Tekken 8 Fills Out Its Roster With Final, New Fighter

Tekken 8 is set to release early next year, and developer Bandai Namco has slowly been releasing its fighter roster to build up hype ahead of launch. Last night, the team revealed the final character coming to the default roster. It’s a brand-new fighter, but her style is widely known in Tekken circles. That’s because Reina is a student at the Mishima Polytechnical School, making her a pupil of one of the series’ biggest antagonists Heihachi Mishima. While we don’t know exactly what Reina’s going to get up in Tekken 8, it’s clear from her trailer that she has a special interest in Jin Kazama.

Who is Reina in Tekken 8?

It’s a bit surprising to see Bandai Namco finish its roster with back-to-back new fighters, though Tekken 8 only has four total debut characters. Some assumed the final spot would go to one of the more famous characters in the franchise’s long history. That said, Reina’s connection with Heihachi definitely makes her inclusion an interesting one considering the former villain is technically dead after Tekken 7. Plus, in a new PlayStation Blog written by Tekken 8 director Kohei Ikeda, it was revealed that Reina was “conceived during Tekken 7‘s story development” and will “play a vital role in Tekken 8‘s story, The Dark Awakens.” It seems likely that Reina will take up Heihachi’s mantle in some respects and use her skills in Taido and Mishima Style Fighting Karate to dominate the battlefield.

The PlayStation Blog makes it clear that Reina’s fighting style is heavily focused on acrobatics and quickness. She also isn’t afraid to fight dirty, with eye pokes and scratching being some of her go-to moves. The Blog makes special mention of how powerful she is near walls where she can use her offensive skills.

Tekken 8 Full Roster

With the announcement of Reina, Tekken 8‘s day-one roster is now locked in. Of course, Bandai Namco will add at least four more fighters over the course of its first season of DLC. Regardless, here is the complete day-one roster:

• Jin Kazama
• Kazuya Mishima/Devil Kazuya 
• Jun Kazama
• Lars Alexandersson
• Paul Phoenix
• Marshall Law
• King
• Jack-8 (New)
• Nina Williams
• Ling Xiaoyu
• Leroy Smith
• Asuka Kazama
• Lili De Rochefort
• Hwoarang
• Bryan Fury
• Claudio Serafino
• Raven
• Azucena Milagros Ortiz Castillo (New)
• Yoshimitsu
• Steve Fox
• Sergei Dragunov
• Leo Kliesen
• Kuma
• Shaheen
• Feng Wei
• Panda
• Zafina
• Lee Chaolan
• Alisa Bosconovitch
• Devil Jin
• Victor Chevalier (New)
• Reina (New)

What is the Release Date for Tekken 8?

Tekken 8 launches on January, 2024, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Now that the full roster is available, we’ll probably hear about the first DLC character within the next few weeks. After all, the team will want to keep the hype at its maximum while selling as many copies as possible. If they announce a fan-favorite fighter as part of the post-launch campaign, that’ll keep the excitement rolling long past the initial launch.