Tekken 8 Tier List: Best Characters ranked & explained

See which Tekken 8 characters are best through our Tekken 8 Tier List. Every fighter in our Tekken 8 tier list is ranked into S, A, and B tiers according to their ability to compete at a high level.

The eighth entry in what is likely the greatest fighting game series is Tekken 8. Decades of popularity are the best evidence that Tekken is the most exciting and sophisticated fighting game series. While there are a few new characters in this sequel, many of the beloved characters from the first two parts are also present.

You should be able to choose any character on the Tekken 8 roster without worrying about any obvious flaws because the Tekken games are renowned for their superb character balancing. Tekken 8 is no different, though, as tier lists are a staple of even the greatest fighting games, even those with superb character balancing. To find the character that tops our Tekken 8 tier list, we’ll dissect each one and point out both their advantages and disadvantages.

Remember that the game is still in its early stages because the release date for Tekken 8 has just recently arrived. Since the closed network tests in 2023, there have been multiple rounds of character balancing that have occasionally significantly changed each fighter’s damage output and combo possibilities.

This is the January 2024 Tekken 8 tier list 

Tekken 8 S-Tier

The characters in Tekken 8 S-Tier are the greatest of all time. The majority of the greatest characters in Tekken 8 are excellent all-arounders with specialties in areas like pressure, easy launcher acquisition, powerful wall carry potential, etc.

Hwoarang

Hwoarang’s amazing diversity of kick attacks can make him quite annoying to deal with. Here, he delivers, and if you take the time to understand his positions, he can pose a serious and ongoing threat. Since Heat mode gives Hwoarang even more means to break through his opponent’s defense and do massive damage, we anticipate that he will perform exceptionally well in Tekken 8.

Jin

Jin’s moveset was shockingly complicated in the previous Tekken games, considering his fame as the cover hero, but Tekken 8 Tier List makes him much simpler for beginners to learn and play. Jin’s moveset has been streamlined to make it clear when to use each action, and he has tools for every scenario. In addition to being a fantastic character to learn all of Tekken 8’s basics, he also looks really awesome with his strong Sasuke-eqsue vibes.

Claudio

Claudio is another character that is really simple to pick up and has a high skill ceiling, which makes him a fantastic fighter to try learning right away because he can carry you very far. Claudio doesn’t have a lot of extended combo strings, but he does have a few strong moves that can really annoy your opponent, especially if they’re not too experienced with the game.

Jun

Another character who gains a great deal from the Heat system is Jun. In close battles, her special ability to increase the power of her attacks by giving up a tiny bit of life can be crucial. She still has many of the moves from Tekken 2, but she also has some new skills that allow her to quickly catch up with the juggle-heavy mechanics that the franchise is now known for.

Law

Marshall Law, the wannabe Bruce Lee, returns to Tekken 8 with a more straightforward moveset that will make it simple for beginners to pick things up. In Tekken, Law has always been a well-liked choice. It doesn’t help that many of his biggest supporters seem to have the slowest internet, which makes for some awful online battles. Now that’s out of the way, Law is excellent at whiff punishing because he possesses good offensive and defensive tools. Learn to entice your opponent into taking a chance, then use Law’s lethal follow-up attacks to completely destroy their health bar.

Dragunov

Dragunov’s wide moveset can be exploited by skilled players to make their opponents wary of all the possibilities available to them. Furthermore, Dragunov’s jab and remarkable athleticism make it exceedingly simple to get up close and personal. It won’t take long to get proficient with all of his tools and to be poking and hitting your opponent in order to pick the ideal moment to unleash a rocket at them.

Tekken 8 A-Tier

Most of the lineup is found in Tekken 8 A-Tier. These combatants have distinct advantages and disadvantages and are well-balanced. Even though some of these characters are a little stronger than others, they all work effectively in the hands of skilled players.

Kazuya

Similar to his son, Kazuya is among the most well-liked characters in the game, which makes it difficult to get along with him because everyone, including their mother, is aware of the match-up. Kazuya can perform a number of extremely potent and—more importantly—long combinations. He can easily begin to mount a comeback if he manages to land one good hit. He also possesses excellent attacks that are only available to Heat players, making use of his Devil form to deal extra damage. We disagree with Kazuya being at S-Tier primarily because it will take extraordinary skill to dominate with him.

Shaheen

Shaheen is a challenging character to master since he lacks any flashy tools you may depend on and is exceedingly fair, which can occasionally work against him. Proficient Shaheen players usually possess a firm understanding of the foundations of Tekken, recognizing when to attack and defend without endangering themselves. Shaheen is your man if you believe that you are a formidable fighter who can prevail without the use of tricks.

King

King’s deadly follow-up throws give him a great chance to be among the finest Tekken 8 characters. While many of King’s opening moves are risky on block, leaving him vulnerable to counterattacks, he at least has a number of methods to initiate a long-hitting combination. This is where his game plan falters a little bit.

Lili

If you haven’t witnessed Lili play before, you’ll probably end up on the receiving end of a potent combo of Heat Smash and Burst, as her unpredictable attacks can be frightening to novice players. With only a single, powerful read, you can quickly turn the tables on her because several of her actions leave her wide open to counters.

Paul

Even though Paul is one of the slower characters, his fists have a lot of strength. Although his combos aren’t particularly long, he can easily expand them while Heat mode is engaged by using the Heat Rush. Paul finds it difficult to counter opponents that are more nimble and lacks many low-attacking alternatives that can be combined with his more potent combos. With the correct guidance, he can undoubtedly contend with elite characters.

Lars

When Lars gets going, it can be really difficult because he is very unpredictable for less experienced players. He shares many similarities with Lili, save for the fact that he has a few crucial strikes that, should they miss, could expose him to counters. He also doesn’t have many novel techniques in comparison to some of the other characters on the roster. When fighting against him, be cautious around his heat assaults.

Jack-8

Jack-8, one of the biggest and most deadly fighters in Tekken 8, may be the slowest character, but he can poke a lot with his lengthy limbs. Jack-8 may quickly drain health bars by exploding his opponents with a variety of throws if you can get up close to him. Fast-moving characters have the ability to confuse him, so be wary of players who prefer to sidestep.

Bryan

Bryan has tremendous explosive power, and his fists hurt a lot. Fighting against him can be a little unpredictable due to his abundance of punching strings. Bryan has never had many low strikes that can build into complete combinations. Although Tekken 8 offers him several new possibilities, none of them are safe to stop.

Devil Jin

Although you would be forgiven for believing that Devil Jin is just the evil equivalent of his good counterpart, Evil Ryu from the Street Fighter series, you would be mistaken. Devil Jin, who obviously doesn’t play like Jin, has wings and a laser beam that shoots from his forehead. If you’re just getting started, stay away from Devil Jin because his moveset is best suited for players that are well-versed in Tekken mechanics. If you enjoy Just Frames and wave-dashes, you should definitely check out Devil Jin; if not, you’re not ready for this.

Reina

Despite his passing, Heihachi Mishima’s soul endures thanks to Reina. Although it’s unknown how she has access to Mishima-style strikes like Spinning Demon and Thunder God Fist, Reina does, and with the correct use, she might be extremely lethal. Reina is one of the more difficult characters to master on the roster, so if you’re new to the show, you might want to stay away from her despite her attractive appearance.

Lee Chaolan

Lee is another difficult character to master; his strength really comes into play when you figure out how your opponent is going to play. When you’re able to counterattack your opponent’s assaults, Lee can unleash counterhit moves that deliver a ton of damage swiftly. With Lee, newcomers may find it difficult to know where to start because there is a lot to understand about the character and the game.

Alisa

When it comes to Tekken, Alisa is the ideal character to play as if you’re a beginner because she can move quickly around the arena and look for mistakes. Because of her great mobility, she may easily destroy your opponent when they unintentionally input a hazardous move, creating a window for you to retaliate and punish them.

Feng Wei

Do you think of yourself as a bit of a turtle? That means you like to play the defensive position, punishing your opponent for careless errors or positioning your launchers to deal massive damage to your opponent. Feng Wei provides everything and more; the only thing he is lacking is a Sonic Boom to unleash on his adversaries when they are unwilling to yield ground.

Steve Fox

Due to his difficult-to-learn stances, Steve Fox, the UK boxer—not to be confused with Dudley from Street Fighter 3—is incredibly complex. When the person in control of Steve can read his opponent, he can be a deadly weapon, always carrying a number of tools ready to counterattack. Although beginners might be tempted to choose this blonde fighter, we strongly advise against it until you have a significant amount of Tekken experience under your belt.

Azucena

Azucena, the greatest coffee lover in Tekken 8, is a new character in the franchise and the first fighting master and business owner in the game. She wants to represent her coffee business by competing in the Iron Fist tournament, and given her fighting style—which includes taunts into her stances—she might succeed. Azucena is a simple fighter to master, but fighting her can be frustrating because certain of her stances automatically block specific strikes.

Tekken 8 B-Tier

All of these characters remain viable even at the lowest rank. Not every character from earlier editions has had success with the Heat system, though. Not all Tekken carryovers are made equal, whether it’s because they have a crucial move associated with their Heat Smash or because the system’s advantages have limited their potential.

Xiaoyu

It appears that Xiaoyu’s lack of definition in her new moves and combos is what is holding her back. She was generally considered one of the lower-tier characters in Tekken 7, and she hasn’t evolved all that much. In the future, she might receive additional moves and be less exposed in her riskier stances, but for the time being, she has no support.

Nina

Nina’s guns provide a good amount of damage and are quite effective at stretching combinations farther than they should. She still uses a lot of her classic techniques, such as her different grapples. She does, however, mainly rely on lengthy combos and has limited means of initiating strikes beyond mid- or high-range.

Leroy

How low have the great fallen. Despite being regarded as one of the greatest characters in Tekken 7, Leroy’s new moves don’t really stand out in comparison to the other characters. His techniques provide fewer room for follow-up combinations than anyone else, and his power level has also drastically decreased.

Asuka

Another well-rounded character with many of low- and high-level combination options was Asuka. She also possesses a number of counterstances and command grabs that can seriously impede an opponent’s progress. Although she doesn’t have as much power as the best characters, her Heat Smash deals a respectable amount of damage.

Victor

If Victor’s sniper rifle on his belt wasn’t enough to warn you, he excels in using ranged assaults to inflict damage. Victor’s playstyle is a combination of Noctis and Kunimitsu from Tekken 7, two of the most difficult characters to deal with, which is why the Tekken community dislikes him. If the opponent gets too close, he also has a variety of attacking tools at his disposal. Do you like to frustrate your opponent? Perhaps Victor is the right character for you.

Leo

Leo, another potent all-around fighter suitable for novices and pros alike, has been greatly enhanced from Tekken 7, offering the fighter new moves and a great deal more damage. Leo gains a lot from the Heat gauge as well because they may quickly switch things up and create additional confusion for a brief period of time. You will be happy to see these new advancements in action if you were a Leo player in previous games.

Yoshimitsu

Once more, the fabled swordsman Yoshimitsu makes an appearance, this time with the intention of confusing his opponents with dazzling moves and assaults. With the most bizarre moveset intended to bewilder and annoy the opponent, this character is unlike any other in the game. If you’re new to the series, stay away from this character, but if you want to start stretching out, you might want to go back and check out Yoshimitsu.

Raven

There aren’t many things that are objectively cooler than a Black Ninja—that much is obvious. When an opponent makes a dangerous move or goes for something that is simple to read, Raven is skilled at counterhitting, causing damage to them. When you can enter as Raven, his devastating Heat attacks are the ideal way to close out a round in style, and he may use his Ninjitsu abilities to do absurd levels of damage.

Tekken 8 C-Tier

Panda and Kuma

Even though Panda and Kuma this time around have their own character slots because of their distinct move sets, there’s something about these fighters that doesn’t convince us of their potential. These creatures have been wronged by Tekken 8 Tier List, as their low attack launcher is now punishable. This means that if you manage to miss a low, you will likely receive a significant amount of combo damage from all of the available characters.

That is our Tekken 8 Tier List as of right now. To know more helpful tips or other essentials information about Tekken 8, be sure to visit the Electronic First blog.

Also if you’re interested in earning with Electronic First as soon as today, check out our affiliate program. You can share your link with friends, family or anyone. Sign up today to reap the rewards!