Tekken 8 Makes Kuma Cooler Than Ever Before

Bear it all

by Robert Ramsey Wed 27th Dec 2023

Kuma has long been something of a joke character in the Tekken series — a literal bear who (mostly) stands on two legs. However, it really feels like Tekken 8 is trying to make Kuma cool — and we're 100% on board. Dripped out in a bandana and Heihachi's old martial arts uniform, the bear's looking like a beast.

Kuma's also packing some crazy new moves, including a wind god fist and demon breath. Clearly, he's inherited much more than his master's iconic clothing. And to top it all off, Kuma has a unique intro sequence with Panda, the love of his life. Perfect.

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Are you a Kuma fan? Is his fresh sense of style enough to tempt you into trying him? Pull out the salmon in the comments section below.

Robert (or Rob if you're lazy) is an assistant editor of Push Square, and has been a fan of PlayStation since the 90s, when Tekken 2 introduced him to the incredible world of video games. He still takes his fighting games seriously, but RPGs are his true passion. The Witcher, Persona, Dragon Quest, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, Trails, Tales — he's played 'em all. A little too much, some might say.

1
Hyena_socks
Wed 27th Dec 2023

This is why Panda’s are going extinct, too many incel bears armed with explosive fish these days

2
somnambulance
Wed 27th Dec 2023

And this is why I love Tekken.

3
ear_wig
Wed 27th Dec 2023

Simply AMAZING 🐟

4
Excess
Wed 27th Dec 2023

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but the juggling against the wall at the 1 min mark really bothers me. With such realistic graphics, why does this have to look so bad? At least they could have added a little variation instead of repeating the same animation?

Of course, I’m still looking forward to the game and Kuma’s cool and all.

5
arsmolinarc
Wed 27th Dec 2023

Joe Rogan HAS to be a guest fighter now.

"Jamie, pull up the video of me fighting a Bear".

6
Sequel
Wed 27th Dec 2023

Lol did that fish turn into a rocket?

7
Amusei
Thu 28th Dec 2023

@Excess Fun over realism all day. It's a fighting game with bears, robots and aliens in it.

8
Excess
Thu 28th Dec 2023

@Amusei Yes exactly, but they’re hitting some kind of uncanny valley here that rubs me the wrong way when realistic graphics meet janky animation. This is on PS5 after all, it’s not like they couldn’t detect that the character is up against a wall and should react to that.

9
J2theEzzo
Thu 28th Dec 2023

I always liked Kuma. Good to see he's finally getting some decent combos and a bit more individuality from Panda! With Heihachi gone, one can only hope that soon he'll play just like his boss, and inherit the rest of Heihachi's move set.

10
twenty90seven
Fri 29th Dec 2023

Bring back the kangaroo! If you can have a fighting bear, then you can have a boxing kangaroo

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