Tekken 8 gets the series’ first French fighter in Victor Chevalier

The Tekken series is getting its first French fighter, as Victor Chevalier is joining the Tekken 8 roster alongside a new Paris-themed stage.

Announced on Thursday, game director and chief producer Katsuhiro Harada added context for the character on social media.

“Victor is actually the first French fighter for the TEKKEN franchise,” said Harada. “I have had the idea of a French character in my mind for a long time and it finally came to fruition. Thanks to Vincent Cassel for inspiring me and for voicing him. And the stage is Paris itself, where I took my first Seine River cruise over 20 years ago.”

Oui, oui, oui!

As Harada noted, Chevalier is voiced by French actor Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, La Haine). Victor Chevalier uses a blade, knife, and pistol as his weaponry. He also teleports across the screen as he slashes his opponents. Bandai Namco knows how to make older men look badass (remember Leroy Smith?).

The trailer also points out that Victor has a history with Raven, saying to him, “You’ve gotten pretty good, Raven.”

A new stage set in Paris for the Tekken 8 Victor character

In this new Tekken 8 trailer, we see the action taking place on a boat moving across the river Seine. Harada said he took his first Seine River cruise over 20 years ago, inspiring this stage to come to life in game.

As you fight with Victor and other Tekken 8 fighters on the Paris stage, you’ll see the sights like the Eifel Tower in the background. Hopefully, there’s a nighttime section for the final round, in which it sparkles in gold lights—though there wasn’t a hint towards that in the trailer.

It’s interesting that Tekken 8 has a Paris-themed level because Street Fighter 6 has one too, set closer to the Eiffel Tower during a festival. It must be a good time for virtual brawling in France. Nevertheless, Tekken 8 releases on January 26 for the PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.