Keep seeing a lot of tier lists/opinions ranking Asuka as "bad" or "low tier" and that's annoying to me because she really isn't. People seem obsessed with ranking characters into ordinal tiers rather than whether or not they are balanced. Here's my list (explanations below):

Properly Balanced chars have clearly defined strengths that are appropriately offset by weaknesses, and/or whose tools create an identifiable playstyle.

Too Strong chars have clear strengths but few/no weaknesses; or have 1-2 extreme strengths that outclass everything (Zafina).

Too Weak chars lack any sort of significant strength and/or toolset synergy that would allow their playstyles to stand out in a meaningful way.

Guest/2D chars have mechanics that are inappropriate for tekken and thus make proper balance impossible (weapon attacks or 2D).

Anna is on her own because while she has clear strengths/weaknesses, many players express a dislike for how her playstyle manifests as just toxic 50/50's.

Yoshi would be in CBB because of weapon attacks but I put him as "unsure" because he does somehow manage to be "balanced."

Since this thread is supposed to be about Asuka--and how lots of people seem to think that she is "bad" or "low tier"--I want to talk about how, in reality, she is simply balanced in an extremely polarized way. It's something that sets her apart from the cast, imo.

Specifically:

Asuka's defense is extremely strong (keepout, panic moves, counterhits, decent punishment) but this is offset by very weak offense (lows, tracking, speed).

Asuka dominates certain matchups (eddy, hwoa, LC) but struggles immensely in others (julia, fakh, bryan).

"Proper" balance *does* result in chars that are more or less strong than other chars, but the point is that their strengths are equally offset by weaknesses. And the balance of Asuka's strengths/weaknesses give her a well-recognized and unique playstyle.

For me, Asuka is easily my strongest character because of how well her unique playstyle aligns with my personal approach to tekken. If she wasn't balanced this way, I probably wouldn't play her. How "strong" or "weak" she is compared to other characters is irrelevant.

I'm curious how my Asuka main friends feel about my assessment of her @Fergus_TK @TK_Komanda @dancer_tk @alcratz @Bbaez1201