Tekken 8 has announced its final fighter ahead of January launch
Purple lightning
Tekken 8 is set to release on January 26, 2024, and ahead of its launch, we've seen trailers for every fighter that will be ready to brawl once the game is released. Among the 32 fighters on the base roster, three are entirely new to the series, and this newest fighter is the final addition to the trio.
As announced at EVO's Tekken Showcase on November 12, Reina is the final fighter to join Tekken 8's roster. A full reveal trailer accompanied the character's announcement, offering the first look at the brand-new fighter. The full reveal trailer can be seen below:
We're anticipating Reina could become an integral part of Tekken 8's story, especially with Heihachi missing from the base roster and her combat style closely following Mishima-style karate, but details on the story are still incredibly thin on the ground.
Regarding Reina's combat style, according to details shared in a PlayStation blog post, her attack pattern will focus on an acrobatic style rooted in Taidō, a Japanese martial art. Because of this, we can expect her to move incredibly quickly with swift but brutal attacks that keep distance between her and the opponent, which matches up to the nickname "purple lightning" which she was addressed as within her reveal trailer.
In addition to this, the same PlayStation blog post suggested that "her offensive capabilities near walls, in particular, are among the most potent of all characters" which implies she could become a brute force to those who are keen to pick up an entirely new character for the newest addition to the series.
For a final fighter, there's a lot to expect from how she plays, and there is already a lot of speculation surrounding how she will feed into Tekken's ongoing narrative. But, with only a few months until the game's release, we won't have to wait too long to have these questions answered.
Our guide to Black Friday gaming deals will help you to make a saving on all the best titles this year, but if you're looking for a way to upgrade your setup in advance of Tekken 8's release, it's worth checking out our guide to Black Friday PS5 deals and Black Friday Xbox Series X deals too.
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Kara is an Evergreen writer at TechRadar Gaming. With a degree in Journalism and a passion for the weird and wonderful, she's spent the last few years as a freelance video game journalist, with bylines at NintendoLife, Attack of the Fanboy, Prima Games, and sister publication, GamesRadar+. Outside of gaming, you'll find her re-watching Gilmore Girls or trying to cram yet another collectible onto a shelf that desperately needs some organizing.