King has featured in some form or the other in all the mainline Tekken games making him one of the most popular characters in the series. That said, the Original King only appeared in the first two Tekken games, coming to the end of his life at the hands of Ogre. The new King, a child who had grown up in the former's orphanage decided to take on the mantle of his benefactor. Now, the new King has to bear the responsibility of the King name and also handle an orphanage that was sinking in debt and bills.
The former King was a Mexican wrestler of great repute and the new man couldn't live up to the former's heritage initially as he did not really know the moves. This all changed when he received a visit from Armor King who then decided to teach the new King how to fight. After 4 years of grueling training, the new King was finally ready to take on the world.
King is as close to a grappler as you can find in the Tekken series with a series of devastating throws that could really leave the opponent reeling. He also forces 50/50 situations which can be disadvantageous to the opponent if they guess wrongly. With his swift and powerful moves, he is a very strong character. That said, he does have a couple of weaknesses which means that you need to be careful and watch out to ensure that you are using King effectively.
His poor whiff punishment is one of his biggest hang-ups, but if you can get past this, you will be able to harass your opposite number with chain throws and so on and ensure your victory. King is recommended for players who prefer a grappler style of play and while not the easiest character to learn can be very rewarding once you master his basics.
Becoming a pro with King is not the easiest thing to do and will require quite a lot of time in the lab. But, we do have some tips on how to get started. Once you get some of the basics down, King becomes a lot more fun to use and is quite rewarding.
Throws
Throws are King's bread and butter and are a huge facet of his game, therefore, you need to master how to use them in a fight. The most important thing you need to know with throws is that it is best to buffer them so that you can get them out in time. This is quite important as some throws take a long time to execute (Giant Swing for instance) and being able to buffer them means that you probably have only one or two more inputs to put in before getting the move out. There is a timing to this that the player needs to master to ensure that you get it right every time. So, it is best to practice buffering as often as you can to ensure that you have the timing down.
King has several moves and some are more advantageous in certain situations than others, understanding when and where to pull off certain moves is a skill that every King player must acquire to master the character properly.
The Best Gameplan For King
As mentioned earlier, King is a high damage output character who can really cause chaos with his throws. Also, King has great comeback potential (to be fair so does a large portion of the Tekken 7 cast), but this means that even if you find yourself under pressure and unable to get out, you can still win the round as long as you are patient and wait for your moments.
When the fight starts, one of the first things you'll need to pay attention to is your opponent's playstyle. If they are button mashers, you'll need to consider your approach, or else you'll keep getting hit by unnecessary jabs and lose the fight. Also, if the player is defensive, take some time to consider them before relentlessly poking at them. This is because King doesn't have great poking options and could easily be punished if he makes a mistake at the wrong time.
For the button-happy opponents, land well-timed jabs to stop their offense and fish for counter hits which you can then punish appropriately. If the player is more of a turtle, then hit them with plus-frame moves to give yourself the advantage and stop them from really doing anything.
For oki, there are a lot of options that cannot all be covered here, but in these situations, ground grabs are very useful as they discourage the opponent from wanting to stay on the ground too much and if they try to attack on wakeup, hit them with a df,4,3 which would also cause some damage.
Combos for King
Tekken is notorious for its many combos and King is no exception as he has a great many combos at his disposal. Not to worry, the more you play, the more combos you'll become familiar with. But, as a beginner, it is necessary to have a couple of go-to combos at your fingertips which can be whipped out at any time. Here, we'll look at some of the optimal combos to use for King.
u/f +4, 4, microdash, d/f+4, 3,d/f+2, 1, ISW
f + 3, d/f + 4, 3, d/f + 2, 1, f, f, f + 2 + 4
ws +1+2, 4, microdash, d/f+ 4, 3, d/f+2, 1, ISW
f, d/f+1, ws 2, 2, ISW
f + 3, d/f + 4, 3, f + 1, 2, f, f + 1, f, f, f + 2 + 4
King is not a top-tier character, neither is he a bottom feeder he's right smack in the middle of the roster in terms of ability. That said, this shouldn't discourage you from picking him as your enjoyment of the game is of infinitely more importance. So, if King is your man, stick with him and learn the things that make him tick. If you do, trust me, you will be rewarded handsomely. I hope this guide helps.
If you want to check out some of our other guides, feel free to search here. Also, we publish video guides from some of the top players in the world including this one on Paul by Joey Fury. In addition, you can, of course, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
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