Tekken 8 is bringing back a character whose last playable appearance was over 10 years ago, Jun Kazama, the wife of Kazuya Mishima and mother of Jin Kazama. The last time fans saw her in a mainline game, she was believed to have died in Tekken 2, though official sources had listed her as “unknown” accordingly. This death mainly has stuck around, with every subsequent appearance of her being a flashback cameo or in a non-canonical spin-off. The last game she appeared in as a playable character was the also non-canon Tekken Tag Tournament 2, released in 2011. Tekken 8 marks the first time in over 10 years that she returns as a playable character.
Fans first got a look at Jun Kazama returning to the series through Tekken 8’s The Game Awards trailer, which showed flashbacks of happier times between Jin and his mother. When it seems like all is lost, Jun’s reveal at the end seems to imbue Jin with a new power, though some fans still wondered if the character would be playable in this new entry. The latest trailer from Bandai Namco confirms that she will be playable after all.
The trailer begins with the reveal of Jun Kazama's home stage, which takes place in a lush, idyllic forest with wildlife surrounding her. It then shows off her prowess in the Kazama Family Style of Martial Arts, much like her relative and gameplay successor since Tekken 5, Asuka Kazama. Unlike Asuka however, her movements are much more refined and elegant, which indicates her experience and mastery over the younger practitioner.
Some of Jun’s moves in the trailer also seem to be taken from her appearance as Unknown, the final boss of Tekken Tag Tournament 2, albeit without the demonic form and powers. The trailer also shows a brief cutscene interaction before a battle with her husband, where Kazuya Mishima expresses his surprise to see her, shocked to know that she was alive this entire time. In the battle that ensues between the two, Jun’s Rage Art was also demonstrated, where she appears to envelop her opponent in light, with a post-victory animation afterwards has her express her goal of seeking to cleanse the world of evil.
With Tekken 8 bringing back this legacy character after over a decade, some fans are still wondering what her role in the game will be. While the dialogue between Kazuya and Jun suggests it could happen during the game’s story mode, it’s also likely that it could just be a versus mode pre-fight interaction. This is the last gameplay trailer that is focused on all the characters that were first revealed at TGA 2022, so new details and characters are going to shown off before its release.
Tekken 8 is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.