Tekken 8 Zafina Character Guide: All You Need to Know

Tekken 8 Zafina Character Guide: All You Need to Know

Zafina is a strong contender for a beginner character. She has strong movement options, great whiff punish potential, evasive stances, and many homing options that all work together to empower her largely fundamentals-based fighting style. However, there are some caveats. such as her low combo damage and struggle to come back from certain situations, which is often brought about by trying to squish just a bit more damage out of her moves.

If you plan to stick with Zafina going forward, then after you learn the basics here, we highly recommend you watch pro player Arslan Ash' guide on the character.

However, this text guide is intended to give you a wider scope, and teach how to work up your way up with Zafina so you can start taking names in Tekken's Ranked mode.

Zafina's Gameplay

Zafina's gameplay revolves around her neutral evasion and movement, opening up opponents for whiff punishes. Her use of Azazel moves is also a core part of her gameplay. These moves are powerful, but they also incur a 15-point health cost for Zafina, making them somewhat risky. However, as many have said, health is just another resource.

Heat enables a lot of powerful moves for Zafina, mostly because these powerful Azazel moves no longer cost health.

Best Buttons

df1 – great range and good downwards properties. Has two good strings:

df1,2,1

df1,4

ff3 – no longer combos, but still a great move.

d3 – transitions into her stance, you also get a combo.

ff4 – good homing move with great range.

1+2 – one of the few good counterhit moves.

WS1 – anti-high move. Has a string of WS1, 2.

Pressure

1,3

1+2

1,db2

db3

d3

db4

ff3

fff3

Mantis df1

Punishes

1,3

1,4

WS3

WS1,4

WS3

WS4

df1,2

df1,4

df4,1

Zafina's Bread & Butter Combos

• WS1,2, uf1, f2,3, stance df1, fff1+2, stance df1
• ch 1+2, n2,b df1, f2,3, ff3+4
• df2, dd2, df1, f2,3
• d3,1, d3,1 4,3, 2,1,4
• ch ff3, stance 2,1, f uf1, df1, df1, f2,3, stance df1, ff3+4
• WS2, df2, df1, f2,3 stance df1