Highlights

  • Bandai Namco releases new Tekken 8 gameplay trailers for returning characters Panda and Alisa Bosconovitch.
  • Panda and Alisa will be playable characters in Tekken 8's launch roster.
  • Fans have mixed opinions on Panda's inclusion due to similarities with Kuma, but some are excited to play as the bear fighters and android girl.

Bandai Namco has released two new Tekken 8 gameplay trailers for the returning characters Panda and Alisa Bosconovitch. Both Panda and Alisa will be available as playable characters in Tekken 8's launch roster. With a few weeks left before the fighting game's launch and the base game's roster completely revealed, fans have been given gameplay reveal trailers to show how some of these classic characters have changed from their previous incarnations.

Panda made her first appearance in Tekken 3, originally being a palette swap for the other bear fighter of the series, Kuma. She has made a playable appearance in every Tekken game ever since her debut, eventually having her own character slot in the roster from Tekken Tag Tournament 2 onward. Alisa, who is an android made in the image of Dr. Bosconovitch's late daughter, made her debut in Tekken 6. Both these characters would become associated with Tekken regular Ling Xiaoyu, with Panda being her bodyguard and Alisa becoming her friend in non-canon material like Project X Zone and Tekken: Blood Vengeance.

A promotional image of Jin and Kazuya fighting each other with red and blue energy flowing around them in Tekken 8.
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These gameplay trailers highlight the two characters' fighting styles. Since Panda is a moveset clone of Tekken's Kuma, the two share moves and gameplay styles, having a heavy emphasis on striking from farther away, due to their longer limbs. However, much like Kuma, who can use moves associated with his previous master, Heihachi Mishima, Panda incorporates some moves from her own best friend and ward, Ling Xiaoyu. Panda and Xiaoyu even have a cute special pre-match intro animation where they skip around and bet that whoever wins the fight decides on what snacks to have.

The other Tekken 8 trailer points a spotlight at Alisa Bosconovitch, who is a robotic fighter with a variety of weapons up her sleeves. These include chainsaws, jetpack wings, and even her own head. Her trailer shows her taking on a Jack-8 model, along with demonstrating a lot of her unique moves that incorporate her weaponry. Her Rage Art finishing move was praised by fans for being an extremely comedic but powerful-looking move, with fans being treated to the sight of Alisa kicking her own head like a soccer ball into the opponent and then exploding.

All Confirmed Tekken 8 Characters

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

While Alisa was hailed as a welcome return and an upgrade from her Tekken 7 incarnation, Panda's inclusion has been a bit more contested, which is a carryover from her past appearances. Due to Panda sharing moves with Kuma, many consider her to be a waste of a character slot, which was only strengthened after fans found that they both lacked variance when comparing their movesets. As such, some think the two still play relatively the same way, despite also having some new moves. That said, there are still some fans who are excited about playing as Tekken 8's resident bear fighters and android girl.