While it still has moments where it can’t find its footing,Tekken 8has done a good job at carrying the prestigious 3D fighting game franchise’s legacy into the current console generation. Its first anniversary is drawing near, and it has already accomplished a lot with the release of three downloadable characters, an addition to its primary story mode, and, for better and for worse, plenty of open discussion between players and developers. While it will take several more years beforeTekken 8can properly be judged next to its monumentally successful predecessorTekken 7, the game is making good strides right now.
As for whereTekken 8is headed next, it’s hard to say. There’s one more character due to launch inTekken 8’s first season pass, and after that the sky is the limit. More expansions toTekken 8’s two story modes could be inbound, but what’s definitely coming are more characters and stages. Various leaks have pointed towarddifferent additions toTekken 8’s roster, and it’s taken a lot of time to get the current season’s fighters out anyway, so there’s no telling what the future holds. Even so,Tekken 8would be a great time for one unusual legacy character to return.
Recent Tekken Has Been Light On Weirdo Fighters
Tekkenis well known for its relatively grounded martial arts, at least compared toStreet FighterandMortal Kombat, being broken up by wacky characters. Cyborgs and ninjas, of which Yoshimitsu is both, and animals, like the bears, kangaroos, and dinosaurs, are regular sights in manyTekkentitles, but it can get stranger than that.Tekken 3introduced a number of series mainstays like Jin Kazama and Ling Xiaoyu, but also some of the weirdest combatants in the franchise, including the geriatric scientist Dr. Bosconovitch,Tekken’s first guest character, Gon the chibi dinosaur, and the enigmatic Mokujin.
Mokujin Is A Mold-Breaking Tekken Character
With a name that roughly translates into English as “wood-person,” Mokujin is a training dummy made from an ancient tree that comes alive in the presence of great evil. At least, that’s whatTekken 3claims, before slapping Mokujin with the most fourth-wall breaking arcade ending in the game. This becomes the norm for the wooden being when it returns inTekken 5,Tekken 6, and the twoTekken Tag Tournamentgames. Mokujin is iconic enough for its likeness to appear in games where it isn’t playable, and for metal Tetsujin and gold Kinjin versions of it to appear in spin-offs, but has nonetheless been missing for almost a decade.
Mokujin Could Bring Something New To Tekken 8
Starting with the release ofTekken 7for arcades in March 2015, Mokujin has been relegated to minor cosmetics for two numbered games in a row. He was technically never canon, despite a justification for his presence existing, and there’s not much demand for the type of fighter he is. Mokujin embodies therare fighting game archetype of the “Mimic,”someone who fights with the animations of other random characters. He inspired more of his kind in other Bandai Namco fighting games likeSoul Calibur’s Edge Master, and pushes his archetype to the extreme by changing fighting styles between rounds instead of matches.
Tekken 8 Could Reintroduce Mokujin Fairly Easily
Mokujin would be a fun bonus character in any fighting game, but that also means he isn’t a mandatory inclusion. ForTekken 8, Mokujin should take afterStreet Fighter 5’s Eleven and join as a season pass bonus character, awakening again due to Kazuya absorbing Azazel’s power.Tekken 8’s Heat systemcould benefit Mokujin similarly to how it differentiates Kuma and Panda, giving him unique abilities that are constant no matter who he is copying. Even though he isn’t a high-priority inclusion,Tekken 8DLC is as good a time as ever to celebrate Mokujin’s return.
