All Tekken 8 Characters Announced So Far

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: Lili

After several weeks of waiting, Bandai has finally released the next character trailer. With the last character trailer being Asuka Kazama, we shouldn't have been surprised by this one; it's Lili De Rochefort.

Born Emilie De Rochefort, Lili was your average spoiled rich girl until some kidnappers held her for ransom. She managed to fight off one of the kidnappers and escape, and since then, she has taken a strong interest in fighting.

Lili eventually found herself a competitor in King of Iron Fist 5, where Asuka Kazama defeated her. After this loss, Lili took it upon herself to become Asuka's rival (Similar to how Hwoarang did the same with Jin in Tekken 3). And while Bandai has woven in some side plots of Lili trying to help her father's business (Which was being disrupted by Mishima Zaibatsu), she's mainly focused on her rivalry with Asuka. And based on her Tekken 8 trailer, that's not changing.

What has changed, however, are Lili's lines and battle grunts which have received re-recording treatment. Lili's moves have changed a bit too. Her move set has added in some ballerina-style attacks. It's fitting, given her elegant attire and status.

Here Comes A New Challenger: Asuka Kazama

April Fools just passed, but Bandai isn't joking around. They delivered not one but two new fighter trailers today. The first is Leroy Smith, and joining him is Asuka Kazama.

As you may have guessed from her last name, Asuka is a relative of franchise protagonist Jin Kazama. Initially, Asuka joined King of Iron Fist in Tekken 5 to get revenge on the man who destroyed her family's dojo, Feng Wei. Asuka never managed to do so but gained a rival in the form of Lili De Rochefort.

Asuka returned to the King of Iron Fist in Tekken 6 to stop the destruction caused by her relative Jin, but like in the last tournament, she never achieved her primary goal. Since then, Asuka has mostly been wrapped up in the more one-sided rivalry Lili shares with her.

Tekken 8 is shaping up to be a clash of the Kazamas. With each having their own unique playstyle, it'll be interesting to see who stands atop the meta. Asuka seems to combine her Kazama-style martial arts with some pure power street brawling/haymakers (Unsurprisingly, given her tendency to go around picking fights with street gangs). Paul Phoenix would like her.

Here Comes A New Challenger: Leroy Smith

The Grandmaster of Drip returns to the King of Iron Fist.

Leroy Smith comes as a bit of a shocking return. As a DLC character from Tekken 7, fans didn't expect to see Leroy back already and not this early in the launch roster reveal.

Orphaned at an early age due to gang violence in New York, Leroy became a martial arts master after learning Wing Chun in Hong Kong. He would return to his home in New York and personally take down gangs still causing havoc.

Learning that Mishima Zaibatsu was pulling the strings behind the neighborhood violence in his childhood, Leroy joined the King of Iron Fist to get revenge.

With Heihaichi dead and Kazuya bringing the pain to Mishima Zaibatsu himself, will Leroy turn his focus to Kazuya and G Corp? Whatever his purpose for joining the tournament, he'll look going doing it.

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.

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.

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.