500hrs of King Guide to Tekken 7

This is less of a complete guide and more to give something for other King Newbie Main’s something to relate to as they go along their journey of mastery.
T7 is my first serious tekken and this was written to answer questions I had that I couldn't find the answers to without scouring post after post for that 1 useful hidden comment. King is my favourite character since forever so this is why i played him.
I am not here to convince you otherwise this is just my experience starting as a beginner.
If you love King and struggle to get better hopefully this helps even a little. Things like Rolling Death Cradle execution advice, setups, and
more.
This is also a going to be a massive wall of text. You have been warned.

Self Introduction

The highest rank I achieved was Yaksa (30th dan) and to get beyond that I needed to learn the match up of more characters which I don't have time or desire to.
Kazuya, Jin, Hwoarang, Paul, Devil Jin were my best matchups since I fought those a LOT and knew the correct punishment as well as their gameplan. It became more about playing against the player at this point.
DLC character were a giant mix bag with Noctis being a nightmare at the beginning with his constant ORA! ORA!

Questions

Do tiers matter?

In my experience at each level of skill different characters are better. So if you see your favourite youtube star say that a character is better, it depends on the players skill level and at a level most of us will never get to.
That being said a better player will usually win so play whoever you like. If somebody is doing the really advanced moves and strategies consistently they are probably much better than you as a player. So you will feel helpless at times.
Welcome to tekken.
So play whatever character you love and will keep practicing with. Tekken really does reward practice. Have fun!

There are 40+ characters do you need to know all of them?

You absolutely NEED to know the gimmick, rhythm, and plus frame on block moves of all the characters you want to fight against. Every character has a different playstyle which makes Tekken 7 amazing, but it means you as a KING player are going to get bodied if you don’t know the above. You don’t have a magic move that covers all options. You have to learn the matchup in practice mode to know how to punish correctly or just play them once and hope you can adjust in 3 rounds.
The first time you fight a decent GIGAS it will give you nightmares about the beating you just took but after you learn his weaknesses he is constantly ranked as one of the weakest Tekken 7 characters.

Are king throws the best in the game?

YES but not because of Rolling Death Cradle(RDC) or Chain Throws.
It is because of Giant Swing(GS) being 10 frames fast which beats equally fast jabs, and breaking the rule of Throws (1 break instead of 1+2).
Reason 2 is Instant Shining Wizard (ISW) fff 2+4 (1+2 break) which has its own section way down below.
If somebody says Chain Throws are Over Powered or Ground Throws are broken you can safely say they have never played Tekken 7 seriously and you should ignore all their opinions. With a couple hours of practice you can easily break all the most damaging chain throws.
So a youtube clip of somebody landing the full Screwdriver chain throw (Jaguar step, 2+3) as evidence of being OP is the same as losing to somebody that just pressed 1,2,1,2,1,2,1,2 for the entire game.You have 5+ chances to get out of it, which i wish we had when it comes to hellsweeps or any other gimmick a character has. (Eg Lucky Chloe’s cali roll UNDER most of your MID attacks for 75% of your health, Hwoarang’s Powercrush Launcher to name a few).
Chain throws rank really low in the insanity that some Tekken 7 characters have.
The other advantage is his throws have a huge variety of Okizeme positions and can move the opponent to where you want them to be.
BUT you cannot spam throws as they are launch punishable on whiff. The only reason why they work is because of the rest of King’s moves and being unpredictable.

Rolling Death Cradle advice.

RDC is actually really really EASY to do. In matches I am at a 90% input success rate. You have a lot of input time and can input the commands 2 or 3 times in the window provided.
I use the two hand method:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECWHNK5QjBA
So my left hand does the 1+3 and 2+4 inputs, and my right hand does the 3+4 and 1+2 (+3) inputs.
Even if they break it you have enough time to get your hands back to your normal position.

It takes maybe less than an hour in practice mode with inputs showing to get comfortable with it. The BIGGEST tip is that you not only have to PRESS DOWN on the two button inputs at the SAME TIME but you have to RELEASE the two button inputs at the SAME TIME. If one of your fingers presses down or releases before the other it will fail. So make 100% sure they are at the same time. Tekken 7 is super sensitive to this kind of input so even a slight difference will cause it to fail.
There is no need to rush the inputs either, precision is key.
Once I knew what to look out for, my success rate skyrocketed and it became fun to land on friends or to stall out time and get a cup of tea.

I want to beat all my friends with minimal effort. Should I play King?

No. I love King but sadly he has ZERO spammable moves. If you want to beat all your friends with very little effort you should pick a character with spammable combos that mixup high/mid/lows, and frame traps. A hellsweep or snake edge, or a dodge/parry move is a bonus. Hwoarang, Anna, Law, Jin, most dlc characters just to name a few.
I could beat some newbies by just doing Paul's 10 string over and over again.
Because King has so many moves, if you mash the wrong button you will get launch punished.
As you get better, characters with long strings become a weakness as it gives the opponent a chance to counterhit, low parry, or launch punish you in return.
The same applies for lag, characters that spam moves are easier at the beginning because it means your opponent is always having to deal with the lag defensively first. So chances of eating random attacks or getting hit halfway through a blocked combo is high.

Do I need to go to practice mode?

YES and YES. If you don’t want to go to practice mode you can safely say you will never be good at Tekken. That’s just the way Tekken is. There is so much muscle memory you need to learn your combos, punish correctly, and movements to watch out for. If you don’t learn a matchup as KING you are at a massive disadvantage since you are always reacting. Most importantly you also need to know when your moves recover so you can correctly buffer throws.

Is King a fair character or Top Tier?

King is generally considered a fair character in Tekken 7 and i agree. He has some powerful gimmicks (Rolling Death Cradle with 3 break attempts which destroys new players) BUT the reason I think he is fair is because he has to take the appropriate risk to do damage. He is not bottom tier since the risk vs reward is proportionate. He can do good/great damage on average, has great comeback potential; just like a LOT of other characters. The majority of his throws can be broken AFTER connecting, INCLUDING the ground throws which i think is a whole bunch of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. T7 has so much rage inducing things and broken gimmicks, but overall it doesn’t really matter and us Kings just roll the good with the bad.
The large moveset means King will be as good as your skill level. He won’t carry you like Leroy, or hinder you like Gigas. Be aware that other characters have a deadly throw game as well.

How can I know I am a good King player?

If you understand the power of f,f,n,1+2 (Lay Off Shove/Push). A move that does 0 damage but is probably King's best move and definitely in the top tier list in all Tekken 7 moves.
If you understand why df1,2 being delayable is powerful.
Can handle all the side wall ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, and can combo from random aerial hits.
And lastly winning matches after having every single one of your throws broken. Which does happen even on 3 bar (I WAS really impressed), so expect it and plan for it.
Go King!

What are King's weaknesses?

Whiffed throws being launch punishable, whiffed ground throws being launch punishable, very little tracking moves, what feels like a less than average side step (but if timed perfectly can still be used), ZERO panic moves, WAY TO MANY situation specific moves that if you read wrong will get you launched (Eg. Df+2(C ounterhit ),1 combo working differently on different sized opponents, random things causing Kings tracking to be off causing you to whiff and get launched, missed Burning Knuckles and Capital Punishment).
A whole bunch of follow ups to moves that nobody mentions and you have to come across somehow. (eg. After a kick parry you get 2 guaranteed ground throw attempts or just frame followups to certain attacks)
His lows I don't consider a weakness, they are just not spammable. And ff, n, 2 (Stomach Smash/♥♥♥♥ Punch) is really good.
His mid attacks and high attacks generally hit slightly higher than normal. So it is slightly easier to duck under them. On the other hand it does hit aerial people slightly easier.
Lastly he has no spammable brainless combos so as a BEGINNER it is really really hard to get into an offense rhythm. The key to king is to poke (eg 1 or df 1,2, or d1) and counterhit (eg b+1) to stop the opponent from spamming moves, at this point King becomes TERRIFYING. But as a BEGINNER to get to this point is REALLY ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ hard. You have to watch incredibly carefully and know what to expect depending on block, hit, counterhit, whiff, aerial hit, trade.
I feel your pain.

I am struggling against a specific character. What can I do?

As King each matchup you need to focus on different moves so general advice is really hard to give. It is very character specific and doesn’t work for all characters.
Paul’s Commando Roll, Noctis’ running mixup and ORA! ORA! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, Devil Jin’s fly mixup taught me how to sidestep/side walk. Hwoarang gets credited for single handedly shoving down my throat the importance of low parries to stop his momentum. Lucky chloe ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ to use df+1 a lot.
But more detailed king matchup advice can be given by all the other kings out there.

Is lag an issue for King?

Personally I think lag is a bigger issue for King since you have to watch for a Block, Hit, Trade, or Counter Hit after every move. Each of them changes his game plan a lot. He can’t just spam moves left right and centre.
He has very few moves that give him plus frames on block so his setups are dependant on +1 or 0 frames differences to work. If he is late by a few frames they don’t work, which with lag it is not your fault.

Why is the frames of a move important?

Frames is how fast a move comes out. If the frames are too slow you can’t punish with the move. And a faster move usually beats a slower move. But it is not the only factor for how good a move is. A character needs a good mix of moves. That being said a difference of 1 frame can mean the difference between a move being considered a good, or just ok, or even garbage.

What makes a move great?

Frames + Lag + When the move has a hit box + Psychological delay + Animation Ambiguity of the move + High or low crush + Push Back + Range + Frames on block + High/mid/low hitting + so much MORE.
So many factors are involved so leave it to the experts to tell us if the character is broken or not.
Lag is only one portion of the equation so just keep practicing and have fun. King is a great character!
That being said 3 bars or less good luck with that crap shoot of a match.

I saw a king do a move to punish the opponent, why doesn’t it work for me? Why does my opponent always hit me out of my moves?

Most likely it is due to timing and spacing, King’s guaranteed setups can fail if you are a couple frames late or too far. Punishing moves are the same. Generally if you know the matchup and can predict what is coming next this is not an issue. In between opponent combos there are usually places you can punish. But timing is strict. If you are late or early you run into the move and get smacked in the face and take the rest of the combo. Alternatively if you are blocking and press any button, sometimes Tekken 7 will register you as going for an attack and you will get hit by things you normally should not.

Why does King have so many moves?

King has a lot of moves but honestly once you play a bit (over 100+ hrs) it doesn’t become hard to know the majority of them . A lot of his moves are chain throws which you can mash(1+2+3+4), or they are follow ups, or are the same move performed on a back turned opponent. This is also an advantage for you since you have a move for every occasion. It does take time and practice though.

Who should i look to for Kings playstyles

Youtube has so many great king players to reference. Lil Majin, J King, Puma and others.
Watch all the youtube tutorials for more specific information, watch tournament matches and how they approach different matchups. They all play differently.
I personally find reading things easier which is why I am writing all of this. But I watched so many hours of Tekken including Lil Majin’s amazing run at EVO where he was performing magic with King. But I find Puma probably easier to copy for us amateurs.
J Kings tutorials are very detailed as well:
https://www.youtube.com/c/JKingChannel/videos

Beginner King

Beginner King Introduction

The goal of a beginner King is to learn his combos, learn his major throws, understand what move buffering is, learn okizeme, learn some of his weird interaction and specific setups, and also a few matchups (whatever your friends are playing). You are going to lose A LOT of matches and want to throw your tv. Don’t do that or you can’t keep playing.
Lastly is to relax and have fun. All the best players have played 1000’s of hours to get to their level, if you just are starting T7 it is a hard and unforgiving journey. But Kings look after each other. And watching the face of a friend as he sees a guaranteed Burning Knuckle coming is priceless.

B1. Buffering throws

The most important King specific skill to learn is how to buffer throws.
Eg db+3, GS (Giant Swing).
The command for GS takes so long to do normally. BUT buffering means that only the f+1 portion of the move has to be timed for when you recover from a previous move.
So f,b,db,d,df, can be inputted while the previous move is still active. And as soon as you recover you press f+1 and you get GS.
This is critical as 1 frame difference can mean the difference between getting jabbed out and losing your turn or keeping the offense going
There is a rhythm and timing to it and the only answer is practice. Too early you get a jab, too late gives the opponent too much time to react. This needs to be mastered.

B2. Handling Pressure

The next most important King skill is knowing when to 1 jab or d+1 or df+1 , or Sidestep or hopkick(low crush)
This is the hardest skill to learn and you will always be getting better at it. Under close range pressure, d+1, GS is what i rely on(or d+1,2). For people running to approach me i use f+4 for its tracking properties to stop momentum (Steve being a prime example), and for low pokers hopkick (-13f on block) or sidestep.
While in crouch position WS + 4 is the most important to learn to reduce pressure on you.

B3. What to do when lying on the ground.

There are 4 different positions to when on the ground. FU/FD(Face up/Down), FA/FT(Feet away/towards)
FUFA
FUFT
FDFA
FDFT
You have different options/setups out of them all, and sometimes it is better to lay on the ground, let the opponent whiff, and then get up kick. Other times you need to tech roll. It's a key part of T7 and immensely complicated.
So 100% look up all the tutorials and get good at this.

B4. Okizeme (What to do when your opponent is on the ground)

This is a whole article by itself, so check on youtube with some great guides from J King.
King constantly can get the opponent into a good okizeme position (right at his feet). The advantage of this is the opponent has limited options of what they can do, so no surprises.
Sadly for king his options to punish are not the strongest and he does not have a universal move to punish all options. You will have to watch the opponent very carefully.

If the opponent attacks on wakeup, df,4,3 will relaunch them for a mini combo.
If they stay on the ground d3 or ground grab. From a distance I use f,d,df+1+2 (black bomb) as it travels , launches on CH and also has some weird low crush properties at it’s tip.
Df+1, 2 is a mid that has a 2nd hit which is delayable. This can protect you if the opponent lays on the ground and you miss the 1st hit.
Fake run in, uf+1+2 (Capital Punishment) to jump over a low kick for a full launch combo.
After db,f+2+4 (tombstone) if you immediately follow up with f+2,1 and the opponent gets up immediately without attacking, the back turned position means this is guaranteed and they take an additional 37 damage. This will Wall Splat (but facing the wrong direction) if they are in the right position.
If they side roll, you can side step in the same direction and get a guaranteed ground throw attempt. Otherwise i would not bother with ground throws since it will get you launched if you miss.
The body position of the opponent matters a lot so once again look up more youtube tutorials on this subject.

B5. Rage Drive (db 1+2)

I have heard King has one of the best rage drives in the game but i just don’t see it being amazing. I consider it a utility rage drive. It hits mid and grounded, forces the opponent to duck on block so they can’t run away, but is super slow to start up. After a ISW(Instant Shining Wizard), the Rage Drive will get beaten by a toe kick, or a side roll which feels really bad.
So i will usually sidestep, wait for them to tech roll and then use the Rage Drive.
It’s a useful rage drive, but I don't see it being one of the best since it doesn’t cover up any of King's weaknesses and you have to react to people on the ground.

Used as a combo extender (instead of ISW) d+2+3 , d+3+4 is guaranteed.

If you land the move on somebody just laying on the ground or tech rolling U+2 (High Elbow Drop) is guaranteed for max guaranteed damage, or you can get a guaranteed ground throw attempt (2 ground throws if they are Facing Downward).

On a ducking opponent you get a full combo with it.

I would love to hear why it is better than the rage drive of other characters that allow them to use it as a panic tool and to get instant frame advantage?

B6. What to do at the beginning of the round.

As a beginner try the following options in order. But there are many others you can do.
f+1,GS, (This works A LOT and at all levels of play)
Side Step 2, ff+1, df+4,3, f+1, f+2,1 W! (Wall splat), Dash, 1,2, db+2+4 for 50% damage (opponent gets a break attempt)
F,d,df 1+4 Rolling Death Cradle (If the opponent back dashes at the beginning this will catch them so works great on defensive players. It has some high crush properties as well, and can catch Side Step)
Uf + 4 combo
Df + 2,1 combo
JS (Jaguar Step) Backwards
Block/Backdash

B7. Offense

Step number 1 is to stop spammers. They will forever be the bane of your existence no matter the skill level. You need to rely on jabs to stop their momentum, and B+1 to fish for counter hits. When they go on the defensive do not always immediately poke. Find when they have a lot of negative frames, usually they will be waiting for you to attack. This gives you time to do your big momentum moves. f+1+4 (Chest bump) for maximum plus frame, or crouch dash mixups, or B+2, 1+2 (Headbutt) for frame advantage,or uf +1+2 (Capital punishment) for frame advantage. Learn to Side Step in an offense situation.

B8. Punishment

Find the correct punish and then the correct followup
B+1,2 is a great punish tool and after you hit the opponent you can follow up with a GS depending on spacing or df+1. Sometime you will need to hopkick crouching opponents, or FC,df+2, or WS+4. Every character is different. Some combos you can duck, but this is all about learning and knowing the matchup. There is no other way other than practice.

This is very frame and spacing dependant as well.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Tekken/wiki/punishment/king

B9. Kings 10 String Combo

He has one of the worst 10 string combos in all of Tekken 7. The Alley Kicks (4,4,4) can be blocked and parried AFTER getting hit by them. This makes no sense to me. BUT you want to learn the 10 string to teach yourself to be deliberate with your button presses, and how the input window of combo’s work. You will use it as a beginner and then realise how ♥♥♥♥ it is. It does sometimes work at the higher level of skills ONCE if they have never seen it before.

B10. Button Mashing

Don't.
King is affected particularly badly if you try mashing buttons, even as a beginner you will get nothing useful combo wise out of it and the move that comes out will get you launched.
You actually have a lot more time than you think to do combos. But it takes practice to know what to expect from all these different animations. If you mash buttons with King you are asking to get launched.
You need to be deliberate with your button pressed, and use movement as much as possible. All his 2 button moves like grabs need to be deliberate and precise, if one button is pressed to early or late the wrong move will come out.

B11. Damage

Tekken 7 has some characters can do 70% of your health with 1 combo. This means 1 and a half guesses and you are dead.
Welcome to Tekken.
On the other hand, a character like Kazumi will chip you to death with jabs and pokes. Don’t be disheartened, this happens. King can make a comeback with 1 pixel of health so never give up or rage quit. Every character can do something better than the others so try to make the most of what you have. And every character has a weakness.
King has a lot of moves and while not the best is competitive in all areas.

B12. Bread and Butter Combo's that you must know

Uf +4,4, microdash,df+4,3,df+2,1, ISW
D+1+2, 4, microdash,df+4,3,df+2,1, ISW
Ws +1+2, 4, microdash,df+4,3,df+2,1, ISW
FC,df+2, microdash, f+3,df+4,3, df+2,1, ISW
FC,df+1, WS 2,2, ISW
Uf +1+2, microdash, f+3,df+4,3, df+2,1, ISW(instant Shining Wizard) This jumps over ground fireballs and low attacks which is very satisfying. But the distance is weird and takes a lot of practice to judge correctly.
Side Step 2, ff+1, df+4,3, f+1, f+2,1 W!(Wall Splat)
Side Step 2, ff+1, df+4,3, GS
F+2,d+1,2 df+4,3, f+1, b+2,1, ISW

B13. Counterhit Combos (1+2+3+4 for practicing Counterhit)

B+1, microdash, f+3,df+4,3, df+2,1, ISW(instant Shining Wizard)
Ff+1, ff+1,df+4,3, GS (Giant Swing)
Ff+1, ff+1,df+4,3, 1, GS (Giant Swing)
Ff+1, ff+1,df+4,3, 1, ISW
Ff+1, ff+1,df+4,3, 1, f+2,1 (wall carry)
Db+3 (CH),ws 2,2, ISW

B14. Wall combos

ISW! (fff+2+4)
GS (f,b,bd,d,df,f+1) I find this easier and more consistent. You need to learn both.
1,2, db +1+3 (1 break)
1,2, db + 2+4 (2 break)
1, db +1+2(rage drive), d+2+3, df+3+4
If you find you are too far away to get the running 1,2 jabs you can go straight for a ground throw attempt. Timing is key or the opponent will tech roll.
Sometimes you need the guaranteed damage of ISW at the wall, as the ground throws are all breakable but ISW is not.

B15. Wall bounce combo’s from (1+2:1)

This depends on the distance and angle of the bounce.
What i use:
Max Range: hold F+1+2 (Jaguar lariat) to W! (Wall Splat) for ridiculous damage.
Mid range: f+1+2 (Regular Lariat) W! 1,2, db+2+4.
Alt mid range: f+2,1
Close: 2,1 W! 1,2, db+2+4.

B16. Beginner Setups

You will see the pattern, but all of these work at all levels of play. You just can’t be predictable about it.
f+1,GS
db+3, GS
d+1,GS
df1+GS
df1,2,Df1,2,GS
uf+1+2, GS
fF+1+2,GS
d+3 ,GS
GS2, jump over, BT3(Ch)
f+1+4, GS
f+1+4, uf+4
f+1+4, df1, GS
f+1+4, f+1+4,
db+3, FC,df+1 (This shouldn’t work, but at low levels of play i got huge mileage from its since it high crushes)
1+2, delay, BT3 (CH) df+4,3 combo

If the opponent doesn’t challenge your throws, or break them, you should use GS2 (Tijuana Twister), or Tombstone(db,f+2+4) instead since it leaves them at your feet and you can keep attacking them. GS throws them too far away. Both these throws are 1 or 2 frames slower than GS.
If the opponent side steps, you can delay the GS by a few frames . The move will then track with them and throw them when they finish their side step.

B17. ♥♥♥♥♥♥ moves that will cost you the game.

D3+4 ,4,4,2 is a terrible terrible move that you should never rely on. But after reading this you will still use it too much. It is not a mix up and even after hitting the opponent they can still block the next attack and parry the 3rd kick. The final 2 is launch punishable and easily reactable. It does have its place as it has good range, comes out fairly quick, and high crushes. But you will still use it too much.

Df +4,3,4 Using it neutral the 2nd hit is duckable and then launch punishable. I am pretty sure even on normal hit they can still duck the second hit which is complete ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ to me.

1,2,1,1,2 This is a good move to end the match but you should never spam. The 3rd hit can be interrupted by a rage art, parried by flash, and some other really weird interactions even if you hit with the first 2 attacks.

1,2,1,2+4 As a beginner this works wonders, but drops off in usefulness as players get better.

fF+2,1 (Clothesline Combo) The spinning elbow to lariat. This move comes out so slow and has cost me so many games. I wanted dash to f+2,1 but the wrong move comes out and boom you are dead.
d,df,f +1 getting (Piledriver) instead of Giant Swing. Remember this has multiple followup extension to leave them in a great okizeme position (1+2,3,4,1+2)

B + 1+2 getting (Irish Whip) instead of Muscle Buster which cannot be buffered. This happens a LOT so get used to it. I use (1+2) extension and then go for b,f+1+2 (Stretch Buster) a 10f grab that does 75 damage that only works from the back position. Keep in mind the irish whip changes the direction of the screen which is really disorientating. You need to learn to expect it. You can use the (3+4) extension to give you a guaranteed ground throw attempt if that floats your boat.

Intermediate King

Intermediate King Introduction

At this point you need to be using movement to control the neutral. Kings' moves vary in frames depending on if they hit at tip range (Yes it is confusing). The downside of doing this means that you will whiff a lot until you get used to it.
ff+1. ff,n,1+2. ff,n,2 are now the priorities.
Lay Off Shove is a GODLY move, but it is so hard to use correctly and you have to pay a lot of attention (I think i was at the 250 hour mark before i started using Lay Off Shove.
Don’t whiff moves. You have very few combo moves to cover mistakes.
You should start modifying combos to get good wall splats.
Try and practice okizeme for when the opponent is on the ground right in front of you.
Finally know when to use ISW against the wall for the guaranteed damage or preventing side wall splat ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

I1. Single Rep of Wave Dash

The single most important thing is to be able to do a single rep of a wave dash. So crouch dash into dash. This is not that difficult.
This opens up SO much offense for you, it pressures the opponent since you have so many options that come from this. It also travels a long distance. There is a timing to doing this correctly so practice.
Options are, but not limited to :
Block/backdash/sidestep causing your opponent to whiff, or use an unsafe move.
Fish for a Counter Hit ff+1. ff,n,2. ff,n,1+2. B +1. Side Step2
RDC or Kings Bridge pressure f,d,df + 1+4 or f,d,df + 2+3.
WS +1+2 for a mid launcher with low risk (very specific high crush properties)
Ws +2,2 great mid that has very specific high crush properties
F,d,df +1+2 (black bomb) to hit grounded opponents. (very specific low crush properties)
Delayed any of the above.

I2. Gut Punch (FC,df+2)

Movement and ducking are so important in this game, but having a frame perfect GUT PUNCH will allow you to whiff punish so many things. The range is great, hits mid, comes from crouch(so ducks moves), and does a LOT of damage. It feels REALLY bad when you get d+2 instead. :-(

I3. Movement

Movement becomes key as you get better. You are trying to fake moves and get the opponent to whiff or slow his reaction time down.
Dash to block/back dash
Dash to high crush move (eg d+1)
Dash to side step to block

I4. Lay Off Shove(ff,n,1+2)

In my humble opinion this is what determines how good a King player is.
IF you can master this move you are really good, but the downside is that it is useless by itself.
It does ZERO damage, but is +0 frames on block, ?+7? on hit, and on CH(Counter Hit) allows you to do insane wall damage (1+2,1 Wall Bounce guaranteed near wall, or f+2,1 anywhere else).

The next big advantage is that it gives you a chance to mix up your slower moves since it comes out at 10 frames and makes people afraid to press buttons.
ff+1 and ff,n,2, can now be used to great effect.

Range is not an issue since typically your opponent will be moving toward you to attack if they like to spam moves and Shove is 10f which is jab fast.
The animation for a Counter Hit is seen by looking at the feet of the opponent. If they take a lot of little steps it is a normal hit. If they teleport straight back then it is a Counter Hit.

I5. Hit confirming f+2,d+1,2.

On a good internet connection the last 2 is hit confirmable. If the last 2 is blocked then it is full launch punishable so you want to be hit confirming this for one of your most damaging combo starters. The input window is tight but definitely possible especially since you know what to look out for.

I6. Modifying combos

You need to start changing the bread and butter combos to get a good wallsplat, examples being
Uf4,4,microdash, df,4,3,df,2,1,dash, f+2,1, W!, dash 1,2,db,1+3
Uf4,4,microdash, df,4,3,f+1, f+2,1, W!, dash 1,2,db,1+3
After playing a while you do get used to the size of each arena and know where the walls are.
I am still learning but I am sure other Kings can offer the most optimal damage. But it is so range specific.
For db+3(Counter Hit) i use ws 4, df+4,3,f+1,2 ff+1, iSW. This does 10+ more damage than the normal ws2,2 combo so in my mind is worth the risk and good practice to one day making it consistent. Sadly this combo is character specific and will whiff for no reason i can work out.
The other combo i use for fun is:
d+1+2, f+1+2, df+4,3,df+2,1, ISW

Advanced King and other fun things to do

A1. 1,2, ff+1 (Jaguar Hook) combo extension. (OR including dash jabs into combos)

This gets you 5 more damage(close to max damage) and more travel distance.
It is REALLY ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ hard to do consistently.
In practice mode my best was 5 out of 10 attempts and I was not willing to put the time in to get better.
Even the greatest players in the world can’t do this every time. The korean PUMA, who is definitely a better player than all of us, doesn't even do it in competition.
5 damage can mean the difference between winning and losing at the top level, but for us mere mortals it's not worth the risk of dropping the combo and losing 25+ damage as well as okizeme position.
The best advice is if you buffer the first f, then the 2nd f+1 needs to be Just Frame Perfect (i have heard the window is 3 frames but it certainly doesn’t feel like it).
If you are early you get a jab, if you are late your ff+1 will whiff. Good luck
Eg. Uf+4,4,microdash, df+4,3,f+1,2, ff+1, ISW

Another tip to practicing is to practice f+3:1+2 (Front Kick to DDT) (Just Frame Perfect followup). This will teach you how strict moves like this are.

A2. Constant Wave Dashing

I never bothered practicing, but there are great vids on youtube. Personally up to you how you want to spend your time.

A3. df+2(CH Launcher)

I put this in the advanced section because if it is NOT a CH they can duck the 2nd hit and launch you.
You have to watch the opponent as i am unaware of a specific animation telling the difference.
On certain characters you get to do a guaranteed BURNING KNUCKLE combo for 50% health.

I came to King for the RDC like most of us, but landing a BURNING KNUCKLE is the single most satisfying thing to do. Especially because its tracking is terrible and you will whiff it a lot.

On all characters, df2,1, d+2+3 (People's Elbow), d+3+4 is basically guaranteed

For character like Paul, Jin, Hwoarang and some others you can get
df+2,1,df+4,3,df+2, delay for as long as possible, 1, hold UF+1+2(Guaranteed Burning Knuckle), and then feel the wrath of god.
From what I can work out is if you delay the last hit long enough it turns the opponent off axis (body falls diagonally) this means any option they use will get hit by the Burning Knuckle for HUGE damage.
If you delay the last 1 for too long it will miss, and if you press it too soon, then the opponent is not off axis enough and can backroll away from the burning knuckle.
If you press the UF+1+2 too late then it will miss, and if you press it too early then a different move will come out.

A4. Burning Knuckle and other unblockable Setups

You will have to look it up on youtube, but against the wall and in corners then in specific circumstances a Burning Knuckle becomes guaranteed or the opponent needs to roll towards you to escape (which is fairly uncommon).
From a back turn stance you can Jaguar Step away then use F+1+2 to do the unblockable lariat.

A5. Memorising Chain throws made easy

You need to learn Kings Bridge, and RDC commands. Both which are really easy to do and essential. Kings Bridge is better since it does 90 damage and they only get 2 break attempts (You can also mash 1+2+3+4 for the final unbreakable chain throw).

I haven’t got time to memorise the individual commands for the rest, and honestly it's a waste of time so spend it elsewhere.
DF1+3 (Mash1+2+3+4)
JS 2+3(Jaguar step) (Two button mashing 1+2 , 3+4 alternatively) after the first chain throw is complete start mashing (1+2+3+4)
SS 1+3(Mash1+2+3+4)
df,df+1+3(Mash1+2+3+4) (Chain grabs crouching opponents)
For Kings Bridge or RDC you can mash 1+2+3+4 to do the other option if the opponent is breaking those throws.

Chain throws made easy. DONE!

Fun fact, the korean PUMA didn’t know the exact commands for Kings chain throws until relatively recently, you can hear the commentators talk about this in tournaments.

A6. Crouch dash Muscle Buster and dash Giant Swing

Lil Majin talks about these a lot, and I understand the idea is to add to the throw mixup game. Doing them perfect though is another matter.

A7. Instant Shining Wizard

Fff+2+4 as fast as you can do it.
It comes out at 10 frames, will beat jabs and powercrush moves, air grabs if timed correctly, does good damage, is a 1+2 break, and finally leaves the opponent in great okizeme position.
The downside is that you need to input 3 forward motions before hand so it usually takes longer than 10f to execute.
The better you get at it the smaller the running animation is. I can do it from what looks to be ¾ of a step. The best can do it without giving away any motions. After the first f input you need to wait for King’s animation to move, as soon as he moves then input ff+2+4 as fast as you can. If you do it successfully he goes straight into the grab motion and never stops moving. There is a rhythm to do it. It's all practice and knowing what to watch for.

A8. Assorted Notes on some Kings moves

f+3+4 gives frame advantage but is slow to start. Low crushes.

fff+3+4 this is an amazing round ender with massive speed and range. You get a free followup even if the opponent blocks. Toe kick catch people by surprise and can end rounds if you need a tiny bit of damage. 4 is a good mid kick which catches people expecting the toe kick.

Db+4 mixed up with uf+1+2 (Capital Punishment). For whatever reason in mirror matches the initial duck motion of these moves confuses me and i twitch wrong and get hit by Capital Punishment. It is a great way to condition opponents like me.

B,f+1+2 (Stretch Buster) the 3rd and last 10f command grab that king has. It does 75 unbreakable damage. You can only do it if the opponent is back turned or you will get a different move. If the opponent turns around you get Muscle Buster instead.

db,f+2+4 (tombstone) if you immediately follow up with f+2,1 and the opponent gets up immediately without attacking, the back turned position means this is guaranteed and they take an additional 37 damage. Which can also wall splat if they are in the right position. Use f+2,d+1,2 if you have committed and the opponent stays laying down. This makes you travel hopefully far enough away not to get punished.

B+2+4 kick parry. After a kick parry you get a guaranteed ground throw attempt. Because the opponent is Face Down, you get a 2nd guaranteed ground throw attempt if your first one succeeds. I am not 100% if this applies to all Face Down ground throws on an opponent who has NOT been parried (ie tech rolling opponents).

B+1+3 Punch parry only works on the right hand of opponents because it’s wrestling. If you parry Paul’s Deathfist he takes additional damage based on the strength of the attack (It's hard to do, but the damage is so satisfying). Kazuya’s limited combo moves means he is the easiest for me to parry. Both parries are very situational.

Db+2 (Brain chop) launches crouching opponents (df+4,3 followup) and is safe, but i could never get it to consistently work in okizeme. All the wakeup attacks would beat it. I had better luck just using Uf+4 (Hop Knee) as soon as I saw any movement in okizeme or safer df+1 for frame advantage.

ff,n,1+2 (Lay off Shove)

ff,n,2 ((Stomach Smash/♥♥♥♥ Punch) Has some high crush property, hits low, on CH does great damage, an essential move to make your opponent think.

ff+1 (Jaguar Hook) is a godly top tier move as well. It is used to hit opponents that side step or back dash or duck. It launches on Counter Hit for huge damage. Downside is that it is so slow I have been hit by EWGF(Electric Wind God Fist) AFTER I started the move. That feels real bad. This is why you need to mix it up with ff,n,1+2(Lay off Shove). ff,n, 2 (Stomach Smash/♥♥♥♥ Punch which high crushes). Both these mix ups thrive on counter hits. Lastly you are really trying to hit with Ff+1 at its Max Range. The long arms causes opponents to run into its Hit Box and get counterhit, it also gives it a better frame advantage. On block try to use d+1 or side step to keep your momentum going. You will use this move a lot.

Jaguar Step. This is best used to jump over lows, as a setup if the opponent is waiting around, or at the tip range of the opponents threat range. It really requires a whole section to itself but at first it feels like Backward Jaguar Step is just asking to be punished but at the right time it is a useful move. For okizeme, Backward Jaguar Step will cause spring kicks to miss allowing you a guaranteed chain throw attempt.

f+4 (Rolling Sobat) is my answer to people trying to approach. Its goal is to do ok single hit damage but more importantly stop people from approaching and killing their momentum. It tracks both ways, hits mid, and low crushes.

SS 3+4 (deadly boomerang) 50 dmg single hit that low crushes, hits high, and travels a long way. I find the low crushing properties are quite late in its animation, but the opponents really feel it when you hit them with it. Tracking is weird on it. Sidestepping and backdash opponent’s can’t block during their animation which makes this pretty lethal to them if timed correctly.

Ff+1+2 (Flying Cross Chop) hits high or mid (?low as well?) depending on distance. So very confusing for opponents. It give frames advantage as well. I don’t use this anywhere near enough so check on youtube vids.

WR+3 (Strong Knee). Hits mid, gives frame advantage, and lesser known is that you get a free follow up on Hit. If you are frame perfect you can do ff+4 (Konvict Kick with the first f input buffered) for huge damage. On some characters you can do f+4, but more consistently I use f,df+1. The f is to move King slightly closer so that the attack doesn’t whiff. Supposedly you can do f, db+1+3 for a guaranteed ground grab but I could never get the timing to do it perfectly so the opponent just tech rolls and launches me.

f+3:1+2(Front Kick to DDT) this is a really good mid move i see a lot of people use. I personally never use it much so can’t offer much insight to it. Maybe another King can offer some advice

b+3:1+2(Season 4 new move). Guaranteed after ff,n,1+2(CH) if frame perfect for maximum damage in the open. But because i prefer to have a bit more leeway i just use the other options. It also switches sides with the opponent.

Finale

Hope this helps any newbie at least a little even if it is the Rolling Death Cradle tips. Tekken 7 is a really complicated fighting game but also one of the best games in the world. The above is only scratching the surface of King. I hope other Kings can offer their input as well. The above is just my opinion.
Definitely check out all the amazing youtube tutorials out there.
https://www.youtube.com/c/JKingChannel/videos

Image is from:
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/340232946822029718/

Written during Quarantine

King.

[Neo]

a lot of King players end up relying on cheese, because King just has too much cheese and a nightmare for new players to deal with. Thousand of grabs with 50/50 tech, long range low poke. punishable mid but look like it's plus, godly keep out, long range and fast unbreakable move, and imagine a gigantic beast fly to you from halfscreen with huge dmg on hit - ok you can block - but if you block he lies on your feet and ready for a low wake up kick that lead to a full combo lol. King can be a fun character to play, or to deal with - but a bad, very bad to learn about the fundamental of Tekken

[Ζephir]

based

[CurlyStraws]

New to Tekken, is King good to learn for fundamentals?

[TheDon]

Came back after taking a year break. A patch later and the above still holds up. If you spent the time to read and comment i am curious what your thoughts are after each 100hrs of gameplay. So please leave a followup comment.

[FortuRap]

very accurate

[SamuraiNuke]

your argument about King not being spam character and you can't win with little effort is trash. Everyone knows King has lots of cheese and he is one of the very top of cheese characters no effort at low level or intermediate

[zafrakhan]

Emperor lol

[BigEdzzz]

thanks for giving this king guide. it is very helpful

[lois griffin]

Nice

[ShibaChiba]

Thanks for this! Just getting into Tekken!