Top 10 Worst and Best Moves in Tekken 7, Ranked

Tekken 7 is known to be the most execution heavy fighting game on the market. The fundamentals of the game require precision, movement, timing, and tech to be efficient in the game. The game has fifty-one characters in total, each with over 100 moves on their movelist. No worries, though — you don’t need to know all the moves to be a good player!

We’ve put together a guide to the best and worst moves in Tekken 7. We’ll cover all the best moves to use, as well as the ones you should avoid.

Let’s get started!

Controller Reference for Learning Moves in Tekken 7

As a quick reference, we’ll be using the following controller layout to describe the moves:

This is a common controller notation that Tekken players use to communicate, since not a lot of players call the moves by their name. It’s an easier way to discuss moves, and has become the universal language for players. So if a move were to say “D/B3” according to the chart, you can easily see where you need to input the move on the controller.

10 Best Moves in Tekken 7, Ranked from Least to Most Favorite

Now let’s get into the moves and their details. Up first, we have all of the best moves in Tekken 7 you need to know. We’ve got them in order from our least favorite to the one we like the best. All of these moves are beneficial to learn and will vastly improve your game.

10/10

Claudio: FFF2

Claudio’s FFF2 is a long-reaching move that can catch your opponent off-guard if they’re not ready for it. It can be used as an approach to close the gap between you or as a combo finisher, depending on the height position of your opponent.

It’s a high move, which means your opponent can easily duck under and punish it if you telescope the move, so be mindful of when you input the command.

9/10

Heihachi: F4

Heihachi has some great moves in his arsenal, which gives you a lot of choices when it comes to attacking opponents with mid attacks. His wavedash helps your approach and leaves your opponent guessing on what you’re going to do next. One such option is to throw F4.

It’s a safe move to pull out, and can give you an advantage if it hits or if it’s blocked. After your first F4, you can use the move again, pull out a new move, or even block. This makes it a great option if you need to keep your opponent locked in.

8/10

Bryan: B1

Bryan has damaging normals and powerful counter hits. This includes his B1, which is versatile and works well with all his other tools. On a hit, it can force your opponent into a crouch position; on a counter hit, it causes a ground bounce that launches your opponent in the air for a full combo.

B1 is a safe move to throw out even if it gets blocked, which helps if you need to stuff your opponent’s next move.

7/10

Kazumi: D/F1

Kazumi has really good buttons and pokes to chip away at your opponent, waiting for them to make a mistake or leave themselves open so she can capitalize on the opportunity.

One of the ways she does this is with her D/F1. It’s a quick mid poke that can easily be spammed, and it leaves you safe to use other moves after it lands. People who play against Kazumi are well familiar with this kind of pressure, which makes it a great and annoying move to deal with.

6/10

Julia: FF1

Julia is great at carrying her opponents to the corner. Her number one tool is her FF1, which is good at controlling the space between you and your opponent, since it is quick and safe even if it’s blocked. It can be used as a poke, since it’s a mid, and can be mixed up with lows. After your opponent has been launched, you can use FF1 repeatedly to push them further to the wall for max damage.

5/10

Paul: D,D/F,F+2

Paul’s Deathfist is a really powerful move in Tekken 7. Counting as a mid attack, Paul takes a huge step forward and thrusts a punch straight into your opponent. It can really leave a mark, considering it deals a huge amount of damage for a simple move.

It’s a go-to combo ender, or, if timed well, can catch your opponent when they’re stuck on the wall. He especially has a low combo that you can mix up to really play mind games as you approach. On block, it pushes your opponent at a fair distance as well, but it can still be punished if the user has the correct punish.

4/10

Akuma: D3

Akuma is a very controversial character in Tekken. He’s considered overpowered, since he has a super meter that allows him to deal big damage. His D3 is a fast low that can be canceled into his special moves.

It’s rare for characters in Tekken to get such high damage off a low, but Akuma is an exception. Not to mention blocking low is unorthodox, so it’s a habit that needs consideration while fighting Akuma. His D3 is deadly with full meter, and against someone with high execution, the round is his.

3/10

Leroy: U4

When Leroy was first released, he had a lot of damaging combos. He was simple to use, which is partly why he did so well in tournaments. One move that was utilized well by pros is his U4.

Normally, a U4 is a fast jump-kick that launches opponents. Leroy’s bounces the opponent off the ground, and you can still get a full combo off it. It covers a lot of ground and can be safe if spaced correctly. It’s also perfect for dodging low moves — your opponent would have to time their sidestep perfectly, since it’s so fast.

2/10

Negan: D2

This move hurts. Negan has some good counter hit tools in his moveset, and his D2 is a huge highlight from the list. On normal hit, it can be used as a poke to keep the opponent away. On counter hit, it’s so strong that it can match up the same damage as a high-damaging combo.

If you’re solid at reading your opponent’s strikes, Negan is the top choice for dishing out huge amount of counter hit damage from one move.

1/10

Kazuya: F * D,D/F2 (Electric Wind God Fist)

This is the best move in Tekken 7, and quite possibly the hardest move to execute consistently. Anyone who is familiar with the Mishimas knows that the EWGF is critical to their gameplan. It’s a fast uppercut, safe on block, and can consistently combo into another with the right timing. It’s excellent as a whiff punish and can be implemented with a fast wavedash mixup.

EWGF has a lot of people in training mode just grinding out to perfectly execute this in a match. This is Kazuya’s number one punishing move, especially as a main combo starter. It is possible to duck it, since it is a high, but you need fast reflexes to even dodge it.

Bonus: 10 Worst Moves in Tekken 7, Ranked from Least to Most Useless

These moves are some less-than-worthy options in Tekken 7.

10/10

Bryan: D/F3

As mentioned in our best moves in Tekken 7 section, Bryan is known to have the most damaging normals and powerful counter hits in the game. A lot of his game plan involves keeping your opponents at midrange — he has the tools to approach if you want to.

His D/F3, also known as Snake Edge, is a low sweeping move that has incredible range and great homing properties, meaning it can catch your opponent sidestepping. If it lands, it can be converted into a full combo. However, the move is very slow and can be reactable if your opponent sees it coming. It can be an easy block for them and leaves you open for a punish.

9/10

Kuma/Panda: U3

Kuma and Panda are unique in Tekken not just because they’re bear characters, but because the structure of their body is disjointed compared to the rest of the cast. Since the bears have a different body type, things like hitboxes and combos work differently against them. Some characters will need bear-specific combos to optimize their damage against them.

Most of the cast has a universal U4, which acts as a hop kick to launch the opponent for a juggle. The bears’ U4 is very short and requires you to be super close for it to land. It can be an option if you need to get a quick launcher in for a combo, but the legs on the bears are not their strong suit, so it might be best to stay away from this move.

8/10

Leroy: 2+3

Leroy is a solid character that has defensive tools and can dish out a lot of damage through his simple input combos. One of his moves includes calling out his dog, Sugar, for a low attack on the opponent. This move can be really useful…if Sugar decides to attack.

Once 2+3 calls out Sugar, the dog will either attack the opponent or stop in the middle of his tracks and do nothing. It really depends on his mood, which can vary depending on when you need him. The random factor is not worth using this move, since it does leave you vulnerable after you call Sugar.

7/10

Paul: Hold D, U3+4

Paul is a hard hitter that doesn’t need long combos to deal serious damage. He has a dangerous mixup game, but avoid using his Incomplete Somersault (Hold D, U3+4). This move is useless, since it requires you to charge first and takes a good couple of seconds to be ready.

It’s a super easy move to telescope, since you’ll be holding crouch the whole time. The Incomplete Somersault goes straight up and comes straight down, which can only land if your opponent gets close enough to fall for it.

6/10

Miguel: F3+4 (Hold)

Miguel relies on a strong poke game. The buttons he has do enough damage to have the opponent fear his strength. His F3+4 allows him to laugh at his opponent as he walks forward. If you hold the buttons, he swipes with a mid unblockable attack that leads to a one-hit KO.

While it sounds amazing on paper, it involves a really long animation before the move comes out. This gives your opponent a lot of time to move out of the way or even just jab you out of it. It’s a high-risk, high-reward move that’s almost not worth it, considering on how vulnerable it leaves you.

5/10

Jack: FF3+4

Jack has long arms that can easily keep out his opponents, allowing you capitalize on punishes that other characters can’t do from his range. Hhis FF3+4 allows you to dive about half screen with a quick mid/low mixup.

While this move is long reaching, it’s a gamble since it’s unsafe on block and on hit — you’ll get punished after throwing this move out. It’s best to use it to end the round if your opponent is one hit from a KO.

4/10

Kazuya: U/F4444

Kazuya is a scary character to fight against. He can control a lot of space using his wavedash, and once he lands a hit, he’ll put his opponent in a blender with no chance to defend themselves. He’s known for his EWGF and his U/F4444. If the opponent doesn’t know how to hand this move, it can be quite annoying for them.

This move starts with Kazuya jumping with a homing kick, then finishing off with two homing lows. What makes this move so bad is that it’s very predictable. The first hit doesn’t combo into the rest of the move. Plus, if the lows were to get blocked, it staggers you and leaves you open for punishment. The trick is just block low.

3/10

Alisa: WS3

Alisa’s While Standing (WS) 3 is a very useless move. She has better WS moves in her move list. After this move hits, Alisa starts spinning like a top. She then has the option to press 3 again for a mid kick or press D3 for a low kick.

What makes this move so bad is that after the WS3 lands, the opponent can easily jab you out of your spinning. Even if the follow up moves land, you don’t gain anything good after it. Better to completely avoid it if you play this character.

2/10

Yoshimitsu: D,D/B,B,F2

This move is an interesting one. Yoshimitsu has a lot of different moves that don’t actually appear on the move list. One of them is this grab move. It does a fair amount of damage if you can land it, and it can be a surefire way to gain your rage drive, but the move actually gives health to your opponent.

It might seem like a fair trade, but the risk of having to actually grab them just to give them health isn’t worth it. It could be some good mental damage, though.

1/10

Yoshimitsu: D1+4

Even though Yoshimitsu is on this list twice, he’s not a bad character. He’s just got some useless options. For instance, his D1+4 involves stabbing himself with his sword. You can hit the opponent if they’re close enough for some big damage, but Yoshimitsu takes a huge amount of damage as well.

If timed poorly, it just damages you and leaves you looking silly for even trying that move. It’s a way to get into your opponent’s head, but it’s not very effective otherwise.

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