Tekken 8’s roster grows as Raven and newcomer to the series Azucena are revealed as part of the Evo 2023 festivities.


Tekken 8’s roster just got a little larger as a pair of characters were unveiled at Evo 2023 in Las Vegas. Raven, the ninjutsu master, and Azucena, a Peruvian fighter known as the “Coffee Queen,” were both revealed for Tekken 8 as part of the Evo 2023 show, with trailers dropping on YouTube shortly after.

Newcomer Azucena joins the Tekken 8 roster (Image via Bandai Namco)
Newcomer Azucena joins the Tekken 8 roster (Image via Bandai Namco)

Raven, a secret agent who uses ninjutsu to defeat his opponents was first introduced in Tekken 5, and appeared in all subsequent releases, except Tekken 7, where he was replaced by Master Raven. Raven returns for Tekken 8. In the trailer Raven is shown using shadow techniques to defeat fellow user of the mystical arts, Claudio.

Azucena, a newcomer to the series for Tekken 8, is depicted as a high-spirited fighter who uses a mix of boxing, MMA, and dance moves to defeat her opponents. Billed as “The Perfect Blend,” the Coffee Queen battles Lili over the latter’s preference to tea over coffee in the trailer.

With the reveals, Tekken 8’s roster swells to 18 total fighters, which we’ve helpfully compiled in our own article. Raven’s addition adds a Ninjutsu fighter to the ranks, something we’d been looking for since the notable absence of Yoshimitsu. Meanwhile, Azucena’s addition is quite notable given it’s the first fighter from Peru to join the game, and Tekken’s list of South American fighter’s continues to grow.

Tekken 8 is scheduled to release in 2024, although a Closed Network Test took place in late July, and beta versions of the game were reportedly playable at Evo 2023. With a large and growing roster, impressive visuals, and new in-game systems, Tekken 8 looks ready to compete in a busy season of fighting games. against rivals Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1.


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