Fans of the Tekken franchise were treated to a brand-new Tekken 8 trailer at The Game Awards 2022. The footage, which only lasted less than two minutes, was a mixture of cinematics and gameplay, and it confirmed the return of several well-known fighters to the Tekken 8 roster. Familiar returning faces include Paul Phoenix, Marshall Law, King, Jack-8, Lars Alexandersson, and perhaps most surprisingly, Jun Kazama.
As well as unveiling more playable characters, the trailer also shines some light on story elements for the first time. It appears to show Jin suffering a defeat at the hands of his father Kazuya, before being rescued and rehabilitated by none other than Jun Kazama, Jin's long-thought-dead mother, who has not been seen in the canonical Tekken timeline since her alleged demise at the hands of Ogre during the events leading up to Tekken 3. Disregarding the non-canonical Tekken Tag games, 2023 marks an incredible 27 years since she played a pivotal role in Tekken 2's series-defining events.
Tekken 8 is Bringing Back Some Familiar Faces
Aside from Jun's return as a playable character, something which series director Katsuhiro Harada confirmed in a recent interview, the other five characters revealed in the trailer should not come as a surprise to fans of the series. Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law are series veterans who have featured in almost every game in the Tekken franchise. The trailer shows Paul sporting a brand-new hairstyle, seemingly replacing his classic high flat-top style with a shorter cut, his blonde hair draped across his face as he launches a powerful attack at an opponent.
Marshall Law, who has been featured as a playable character in every mainline Tekken game, except Tekken 3 when he was briefly replaced by his son Forest, is shown with an incredibly ripped physique and using nunchaku to dish out some serious pain to his adversary. Jack, one of the most recognizable robots in video games, is shown in his newest iteration, presumably Jack-8 after being upgraded in each of the previous installments, sporting brand-new armor and what appears to be a huge rail gun. His inclusion was almost forgone, with Tekken 4 being the only game not to feature a playable version of Jack.
In terms of when they originally made their debuts, Lars Alexandersson is chronologically the newest character to be confirmed for Tekken 8. Making his original appearance in Tekken 6. Lars is the half-brother of Kazuya Mishima and an illegitimate son of Heihachi Mishima. He quickly established himself as one of the main protagonists in Tekken 6 as well as its sequel. He is shown in the new trailer hitting Jack-8 with several hard-hitting combos. Fan-favorite wrestler King is also shown to be returning, sporting similar attire to previous outings, and his involvement ensures he is another character who has appeared in every installment (although this is actually his second iteration, the first version of King having died at the hands of Ogre prior to Tekken 3).
While there still appears to be no sign of Heihachi Mishima following his supposed death during Tekken 7's climax, a return for the franchise's main antagonist in some capacity should still not be ruled out at this stage. If indeed this proves to be the case, developer Bandai Namco will surely be looking to keep his inclusion a secret for as long as possible. The stage is set for The King of Iron Fist Tournament's eighth outing, and Harada has promised fans 'something big' in February 2023. Fans will be hoping this could be a release date alongside new footage and details, but for now, all they can do is be patient.
Tekken 8 is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
