Katsuhiro Harada, the director of Tekken 8, responds to fans’ requests to see Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy in the game…

Tekken 8 director Katsuhiro Harada has released a statement after receiving numerous requests from fans to add Final Fantasy 7’s Tifa Lockhart to the game. The long-awaited release of the latest instalment in the fighting game franchise has already received rave reviews from fans and critics alike. (We liked it, too; see here!) Many people have already mentioned Tekken 8 as one of the strongest pieces of the franchise. They praised the improved graphics and new mechanics like the Heat system. Now, the fans want to add a specific character to the players.

Guest stars became a staple of the Tekken franchise with Tekken 7, incorporating popular characters from other mediums into the fighting game.

The game also included Negan Smith from The Walking Dead and Noctis from Final Fantasy 15 as DLC characters. With the release of the eighth episode, another favourite Final Fantasy character has now become the top of fan requests. It’s none other than Final Fantasy 7’s Tifa Lockhart.

As reported by IGN, Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada released an official statement. There have been many requests from fans to include Tifa in T8. Harada begins the post by jokingly mentioning Tifa’s “attractive” design. While reassuring fans that no decision has yet been made within the Tekken 8 team about including guest characters. Third-party characters such as Tifa are typically included in the Tekken franchise as DLC content. Tekken 7 was the first game to feature many guest characters.

Bandai Namco has already confirmed that franchise protagonist Eddy Gordo will be Tekken 8’s first DLC character.

Fan demand for more 3rd party characters in T8. Crossover fighters have become increasingly common in the gaming industry. Recent Mortal Kombat entries have often featured multiple collaborations with other mediums. For example, Mortal Kombat 1 featured characters like Homelander from The Boys. As well as the Invincible Omni-Man. Others, such as the Super Smash Bros. franchise, have made the crossover element a major part of the game. They also feature characters from many Nintendo games and third-party series. T8 has yet to announce any DLC characters beyond the aforementioned Eddy Gordo.

The release of Tekken 8 follows a year filled with major releases from the biggest fighting game franchises.

Street Fighter 6 was released in June 2023 to critical acclaim, with many praising its robust online modes and tons of features.

Mortal Kombat 1 debuted in November as a reboot of the franchise. The latter takes place in a new universe different from the franchise’s previous games. Tekken 8’s strong launch earlier this year looks to give the beloved fighting game franchise an edge over the competition.

Source: IGN, X

We all know she is attractive and I understand that.
But as yet we have not decided anything about guest characters etc. https://t.co/dkuMm1pnGG

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) January 26, 2024