The most recent entry in the franchise is Tekken 7, where the war between Mishima Zaibatsu and G Corporation continues. Tekken 7 brought an initial cast of 37 characters and names like Nina Williams and Akuma were added to the game after release. Tekken 8, on the other hand, was “revealed” at EVO 2022 with a mysterious teaser that didn’t give much information. For now, not much is known about the game beyond the intense battle between Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama shown in the trailer. Due to a leak, however, gamers may have discovered two potential fighters that will be in Tekken 8.
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Japanese TV station NHK released on their Twitter feed a few days ago a video showing the motion capture done for the development of Tekken 8. The video is only 30 seconds long but shows lots of information with two standout moments. The first moment is at 7 seconds, where a left-handed character is thrown into a wall. Based on this players have concluded that Yoshimitsu may be back. Yoshimitsu’s return in Tekken 8 is a debate with pros and cons about his necessity in the game. The second moment is at 12 seconds, where a motion-captor actor runs around with his arms folded like someone would if they were imitating a dinosaur. The actor also appears wearing a large green tail, and these two details indicate Alex’s return.
Although Yoshimitsu and Alex are not among Tekken’s most broken characters, both fighters are veteran names in the franchise. Swordsman Yoshimitsu was introduced in the first Tekken game and made subsequent appearances in other games in the main series, the most recent being Tekken 7. Alex, the genetically modified dinosaur for military purposes, debuted in Tekken 2 and does not have as many appearances in the franchise. Fans last saw Alex in Street Fighter X Tekken, where the character makes a cameo appearance in the background of the Stage Jurassic Era Research Facility.
Tekken 8 could be arriving in 2023, making this a great year for fighting game fans. The reason is Street Fighter 6, another big name in the genre that while not having its release date officially revealed, will also arrive next year. With a tradition that has earned Tekken the Guinness World Record for “longest-running videogame storyline,” iconic characters, and famous mechanics like Rage Moves, it’s no surprise that fans have high expectations to finally play Tekken 8.
Tekken 8 is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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