Bandai Namco Entertainment has lifted the wraps off the final character for Tekken 8‘s base roster, with newcomer Reina taking the final slot. If you’ve been keeping up, this means that many characters such as Armor King, Bob, Eddy, Miguel, and Marduk among others have not made the base roster, suggesting they will be DLC.
Reina is something a mystery, as no one really knows much about her identity and background, nor how she came to wield powerful techniques commonly used by the Mishima family, such as Wind God Fist and Spinning Demon. Interestingly, she also utilises Heihachi’s Heaven’s Wrath stance, and there is speculation that she could be the Mishima patriarch’s long-lost daughter.
Here’s a few more details on the character from Bandai Namco’s press blurb:
We were eager to work with Ms. Mariko Shimazaki, who had previously contributed as a designer for characters like Kazumi and Josie for Tekken 7. We contacted her to handle the design during the early stages of brainstorming character concepts and keywords, despite giving her the challenging task of capturing a genuine martial artist’s appearance with a bold fighting style that blends elements of Taido and Mishima-style karate, while being a young woman who appears somewhat mysterious and has that duality. She delivered an exceptional design.
Tekken 8 is due out on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S on January 26, 2024.