Instead Of Kiryu, Tekken 8 Should Feature Majima Goro As Guest Character

As a fan of both the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series and Tekken, it has always been my wish to see the two series collaborate. Ever since Tekken 7 came out, all the way to its final season, many people have wished to see Kazuma Kiryu make his appearance in the series as a guest character. Still, it never happened for a multitude of reasons.

However, a new chapter is about to begin, as Tekken 8 is just around the corner. Tekken 8 will likely bring an entirely new set of guest characters on board, but there’s one character that I’d really like to see, and it’s not Kazuma Kiryu. Yes, I’m talking about his rival instead, Goro Majima, The Mad Dog of Shimano.

In an interview in the past, the creator of Kiryu revealed that he didn’t want him beating up women, which makes it clear that he won’t be making any appearances in Tekken games. In contrast, Majima Goro has never been so modest, and I’m pretty sure he won’t have any problems fighting against women in the Tekken franchise, or any place else for that matter.

A Void In The Roster

As it is now, Tekken 8’s launch roster feels empty. Don’t get me wrong, we have plenty of unique characters alongside the new additions. However, there’s still one thing that’s missing from Tekken 8, which was present in its predecessor, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’ll be missing it. Yes, I’m talking about a madman with a bat.

Tekken 7 featured Negan from The Walking Dead series as a guest character. The reception might not have been the best, but it was genuinely impressive seeing Jeffrey Dean Morgan make his appearance in Tekken 7. His presence, his attitude, his moveset, his stance, his sexy bat, everything about him was new, but it all fits so perfectly in the world of Tekken that by the last season, he didn’t feel like a guest character.

Now that his role has ended, Tekken 7 will soon be succeeded by Tekken 8. There’s a need for a new madman with a bat that could fill the void Negan left, and there’s no better candidate for it than Majima Goro. If Majima ever makes it to Tekken 8, he’ll undoubtedly be the first choice of many Negan mains that will be jumping ship from Tekken 7.

Reusing Moveset

The Tekken franchise is unique among fighting games because it features over 100 moves for each character. Experts and martial artists carefully choreograph each of these moves. Tekken had been reusing the moveset since the early installment of games. You’ll see the characters using the same moves in Tekken 8 as in Tekken 3 or Tekken 4.

Most of the time, characters that are no longer part of the roster or have died in the lore have their moves reused by some other character in the game. For example, Hwoarang in Tekken 8 uses several moves that once belonged to Baek Doo San, that last made his appearance in Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

Now, in the absence of Negan, Majima can take on some of his moves, and it will feel just like home. The two characters share a fair bit of similarities, including the use of a dagger and a bat. That doesn’t mean Bandai Namco only has to copy-paste Negan’s moveset on Majima. Majima has his own identity as The Mad Dog of Shimano, but still, when I imagine Majima in place of Negan in Tekken 8, it doesn’t look weird at all.

Majima Everywhere

By bringing Majima onto Tekken 8, Bandai Namco will be expanding upon the huge meme that is Majima Everywhere. Majima already makes cameos in multiple games, and if he were to show up in Tekken 8, it would be even better than Kiryu. Kiryu Kazuma might be a better fighter, but in Tekken, he wouldn’t feel as unique as Majima.

Majima has been seen fighting just about any type of opponent in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series. His fighting style is unique, featuring a mix of breakdancing, batting, and, of course, street fighting. It has always been something fans of both the games want, and it’s about time RGG Studios and Bandai Namco give it to them.

Not only that, there’s no excuse for them not to. With Kiryu, I get that he’s very modest, and honestly, I wouldn’t want to see him fighting without any reason. The poor soul has suffered enough in his games already. But Majima has still got it. He’s still got that dog in him if you catch my drift. All in all, Majima will fit perfectly in the world of Tekken, where everyone is a prized fighter. He’ll feel just at home.

Takeaway

Tekken 8 and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is releasing on the same day, January 26. The two series have lots of fans all over the world who want to see them collaborate. Most fans’ first choice would be to see Kiryu Kazuma make it to Tekken, but not for me. Kiryu shouldn’t be fighting if it’s not to protect his loved ones, and let’s be honest, he deserves to rest.

Majima, on the other hand, is ruthless. He’s the one guy who lives to fight stronger opponents, and that’s one of the reasons why he’s such good friends with Kiryu: he’s strong. Majima Goro will feel right at home in the world of Tekken alongside characters like Paul Pheonix and Marshall Law, who are good of heart but wouldn’t miss a chance to fight a stronger opponent.

Majima also fills the void in Tekken 8 that was left due to Negan’s absence. Both characters share a fair amount of similarities, and I can’t think of a better character to succeed Negan than Majima Goro. We don’t know what Harada has in mind for Tekken 8, but if he’s going to bring in guest characters, he shouldn’t forget the Like a Dragon series.

Tekken 8 will be launching on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PC. Bandai Namco announced the first Tekken 8 DLC character to be Eddy Gordo. Now, three characters are remaining for 2024, and we’ll see four more in 2025. If we’re getting any guest characters, we’ll get to hear it from Harada sooner or later, but for now, we can only hope that Majima Goro makes it to Tekken 8, no matter how late.