Tekken 8 has finally been released commercially and there appears to be a vocal group among the gaming community demanding one thing—they want Final Fantasy VII’s Tifa Lockhart in it.
Although the fan demand is strong, its fruition still ultimately falls into the choice of the game’s developer. And despite its rather likelihood, there appear to be no plans for it, at least not yet. As Tekken 8 Director Katsuhiro Harada put it:
The previous iteration of the series, Tekken 7, was been such a turning point in the franchise. And that is partly due to the list of guest characters, essentially playable characters who came from a different series. Examples include King of Fighters’ Geese, The Walking Dead’s Negan, Street Fighter’s Akuma, and Final Fantasy XV’s Noctis were all added to the roster.
While each of the guest characters is unique, Noctis was outstanding for his reliance on weapons, though not a far cry from the series’ own Yoshimitsu and Kunimitsu. Yet, inevitably, this entices the notion that perhaps the crown prince and heir to the throne of Lucis is better suited in a fighting game where the use of weapons is a highlight, like Soul Calibur.
The demand for Tifa Lockhart also times enough with the release of the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth in a little over a month. So, while we’re not going to be seeing Tifa Lockhart as a guest character in Tekken 8 anytime soon, only time will tell.
