Tekken 8 Tier List – All Characters, Ranked

Tekken 8 is the eighth installment of arguably the best fighting game franchise. Tekken is the most advanced and entertaining fighting game series, and decades of popularity are the best proof. In this sequel, some new characters are introduced, but there are also a lot of fan favorites from previous installments.

Best Characters Tier List - Tekken 8

Below is the list of the best characters in Tekken 8. The characters are separated into tiers, from the best (S-Tier) to the worst (D-Tier). There are 32 characters overall, so you have plenty to choose from, depending on your playstyle.

Related: Tekken 8 All Game Modes, explained

Best characters in Tekken 8, ranked

S-Tier

These characters are the best in the game, with significant advantages over the competition.

Bryan

One of my favorite characters returned as a supreme fighting machine, quite literally. This rogue cyborg successfully repaired himself and is now ready to rumble.

Claudio

Claudio was introduced in Tekken 7 as a wielder of a mysterious force. In this sequel, he's put against Zafina's dark magic. Watch out for his hopkick launch.

Dragunov

Russian Sambo expert was always well-balanced, but his battle prowess was unmatched this time. He's equally dangerous on feet and the ground.

Hwoarang

The Korean Taekwondo expert and the archrival of Jin is another top-tier fighter. Once you learn all of his stances, he becomes a human tornado.

Jin

The protagonist of Tekken 8, Jin, aims to stop his father, Kazuya, from global domination. Jin can now control his Devil powers, making him a formidable opponent.

Jun

Jun makes a surprising return after almost 30 years. Jin's mother and Kazuya's wife is as strong as she was in Tekken 2 (and both Tags).

Jack-8

This Russian powerhouse robot is another fan-favorite character. His enormous strength and range are enough to deal with any opponent.

Reina

This mysterious newcomer is another child of Heihachi Mishima. Her style is based on Taido, with some Mishima-ryu moves that utilize lightning.

Zafina

The mysterious priestess is back, this time as one of the central characters. Her hand is possessed by Azazel, Tekken 6's boss, and she can deal some severe damage with it.

A-Tier

These characters aren't supreme, but they are still pretty good. If played well, you can defeat the S-Tier characters reasonably easily.

Asuka

Asuka is well-balanced, with a lot of options for combinations. Her parry stance can easily disrupt any opponent's offense.

Azucena

The self-proclaimed queen of coffee from Peru is another exciting newcomer. She's swift and agile with a fantastic mix-up game.

Devil Jin

The devil form of the main character, Jin Kazama, is usually stronger than Jin himself. However, in this game, this is not the case because Jin can control the Devil's power without transforming. Still, Devil Jin is a competent fighter.

Feng

Chinese Shaolin kung fu expert continues his quest for the ultimate fighting power. His explosiveness and mobility are his outstanding traits.

Kazuya

Kazuya's best traits are high damage output and the fact that he is hard to read. He also has some great combos that can initiate a comeback once he sneaks a hit in.

King

Legendary wrestler is one of the characters featured in every Tekken game. He is faster and more agile in this installment, akin to Mexican luchadors.

Lee

Lee's an excellent choice for people who like snappy, fast characters—his speed and agility more than make up for his lack of strength.

Paul

Being older and seemingly more in debt, Paul seems slower but harder-hitting. If you can get over his Karen haircut, he's a very reliable character.

Raven

This mysterious ninja Returns after being replaced by Master Raven in Tekken 7. His fighting style is based on acrobatics and illusions, which makes him very hard to predict.

Xiaoyu

Xiaoyu is very nimble and quick, and her stances are high risk - high reward. Her vulnerability is the only thing that prevents her from being higher on this list.

Yoshimitsu

Another staple character, Yoshimitsu, is also one of the most unusual. Nevertheless, he's pretty capable, payable in the right hands, thanks to his devastating damage output.

Related: Tekken 8 – Release date, trailer, platforms, & more

B-Tier

These characters usually have some serious flaws that prevent them from being well-balanced. They are still helpful, but we don't predict them being chosen in tournaments very often, except for flexing.

Law

Every fighting game has a Bruce Lee clone, and Marshal Law fits that role perfectly. Nevertheless, he is much weaker compared to his Tekken 7 version because his range and damage are lower at the same speed.

Leo

Leo was conceived as an unpredictable character who is the best for the guessing game. Unfortunately, the only thing that people guess about is Leo's gender.

Leroy

Leroy Smith is a master of Wing Chun, and he was introduced in Tekken 7. He is much weaker now, with lower combination abilities and damage output.

Lili

Lily has unique attacks that are also very unpredictable. However, some of her moves leave her open to counterattacks. She also doesn't take damage well.

Nina

Nina Williams retained many of her moves from previous installments, including combo grapples. However, she lacks the means to start her combos, which makes her predictable.

Shaheen

Shaheen is a controversial choice to appear in Tekken 8 over more popular legacy characters. He is a very versatile striker but lacks grappling game and defense.

Steve

Steve Fox is a British boxer with severe damage output that makes up for his lack of kicks. Since he's one of the last characters that were introduced, Steve still needs some buffs in his gameplay.

Victor

Victor Chevallier is the last newcomer on this list. This French assassin fights in a similar way as Raven. Interestingly enough, he uses both guns and blades when he fights.

C-Tier

C-tier characters seriously lack the fighting abilities to compete in top-tier levels. They are still better than gimmick characters, and good players can use them well, but they are all but useless.

Alisa

When she was introduced in Tekken 6, Alisa was a scary character disguised as a cute robot girl. In this installment, she keeps the latter part, but she's very underwhelming as a fighter due to her lowered damage output.

Lars

Lars is another child of Heihachi Mishima, and he seemingly can't catch a break with his other siblings. Hopefully, future updates will improve his playstyle because he is not very good at using it.

D-Tier

Kuma / Panda

We put Kuma and Panda together because they are the same character gameplay-wise; they just look different. Unfortunately, their gameplay is bottom-tier, as they are gimmick/joke characters.

For more Tekken 8 articles, try out Get your dance moves ready because Eddy is coming to Tekken 8 as DLC on Pro Game Guides.