Kazuya is live in Smash Ultimate, alongside of a giant balance patch

Here it is

In true Sakurai fashion, we got to see a huge 40-minute rundown of Smash Ultimate‘s newest DLC member, Kazuya Mishima, alongside of an “imminent release” announcement. Like clockwork he was released late last night, as part of the second Fighter’s [Season] Pass, or individually for $5.99.

If you want a full recap of how he works you can find that here, but as is tradition, a patch also came out to accompany the DLC release.

You can find the full notes here, as well as all of the fighter balance changes here. The general notes (below) are basically an advertisement for DLC, while the balance changes are the real preamble for how Smash Ultimate is going to play for a bit.

It’s not quite as Earth-shattering as some previous patches, but there are a decent amount of changes to Marth (generally increased power and extended launch distance for several attacks), Mii Brawler (increased power and attack range), Mii Swordfighter (increased power and attack speed), Mii Gunner (same deal), Bayonetta (increased attack speed, increase slow for opponent for down special), Banjo and Kazooie (increased launch distance), and Pyra/Mythra (who are probably the most nuanced in terms of changes), who cutely get their own breakdowns.

Ver. 12.0.0 (Released June 29, 2021)

• Offline
  • The following spirits from the Tekken series will appear in the Shop on the Vault menu:
    • • Heihachi Mishima
      • Jin Kazama
      • Kuma & Panda
      • Nina Williams
      • King & Armor King
      • Ling Xiaoyu
      • Paul Phoenix & Marshall Law
      • Yoshimitsu
      • Jack-7
      • Asuka Kazama

    *Jin Kazama’s spirit is Enhanceable.

  • The below Spirits will now appear in the Spirit Board and Shop:
    • Sophia
    • Arthur
• General
  • The following downloadable content will be usable after purchase:
    • Kazuya Challenger Pack
    • Dante Wig + Outfit
    • Shantae Wig + Outfit
    • Dragonborn Helm + Outfit
    • Lloyd Wig + Outfit

    Note: You cannot make videos of replays that contain DLC you have not purchased (fighters, stages, music, Mii Fighter costumes, etc.).

  • Game-balance adjustments have been made. Please see the details of fixes and changes to fighters.
  • Several issues have been fixed to improve gameplay experience.