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lee Tekken 8 Guide

Written by
Super Akouma
Last updated Apr 16, 2025, Game version 2.00.01

Introduction

Lee is a great all rounder with a focus on keepout (b,b+4), quick pokes (df+1, b+3,3 and jabs), and counter hits (4,4:4, 4,3,4, 2,2,3). He thrives on his opponents trying to stop him from pestering them. You want to give your opponent the room to overextend rather than simply locking them down. His evasion was a bit nerfed in season 2, but he still has good high crushing options (d+3, f,f+4), and coupled with a safe power crush (b+3+4) and the rest of his kit, it means that he's also hard to lock down

Lee is relatively straight forward with minimal use of stance, but requires a layer of execution to get the minimum out of him. He has many so-called just frame moves, and many of them are integral to the character, notably his famous i10 punish Acid rain (1,3:3:3), requiring two of those just frames to execute

Strengths

  • Counter hits: he's the only character that has retained his i11 counter hit launcher from prior games, the magic 4 (4,4:4, 4,3,4)
  • Keep out: b+4 is an outstanding barrier that your opponents will have to work around in order to come on the offensive, the reward is great and the stance after makes it hard to punish
  • Punishment: he has the highest damage i10 punish in the game (1,3:3:3) and i11 wallsplat (4,4:4) and even a i14 launcher from crouch (WS 2,3)
  • Pokes: having great tracking on his weak side. His -1 on block df+1 is very good, he also has a variety of lows, even though the risk reward isn't the best

Weaknesses

  • Tracking: Despite having two amazing homing moves outside of heat, they are both relatively slow and the rest of his kit is quite linear. His df+1 covers his weak side, but everything with a real reward covers the other, so you really need to work hard on conditioning to get them to go where you want, while also not just eating a counter hit
  • Inconsistency: Some of his moves just whiff for no good reason. You have to know the matchups where it's more likely to happen and work around it, but yeah, not much we can do about that one
  • High risk lows: His lows are good, but either quite slow or very punishable on block. d+4 and all the extensions are even punishable on hit

Heat System

  • His heat was improved in season 2, but is still not that great. His heatsmash being a low can be quite threatening, but it does the lowest damage out of any low smash. It's also the slowest and is steppable, unlike the others
  • His heat dash from f,f+3 makes for an amazing whiffpunish and a nice thing to throw out, but beware the tracking can be misleading
  • He now has two new heat moves that wallsplat. d+1+2 for some plus frames (that you don't really need), it also has crazy range. Using this, then mixing up with the heat smash is probably the best use, but it's a risky mixup. The other move is df+3+4. It might look plus on block, but it's neutral, which is good for Lee. Just don't act like you're plus. It's best used as a homing move or an easy safe whiff punish, but not as a pressure tool. It's also quite damaging, so if they duck too much, it's good, just a bit wasteful. Both of these moves consume a lot of heat, but Lee can regain heat by doing just frame moves (in neutral usually f:f+2)

Top 10 Moves

f,f+2

Long range plus frames on a CH launch and it chips
h, i18, +2 oB, +18gc oH, +69a (+53) oCH

df+1

Main mid
m, i13, -1 oB, +5 oH

1+2

Second best mid, great homing move and can go into HMS (by pressing 3+4) or crouch mix
m, i21, -1 oB, +3 oH, +26a oCH

f+3,3,3,3,3,4

Optimal whiff punisher
m, m, m, m, h, h, i15, -9 oB, +69a (+53) oH

b+3,3

Low damage, but the frames force your opponent to keep it in mind and deal with it
l, h, i15, -12 oB, -1 oH

f,f+4

Safe counter hit launcher you can throw out
h, i16, -5 oB, +29a oH

f,f+3

Long range mid and one of the only safe ways to access heat
m, i14~15, -9 oB, +21d (+11) oH

b+4

Great keepout makes your opponent think twice before running in
m, i20, -3 oB, +7c oH, +64a oCH

df+4

Longer range mid poke than df1, and you can go into HMS for mind games
m, i13-14, -9 oB, +5 oH

FC df+4

Great fast low poke from crouch but risky in some matchups
l, i16~17, -14 oB, -3 oH, +25d oCH

Punishers

Standing
i10f 1,3:3:3 (Highest damage no splat/launch)
i11f 4,4:4 (Wallsplat/heat engager HIGH)
i13f df+4,4 (wallsplat/heat engager MID)
i14f b+1:1,2 (Big damage wallsplat, good range)
i15f uf+4 (Standard hopkick but worse range)
i15f f+3,3,3,3,3,4 (Long range but worse combo than hopknee)
Crouching
i10f WS 3,3 (Good damage, minus frames but can mixup with followups)
i11f WS 4 (Can transition into HMS and isn't minus)
i13f WS 1,4 (Good damage but not much potential)
i13f WS 1,2,f (Better frames and keeps you close)
i14f WS 2,3 (Launch)
i14f WS 2,4 (wallsplat)
i18f FC uf+4 (Big damage launch)
Whiff punishers
f,f+3 (Heat engage/heat launch)
f+3,3,3,3,3,4 (Long range launch but risky)
df+4,4 (Fast, good range, reliable)
df+2 (safe on block launch but less reward)

Combos

uf+4 | df+2
4,u3 → b+2,4,3,f → b+2,f → f+4:1 → dash → side step → b+4 → d+3
CH b+4 (to HTM)
f,n,d+2 → dash → d+2 → b+2,4,3,f → b+2,f → f+4:1 → dash → side step → b+4 → d+3
ws2,3 | f+3,3,3,3,3,4
b,b+4 → dash → d+2 → b+2,f → ws1,2,f → f+4:1
CH 4,4:4
qcf+4 → b,b+4 → dash → d+2 → b+2,f → ws1,2,f → f+4:1
CH d+3
b,b+3,3 → b+2,4,3,f → b+2,f → f+4:1 → dash → side step → b+4 → d+3

Beginner Combos

uf+4 | df+2
4,u+3 → b+2,4,3,f → f+4:1 → wr3,4

Combo Enders

Carry
f+4:1
b+1:1+2
f+2,1
ws 2,3
ws 2,4
d+2
HMS 1,1,1
Floor break
WR 3,4
f+4,3
b+4
Wall break
b1:12
f+2,1
f,f+3

Wall Combos

Normal
df+1 → f+4,3 → d+3
d+4,n,4,3,3
With tornado
df+1 → f4:1 T! → HMS 4 (grounded wall hit) → UB+3

Small Combos

CH HMS u+4
df+4,4
b+4 (on crouching opponent)
qcf+4
CH fc df+4
Dash qcf4

Notable Moves

MS 3+4 (f,n,3+4)

Ultra long range approach tool, if done from the right range it becomes safer
l, i25~31, -15~-9 oB, +3 oH, +5d oCH

b,b+4

High reward homing move but a bit slow
h, i19, +2 oB, +25a oH

2,2,3

Fastest counter hit, huge damage near the wall
h, m, h, i10, -3 oB, +17a (+8) oH

4,4,4 | 4,3,4

Fastest counter hit launch
h, h, h, i11, -13 oB, -2 oH

d+3

Great panic tool and good low poke. Too risky to poke a lot
l, i16, -15 oB, -1 oH, +17a oCH

Stances

Hitman Stance (HMS)

Enter manually by pressing 3+4, or by pressing 3+4 after certain moves. It's best to think of HMS as a toolkit to counterhit/evade your opponent, trying to get their turn back. The low is seeable, so the mixup potential is low. You can also cancel into crouch for a full crouch mix, but it's quite slow. To beat your opponents with HMS remember after plus frames HMS 1,1,1 beats powercrush and so does the low, HMS 1+2 stops them using slow moves like a mid homing for example, HMS u+3 beats downjabs and other lows, HMS 2 goes under highs and the HMS 3 can catch steppers, but it's usually for when you whiff and transistion into HMS so they can't approach. Be careful, people usually expect the high powercrush. HMS u+4 is fine for plus frames, but don't use it to low crush, even though Lee jumps, the crush frames start super late

Mist Step (MS)

Enter by pressing f,n or f from certain moves. Outside of combos, it's just a quick access to slide from standing, MS 3,4 is alright as a whiff punish, but realistically not your go to option

Panic Moves

2,2,3

i10 wallsplat
h, m, h, i10, -3 oB, +17a (+8) oH

HMS 3

If you think they're gonna take their turn back
h,t, i18, -3 oB, +0d oH

uf+4

Surprising tracking, but low range. Low crush
m, i15, -13 oB, +31a (+21) oH

f,f+4

Tricky, but clean high crush launch
h, i16, -5 oB, +29a oH

d+3

Less tricky, but you need a counter hit and the combo can be hard
l, i16, -15 oB, -1 oH, +17a oCH

Frame Traps

HMS u+4 | f,f+2 → df+3,2,3
1 → 2,2,3
WR 3,4 HMS → HMS 1,1,1

Knowledge Checks

f,f+4

Anytime you expect a jab
h, i16, -5 oB, +29a oH

HMS 1+2 into HMS 3

Safe move into stance powercrush. It's alright

HMS 1+2 into punch parry

Same thing, but it beats jabs and quick df1

d+4,4,4,4 HMS

The final mid is -11 with crazy pushback, but nobody seems to know so they'll try to punish harder and fail

Slide

From the right range it's safer or even safe

Defensive tips

Too many highs

Lee's best moves are highs, so high crushing is pretty good unless he hopkicks a lot

Beware of frames

Lee has fast counter hits, but they're punishable. Either try not to overextend and punish, or stay frame tight

Bad tracking

Despite 1+2 being a major threat, he's quite easy to step on a read

Defensive Move Handling

HMS

You can beat most of the stance with a well-timed sidestep duck

d+4,4,4,4

You can low parry the following lows even if the previous ones hit you
l, l, l, m, i12, -20 oB, +11a (+2) oH

df+4,4 | 4,4,4 | HMS 1,1,1

Duck the final, hit there is not mixup
m, h, i13-14, -9 oB, +10g oH

4,3,4

Duck the second hit and punish quick
h, h, m, i11, -9 oB, +42d oH

f,f+2

Don't try to whiff punish with a high
h, i18, +2 oB, +18gc oH, +69a (+53) oCH

HMS 3

Make sure you duck even if you press into it
h,t, i18, -3 oB, +0d oH

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