With a brand new Tekken entry comes a brand new tier listing of characters to select from. From buffs to nerfs and new characters getting into the roster, the combating sport neighborhood rediscovers every character’s place within the aggressive meta. This listing relies on three variables that each character has: their flexibility, offensive potential, and defensive choices. Tekken is all about balancing your offense whereas sustaining your blocks, as many KOs are brought on by lengthy juggling combos that go away the participant helpless with little room to get better. Characters who can pull off strings, keep away from getting knocked down, and have an answer for many matchups are thought of one of the best within the sport. Right here is the listing from the simplest character to win to the toughest characters that require extra hardwork.
S-Tier
ReinaJun KazamaJin KazamaSteveNina WilliamsLeroy
Reina, as the brand new character entrant for Tekken 8, doesn’t disappoint along with her Heihachi-styled moveset. She is a robust contender within the roster because of her versatile moveset. Reina has strong mixups in her combos and good attain along with her kicks. Since she takes some traits from the Mishima college of combating, she additionally has Electrics, giving her loads of alternatives to juggle. Gamers who can grasp Reina’s package will discover her a rewarding character to play.
Jin, because the overarching protagonist of Tekken, is a superb starter character on account of his well-balanced moveset that has no main weaknesses. Like Reina, he has the Mishima-style package, that means that he additionally has Electrics. Jin has a solution to most matchups, as he can poke character from mid-range, making a a secure decide. At the moment a fantastic selection for gamers trying to be taught Tekken fundamentals.
Jun Kazama is lastly returning after nearly 30 years since her first look and has been given a brand new, distinctive gimmick that places her on the highest rung of the roster. Jun can sacrifice a small portion of her well being so as to add mild pillars to her assaults for plenty of chip harm and further poke vary. She will take a therapeutic stance that regenerates grey well being to counteract the well being price. Jun additionally has a particular interplay with the Warmth Gauge, which when activated, lets her use her use her mild pillars for no well being price, which makes Jun an offensive powerhouse that may put on down even probably the most defensive gamers with huge chip harm.
Steve is a wonderful rushdown-styled stance character with a bevy of combo mixups that make him notably deadly with aggressive gamers. Since his background is in boxing, he has no kicks in his moveset, however don’t be fooled since he’s nonetheless able to low assaults. Instead of a kick animation, the left and proper kick buttons dictate the route of his dodges. When taking part in on the offensive, Steve is unmatched.
Nina Williams, like Steve, is a rushdown character however buying and selling Steve’s energy for much more mobility. Her combo strings are so quick that she will successfully power a wall carry and paired with mid to long-range weapons thrown within the combine, turns her right into a extremely technical nightmare for learners. Nina will concede no floor to her opponents because of her assaults having fast restoration frames.
Leroy, launched in Tekken 7, remains to be as highly effective as his earlier incarnation. Although he has toned down a bit in Tekken 8, he’s nonetheless a extremely versatile fighter with glorious defensive choices that turn into offensive choices and vice versa. Leroy can mix his impartial assaults with a robust knockback if he takes successful whereas in the midst of the assault, making him troublesome to punish for a mistimed assault. He isn’t as dominant as he was earlier than, however his mechanics nonetheless make him a fierce fighter for many who perceive how he performs.
A-Tier
Kazuya MishimaKingHwoarangDragunovAzucenaLili
Kazuya nonetheless stays the staple Tekken character along with his inheritance of the Mishima-style artwork. He’s the rationale why Electrics are a mechanic in Tekken, and he’s the undisputed grasp of the long-lasting Electrical Wind God Fist maneuver that also makes up the core of his moveset. He now comes along with his personal Satan transformation, which supplies his assaults further chip harm and ensures an Electrical to some his strikes. His package is strong, and he can chain good combos along with his assortment of setup assaults. Kazuya is the baseline that each one different characters in Tekken are in contrast with and for good cause
King is the premier grappler character, matching his background as a luchador. Not like different characters who’ve combo mixups, King can combine up his throws, making him very troublesome to tech in opposition to as, particularly when he begins chain grabbing. To maximise King’s toolkit, one should grasp his intensive listing of throws to make sure the enemy will get no alternative to combat again. Grappler mains will love King’s Tekken 8 model.
Hwoarang’s is a wonderful offensive stance character with good attain, because of his kick-focused playstyle. He’s tough to play as he has a complete of 5 stances to select from, every stance having its personal movesets, turning him into a really technical character. The stance mechanic, nonetheless makes Hwoarang onerous to learn as he can simply change stances on the fly, even mid-combo for superior gamers. A Hwoarang participant will be scary to combat in opposition to after they know what they’re doing.
Dragunov has an expansive toolkit, which makes him a menace at shut vary. A good quantity of his tracks have plus frames, letting him rapidly combo one other hit in. Dragunov additionally has some nice hole closers that get him in vary for his many grabs. He performs as a brawler and grappler hybrid with a slight emphasis on seize assaults. His Warmth Gauge mechanic put him even additional within the grappler class as a result of when it’s activated, it makes his grabs untechable, guaranteeing harm for Dragunov.
Azucena is the capoeira sucessor to Eddy Gordo, weaponizing her dance strikes. Azucena is a extremely cell stance character with loads of evasive choices. Like Hwoarang, she is advanced along with her stances as she has completely different gimmicks for each. Certainly one of her stances, Liberation, will robotically dodge excessive assaults and counter lows, with mid assaults being its weakspot. She has one other stance that exposes her again however offers her far sidesteps. Her impartial sport is nice
Lili continues to be an efficient punisher character, the place her movesets make the most of any errors made and capitalize on juggling opponents after mentioned mistake. Her inputs are easy to make however will be troublesome to execute on conscious gamers, as her gameplan of punishing errors will fall off when she fails to guess the mixup. Nonetheless, Lili is a aggressive decide for gamers who can learn their opponent’s transfer
B-Tier
PaulYoshimitsuDevil JinAsukaMarshall Legislation
Paul’s gameplay hasn’t modified a lot, nonetheless functioning as a high-damage however gradual brawler that excels on the elementary Tekken abilities. Now with the brand new Warmth Gauge system for Tekken 8, this augments Paul’s strengths much more by giving all his assaults the power to protect break, basically leaving his opponents extensive open for his combos. He’s a beginner-friendly character with no gimmicks other than a excessive harm per hit, however as soon as he enters aggressive circles, he’ll fall off as he climbs the ranks in opposition to extra expert gamers. Nonetheless, his Warmth Gauge offers him the prospect to beat excessive ELO gamers in the event that they underestimate his guard breaks.
Yoshimitsu’s shinobi skills make him unpredictable for a lot of gamers along with his skillset and makes him an actual wildcard in the case of taking part in him. He has goofy movesets that may throw off many learners along with his variable hitboxes and peculiar assault animations. He has gotten a bit higher from his Tekken 7 model, as his sheathed sword stance offers him a small quantity of lifesteal. Nonetheless, extra aggressive gamers can cope with Yoshimitsu as soon as they get a learn on the participant operating him. Yoshimitsu nonetheless stays a enjoyable however extremely gimmicky character that doesn’t see as a lot use in ranked modes.
Satan Jin has loads of gimmicks to distinguish him from his human counterpart. He can airdash along with his wings and has a laser assault that goes by your entire display screen. Regardless of all these options for Satan Jin, he struggles with gamers that make the most of the sidestep and he sacrifices his close-range viability for extra ranged gameplay. When choosing up Satan Jin, its higher to think about as a ranged character with respectable melee choices than as a souped-up model of Jin.
Asuka has been hit with a nerf in Tekken 8, getting her motion slowed down by a bit. Nonetheless, she nonetheless features as an efficient brawler, albeit easier to play now. She has secure strikes with good poking vary and good defensive choices like her stance that counters excessive and mid assaults. Whereas she is much less highly effective in comparison with her Tekken 7 model, Asuka stays a beginner-friendly fighter who can play safely.
Marshall Legislation is a close-range rushdown character with a robust mixup sport that may put on down opponents along with his speedy combos. His gameplan hasn’t modified a lot since Tekken 7, as he nonetheless calls for his opponents to respect his vary. Nonetheless, he suffers from medium to long-range as he doesn’t have a lot in the way in which of hole closers. Marshall Legislation requires all-out aggression, which might typically trigger his gamers to drop their guard to make a dangerous play. If he does win that gamble, Marshall Legislation turns into completely deadly in his vary.
C-Tier
Bryan is without doubt one of the most onerous hitting powerhouses in Tekken’s historical past, which is offset by his very gradual startup frames. He’s a troublesome character to play as a result of his assaults are punishable by advantage of getting a protracted startup body. Nonetheless, if he lands his assaults, Bryan has a large window to unleash his personal combos. When taking part in Bryan, spacing is vital to taking part in him proper as prop participant will capitalize on his sluggish strikes.
Panda and Kuma proceed to endure within the low tiers since Tekken 3 as their archetype, the gradual, heavy-hitting powerhouse, falls wanting the mobility, attain, and pace of all the opposite characters in Tekken 8’s roster. Kuma and Panda endure from an absence of attain, huge hitboxes, and a sluggish moveset, making them typically unsafe to play with, and will be simply punished by a good participant. Veteran Tekken gamers can nonetheless make the bears work in aggressive play, however they require far more proactive than reactive play.
