Panda Returns as a Playable Fighter in Tekken 8

Bandai Namco Entertainment confirms that Panda will be a returning playable fighter in Tekken 8 alongside Kuma, who was previously shown in a trailer. Although Panda’s inclusion was rather obvious, this is the first official confirmation for the character.

Bandai Namco revealed several playable characters for Tekken 8 during Gamescom 2023 this past August. These characters including Kuma, Leo, Yoshimitsu, Steve Fox, Shaheen, and Dragunov. Eager Tekken fans may now add Panda to that list. 

Tekken 8 Tokyo Game Show 2023 Booth Confirms Panda

A giant Panda statue is featured at the Tekken 8 booth at Tokyo Game Show 2023, which runs from September 21 to 24 at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan. Bandai Namco confirms Panda will be playable in the full release, but the character will not be featured in closed beta test. Fans may view screenshots of Panda fighting against Kuma and other returning characters at Tekken 8’s official Japanese website. Bandai Namco plans to reveal six more characters before launch.

The Tekken 8 closed beta test will be held from October 20 at 1 a.m. PDT / 4 a.m. EDT to October 23 at 12 a.m. PDT / 3 a.m. EDT. Fans may pre-register/sign-up for the Tekken 8 closed beta test right now at the game’s official website until October 11. 19 playable characters will be featured in the closed beta test. Bandai Namco plans on testing network capabilities and features during the beta period.

Here are the included modes and playable character roster:

• Jin
• Kazuya
• Jun
• Paul
• Law
• King
• Lars
• Nina
• Xiaoyu
• Jack-8
• Asuka
• Leroy
• Lili
• Hwoarang
• Bryan
• Claudio
• Azucena
• Raven
• Feng

Lastly, Tekken 8 launches January 26, 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Stay tuned at Final Weapon and check our official Tokyo Game Show 2023 tag for more news from the event.