The gaming community has been closely following the roll-out of the roster for Tekken 8. Among the latest characters to be added, as announced at EVO 2023, are Azucena, a Mixed Martial Arts practitioner hailing from Peru, and the mysterious intelligence agent Raven, who is making a comeback from Tekken 6.
The Peruvian MMA fighter, Azucena Milagros Ortiz Castillo, also known as the Coffee Queen, is new to the Tekken series. As the sole child of the family running the Ortiz Farm, a renowned Peruvian coffee plantation, Azucena took to the MMA scene to become the face of her family’s business. Her rise to the championship was driven by her spirited personality and audacious fighting style, which she now aims to leverage in The King of Iron Fist Tournament, further increasing the visibility of her family’s coffee plantation.
Azucena brings a unique fighting style to the game, rooted in MMA techniques. She outmaneuvers opponents with elusive, unconventional movements, with the Libertador, a provocative pose, being her signature move. This stance, which precludes blocking but enables her to anticipate and evade her adversaries’ high and low attacks, keeps opponents on their toes. The Libertador pose escalates in intensity during the Heat state, allowing Azucena to counterattack following a dodge, thereby adding pressure to her adversary.
Meanwhile, Raven, the secret intelligence agent who specializes in ninjutsu, hails from an independent unit under the UN. He has been instrumental in averting conflicts worldwide and has honed his skills in the art of shadow cloning. Following his last appearance in Tekken 6, he was called back to the battlefront.
Since his intensive training, Raven exhibits an enhanced physique and a more advanced form of shadow cloning. This development allows him to exploit a variety of mid-range surprise tactics or clone and teleportation-based attacks via his special stance, Soul Field. When in Heat state, these clone attacks amplify, facilitating seamless wave assaults. Raven’s evolved abilities and tricky move sets make him a suitable choice for players who prefer controlling the tempo of the game.
Ever since Raven’s debut in Tekken 5, he has symbolized a blend of Eastern and Western fighting styles, combining intricate ninjutsu with powerful strikes. His return in Tekken 8 capitalizes on current console hardware performance and the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5, showcasing an evolved Raven. In addition, his character plays a larger role in the overarching storyline, including the UN’s decision to sanction G Corp, the ruthless conglomerate led by Kazuya Mishima.
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