We’ve been constantly revealing the Tekken 8 roster, and the excitement that each reveal has generated among fans has been incredible. At EVO 2023, we announced that Azucena, a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter from Peru, and Raven, a secret intelligence agent specializing in ‘ninjutsu’, will be joining Tekken 8 for PlayStation 5. Azucena is a brand new character in the series, while Raven returns from Tekken 6. In this article, we’ll dive into Azucena and Raven’s design, as well as a look behind the scenes.
Azucena Milagros Ortiz Castillo
Also known as the Queen of Coffee, Azucena is the only daughter of the family that runs Finca Ortiz, a Peruvian coffee plantation. She breaks into the world of MMA to serve as the face of her family’s farm, where she becomes an MMA champion loved by her fans for her cheerful personality and her fearless fighting style. she. She decides to compete in the King of Iron Fist Tournament to further promote and increase recognition of the family farm.
An MMA fighter who dodges attacks with a special stance.
Azucena fights with cunning and unconventional moves that are based on MMA techniques. His signature move is the Liberator, a pose that taunts the opponent. He shifts into a stance where he can no longer block, instead instinctively detecting and dodging his opponent’s high and low attacks. This special stance and his moves allow him to prevent opponents from gaining momentum. The Liberator pose becomes even more powerful in the Heat state, where Azucena automatically launches a counter after dodging an attack, putting more pressure on her opponent.
Azucena’s primary goal of advertising her family’s cafe and representing Ortiz Farm as their only daughter is highlighted by her actions throughout their fights. For example, when she KOes her opponent with her Rage Art, a special cutscene is shown that looks like a TV commercial advertising her coffee.
Its ancient martial art style elements and coffee roots represent its Peruvian origin.
While many characters in the Tekken series specialize in authentic martial arts, we wanted to introduce an MMA fighter who is especially adept at punching. We brainstormed key characteristics that embody a carefree and exuberant attitude that symbolizes South America, and envisioned creating a character who always has fun fighting. This led to the birth of Azucena. We chose Peru as their home because they carry on the ancient Inca tradition of martial arts, Rumi Maki (boxing-focused martial arts). Peru was also a perfect fit for her backstory, which revolves around her experience not only as a martial artist, but also as a model and dancer, as well as her ambition to promote the company’s coffee farm. her family in the world.
A character design that adopts an upbeat attitude and unique MMA moves.
With Azucena’s character design, we found it difficult to balance MMA striking techniques with a distinctive Peruvian flair. We incorporate detailed and colorful patterns inspired by traditional Peruvian garments into your look. We designed his costume to emphasize his unique fighting style by featuring a jacket and shorter sleeves with swinging fringe embellishments. We also mix modern and sporty elements, like her unique hairstyle and sneakers, to create a peppy character that exudes youth.
Raven
Raven is a secret intelligence agent, part of an independent UN unit that has been involved in multiple missions to prevent conflicts around the world, and is a master of espionage using ninjutsu. He ventured into training to prepare for his increasingly dangerous duties, where he mastered the art of shadow cloning. It was then that he received an order summoning him to a new battle.
A highly anticipated return to the series, where his evolved ‘ninjutsu’ establishes his enigmatic fighting style.
Following her time in Tekken 6, Raven underwent intense training to achieve an even better physique, allowing her to use a more advanced form of shadow cloning. By using her special stance, Soul Field, she can use a variety of versatile attacks, such as mid-range surprise tactics or attacks that take advantage of her ability to clone and teleport. Her clone attacks are enhanced when she is in a Heat state, and Raven can launch continuous wave attacks. It is recommended for players who enjoy complicated move sets playing with their opponents or those who enjoy controlling the pace of battle.
A return marked by technological advances and an essential role in the history of Tekken
Since her first appearance in Tekken 5, Raven has embodied a fusion of East and West at a high level in her fighting style, with complicated ninjutsu and powerful punches that belie her lean physique. We wanted it in Tekken 8 because we knew that the performance of current console hardware and the power of Unreal Engine 5 would allow us to showcase a more evolved form of Raven. She also has a much bigger role in the overall story this time around. Previously, the efforts made by the UN have not been portrayed much in the Tekken story. Raven and her organization will play a larger role in Tekken 8, including the UN’s decision to sanction G Corp, a ruthless conglomerate led by Kazuya Mishima.
A character design that retains iconic elements while becoming more ninja-like and with a more impressive physique.
Raven’s character design was based on a concept showing her deep and massive physique. We wanted to improve the overall design of her without compromising the iconic elements of her. The silhouette of her highlights her arms and legs so that players can easily recognize her acrobatic ‘ninjutsu’ moves. For the costumes, we were mindful of the contrast between his muscle-like chest armor and leather pants, while incorporating elements that portray the passage of time and events that may have occurred while he was absent from the scene. canonical history. For example, we replaced his kunai with a short sword. You will also see that he has new tattoos on his arms, which are now even more muscular. There are also new visual effects, such as ink splashes, during his fight sequences.
We hope you’ve enjoyed meeting these two new characters, with the debut of Azucena and the return of Raven. We hope you’ll look forward to more Tekken 8 news in the future before the game launches on PlayStation 5.
