Good News, Tekken 8 Is Bringing Back The Series' Best Character

I know you all were worried and losing sleep about this, so I’m happy to be the one to bring you this very important news: Kuma the bear will be in Tekken 8.

For those unaware of Kuma, well, first off, rude. And second off, come on now. Kuma the bear is the best character in the Tekken franchise, appearing in each mainline game as a playable fighter with fantastic ending cutscenes. Seriously, some of the best and funniest cutscenes in the Tekken franchise star Kuma, often feuding with series big bad Heihachi Mishima. It’s great stuff. And now this lovable (but also dangerous) bear is officially confirmed for Tekken 8.

On December 27, Bandai Namco delivered a late Christmas gift in the form of a reveal trailer for Kuma in Tekken 8. In the newly released video, the “Master of Salmon” is looking fluffier and deadlier than ever, complete with a slick headband and vest. That’s one tough bear, folks.

In the video, we also see Kuma’s panda counterpart known as…Panda. Not the most original name, but it works. Like Kuma, Panda has been a fighter in most of the mainline Tekken games and is often seen interacting with Kuma in cutscenes.

Perhaps the best part of this new teaser happens toward the end, when we see Kuma turn his salmon into a futuristic cybernetic fish missile and send it flying into Panda. Tekken is a weird franchise, huh?

And yes, I know that there are technically TWO Kumas in the Tekken series, as the one seen in today’s trailer is actually the son of the original bear featured in the first two games. This current Kuma became a fighter after his dad died before the events of Tekken 3. Yeah, Tekken is weird.

But I love how weird it is and I’m excited to see Kuma’s new ending in Tekken 8 when it launches on January 26, 2024 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Pre-Order Tekken 8: Amazon | Xbox 

While you wait, enjoy all of Kuma’s past endings, aka some of the best stuff in video games.

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