Panda is, shockingly enough for anyone not familiar with Tekken 8, only one of two separate playable bears in this game. Kuma is the most well-known bear on the roster, while Panda is the second. While Kuma spends every waking moment either making Paul Phoenix miserable or training like Heihachi, Panda is almost always within 10 feet of Ling Xiaoyu.
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Both of the bears are playable in Tekken 8 as they’re among the 32 fighters available at launch. And, while they’re mostly the same, there are more differences between them than ever before. So, let’s go over what exactly Panda has in her kit, how she differs from Kuma, how she differs from the rest of the cast, and what you need to know if you want to play Panda as your main.
Updated December 2nd, 2024 by Jacob Buchalter: So, after all this time, how are Panda and Kuma stacking up compared to the rest of the Tekken 8 roster? Well, unsurprisingly, the strongest characters on the roster have gone through their fair share of nerfs, but not much has changed as far as the bears are concerned, which is actually a good thing. The more time passes, the more people are able to completely deconstruct this game, and the better certain characters or gimmicks will get. On release, a lot of people would’ve told you that Panda and Kuma were bottom tier as far as a Tekken 8 tier list is concerned. Nowadays? The two bears are easily sitting somewhere in high B-Rank if not A-Rank, which means there’s never been a better time to pick up and learn them.
Who Is Panda? Why Is She Always Near Ling Xiaoyu?
Xiaoyu’s Bodyguard & A Real Adorable Beast
For anyone who has taken a look at our Kuma guide, you’re going to see a lot of similarities between Panda and Kuma. In fact, up until around Tekken Tag Tournament 2, both Panda and Kuma shared the same character slot. And, both bears have a strong connection to Heihachi Mishima, as Kuma was trained by Heihachi and eventually became Heihachi’s bodyguard while Panda was also trained by Heihachi but then assigned to be a bodyguard for Ling Xiaoyu while she attended the Mishima Technical School.
This is where the difference in the bear’s style and slight fighting differences come in, as Kuma adores Heihachi and is happy to emulate his attacks in his own fighting style while Panda has spent most days training with Xiaoyu and as such has integrated some of her movements into her own moveset as well. Additionally, while it might seem obvious that the two bears in the roster would like being around each other, Panda apparently can’t stand Kuma and makes this clear whenever she gets the chance.
For Writing Out Directional Inputs, Attacks, & Combo Strings
Just like with our other Tekken 8 character guides, it’s first important to break down how exactly players are meant to read inputs for this game in guides online. The Tekken community uses a bit of a unique nomenclature for writing out their inputs as opposed to following the standard Light Punch, Heavy Punch, Light Kick, Heavy Kick method. To be more specific, Tekken has Left Punch, RIght Punch, Left Kick, and Right Kick that are expressed in the same order as 1, 2, 3, and 4. So, a combo that followed a sequence of, say, Left Punch into Right Punch into Left and Right Punch together would be written as 1,2, 1+2.
When doing things this way, Tekken players can easily ready how a combo or attack string is performed regardless of what their controller method is (be it a fight stick, controller, or even keyboard). We aren’t going to get over all the terminology used or how it’s written, but for the sake of this Panda guide, here’s what you’ll need to know:
Symbol Used |
Meaning |
---|---|
u |
Up |
d |
Down |
b |
Back |
f |
Forward |
1 |
Left Punch |
2 |
Right Punch |
3 |
Left Kick |
4 |
Right Kick |
H |
Heat |
HB |
Heat Burst |
RA |
Rage Art |
uf |
Up+Forward (AKA Diagonal Up & To the Right) |
df |
Down+Forward (AKA Diagonal Down & To the Right) |
ub |
Up+Back (AKA Diagonal Up & To the Left) |
db |
Down+Back (AKA Diagonal Down & To the Left) |
WR |
While Running |
!W |
Wallsplat |
WB|! |
Wall Blast |
Panda Vs Kuma Playstyle & General Character Overview
Panda Isn’t Just a 1:1 Kuma Clone
Again, if you’ve seen our Kuma Guide, then you’re pretty much covered on Panda. Both Panda and Kuma are characters that seem like gimmick-only fighters at first, but upon playing them and exploring deeper, you’ll find that these bears actually have a lot of depth that’s connected through their gimmicks. For example, yes you can get by in lower ranks just using the stances such as Hunting Bear Stance, Bear Roll, and so on, but that won’t get you to the high ranks and it won’t get you anywhere near Tekken God.
But, if you practice enough, you’ll see that Panda’s best combos use Hunting Bear Stance, Bear Roll, and the more ‘gimmicky’ attacks to connect different strings, leading to an absurd amount of damage. Just like Kuma, Panda has a ton of mix-ups, is deceptively fast (especially with their 1,1,1 jab string that easily leads to long combo strings), and even has a variant of Xiaoyu’s Shooting Star kicks while in Heat Mode. This is one of the main differences between Kuma and Panda, as Kuma’s unique move during Heat is Fresh Wind Bear First (a variation of Heihaci’s Electric Wind God Fist) which is great for combos. Panda’s Shooting Star kicks, in comparison, are less useful in combos but great for applying pressure.
Panda’s Rage Art
Close Call! Panda Storming Flower
Both Kuma and Panda’s Rage Arts are absurdly comical. While Kuma simply knocks his opponent sky-high and has his high-tech fish weapon blow them up, Panda’s Rage Art is a bit more…involved.
First, she knocks her opponent into the air before rolling forward onto her back right under where said opponent will land. Panda then catches them in her hands, spins them around like it’s a circus act, and knocks them away so that they keep rolling forward. However, it seems like Panda put a bit of spin(?) on the person as she spun them, and they came back around to collide with Panda from behind. But, before that, Panda turns around and finishes the Rage Art with a huge double-paw thrust to send the opponent flying one more time.
Of course, you’ll need to be at 25 percent health or lower to actually use her Rage Art (the input for which is df1+2). If it’s a bit hard to tell when you’re at 25 percent or lower, just know that once your health bar turns red and has this ‘flaming aura’ around it, you’re in Rage Mode.
Panda’s Stances & Unique Mechanics
Hunting Stance, Bear Roll, & Much More
Stances are a big thing in the Tekken franchise, and it feels like they’re more important than ever in Tekken 8. As such, Panda of course has stances too, the exact same ones as Kuma. As we said earlier, outside of their Heat Moves, Heat Rush, and Rage Art Panda and Kuma have the exact same move list. So, the stances and unique moves listed below are also all ones Kuma has access to:
Stance Name |
Stance Button Combination |
Alternate Button Combination |
Visual Telegraph |
Primary ‘Function’ |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hunting Bear Stance |
f3+4 or Forward + Left & Right Kick |
N/A |
Panda gets on all fours |
A low high-guard stance with a lot of slower but heavier hitting punches (AKA paws). |
Bear Sit |
d3+4 or Down & Left + Right Kick |
N/A |
Panda energetically sits down at full force |
A mix-up stance where Panda has a couple of options of what to do while sitting, from rolling forward to kicking low, to bouncing on the ground with her butt, and so on. |
Bear Roll |
Bear Sit + F or Down & Left + Right Kick and then Press (& Hold) Forward |
c1+2 or While Crouching + Left & Right Punch |
Panda either rolls forward or backward while sitting |
An extension of Bear Sit that adds even more potential moves into the pot to mix opponents up such as Bear Slide, Bear Shove, Bear Rolling Kick, and more. |
In general, HBS or Hunting Bear Stance is the most important one, as there are a lot of mix-ups Panda can do out of this Stance and it’s used to extend some combo strings. Bear Roll is probably the ‘second’ most important one, and Bear Sit is the third and most ‘gimmicky’ option.
In general, people who are new to playing Panda or Kuma typically overly rely on the moves mentioned above and people who get more comfortable with these characters know when the best time is to use these unique stances to completely throw their opponents off.
Panda Starter Pack
She Has A Surprising Amount of Options
While Panda and Kuma do seem stronger in Tekken 8 than in any Tekken game previously, they’re still relatively easy to adapt to. Most people get used to their jab opening after a couple of rounds at most, and their kicks leave a lot to be desired. However, these bears have a lot more options than you might first assume, so here are some of the most important attacks and general concepts to keep in mind while playing them:
Tip # |
Explanation |
---|---|
1 |
Get comfortable with her Hunting Bear Stance ASAP, it’ll only become more important the more experienced you get with Panda. |
2 |
Both Panda and Kuma have unique hitboxes, being giant bears that fight on their hindlegs. This is both advantageous and disadvantageous, as it can lead to some combos connecting that wouldn’t on any other character and it can also lead to enemies dropping combos that wouldn’t have dropped against any other character. Try to keep and eye out for when a combo on you is dropped and if the opponent is surprised by that then use these small windows to your advantage. |
3 |
While Kuma’s Heat Rush is good for Wall-Breaks, Panda’s is actually great to use mid-combo and even as a combo extender. The application of their Heat Rush in particular is vastly different from each other, and this can throw opponents who are used to fighting Kuma more than Panda for a loop. |
4 |
1+2 is a great punishment, good for punishing sidestepping, and great to throw at the end of a combo. Additionally, d1+2 looks like it’s a low hit but isn’t, which is a great (and hilarious) follow-up once you open the opponent up since you’re literally slamming them with your big bear butt. |
5 |
When in doubt, b1 has Armor Crush and is a reliable safety net to fall back on. 1, 1, 1 is a great string to over-rely on if necessary, db4 is a fantastic low that knocks down for a string on counter hit, and if you’re feeling really cheeky db2+3 is this chargeable gigantic low sweep that a lot of opponents never seem ready for. |
As a final note, Panda and Kuma both suffer quite a bit at the hands of opponents who have had a decent amount of experience against them. Therefore, while you can rely on certain attack strings, moves, and gimmicks against most opponents, make sure you know all of your options and be ready to use the more unique ones if you can feel your opponent getting acclimated to you.
More Advanced Notes
Some Extra Tips For Those Making The Ranked Climb With Panda
Okay so as a final little section, let’s go into some more of the ‘advanced’ stuff for Panda such as her best Normal Hit combo, Counter Hit combo, At the Wall options, and more. We’ll also break down a few more of the advanced tips for climbing the ranks as both Panda and Kuma.
It’s worth mentioning upfront, however, that these combos and tips are likely going to take a fair bit of time, practice, and frustration to really internalize, just like they would with any other fighter in any fighting game. Thankfully, Tekken 8 has plenty of in-game resources for practicing in efficient ways, so make sure to make use of those as well. In any case, let’s start by going over Panda’s best (or at least most well-known) combo strings:
Use Case |
Notation |
Explanation |
---|---|---|
Normal Hit |
df2,1,u1+2,D,(Hunting)1,b2,1,D,(Hunting)d1+2,(Hunting)df2,WR uf2,b1 |
This is by far the most ‘iconic’ combo for either Kuma or Panda in Tekken 8 and it’s one you can get from any launcher or as long as the first df2 hits as the 1 right after will launch. It’s a bit of a complex combo string that has you transitioning in and out of Hunting Stance multiple times but actually feels pretty natural once you practice it enough. The most difficult part to get used to in this string (in our opinion) are the moments where you’ll need to hold down after an attack to transition into Hunting Stance, but it’s not ‘that’ bad. |
Counter Hit |
1,1,1,WR u1+2,D,(Hunting)1,b2,1,D,(Hunting)d1+2,(Hunting)1,2 |
This combo will end up feeling and looking pretty similar to the one above, but it’s not quite the same. Usually, you’ll want to keep an eye out for when you get a counter hit (typically with the first hit of your 1,1,1 string) and transition to this combo instead of the Normal Hit one. Easier execution than the Normal Hit thankfully but actually noticing a counter hit and switching on the fly can be pretty tough to do. |
Wall Splat |
f2,1,b3+4,b2,2,1 |
Essentially you’ll want to use this when you have the opponent at the wall or have already wallsplatted them. The f2,1 is what will get them into the wall if you haven’t already, the b3+4 launches them up and into the wall high enough for the b2,2,1 to work as well. |
Wall Carry Combo |
1,1,1,WR b2,1,b2,1,1+2 (W!),ffF1+2(WB|!),uf2(W!),WR b2,1,d1+2 |
And finally, this is just one example of a few different Wall Carry combos Panda has access to. A lot of stages in Tekken 8 have the ability to Wall Blast where, if hit into the wall hard enough, the opponent will ‘blast’ off it due to some stage effect and you’re able to continue the combo from there. There are also Wall Breaks, Floor Blasts, and Floor Breaks, but since Wall Blasts are the most common in T8 we included the combo that specifically targets that. |
Now Panda has access to plenty of other combo strings, in fact, each of the categories of combo types we listed in the table above has at least 2 or more different variations you can use in different scenarios or if you prefer those more. However, these were the combos we felt were the most iconic for Panda in T8 and are core to who Panda is as a fighter.
Advanced Panda Tips
Lastly, let’s go over some more advanced tips for Panda as well as for the Red Ranks and beyond in Ranked Matches:
Tip # |
Explanation |
---|---|
1 |
Don’t be afraid to spam the same reliable move over and over until it works. Mashing becomes less and less prevalent the higher you climb and the defense of your opponents will start to skyrocket. So, it’s better to rely on a good button even if it makes you look silly compared to a more risky button that might throw them off once or twice. |
2 |
Guaranteed follow-ups are moves that, if the first part hits, the next move or even multiple moves is also guaranteed to hit. So, you’ll want to memorize at least a few of these so you know to hard commit to using them in full if the first part gets past the opponent’s block. To give a few examples, f1+2 will lead into db3,d1+2 always, Bear Sit AKA u3+4 will always lead into the extra hop of 3+4 if it hits, and our personal favorite the Bear spin AKA (Hunting)b1+2 will always open the opponent up to a free d1+2 as soon as you get up. |
3 |
1,2 is an absolute beast of a small string. Unlike Panda/Kuma’s standard jab aka 1,1,1 this is safe to use on block and if used repeatedly will lead to absolutely devastating amounts of chip damage. 1,1,1 is best simply because the single jab or the full string are both great harass tools and can lead to long strings on counter hit, but too many people sleep on 1,2 |
4 |
2,1,3 is your best quick mix-up option when close to the opponent who seems to be blocking. It ends in a short and safe low so it’ll open them up just a bit and have them thinking about blocking low. If they aren’t, keep harassing with it or even go into something like db4 if you know they’re not gonna block it. |
5 |
bf2 AKA Anger Hook is another best fundamental option, still a bit unsafe as it’s -5 on block but it does it all. It has absurd range, does great chip damage, tracks a ton, it’s wild. |
6 |
Despite how tiny their legs are, both Kuma and Panda have fantastic hop kicks with uf3. Sure it’s a bit unsafe on block but it also can be continued into a little double kick by pressing 4 after uf3 and you can even press 1+2 after those hit to cap it off with an overhead slam. Basically, don’t be afraid to use their hopkick when the opportunity presents itself. |
There are a lot more advanced tips we can go into with Panda, but that should cover you for about now, and if you need more there are plenty of resources out there for the most advanced of the advanced stuff. Hopefully, this has convinced you that Panda and Kuma are not the simple gimmick characters they appear to be and are honestly the most competent they’ve ever been in Tekken 8.
- Released
- January 26, 2024
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