Tekken 8: Paul Phoenix Guide - Combos, Move List, Rage Arts, & More

This article is part of a directory: Tekken 8 Guide Hub - Tips, Tricks, Unlockables & More

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Among the playable cast of Tekken 8, there are simple characters and there are complicated characters. Characters like, say, Yoshimitsu have a whole lot of different Stances and unique mechanics. In comparison, someone like Paul Phoenix is a lot simpler and a perfect choice for beginners.

18 Best Fighters In Tekken History, Ranked

Tekken has a long history, and the following fighters have been a major part of it due to how great they have continued to be.

But, that doesn't mean Paul Phoenix is 'just' simple, while he's easy to pick up the self-titled 'Strongest in the Universe' is difficult to master, which is what this guide aims to help with. So, let's look at who Paul Phoenix is, how he's different in Tekken 8, how he's meant to be played, and more.

Who Paul Phoenix Is & What He Means To Tekken

The Story Of This All-American 'Bear Killer'

While Paul Phoenix is a character that's been around since the original Tekken game, he's not exactly the most 'complex' character. In a few short words, Paul Phoenix is a hot-headed guy who loves fighting and has a couple of fated 'rivals' those being Kazuya Mishima (though they haven't fought much since the original Tekken) and Kuma. In fact, these two (Paul and Kazuya) actually had a battle against each other for hours at the end of the first King of Iron Fist Tournament. Since then, Paul hasn't really 'fought' against Kazuya one on one for over 20 years, which is why everyone views Kuma to be Paul's rival much more than Kazuya nowadays. After all, the guy has competed in just about every King of Iron Fist Tournament and might as well be 'cursed' because he can't seem to avoid facing the giant bear Kuma regardless of what bracket he starts in.

All-in-all, Paul Phoenix is sort of treated like a 'joke character' or comic relief in the Tekken stories, which is a bit of a shame. He's always either beaten by Kuma, destitute in his own dojo made from an abandoned building, or scheming with Marshall Law to compete 'with' each other in the tournament and split the money afterwards. But, at the end of the day, Paul is one of the most animated and joy-filled characters on the roster, which is a big part of why he's so beloved. Though, let's be honest, the new hairdo he's sporting in Tekken 8 probably won't come back in the next game, as so many Paul players are using his more classic skins instead.

How The Tekken Notates Combos & Attacks

For Writing Out Directional Inputs, Attacks, & Combo Strings

Just like with our other Tekken 8 character guides, it's first important to break down how exactly players are meant to read inputs for this game in guides online. The Tekken community uses a bit of a unique nomenclature for writing out their inputs as opposed to following the standard Light Punch, Heavy Punch, Light Kick, Heavy Kick method. To be more specific, Tekken has Left Punch, RIght Punch, Left Kick, and Right Kick that are expressed in the same order as 1, 2, 3, and 4. So, a combo that followed a sequence of, say, Left Punch into Right Punch into Left and Right Punch together would be written as 1,2,1+2.

When doing things this way, Tekken players can easily read how a combo or attack string is performed regardless of what their controller method is (be it a fight stick, controller, or even keyboard). We aren't going to get over all the terminology used or how it's written, but for the sake of this guide, here's what you'll need to know:

Symbol Used	Meaning
u	Up
d	Down
b	Back
f	Forward
U	Tap & Hold Up
D	Tap & Hold Down
B	Tap & Hold Back
F	Tap & Hold Forward
WC	While crouching
1	Left Punch
2	Right Punch
3	Left Kick
4	Right Kick
H	Heat
HB	Heat Burst
RA	Rage Art
u/f	Up+Forward (AKA Diagonal Up & To the Right)
d/f	Down+Forward (AKA Diagonal Down & To the Right)
u/b	Up+Back (AKA Diagonal Up & To the Left)
d/b	Down+Back (AKA Diagonal Down & To the Left)

Paul Phoenix Overview

Deathfists, Demo-Mans, & Dangerous Pressure

Tekken 8 - Paul Phoenix Rage Art Charging At Opponent

Funnily enough, Paul and Marshall Law actually have a lot in common when it comes to their overall game plan. Both characters are very offense-focused in their attack options, both have one or two very iconic moves (Somersault for Lee, Demolition Man for Paul), and both have one or two unique 'gimmicks' but are primarily pretty easy to understand. Where Paul differs, however, is that he's much more about landing huge high-damage hits than multiple smaller hits like Marshall Law is.

Additionally, Paul's Heat mode is absurdly powerful in Tekken 8, one of the strongest in the game. Combine that with his large number of moves that can get his opponent against the wall and punish them dearly once they're there, and Paul has a pretty easy-to-achieve gameplan each match. As one would expect, both his Deathfist and Demolition Man play a large part in this gameplan, but there are a variety of other shoulder-tackles, uppercuts, and more that are worth using as well.

Paul Phoenix's Rage Art

Big Bang Phoenix Smasher

Tekken 8 - Paul Phoenix Strongest In The Universe Pose

As far as 'number of attacks' go, Paul Phoenix may have the lowest number in the game for his Rage Art. When using Bing Bang Phoenix Smasher, Paul literally only does one gigantic punch. Granted, it's a punch with some of the most ridiculous windup out there, but it's still one punch regardless.

But of course, for someone who is the strongest in the universe, it only makes sense that they could brutalize their opponent in a single punch. So, like Marshall Law, Paul's Rage Art is very 'on brand' for him. Mechanically it's also one of the rare Rage Arts that starts with a low-hit, meaning it'll catch a ton of people who don't know this off guard the first couple of times it's used against them. Just remember that Paul has to be at 25 percent health or lower to enter Rage and that if you rely on his Rage Art too heavily you'll likely get grabbed by the opponent right after they block it with almost no chance of escaping.

Paul's Gameplan & Gimmicks

DSS, Stance Switching, Oppressive Offense, & More

Tekken 8 - Paul Phoenix Rage Art Big Punch

Contrary to how it probably looks at a glance or after fighting him once, Paul Phoenix actually does have mechanical complexity. Not only does he have a couple of moves with just frames for maximum damage, he also technically has a few basic Stances as well:

Stance Name	Stance Button Combination	Alternate Button Combination	Visual Telegraph	Primary 'Function'
Cormorant Step	qcf (Quarter Circle Forward)	N/A	Paul Phoenix 'ducks in' closer to his opponent, very similar to how Steve Fox does	Paul's main 'Stance' but one that a lot of early Paul players don't utilize often. While the input might seem easy, getting a qcf consistently on a fighting stick especially takes some practice. Regardless, Paul has a lot of options from this Stance, including going into Deep Dive which has even more options.
Deep Dive	DF after Cormorant Step	N/A	Paul ducks a bit again even lower after the duck from Cormorant Step	Again, similar to Steve Fox's extended Ducking In, Paul can hold DF after Cormorant step to duck again, which leads to a whole other branch of moves. Hard to do currently in Tekken 8 due to how often people are pushing buttons, but still very useful in the right circumstance.
Sway	qcb (Quarter Circle Back)	N/A	Paul leans backward	Opposite to Cormorant Step, Sway is a retreating Stance that is great for mixing up opponents with 6 or so attacks you can choose after Swaying.
Demolition Man	d,4,2,1+2	qcf,d,4,2,1+2	Paul sweeps the opponent's legs, elbows them mid-air, spins, and get's one more big hit on them.	Not a Stance, but this is one of Paul's most iconic moves. Between this, Deathfist, and his Hopkick, Paul has three fantastic options whenever he's face to face with his opponent.

Essentially, Paul's gameplan is as follows for most matchups:

Figure out where the wall is in the stage.
Use the mix-up of Demolition Man, Deathfist, or Hopkick to mixup and/or launch opponent.
Use any variety of Paul's moves to get them into the wall. Try to use a Heat Engager to do this such as f2, f4, u/f2, or even a Phoenix Smasher.
Once they're at the wall, go to down with more Deathfists, Shoulder Tackles, or Shoulder Smashes.
If they're not dead by this point, Heat Rush, a grab, or even Paul's Rage Art should easily finish them off.

And that's really about it for Paul, while he has a lot of moves he has a good handful that are so incredibly good compared to the others that it's hard to utilize his full kit effectively if you're not careful.

Everything You Need To Get Started With Paul Phoenix

Great Poke, Punish, & Counter Suggestions and Much More

Tekken 8 - Paul Phoenix Story Mode Ending

Overall, Paul Phoenix is one of the more popular characters among the playerbase of Tekken 8, and for good reason. He's a very strong character with simple yet incredibly effective mixup options, great offensive pressure, single hits that deal absurd damage, and a low-hitting Heat Smash. That said, here are a couple of other general tips with him to keep in mind.

Tip #	Explanation
1	Paul's jab game is weak compared to a lot of the cast. His 1 is fast and his 1, 2 is reliable poke, but he doesn't go into full strings off his jabs like a lot of other characters do.
2	While Paul has some incredibly strong kicks, they're not where his primary damage comes from. Typically these kicks are used either in Demolition Man, as an occasional low mixup, as a heat engaged, or as a launcher, they're not what's dealing the 'meat' of the damage. This can take some getting used to for someone who has been playing any other fighter (outside of Steve) and just switched to Paul.
3	It can be scary at first, but you got to stay close to your opponent. Paul Phoenix isn't very scary at all if the opponent's spacing is on point. Stick close and keep the pressure on.
4	1 is a great poke, but d/f2 is an amazing mid-range option that comes out fast, launches, and sets Paul up for a lot of damage. If they're ducking your jabs, start relying on the d/f2.
5	The timing between the three hits of Demolition Man takes a bit of getting used to. You don't want to input these buttons lightning-fast. If it helps, think of the back beat of We Will Rock You (the dun,dun, DUN) and try to match the inputs to this and you should get a proper Demolition Man every time.
6	Paul has a lot of grabs, and a lot of them are very easy to mixup an opponent with since most have different breaks. Remember to utilize these. Obviously the standard 1+3 or 2+4 grabs are good but his f2 or WR (while running) 2 are great options too.

To cap things off with Paul Phoenix, he's a very fun character that is easily to learn and hard to master. Once you take Paul into Ranked Matches, he might feel a bit 'stiff' compared to other characters, and this is because Paul doesn't benefit from button-mashing as much as other fighters do. So, remember your core tools and you should be fine. But, worst case scenario just use Deathfist or Demolition Man and things will probably work out.