Tekken 8 comes packed with a huge base roster but like every other fighting game, there are some characters that dominate the meta. Some of the best characters will require you to become an expert in order to utilize their full potential. However, there are some over-powered and beginner-friendly choices present in Tekken 8 as well.
- The best characters will allow players to dominate the current meta in Tekken 8.
- Some characters like Feng require precision and skill but are rewarding to play once learned.
- Other characters like Azucena are easy to use and also really powerful.
- There are minimum disadvantages to using the best characters as they have few weaknesses.
- Author’s Note: I put in over 5 hours in Tekken 8 to try out most of the characters, so you can trust my ranking.
The Best Characters
Here is a list of all the best characters and the category that they excel in;
| Serial No. | Character | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feng Wei | The Best Character For Experts |
| 2 | Azucena | The Best Beginner-Friendly Character |
| 3 | Lee Chaolan | The Best Keepout Character |
| 4 | King | The Best Grappler Character |
| 5 | Kazuya Mishima | The Best Mix-up Character |
1. Feng Wei
I’m really surprised to see how well Feng performs in Tekken 8. I was expecting him to get nerfed since he was already extremely powerful in Tekken 7, but Feng is still ahead of the pack in the sequel. With strong high and mid attacks, and good enough lows, Feng boasts almost no weakness.
However, he is not an easy character to learn and you will need to familiarize yourself with his tough moveset which is why he is not a beginner-friendly character.
- Overall strong attacks.
- Attacks are hard to sidestep.
- Strong offense and defense.
- Good movement.
- Low attacks are vulnerable.
- Hard to master.
Why I Chose This Character: After spending my time learning Feng, I was completely dominating Tekken 8 by pressurizing my opponents and opening them up for launches.
2. Azucena
The Coffee Queen known as Azucena is a new addition to the Tekken franchise. She has a completely distinct playstyle which heavily depends on parries. In my experience, Azucena has an extremely easy flowchart that you can execute in battle with good combos that are not hard to pull off.
Her parries are also really powerful and can provide exceptional defense against characters with strong mid and low attacks. However, don’t rely on the parries too often in battle.
- Easy to learn.
- Strong combos.
- Great movement.
- Amazing defense.
- Parry stances are vulnerable to counter.
Why I Chose This Character: Out of all the new characters, Azucena was the easiest to learn for me, and her parry stances when used efficiently heavily confused my opponents.
3. Lee Chaolan
Keepout characters typically do not let their opponents get in range because they can easily punish or counter them. There is no better choice for a keepout character than Lee Chaolan, and this title was held by the very same character in Tekken 7 as well.
He is also quite hard to master, but once learned, you can easily counter your opponent’s attacks and launch them into a deadly combo string. The key to playing Lee is to maintain your distance and counter at the right moment during battle.
- Strong counterattacks.
- Amazing movement.
- Deadly combo strings.
- Lee’s attacks are easily side-steppable.
- High execution but low damage.
Why I Chose This Character: I can put a lot of pressure on my opponents using Lee and can counter each small mistake with the deadliest of combos.
4. King
I personally enjoy playing grappler characters especially if they are as strong as someone like King. I was able to deal massive damage to my opening by chaining King’s throws and grapples. Even though the longer combos are hard to pull off, you can still utilize King’s ability to counterattack with a grab which is easier to execute.
The ability to simply grab an enemy lying on the ground to punish them further is both funny and extremely useful. However, the grabs need to be really precise since the recovery frames will surely get you launched if you miss a grab.
- Strong counterattacks.
- Deadly grabs.
- Grabs can be chained.
- Bad movement.
- Missed grabs are punishable.
Why I Chose This Character: I found King to be a hit-or-miss character, you can either completely dominate your opponent or miss your grabs and get obliterated.
5. Kazuya Mishima
Mishimas have always been the king of mixups in the Tekken franchise, and Kazuya seems to excel in this category in Tekken 8. Never let your opponent know your next move by using Kazuya as he can efficiently switch between mid and low attacks to initiate a combo. Against Kazuya, the opponent can almost never predict attacks that are going to come their way.
Kazuya also needs a lot of practice to master and his attacks can be side-stepped which is the downside of using this character. Also, don’t forget to abuse the Electric Wind God Fist attack which is one of the strongest launcher attacks in Tekken 8.
- Strong Mixups.
- Great Movement.
- Strong Launcher Attack.
- Attacks can be side-stepped.
Why I Chose This Character: I can literally play mind games with my opponent using Kazuya since I can initiate a combo from my mixups which they can never predict.
Tekken 8 has to be the most fun entry in the franchise. It is jam-packed with single-player content and offers a huge roster of characters for your multiplayer battles. It is a love letter to the fans of the franchise and our game reviewer Muhammad Roaim Chohan gave Tekken 8 a perfect score in his review.
This concludes my guide on the best characters in Tekken 8. I have listed the best characters for different types of situations and also for different types of players based on skill level. I hope that the guide was helpful in learning more about the powerful characters in the roster. Let me know if you’re enjoying your time with Tekken 8 in the comments below!
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