Kuma's New Design In Tekken 8 Is Making Fans Weep

thegamer.com:

Earlier this week, we got a brand new trailer for Tekken 8, which featured a bunch of previously unannounced characters such as Yoshimitsu, Dragunov, Shaheen, and a few more. We also got to see fan favorite character Kuma, who's rocking a different outfit from when we last saw him in Tekken 7. On the surface, it looks like Kuma is wearing a cute little vest and a headband, but the outift might look a little bit familiar if you're a longtime fan of the series.

For some context, Kuma is an adorable grizzly bear who series icon Heihachi Mishima found as a cub and raised to become a fighter, making him extremely loyal. Those who played Tekken 7 will know that Heihachi is killed by his son Kazuya after he's thrown into a river of lava, and Tekken 8 makes a big deal out of him being permanently dead. Kuma is a character that doesn't accept this outcome, and has dedicated himself to fighting until he returns.

Related: Tekken 8's Katsuhiro Harada And Michael Murray Talk New Gen, Collaborations, And Heihachi

Kuma's new outfit is proof of that dedication, as he appears to be wearing a vest from Heihachi's old outfit in Tekken 7. Not only that, but he's also wearing Heihachi's red belt as a headband, and even has his arms taped up in white bandages just like his now deceased master. It also appears that Kuma's moveset has been completey revamped too, as instead of the classic bear style we know and love, he'll have a moveset that imitates Heihachi's to showcase how deciated he is to his training.

It's a clever move from the developers, having been able to integrate Heihachi's playstyle into Tekken 8 without needing to introduce any new characters. However, it still hurts our hearts to know that Kuma has gone all out to try and