King brings the pain in new Tekken 8 gameplay trailer

Bow to the King

There are many great characters in the Tekken series, but few as recognizable as King. The jaguar-masked wrestler has been a staple of Tekken since the series’ beginning, delivering high-flying, devastating destruction. And King is looking absolutely fantastic in the latest Tekken 8 gameplay trailer.

Bandai Namco has been gradually spotlight each Tekken 8 combatant with a gameplay trailer of their own, and King is the newest one in the arena. What more do I need to say? It’s King. He’s got powerful punches, leaping kicks, and chain combos with grapples that seem like they do some real, real damage. I spied a taunt of some kind as well, with King baring his chest, daring the opponent to take a swing and find out what happens. The result? Not good for them.

There’s something electric about the way King plays that’s just fun to watch. I’m normally not a grappler player, but King feels a bit more acrobatic than his throw-happy counterparts in games like Guilty Gear or Street Fighter. In the trailer, we can see the new Paul, with much less hair product than usual, getting absolutely demolished by King’s knee. It’s fantastic.

Whether it’s talking it up on the mic or delivering devastating destruction, King always brings it. If there’s one constant in Tekken, as even characters like Jin start to change and adapt for Story Purposes, I’m glad it’s King.

Tekken 8 is currently in development for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. No firm release date or window’s been locked in yet.

Related: All Characters Confirmed for Tekken 8 on PrimaGames