Tekken 8 tier list – best characters January 2024

Who is on the Tekken 8 tier list? The only way to become the King (or Queen) of the Iron Fist tournament is to pick a powerful character, someone capable of defeating the majority of the roster without breaking a sweat.

The Tekken games are known for their exceptional character balancing, meaning you should be able to pick anyone on the Tekken 8 roster without having to worry about any glaring weaknesses. That being said, even the best fighting games with amazing character balancing still feature tier lists, and Tekken 8 is no exception. We’re going to break down each character and highlight their strengths and weaknesses to determine who tops our Tekken 8 tier list.

Tekken 8 tier list

Don’t forget that it’s very early days for the game as the Tekken 8 release date has only just arrived. There have been numerous rounds of character balancing since the closed network tests took place throughout 2023, sometimes drastically altering the combo potential and damage output of each fighter.

This is our take on the Tekken 8 tier list right now based on what we’ve experienced in-game and during the closed network tests, but don’t be surprised if someone we thought was bottom tier ends up being dominant in the future. Again, Tekken is extremely well-balanced, so it’s nearly impossible to count any character out.

Here is the latest Tekken 8 tier list for January 2024:

S-Tier

Hwoarang

Hwoarang can be incredibly annoying to deal with thanks to his incredible variety of kick attacks. He doesn’t disappoint here, and so long as you take the time to learn his stances, he can be a considerable and constant threat. We expect Hwoarang to excel in Tekken 8 as he benefits heavily from Heat mode, giving him even more tools to open up his opponent’s defense to deal heavy damage.

Jin

Unlike the previous Tekken games where Jin’s moveset was surprisingly complex given his popularity as the cover star, Tekken 8 makes him a lot easier to pick up and play for newbies. Jin has tools for every situation, and his moveset has been simplified to make it obvious when you should use specific actions. He’s a great character to learn all of Tekken 8’s mechanics, and on top of that, he looks super cool with his heavy Sasuke-eqsue vibes.

Claudio

Another easy-to-learn character, Claudio has a high skill ceiling which makes him a great fighter to attempt to learn right away as he can take you extremely far. You won’t be doing super long combo strings with Claudio, but he has access to a handful of powerful moves that can seriously frustrate your opponent, especially if they’re new to the game.

 

Jun

Jun is another character that hugely benefits from the Heat system. Her unique ability to buff her attacks by sacrificing a tiny bit of life can make all the difference in tight matches. She retains a lot of the moves that she had way back in Tekken 2 but has some new techniques that bring her right up back to speed with the current juggle-heavy mechanics that the series is now known for.

 

A-Tier

Kazuya

Just like his son, Kazuya is one of the game’s most popular characters which makes him tricky to get good with as everyone and their mother knows the match-up. Kazuya has access to various highly damaging and, more importantly, long combos. If he gets one good hit in, he can easily start to mount a comeback. He also has great Heat-exclusive attacks, taking advantage of his Devil form to add that extra chunk of damage. Our main issue with putting Kazuya in S-Tier is that you’re going to have to be exceptional to dominate with him.

Shaheen

Shaheen is a tricky character to master as he doesn’t have any gimmicky tools for you to rely on, he’s extremely fair which can be to his detriment at times. Great Shaheen players typically have a strong grasp on the fundamentals of Tekken, knowing the right moments to attack and defend without putting yourself at risk. If you think of yourself as a strong fighter that can doesn’t need gimmicks to win, Shaheen is your man.

 

 

King

King has a lot of potential to be one of the best Tekken 8 characters thanks to his devastating follow-up throws. Where King’s game plan struggles a little bit is that many of his opener moves are unsafe on block, leaving him a bit open to counterattacks, but he at least has a variety of ways to start a long-hitting combo.

Lili

Lili’s unpredictable attacks can be intimidating to new players, and you’ll likely be on the receiving end of a powerful Heat Burst and Heat Smash combo if you haven’t watched her play before. Some of her moves leave her wide open to counters, so you can turn the tables in an instant with just one strong read.

Paul

He may be one of the slower characters, but Paul’s punches pack some serious power. His combos aren’t very long, but he can easily use the Heat Rush to extend combos while having Heat mode active. Paul struggles to counter more nimble opponents and doesn’t have a lot of low-attacking options that link into his more powerful combos. In the right hands, he can certainly compete with top-tier characters.

Lars

Lars is incredibly unpredictable for newer players and can be frustrating when he gets going. He’s a bit like Lili in many ways, only with a few key attacks that leave him vulnerable to counters if they don’t land. Compared to some characters on the roster, he also doesn’t have all that many new techniques. His Heat attacks are something to be wary of if you’re fighting against him.

Jack-8

One of Tekken 8’s largest and most destructive characters, Jack-8 may be one of the slowest characters but he can play a strong poking game with his long limbs. If you can get up close with Jack-8, he can explode his enemies using a variety of throws that will deplete health bars in the blink of an eye. He can get bamboozled by fast characters, so watch out for players who like to side-step.

Bryan

Regarding explosive power, Bryan’s fists dish out a lot of pain. Because he has so many punching strings, it can be a little unpredictable to fight against him. Historically, Bryan has only a few low attacks that can extend into full combos, and while Tekken 8 does give him access to a few new options, none of them are safe on block.

B-Tier

Xiaoyu

The thing holding back Xiaoyu seems to be that her new moves and combos aren’t all that well-defined. She was one of the lower-tier characters overall in Tekken 7, and, from a fundamental standpoint, she hasn’t changed. Perhaps she’ll get more moves and be less vulnerable in her higher-risk stances in the future, but right now, she’s no power to back her up.

Nina

Nina’s pistols work wonders when extending combos beyond where they should be and do a fair chunk of damage. She retains many of her original moves, including her various grapples. That said, she heavily relies on long combos but has few ways beyond mid or high attacks, but has few ways to start them.

Law

Law’s gameplay style is trying to hit his opponent with kicks wherever possible. Punching is not off the cards, but they leave very little for him to extend into high-powered follow-ups. In addition, some of his attacks from previous Tekken games are gone, and his mobility is on the lower end of the scale, forcing veteran players to devise new ways to start combos.

Leroy

How the mighty have fallen. Leroy may have been considered one of the best characters in Tekken 7, but his new moves fail to make much of an impact compared to the rest of the roster. His power level has also reduced significantly, and his moves leave fewer opportunities for follow-up combos than anyone else.

Asuka

Asuka was another well-balanced character with many options to combo low and high. She also has several command grabs and counter stances that can heavily disrupt an opponent’s momentum. She lacks slightly in power compared to the top-tier characters, but she gets a decent chunk of damage off with her Heat Smash.

C-Tier

Panda and Kuma

Despite Panda and Kuma receiving their own character slots due to their unique move sets this time around, there’s something about these fighters that we’re still left unconvinced by their potential. Tekken 8 has done these animals dirty by making their low attacks launcher punishable, meaning if you happen to miss a low you can expect to take a considerable amount of combo damage from every character on the roster.

That’s our current Tekken 8 tier list. Don’t forget to check out our Tekken 8 review to see what we thought of Bandai Namco’s latest entry to the long-running series. We also have a list of the best upcoming games if you want to see what other top-tier games are coming out this year.