Final Fantasy 16 protagonist Clive’s Tekken 8 inclusion meets mixed reception as players lament Tifa’s absence
Today’s announcement that Final Fantasy XVI’s Clive Rosfield will be the next playable Tekken 8 character has players divided. While many welcome him with open arms, others are disappointed that he was included before Final Fantasy VII’s popular fist-fighter Tifa Lockhart.
Fans have been clamoring for Tifa to be included in Tekken 8 even before the game launched. Tekken is no stranger to guest appearances from other franchises, beginning with manga-based dinosaur Gon showing up as an unlockable character in Tekken 3. So a Final Fantasy character joining the Tekken fighter roster would be no less strange than Kingdom Hearts’ Sora popping up in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Tekken 8’s previous DLC characters Eddy Gordo, Lidia Sobieska, and Heihachi Mishima were pretty safe inclusions, so speculation was high when Tekken creator Katsuhiro Harada asked fans who they thought the final season 1 character was. Now that they know who will be filling in the fourth DLC character slot, fans have a thing or two to say about Clive Rosfield.
Seeing as Final Fantasy XV’s Noctis already made an appearance in Tekken 7 and characters like Yoshimitsu and newcomer Victor are already in Tekken 8, some aren’t too bothered about another sword-wielding character in the latest game. Although Final Fantasy XVI is still a comparatively new FF title, Clive has already become a well-liked character. Some fans see his Tekken 8 cameo as another collaboration to celebrate.
Still, some purists think that Tekken should be a martial arts-based game devoid of weapon wielders like Clive. Weapons are one of the main defining characteristics of Soulcalibur – the Bandai Namco fighting game franchise that hasn’t had a new entry since 2018’s Soulcalibur VI. This reasoning (and possibly jiggle physics) is what makes certain fans think Tifa Lockhart (a martial artist) would fit better in the Tekken franchise than Clive Rosfield (a swordsman). Other Final Fantasy fist fighters like Sabin (FFVI) and Zell (FFVIII) may also have been welcomed by such players.
No matter what fans think, however, Clive will be coming to Tekken 8 very soon. Owners of the Year 1 Character Pass will have access to him as early as December 16 PST as well as the new Phoenix Gate Stage based on Final Fantasy XVI.
