This DLC character brings a unique and popular archetype of striker-grappler into TEKKEN 8. Armor King is great for aggressive play! His weaknesses include the linearity of many moves.
The general playstyle of Armor King is quite in tune with what TEKKEN 8 is as a fighting game for many players. The character is about aggressive offense, quick punishes, and big damage. No wonder he is so popular in the community!
In this guide, we explain the gameplan with Armor King in T8, highlight the most effective parts of his moveset, and list some essential combos.
How to play Armor King in TEKKEN 8
Pressure and punish could be the name of the game for Armor King.
- Your general gameplan with this character is to close the gap, establish your pressure, and bait openings via punishes or strike-throw mixups.
Armor King has good plus-on-block pokes to remain constantly offensive.
Move | On Block | Details |
|---|---|---|
| f,f+3 | +2 | A mid homing move, prevents sidestepping attempts. |
| ub+1 | +5 | A high homing swipe to continue with AK’s strike/throw mixups. |
| Bad 1+2 | +5 | From the Bad Jaguar Stance to keep your turn. |
| H.db+2,1 | +3 | A nice mid hit from Heat. |
The mixup options of Armor King force opponents to guess on:
- Quick mid strike, like df+1 or a launcher;
- Low hits, like d+3;
- Command throws, like f,hcf+1 or db,f+2+4.
A good punish starter in case of the opponent’s whiff could be Dark Upper, f,n,d,df+2.
Bad Jaguar stance
It’s a new stance of Armor King in TEKKEN 8. The Bad Jaguar (BJ) stance changes the pressure flow to apply mixups with the following high damage.
- f+3+4 is a manual transition to BJ with a parry of mid and high punches.
- f,f,n,2 is a long-reaching low to transition into the Bad Jaguar stance on hit.
- ub+1 — this plus-on-block high swipe transitions to the BJ stance on hit if Heat is activated.
In general, the transition to the BJ stance happens with holding forward from some strings.
- 1,2,1,F — it’s risky even on hit.
- f+1+2,F — transitions to BJ on hit.
- 3+4,1,F
- df+1,2,F
- b+1,2,F
The Bad Jaguar stance is very short, and you should use this second to decide on your next move: to mix up your opponent.
If Armor King is hit while in BJ, he automatically spits his poison mist. If it lands, you can follow up with a throw. Other follow-ups are listed below.
- Bad 1 — A quick high, +1 on block.
- Bad 2 — A mid with two mixup follow-ups: 2,3 to Tornado and 2,4 to stunner.
- Bad 3 — A mid kick that can track right sidestepping.
- Bad 4 — A low, risky on block.
- Bad 1+2 — It’s +5 on block, so use it if your opponent keeps blocking.
- Bad 1+3 and Bad 2+4 — Armor King throws from the Bad Jaguar stance.
Armor King’s throws
The character still has a strong grappler in his nature, so Armor King T8 comes with plenty of throws.
- 2+4
- df+2+3
- db+1+2
- uf+1+2
- db,n,f+2+4
All the variety of throws for Armor King are reflected in his move list, so head to the training mode and give them a try. Throws are great to finish combos with big damage.
Key strengths
Armor King is an aggressive character with a plethora of pressure options. He is great for tricky mixups and effective punishes.
In a positive way, he is straightforward, right into your face. The damage is high thanks to massive throw finishes.
Weaknesses
Linearity of Armor King’s moves is arguably his biggest weakness. A good example is f,f,n,2 or b+4. To stop side-stepping, you need to know his homing moves.
- f,f+3
- u/b+1
- b+3+4
- f,F+3
- ub+1
Another weakness of Armor King in TEKKEN 8 is his somewhat limited low options.
The execution can be difficult compared to some other characters, but it’s still simpler than for King.
The best moves of T8 Armor King
The table below lists some of the universally best moves for Armor King in TEKKEN 8.
Move | Details |
|---|---|
| df+1 | A quick mid poke for stagger pressure. |
| df+1,2 | It’s a follow-up for df+1 on hit. |
| d+2 | A strong mid punch. Crouching on recovery. Can be followed with a hit engager on counter, ws3,1. |
| d+3 | A low with minimal risk, good for mixups in pressure. |
| f,f,n,2 | A low with a good reach, Armor King enters the BJ stance on hit |
| b+4 | A fairly long kick with 1+2 as a follow-up on hit. |
| b+1,2 | On counter, you can use f+1+2 for Heat Engager. |
| SS+2 | A quick low on a side step. |
| f,F+2 | A strong low hit to create a space. On counter, it can start a combo. |
| f,F+3 | A homing high with a knockdown. |
| ub+1 | A safe on block homing high swipe with a knockdown and possible follow-ups. In Heat, it’s a launcher and BJ transition. |
| H.db+2,1 | It’s a decent mid hit, vulnerable to sidestepping. |
TEKKEN 8 punishes with Armor King
Check out the best options to punish your opponents with quick moves of Armor King. These options are some of the character’s key features.
Frames | Input | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1,2 | The quickest punish option. |
| 10 | 2,1 | Deals more damage and is slightly safer than 1,2. |
| 12 | b+1,2 | F to transition to BJ. |
| 13 | 4,3 | Leaves Armor King with a nice frame advantage on hit. |
| 14 | db+2,3 | For the wall stun. |
| 14 | db+2,4 | In the open space, +7 on hit. |
| 15 | uf+2,1 | A combo starter. |
| 15 | uf+4 | Another launcher. |
| 15 | f+2,1 | A long-reaching Heat Engager. |
| 16 | b+3 | To create space. |
| WS, 12 | ws4 or ws3 | The quickest Wall Standing punishes. |
| WS, 13 | ws3,1 | Heat Engager. |
| WS, 15 | ws1 | A launcher. |
Armor King combos
Here are some combos for your Armor King in TEKKEN 8
- uf+4 -> 1+2,2 -> f+3,2,n,df+1 -> f+3,2,1 -> Dash -> f+1+2,F -> Bad 3+4
- uf+4 -> 1+2,2 -> f+3,2,n,df+1 -> f+3,2,1 -> Dash -> f+1+2,F -> Bad 1+2
- uf+4 -> uf+3 -> df+3 -> f+3,2,n,df+1 -> f+3,2,1 -> f,f,F+3+4
- Counter ws3 -> f,n,d,df+2 -> f+3,2,n,df+1 -> f+3,2,1 -> Dash -> f+1+2,F -> Bad 3+4
- f,n,d,df+2 -> f+1+2,F -> Bad 1 -> f+3,2,n,df+1 -> f+3,2,1 -> Dash -> f+1+2,F -> Heat Barrier -> f,f+4,F -> d+3+2
- f,n,d,df+2 -> uf+3 -> df+3 -> df+1,2 ->Dash -> f+1+2,F -> Bad 3+4
- f,n,d,df+2 -> uf+3 -> f,n,d,df+2 -> f+3,2,n,df+1 -> df+1,2 -> Dash -> f,f,F+3+4
- f,n,d,df+2 -> uf+3 -> f,n,d,df+2 -> f+3,2,n,df+1 -> f+1,2,1 -> Dash -> f,f,F+3+4
- uf+4 -> uf+3 -> f+3,2,n,df+1 -> f+1,2,1 -> Dash -> Bad 3+4
Armor King: Fairly balanced to dominate online TEKKEN
Unlike Fahkumram and Clive on their release, Armor King is decently balanced. It feels awesome to harass opponents with this beast of aggression. However, on high-skill levels, people know how to deal with his linearity.
One thing remains pretty annoying about Armor King. His mixups add even more 50/50s to the game, so you should keep guessing. Skills may not help you keep safe after his BJ stance — and a wrong option will cost you tons of damage. Throws are generally a menace in fighting games. Armor King players will love this, though!
As for the esports potential, Armor King may make it to the top scene easily! The competitive TEKKEN 8 has a nice variety of characters, and this wrestler is good enough to be at tournaments.
Who is Armor King?
Once, there was a professional heel wrestler in a suit of metal armor with a black jaguar mask. People knew him as Armor King. In a tough bar fight against Craig Marduk, that wrestler died.
The character did not disappear from the TEKKEN lore! Similar to King, a younger brother took the persona and the costume and became Armor King II. This new wrestler is present in later games, including TEKKEN 8. We skip that mark II, sure. Avenging the brother is a moving power for the new Armor King.
Armor King is the savior of TEKKEN 8 Season 2! Bandai Namco Entertainment hit the spot with this release, and the community is really happy with the character. It’s also great to see the developers adding a totally new fighter: the magic abilities of Miary Zo create a fresh atmosphere in the game.
