Tekken 8 director's favorite newcomer is coffee-grinder Azucena, "just because he's a big fan of coffee"

Tekken 8
(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Tekken 8 is the next entry in one of gaming's longest-running storylines, with the🦄 Mishima family's successional feud stretching back three whole decades, but the series is still introducing all-new fighters after all this time. 

With so many old-timers and newcomers in the mix,𒅌 hovering over the roster can be extra daunting, which is why the sequel's leads have thankful♏ly revealed who they think the best newbies are. 

Director Kohei Ikeda tells 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Play Magazine in Issue 36 that his favorite new recruit is Azucena, the mixed martial artist from P♔eru who actually only fights to promote her coffee bean business. Talk about a grinder! Producer Michael Murray, translating on Ikeda's behalf, explains that the director enjoys her "just because he's a big fan of coffee," which is a totally understandable position. 

Murray elaborates that the coffee-loving brawler also "has a stance where she can bear attacks automatically" that "feels really good and feels like you’re really strong." Hopefully she can also bear the bear attacks from 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:bear character Kuma

Murray's own personal favorite is the mysterious high school student Reina, pointing to her striking purple and black fit as one reason for that. "I𒆙'm a Mishima player," Murray explains, "and ▨she has the Electric Wind God Fist - and it’s just so satisfying! And her personality!" Murray hints that, for fans, it's difficult to know whether Reina is "a nice person or a bad person." But the producer says he especially likes "villainous characters" - so I’m guessing Reina has a darker side to her. 

We'll see which side of the spectrum she lands on when Tekken 8 releases on January 26 for PC, PS5, and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Xbox Series X|S. Gamesradar's recent 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Tekken 8 preview had praise for the upcoming fighter's fierce and fiercely weird roster, its story campaign, and its all-new Arcade Quest mode, which lets you c🔜reate a Mii-like avatar to roam around an actual arcade.

Will Tekken 8 be a challenger on the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best fighting games throne?

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesrada💯r. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film ♑Studies degree that he'll soon forget.