The phoenix rises
That was fast. Bandai Namco has dropped yet another trailer for Tekken 8, this one focusing on Ling Xiaoyu. Ling was previously unannounced for the game, so this trailer is a big reveal for her. I’m mostly just surprised that this happened so quickly after Jun Kazama capped off the reveal trailers for their already-revealed cast.
This maybe shouldn’t be a huge surprise. Ling Xiaoyu was introduced way back in Tekken 3 and has been in every entry since. She initially wanted to win enough money to build her own amusement park but eventually got wrapped up in the family drama of the Kazama family.
The trailer shows Ling Xiaoyu kicking her winged slippers at Nina Williams and King, who commenters have pointed out were her foes in the Tekken: Bloodline anime. Much of the time, she’s wearing her trademark smile right up until she gets mad and nukes King’s well-developed abs.
Ling Xiaoyu gets the spotlight after the previously shown characters: Jin Kazama, Marshall Law, Nina Williams, King, Paul Phoenix, Jack-8, Lars Alexandersson, Kazuya Mishima, and Jun Kazama. Bandai Namco hasn’t said how large the roster is going to be, exactly, but they’ve certainly got a brisk pace going on with these trailers.
Tekken 8 is currently in development for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X. It is tentatively expected to launch late in 2023 or early 2024.