Tekken 8 is the latest fighting game to come out, and there are many fighters to try out. However, some are significantly better than others. Additionally, some fighters are more accessible and easy to play for those who are new to the franchise. Amongst some of the returning fighters are some new faces.
If you want to know who the best Tekken 8 fighters are right now, here is the current ranking for all fighters in Tekken 8.
S Tier: Hwoarang, Jin, Jun, Dragunov, Claudio
Hwoarang has an incredibly varied moveset with his kicks and can be very annoying to deal with if you’re his opponent. Hwoarang can also utilize the Heat system better than some of the other fighters, making him even more of a threat to his opponent.
Jun is one of the absolute best since her return from Tekken 2. While she has experienced quite a few nerfs since the release of Tekken 8, the Heat system can be strongly utilized by Jun and can truly work to her advantage. Her moveset is incredibly similar to that of her moveset in Tekken 2. Anyone who played her during that game will find her moveset relatively easy.
Jun is also one of the easiest fighters to play in Tekken 8. She has some great juggle combos and some powerful lows, as well as being difficult to punish or sidestep.
Dragunov is quite a difficult fighter to play and has a high skill ceiling. However, if you can learn his moveset and his most potent combos, Dragunov can be an absolute powerhouse. Dragunov has some great pokes, and his mobility is one of his biggest strengths. He is worth learning to play if you want a powerful fighter who comes as a challenge.
Claudio is a fantastic fighter and is easy to learn if you’re new to the Tekken franchise. That being said, he has a high skill ceiling. While he doesn’t have many lengthy combos, he does have a lot of powerful and punishing moves that can be difficult for your opponent to combat.
In previous additions to the Tekken games, Jin’s moveset was rather complicated. However, in this new Tekken game, his moveset has been significantly simplified. His moves are still incredibly powerful, and he has some lengthy juggle combos. Jin has become way more accessible for new players.
A Tier: Kazuya, King, Lili, Shaheen, Reina, Lee Chaolan, Paul, Alisa, Feng Wei, Devil Jin, Azucena, Steve Fox, Jack-8, Lars, Bryan, Leo
Kazuya can be very powerful in the right hands. With a familiar moveset to lots of players, Kazuya can be countered quite easily. That being said, using the Heat system along with his lengthy combos, it can be pretty difficult to get out of Kazuya’s grasp. The Heat system allows him to utilize his demon form, which adds extra damage to his attacks. There are also some fantastic Heat exclusive combos that he can do, which can overpower the opponent easily.
King is an iconic fighter and has been a powerhouse since his introduction to the franchise. He has incredible throws and powerful basic attacks. However, King can be countered, as his opener moves can leave him vulnerable.
Lili is a great fighter if you can learn her combos, as her attacks can be very unpredictable. From some long juggle combos to a devastating Heat Smash combo, Lili is a lot of fun and can be a true danger on the battlefield. That being said, she can be quite tricky to learn as she has the slowest Heat Smash in the game, and the wind-up on some of her attacks can leave her vulnerable and quickly countered.
Shaheen can be quite a complex character to play in Tekken 8 as he doesn’t utilize gimmicks. Those who are familiar with the combos and movesets of Tekken will find Shaheen easier than others. When mastered, Shaheen is a powerhouse and can deal a lot of damage.
Reina, a brand new fighter utilizing the Mishima style of fighting, can be an incredible force of nature. However, she is one of the hardest fighters there is to learn in Tekken 8 now. However, if utilized properly, she has some great agility and can be a monster if you know how to play her.
Lee Chaolan can be a great fighter if you know how to use him. However, he is really difficult to learn, and if you’re looking for a challenge in a new fighter, Lee Chaolan is the way to go. Lee is great at punishing his opponent once you know what their plans are. He has some fantastic counterattacks.
Although Paul is often not taken seriously, he is a fantastic fighter. With reasonably short combos but hefty attacks, he is a great character to play as a beginner. However, his downside is that he doesn’t have many low attacks, and he can struggle to counter some of the more agile fighters like Azucena and Lili.
If you’re looking to have your opponent frustrated and stuck against the wall, Alisa is perfect for that. With some fabulous combos, she can deter her opponent and have them backed against the wall in seconds if you aren’t careful. While her attacks may seem stubby, they have more range than the opponent may expect, and her lows can carry her through the match. Her moveset also allows for a lot of variety and wild mix-ups. Combined with her wild agility, she can punish her opponent with counterattacks with ease.
Feng Wei is one of the more unique fighters in Tekken 8. He is a defensive fighter who works best by analyzing his opponents and punishing their mistakes. Feng has some great poke abilities and some ridiculously powerful punishes if you pull them off. Feng also has some launchers that can make it difficult for their opponent to stand a chance against him.
Devil Jin is a tricky fighter. While on a base level, his move set isn’t fantastic, it takes a real pro to be able to manage how to play Devil Jin and utilize him to his full potential. He doesn’t have the best frames on his moveset, putting him at a disadvantage already. If you’re able to get distance between you and the opponent, your laser attacks can really put in work and keep your opponent at arm’s length.
Azucena is one of the newest fighters to join the Tekken franchise, and her damage is fantastic. She has many different combos that allow her to mix it up and change up her methodology. Azucena is also an easy fighter to learn how to play with some fun combos. Her stances can sometimes allow you to dodge your opponent’s attacks.
Steve Fox, the British boxer, can be a pain to deal with. He is a force to be reckoned with only if you’re able to familiarize yourself with his stance changes and moveset. He is one of the more challenging fighters in Tekken 8, so put the practice in. However, he has everything you could need from a fighter. From punishing counters to unavoidable combo strings, Steve Fox is a great fighter to pick, but he falls into the A tier on the premise of his difficulty.
Jack-8 is a staple in the Tekken franchise. Unfortunately, he may seem daunting to new players. While large and clunky, he is super destructive and can apply pressure to the opponent. His wall carries and his mix-up capabilities are the biggest reasons for this. However, he can be countered relatively easily by nimble characters. Make sure to have patience when fighting those who are quick with the sidestep.
Lars is a good baseline fighter and can be quite good for new players to learn how to play. This is because you can get some good attacks off if you are a button masher, but if you are trying to become a skilled Tekken player, Lars will eventually fall off. That being said, in the right hands, he can be unpredictable and frightening, as his Heat combos can do a tremendous amount of damage to the opponent.
Bryan is a fighter who can be really difficult to learn how to play if you aren’t a Tekken veteran, and that can hold players back from unlocking their true potential. However, if you are someone who knows just what buttons to press, Bryan can be incredibly scary. He has some fantastic punch combos, and because of his sheer power, he can be somewhat unpredictable to players.
Leo is a brilliant fighter for new and returning players, as his damage is well-rounded, and his moveset is relatively easy. Despite nerfs, he can still output some great damage, especially now with the Heat system. His mix-ups highly benefit from the Heat gauge, and this speedy devil can cause a great deal of agitation for your opponent.
B Tier: Xiaoyu, Law, Leroy, Nina, Asuka, Victor, Yoshimitsu, Raven, Kuma, Panda
While Xiaoyu has a lot of stance hopping and agility, she isn’t the best to play. Her combos are a bit lackluster, and a lot of her combos open her up to attacks. She is incredibly vulnerable throughout a fight. Even in Tekken 7, she was one of the lower-ranking fighters. Unfortunately, it seems that not much has changed here either.
Law is a pretty average fighter at the moment. His Heat combos are underwhelming, and he doesn’t have many redeeming factors. His frames can make the fight even harder. While he is a good fighter for new players due to his overwhelmingly simplified moveset, he is predictable and manageable to counter in every sense of the word.
Leroy was once a fantastic fighter, but significant nerfs make him just above average. He does have good chip damage, but at the moment, that’s his only plus side. He can build pressure, but overall, he isn’t that fantastic.
Nina does have a lot of versatility and has some fantastic mix-ups and grapples, as well as some tremendous long-range damage. That said, she doesn’t have the best counters. They don’t hit quite as hard as some of the others from other fighters. Her combos are great if you can pull them off, but she predominantly utilizes high or mid-attacks. This doesn’t give her many options for low attacks or combos.
Asuka is fairly well-rounded, with some great combos with both low and high damage. However, she’s just ever so slightly missing the mark. The main problem with Asuka is she doesn’t have the option to be defensive. Instead, she relies heavily on pure aggression, which can serve as a challenge depending on who your opponent is.
While Victor has some easy combos, he is very predictable as a fighter. Because of that, he falls lower on this Tekken 8 fighters list because his combos are very spammable. While he specializes in ranged damage, making him a huge irritation as a whole, his moves can be pretty slow, leaving him vulnerable to counterattacks.
The spectacle that Yoshmitsu is has that same slippery moveset as before, but this time he comes with some extra bells and whistles. With the use of the Heat gauge, he can now heal with his sword, making him a terrifying opponent. He does has a relatively high skill ceiling, and you need to have some Tekken knowledge under your belt to be able to play him well.
While Raven can be a really fun fighter to play due to his clones, his normals don’t have the highest impact, making his fighting feel rather bland. For him to excel, you have to utilize his clones to amplify his mix-ups. Raven is perfect for those who are a master at Tekken. For casual players, he may not do that well.
Kuma and, by extension, Panda are a lot of fun. Their attacks are pretty slow, but despite that, they can output some chunky damage. Like a couple of other fighters on the roster, they rely on the Heat gauge to be able to apply pressure and chip away at their health bar. On a casual level, they are a lot of fun. To play them at a higher level, it’ll require a lot of work and timing as they have some tricky hitboxes that can cause a plethora of issues in pulling off combos.
There are no bad fighters in Tekken 8. Each has its own qualities and flaws; if you spend time playing enough of a character, you’ll be able to make them work to your advantage and learn how to counter other fighters.
If you’re new to the game, maybe try some of the S Tier fighters! A few of them are reasonably easy to play, too! Good luck in your battles.
