As more and more characters have been introduced into the Tekken universe with every new entry, it's resulted in the series having a pretty massive cast of combatants who are all very unique in how they play and the roles they each play in the story. With that being said, though, while everyone adores iconic characters such as Jin and Kazuya, there have unfortunately been a few fighters who have gone under the radar for one reason or another.

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This makes sense for some characters who are designed to be one-off gags, such as Gon from Tekken 3, but there are a few of them who are much more fleshed out and well-written and don't receive quite as much love from the community. These Tekken characters listed below are particular examples of individuals who are usually overlooked, but that deserve a lot more credit.

7 Leo Kliesen

Overshadowed By Other Tekken 6 Newcomers, But Still A Great Character Who's Relevant To The Wider Story

Leo arrived in a pretty awkward spot in the series, first being introduced in Tekken 6, where he was largely overshadowed by other exciting newcomers like Miguel and Zafina, who have both gone on to become fan favorites since they made their debuts. Leo's actual involvement in the story of that game is also pretty minimal, but regardless, he's still a very intriguing individual who actually has a very interesting backstory, with Leo seeking the truth behind his mother's mysterious death.

Because he has suspicions that it was actually Kazuya and the G Corporation at large that was responsible for the loss of his mother, Leo possesses an underlying rage that contrasts with his more shy and timid exterior. His fear of monsters also makes him quite a funny character in general, especially when he can be seen cowering in fear at the sight of Yoshimitsu during the battle intros. He may not have been given the spotlight that he deserves, but Leo is still a great character with a very unique Baji Quan fighting style.

6 Ling Xiaoyu

A Lot Of People Overlook Xiaoyu Without Realizing How Powerful And Fun Her Playstyle Is

When looking at the character usage stats for Tekken 7 and 8, Xiaoyu always appears near the bottom and, at times, has even been dead last. This is incredibly unfortunate as she's one of the most unique fighters in the entire roster, with her fighting style being based around quick maneuvers and dodges that allow her to unleash a barrage of punches and kicks on her opponent when they're at their most vulnerable.

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Although it's easy to flock to some of the more visually interesting characters when booting up Tekken, players definitely shouldn't skip over Xiayou due to thinking that she might be boring to play because that couldn't be further from the truth. She's also an incredibly important character in Jin's personal journey, having been his best friend ever since she first appeared in Tekken 3. She always has his back, even trying to persuade him out of his evil ways when he became a war criminal rather than turning on him straight away.

5 Yoshimitsu

Deserves A Lot More Credit For Just How Unorthodox He Is

A big reason why the Tekken series has maintained such immense popularity is because of the character diversity, with each fighter feeling like they're from completely different games, but Yoshimitsu is truly something else altogether. Despite being an original character who has appeared in every game since the very first, the spectacle of Yoshi being this weird and exaggerated alien-like character has unfortunately started to dwindle over the years.

As has been shown in Tekken 8, though, Yoshimitsu is still as whacky as ever, and with every game, he receives an extensive new makeover that keeps his design from ever becoming boring or bland. He also has one of, if not the most unorthodox fighting style in the entire game, and although some people write it off as being impractical, he can easily get under the skin of his opponent with his strange movements and ridiculous postures. Considering how drastically different Yoshimitsu is from the rest of the cast, he definitely deserves a lot more attention, especially with how dazzling he looks in the latest installment of the series.

4 Kuma

Bandai Namco Managed To Turn Kuma From A Gag Character Into A Fearsome Combatant

Although Kuma started off as somewhat of a joke character who was viewed by many to be too slow and cumbersome to use in battle, over the years, Harada and the team have actually turned him into a powerful fighter who's even received his fair share of character development. As Heihachi's pet, he gradually learned the fighting style of his master, and as the games went on, more and more of Heihachi's moves would become integrated into Kuma's moveset.

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After defeating his arch nemesis Paul in Tekken 5, Kuma would spend the rest of his days training - and annoying - Heihachi while also getting up to numerous other absurd activities, such as flying into outer space and even becoming a fully-fledged Tekken Force member. This long development of Kuma turning from comic relief to a fearsome warrior who actually has a place in the story really makes the character quite special, especially since he could have easily been dropped in the first game he appeared in, like a lot of these sorts of comical characters often are.

3 Alisa Bosconovitch

The Anime-Inspired Design Of Alisa Is Divisive, But Her Fighting Style Is Fun And Unique

Although there are definitely plenty of strange characters in the Tekken universe, the series has still remained fairly rooted in realism, at least to some extent. That's why a lot of fans outright hated Alisa when she first showed up in Tekken 6's story mode, as she seemed like an anime sidekick who had randomly been dropped into a Tekken game. It also didn't help her case that she was created by none other than Dr. Bosconovitch, another character who a lot of fans aren't too fond of.

Although she may seem a little irritating at first, Alisa is still, without a doubt, one of the most unique and creative fighters in the entire series. Since she's an android, Alisa is able to install new weapons into her body and can even tear off her own limbs to use during combat. In Tekken 8, she even uses her own head as a soccer ball, which is a prime example of just how ridiculous, but also fun, her playstyle is. She may have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way at first, but Alisa still plays a pretty important role in Tekken's story, and a lot of praise needs to be given to how she plays, which is completely unlike any of her peers.

2 Julia Chang

Julia's Intriguing Motives And Quirky Personality Make Her More Than Simply A Michelle Clone

Julia is another fighter who has appeared in the majority of the Tekken games, but despite this, she's very rarely seen being used, even when she was brought in as a DLC character for Tekken 7. Because Julia was brought up by Michelle and her tribe, it means that she was right at the center of the whole pendant situation where Heihachi was desperately trying to get his hands on the artifact, which was able to control the immense power possessed by Ogre.

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Heihachi's obsession with obtaining as much power as possible led him to commit some truly abhorrent acts throughout the Tekken series.

She, therefore, has a burning hatred for Heihachi and the Mishima Zaibatsu, even more so when they decide to steal her ecosystem restoration research plans, which were intended to save her homeland from turning into a desert. As a result, she's quite relevant to the wider story, and her fighting style, which is a mixture of wrestling moves and Chinese martial arts, is a ton of fun to play around with and very hard for her opponents to predict. On the surface, Julia may seem like nothing more than a basic Michelle clone, but she's actually a very well-written character who may potentially make a grand return as a DLC character in Tekken 8 later down the line.

1 Lars Alexandersson

Gets A Bad Rep For Stealing The Mishima Spotlight In Tekken 6, But He's Still An Important Character

After five games of the main Mishima trio being the poster boys for the series, Bandai Namco decided to completely change gears in the sixth game by bringing in a brand-new protagonist who goes by the name of Lars Alexandersson. Although he is technically a Mishima, because Lars wasn't already integrated into the family feud, it felt to many fans that he was randomly inserted without enough context. Additionally, many fans felt as though the developers were pushing a bit too hard for Lars to be the new face of the series, something which ended up garnering him a lot of hate.

With that being said, Lars is far from a bad character, and he's actually become an incredibly vital figure within the ongoing Mishima feud since it was he who instigated a devastating coup d'état against the Mishima Zaibatsu. His fighting style, which is literally labeled as "Tekken Forces Martial Arts", relies on quick and sudden attacks to overwhelm the opponent before they even have a chance to react, making him one of the most fast and fluid fighters in the series. Now that the dust has settled since Tekken 6, a lot of fans ought to give Lars another chance, as he's an incredibly fun character who has done a lot of good during his appearances in the story.

Tekken 8

Platform(s)

PC , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Released

January 26, 2024

Developer(s)

Bandai Namco Entertainment , Arika

Genre(s)

Fighting