Characters Most Likely To Return As DLC In Tekken 8

Tekken 8 finally reached players’ hands back in January 2024. It retained some old favorites, with Nina, Paul, and Yoshimitsu continuing their streak of appearances since the original game, while the relatively fresher faces of Leroy, Zafina, and Leo returned to make an impact. Fans also got to see firsthand how newcomers like Azucena and Reina Mishima compared to their elders.

Still, for every classic or new character added, there was one that was left behind. Barely any of Tekken 7’s new characters are on T8’s roster, nor are some popular mainstays from games past. But if T8 runs as long as its predecessor did, it’ll get plenty of DLC seasons. Its first season is already underway, with one character due to be released per season across the year. But who are the most likely characters to get those slots? Here are some suggestions.

Updated May 5, 2024 by David Heath: Tekken 8 has had an eventful release. The single player content has been entertaining enough, and fans were intrigued by news that there will be more story content on the way. Yet, its new microtransactions have led to the game getting review-bombed on platforms like Steam, and some of its recent updates have been messy.

Nonetheless, the game is still attracting intrigue via its first DLC season. Spring saw series favorite Edd Gordo return to the fold, and summer will bring back Lidia from Tekken 7. But who’s going to return for autumn and winter? The only clues are that each season’s color has matched the character’s default outfit, from Eddy’s green tones to Lidia’s red. Autumn is light blue, and Winter is light brown, so who could fit these colors? It could be anyone, even new characters.

Eddy Gordo

Tekken’s Top Capoeirista

• Nationality: Brazilian
• Fighting Style: Capoeira
• Debut: Tekken 3

Eddy Gordo wasn’t the highest-tier character in Tekken 3, but his unpredictable kick strings were hard even for trained players to overcome. Even when later games toned his cheese down or made him an alt-skin for his female protégé Christie Monteiro, everyone knew Eddy’s moves. T7 reduced him to a rival for Lucky Chloe, but he’s back again with a fresh, new look for Tekken 8. Well, for the most part. A lot of fans weren’t happy with his new ‘Killmonger’ hairstyle, as it’s been used for multiple black characters in different video games already.

Nonetheless, he’s back in action, and made an impact in April. Around patch 1.03.01, Eddy’s refreshed moveset came with extra mobility that made it easier for him to slip out of trouble. His hitstrings and mix-ups are as oppressive as ever, and relatively easy to pick up for beginners. In other words, he’s ready to bring back that T3-era cheese, only more so as DexterTo.com put him in S-Tier. Until he gets knocked down faster than one can say ‘Azucena’, now’s a good time to give the capoeirista a go.

Lidia

The Iron Fist Of The Polish Government

• Nationality: Polish
• Fighting Style: Traditional Karate
• Debut: Tekken 7 Season 4 DLC

The early T7 newbies didn’t set the world alight. However, its DLC newbies were another matter. Leroy’s design was a hit with fans even before his broken gameplay made him notorious. Fahkumram then stomped on the competition, followed by Kunimitsu II, daughter of Yoshimitsu’s kitsune-masked rival, appearing on the scene. Still, even they are at risk of being succeeded, as Victor’s moves already look too similar to Kunimitsu II’s.

But before all of them, it was Lidia that made it back into the DLC. It’s nice to see her back, though it’s perplexing that she wasn’t a base roster character, given she’s a world leader. The story mode revolved around Kazuya making the tournament’s combatants fight for their country, vowing to obliterate the losing nations. Fans would’ve thought the Polish Prime Minister would’ve been right at the forefront. Nonetheless, she’ll be available for purchase in Summer 2024.

Julia Chang

Stream Back Online?

• Nationality: American
• Fighting Style: Xin Yi Liu He Quan, Baji Quan, and Pro-Wrestling
• Debut: Tekken 3

The Changs have been a mainstay since Tekken 1, where Julia’s mother Michelle first combined the early 90s kung fu girl and Native American tropes into one character. She and her adopted daughter Julia Chang had a style that was a mix of hard elbows, high-low mix-ups, and pro-wrestling suplexes. It made their approach more smash-mouth than the other women’s more poke-heavy, dainty strikes.

However, once Julia succeeded her mother, the series ran out of things to do for her after her ‘save Arizona from deforestation’ angle ran dry. Though that wasn’t without lack of trying. TTT2 gave her a pro-wrestling alter-ego that played on her grappling and her loose connection to the Kings. Then Capcom hooked her up with Bob for Street Fighter X Tekken, giving them an implied romance that could’ve worked out. Reviving these angles – or her streamer redesign from T7 – for T8 could help her stand out over fellow Baji Quan fighter Leo.

Katarina

Savate in Style

• Nationality: Brazilian
• Fighting Style: Savate
• Debut: Tekken 7

With Eddy now in the game, it’s uncertain whether he’ll be joined by his fellow Capoeirista Christie Monteiro. While she was essentially a model swap for Eddy Gordo, she was a unique character with her own personality and story. One that’s sadly stalled since Tekken 6, as she only appeared in the story-less Tekken Tag Tournament 2, and didn’t get much, if any, mention in T7. By then, the game introduced a new Brazilian femme fatale in Katarina Alves.

She was beginner-friendly, with her right-kick combos often frustrating opponents. Yet she wasn’t all that popular with the fandom at large. So, why is she likely to become DLC? Because she still has a more unique fighting style, and a story angle (revenge against G-Corp) that would fit in nicely in T8. She’d be more cost-effective as DLC, and might even benefit from the repackaging. Street Fighter 6 made Ed a more interesting character to play than his SF5 debut. Perhaps T8 could do the same for Katarina.

Bruce/Josie/Fahkumram

Who Will Return?

• Nationality: American/Filipino/Thai
• Fighting Style: Muay Thai
• Debut: Tekken 2/Tekken 7/Tekken 7 Season 3 DLC

This one is up in the air in theory. It’s not unlikely that one of the DLC seasons will include a Muay Thai kickboxer to bring the pain. Tekken 5 brought back Tekken 2‘s Bruce until TTT2, then replaced him in T7 with the Filipina Josie Rizal. Her style was neat, as it mixed Muay Thai with some eskrima moves here and there. There were rumors she even appeared in a hidden video on T8‘s YouTube page as an upcoming DLC character. Though considering it supposedly listed her as ‘DLC 1’, a position now held by Eddy, it’s likely false.

Still, she didn’t quite click with fans as her moves didn’t take her to the top tier. Plus, her crying winposes were a little too close to those of the maligned Pyrrha from SoulCalibur 5. Unlike Fahkumram, a Thai giant who was enough of a menace to threaten T7’s upper ranks, and still draws ire/fear from the community today. If there was a bet on it, Fahkumram would be the odds-on favorite to return due to his notoriety and fresh design. But there’s always a chance Bandai-Namco could throw a curveball and bring Bruce or Josie back.

Kunimitsu II

Ninja-For-Hire

• Nationality: Japanese
• Fighting Style: Manji Ninjutsu
• Debut: Tekken 7

Just as Luke appeared in Street Fighter 5‘s last season as a preview for SF6, some saw T7‘s late-entry DLC characters as precursors to T8. Lidia, Fahkumram, and Kunimitsu II‘s designs certainly seemed more inspired than the base newbies. Yet none of them made it to T8‘s base roster. As mentioned, Victor’s own dash-heavy moves already fill in what Kuni II brought to the table. Though others see Victor’s style as more of a replacement for former guest character Noctis.

He’s characterized more as a samurai-type than the ninja-based Raven and Yoshimitsu. After making the effort to replace the old Kunimitsu with her daughter, a phantom-thief who steals items for paying clients, it’d be a shame to not see more of her. Especially as she’s also a student at the Mishima Polytechnical School, which could give her fun interactions with Reina, and alumni like Xiaoyu and Jin, on top of dealing with her mom’s old rival Yoshimitsu.

Armor King II

The Dark Side Of The Ring

• Nationality: Mexican
• Fighting Style: Pro-Wrestling
• Debut: Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection

Nina and Dragunov have their multipart throws, but King is the only dedicated grappler in T8’s base roster. He can throw his opponents from all positions from midair to lying on the ground. It’s surprising there isn’t another big lug on the base roster who likes slamming people into the ground. There’s Jack-8, but he’s more of a striker with a few health bar-punishing throws than a wrestler.

Since Tekken 4, King’s go-to grapple buddy has been the MMA monster Craig Marduk, who also came back as DLC for T7. However, their shared rival, Armor King II, has a more interesting move set. Like his unarmored counterpart, he has a wide range of throws, as well as more rudo-luchador-style attacks like his Poison Mist. He has that slightly more agile edge that makes him a good rival to King, which would make his comeback a welcome one.

Craig Marduk

Vale Tudo-Style Violence

• Nationality: Australian
• Fighting Style: Vale Tudo
• Debut: Tekken 4

Armor King II may be a more interesting rival to King, living up to his brother’s old role as the dark counterpart to the original King from T1 and T2. Though for some, contrasting a luchador’s moves with another luchador isn’t the most interesting way to build up T8‘s grapplers. By comparison, Craig Marduk has a different style that would offer players more variety, offering brute strength rather than technical wrestling excellence. It also helps that he’s been a fan favorite since T4, and one who’s carved out his own place in the series.

His return in T7 even left his story on an open-ended note where he was seeking a last bout against Armor King II. That game’s DLC characters didn’t have endings, so bringing both him and Armor King II back could give the two some closure. Outside that, he could have interactions with fellow MMA fighter Azucena, or give Steve Fox another wall of muscle to box against. His default outfits also play into the Autumn/Winter color themes, as his 1P suit has often been in teal shades, and his 2P in brown, so maybe he’ll be back in Season 1.

Miguel

The Real Street Fighter

• Nationality: Spanish
• Fighting Style: None
• Debut: Tekken 6

Miguel Caballero Rojo is one of the bigger omissions from T8. Since his debut in T6, he has stood out with his style and swagger. He didn’t fight with a martial art, nor keep his cool. Miguel was a street fighter with a fiery temper and an attitude to match. Compared to the cold-blooded likes of the Mishimas, or the cutesy characters like Xiaoyu, he was a break from the norm.

He also had one of the better endings in T7 where he got to confront Jin about his sister’s death. If it’s canon, that would explain his absence story-wise. But whether it is or isn’t, Miguel never needed a deep reason to get involved in a fight. If he still wants to take Jin down or finds a new rival, he’d be a welcome addition to T8 just for his insta-kill Burla punch alone.

Bob

Speed And Wait For DLC

• Nationality: American
• Fighting Style: Freestyle Karate
• Debut: Tekken 6

As cool as Miguel is, the most popular character from T6 was Bob Richards, the master of speed and weight. This combo made him top-tier in his debut game, and he remained a strong contender in his subsequent appearances (bar his Slim variant in TTT2). He even had neat little stories, like how he discovered extra weight gave him an advantage, or his semi-romantic partnership with Julia in SFXT.

Bob returned to T7 in a stable, upper-mid-tier position, though he got lost in the fold next to wild guest characters like Akuma, Geese, and Negan. But his mix of his tremendous size with his uncanny agility made him special. He was one of the rare examples of a plus-sized video game character that wasn’t treated like a joke. With this niche and his unique gameplay, it’d be more surprising if he didn’t turn up as DLC than if he did.

Anna Williams

Lady Luckless

• Nationality: Irish
• Fighting Style: Aikido and Koppojutsu
• Debut: Tekken 1

Try as she might, Nina could never quite shake off her sultrier sister Anna Williams. She managed it in T4, where her brunette bob was nowhere to be seen. But Anna became a mainstay from T5 onward, before reappearing in T7’s DLC seasons. Anna is tenacious, though she’s never really outdone her sister in gameplay. Her moves were less safe, often leaving her at a disadvantage, and Bandai-Namco seemed insistent on keeping them that way.

Even when she was already low-tier, Anna would get an inexplicable nerf or two in one update or another. Using her as a main character meant players had to take risks. For some, this is part of her appeal, as these quirks made her a more interesting character to get to grips with. Combined with her looks, she’s cultivated a fanbase since the original Tekken. If T8 ends the Mishima saga, it could also settle the Williams feud too by bringing her back for a final battle.

Lei Wulong

Laying Down On The Job

• Nationality: Chinese (Hong Kong)
• Fighting Style: Wu Xing Kung Fu and Drunken Fist
• Debut: Tekken 2

Lei Wulong is another character whose importance is based on what they represent rather than how OP their move set is. The “Super Police” did come back as part of T7’s DLC, only to end up at the bottom of its tier list. But he’s a character with a long legacy. Debuting in T2, he was the game’s tribute to Jackie Chan with his police backstory and mastery of multiple kung fu styles. The latter gave him a ton of stances to switch between to mix-up his opponents.

Whether he was facing away from the opponent, lying at their feet, or swaying like a drunkard, he’d lull his opponents into a false sense of security and make them pay for it. His Interpol role also gave him a handy role as one of the story’s main deuteragonists. Some of his most recognizable looks have been in blue, so could he be Autumn’s blue entry? Even if he isn’t, he’s an iconic character in the series. If he doesn’t appear in T8‘s first season, he’s likely to return in a future one.

Baek Doo San

The Killing Hawk

• Nationality: Korean
• Fighting Style: Tae Kwon Do
• Debut: Tekken 2

Compared to Lei, Baek Doo San got left by the wayside. He wasn’t as dynamic as his student and successor Hwoarang. Even his intriguing PTSD plot, in which he had trouble coming to terms with accidentally killing his father, didn’t get much followup on outside T2 and TTT2. Maybe it’s because that story was told better in SoulCalibur via its tormented German knight Siegfried.

Baek doesn’t have a vocal cadre of defenders like Bruce does either. What he does have, though, is a wide variety of fans who liked his take on tae kwon do. Unlike Hwoarang’s tricky step-switching, back-turning gameplay, Baek’s style consisted of chains and mix-ups that were simple to use, but tricky to defend against. If the man himself is unable to return, fans might like to see another character adopt his moves.

Ganryu

The Sumo Simp

• Nationality: Japanese
• Fighting Style: Sumo Wrestling
• Debut: Tekken 1

The problem with sumo wrestling in fighting games is that they rarely produce the most interesting characters in the genre. Aside from King of Fighters making its sumo fighter a tiny schoolgirl called Hinako, most sumo fighters in games have little to distinguish themselves from each other beyond face paint and different mawashis. That was until T2, when the devs gave Ganryu a thing for the Changs.

Fans could pinpoint the exact moment Ganryu’s heart broke when Michelle rejected him in his TTT1 ending. Then Julia left him hanging in his T5 ending, right when he put on his best bowtie and mawashi. He became the butt of many jokes for the series for his lovesick ways, which made him popular enough to return for each subsequent game until T7‘s 3rd season of DLC. Still, like T7, if Ganryu does make it into T8, it likely won’t be in Season 1.

Eliza

Out for Blood

• Nationality: Unknown
• Fighting Style: Unknown
• Debut: Tekken Revolution

After featuring angels, devils, monsters, and three fighting bears, throwing in a vampire doesn’t seem that strange. Eliza was based on a female vampire design that the Tekken team had in mind since T3 was in development. They never made it into the game, but series director Katsuhiro Harada noted she became a kind of lucky charm. Whenever she was brought up, the dev team would come across good luck in some way or another.

Eliza would finally enter the series via its free-to-play game, Tekken Revolution, after winning a poll consisting of other rejected character proposals. That would have been the end of it if she didn’t come back in T7, rumored to be a replacement for a failed attempt to get Darkstalkers‘ Morrigan into the game. On top of a super meter and 2D jumps, Eliza gained a curious connection to Lili and a rivalry with Claudio’s Archers of Sirius. She’s got some narrative to work with, but after T8‘s recent backlash, the game could do with some of her good luck.

Guest Character

RSVP for the Iron Fist Tournament

• Tekken‘s First Guest Character: Gon (Tekken 3)
• Most Notorious Guest Character: Akuma (Tekken 7)
• Most Unusual Guest Character: Negan (Tekken 7)

Guest characters have become something of a necessity for fighting games in the past decade or so. Tekken largely avoided them after T3‘s Gon, but made up for lost time by adding Fatal Fury‘s Geese Howard, Final Fantasy 15‘s Noctis, and The Walking Dead‘s Negan to T7‘s roster. Its most infamous guest character was Street Fighter‘s Akuma, who was not only (somewhat) involved in the story, but became a nightmare for players to deal with due to his 2D jumps and supers.

Harada didn’t make guest characters a priority for T8, but he didn’t rule them out completely. There’s a chance Akuma could return and give everyone nightmares again. Or perhaps Sega will let Like A Dragon‘s Kazuma Kiryu Tiger Drop a Mishima or two. Then, like fans have been hoping, Tifa Lockheart could become the second FF character to appear in Tekken. It could be any of those three, or a different character. Then again, maybe T8 will bypass guests altogether. It’s all in the hands of Bandai-Namco and whoever they can negotiate with.