Nintendo Seems to Love Putting Actual Fighting-Game Characters in 'Smash Bros.'

The premise of Super Smash Bros. started as a light-hearted and whimsical one: What if someone made a video game based on the way people used to play with their toys as a kid? Who didn't have their Donatello Ninja Turtle get in a fight with Ken so their Street Shark could tell Barbie how he really felt about her? Or, you know, maybe you'd make them fight too. It's crazy to think that all these years later, fans of the series are asking questions like, "When does Kazuya come out?"

One of the biggest long-standing criticisms of "pro style" Smash tournaments is that folks tried to turn it into too much like other 2D fighting games. Some played it like Street Fighter, so, why not just play, uh, Street Fighter instead? Obviously, if you've played any game in the series even for a little bit, then you know that it's entirely unlike any other fighting game out there.

Smash has evolved from being the kooky item-dropping, fast-paced free-for-all with an element of party randomness to it, to a "serious" floaty mechanics fighting game that has a huge tournament scene.

The implementation of "flat" stages and eliminating items to judge players based on their skill alone has been going on since the title's OG days. And now, thanks to DLC breathing years of extra life into titles, fighting games included, Smash players have gained access to characters they would've never thought possible.

Then there are the various mechanics, plus the cast of different characters, that makes Smash like a version of Mugen but one that actually runs and plays pretty darn well instead of just some kind of strange fan-service mess.

Then there's the blending of different video game characters from different genres and franchises, including "traditional" fighting game titles, like Ryu, Ken, and Terry Bogard, who were met with tons of applause from fans.

So it's understandable why Smash devotees are stoked to see Kazuya Mishima from the popular Tekken series as a DLC character. The trailer for his character reveal furthers the strange tradition of the newest entry absolutely laying waste to the game's roster. In this latest clip, Kazuya's shown straight-up killing the other Smash fighters by throwing them into a volcano one by one, until he gains his devil/demon powers that's part of Tekken canon.

Players will get to try out all of the Tekken-ified combos that Kazuya's capable of in the game, completely with classic Tekken animations and sound effects that seem like they were lifted straight from the franchise.

Fans were stoked to see Kazuya's reveal, but also couldn't believe just how violent it was, comparing his trailer with some previous ones.

Are you excited to try Kazuya out in the Smash Bros. universe? His move set looks pretty devastating, and some of his combinations are insane. What do you think? Is the Namco pugilist going to make a splash, or are you still wigging out that you get to play as Minecraft characters?