Tekken was one of many fighting games released in the mid-90s, but part of what has given it its staying power has been its characters. With the eighth game in the franchise set to release later this year or early next, fans have cause to wonder what characters they can expect to see. While some characters that fans will recognize from older games have already been confirmed, the previous games' wide array of crossover characters who have added to lore and gameplay in interesting ways beg the question of what other crossovers can be expected in Tekken 8 and future games. One wonders if any of them will ever become permanent fixtures in the Tekken franchise.
The Tekken franchise is no stranger to the iconic characters from outside the game’s universe, making an appearance in the story. The most notable example is Street Fighter X Tekken; however, this is far from the only instance. Negan from The Walking Dead appears in Tekken 7, wielding his infamous bat Lucille to defeat the fighting game's cast in the same way as he does on the show. In Tekken 7, through DLC, Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum from Final Fantasy 15 shows up to clear an area, so he and his friend Lars can do some fishing. Fans of the franchise have grown accustomed to familiar faces from other media showing up to challenge or assist champion fighters, so having them stick around for multiple games would be far from out of place.
Crossovers Putting Roots Into Tekken
While it is indisputable that Tekken has made great use of its crossovers in the past, one can point to Super Smash Bros as an example of how the series can be improved by allowing crossovers to become fixtures in a franchise, and even become fan favorites. Nintendo's broad and varied catalog has been used to the fullest in the fighting game franchise, which started with just a handful of IPs and now features tons of Nintendo properties. Bandai Namco is the holder of so many different franchises that adding characters from some of them to Tekken as mainstays seems as though it would be a no-brainer.
The names that the company has access to could make for incredible mash-ups, not only with the original cast but also with other potential crossover characters. The franchises that Bandai Namco has under its belt cover everything from Gundam to Pac-Man. It would be hard to underplay the excitement of fans if presented with the possibility of the Mishima family finding themselves facing off against any number of Dark Souls bosses or allying with the Straw Hat Pirates of One Piece.
Players could take on the role of King or Kuma and see how their normally intimidating animal statures hold up when pinned against any number of Super Evolved Digimon. With such an impressive catalog, players would potentially be able to unlock and then play against each other as characters as famously overpowered as Goku from Dragon Ball to see who is truly the strongest.
Even without any new additions, preexisting or otherwise, Tekken 8's full list of characters is being eagerly waited for by fans of the franchise. Throughout the title's history, the characters and their relationships with each other have been what has driven the games' plots and kept players returning for more so that they can see how their favorite character's dynamics with the other fighters may change over time. Familiar faces will come and go from the franchise, but what has remained consistent is how the game always knows what kinds of fights will keep players on the edge of their seats.
Tekken 8 is currently in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.