Yujiro Hanma in Tekken 8: How Do You Balance a Character Famous for Never Losing a Fight?

In 1 of the astir bonkers collaborations successful gaming history, Yujiro Hanma is coming to Tekken 8 aboriginal adjacent year. His uncover astatine Combo Breaker 2026 acceptable disconnected an avalanche of memes and speculation, leaving fans adjacent parts hopeful and terrified that he’ll beryllium conscionable arsenic beardown successful the crippled arsenic helium is successful the Baki manga.

We got the accidental to talk with Tekken bid main producer, Naoya Yasuda, who answered our burning questions astir 'The Ogre' and however the developers volition accommodate the famously overpowered combatant to acceptable wrong Tekken 8’s framework. We besides asked what inspired this collaboration successful the archetypal place, and if Yasuda had seen the memes astir Yujiro’s inclusion successful the game. (Spoiler alert: Yes, helium has, and helium loves them.)

We besides chatted with Yuki Yokoi, manager of promotions and a erstwhile exertion for the Baki manga, who spoke astir the value of Yujiro being a impermanent quality successful Tekken 8, Baki’s 35th anniversary, and his thoughts astir fans’ reactions to this unexpected but invited concern betwixt 1 of the astir celebrated martial arts manga of each clip and 1 of the astir important 3D warring crippled franchises ever created.

IGN: Tekken is nary alien to adding oddball impermanent characters from different genres (The Walking Dead's Negan comes to mind), but Yujiro is simply a full different level of nutty. What gave you the thought to enactment him successful the game?

Naoya Yasuda: Guest characters successful the Tekken bid person been the taxable of endless discussion, some wrong our improvement squad and crossed the community. But the applicable world is that simply saying, “We privation this quality successful Tekken,” doesn’t mean a spouse institution volition springiness america the greenish light. A impermanent collaboration lone comes unneurotic erstwhile a large galore analyzable factors — the timing for some brands, licensing, commercialized presumption and much — enactment up perfectly.

In that sense, the thought of bringing Yujiro Hanma implicit from the Baki bid is not thing that came up recently. It really dates backmost to the Tekken 7 era, close astir the clip Baki was celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Tekken and Baki stock a spiritual affinity that runs deep. There is the motif astatine the bosom of some stories — a fated combat betwixt begetter and lad — on with a bold, uncompromising worldview, and supra each the overwhelming quality of Yujiro Hanma himself: the “Strongest Creature connected Earth,” and the lone antheral successful the satellite who fights connected earthy carnal spot alone. We person felt a almighty kinship with the bid for a agelong time, and we ever hoped that if the precise champion accidental ever came along, we would marque a collaboration happen.

This time, the timing of Baki reaching the large milestone of its 35th day lined up beautifully with our ain hunt for caller impermanent quality possibilities. An thought we had held onto for years, the histories of some IPs, and the passionateness of some fanbases and communities each intersected astatine once. Seen that way, choosing to collaborate with the Baki bid and bring Yujiro Hanma down into our satellite was, successful a sense, an wholly earthy progression.

IGN: I previously spoke with Street Fighter 6 manager Nakayama-san and shaper Matsumoto-san, and they were funny to spot however Tekken volition grip powerscaling the game, fixed Yujiro is canonically the strongest antheral connected world successful Baki lore. So, however bash you mean to marque it truthful that Yujiro tin really suffer a combat oregon get beaten up?

Naoya Yasuda: Actually, Nakayama-san and Matsumoto-san astatine Capcom asked maine this nonstop question successful person! [Laughs] I person tremendous respect for the Street Fighter 6 squad personally, truthful I was gladsome it caught their interest.

The situation underneath it each is precise clear-cut. Tekken 8 is simply a competitory warring game, truthful 1 broadside ever loses — and people determination volition beryllium times erstwhile the 1 losing is Yujiro Hanma. At the aforesaid time, we are good alert of the voices saying, “I don’t privation to spot Yujiro lose.” As a Baki instrumentality myself, I felt precisely the aforesaid way! [Laughs]

How we resoluteness that contradiction and construe it into Tekken 8 is thing we are moving done close now, with improvement actively underway. Since we announced his information astatine Combo Breaker 2026 successful Chicago successful precocious May, we person seen each kinds of theories and wishlists spell up connected societal media. I deliberation expectations are that overmuch higher precisely due to the fact that the Tekken Project has kept delivering impermanent characters astatine a precocious level — which surely keeps america connected our toes.

What we worth astir is delivering some things astatine once: the elements our competitory assemblage and our astir dedicated warring crippled players are looking for, and an overwhelming “Yujiro Hanma experience” — the feeling, the instant you prime him up, that you are controlling the precise Yujiro Hanma you work astir successful the manga. Neither 1 takes precedence implicit the other.

We are successful the heavy of development, and Season 3 inactive has Bob arriving successful August and Roger Jr. this autumn, truthful it volition beryllium a small longer earlier we tin uncover overmuch more. That said, the teaser trailer we showed astatine Combo Breaker 2026 does incorporate a fewer hints. Please rewatch it a fewer times, prime up the manga and revisit Yujiro Hanma’s past truthful far, and fto your imaginativeness tally wild! [Laughs]

We are pursuing a presumption and a consciousness that clasp to the rules and competitory integrity of a warring crippled portion inactive letting you sense, the infinitesimal you determination him, that you are controlling Yujiro himself with your ain hands. Fighting crippled fans should beryllium capable to bask him arsenic a superior competitory tool, and Baki fans arsenic the eventual phantasy made real. I would emotion for Nakayama-san and Matsumoto-san to prime up a controller and spot our reply for themselves!

IGN: Speaking of Street Fighter 6, determination seems to beryllium a inclination close present successful the warring crippled abstraction wherever developers are adding impermanent characters from different franchises — Tifa and Kenshiro travel to mind. What bash you marque of this trend? Why are truthful galore mainline warring games doing this?

Naoya Yasuda: If you categorize DLC characters, they autumn into 3 wide types: 1) Returning bequest characters, 2) Brand-new archetypal characters, and 3) Guest characters.

Development outgo and wide trouble emergence successful precisely that order. Guest characters mean processing with an outer rights holder’s IP connected loan, which is ne'er straightforward. That is why, for immoderate title, it is physically hard to bash them often — each 1 is simply a genuinely precious opportunity.

But the payoff you get successful instrumentality for that effort is 1 of a kind. For existing players, having a quality participate from a wholly antithetic satellite creates a distinctive benignant of excitement: “What benignant of quality are they going to be?” And for caller players, determination is the thrill of a long-held imagination script becoming real: “What would it really beryllium similar if I could power my favourite quality myself?”

One defining trait of the warring crippled genre is however adjacent players and developers are to each other. That is precisely wherefore some the radical delivering thing similar this and the radical receiving it tin bask it together, arsenic a azygous celebration. In that respect, I consciousness Yujiro Hanma is functioning highly powerfully arsenic a span connecting manga and anime fans with warring crippled fans.

The information that the warring crippled manufacture arsenic a full is actively pursuing initiatives that gully successful caller fans from extracurricular is giving radical who person ne'er touched a warring crippled a wide and compelling crushed to prime up an arcade instrumentality oregon a controller and measurement into our community. I deliberation this inclination is emerging precisely due to the fact that the genre arsenic a full is maturing to the constituent wherever it functions arsenic a hub for popular culture.

As agelong arsenic these are made with respect for different companies’ IPs and with heavy emotion for the root material, I consciousness we are expanding the warring crippled ecosystem itself arsenic an manufacture — creating a fantastic virtuous rhythm for developers, licensors, and supra each for players.

IGN: Yujiro seems similar a challenging quality to construe into a crippled similar Tekken. How acold are you into improvement for him, and what's been the biggest trouble bringing him to life?

Naoya Yasuda: As I mentioned earlier, we inactive person plentifulness near to present connected the Season 3 timeline. If I leap excessively acold up and spill each the details connected Yujiro Hanma close now, the selling squad volition crook connected me, and I volition beryllium successful superior trouble! [Laughs]

We are inactive gathering him retired carefully, constituent by element, with adjacent supervision from Itagaki-sensei and Akita Shoten, truthful I anticipation you volition recognize that I can’t stock galore factual specifics yet. Guest characters necessitate a acold longer improvement play than returning characters. It is existent that improvement is entering the location agelong up of his merchandise successful aboriginal 2027, and arsenic his level of polish rises time by day, my ain impulse to get this “Strongest Creature connected Earth” into everyone’s hands lone grows stronger.

On the method side, translating the one-of-a-kind silhouette and sheer condemnation of Keisuke Itagaki-sensei’s artwork into 3D graphics — and having our animators build, framework by framework and wholly by hand, the manga-style exaggeration that nary unrecorded histrion could ever reproduce — has without question made this a antithetic benignant of situation for the task than thing we usually instrumentality on.

Realistically, we won’t beryllium capable to stock the adjacent circular of Yujiro accusation until astatine slightest astir the clip you tin perceive Roger Jr.’s footsteps approaching this autumn. But the overwhelming consciousness of unit Yujiro projects erstwhile helium squares disconnected against an hostile connected surface is unquestionably shaping up to transcend fans’ expectations. Please look guardant to it!

IGN: Of course, tons of fans are hoping to spot moves from his iconic fights successful the anime and manga wrong his Tekken moveset. How faithful to the root worldly bash you program to be, oregon volition you instrumentality immoderate liberties with this mentation of the character? (On that note, immoderate players privation him to beryllium wholly busted, successful keeping with Baki lore. What bash you marque of those opinions?)

Naoya Yasuda: The Tekken bid is known for giving each quality a precise ample fig of moves, and that conception doesn’t alteration overmuch for Yujiro Hanma. So we are gathering his moves with the archetypal manga arsenic our basal — not conscionable the celebrated large techniques and the memorable scenes, but examining and studying it sheet by panel. Essentially, each 1 of his moves tin beryllium traced backmost to the manga. Naturally, for elements that beryllium successful Tekken but not successful Baki — cosmopolitan strategy mechanics and the similar — we person to physique our ain interpretations, but we are being meticulous astir ne'er straying from the inspiration and the satellite of the root material.

As for his performance… I fishy this is simply a question I volition support being asked close up until release! [Laughs]

Look, if he’s excessively weak, fans of the manga and the anime volition beryllium disappointed; and if he’s excessively beardown and breaks the crippled balance, the much dedicated players volition suffer interest. Finding the close landing constituent is genuinely difficult, but personally I person nary volition of settling for thing half-hearted.

Recreating “a beingness truthful overwhelming that conscionable having him basal connected surface makes you consciousness you can’t win,” protecting a steadfast competitory acquisition arsenic a warring game, and striking the nonstop equilibrium wherever anyone who moves him is convinced, “this truly is the Strongest Creature connected Earth” — that is the close reply for maine arsenic a producer, and it is the constituent we are aiming for.

But don’t worry. Even if you hap to suffer portion playing arsenic Yujiro Hanma, that isn’t Yujiro Hanma’s decision — you are simply the 1 who lost. Yujiro Hanma has not lost. So Yujiro Hanma remains the “Strongest Creature connected Earth,” nary substance what happens! [Laughs] Please look guardant to it!

IGN: Baki is arguably the astir fashionable martial arts manga close present (barring Kengan Ashura). If Yujiro is well-received, would the squad ever see making a Baki warring game?

Naoya Yasuda: Hearing you accidental that makes maine precise blessed arsenic a fan! That said, looking astatine the quality of the Baki bid and the mode the manufacture has been processing lately, I deliberation determination is much of a imagination successful it for fans if Yujiro and the different compelling characters crook up crossed each sorts of warring games — truthful that whichever warring crippled a subordinate opens, they tin freely power a Baki quality — than if we were to monopolize the IP. Maybe I consciousness that mode each the much due to the fact that I americium a die-hard Baki instrumentality myself! [Laughs]

We springiness everything we have, each day, to marque the Tekken assemblage bigger and much passionate, and we privation to support doing that. To that end, the lessons and method penetration we person gained done this Yujiro Hanma task person been substantial. How bash you explicit the overwhelming physicality, the value of each strike, and the intimidating beingness that dominates the abstraction successful Keisuke Itagaki-sensei’s artwork arsenic 3D action, and springiness players the overwhelming immersion of controlling a manga quality themselves? That situation has unquestionably pushed our improvement team’s creativity and method quality to the adjacent level.

First, though, our ngo and our apical precedence is to bring this “Strongest Creature connected Earth” into Tekken 8 — which we are pouring everything into close present — successful the champion imaginable form, 1 that warring crippled fans and Baki fans astir the satellite tin beryllium 100% satisfied with.

I sincerely anticipation this collaboration carves a caller question of excitement into the past of the Baki bid successful its 35th day year, and becomes the eventual solemnisation for some fanbases.

IGN: Fans person already noticed immoderate parallels betwixt Tekken and the Baki series: immoderate characters similar Feng and Fahkumram got immoderate inspiration from this series, and its main struggle is besides astir a begetter and lad fight, akin to Tekken. Was Tekken inspired by Baki successful immoderate way? What bash you marque of these parallels betwixt the 2 properties?

Naoya Yasuda: It is fascinating that fans person picked up connected those commonalities and similarities, and arsenic a instrumentality myself I find a batch of it convincing.

The Baki bid is without question a monument successful the genre of Japanese warring manga, and it continues to person an tremendous power connected each creator who depicts martial arts and the thought of strength. There person been galore devoted Baki fans among the successive Tekken improvement teams implicit the years, truthful it is undeniably existent that inspiration from Baki — some unconscious and conscious — lives connected successful our quality designs, successful however we explicit techniques, and successful the underlying bearing of our fighters.

On the halfway taxable of a “fated conflict betwixt begetter and son,” I surely consciousness a almighty spiritual resonance betwixt the Mishima household (Heihachi, Kazuya and Jin) and the Hanma household (Yujiro and Baki). But I don’t deliberation 1 imitated the other. Rather, I judge that erstwhile you acceptable retired to picture the utmost play of hand-to-hand combat, you inevitably get astatine struggle wrong a bloodline — the oldest, astir cardinal and astir convulsive clash of emotion determination is for quality beings.

Tekken 8 includes galore peculiar intros and exchanges staged for erstwhile peculiar characters look each other. What volition Yujiro — the “Strongest Creature connected Earth” and the eventual begetter — accidental to Tekken 8’s strongest fighters, and what volition those exchanges look like? That is thing other to look guardant to.

Where Baki has pursued the phantasy of the “Strongest Creature connected Earth” done the mean of manga, Tekken has pursued the thrill of performing combat with your ain hands and overwhelming your hostile done the mean of 3D warring games. The platforms differ, but some person spent decades chasing the aforesaid questions: what is strength, and what is the aesthetic of fighting? Having the 2 intersect now, connected the perfect signifier of Tekken 8, feels astir similar destiny. I truly anticipation fans propulsion themselves into each portion of this crossover!

IGN: Of course, the reactions to Yujiro's uncover were highly animated. Some consciousness he's a cleanable acceptable for Tekken, portion others deliberation he's a spot excessively retired determination for the game. What bash you marque of these reactions?

Naoya Yasuda: I americium good alert that erstwhile it comes to impermanent characters determination are ever a scope of opinions astir the selection, and mixed views astir which IP to include. There is nary specified happening arsenic a quality prime that satisfies 100% of players worldwide, and I deliberation it is lone earthy that immoderate players aren’t keen connected the thought of impermanent characters astatine all.

At the aforesaid time, the standard of the effect to this collaboration with the Baki bid honestly went good beyond what we had anticipated. We thought we had a steadfast grasp of however good Tekken and Baki acceptable together, but erstwhile we showed the teaser trailer astatine Combo Breaker 2026 successful Chicago successful May, the explosive roar that erupted successful the venue — and the excitement that followed crossed societal media and communities worldwide — acold surpassed the standard we had imagined.

Seeing the net overflow with fans’ expectations, theories and free-ranging speculation has, frankly, enactment tremendous unit connected maine arsenic a shaper and connected the improvement team! [Laughs] With expectations this high, we perfectly cannot marque thing second-rate that would fto fans down — that keeps everyone connected the task focused.

Whether radical are excited oregon watching cautiously, each of it reaches america due to the fact that they instrumentality Tekken seriously. We volition crook that tremendous unit into the champion benignant of vigor and decorativeness him to a “strongest connected earth” level of prime that leaves everyone speechless the infinitesimal they interaction him. Please look guardant to it!

IGN: What is the 1 happening you're excited for players to acquisition erstwhile Yujiro releases?

Naoya Yasuda: What I privation radical to acquisition the astir is the overwhelming consciousness of beingness and immersion that runs done your full assemblage the instant you instrumentality clasp of a controller oregon an arcade instrumentality and determination him connected screen: “right now, I americium straight controlling the ‘Strongest Creature connected Earth’ I work astir successful the manga.”

The dense feedback of a azygous strike, the intimidating beingness that dominates the precise abstraction erstwhile helium squares disconnected against an opponent, and the sheer aura of overwhelming spot radiating from the surface — we are honing each of it to the implicit bounds wrong the Tekken 8 framework.

For long-time Tekken fans and competitory warring crippled players, determination is the eventual caput crippled of moving retired however to maestro this strongest-on-earth quality and power him arsenic a competitory tool. And for fans who person loved the Baki manga and anime, determination is the eventual fantasy: a imagination held for years, realized interactively precisely arsenic imagined.

The full improvement squad volition support moving without compromise close to the precise extremity truthful that we tin deliver, rather literally, a “Yujiro Hanma experience” that convinces everyone the infinitesimal they interaction it. Please fto your expectations tally high!

IGN: Do you person immoderate quality connected erstwhile we volition spot the adjacent trailer for him, either gameplay oregon a quality render?

Naoya Yasuda: I can’t springiness you an nonstop day astatine this constituent but, arsenic I mentioned earlier, Season 3 inactive has Bob successful August and Roger Jr. this autumn. The apical precedence is for fans to instrumentality their clip and bask what those 2 bring.

So I deliberation the earliest we volition beryllium capable to amusement caller gameplay footage oregon visuals — a quality render — of Yujiro Hanma volition beryllium sometime aft autumn, astatine which constituent you tin intelligibly perceive Roger Jr.’s footsteps approaching.

But delight remainder assured. Under adjacent supervision with Akita Shoten, everything connected the improvement level — his stance, his actions, and each plus needed to explicit the “Strongest Creature connected Earth” — is steadily coming together. We are preparing footage with an interaction that volition leap acold past immoderate you person imagined oregon hoped for, truthful delight bask the Season 3 timeline and hold for the adjacent update!

IGN: Speaking of renders, determination person been a fewer fan-made ones floating astir the internet. What are your opinions connected those?

Naoya Yasuda: Of people I americium alert of each the fan-made renders, mock-ups, and instrumentality creation flying astir online — and I person been enjoying checking them retired myself! [Laughs]

The information that fans are imagining “their perfect Yujiro Hanma,” putting successful the clip to make enactment of that prime and sharing it, is the clearest imaginable impervious of however overmuch passionateness they are pouring into this collaboration. Speaking arsenic a creator, I americium genuinely grateful.

That vigor — everyone creating “my Tekken Yujiro” and getting excited astir it — is the champion substance this collaboration could have. With Roger Jr. joining this autumn arsenic well, we made a constituent of embracing net memes and assemblage culture, due to the fact that much than thing we privation to support valuing that playful tone and enthusiasm from our players.

That is precisely wherefore I don’t privation this immense festival, this large question astir Yujiro Hanma’s arrival, to enactment confined to the improvement side. I privation to physique it up arsenic acold arsenic it tin perchance go, unneurotic with the fans!

It volition beryllium a small longer — sometime aft autumn, astir erstwhile you tin perceive Roger Jr.’s footsteps — earlier we tin amusement authoritative gameplay footage and an authoritative render. But we volition unveil thing finished to a modular that matches your unthinkable enthusiasm, truthful delight support those chaotic ideas coming and look guardant to it!

IGN: Baki is arguably the astir fashionable martial arts manga close present (barring Kengan Ashura). If Yujiro is good received, would you see making a Baki warring game?

Yuki Yokoi: There was 1 console adaptation a agelong clip ago, released arsenic a PlayStation title, but thing since. So arsenic a instrumentality myself, I would emotion to spot it happen.

IGN: What is your instrumentality connected the parallels betwixt Baki and Tekken? Were you ever a instrumentality of warring games, and if so, what is your instrumentality connected the parallel's betwixt Baki and Tekken?

Yuki Yokoi: I americium not precise bully astatine warring games, but I person played a spot of everything — I enactment a batch of effort into Tobal No. 1 connected the PlayStation, among others.

As for what the 2 works person successful common, I deliberation the smallest portion of it is the father-son fight. More than being the strongest antheral connected earth, oregon mastering martial arts, what runs done some is thing acold easier to grasp: the simple, vertical throughline of wanting to bushed your ain father. That, to my mind, is what they share.

IGN: Of course, the reactions to Yujiro's uncover were highly animated. Some consciousness he's a cleanable acceptable for Tekken, portion others deliberation he's a spot excessively retired determination for the game. What bash you marque of these reactions?

Yuki Yokoi: First of all, I consciousness some relieved and elated that thing we had been discussing with Bandai Namco for 5 years has yet travel to fruition. In the root material, Yujiro is an overwhelmingly almighty quality who has ne'er lost, truthful arsenic a Baki instrumentality I recognize the concerns radical have.

I knew that Baki had been spreading overseas done the anime and truthful on, but seeing truthful galore planetary fans erupt with thing adjacent to sheer euphoria erstwhile the announcement went retired astatine Combo Breaker made maine genuinely blessed — and Itagaki-sensei was delighted arsenic well.

The Tekken improvement squad has besides engaged with the Baki bid with tremendous sincerity. There were points during supervision wherever I accepted thing arsenic unavoidable fixed the game’s specifications, lone for the squad to travel backmost astatine the adjacent league and say, “On reflection, let’s hole this truthful it feels much similar Yujiro.” With a squad similar that, I deliberation fans of some works volition beryllium capable to bask a Yujiro they volition beryllium genuinely blessed to see.

IGN: Working with Bandai Namco to bring Yujiro to Tekken, what is 1 happening you're excited for players and fans to acquisition erstwhile helium releases?

Yuki Yokoi: Simply being capable to play arsenic Yujiro — the acquisition of everyone getting to go the Strongest Creature connected Earth. Please bask that. He has seldom been made playable successful the past, aft all.

IGN: Baki is celebrating its 35th anniversary. How bash you consciousness astir the interaction this iconic martial arts franchise has had some connected its fans and the greater media space?

Yuki Yokoi: I can’t talk to however it is overseas oregon worldwide, but successful Japan radical often speech successful presumption of “before Baki” and “after Baki.” You perceive a batch that it changed the mode spot is depicted. The satellite of Baki tends to represent spot done characters with specified tremendous beingness that you can’t statesman to comprehend however they became that strong. I deliberation Baki’s power connected that mode of depicting spot has been considerable.

IGN: Baki has had collaborations with respective large brands since the Most Evil Death Row Convicts arc aired connected Netflix. With the IP celebrating its 35th year, however does it consciousness to spot the IP continued to grow and beryllium celebrated, and what bash you marque of its occurrence successful the years since then?

Yuki Yokoi: Speaking arsenic idiosyncratic progressive with the series, I deliberation the elemental information is that earlier the 2018 anime adaptation, acold excessively small was being done with it — merchandising included — comparative to the standard of the enactment itself. My feeling is that radical person yet recovered it.

The halfway fanbase, the archetypal readers, are astir my ain age, successful their forties, and the information that those radical person begun to clasp a grade of decision-making authorization successful their jobs is, I think, 1 crushed these collaborations person increased. You mightiness accidental Baki fans person started pushing their ain selfish wishes through, each successful their ain arena.

IGN: Lots of manga and anime are getting live-action shows. Is Baki a spot that you could spot having a live-action adaptation 1 day?

Yuki Yokoi: I can’t accidental it volition ne'er happen. Itagaki-sensei is cautious astir it, but helium has ne'er said nary outright. That said, looking astatine past examples that didn’t enactment out, I deliberation it would lone determination guardant erstwhile we could cautiously reason that it wouldn’t disappoint the fans.

IGN: Is determination thing you'd similar to accidental to fans of the manga and anime, either astir this collaboration, oregon astir the 35th anniversary?

Yuki Yokoi: The 35th day volition proceed connected from here, but for now, this is simply a collaboration betwixt 2 works built connected the top father-son fights of the century. A begetter who has brought his ain family’s feud to a definite decision is stepping into the Mishima family’s conflict — delight look guardant to seeing however that unfolds!

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With 10 years of acquisition reporting connected games and entertainment, she’s got a storied inheritance successful the warring crippled community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her connected Twitter astatine @TheeMissGlaze.