Claudio, the Italian invoker, will make magic happen in Tekken 8

On June 20, Tekken 8’s 16th character was confirmed as Claudio Serafino was revealed in a dramatic gameplay trailer. Showing off the Italian exorcist’s coliseum stage, his arcane archer abilities, and his flawless and fluent Italian, Serafino served up some whooping to Brian Fury and King in this short video.

Now dubbed “Banisher of Demons,” Claudio radiates JoJo energy as he poses and pounds, and all he’s missing is a Stand. 

A close-range brawler with unique exorcism-based martial arts, that limited range might cause Claudio to suffer in a game like Tekken 8, where we’ve seen lots of full-screen projectile attacks and weapon-based moves than ever before. Unless that magic bow isn’t just a special, he might struggle when we’ve seen Jack wield a rocket launcher, and Nina Williams just straight up shooting people with a gun.

Claudio, who was introduced in Tekken 7, became a competitive hit, but has not been much of a fan favorite. And we personally think it’s the magic that’s the problem.

Perhaps because Claudio is definitely the most “magical” character in Tekken by a long shot, what with actively being described as a sorcerer, he can feel slightly out of place in the game. Or at least until you remind yourself just how many magical elements there are in the Tekken. From ancient flying Ogres to ninjutsu teleporting, and sentient bears: An exorcist with magical powers just about fits in. Especially when there is quite literally a devil for him to fight.

Still, Claudio’s inclusion as the 16th character may disappoint fans who’ve been clamoring for some of the more traditional Tekken staples. There’s Tekken die-hards who’ll begrudge the fact that relative new-comer Claudio got in while there’s still no word on Lee. Or Lei Wulong. Even Yoshimitsu hasn’t made the cut yet, and in a mainline Tekken game, that feels like heresy. 

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