Harada Reveals Key Tekken 8 Details; Confirms Jun Never Died

Tekken’s director, Katsuhiro Harada, discussed the details of the upcoming Tekken 8 with Tekken’s producer, Michael Murray, in the TWT 2022: North America Regional Finals Twitch livestream.

The pair discussed several prominent details about the upcoming installment of the Tekken series, with Jun’s return being the highlight of the discussion. According to Michael Murray, Jun Kazama will be part of the canon story this time and a playable character in the game.

Major Takeaways:

• Jun was never dead and will be canonically part of the main story and roster of Tekken 8.
• Paul’s complete rage art was also revealed.
• There will be no release date announcement at the TWT finals in February. However, according to Michael Murray and Katsuhiro Harada, fans can expect something special.

After an exciting trailer at the TGA 2022, Tekken 8 has been on everyone’s mind because of all the details shown in the trailer. It’s been almost a decade since the release of Tekken 7, and fans have been desperately waiting for the next installment for all these years.

One of the major highlights of the trailer was Jun Kazama’s appearance. Jun Kazama was considered missing or dead after the events of Tekken 3 and has not appeared in a canon game since then. However, Jun Kazama was part of the non-canon Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and the recent Netflix adaptation, Tekken Bloodline.

Jun Kazama is the mother of Jin Kazama, the main character of the Tekken franchise. She is married to Kazuya Mishima, the franchise’s main antagonist. Jun Kazama has always been portrayed as an extremely pacifist woman. She has also shown a great affinity for animals.

Recap thread #ICYMI for #TEKKEN8 2nd Trailer Recap Panel:

1. Jun Kazama is BACK, canon, and was never dead. She was just missing. pic.twitter.com/qmRbeDMkfN

— Bandai Namco Esports (@BNEesports) December 12, 2022

According to the two, Jun Kazama will be making her return to the franchise as a playable character. She’ll also be part of the main story. They also clarified that Jun Kazama was never dead but only missing for all these years.

Alongside Jun Kazama’s return, Michael Murray and Katsuhiro Harada also discussed the new “Heat” mechanic. Certain moves will initiate it, and more details about this mechanic will come in the future.

Harada also debunked all the rumors about the removal of sidesteps and sidewalks from Tekken 8. Sidesteps and sidewalks have always been an integral part of the Tekken franchise, and it is what exactly makes it a 3D fighting game.

4. Rage Arts remain – and if you were worried about Paul's hair don't worry, you'll be able to customize it to the old style. pic.twitter.com/wheCuwMQqK

— Bandai Namco Esports (@BNEesports) December 12, 2022

Michael Murray and Harada also confirmed that the Rage Arts remain in Bandai Namco‘s upcoming 3D fighting game. Paul’s complete rage art was also revealed. It was also confirmed that players could change Paul’s hair to the old style via customization.

According to Bandai Namco Esports’ tweets, we’ll also get to see the destruction of battle stages in Tekken 8. These stages will add a new layer of immersion into the game and make it more entertaining for viewers and players.

7. There will not be a release date announced at finals, but @mykeryu says we will try to prepare something special still for fans there in February! pic.twitter.com/g30ElhVATJ

— Bandai Namco Esports (@BNEesports) December 12, 2022

In the end, the pair revealed that the Tekken 8’s release date would not be announced at the TWT finals, but fans can expect something special in February 2023.

Tekken 8 will be available to play on Steam, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5.