iteration is without a doubt, his strongest and most dominating version yet. This is a character that just wrecks everyone hard!
How Feng can wreck you hard:
Feng is another character that just plays one way; offensively at straight at you. Like a runaway freight train, Feng will run over anyone and anything that stands in his way. He has a plethora of fearsome moves, but there are some very notable weapons in his arsenal.
His db-LK is one of the cheapest lows in the game, possibly even cheaper than Zafina's b-LP+RP. This low is essentially perfect: it's fast, has a counter hit animation, is plus on hit to keep putting pressure and is hard to punish. The only weakness is that it's technically punishable with a launcher for most characters, but the timing is extremely strict and hard to execute consistently. ss LP+RP. This mid alone can keep opponents blocking forever when combined with the aforementioned db-LK. This move is plus frames on block, which means the opponent is at a disadvantage even after successfully blocking it, giving Feng consistent pressure all throughout the game.
qcf LP, LP+RP. These two moves when combined with each other create another deadly tandem, as both hits are plus on hit (with qcf LP+RP being plus on block as well). Not only that they also do a ton of damage and can grant combos on counter hit.
1. Akuma
Let's get real here. Akuma is a Street Fighter character, not a Tekken character. Akuma is based on a 2D game not a 3D game. This will inevitably give him a built-in advantage in the game. That plus all the extra bonuses the developers gave him that he doesn't even enjoy in Street Fighter make Akuma the one character who will definitely wreck you the hardest.
How Akuma can wreck you hard:
Akuma probably has the strongest low in the game, a simple d-LK. It can cancel into an FADC which is a Street Fighter mechanic meaning, Focus, attack, dash, cancel. To keep things simple if done correctly, and depending on Akuma's meter, the d-LK to FADC cancel can lead to full combos that deal 100+ points of damage, or roughly death combos. So just imagine. Akuma can wipe out your entire life from a single, unseeable low.
Even in his original incarnation in Street Fighter, his damage output was never that high. Granted the execution barrier is next to impossible to break for most Tekken players, but a seasoned Street Fighter will easily be able to cross it. Add to this that he can cancel most of his moves into the FADC state, making Akuma potentially able to deal massive amounts of damage at just about any time. And finally add to all that the fact that with all the nerfs and seasons, Akuma has remained almost untouched.
This makes Akuma the Tekken 7 character that can wreck you the hardest!
