Slowly but surely, Bandai Namco is revealing all of the confirmed fighters for their upcoming title; Tekken 8. The latest entry in the legendary fighting game franchise has been adding fighter after fighter these past few months, such as the popular Marshall Law. Now, another beloved character makes their grand return, and it’s none other than the taekwondo master/motorcycle enthusiast Hwoarang. Originally debuting in 1997’s Tekken 3, Hwoarang was the replacement for another taekwondo user, Baek Doo San, who happened to be his sensei.
The gameplay trailer shows Hwoarang’s technical taekwondo prowess, which seems to have been greatly expanded upon, giving him some much-needed accessibility. His overall look hasn’t really changed all that much. He still has his trademark shoulder-length red hair, his taekwondo gi, and the colorful biker gloves on his hands. Hwoarang’s taekwondo style is one of the most versatile and complex in the whole game, but for those who can master him, you essentially turn into a juggling juggernaut. In the trailer, Hwoarang is seen bursting in on his motorcycle. He then proceeds to kick people’s faces in, including his arch-rival Jin Kazama, whom he uses his Heat Smash on, delivering high-velocity kicks and ending with his signature Dynamite Heel.
As we already mentioned, Hwoarang first appeared in Tekken 3, which initially launched for Arcades, and then on the original PlayStation console. He is one of just 16 fighters confirmed for Tekken 8, which as of this writing, does not have an official release date. The title was revealed back in September 2022 during that month’s State of Play. While we’ve been getting plethora of new information about the fighters and its features, there’s been little or no mention about when it’s actually releasing. As we head into the video game Summer festivities, it’s possible that Bandai Namco has been waiting for the month of June to give us their official date for Tekken 8. Hopefully, we will find in the coming months when we can get our hands on this hotly anticipated fighting game.
Tekken 8 will launch for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/Series S, and PC.