Tekken 8 is one of the games that will help kick off 2024 in style, no pun intended. Bandai Namco has been working hard to slowly unveil the final roster slots for the main title. Within the last year or so, they revealed the arrival of Devil Jin and Victor Chevalier, and then yesterday, they revealed a woman named Reina. But not just ANY woman named Reina, she’s a Mishima in her own right! That’s right, she’s the student of Heihachi and uses a variation of the Mishima fighting style to deal with her foes. Over on the PlayStation Blog, the game’s director, Kohei Ikeda, broke down what Reina is like.
For example, he noted that the team first met her about a decade ago when they were making the story for the 7th game! That means she’s been in their heads for quite some time! Furthermore, she has a kind of “charismatic evil” style to her, which is meant to reflect the “duality” of her character and the way she fights. Speaking of her fighting style:
“Reina employs an acrobatic fighting style rooted in Taido, using swift and brutal techniques such as knife-hand strikes, eye pokes, and scratching that reflect her character. She utilizes a special movement called Sentai to close the distance quickly and launch rushes, while Unsoku allows her to deliver powerful attacks with agile footwork, demonstrating a speedy and aggressive combat approach. In addition, Reina has somehow acquired techniques like Wind God Fist and Spinning Demon, synonymous with the Mishima-style karate, and even exhibits a power fighter aspect, delivering powerful moves from the Heaven’s Wrath stance once used by Heihachi, who is now deceased. Her offensive capabilities near walls, in particular, are among the most potent of all characters.”
The director even noted that they consulted with Taido experts to help nail how the fighting style looks and flows in the game. Now, the director himself didn’t reveal that Reina is a Mishima student, but those who dove into Tekken 8’s code figured that out. Others are reporting on that fact, too. It’ll be interesting to see how gamers react to her and put her skills to action.
It will also be interesting because the new game will deal with life after Heihachi’s death and how Jin and Kazuya will continue their war. The arrival of another member of the “Mishima Clan” could easily shake things up in some unexpected ways! Plus, Jin’s mother will also arrive to potentially cause a stir.
