Summary

  • Fans are demanding the inclusion of Final Fantasy 7's Tifa Lockhart as a guest character in Tekken 8, and her fighting style would be a perfect fit for the game's martial arts landscape.
  • Tifa's potential inclusion in Tekken 8 would be a great way to continue the collaborative efforts between the Tekken and Final Fantasy series, especially with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on the horizon.
  • If Tifa were to appear in Tekken 8, her abilities could be translated from Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and she could have unique moves and alternative costumes based on her different appearances in the FF7 series.

Tekken 8 is the latest entry in the long-running fighting game franchise. The first game was released in 1994, and over the 30 years following, the series has remained a staple of the fighting game genre. The series' 3D movement and often outlandish lore set it apart from other big franchises in the genre. Tekken 7 introduced a number of guest characters, such as Akuma from Street Fighter and Negan from The Walking Dead. Now that Tekken 8 is in players' hands, fans are demanding new guest characters, and Final Fantasy 7's Tifa Lockhart is by far the most requested.

The demand for Tifa in Tekken 8 has become so great that its director, Katsuhiro Harada, has had to respond to it publicly. While his response made it clear that the development team has not committed to any specific guest characters, the call for Tifa makes a tremendous amount of sense. Tifa Lockhart is a fan-favorite character from Final Fantasy 7, and her fighting style is a perfect fit for a fighting game since she is a pugilist. Tifa's penchant for hand-to-hand combat, especially as it is depicted in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, echoes many of Tekken's characters' use of martial arts. Given Tekken's over-the-top nature, even some of her more fantastic abilities would still feel right at home.

New Tekken Stories- New Villain Ogre Tekken X Street Fighter
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Tekken 8: Where The Series Can Go After The Mishima Saga

It's interesting to speculate where the Tekken franchise could go after the conclusion of the long-running Mishima Saga.

Tifa Is The Best FF Character For a Tekken Appearance

Final Fantasy 15's Noctis was featured in Tekken 7, so including Tifa in this newest entry would be a great way to continue the collaborative effort between the two series. Furthermore, one could argue that Tifa is a far better fit for Tekken than Noctis was. Weapons are something of a rarity in Tekken, as are abilities such as teleportation. Noctis had both of these in Tekken 7, but his character still worked. In this new entry, Tekken's Victor Chevalier shares many similarities with Noctis, which is a testament to how well his unique abilities were implemented. While Noctis was surprisingly great, Tifa and her abilities would be more at home in a Tekken game.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is Right Around the Corner

As well as Tifa being a natural fit for Tekken, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is right around the corner, making now the perfect time for her to pop up as a guest in a different series. While Harada's statements made it clear that her addition is not planned, announcing her inclusion following the release of Rebirth would be the perfect celebration of its launch. FF7's Tifa Lockhart may not be as immediately recognizable as Cloud, but she is one of FF7's most important characters and one of gaming's most powerful women. There would be no better way to celebrate FF7 Rebirth and her appearance in it than her inclusion in Tekken 8.

How Would Tifa Play in Tekken 8?

New Tekken Stories- New Villain

If Tifa were to appear in Tekken 8, she could retain many of her abilities as they are represented in FF7 Remake. Her uppercut could be translated into Tekken 8 as a launcher, and she could accordingly be given greater flexibility in the air than other characters. Like in FF7 Remake, her combat style could focus on fast movement and rapid strikes. Tifa goes through many changes across the FF7 series, including her appearance. This means that she has plenty of looks and outfits that could appear as alternative costumes for her in a Tekken game.

Part of the reason that fans are demanding Tifa for Tekken 8 is that she seems like such a natural fit for it. As a pugilist, she fits right into the martial arts landscape of the series. She already has alternative costumes that the developers could recreate, and even the most outlandish and anime-inspired elements of her fighting style wouldn't feel out of place in Tekken. A guest character was not among Tekken 8's leaked DLC, but it's possible that later seasons of DLC could include them, and leaks should be taken with a grain of salt anyway. If Tekken 8 brings back guest characters, Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy 7 would be an obvious choice, with many fans eagerly hoping for her inclusion already.