Tekken 8Whether you’re a Tekken 8 veteran or it’s your first time jumping into a match in the decades-long-running franchise, knowing which characters come out as the best of the best is a great starting point – and our tier list has all the latest details you’ll need.
There are loads of characters to choose from in the latest Tekken, and while each one is a viable pick, some are leagues better than others when it comes to more competitive play, so here’s where each fighter sits in the meta as of 2025.
Tekken 8 fighter tier list
| Tier | Characters |
|---|---|
| S | Asuka, Claudio, Clive, Dragunov, Hwoarang, Jin, Jun, Law, Lili, Yoshimitsu |
| A | Alisa, Azucena, Bryan, Feng Wei, Heihachi, Jack-8, Kazuya, King, Nina, Paul, Shaheen, Victor |
| B | Anna, Devil Jin, Kuma, Lars, Lidia, Lee, Leo, Raven, Reina, Steve, Xiaoyu, Zafina |
| C | Eddy, Fahkumram, Leroy, Panda |
Following the adjustments of the latest balance patches, we’ve updated this tier list to reflect the current meta.
Out of everyone on the list, Lili was the only one who received multiple buffs without any other tweaks or nerfs from the most recent v.2.02 patch update, bringing her from A-tier to S. Asuka also went up, going from C to S-tier. Meanwhile, Feng, who has been hit with plenty of nerfs on his damage reduction and opponents’ behavior, has dropped one tier from S to A.
Besides that, Fahkumram joined the game in July 2025, and even though initial evaluations placed him in the B tier, experts lowered him to the C tier.
Our tiers explained
Though there are standouts, most characters in Tekken 8 are strong enough to be viable in high-level play, so bear in mind that even the worst characters can still win matches. Here’s a brief explanation of what our tier list placements mean:
- S-Tier: Excel at their niche with strong tools, the ability to force impossible guesses, or strong lows/mix-up potential. Dominate in the current Tekken 8 meta.
- A-Tier: Have their strengths, but also some weaknesses or shortcomings that keep them from the S-Tier.
- B-Tier: Characters here have either been nerfed or require specialist knowledge.
- C-Tier: Not worth playing for most, but still viable if you’re determined to make them work.
S-Tier characters in Tekken 8
Asuka (Easy)
Bandai NamcoAsuka is a defensive specialist who thrives on patience and precision. Her parries, safe mids, and evasive movement give her excellent control during a fight. While her offense isn’t as flashy as others in S-tier, she doesn’t need gimmicks – her core fundamentals are that solid.
With buffs in recent patches and improved consistency on launchers, Asuka has climbed to the top tier for the first time in years. She now has more rewarding wall carry and Heat synergy, giving her extra pressure options she previously lacked. While she’s still not the fastest character, her ability to turn defense into offense and reset pressure loops has made her a meta staple for players who value reactive, intelligent play.
- Pros to watch: KingReyJr
Claudio (Easy)
Bandai NamcoClaudio’s a tricky character to play and play against at a high level due to how simple he is, but that same simple moveset makes him a great character to learn on, which keeps him firmly at the top of the Tekken 8 meta.
His lack of strong lows outside of his Heat Smash forces Claudio players to manipulate timings and spacing to find an opening rather than just spamming lows. His ability to apply pressure from a distance makes him especially frustrating to fight against defensively-minded opponents.
- Pros to watch: Mulgold, Tetsu
Clive Rosfield (Intermediate)
Clive is definitely not a Tekken character. He plays differently from everyone on the cast, with him having ranged attacks, a meter that gives him the ability to land combos that reach upward of 130 damage (while completely removing grey health), great wall carry, and some ridiculous tracking.
He does have weaknesses, however. Most of his best moves are negative on block and have a pretty long windup. His sidestepping is generally poor. But he’s such a slippery opponent and his strengths are so hard to fight against that he lands as a high-tier.
- Pros to watch: Landon_D, PhiDX
Dragunov (Easy)
Bandai NamcoDragunov quickly rose up to S-tier in the days following Tekken 8’s release, and he’s still at the top of the table even after his nerfs. Though some of his pressure has been mitigated by nerfs to his plus frames on certain bread and butter, he’s still a pressure monster with strong mix-ups and unholy frame data. This man just doesn’t let you get a turn in.
His weaknesses are minimal – perhaps a predictable offense if telegraphed, and a slightly steeper execution curve than average – but his upside far outweighs these. He’s currently considered one of the safest top-tier investments for both tournament and ranked play.
- Pros to watch: JDCR, Nobi, FearOfSilence, Atif Butt
Hwoarang (Intermediate)
Bandai NamcoHwoarang is arguably Tekken’s OG spam character, and he’s about the same in Tekken 8. While higher-level players will get a lot more mileage out of him than mashers, he can still kick spam his way through most opponents.
His barrage of kicks is hard to counter for someone who isn’t aware of when he should be punished, but Hwoarang gets a lot harder to play against people who know how to shut him down.
He’s got a bell curve going on where he’s a pain to play against in low ranks, gets easier as you learn the matchup, and becomes much more difficult to counter for people who bait you with stance cancels. There are a few really – really – good Hwoarang players out there who you should watch if you want to get the most out of him, and he’s S in the right hands.
- Pros to watch: Speedkicks, EDGE, K-Wiss
Jin (Easy)
Bandai NamcoJin is the all-rounder in Tekken 8’s meta with strong mids, parries, pokes, effective Heat application, and a ton of tools for every situation. He’s missing a lot of the Mishima staple moves in Tekken 8 and has swapped out for a much more traditional style of Karate.
It’s a bit more standard than his move sets in prior games, but with some Devil Gene stuff sprinkled in to give him some flashy combo enders.
Jin’s been the flavor of the month pro play pick for many, though it’s more because he’s a consistent jack-of-all-trades than because he excels in any one area. Regardless, his killer lows and strong mix-up game make him worth tossing up in S.
- Pros to watch: CherryBerryMango, Book
Jun (Easy)
Bandai NamcoJun came out swinging as one of the strongest characters in Tekken 8, with her healing a ludicrous amount of grey health through her Heat Smash and having some strong mix-ups with quick normals and strong poke.
While the aggressive tools she has are weaker than other fighters, she excels at controlling the pace, slowing the game down with parries, safe mids, and backdash baits before exploding into high-damage counterattacks. She’s especially effective at disrupting aggressive characters and zoning out unsafe play.
- Pros to watch: Allidar, PTJ
Law (Easy)
Bandai NamcoLaw’s got a lot going for him in Tekken 8. Deceptive lows, relentless aggression, a Heat smash that can stall the game and quickly drain his opponent’s Heat gauge even on block, and some nunchuk moves that launch on counter-hit. Other than Hwoarang, he’s one of the most notorious spammers in the series.
Law can be very difficult to find an opening against, but players who know how to block and punish him won’t have too much trouble gaining the upper hand. He’s a strong fighter, but those who don’t panic and know how to keep a cool head under pressure can take advantage of clear openings in his assault.
- Pros to watch: Double, Landon_D
Lili (Intermediate)
Bandai NamcoWhat Lili lacks in raw frame data, she makes up for in spades with range, mobility, wall carry, and oppressive sweeps that counter sidestepping hard.
Considering she has the slowest Heat Smash in the game and can be heavily punished by blocking her lows, she does have counter-play. But her strengths are so unique and effective. and combined with her getting buffs from the latest patch, she justifies the S-tier placement.
It’s worth mentioning that Lili’s reliance on defensive movement and reading her opponent makes it a bit harder to play at a high level. However, in the right hands, particularly with excellent movement and spacing fundamentals, Lili is a nightmare to catch, punish, or pin down.
- Pros to watch: Chikurin, PhiDX, SHINE
Yoshimitsu (Hard)
Bandai NamcoYoshimitsu still has the strange and troll moveset he’s always had, but the additions he’s been given really push him into being a high-tier in the current Tekken 8 meta. The ability to heal with his sword in Heat gives him a ton of comeback potential, and it balances out the health cost that’s on some of his key moves.
You don’t have to be an EyeMusician to succeed with this character anymore, though he still requires a lot of practice. He’s extremely high-risk, and his damage is inconsistent compared to more stable top tiers, but for players who thrive on reads, mind games, and creativity, Yoshi is an S-tier beast when mastered.
- Pros to watch: EyeMusician, KaneAndTrench, Sin
A-Tier Tekken 8 characters
Alisa (Easy)
Bandai NamcoAlisa is undoubtedly one of the best characters in the current Tekken 8 meta, and is all about either pokes and range or unrelenting aggro with her chainsaws. Having strong all-in and aggression gives her the flexibility to handle most matchups and control the tempo of the match.
She’s considered by many to be a sort of gimmick character, but she’s actually viable in high-level play. Deceptive lows that hit almost cross-screen, great comeback potential with her chainsaws, and strange combo timings that’ll catch your opponent off guard make her very strong.
- Pros to watch: Cuddlecore, Chanel
Azucena (Easy)
Bandai NamcoAzucena is accessible to newcomers, offering evasive flair with enough depth (stance releases and frame traps) to remain viable at higher levels.
With her smash-based comeback tools less effective, Azucena players are more reliant on fundamentals, which are her core strengths. She wins more by spacing and whiff-punishing, not by canceling into armor-heavy Heat smash spam.
- Pros to watch: Doujin, Qasim Meer
Bryan (Hard)
Bandai NamcoBryan’s really hard to play properly. He’s S-Tier in the hands of someone who can utilize his pressure and consistently pull off his more difficult tech like the Taunt Jet Upper, but playing Bryan at his peak takes thousands of hours of practice, hence his placement in the A-Tier.
However, he’s got some great mix-ups and fast lows that can catch people off guard, which are more accessible to lower-level players. He’s hard, but not as hard to approach as fighters like Kazuya and Zafina.
- Pros to watch: Knee, Ty, Tone
Feng Wei (Easy)
Bandai NamcoFeng is all about punishing his opponents and finding opportunities. Whether it be poking them into submission with fast lows and strong counter-hit mechanics, or landing a launcher and carrying someone all the way to the wall, he’s got it all.
Additionally, he’s got some of the best whiff punish in the game and can easily mess with his opponent via switching up the timings on his moves and using his various stances. Although he previously belonged in the S-tier, the latest balance changes, which have decreased his damage and the opponent’s recovery time, can make him a bit more tricky to play now.
- Pros to watch: JoKa, Kkokkoma
Heihachi (Hard)
Bandai NamcoDespite seemingly being kicked into a pit of lava, Heihachi was added to Tekken 8 as a playable character in October 2024. Heihachi is a bit slow in most cases, but he’s got a lot of power under his belt and that signature Mishima electric if you’ve got the execution to pull it off.
However, this fighter is also very linear and easy to sidestep with the right timing. The time required to lab his combos and having a barrier of execution matched only by other Mishimas, makes him hard to recommend for new players. He is good in the right hands, though.
- Pros to watch: Qudans
Jack-8 (Intermediate)
Bandai NamcoJack is old-school Tekken at its finest. What he lacks in sidestepping and mobility options, he makes up for with incredibly long-range jabs and really strong frame data. A good Jack player will make your life an absolute nightmare.
However, he can’t sidestep effectively like most other characters, his Gamma Stance is a bit underwhelming (though it got buffed on 1.04), and Tekken 8’s generally nerfed backdashing means that guessing right and understanding matchups/frame data is essential.
Jack looks easy, but he requires some practice and strong game sense. That, combined with him lacking tools in comparison to other fighters, puts him in B-Tier.
- Pros to watch: Anakin, Joey Fury, Saint
Kazuya (Hard)
Bandai NamcoKazuya is really, really hard to pull off. Getting the most out of his electrics will take a lot of practice, but there’s more to him than just spamming EWGFs. He’s got some moves that easily abuse lower-level players, too, and he’s deceptively fast when it comes to closing distance on opponents.
If you can stay in the enemy’s face and force them into 50/50s, it’s easy to gain the upper hand and mentally stack your opponent into submission. Now that Kazuya has received enough post-launch buffs to be worth playing, there’s value in picking him over other Mishimas.
Just be wary if you’re picking him up for the first time. You’re gonna struggle for a bit.
- Pros to watch: Keisuke
King (Intermediate)
Bandai NamcoKing stands out from the crowd, with him still having some of the strongest grabs in the game. Many of King’s throws have rather ambiguous tells and breaks, allowing this character to throw even the most experienced Tekken players for a loop. Literally.
Additionally, King got buffed despite being one of the most powerful (and hated) characters in the game, leading to a near-universal community outcry as his Jaguar Sprint got changed. That said, King isn’t quite as strong as he was at launch now that other top tiers like Claudio have crawled out of the woodwork.
- Pros to watch: Jesandy, THE JON
Nina (Hard)
Bandai NamcoNina’s got great options across the board. She has some of the best hopkicks in the game, great wall carry, some strong Heat mode power buffs with her pistols extending combos, and some decent mix-ups. Additionally, she’s one of the few characters who can eliminate grey health via some of her chain grabs.
However, Nina requires some really tough movement mechanics to fully take advantage of her ability to poke and pressure. She’s got one of the higher skill floors in Tekken and isn’t particularly easy to pick up in comparison to some other characters.
Paul (Easy)
Bandai NamcoPaul is a very simple, straightforward character. He’s all about finding windows to land launchers, whiff-punishing, throwing out some high-damage moves, and tossing some insanely powerful lows.
However, he lacks flashy options and deceptive mechanics. Simple, honest Tekken is what you get when you play Paul. And simple, honest Tekken can be pretty damn effective if you know what you’re doing.
- Pros to watch: Knee, Joey Fury, RomanJelly
Shaheen (Hard)
Bandai NamcoShaheen is one of the most oppressive characters you can play in Tekken. He’s got a ton of poke and can easily keep his enemy out of range, but he doesn’t suffer at all for it in terms of combo damage and wall carry.
He’s one of the least popular characters in the game due to being a bit difficult to pick up. Is Shaheen one of the lowest play rate characters? Yes. Is he one of the most prominent characters in high-level play? Also yes. If you’re looking to pick a fighter that has almost no downsides, Shaheen’s your man.
- Pros to watch: Sephiblack, LowHigh, Ahsan, AK
Victor (Intermediate)
Bandai NamcoVictor is notorious in Tekken 8, with many players 2 spamming their way through the low ranks against players who have no clue how to defend against his relentless offense. However, even when you learn to duck his pistol shots and punish his strings, he’s still got a lot of tools.
A low-hitting heat smash, killer evasive tools, strong tracking, and a variety of other strengths make Victor an absolute pain to deal with. It’ll take a bit to learn how to properly use his entire kit to its fullest potential, but taking the time to learn him rather than mashing will pay off.
- Pros to watch: Farzeen
B-Tier characters in Tekken 8
Anna (Intermediate)
Bandai NamcoReturning to the Tekken franchise in Season 2 of Tekken 8, Nina Williams’ long-running feud partner and sister, Anna, is back once more.
As usual, Anna’s great fun to play as, and in Tekken 8 comes equipped with a bazooka. She’s not completely inaccessible to less experienced fighters, but might take some time to get comfortable with initially due to elements like her three stances and debuff, hence the B-Tier placement.
She’s got an incredibly fun kit to utilize, and the previously mentioned ‘Fragile’ debuff state applies damage from blocks until an attack is successful. If her fighting style takes your fancy, Anna’s definitely worth checking out.
Devil Jin (Hard)
Bandai NamcoThough Devil Jin isn’t exactly easy to pull off, it’s become hard to deny that he’s a strong pick in the right hands. He’s got some really strong mobility tools and lightning-fast lows that come out of nowhere. However, his buttons aren’t great, and a lot of his best moves have a lot of windup and require some hard reads.
He was also directly targeted with nerfs in patch 1.03.01, with the devs changing the way wall damage and floor breaks work just to nerf him. Devil Jin isn’t nearly as strong now as he was at release, and his combos don’t carry the way they used to. So, he’s been lowered down to B-Tier.
- Pros to watch: Qudans
Kuma (Easy)
Bandai NamcoKuma has landed a tier above Panda despite their kits being very similar. Along with the high damage and long range both characters bring, Kuma’s EWGF in Heat not only makes him look damn cool, but gives him surprisingly strong and fast pressure.
Tekken 8 Kuma isn’t sugar coating it, and he’s got a shot at being competitively viable in the right hands.
- Pros to watch: Rangchu
Lars (Intermediate)
Bandai NamcoLars simply isn’t a top-tier fighter at the moment. While he’s got some strong gap close and movement with some tricky stance mind games, he’s very much a casino character and is the epitome of Feast of Famine in a lot of ways.
Good Lars players are out there and know how to make the most of his high mobility and buffed DEN3, but Lars is a bit too flashy for his own good. Avoid him unless that unique playstyle appeals to you.
- Pros to watch: KaizokuLars, Tendo
Lidia (Hard)
Bandai NamcoLidia is kneecapped by her own awkward, stance-based moveset. When she gets into her flow, she’s super strong and has a ton of great options and nasty 50/50s. If she gets thrown off her flow chart with stances, though? She runs into some big problems.
What’s more, Lidia’s reliance on stance progression makes her very difficult to learn. Figuring out her bread and butter combos isn’t too bad compared to other characters, but figuring out how to capitalize on and punish certain moves is a struggle.
- Pros to watch: Chikurin, Rangchu
Lee (Hard)
Bandai NamcoLee is in the realm of being exceptionally difficult to play properly, but without the same payoff as characters like Kazuya or Reina. Maximizing Lee’s effectiveness requires multiple, frame-perfect inputs within standard combos.
Though there are good Lee players out there, and he can be effective, his learning curve is insanely steep. Getting wins with him will take practice. Or you could just spam kicks. That’ll work for a while, though people will learn how to counter you eventually.
- Pros to watch: SuperAkouma
Leo (Intermediate)
Bandai NamcoAfter his nerfs, Leo sits in B-Tier. He’s not bad, but he’s certainly a specialist character. Leo allows you to throw a barrage of hits at an enemy and pressure them into the corner. His stances can be punished by quick counterhit moves or sidestepped/sidewalked, though.
Fighting Leo requires a fair bit of matchup knowledge, but he has a lot of vulnerabilities if you know when to take advantage of him not being able to block in his stances.
- Pros to watch: AyoRichie, The Mayor
Raven (Hard)
Bandai NamcoRaven’s a very tricky character in more ways than one. His normals aren’t all that impactful, and his raw frame data is nothing to write home about, but his clones allow him to have some very hard-to-read mix-ups and a ton of movement options. Raven won’t do anything in the hands of a masher, but he’s the sort of character that’ll do great in the hands of a seasoned player.
Additionally, some of his combos are a bit buggy and whiff when they really shouldn’t, leaving Raven players in an awkward spot. Be aware, Raven has some consistency issues if you’re planning to pick him up.
- Pros to watch: PINYA
Reina (Hard)
Bandai NamcoReina is sort of similar to Kazuya, except she’s got more options and a bit less damage. On paper, she sounds busted: Unbreakable throws out of stance, strong jab strings, and good frame data on most of her BnBs, decent wall carry, and combo damage.
In reality, she’s got some massive shortcomings. Her lows are lackluster at best, and she relies heavily on frame timing to win matches. She lacks mix-up and range, winning only if she can play well around her timings, use just the right punish, and catch her opponent mashing. At a high level, she falls off.
You’ll run into a lot of Reina players on the ladder who just spam her jabs, and she’s got great frame data on these moves. Be careful of getting overwhelmed by mashers.
- Pros to watch: Yagami
Steve (Intermediate)
Bandai NamcoSteve’s hurting from having a lot of his BnBs hit hard in the transition to Tekken 8, with even Tekken pros like Knee hesitant to invest time in the character despite having a competitive history with him. That said, he’s still got a lot of pressure to throw around. Quick jabs will never go out of style.
He’s still useful in the right hands, and some recent buffs have the potential to push him back into viability. Steve isn’t dominant like he was in Tekken 7, but he’s not out for the count, either.
- Pros to watch: Numan Ch
Xiaoyu (Hard)
Bandai NamcoXiaoyu is easily the slipperiest character in Tekken 8. Her variety of stances and backstep options gives her the ability to fight fire with fire in many matchups as long as she’s not up against a wall, and she can feel unstoppable if she’s got a read on her opponent. She may not have a whole lot of poke, but she’s so hard to hit that it doesn’t matter.
Her Art of Phoenix stance (AoP) allows her to duck most normal lows and sidestep sweeping lows with the right timing. Lows aren’t really meant to get ducked, and it’s hard to imagine a character besides Zafina that can evade like that.
In other words, Xiaoyu breaks the rules of Tekken 8 and is a pain to play against.
- Pros to watch: Wecka, Sodam, Shaoling
Zafina (Hard)
Bandai NamcoZafina’s evasive movement isn’t nearly as strong as it was in Tekken 8, killing one of the biggest advantages her character had as a Tekken 7 top-tier. And, though she’s got some strong stance mixups, the learning curve on this character is wild. If Zafina looks interesting to you, you’re better off playing another stance character like Xiaoyu or Reina.
That said, some high-level players had made her look convincingly good, mainly Team Liquid’s Shadow20z. She’s still got some strong lows and seems to be viable in the hands of a master, though she hasn’t clawed her way back into the meta just yet.
- Pros to watch: Shadow20z
Tekken 8 C-Tier characters
Eddy Gordo (Easy)
Bandai NamcoPast the low ranks, Eddy really falls off. Inconsistent combo routes, predictable stance mixes, easily jabbed out of his stance transitions, moves that just straight up whiff when they really shouldn’t; Eddy is kind of a mess. Sure, you can spam 3 and run through low ranks, but he doesn’t do much beyond that.
There are, however, some dedicated Eddy players who are doing fantastic things with the character despite his weaknesses. Eddy is a Tekken OG, and he’ll almost always have his dedicated mains.
- Pros to watch: JeonDDing, Spero Gin
Fahkumram (Intermediate)
DEXERTOFahkumram came into the game with a reputation that precedes him: built as a fearsome Muay Thai powerhouse, his reach, tracking options, and wall‑splats deliver high reward – but also high controversy.
Despite being hyped as an offensive monster with notoriously long limbs and mix‑up setups even on block, the character has been labeled as “almost unplayable” due to inconsistent balancing across patches.
He does have a massive range and high damage potential, allowing players to pressure with long-range mids and force reactions with fast lows. However, he requires excessive precision to play optimally, and the lack of safe launchers makes him tricky in competitive settings.
- Pros to watch: ULSAN
Leroy (Hard)
Bandai NamcoLeroy is the epitome of a specialist character, with high defense and generally low damage. He’s got great tools if you know how to use them, but he doesn’t play like most of the Tekken cast. Now that his overwhelming power in Tekken 7 has been toned down, he has a tough time keeping up in Tekken 8.
You’ll rarely see a Leroy player, but most people who pilot this character know the matchup way better than you do.
- Pros to watch: Breadman
Panda (Easy)
Bandai NamcoPanda’s got some moves that make her stand out from Kuma, but her options are just worse, unfortunately. Though she tries to copy Xiaoyu with an awkward bicycle kick, nothing she does can bring the sort of overwhelming force Kuma’s EWGF does. Panda scores points for being cute, but that’s about it.
However, even with Panda being a low-tier fighter in the Tekken 8 meta, Rangchu is truly Tekken’s low-tier hero and has been for a while. He makes magic happen with this character and has proven that any character can win at a high level.
- Pros to watch: Rangchu
All that said, just pick what looks good to you. If a character being an S-Tier pick makes them more attractive to play for you, then do that. Enjoying the character you play is half the battle anyway.
If you’re the kind of person who’s interested in picking what’s meta in Tekken 8, then S-Tier has a ton of options. If not, disregard where your favorite is on the list and play them anyway.
That’s our full Tekken 8 character tier list for the current meta. For more on the game, check out our guides for all secret endings, the best characters for beginners, and an explanation of the Heat system and the Rage Art system.
