Top 10 Best Tekken Characters

Hey Tekken fans, get ready for a nostalgia trip back to 1994. When we first got introduced to the iconic world of Tekken, we felt that electric feeling when we laid our hands on the controller and chose from a roster of characters so diverse, they could make the UN look like a high school club. From the Mishima Zaibatsu empire to cold-blooded assassins, android wonders, and even a boxing kangaroo, Tekken has it all.

So, who's the GOAT in Tekken? Is it about landing that perfect EWGF with Kazuya? Is it about going through the emotional rollercoaster of Hwoarang's and Jin's friendship? Or maybe it's about those characters that became cultural phenomena, like Yoshimitsu, who's got more blade tricks than a Swiss Army knife. The truth?

The Top Ten

Jin Kazama

Jin Kazama is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Tekken series released by Namco Bandai Games. He first appeared in Tekken 3 and is known for his complex storyline involving the Mishima family. Jin possesses the Devil Gene, which plays a key role in the series' plot.

Considering that he won two of the Iron Fist tournaments, Jin is the best based on facts and statistics. Heihachi also won two tournaments, but since Jin won the fifth and most recent one, he is the best, and Heihachi is the second best. Kazuya won the first tournament, making him the third best.
The fourth best is Paul because he lost the third King of Iron Fist Tournament after not realizing Ogre would transform into True Ogre. He left, and Jin took advantage of this to win. The fifth best is Hwoarang because he is Jin's nemesis and is evenly skilled. He most likely hasn't won a tournament yet because he is not in the Mishima bloodline.
Kazuya Mishima

Kazuya Mishima is a fictional character in Bandai Namco's Tekken fighting game series, first appearing as the protagonist in the original 1994 game. He is a central character in the series' storyline, often portrayed as a rival to his father, Heihachi Mishima. Kazuya is known for his complex family dynamics... read more

Kazuya Mishima is the most badass player in the game. I used to be a Law player, but he was not effective. I have a friend whose favorite character is Devil Jin. He thinks Devil Jin is good because of his wings and better combos, but he is wrong. Devil Jin is not effective. Not only is Kazuya amazing, but he also looks badass. His combos and basic attacks are awesome. His super combos are amazing too. He seems indestructible in the main storyline. He is just 100% better than anyone else in the game. I don't know why he is ranked number 4.

A proud fighter with ruthless aggression who should rightfully get his way, as Tekken seems to undercut him every time. He may be a power-hungry maniac whose desire to kill and conquer is somewhat sadistic, but he still has the coolest taunts, moves, and quotes. He makes Jin just look like your average stereotypical good guy, who, in this day and age, is totally unrealistic. Let him dragon uppercut his way back to the top, or forever feel the wrath of the devil within.
King

King is a boss in every way possible. Hell, just look at the name!
Let's make this clear: King is the epitome of a good guy in the Tekken franchise. He protects his master's honor, donates any and all wealth he gets to impoverished children, and personally owns, funds, and oversees the running of a Catholic orphanage. He does all this while being a pro wrestler and even finds the time to teach the orphans self-defense. Proof of this is that the current King was an orphan raised in the original King's orphanage, determined to carry on the name.
He's a luchador with a healthy mix of MMA thrown in, and he is the perfect combination of power, speed, and agility. Like I said before, just read the name. King.
Nina Williams

Nina Williams is a fictional character from Namco's Tekken fighting game series. A cold-blooded Irish professional assassin, Nina made her first appearance in the original Tekken. She is one of four playable characters to appear in all main installments of the series and the only female character with... read more

Nina would definitely defeat the new females in Tekken. The only characters that would stand a chance would probably be Julia and Zafina. Asuka and Lili? Please. Nina's a cold-blooded assassin with an incredible moveset. She doesn't use dance and gymnastics, which would waste too much energy in a real fight.
Besides, being the oldest female, she has the most experience and has been in all of the Tekken Tournaments. Of course, Jun and Michelle could give her a run for her money. But Nina's the only blonde for me.

I love Lili so much as well, but any woman being above Nina is almost like blasphemy. Learning to master Nina is so much more satisfying. She's a sexy blonde assassin who can go toe to toe with the best fighters in the world. What's not to love?
I love how cold and uncaring she is (TIME TO DIE) and how she pisses people off if you play her moves well. Her grapples are badass, and her purple outfit is insanely hot. Nina is definitely the most iconic woman in Tekken, and she deserves recognition.
Hwoarang

Hwoarang is an absolute badass. Whether we're talking about his looks, style, story, bad-boy personality, or charisma, Hwoarang's got it all. Gameplay-wise, he probably has the most combo variety of any character in the entirety of Tekken. He's got speed, strength, precision, range, and so much variety.
Countless world-class professional Tekken players have said that this character likely ranks in the highest tier in the game, if not the best. Hwoarang is the most difficult character to master in Tekken and requires a lot of high-level skill. But once you master him, no one will really be able to stop you with Hwoarang.
I seriously recommend this character to anybody out there playing. Believe me when I say you will fall in love.
Emilie De Rochefort

Emilie De Rochefort, better known by her nickname Lili, was introduced in Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection (2005) and has appeared in all subsequent main series entries, including Tekken 6 (2007), Tekken 7 (2015), and Tekken 8 (2024) . She also features in non-canonical titles such as Tekken Tag Tournament... read more

Lili is proof that you don't always have to be an angsty, brooding teenager, a psycho, or a complete jerk to kick ass in a fighting game. She manages to be spoiled and loud, yet strong and intelligent. She created her own martial art. Sure, some of the supposedly stronger or more mature characters in Tekken look down on her, but she's one of the only characters who actually invented their own fighting style. This style seems to work as well as all the traditional martial arts used by the supposedly stronger characters.

She has a well-rounded character, not only with her fighting style that looks practically graceful but also her personality and story add to her abilities. She seems to have motives behind what she does.
It also helps that her rivalry with Asuka provides for some pretty comical cut-scenes between the two. Lili was an amazing addition, and to think she is one of the newer characters to be added to the franchise and yet she has still made a name for herself.
Yoshimitsu

Yoshimitsu, I don't know why Namco puts all the fancy art on him. In Tekken 3, I fell in love with him not only for his unique attacks but also for his image and appearance. Every time I chose Yoshi in 2-player fights, everybody got afraid of how fearsome he was. The Tekken of today just doesn't have that cyborg forest ninja-knight feeling. It's more like a heavily armored piece of paper. Yoshimitsu should get some life knocked back into him, and for God's sake, go easy on his armor. Before you know it, it will have lasers shooting out of his kneecaps.

Yoshimitsu is the man. I mean, he is useful with his meditation stuff. When he's got his health back, he's ready to beat anyone up. I believe, in my opinion, he can thrash anyone out of the scene. And he steals. Literally. In his story.
Who made him #9? This guy is boss and deserves to have a high position. The end.
Asuka Kazama

Asuka Kazama is a video game character from the Tekken series by Namco Bandai Games, introduced in Tekken 5. She is a martial artist with a strong sense of justice and is known for her traditional Japanese fighting style. Asuka is also related to series mainstay Jin Kazama.

Lili has never been too good for me, and I know she's super graceful and good for beginners and all that, but Asuka always beats Lili! Asuka is really good at pokes and deserves to be ahead of Lili, if anything. I really think that Tekken should shed some light on who Asuka really is. She uses violence for peace and is a great character overall. She has the best attitude and reacts quickly, never really thinking out strategic plans.
I use Jin often too, and he has got to be my favorite male character. I think their personalities are fit for each other. One is brash, arrogant, and hotheaded, and the other is trying to control his anger, outwardly calm but fighting a battle within himself. In other words, Asuka and Jin.
Paul Phoenix

Paul Phoenix is a fictional character in the Tekken fighting game franchise developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment. He is portrayed as a hot-headed but good-natured martial artist with a strong sense of justice. Paul is instantly recognizable by his tall, flat-top hairstyle and red gi.... read more

Why is Paul in seventh place? He should be at least fourth because of his strength, his fighting history (only Kazuya and Kuma have ever beaten him), and he almost won the third King of Iron Fist Tournament. He didn't know Ogre transformed into True Ogre when he beat it. He is my favorite character, and I bet that if he wasn't a joke character, he would have won at least one tournament. He would be a really interesting character with a hell of a bigger amount of fans, making Kazuya experience nightmares of Paul beating him.

The guy is a badass. He is recognizable in the streets because he used to be undefeated, up until his fight with Kazuya, which ended in a tie. He was undefeated in Tekken 2, 3, and 5, and in 3, he basically won the tournament by beating Ogre, the same guy who killed the first King and Jun, and almost killed Baek, Bruce, Ganryu, Armor King, and Jin.
Ling Xiaoyu

Ling Xiaoyu is a fictional character in the Tekken video game series created by Bandai Namco Entertainment. She made her debut in Tekken 3, which was released in 1997. Xiaoyu is portrayed as a cheerful and energetic martial artist who specializes in Chinese martial arts.

Ling Xiaoyu is my favorite female character in the game, right after Chun Li and Mai Shiranui. In my opinion, she is considered mature and looks so sexy in Tekken 7. She likes being sociable with Miharu and Alisa, but most importantly, she wants to approach Jin Kazama. She aims to stop Jin when he transforms into Devil Jin and to fight with his father, Kazuya. However, she also wants to join forces with Claudio to prepare to stop Jin, but he cunningly beats her as if baiting prey.
Just now, I see her as sweet because she is a female martial artist who is strong, fast, and actually quite childish and cute. I hope in the next Tekken series, Xiaoyu will seek out Jin and get revenge on Claudio. Then, she will marry Jin and have a child. Thanks, Xiaoyu, I'll vote for this one!

The Newcomers

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Lidia Sobieska
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Negan Smith

The Contenders

Marshall Law

Marshall Law, or just Law, is a player character from the Tekken fighting game franchise by Bandai Namco Entertainment. He first appeared in the original Tekken game released in 1994. His fighting style is inspired by martial arts legend Bruce Lee.

Law's story is pretty funny. In the past, Law and Paul (I'm a bit fuzzy on the details) were being chased by a bear they had disturbed with a rock. Paul failed to do a somersault, and both Paul and Law ended up kicking each other in the groin while practicing together.
When Forrest Law tried to use the nunchucks his father gave him, they flew through a window, causing the biggest mess possible. The nunchuck hit a driver in the head, spun the car out of control, and led to an immediate stop in the middle of the street. Another car crashed, and there was even an explosion, possibly at a gas station.
I'm going to skip ahead - Marshall Law used strong laxatives, which sent Paul, Dan, and Steve rushing to the bathroom. Meanwhile, they carried all of Law's hard-earned money. Forrest Law and Paul were then chased by Law, ending up in Vegas, where they gave the money to people in need. Eventually, they returned to Marshall China. Law found out they were back while out on a walk. Paul and Forrest looked like they wanted to apologize, or maybe admit the money was gone. They were laughing, then pulled out a sock to show the money had been used up, triggering Law's dragony anger.
Bryan Fury

Bryan Fury is a player character from the Tekken fighting game franchise created by Namco Bandai Games. He first appeared in Tekken 3 and has been a mainstay in the series ever since. Bryan is depicted as a violent cyborg fighter with a background as a police officer who was resurrected by a mad scientist... read more

Vote for Bryan, the second strongest bad guy with a half-human and half-robot body. He's supposed to be one of the top ten and should be ranked higher than Yoshimitsu. He never stops laughing when he beats Yoshimitsu and other strong characters.
He is energetic and well-balanced, with both power and speed.

Bryan rules! He is one of the strongest characters in Tekken. He survived a helicopter crash without a scratch. Bullets don't do anything against him, and he can withstand attacks from a tank without any injuries. He can even tear a tank apart.
He should become the king of the Iron Fist Tournament. And his evil laugh rules!
Jun Kazama

Jun Kazama is a fictional character from the Tekken fighting game series developed by Bandai Namco. She made her first and only canonical appearance as a playable character in Tekken 2, released in 1995. Although she has not been playable in later games, she remains an important figure in the series... read more

Jun is my first and favorite character in Tekken. Her most admired moves include the back walkover kick, aerial cartwheel kick, and roundhouse kick. Her fighting style is Japanese karate with lots of kicks and self-defense counters. I like to use Jun in Tekken 2 and TTT 1 because of her costumes and other aspects. So, Jun Kazama combines power and speed. She is offensive. Jun is awesome.

She is iconic, ever since Tekken 2. She helped Angel defeat Devil out of Kazuya, and defeated Devil while being pregnant. She is the bearer of Jin Kazama. Despite not being in the newest games, she still has a big influence. Her looks, her theme in Tekken 2, and her badass fighting style... Everything!
Kuma

A lot of players would find this bear a waste, but I actually find him worthwhile. His hunting position is great for an ambush attack. Plus, his moves are effective.

I love to play as Kuma all the time. I love that they created a bear in Tekken as a playable character.

Powerful! One needs to know the moves to take full advantage.
Heihachi Mishima

Heihachi Mishima is a fictional character in the Tekken fighting game series developed by Namco. He made his debut in the original Tekken game released in 1994. Heihachi is known for his ruthless nature, powerful fighting style, and central role in the Mishima family conflict.

Heihachi Mishima, the antagonist of Tekken and the rival of his son Kazuya. Kazuya is my favorite character, but Heihachi is a badass immortal boss, and I like him as well. When Tekken 7 comes out, the talking point is what I mentioned: Heihachi versus Kazuya.

Heihachi is the best character ever. He is one tough guy. He has been in every Tekken game and has always been the best character. I use him and beat everyone in no time. Thank you, Heihachi, even a giant explosion can't stop you. Yeah!

Er, why is Heihachi down here? Below Forrest Law, for heaven's sake! He's the master of a colossal financial empire who also kicks and punches people in his spare time, and had a bear as a bodyguard!
Alisa Bosconovitch

First of all, Alisa... yes, she is a robot, and that is why she has all those cool and unique things. If you think that it's unfair to the other characters because they don't have those cool things, you are wrong! Don't you think the other characters are strong enough to beat her? Still, she is a very good fighter. However, if you think like that, doesn't it mean you are underestimating the other characters?
Plus, she does have a lot of combos, and she is pretty fast. I have to admit, she is really pretty, ha!

If only people could understand how lethal Alisa's moves are once they learn to combine them all, especially the many moves that allow her to alternate to her destructive form. Seriously, her combos are the most flexible and can be easily modified to our heart's content.
I don't see any reason why Alisa shouldn't be in the top 10.
Lee Chaolan

Lee Chaolan is a fictional character in the Tekken fighting game series created by Bandai Namco Entertainment. He was introduced in the original Tekken game released in 1994. Lee is known for his sharp fighting style, silver hair, and his complex relationship with the Mishima family, particularly Heihachi... read more

The funniest and the most excellent character of Tekken, get it, get it? Excellent! Nah! He is awesome. I always see myself as him, and I always choose him as my character. He is the best!

For how good he is in the game, I would say he is number 1. Not only is he a good fighter, but he also has the funniest personality, and is the best looking and richest character.

He is the best player in my opinion. I completed every stage and beat the game with him. He is the awesome player of the game. I think that he is the master Tekken player of the game.
Lars Alexandersson

Lars Alexandersson is a fictional character in the Tekken fighting game series developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment. He was introduced in Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, an updated version of Tekken 6 that was released in arcades in 2008. Lars is depicted as a skilled fighter with a strong sense of... read more

I underestimated him initially. I thought he was a cheap character when I first played against him. This was because I wasn't familiar with his move list, and as such, I wasn't aware of his play style or how to play against him. He is now one of my mains.
He took a while to learn but has a myriad of quality commands at his disposal and is quite quick compared to other characters.

The best character in this game. Not to mention, if you button mash with this guy, you will surely lose. Once mastered, this guy is a force like no other. My best time is finishing my opponents in 7 seconds flat with this guy. He is so quick, plus, let's face it, he is also pretty cool!
Steve Fox

In my opinion, Steve should easily be in the top 5 because his boxing is fast, and he uses only his hands in combat, leaving the enemy with very slim chances of avoiding any of his lightning-quick fist blows. He's scrumptious, quick, agile, and, most importantly, strong. The best thing about him is that he shares my name - Steve.

Devastating pressure, slick sways, ducking and dodging his way through the fight. He is the ultimate balance of reflex, defense, and offense. Steve's hi-lo mixup is also one of the best in the game, hands down. Ask HelpMe! If mastered, he is one of the worst characters to be matched up against. The beauty of this character is that it is mostly up to you if he is absolute garbage or a Tekken GOD worthy of EVO.
Anna Williams

Anna Williams is the best character. She has some fantastic hidden moves. Very few people know that Anna Williams can reverse all the throws, attacks, and combos of King. For example, when King tries to start a chain throw, she can roll over his shoulder and get rid of it. When King tries to break her leg, she can break his leg at the start or during the breakage. She is a hidden queen. With her hidden moves, King is no longer a difficult character to defeat when someone mastered in King is playing. She can even reverse the death roll of King and injure him.

Talk about a real femme fatale. Anna Williams has it all, from looks to skill. Look out, people, looks do kill.
But above all, she has killer combos and stances and is a must-try character for everyone.
Armor King

Armor King at 21? Better check that! Why is he so low? He deserves a better spot. Hands down. Out of all the characters, he has changed the most. Armor King went from a fair fighter who cared about helping his friends and preaching honor to having more of a dark feel, a more berserk ruthless fighter, and now stands alone. His combos deal more damage than King's, and he trained him on top of that. Put him higher.

The only reason they might not add Armor King in Tekken 7 is because of variety. I would honestly hate to see Lei or a Capo come back. Since they have two ninjas now, I don't see why they can't have two wrestlers. King and Armor King are about as different as Raven and Yoshi, in my opinion. Besides, who doesn't like ninjas and wrestlers? They still haven't ended his story yet either. Oh, and one more thing: how is King learning Armor King's moves if Armor King isn't teaching him?
Devil Jin

Why is the devil in 18th place? He should've been number one. Devil Jin is the best character ever created by Tekken. His moves, his wings, his third eye shooting lasers, and most of all, his eerie voice are enough to make him the most feared character. Also, his power to absorb others' energy, as he did with Devil Jinpachi, is just cool.

It's Jin with the ability to fly and shoot lasers. He is not really original if you ask me. Still, his laser attacks are what make him deadly. Plus, that eerie voice is enough to send chills down your spine.
Eddy Gordo

He gets a bad rap because he is a "button mash" character and he is a "spammer," but you can spam with a lot of characters, some of which are on the top 10 list. When you get to know this character and master him, he is one of the most versatile characters in the game.

He is the best and the fastest. When I have a tiny chance to win, I start to press 4 buttons like a maniac. But with Eddy, 2 buttons are all right, and the opponent is down.

Eddy's full name is Eddy Gordo. He is very powerful in Tekken. He can fight non-stop without a break. Eddy is my favourite. He is fast and strong. He is also flexible.
Sergei Dragunov

Dragunov never runs out of options. He can compete with all the characters in Tekken. You just have to pick the right move at the right time.

He has really good combos. If you know how to use him, you'll be hard to defeat in Tekken. And by the way, which Russian guy doesn't know how to fight that hard?

Not only is he a badass Russian Spetsnaz member, but he also has a kickass moveset that pressurizes other players. He is also the only character in the roster to have a crouching counter.
Roger Jr.

His mother is the one who should have the credits in the character select and HUD, but that's okay. They're the characters I know how to fight and troll a newbie with their Falcon Punch.

Who cares about his ACTUAL skill?!? He's a kangaroo, for goodness' sake! You can't get better than that!

He's a kangaroo. He's a BABY kangaroo who fights in his mother's pouch. ONLY #57?!?!?