Tekken 8 Reveals Another Returning Character, Shows Off Gameplay

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Tekken 8

By J Brodie Shirey

Published Jan 14, 2024

Highlights

Tekken 8 is set to release in a few weeks, and the roster of characters is being slowly unveiled, including the return of Zafina, a tomb keeper with an ancient evil sealed within her.
Zafina's fighting style, known as "Ancient Assassination Arts," is enhanced by the demon Azazel sealed within her left arm, and she uses this power to crush her opponents in her Special Move.
Zafina's mission to keep Azazel contained will continue in Tekken 8, and it will be interesting to see how her battle against the demonic entity affects the game's plot when it launches.

Yet another returning character has been revealed for Tekken 8, with the tomb keeper Zafina ready to unleash an ancient evil upon her unlucky opponents. The next chapter of Bandai Namco’s hard-hitting 3D fighting franchise is now only a few weeks from release, and there has been plenty of inspired marketing during the run-up to Tekken 8. For example, Succession star Brian Cox recently appeared in a trailer recapping the Tekken story so far, reminding fans of the dark and twisted rivalry of the Mishima family and its three most prominent members ahead of Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama’s next epic clash.

Of course, Kazuya and Jin won’t be the only ones competing in the latest King of the Iron Fist Tournament, and Tekken 8 has been slowly unveiling its packed roster of returning fighters and new challengers over the past year or so. The two most recent Tekken 8 characters to be unveiled were Alisa Bosconovitch, an android fighter aiming to protect the world using her powerful mechanical weapons, and Panda, Ling Xiaoyu’s loyal pet and bodyguard whose powerful blows have often drawn comparisons to fellow Tekken bear warrior Kuma.

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Tekken 8 is almost here, and those looking to re-familiarize themselves with the franchise's history may want to know how long that will take.

Now Zafina is stepping back into the arena in Tekken 8, with a new trailer posted to the official Bandai Namco Entertainment America YouTube channel highlighting some of her demonically-empowered moves in a pair of battles against longtime Tekken antagonist Kazuya Mishima and fellow returning fighter Claudio Serafino. Both fall victim to Zafina’s spider-like “Ancient Assassination Arts” fighting style, which is augmented by the ancient demon Azazel sealed within her left arm. While Zafina attempts to keep Azazel contained, the demon eventually unleashes its full power during her Special Move by crushing her opponent in its grasp.

Fans were first introduced to Zafina in Tekken 6, where she was charged with protecting Azazel’s tomb and defeating the demon when it was awakened by Jin and the Mishima Zaibatsu’s global war. Although Jin and Lars Alexandersson were seemingly able to destroy Azazel, Zafina sensed that the demon was still alive and sealed it inside her body until she could cut off the source of its power: Jin and his father Kazuya. In addition to her mainline appearances in Tekken 6 and Tekken 7, Zafina was playable in the non-canon Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

Zafina’s mission to keep the dreaded Azazel contained will continue in Tekken 8, and it appears that the demonic entity will play a major role in her gameplay and fighting style. Many Tekken characters struggle against some form of inner darkness, and it will be interesting to see how Zafina’s battle against Azael affects the plot of Tekken 8 when it finally launches on January 26.

Tekken 8

Bandai Namco's Tekken 8 will be the franchise's debut entry on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and the fighting game is built in Unreal Engine 5. The story revolves around Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama's relationship.