Every Tekken 8 Character Explained
Tekken 8's full roster has finally been revealed. Learn what you need to know about every character before release next year
With the announcement of Reina, Tekken 8 now has its entire launch cast out in the wild. So here’s a quick refresher of each and every character that you’ll see on day 1 of Tekken 8. The game releases on January 26th, so there’s only a couple of months to wait.
Tekken 8 Release Date Confirmed
Jin Kazama
- Our “hero” of the story if we had to have one. Jin is plagued by the same “Devil Gene” as his father, Kazuya.
- Many players will start out picking Jin as he’s the cover star and can teach you some of the fundamentals of Tekken more than many other characters.
Devil Jin
- Jin but MORE EVIL.
- He’s typically got more range than normal Jin. And EVILER.
Kazuya Mishima
- The main antagonist for Jin and most of the Tekken world. Kazuya is a warmongering CEO that’s taken over the world by force. He was often motivated by his hatred of his own father, Heihachi Mishima. But now that Heihachi is dead, Kazuya’s passed along the same daddy issues to Jin.
- Kazuya is pretty easy to pick up for most people just trying out Tekken. But only the dedicated will MASTER Kazuya.
Jun Kazama
- Jun is Jin’s mother who was thought to be dead for years in the Tekken mythos. Her mysterious return is one of the big questions around Tekken 8. However, she did make a brief return as a fierce revenant called “Unknown” in Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Since then, we haven’t heard much from her.
- In Tekken 8, Jun looks to have a reimagined moveset that combines some of her power from TTT2.
Paul Phoenix
- Paul has the distinct honor (along with Nina, King, Kuma and Yoshimitsu) of appearing in every mainline Tekken game. And through the years he’s typically been unchanged, he’s a prizefighter always looking to make a buck off of his fighting prowess.
- Paul is another beginner friendly character, but a bit on the slow side. He specializes in powerful strikes and a straightforward game plan to lean on.
Marshall Law
- One of the OG Bruce Lee clones, Marshal Law, like Paul, always seems to be on the verge of financial collapse. So along with Paul, Law is looking to win the tournament to make money and open his dojo once more.
- Law has always been a finesse character. Much like his inspiration, Law’s power comes from his technique. So be prepared to be attack minded with Law.
King
- King is Tekken’s resident grappler. He’s always worn the mask and always growled to communicate. King is great.
- As a grappler, King wants to get close to you. But he’s a highly technical character so make sure you learn all his throw strings to maximize your damage.
Lars Alexanderson
- One of the other “good guys” of Tekken, Lars is also Kazuya’s half-brother and Jin’s half-uncle. Lars and Jin are now teaming up to stop Kazuya in Tekken 8.
- Lars doesn’t really fight like his relatives. He’s still got lighting powers, but he focuses more on overwhelming attacks and quick movements to rush his opponents down.
Jack-8
- Jack is a big bruising robot soldier who has no time for technique and elegance. Jack will hit you and hit you hard.
- If you like characters that are no frills and just get the job done, go with Jack.
Ling Xiaoyu
- Xiaoyu’s been a mainstay since Tekken 3. She’s also got a huge crush on Jin.
- She’s known for her graceful moves and stances so she’s a more advanced character to use compared to many others.
Nina Williams
- This cool assassin is also one of the recurring characters of the entire series.
- Nina’s got a unique tool kit that utilizes quick steps and lows and even submission holds.
Leroy Smith
- Introduced in Tekken 7, Leroy’s a hero in NYC and has dedicated his life to stopping anyone who threatens it. Also, Feng Wei can’t stand him.
- As a Wing Chun user, Leroy is all about overwhelming you from close range. He’s got a ton of ways to throw flurries of punches. He’s also got counter stances that let you quell attacks against you.
Asuka Kazama
- Jin’s cousin and the game's plucky punch girl. She’s got a rivalry with Lili.
- Asuka is known for her reversal game and defense. So if you aren’t patient Asuka might not be for you.
Lili de Rochefort
- Boujee French ballet girl who loves Tea. What you see is what you get.
- Lili is actually more beginner-friendly than she looks. She’s evasive, has strong lows and easy-to-remember combo strings.
Steve Fox
- The boxer of Tekken, Steve is also Nina’s biological son who was born artificially. He now hangs out with Paul and Law.
- Like most boxers, Steve wants to get in and pressure fast. He often also can sway or dodge many attacks making him a tough opponent in the right hands.
Bryan Fury
- Bryan is actually a cyborg. And he’s also crazy.
- Like Jack, Bryan is all about overpowering opponents. Think of him as Jack, with finesse. And crazy.
Hwoarang
- Hwoarang is the Ken to Jin’s Ryu. He’s the eternal rival always looking for that next battle with his favored foe.
- As a Taekwondo fighter, Hwoarang’s kicks are devastating and one of the few who can chain kicks into other kicks. This also gives him more range than many of his fellow fighters.
Claudio Serafino
- Claudio is a fancy exorcist from Italy. He wants to expel the Devil Gene that Jin and Kazuya have from the world.
- Claudio is all about activating his “Starburst” mechanic to get access to additional moves. Kind of like Jamie from SF6, only his moves MUST connect in order to gain the Starburst effect.
Azucena Milagros Ortiz Castillo
- The coffee queen is here! Azucena is a new addition to the Tekken lore and well, she loves coffee.
- This pepped up prancers is all about dodging. She’s got special stances that allow her to evade attacks and counter quickly.
Raven
- Raven is a title not a name. This ninja is one of many who function as a wing of the United Nation’s armed forces.
- Raven has the ability to summon shadow clones to fill gaps between his strikes. Mastering them is essential to learning this character.
Leo Kliesen
- It’s suspected that Leo’s parents were killed by Kazuya’s G Corporation. So they are on a quest to find the truth.
- Leo is a freight train. Direct, no turns, no stops. Which means evasive characters can get around Leo’s attacks often.
Kuma
- Heihachi Mishima’s pet bear…that knows Karate.
- Kuma fights like a bear that knows Karate. Because of his size, he’s also easier to combo.
Alisa Bosconovitch
- The cybernetic daughter of a world-renowned mad scientist.
- Alisa’s kit totally leans into her robotic nature. She sprouts chainsaws from her arms, detached parts of her body at will and uses thrusters to dash in.
Yoshimitsu
- The space ninja is back once again! He’s somewhat of Bandai Namco’s mascot as well appearing in both the Tekken and Soul Calibur series.
- Yoshimitsu is weird. He’s often got odd moves that involve dancing, walking on his swords or even stabbing himself.
Shaheen
- A newer character, Shaheen is yet another person touched by the extreme violence of Kazuya’s global scale violence.
- Shaheen is a nuanced character. It’s sometimes not apparent what makes him good or not. He’s sort of a jack of all trades kind of fighter.
Sergei Dragunov
- The taciturn Russian is a military man through and through. And what he lacks in personality he makes up for it with cold efficiency.
- As a counter/grapper style character, Dragunov is not the easiest to learn but he’s effective from high, low, or mid and has a litany of defensive options.
Feng Wei
- Feng is a guy who’s always looking to be the best fighter. Sometimes a little too much. He’s really frustrated he can’t seem to beat Leroy.
- Feng is all about power. He’s got good options both up close and at range and can do alot of damage.
Panda
- Panda is Ling Xiaoyu’s pet panda…that knows Karate.
- Like Kuma, Panda has all the positives and negatives of a fighting bear.
Lee Chaolan
- Lee is yet another one of Heihachi Mishima’s sons, only Lee was adopted. He’s got a grudge about that. Also, he’s a successful businessman with a focus on robotics.
- Lee is all about range. He’s great at pokes and keeping his opponents away from him.
Zafina
- Zafina is one of the most unique characters in Tekken. She’s a mystic that sealed away the big bad from Tekken 6, Azazel, in her own arm.
- She’s a stance character fundamentally, but those stances are strange. Often she’ll crawl along the ground or stand on one leg in unsettling ways. She’s alot like Voldo from Soul Calibur.
Victor Chevalier
- Victor, the smoothest man in Tekken, is a new addition to the series. He also founded and trained the Raven Unit, the same unit the character, Raven, is a part of.
- Victor is a jack of all trades kind of character. He’s not very mobile, but he has an attack for nearly every situation.
Reina
- Reina is the newest and final addition to the T8 base roster. She’s shrouded in mystery but will apparently play a large role in the main story of Tekken 8.
- She’s got a combination of rolling kick moves and Heihachi’s T7 moves. Even down to her idle stance.
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