Predicting Tekken 8’s Winter 2024 Character

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home November 23, 2024 138 Views 6 Min Read
Predicting Tekken 8's Winter 2024 Character

One more new character remains yet to be released as part of Tekken 8‘s first DLC character pass, and they have big shoes to fill after the shocking reveal of Heihachi Mishima earlier this year. Each seasonal character has come with their own surprising appeal, but autumn’s Heihachi set a new tone following Eddy and Lidia. While who will appear in Tekken 8 next seems rather uncertain, there are patterns and clues which indicate that a few fighters have better odds than most.




Although theories surrounding alleged leaks around the time of Tekken 8‘s initial release centered on Marduk and Fahkumram, the later addition of Heihachi threw most predictions out the window. Only one of those can still occupy the final slot, but developer hints, the martial arts distribution of the current roster, and general momentum of character popularity all highlight different picks having more potential.

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Tekken 8’s Winter DLC Character Was Directly Hinted at Months Ago

Attempting to Decode Harada’s Cryptic Animal Hints

Back in February, Tekken series lead Katsuhiro Harada shared a post on X/Twitter seemingly outlining the DLC roadmap through animal codenames:


This confusing set of hints hasn’t necessarily been a reliable source of speculation, but there is a potential precedent for its accuracy in terms of the appearance of Heihachi Mishima’s general hair silhouette compared to that of a koala’s head. It’s also entirely possible that these are development codenames without a basis in connection to design, as Lidia doesn’t seem to have any relation to raccoons.

Heihachi Proved That T8 is Focused on Subverting Expectations

The notion of a guest character in Tekken 8 has been explicitly dismissed by Harada himself, making it seem like far less of a possibility when compared to how major that gimmick was for T7. It’s also worth noting, however, that Harada also directly stated that Heihachi was permanently dead and not returning, before being contradicted only months later in a display of his willingness to mislead the fanbase for the sake of surprise. This makes a guest still possible, but there are also existing characters who easily fit into the current environment cultivated during T8‘s life so far.


One Tekken 8 DLC Candidate Matches the ‘Hamster’ Description Better Than Most

Why Bob’s Speed and Weight is Likely to Cap Off Tekken 8’s First Season

Known for his remarkable agility despite his large size and round figure, Bob Richards aligns notably well with the concept of a hamster as a codename. He’s been a base roster fighter since his debut in Tekken 6, and his omission from the latest title on release has set up him for a dramatic return that could find its own niche of hype after the waves made by Heihachi. After the plot-heavy arrival of the Mishima monarch, it makes sense to end the DLC pass out on a more playful note which can catch many casual fans off-guard.


Female Characters or a Newcomer Still Have Fair Odds of Appearing

Several other contenders fit into the ‘hamster’ hint, and the general diversity of the roster might be better supported by one of the series’ Muay Thai fighters. Women like Julia Chang, Anna Williams, or Kunimitsu would balance out the mostly male cast, but a totally new fighter might be a better pick than them because they have all already made climactic returns as DLC in T7. With the flexibility of the lore behind the dubiously canon Slim Bob though, there’s still room for Bob in Tekken 8 to strike a balance between novelty and legacy alike.

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