3D fighting games are rare in the current year, with the only playable option being Tekken 8. However, a few weeks ago, SEGA casually confirmed they’ve started developing a brand-new Virtua Fighter game for the modern system, to the joy of many.
Coincidentally, a few months back, Katsuhiro Harada, the Game Director of Tekken 8, said gamers could discuss guest character inclusion in Tekken 8 only when a brand-new Virtua Fighter or 3D fighter is announced.
After all, Tekken 7 had some notable guest character inclusions, and many fans want the same from Tekken 8. With a new Virtua Fighter already in development and Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. finally launching on PC, I think it is time to have that important discussion about guest characters.
With fighting games slowly returning to the limelight and Tekken 8 enjoying its success thanks to community-led events, guest characters help put eyes onto the game. And as such, here are five characters I’d love to see enter Tekken 8 as a guest character.
1. Tifa (Final Fantasy 7)
I think the first entry for a guest character in Tekken 8 is a no-brainer. People following the series since Tekken 7 know how fans have always wanted Bandai Namco to include the popular JRPG series character to join the series as a guest fighter.
The inclusion also makes sense. Tekken 7 had a Final Fantasy collaboration, which was moderately successful, adding Noctis from Final Fantasy 15 to the game as a season 1 guest. So, it won’t even feel like an out-of-place inclusion.
Tifa can effortlessly bring her hand-to-hand prowess to Tekken 8 and fit in with characters like King, Asuka, Azucena, etc. It is only a matter of when.
2. Kazuma Kiryu
Of course, if it is a guest character list for Tekken 8, the Dragon of Dojima’s inclusion to this list needs to happen. Another fan-requested character that didn’t get a lot of traction post-Tekken 7, Kazuma Kiryu, feels like a fine addition to the game.
While the former series creator Nagoshi was against adding Kiryu to a fighting game, and the current producer Yokoyama is still hesitant to include the Dragon of Dojima as a guest character, I think it is high time we got some heat actions in the popular 3D Fighting Game.
If, by chance, Kiryu joins the King of the Iron Fist tournament, I think his fighting style would be a mix of his four fighting styles from Yakuza 0 or Kiwami—something like Yakuza 6. However, since the fighting game does experiment with stances for characters like Lidia, they can also try the same formula with Kiryu.
The possibilities are infinite; it eventually boils down to how insistent the creators are in getting him a spot.
3. Goro Majima
While the creators of Like a Dragon are hesitant to add the Dragon of Dojima to a fighting game for various reasons, I think the alternative to that is adding none other than Goro Majima to the game. He’s brash, crazy, and a character fit to join a fighting game like Tekken.
While discussions around the Tekken guest characters have always focused on Kiryu, players should also ask to add Majima to the game. And I’m sure the series creator wouldn’t have a problem adding him to the game, seeing just how crazy he can get with his antics.
Since Tekken already features characters like Raven, Victor Chevalier, and Yoshimitsu, who rely on weapons to fight, Majima can bring his iconic knife and baseball bat and cause mayhem. And he’d fight right into the chaos. Maybe he can have a special intro against Bryan Fury.
4. Akira Yuki
Since this entire list was born from Harada wanting us to speak about guest characters when a new Virtua Fighter gets confirmed, it is natural to expect a Virtua Fighter guest character in Tekken 8. The perfect person to join has to be the poster boy of the series—Akira Yuki.
Akira is what Ryu is to Street Fighter, and Scorpion is to Mortal Kombat. He is as simple as it gets, coming with various Karateka moves that will surely put any opponents to shame. Since every character in Tekken 8 follows a specific martial art, Akira Yuki will fight perfectly in Tekken 8.
5. Terry Bogard
I know Tekken 7 already had a guest character from SNK in the form of Geese Howard. And he caused quite a stir throughout the game’s mid-cycle. Regardless, most cannot deny how fun it was to play the character.
Similarly, with Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves coming out next year, I feel this is another excellent time to have another SNK representation in-game as a guest character. Maybe it is time for a certain red-hat American to make his 3D debut.
And seeing that Bandai Namco already knows how to make a 2D character transition to 3D (if we don’t take Akuma of Tekken 7 into the equation), Terry feels like a great addition to the game. Buster Wolf and Power Geyser can act as a combo extender, while his SNK finisher can be the rage art for the game.
