Tekken 7 has enjoyed a long and successful career as one of the fighting game scene’s premier esports (Knee’s victory at EVO last year was a joy to see). The Tekken World Tour 2023 has just kicked off with EVO Japan yesterday. But after nearly a decade, it’s time to move on to a new challenger: Tekken 8. And the hype is real.
Initially announced six months ago at State of Play September 2022 with a trailer featuring father and son Kazuya and Jin, Bandai Namco has spent the last few months slowly revealing the game’s roster of characters.
Tekken Talk
Let’s talk #TEKKEN8.
Here’s the first episode of #TEKKENTalk, featuring @mykeryu, @maximilian_ & @reepal!
Watch the full video here 🤜 https://t.co/OM72pX7arr pic.twitter.com/BjaPUas2io
— TEKKEN (@TEKKEN) March 30, 2023
The first episode of Tekken Talk was released yesterday, as well. Hosted by Sumichu, Tekken Talk featured guests Maximilian Dood, Rip, and producer Michael Murray. Fans can tune into episodes of Tekken Talk to get more details on Tekken 8 leading up to its 2024 release.
Now for the moment, we’ve been waiting for; Tekken 8’s roster.
Here Comes A New Challenger: Ling Xiaoyu
Pseudo granddaughter of Heihachi Mishima and loyal friend of Jin Kazama, Ling Xiaoyu, has joined the fight.
Sporting a gorgeous new costume, Ling Xiaoyu has stood out for her near-dance-like style of combat that is beautiful to watch and has high combo potential. Fans have noted that Tekken 8 Ling Xiaoyu appears to have incorporated more of her teacher Wang Jinrei’s fighting style into her moveset.
More than anything, Xiaoyu needs more story relevance. She has been around since Tekken 3, and gameplay-wise has been a fan-favorite. Story-wise, she’s sort of just been around. Bandai has long since abandoned her childish desire to build a theme park and shifted Xiaoyu’s narrative to trying to keep up with the craziness surrounding the Mishima Zaibatsu and clan members. Most recently, she’s been intent on saving her friend Jin Kazama (Largely from himself).
Paul Phoenix is the only confirmed playable character yet to receive a trailer, so it stands to reason his reveal will be next.
Here Comes A New Challenger: Jun Kazama
Proving that no character of significance related to the Mishima family stays dead or “dead” for long, Jun Kazama is back.
Former lover of Kazuya Mishima and mother of Jin Kazama, the world believed Jun Kazama to be dead after Ogre attacked her and Jin before the events of Tekken 3.
While numerous characters have mentioned her, Jun Kazama has not been a playable character in a mainline Tekken game in over 20 years since Tekken 2. Tekken 8 marks her first appearance as a playable character in more than a decade since Tekken Revolution.
Light of Hope Jun Kazama has some explaining to do on where’s she been the past 20+years, what with Kazuya and Jin wreaking havoc around the world, but she’s finally back.
Jun spent Tekken 2 trying and failing to save Kazuya from the Devil Gene’s corruption and her time as Jin’s mother attempting to protect him from evil. With Heihachi finally out of the picture and Kazuya and Jin on a collision course, it makes sense for Jun to reemerge during this conflict.
After so much time being absent on a playable roster, Jun has a chance to start fresh in the Tekken meta. With her trailer accruing over a million views in a day, it’s clear this is a return fans have wanted.
Here Comes A New Challenger: Jack-8
To no one’s surprise, Jack is back.
The iconic weapon of G-Corporation, Jack, has undergone an interesting evolution. In appearance, Jack-8 is significantly more robotic than his Tekken 7 counterpart, but Jack also seems more human (Most notably, his eyes).
Gameplay-wise, Jack mains will feel right at home. Despite his visual upgrades, his moveset looks to be very similar to Tekken 7. Given his low status on most Tekken 7 tier lists, that might not be a good thing, but we won’t know how meta-viable Jack-8 is until we play him.
Here Comes A New Challenger: Lars Alexandersson
The bastard son of Heihachi Mishima, Lars Alexandersson, is back in the fray.
Initially a solider of Tekken Force that led a coup d’etat when he believed the Mishima Zaibatsu lost its way and rebel leader against Kazuya’s G Corporation, Lars has spent the past few years fighting against his paternal family.
Lars appears to be embracing his Mishima bloodline in Tekken 8, with the Mishima Clan’s trademark lightning appearing in much of Lars’ moveset. It also looks like Lars has been spending time with Kakashi and Sasuke, given his new Rage Arts.
Having put aside his differences with his half-nephew Jin in Tekken 7, it will be interesting to see what role Lars plays in the conflict between father and son.
Here Comes A New Challenger: King
It wouldn’t be a Tekken game without King, now would it?
Keeping his streak of appearing in every Tekken game in the series alive, the most iconic pro wrestler not a part of the WWE, King II, is back in the King of the Iron Fist tournament.
King II looks to have a heightened taste for the theatrics in his Tekken 8 trailer, and his moveset has also gone full-blown pro wrestling. From Clotheslines from Hell to running powerbombs and even Triple H’s iconic Pedigree and Randy Orton’s RKO, King is a pro wrestler through and through. His moveset now has some much-needed flair.
King II’s story in Tekken 7 involved his attempts to prevent Craig Marduk and Armor King II from killing each other and to pay for their medical bills (Along with managing the orphanage, of course). With Armor King II and Marduck agreeing to one final match after they recover, the overarching King storyline appears to be approaching its climax. But I suspect the King will always be around. And Tekken 8 is looking like his best appearance yet.
Here Comes A New Challenger: Marshall Law
Fighting games and Bruce Lee clones go together like peanut butter and jelly. And Tekken’s Law has been one of the better Bruce Lee clones out there.
Fresh off the reveal trailer of his drinking buddy and best friend Paul Phoenix, Marshall Law is returning to the King of the Iron Fist.
After Marshall failed to pay his son Forest’s debts due to his motorcycle accident, Marshall fell on hard times and even lost his dojo. With only his martial arts skills and a strong desire to make money left, Marshall is back with Paul, hoping to secure the prize money and get his life back together.
Marshall Law looks pretty good and moves pretty fast for a 49-year-old man who has lost nearly everything. Fully embracing his Bruce Lee influence, the Legendary Dragon’s Rage Arts ends with Bruce Lee’s iconic chest stomp from Enter the Dragon. Marshall is truly one of the best homages to martial arts’ most famous fighter.
Here Comes A New Challenger: Paul Phoenix
Tekken’s iconic carefree biker, Paul Phoenix, is back for another wrong.
Few fighters in the Tekken franchise have had as much bad luck as Paul Phoenix. He first appears as a rival to Kazuya Mishima, having fought one of Tekken’s most formidable fighters to a draw. Paul technically won the third King of Iron Fist Tournament but unfortunately left after defeating Ogre, not knowing Ogre transformed and returned.
Due to overconfidence, Paul would suffer an embarrassing loss in the fourth King of Iron Fist to Kuma, an actual bear. He would avenge that loss in the fifth King of Iron Fist but be too exhausted to continue in the tournament. Since then, he has spent his time in a series of rivalries with multiple bears and continued to fail to earn big at the King of Iron Fist.
Despite his constant failures, Paul Phoenix has infectious optimism and is back for the latest King of Iron Fist with his best friend, Marshall Law. His moveset seems relatively unchanged, with Paul largely relying on his meaty punches to defeat foes. In a series with people with god-like powers, an American biker delivers blows that feel the most powerful.
Time will tell if Tekken 8 will allow Paul Phoenix to show he’s the strongest in the universe.
Here Comes A New Challenger: Jin Kazama
The main protagonist of Tekken, Jin Kazama, is back. And he’s learned a thing or two.
Jin has gone from a young man who believed power was everything to thinking there’s more to life than strength alone. He has spent many years despising himself and his Devil Gene but has progressed to using his curse for good.
Jin’s moveset has been relatively static over the years. His Tekken 8 trailer shows that Jin now incorporates moves from his Devil Jin persona into his standard moveset, breathing new life into the character. Both Jin and Devil Jin are top-tier characters in Tekken 7. Could Jin’s new and improved moveset make him Tekken 8’s number one?
Jin has defeated his father, grandfather, great-grandfather, ogres, and demons, all in an attempt to end the evil of the Mishima bloodline. With Kazuya defeating and presumably killing Heihachi in Tekken 7, the conflict between father and son, devil versus devil, is back on. How will it end?
Here Comes A New Challenger: Kazuya Mishima
The first hero of the Tekken franchise and now one of its greatest antagonists, Kazuya Mishima, is back.
Tekken 7 ended on a high note for Kazuya. He finally killed his father, Heihachi Mishima. A final battle between Kazuya and Akuma ended without revealing a victor, but Kazuya clearly isn’t dead.
In the wake of Heihachi’s demise, Kazuya took the opportunity to take down the now-leaderless Mishima Zaibatsu with G Corporation. With his father’s company dealt with, Kazuya has shifted his attention to world domination. The biggest threat still standing in Kazuya’s way is his son Jin.
Thanks to his efforts and various experiments inside G Corporation, Kazuya has increased control over his Devil Gene. Lore-wise, his increased mastery has allowed him to perform feats such as bringing down an entire satellite. Gameplay-wise moves from Devil Kazuya’s moveset have leaked into Kazuya’s. He even seems to have borrowed a few moves from his deceased father. Kazuya looks stronger than ever, as he should.
After many years, Kazuya is finally the main antagonist of the series.
Here Comes A New Challenger: Nina Williams
One of Tekken’s deadliest assassins, Nina Williams, has a new contract.
With Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima taking center stage in the Tekken 8 reveal, many expected Jin or Kazuya to be the first character to receive a trailer. Instead, it is Tekken’s silent assassin, Nina Williams.
After spending years with the Tekken Force under both Jin and Heihachi, Nina Williams has gone freelance, with assassination seemingly the only way she knows how to live.
Nina has seen a significant overhaul in Tekken 8, with a fresh femme fatale design, new battle voice clips, and get this: her guns are no longer just for show. It took over two decades, but Nina has finally incorporated her guns with her combos.
With a significantly different combat style, it will be interesting to see how Nina ranks on the day 1 tier list.
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