Kazuya Matchup (Peach)

Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)

Peach vs Kazuya gets dangerous the moment Peach hurries back to the ground, because one grounded mistake can turn directly into Kazuya’s huge combo damage and early kill routes. The more Peach lands right in front of him, the easier it is for crouch-dash pressure and throw mix to start.
Kazuya’s air mobility and recovery are still clear weak points, though, and float movement changes the height in a way that makes his best grounded pressure much harder to force. If Peach uses low float, Bair, Nair, and turnips to skew the lane in front of him and make him jump or shield instead, she gets much better access to juggling and offstage control.
The table also shows Jab 1 (1), Jab 2, Jab 3, Jab (1)-(6), Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, and Up B are all punishable by Up B (7f), OOS Nair (8f), OOS Bair (9f), or Grab (10f) first. Letting Kazuya touch shield with grounded pressure for free is the biggest mistake in the matchup.
The win condition is not to scrap with him forever in center stage, but to make his grounded advance whiff with float spacing, convert every real punish into corner carry, and finish the stock by layering turnip plus Fair/Bair onto his narrow Up B recovery. At the ledge, Peach should not rely only on point-blank shield because the throw mix is part of the threat too.

Full Move Frame Quick Reference

Win Condition Checklist

• Do not rush your landing back to the floor. Use low float, Bair, and turnips to skew the crouch-dash lane and avoid standing in front of Kazuya for too long.
• After blocking Jab 1 (1), Jab 2, Jab 3, Jab (1)-(6), Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, any smash attack, or Up B, punish with Up B (7f), OOS Nair (8f), OOS Bair (9f), or Grab (10f), and convert straight into damage or ledge carry.
• Once Kazuya is airborne, do not reset back to grounded point-blank fighting. Keep tracking the landing with float Uair, Nair, and turnips until he is forced toward the ledge.
• Once he is cornered, do not overcommit to deep chases every time. Use turnip, Fair/Bair, and float positioning to cover both the Up B rise line and the ledge grab point.
• At kill percent, do not tunnel on a single midstage smash. Keep shifting your height at the ledge and shave away jump, roll, and Up B recovery options together.

Actions to Avoid

• Landing too quickly in front of Kazuya and voluntarily starting his crouch-dash grounded mix.
• Leaning only on shield at close range until throw mix and shield pressure force Peach all the way to the corner.
• Missing guaranteed shield punishes and letting Kazuya restart the exact close-range situation he wants.
• Chasing too deep offstage into Up B and turning Peach’s excellent horizontal recovery into a dangerous vertical scramble instead.