John Paul M. Joaquin Games 08.06.2023 23:Aug PM EDT

Tekken 8 Welcomes Raven, Newcomer Azucena to Roster

Two members of Tekken 8's character roster just got confirmed.

Bandai Namco recently released two character reveal videos that confirm Raven's return to the hit fighting game, along with a newcomer to the franchise.

Bandai Namco accidentally revealed these characters early by accident, making this the third time the video game developer did so since Tekken 8's announcement, according to Dexerto.

Tekken 8 Azucena Character Details

First, let's talk about the newcomer Bandai Namco recently revealed. Bandai Namco's Tekken 8 director, Kohei Ikeda, revealed (via PlayStation Blog) that the new character, Azucena Milagros Ortiz Castillo, is a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter from Peru.

People in theTekken universe know Azucena for being the "Coffee Queen" following her entrance to the MMA world as her family's poster child. Interestingly, she is the only daughter of a family running a Peruvian coffee plantation, which explains her title.

As a champion MMA fighter, players can expect Azucena to specialize in striking - Ikeda stated that Bandai Namco wanted to introduce such an MMA fighter into the game. Specifically, it wants an MMA fighter "embodying a carefree and exuberant attitude that symbolizes South America, and envisioned creating a character who always has fun fighting."

As such, Azucena comes with "sly and unconventional movements" that are based on MMA techniques. She can "playfully" dodge attacks and land powerful strikes, per IGN. Her kit also comes with a few kicks that can reach and push opponents right into a corner.

Her signature move, the Liberrtador, is a pose that provokes her opponent into attacking. While she can't block in this stance, she can instinctively detect and dodge their high and low attacks, keeping them from gaining momentum.

When in the Heat state, Azucena automatically executes a counterattack when she takes on her Libertador pose, putting more pressure on her opponent.

Funnily enough, anytime she knocks her opponent out with her Rage Art, the game will show a special cinematic scene that looks like a TV commercial advertising her family's coffee.

Tekken 8 Raven Character Details

Raven has been a fan-favorite in the Tekken series since Tekken 5, and for a good reason: he is the only character that features a ninjutsu fighting style apart from the (mostly) absent Kunimitsu. Even with Raven's absence in Tekken 7, many players are waiting for him to return to the series - they won't be disappointed.

Ikeda mentioned that Raven fans can expect new things from the UN secret intelligence agent. The character now has access to a more advanced form of shadow cloning when he uses his "Soul Field" special stance.

While in this stance, Raven can use various attacks, from mid-range surprise attacks to attacks utilizing his ability to clone and teleport. When put into Heat state, Raven's shadow clones allow him to launch seamless wave attacks thanks to the enhancement the Heat state brings.

Interestingly, Ikeda revealed that Bandai Namco wanted to bring back Raven thanks to the capabilities of current gaming consoles and Unreal Engine 5. Thanks to them, the company can feature a more "evolved form" of Raven; he and his organization even play a larger role in Tekken 8.