Bandai Namco has revealed a brand new character coming to preventing recreation Tekken 8 later within the 12 months, and she or he’s already inflicting controversy. Miary Zo is claimed to hail from Madagascar and to observe a fight fashion that blends the island’s conventional martial artwork of Moraingy with different African preventing disciplines.
However some followers are questioning why the ultimate character design seems not in contrast to different feminine characters within the recreation when the unique idea artwork was fairly completely different. A recreation artist has proposed a reimagined model that is nearer to the unique idea, and followers at the moment are calling for a rethink (in your personal recreation design, see our guides to one of the best recreation growth software program and one of the best locations to get free online game belongings).
TEKKEN 8 — Armor King Gameplay Trailer – YouTube
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We received our first glimpse of Miary Zo within the last moments of the Armor King gameplay trailer at EVO 2025 (see above). Bandai Namco has revealed that she can have a definite preventing fashion developed by observing animals within the wild and emulating their actions. Sport director Kohei Ikeda has additionally confused that the group travelled extensively in Madagascar, studied the island’s historical past and co-designed the character with the native gaming neighborhood.
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However the recreation artist Del Walker was shocked to see that the unique idea artwork reveals a really completely different Miary Zo with darker pores and skin, thicker eyebrows, a bigger brow, decrease nostril bridge, a lot fuller lips and with wave in her hair. He is translated that into another imaginative and prescient of how the character might look within the recreation.
There’s nonetheless time to make her look slightly extra just like the very profitable idea @TEKKEN @nkt_dreamer 🙏🏾 https://t.co/0ci6c3ppmM pic.twitter.com/6fLPICf4b7August 4, 2025
A variety of followers appear to desire Del’s model. “I simply don’t perceive out of all the ladies that come up in reference to Madagascar how they wound up with a Azucena and Josie reject?” one particular person wrote on X. “That is an improve, & not like a Christie/Rosie love youngster,” one other particular person wrote of Del’s model. Others recommend that Tekken has a “very unhealthy case of feminine similar face syndrome.”
I’m completely satisfied that Miary Zo, which we created along with the neighborhood in Madagascar, is being featured within the information and receiving such optimistic suggestions.🇲🇬 https://t.co/nCieYcgiXMAugust 5, 2025
Kohei has continued to emphasize that Miary was designed with enter from followers in Madagascar, the place individuals have a mixture of Asian, Indonesian and African roots. He additionally highlighted that the character has been welcomed by media and gamers within the nation. Though he reposted a tweet from the Tekken Madagascar account that additionally means that the design “wants is slightly tweaking to make the face look a bit nearer to the idea artwork, with stronger defining options”.
Miary is because of seem in Tekken 8 in October, so there’s not plenty of time. We’ll see if the suggestions is taken on board.
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