Tekken 7 Leroy Smith Guide Featuring King Jae

Tekken 7 is the most recent title of the globally popular Tekken series. Its games have been around for almost thirty years, and for the majority of its lifespan, it was an example of what 3D fightings should be. Nowadays, it’s one of the most regarded titles worldwide and is respected by the fans of even the most traditional 2D games.

One of the reasons for such success is the gameplay of Tekken and how many different styles it’s able to incorporate. The characters have become iconic at this point, and every new addition tries to push the envelope even further.

Leroy Smith is one of the most controversial characters in Tekken’s history. Many called him broken beyond belief, outright carrying bad players to great tournament results, while others were in favor of sucking it up and playing the hand that’s been dealt to everyone equally. The truth, as always, was somewhere in the middle. Nowadays, Leroy is just one of many strong characters this game has to offer, and Justin “King Jae” Stennett is here to teach us how to play him. You can view the full video right below and go over any of the individual sections right here in the text guide.

King Jae’s Leroy Guide

Leroy’s Best Moves

The Best Buttons are simple inputs that in many ways form the identity of the character. They’re likely to be your best tools for getting a grasp of any particular fighter.

• d/f1 - a good poking move with nice extensions like d/f1+1 or d/f1+4.

• b3 - very useful for whiff punishment.

• f,f+2,2 - another good whiff punishment tool.

• d/f3,2 - a good way to annoy opponents. If they duck, you can use b4 or u/f4.

• 3,3 - a round ender that you can delay somewhat. -14 on block, so be mindful.

• d/b3,1+2 - a hellsweep that forces people to duck, otherwise they’re knocked back and you can continue your offensive.

• f2,3 - tracks sidesteps both ways, good for control.

• d1+2 - on counterhit you can follow this up with d/b2,1+2.

• f,f1+2 - a good tool to catch people moving too much.

• d/b4 - a risky move, -14 on block so easily punishable on crouchguard. But if it connects on counterhit, you get a mini combo.

• d/f2+3 - Leroy’s unique cane attack, usable once per match. Can be followed up with a small combo.

Leroy’s Parries

One of Leroy’s fundamental mechanics is his ability to parry incoming attacks.

• b1+2 - a 12 frame counterhit launcher that can put a stop to a jab poking game.

• b1 - a 41 damage parry.

• b2 - a move that parries everything but grabs. Even elbows and knees. Can be used to start your offensive after a successful parry.

• u/b2 - sabaki that parries all punches.

• d/b1+2 - parry for both punches and kicks.

Leroy’s Stance

Leroy’s stance is called Hermit Stance, it auto-parries low kicks and punches. You can enter it by pressing 3+4, or by using some of the moves that lead into it::

• 1,2,4

• Full crouch 1,4

• Full crouch d1,4

• f,f4

• d/f4

• d/f1,4

• d3,2

• d4,4

• f2,3,4

When in Hermit Stance, he has several useful moves.

• b1 - hits grounded opponents.

• f4 - also hits grounded and can be followed up with d/b2,1+2. Can be used in wall combos.

• 2,1 - usually a combo ender.

• b4 - a fast homing low.

Leroy’s Best combos

• f,f+2,2, qcf+2,2,b+4 S! f+2,3,4  (Wait for the opponent to slide down) f+4, d/b+2,1+2

• u/f+4, qcf+2, d/f+4,3, f+4,4 S! Micro dash 1, Micro dash u/f+3+4, 1+2

• b+3, S! b+3, d/f+1, 22, u/f+3+4, 1+2

• b+3, S! Dash Up, qcf+2, d/f+4,3, d/f+3,1, Micro Dash, u/f+3+4, 1+2

• d/f+2,1+2, f+2,3,4, HRM2,1 S! Dash up u/f+3+4, 1+2

• WS2, qcf+2, d/f+4,3, f+4,4 S! Dash up u/f+3,4, 1+2

• d/f+2+3 Cane, SSR, u/f+3, d/f+1, d+3,2, HRM 2,1 S! Dash up 3+4, 1+2

Leroy’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Leroy has a very good base toolset. Nice poke options, solid defensive options that can annoy your opponents greatly when mastered. His punishment and the whiff-punish game are very strong as well. Season 4 is heavily based on rushdown, so his skillset is great at countering that.

His main weakness is very low range. Almost the entire cast outranges him, and he also has nothing special in terms of lows.

Leroy’s Guide Conclusion

Leroy is, first and foremost, a very fun character. His parries add another layer to a game of Tekken, and when mastered, he can be a real menace. He’s not entirely newbie-friendly in his current state, but to play well as Leroy doesn’t require as much dedication as someone like Zafina or Jin.