11 Characters That Should Return As DLC In Tekken 8

Tekken 8 launched with a roster of 32 characters, consisting of returning fan favorites like Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima alongside new additions like Victor Chevalier and Azucena Ortiz. But the game has a lot more in store, with Bandai Namco announcing plans to expand the game’s roster beyond the initial line-up.

While some additions to the roster could be newcomers or guest characters, if it follows Tekken 7’s approach, the vast majority will be veterans returning from previous games. From longtime veterans to newcomers from the previous entry looking for their second appearance, these characters stand out as the most highly requested to return.

11

Anna Williams

Return Of The Femme Fatale

Nina Williams has been a staple of the Tekken universe ever since the original game in 1994, and her sister and archrival Anna is always not far behind. When she was first introduced as a sub-boss in Nina’s arcade mode, she was merely a moveset clone of her sister. By the time she was reintroduced in Tekken 5, Anna had many more unique moves, and she definitely feels much more like her own character in subsequent appearances.

In Tekken 7, she was not added to the roster until the second wave of DLC in 2018, and her gameplay style was further revamped to both differentiate her from Nina and further keep up with the changing times of the Tekken series. Most notably, she is able to use a bazooka in a few of her attacks. Tekken 8 hinted at her appearance in a Season 2 teaser when a helicopter with Anna-themed imagery, like a rose and hearts, was shown, so her appearance is all but guaranteed.

10

Lei Wulong

Hong Kong Supercop

Lei Wulong, a Hong Kong police officer, is Tekken’s version of Jackie Chan, inspired by the many police-themed martial arts movies Chan starred in during the ’80s and ’90s. He has always been a standout in the series, thanks to him being able to switch between five different kung fu animal stances, drunken fist, fighting with his back turned and fighting while lying on the ground. He’s been in every mainline Tekken game since then, and was the only Tekken 2 introduced character to return for Tekken 3 and 4.

Lei’s odds of returning in Tekken 8 are up in the air, as despite him being a highly requested DLC fighter for Tekken 7 and being a strong character overall, he wasn’t used very often competitively. While that doesn’t preclude him from returning eventually, it likely means he is not a high priority to bring back immediately.

9

Bruce Irvin

Everyone’s Worst Nightmare

Returning characters from Tekken 8 don’t exclusively have to consist of fighters who made the cut in Tekken 7. The base game has already brought back Raven, who sat out Tekken 7 in place of his superior, and Jun Kazama, who hadn’t appeared in a non-Tag Tekken game since her debut in Tekken 2. If there’s one name who gets brought up for a return, it’s Bruce Irvin.

A Muai Thai kickboxer who grew up in a violent inner city, he was introduced as a mercenary for Kazuya Mishima in Tekken 2, before re-emerging as a rival of Kazuya’s in Tekken 5, then rejoining him in Tekken 6. Bruce’s absence in most games since his debut may be because of Bryan Fury filling the kickboxer niche. With Tekken 7 introducing another Muai Thai kickboxer in Fahkumram, and the Filipina Josie Rizal also sharing some similarities, Bruce has a lot of competition for a roster slot.

8

Julia Chang

The Fighting Environmentalist

The daughter of Michelle Chang from the first two Tekken games, Julia is an environmentalist who joined the fight in Tekken 3 following her mother’s retirement. In most of her appearances, she is usually after either prize money or critical research at the Mishima Zaibatsu that she plans to use to help save her Arizona homeland from becoming uninhabitable.

Tekken 7 would reinvent her character once more, now as a social media streamer who uploads video blogs about her environmental work, in hopes of raising awareness for her mission. It was a well-received development that kept her character in touch with the times, and Tekken 8 could incorporate further web innovations since then. Alternatively, Julia could revive the Jaycee alter ego she used in Tekken Tag Tournament 2, which mixed her traditional moveset with lucha libre attacks.

7

Craig Marduk

Get Your Cameras Ready, Folks

Australian mixed-martial arts star Craig Marduk was introduced in Tekken 4 as a rival to King after the latter’s mentor, Armor King, was murdered in a bar brawl. The two would go on to clash in the fourth and fifth King of Iron Fist Tournaments before settling their differences and forming an alliance.

Like King and Armor King before him, Marduk takes influence from famed real-life professional wrestlers, both in terms of his moveset and his character design, which was heavily inspired by the likes of Bill Goldberg and fellow Australian wrestler Nathan Jones. He would return in Tekken 7 as a DLC character, and was heavily rumored to be part of Tekken 8’s first-season DLC roster based on a highly-publicized leak. He did not make the cut for that season, but a return looks imminent.

6

Armor King

A Beast In And Out Of The Ring

Armor King is the villainous, or heel, counterpart to King, first introduced as a moveset swap in the original Tekken. He can be distinguished by his gray jaguar mask, darker skin, and, of course, his Road Warriors-inspired armor. He would return in Tekken 2, but missed the next two games, only coming back in the non-canon Tekken Tag Tournament, where he was given new moves to distinguish himself from the other King.

Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection would mark his grand return to the series after nearly a decade away. Like King, the Armor King featured in modern Tekken games is the second generation of the character, being the former tag team partner of the original Armor King. In Tekken 7, he was one of the most played characters both at tournaments and in online play, so it’s highly probable he’ll make the jump to Tekken 8 sooner or later.

5

Miguel Caballero Rojo

Never Make A Spanishman Angry

Introduced in Tekken 6, Miguel is a Spanish brawler who entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament after the Jin Kazama-led Mishima Zaibatsu conducted an air raid over Spain that killed his sister at her wedding. Motivated by a passion for revenge, he joined a resistance movement to get his revenge on Jin. In Tekken 7, he continued his search for the Mishima heir, but once again came up short.

Miguel is a popular character, and it would be fun to play as him again, but he could also enhance the story of Tekken 8. If Jin and Miguel encounter each other, fans could see a story of Miguel understanding Jin’s side of the story and possibly learning to forgive. Jin himself always showed mercy towards Kazuya and Heihachi, despite the more sinister desires of the Devil Gene within him. Now, it may be Miguel’s turn to turn over a new leaf.

4

Bob

He Can Fight Well Above His Weight, Literally

In Tekken 6, players were introduced to the plus-sized but very agile karate champion Bob. Once a top-tier martial artist in the United States, he all but disappeared from the scene after losing to a much larger opponent. After gaining a lot of weight, he entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament to prove that he was better than ever, despite his unconventional build.

His unique character design has endeared him to fans of the series, and there’s a lot of hope that he’ll return one day. Notably, there is one character interaction that is long overdue for him. His name poked fun at a fan nickname players gave to Hwoarang because of how hard his actual name was to pronounce. It would be hilarious for Hwoarang to joke that he likes Bob’s name better than his own.

3

Lucky Chloe

Turning Tekken Into A Dance Party

Of all the new characters on Tekken 7’s base roster, nobody generated as much discourse as Lucky Chloe. A girl who became a popular teen idol in Japan, Lucky Chloe serves as a mascot for the G Corporation, the arch-enemy group of the Mishima Zaibatsu now run by Kazuya himself. Chloe became an instant sensation in Tekken’s native Japanese market, who fell in love with her design and personality.

Western audiences, on the other hand, were far more negative about the character, who found her extremely annoying and childish. The backlash only got worse when Tekken 7 was released on home consoles, due to her story involving her constantly humiliating fan-favorite Eddy Gordo. She hasn’t come back for Tekken 8, but if she were to return one day, it would definitely generate a lot of buzz.

2

Fahkumram

Will The Monster Of Muai Thai Return?

The giant Fahkumram wowed gamers when he was revealed for Tekken 7 in 2019. He is a Muai Thai kickboxer who was kidnapped by the Thai government and forced to fight on their behalf. Muai Thai isn’t a new concept to Tekken because Bruce Irvin filled the niche beforehand, but Fahkumram stands out because not only is he the first Thai character in the series, but he is also exceptionally tall. This made him stand out not only from Bruce, but from other kickboxers who were actually in Tekken 7 as well, such as Bryan Fury and Jozie Rizal.

A leak in 2024 indicated that Fahkumram was planned to be released as DLC as part of the first season that year; however, he ultimately would not be included. If the leak is real, however, he might have been planned out but swapped over to a future season. If he does return, it will hardly be a surprise.

1

Kunimitsu

A New Take On Tekken’s OG Kunoichi

Kunimitsu is a female ninja who was a member of Yoshimitsu’s Manji Clan, an organization that stole from the rich and gave back to the poor. When Yoshimitsu found out she was pocketing some of the funds for herself, he banished her from the clan. Afterward, she would become a ninja thief, constantly clashing with characters like Michelle Chang and her former leader. She was originally a clone of Yoshimitsu, though with a kunai knife instead of a sword, but later games gave her original moves.

In Tekken 7, a second Kunimitsu was introduced, and this one was the daughter of the original Kunimitsu from the first two games. When her mother became critically ill, she would be tasked with stealing Yoshimitsu’s sword in hopes of healing her. Tekken 8 could further expand her story and cement her as a permanent rival to Yoshimitsu. Furthermore, seeing the many potential new moves the new Rage Burst and Heat Smash systems would make her inclusion worth it.