Tekken 8 has only been out for a week and has already confirmed having 4 DLC characters, but who should be the next guest character? Read on to learn more about Tekken’s approach to guest characters and our predictions as to who they could be.
Tekken 8 Future DLC Characters
Tekken’s Guest Character Conundrum
A few weeks ago, Katsuhiro Harada, TEKKEN’s Executive Game Director, openly stated on Twitter (X) that their team has still not decided anything about guest characters for Tekken 8. This was in reply to user @DistantMemory96 who echoed the fans’ request of adding Final Fantasy 7 heroine, Tifa Lockhart. This was directed to Tekken 7’s inclusion of surprising guest characters and that it’s not just the core fanbase asking for the older Tekken characters to come back, but even new fans who want their favorite characters to be added to the game.
That being said, they haven’t confirmed any guest characters since its development. Why is that? As of writing, there is no known public reason as to why they opted not to have any of them, but maybe they just wanted to focus on the series’ fighters first before adding any guest characters to the roster. Another possible reason could be that they would need to update some of the characters’ animations to make use of the new Unreal Engine 5, as they’ve already confirmed that they’re making new motion capture footage for the upcoming capoeira fighter, Eddy Gordo.
Don’t Ask Harada For Anything, Unless…
Harada is most often known for his no-nonsense attitude with regard to fan requests. With him being known to say and echo "Don’t Ask Me For S***" with regards to requests regarding the series, it’s proven quite effective with the results that Tekken 7 and 8 have gotten within this time. But with the popularity of the current game skyrocketing, as well as Tekken’s unpredictability when it comes to guest characters, will Tekken 8 have playable guest characters?
With regards to Tekken’s choices of guest inclusions, we can confirm that these guest characters weren’t highly requested, but more of a marketing tactic for both Tekken and the franchise of the guest character. This is evident with Tekken 7’s guest characters Akuma, Geese Howard, Noctis Lucis Caelum, and finally Negan.
While we could see a pattern with regards to Akuma and Geese Howard since they’re characters from other fighting games, specifically Street Fighter and Fatal Fury, Noctis was the first character from a completely different genre entirely. While this was bizarre enough, they even added The Walking Dead’s Negan to the mix, who was one of the main antagonists of that show’s arc during that time period. So judging from Bandai Namco’s approach on the guest characters, literally anyone can get in the Tekken series as long as it fits the marketing or promotional tactic.
Tekken 8 Possible Guest Character Candidates
With that out of the way, it’s time to answer the question. Who are the realistic guest character choices to get into Tekken 8? It’s hard to actually predict the DLC characters with Namco’s constant unpredictability and radio silence when it comes to DLC. However, we at Game8 have come up with a possible list of candidates who have a chance at getting in the King of Iron Fist Tournament.
Akuma - Street Fighter
Yes, that’s right. A return for Akuma is not out of the question or out of place. He was also mentioned and integrated into the story of Tekken 7, as well as his gameplay being fully fleshed out as well. While I am sure that he won’t be having the same playstyle since Tekken 7 used his Street Fighter 4 version of the character.
Terry Bogard - Fatal Fury
With the announcement of having a Garou sequel announced last EVO 2023 as well as the teaser trailer revealed months ago, it makes sense for Geese’s sworn enemy to have a place in Tekken. Terry is well known for being one of the biggest icons in the fighting game genre, so he would also draw attention to both games. It could be a marketing move for SNK to get more eyes tuned into their upcoming Fatal Fury sequel, as well as Namco being able to advertise more fighting game guests as well.
Akira Yuki - Virtua Fighter
Virtua Fighter has been missing from the fighting game space for a while now, and there were rumors about a planned resurgence. He would fit right in with the cast mainly because Virtua Fighter is a 3D fighting game as well. He could play differently from the Tekken characters as Virtua Fighter doesn’t particularly focus on air combos but more on stray hits and big hit confirms.
Naked Snake/Big Boss - Metal Gear Solid
Hear me out, Snake being in a fighting game isn’t anything new anymore as he was part of Super Smash Bros. (depending on whether you think that’s a fighting game or not is entirely up to you). It matches up with the marketing ploy as Konami would want to market their upcoming remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta, which was listed to release this year. Seeing as he is an expert on CQC or Close Quarters Combat from the tutelage of The Boss, he would fit in as well as the integration of other weaponry in his arsenal.
Daredevil/Matthew Murdock - Marvel
Since Tekken was able to secure Negan of all characters in the past, it would make sense for them to be able to get any other character as long as both parties agree. Daredevil would make sense mainly because the series will be getting a new season soon, as well as he just fits in perfectly with the cast of characters. Matt Murdock is more of a martial artist than a superhero, and even with him using different weapons, Daredevil would be a completely fine addition to the already massive cast of characters.
Tifa Lockhart - Final Fantasy VII
Of course, no list of guest character predictions would be complete without one of Final Fantasy VII’s main heroines, Tifa Lockhart. She would join the ranks as the second Final Fantasy character in the Tekken franchise, as Noctis (Final Fantasy XV) was first. She is a martial artist or pugilist by trade, which would make her a perfect fit to Tekken’s gameplay. With the game having more focus on character gimmicks and identities, she would be perfect mainly because of Heat being her Limit Break of some sort.
At this point, if Namco does confirm that a guest character is coming, it could literally be anyone they deem as marketable. They’re unpredictable when it comes to guest characters, but nevertheless they always do the guests' character designs justice by keeping their identity while playing similar to a Tekken character.
