Tekken 8’s January launch is growing ever closer and Bandai Namco has officially revealed every single member of the game’s 32-character launch roster.
There are plenty of Tekken staples that have appeared multiple times in franchise entries over the years, but also a few brand new fighters that’re joining the fray. We’ve each and every one listed below (along with a factoid or two to go with) so you can make a fully informed decision when choosing your main.
To start with, 32 characters is a relatively large bunch for the very beginnings of a modern fighter. With the assumption that an established AAA title like Tekken 8 will have plenty of DLC comers in the future, it’s lovely to see Bandai willing to give us a wealth of options right off the bat.
Azucena
This Peruvian MMA fighter will be making her Tekken debut, though she’s already been playable as part of Tekken 8’s beta tests. She’s all about her coffee farms, and aims to promote her own personal blend and help the Ortiz family’s business grow by garnering popularity via winning the next King of Iron Fist Tournament.
Victor Chevalier
This brand new Frenchman is something of an anime John Wick with his brutal close-range gun and sword attacks. He teleports about the arena with movements similar to the likes of Raven and Master Raven, which makes a lot of sense given he’s the director and trainer of the Raven unit.
Reina
Reina is the most recently revealed character for Tekken 8 and next to nothing is known about her yet. Her nickname is Purple Lightning and she uses rapid, electrically charged kicks to get the job done in battle.
Kazuya Mishima
Kazuya has been around since the very beginning and is still going strong. Get ready for Electric Wind God Fists galore as this iconic move becomes easier to perform when Kazuya has the Heat mechanic activated.
Jin Kazama
Jin was introduced back in Tekken 3 as the game’s protagonist, and has been feuding with his father, Kazuya, pretty much ever since. The battle will rage on as he and his dad were the first two characters revealed in Tekken 8, and indeed, it wouldn’t feel much like Tekken without them.
Jun Kazama
Jin’s mother, Jun, first appeared back in Tekken 2, but hasn’t been as prominent as her family members. She made a return in Tekken 7 and looks to continue leveling up her attendance record here in T8.
King
You see this jaguar mask and you instantly know what franchise you’re playing. This Mexican wrestler has been the go-to command grab character for Tekken since the very beginning, and has appeared in every entry since.
Paul Phoenix
Like King, the hot-headed American brawler, Paul, has been in each and every Tekken entry since the franchise’s inception. Similar to his Street Fighter counterpart, Ken Masters, Paul looks like he’s seen better days as he appears a little more on the vagrant side than usual. He can still dole out the damage with powerful punches, though, and we all know that’s what counts.
Marshall Law
You’re always bound to get one of the Laws and this time around, it’s Marshall. The Bruce Lee homage comes equipped with many of Lee’s iconic moves, including flip kicks and one-inch punches.
Jack-8
The nice thing about Jack is that if you ever forget which Tekken you’re dealing with, you just have to peep his name (save for his one missed roster in Tekken 4). The robotic big body beats and blasts his way through foes with gnarly haymakers and launchers that are sure to lop off big chunks of health bars at a time.
Lars Alexandersson
The protagonist of Tekken 6 and illegitimate son of Heihachi Mishima returns with more “enemy of my enemy” energy as he reluctantly joins with half-brother Jin to take down Kazuya and bring about world peace. Lars is quick, agile, and great for players who want to counter overly aggressive foes.
Ling Xiaoyu
Xiaoyu has been kicking butt ever since Tekken 3, and brings her Chinese martial arts to Tekken 8. Her quick and graceful style is great for those who like fast fighting in close quarters.
Nina Williams
The silent assassin has been breaking hearts and beating baddies (and good guys) since the very first Tekken. She’s changed up her appearance quite a bit in Tekken 8 with shorter hair and a leather jacket, and continues to user her unique blend of Aikido, Hapkido and Koppojutsu to put the hurting on enemies.
Leroy Smith
The reception to Leroy after his Tekken 7 debut was undeniable, and so it comes as little surprise that Bandai is bringing him back in Tekken 8. The Wing Chun fighter is all about that kung-fu style, though he very much personalizes it with special maneuvers such as when he calls his dog, Sugar, in for a little help.
Asuka Kazama
Ever since she joined the cast in Tekken 5 Asuka has been a franchise mainstay. She uses a lot of the same general techniques and movements as her fellow Kazama characters, though with a looser and less “by the book” approach that gives her her own unique flavor of fighting.
Lili De Rochefort
Another Tekken 5 original, Emilie “Lili” De Rochefort is a bit of a spoiled princess, but with enough fighting prowess to back it all up. She fights with a flair for dance and gymnastics as she nails foes with versatile spins, cartwheels, handstands, tumbles and pirouettes.
Bryan Fury
Bryan has been giving off those super angry serial killer vibes ever since Tekken 3, and brings that chaotic fighting energy to the latest installment. Those who like lots and lots of maniacal punching until whatever it is they’re assaulting is totally unrecognizable will love Bryan.
Hwoarang
The Taekwando master from Tekken 3, Hworang has been scoring wins with his machine gun kicks for a good two and half decades now. We can expect more of the same as he smacks foes from various distances with his rapid fire feet in Tekken 8.
Claudio Serafino
Every fighting game needs their exorcist, and Claudio returns from his Tekken 7 debut to make sure any and all demons are shown what for in Tekken 8. Claudio uses a lot of the regularly seen standard punches, kicks, and shoulder tackles, but does so with a particularly flamboyant style.
Raven
Raven showed up in Tekken 5 and has been in every entry (save for Tekken 7 where his counterpart, Master Raven, gave him a game off) since. The Dark Talon of Death is a ninja, through and through, and fights with agility and deception.
Leo Kliesen
Leo will be making his third appearance in a row after debuting in Tekken 6. The Baji Quan-using German is all about explosive, short range power.
Steve Fox
Steve has been a total fan favorite ever since Tekken 4. The boxer relies solely on his fists to get the job done, though he’s no slouch when it comes to maneuvering and fancy footwork. Despite being a boxer, he’s not at all afraid to punch below the belt.
Kuma
Heichachi Mishima’s pet bear popped up all the way back in the first Tekken and has appeared (in one form or another) in most entries since. His style “Kuma Shinken” is all his own, and is pretty much what you’d expect when you hear about “a bear that stands on two legs and does martial arts.”
Yoshimitsu
Though a swordsman from the very first installment, Yoshimitsu always has some new and out there theme attached to him. This time around he’s a mechanized space ninja, but you can expect a lot of ninjustu paired with supernatural attacks.
Shaheen
Fresh off the momentum of his Tekken 7 debut, Shaheen is bringing his military style, close quarters combat back in T8. He adds quite a bit of flair to his beat downs with highly acrobatic flips, slides, and slams.
Dragunov
Sergei Dragunov was first introduced in Tekken 5 and uses a modified version of Sambo to put enemies down.
Feng Wei
Feng is another Tekken 5 original who uses God Fist Style Chinese Martial Arts, a super aggressive style based on the Cantonese martial art Hung Gar.
Panda
Panda is very similar to Kuma, but has been branching out via baby steps to be a separate character. In Tekken 8 she actually shares some attacks with Xiaoyu, marking perhaps her most significant departure from being a Kuma copy yet.
Lee Chaolan
Series regular Lee has only missed Tekken 3 thus far, and continues his otherwise spotless attendance in T8. Though he started as a Mishima-style character, Lee branched out in Tekken 4 to become much more mixed and now samples from JKD, taekwondo, boxing and other martial arts.
Alisa Bosconovitch
Alisa is an android that made quite the splash in Tekken 6. Essentially a robot created to look like the daughter of her creator, Alisa has many weapons build into her design as she boasts chainsaws, wings, thrusters, and other hidden abilities.
Zafina
A Tekken 6 original, Zafina brings the exorcist count on Tekken 8’s roster up to two. Her spider-like fighting style is filled with contortionism and insane feats of flexibility unlike most any real life martial art.
Devil Jin
Think Jin, but with devil wings and eye lasers. He’s been part of Jin’s story since Tekken 3, but first became playable as a unique character in Tekken 5.
Tekken 8 is still scheduled to launch on January 26, 2024 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
