Tekken 8‘s Leroy Smith is here to clean house. EVO Japan might be over, but the Japanese version of the biggest fighting game tournament in the world didn’t come and go without giving us something new to look forward to.
That means new trailers for Tekken 8. The newest addition to Tekken 8‘s launch roster is Leroy Smith, a fighter that made his first appearance as a DLC character in Tekken 7. Asuka Kazama is also making the roster this time around.
Leroy’s an interesting case. The character was famously broken at release, to the extent that many tournaments had Top 8s consisting solely of Leroy players. Despite that, the character’s design — the trailer labels him “The Grandmaster of Drip” — moveset, and eventual balance maintained his popularity. It helps his style is based around Wing Chun, the fighting style of the legendary Ip Man.
Leroy’s fighting style emphasizes economic movement, relaxation, and a narrow, high stance that focuses on rapid punches, something Leroy shows off often in the trailer. The style also stresses the use of parries, which Leroy can use to take advantage of people pressuring him.
In addition, the trailer also gives us a look at his dog, Sugar, who can help him out in combat, and his cane, which he can use once per match.
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His Rage Art resembles his Rage Art from Tekken 7, as Leroy lands a flurry of quick blows before landing a knockout one-inch punch. It’s a perfect example of Wing Chun as a martial arts style and Leroy’s discipline as a character.
Leroy is the latest in a long line of characters revealed for Tekken 8, following Jack-8, Jun Kazama, and Ling Xiaoyu. What makes Leroy unique, however, is that he is the first character in Tekken 8 that debuted in Tekken 7, and the first to make the jump from a DLC character to the main roster.
Tekken 8 is scheduled to release in 2024 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Stay tuned for more trailers on new characters and gameplay changes as we get closer to release.
Featured Image by Bandai Namco.
