One of the most iconic fighting games in history is getting another sequel, and we’re already hyped up for it. Tekken 8 is set to release on several platforms on January 26, 2024. As the release inches closer, they revealed more gameplay trailers to round out the roster.
As the release inches closer, the gaming community is abuzz with excitement. On top of that, the recent reveal of Tekken 8 Panda gameplay in the new trailer has fans eager and intrigued, which is exactly what we’ll be discussing today.
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Is Tekken 8 Panda a New Character?
Panda has always been a staple character in the Tekken franchise alongside characters like Yoshimitsu, Jin Kazama, Kuma, etc. She made her debut in Tekken 3, where her story was linked to Ling Xiaoyu, and has been a part of the playable roster ever since. Even though she can’t speak, Panda communicates all her needs through her fists by bashing her opponents up and down and making them seem playful.
A small complaint players used to have was that her fighting style was too similar to Kuma’s, a fighting bear that can pack a punch. Bandai Namco recently released gameplay trailers for Tekken 8 Panda and Alisa Bosconovitch, the former of which showed a distinct fighting style we had not seen before. While it’s true both animal fighters will have their similarities, Panda’s fighting style seems to be centred around her playfulness and the tricks she did in the circus, like using a beach ball to land devastating blows or rolling opponents on her hind legs.
Another aspect that makes this fuzzy ball of cuteness unique is her hitbox. Panda and Kuma both have unique hitboxes as compared to their human counterparts, which makes landing attacks on them that much harder. Give her a second window to strike, and she will bash you into the wall behind.
Tekken 8 Panda’s Fighting Style
Now that we’ve gotten over Panda’s origins let’s talk more about her fighting capabilities and how she is shown in her gameplay trailer. We mentioned before that Tekken 8 Panda shares similarities with Kuma, considering the former is a panda and the latter is a bear. This has been a point of contention since the earlier Tekken games that were addressed in the latest iteration. The biggest is that Kuma’s gameplay trailer revealed that he learned the Electric Wind God Fist technique from his master, Heiachi Mishima.
On the other hand, we have yet to see Panda use this ability since, canonically, it just wouldn’t make sense. What we did see, though, was Panda adopting some new fighting abilities from her owner and friend, Ling. Ling is an agile and acrobatic character, similar to the William sisters. If you watch the trailer again, you’ll notice that while Panda is slow in her movements, you can deal some devastating blows if you get close enough to your opponent.
On top of that, you’ll also have access to some quick combos if you know how to utilise her rolls and forward thrusts. Tekken 8 Panda also has her very own stance, Hunting Bear Stance, which she can use to unleash powerful knockbacks and critical hits, crippling the opponent’s health bar.
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Unique Interaction Between Tekken 8 Panda and Ling Xiaoyu
Tekken is all about the characters and fights, but it would be wrong to end the article without talking about the adorable interaction between Ling and Panda pre-fight. If you watch a face-off between these two, they will first talk to each other before the fight starts, discussing which snacks they’re going to eat.
To this, Panda responds that whoever wins the fight will get to decide today’s snacks. If you lose to Tekken 8 Panda, there will be bamboo shoots for lunch, so make sure you beat her before she reduces your health bar to zero.
This is unsurprising since Ling and Tekken 8 Panda’s story goes way back. Panda is her friend and bodyguard, protecting her from harm. This beautiful little friendship really shows the character development Bandai Namco worked on and has spotlighted in this newest gameplay reveal.
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Parting Thoughts
Our furry friend was long due to an updated moveset and combos, and it seems like we might have finally struck gold. While we cannot do anything but speculate on the skillset until the game officially comes out, we know that Tekken 8 Panda won’t just be a shoddy rip-off of Kuma anymore and will have her own presence within the game.