Tekken 8 Tier List – Easiest Characters for Newcomers

With so many characters to choose from, Tekken 8 can be daunting for newbies. So, here’s a Tekken 8 tier list of the easiest characters to pick up and master.

Tekken is one of the most iconic fighting game franchises in the world. And with the latest entry – Tekken 8 – the game has been revamped significantly, introducing new mechanics and gameplay features. However, if you are new to Tekken, all of this can feel quite overwhelming. But fret not, we have your back. In this article, we will provide a Tekken 8 tier list of the easiest characters in the game that anyone can pick up. That way you will have a good idea of which character you can focus on learning the game with. 

Tekken 8 Tier List for Beginner-friendly Characters

Explaining the ranking

• S-Tier: Strong tools and able to excel at the top of the game.
• A-Tier: Still strong, but maybe more weaknesses than those in S. A tier will shine in the right hands, but does have downsides.
• B-Tier: The nerf bat has come and it made a connection. B tier has had a hard time and will require an experienced hand
• C-Tier: Even in the hands of the best, the C tier is still the best to avoid.

The base game of Tekken 8 has a roster of 32 playable fighters and new characters will also be added to the game as DLC fighters. You can access the Season 1 DLC fighters whenever it drops if you get the Ultimate Edition of the game. That’s a massive pool to pick from. Many of the characters have been a staple for the series and there are a few new faces to consider as well. With that said, let’s dive in and see which characters rank among the easiest to start your Tekken journey with.

Check out a selection of our picks below in more detail, this might not always be the best characters, just ones we wanted to highlight.

5. Alisa

Alisa is a nimble android with very fast attacks. She is a menace at lower tiers of play as she can dish out plenty of damage without much delay. Her arsenal of punches and kicks consists of a variety of killer lows and moves with great tracking. While some may argue that her move set is gimmicky, if you don’t know how to block or parry her, then you’re in for a world of hurt. 

Her most appealing attribute is that she can launch the opponent into the air relatively easily and then juggle them for further damage. And her massive low sweeps also make her a threat at range. However, Alisa relies a bit too heavily on getting close to her opponents which makes her vulnerable to big counterattacks. 

With that said, Alisa is a great entry point for new players as they can learn the basics of the game while also getting familiar with air juggling. While her combos can feel a bit intimidating to learn at first, her well-rounded move set makes her one of the best characters for beginners to start with. 

4. Marshal Law

Law is an incredibly fun character to play as his moves closely mimic Bruce Lee’s iconic fighting style. Fast jabs, powerful kicks, deceitful sweeps, and the fan-favorite Dragon Charge stance, make him highly adaptable for any play style. 

The best aspect about Law’s current kit is that it has become very easy to transition into his Dragon Charge stance which can be used to set up huge, far-reaching attacks. He has great pokes that can be mixed up to start a combo. Law also has great low attacks that can throw opponents off when they might expect to block a high or medium hit. However, his drawback is that most of his quick attacks have a very limited range and his big wind-ups leave him open for counter-hits or side steps. 

While it is true that beginners who just like to button mash won’t have a good time playing Law, his diverse arsenal of moves allows players to become familiar with how to set up combos and finishes for characters in Tekken 8. As a true martial arts master, the best way to get good with Law is to practice. 

3. Paul Phoenix

Paul has been a staple in the Tekken franchise for a long time now. We haven’t played a single Tekken game where he wasn’t featured. And one of the main reasons why is because of how easy it is to master Paul. His move set has been refined over several years, keeping them simple but also improving upon them. 

The biggest drawback to Paul is that he is a bit slow. His big-damage attacks usually have long wind-ups, making them easy to block or telegraph for a dodge. However, what he lacks in speed, Paul more than makes up for it with simple combo strings that anybody can pull off. Combining them with some well-timed big-damage attacks makes Paul a wrecking machine. 

Once you get the timing down for Paul’s attacks and learn some of his basic combos, you’ll be breezing through your opponents. Overall, Paul is a great character to start with as he will teach you about the fundamentals of the game while also giving you a chance to land bone-shattering punches!

2. Victor

Victor’s character design oozes with style and finesse. Although his character description is somewhat basic, the guy wears a suit and carries a sword, gun, and daggers. What’s there not to love? He uses his daggers for short, quick pokes that can chained into combos and his sword for long-range, powerful blows and finishes. He can also use his gun to transition into a stance. 

Victor is an incredibly fast and agile character. This aspect of his game has made him a fan favorite almost instantly. You can go a long way by just mashing a single button to start a combo and then go into his Lai Stance, which can then be used to perform a big finish. He also has strong close-range counter-hits like the Failnaught and Welcome Sweep. His best feature is that his combos can be extended into the Lai Stance, which can make your opponents nervous about when they are going to get hit. This mechanic can also help newcomers learn about timing their hits and not rushing to finish a combo. 

His play style and attack patterns are easy to grasp even for new players. However, that means his attacks are also easily punishable. Hence, the challenge for players who want to learn Victor is to not become predictable and use his stance to delay his final attacks. Apart from that, all of his moves are very flashy and look incredible when you can chain them together. 

1. Jin Kazama

What’s interesting about Jin is, if you asked us whether he was an easy pick-up-and-play character in the previous Tekken games, we would have said – absolutely not! However, that is not the case anymore. Since Jin is the protagonist of the Tekken 8 story, the developers intentionally made him easier to play in the newest title. 

Jin is a powerhouse when he can utilize his clean karate combos and devastating single-button hits. He has a range of powerful attacks in his arsenal, like the Corpse Thrust and Demon’s Paw. And his Front Thrust Kick can be used to set up other big attacks. His strikes are fast and can be combined with his wide range of kicks. Players also love the flexibility his stances provide as they can be used to combo into other attacks. 

The most challenging aspect of Jin is to understand when to attack with quick pokes and heavy blows. Also, since his moves are quite simple, your opponent can telegraph them quite easily which can lead to big punishes. With that said, the best quality about Jin is that he is very adaptable to players of all skill levels. Beginner players can learn to play the game thanks to his incredibly easy combo sets and setups. Whereas, intermediate to expert players will always have more to learn about how to utilize Jin’s heavy attacks in effective ways. 

Final Thoughts

If you just picked up Tekken 8 and are wondering which character you can start practicing with, then this article should come in handy. Every fighter in Tekken has distinct move sets as well as pros and cons. Learning how to utilize the strengths of a character while also playing around their weakness is what makes Tekken so fun to play. 

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