Summary
One ofStreet Fighter 2’s biggest additions to fighting games was one that seemed so simple but made a big impact: a playable woman. Because Capcom managed to do this first with Chun-Li,Mortal Kombatturned their ‘Kurtis Stryker’ character into Sonya Blade,Fatal Fury 2made their Japanese kunoichi equivalent Mai Shiranui, andVirtua Fightergave players two women to choose from in Pai and Sarah.
Then there’sTekken.Namco expanded onVF’s template to make what’s since become the biggest 3D fighting game franchise. They’ve made some of the genre’s most famous male characters, like Heihachi Mishima and Paul Phoenix, but their women are just as famous (or infamous) as the men, as they stand out asthe strongest female characters in the series.
Updated on October 22nd, 2024, by David Heath:Tekken 8 has had an up-and-down journey thus far. It went from being one of the most popular fighting games on the market to getting review-bombed on Steam over charging extra for a stage that should’ve been part of the Season 1 Pass. That’s not to mention Bandai-Namco disqualifying a Chinese player from the Thaiger Uppercut T8 tournament because his country wasn’t on the approved list of nations on the Tekken World Tour.
The company has since tried to patch these issues, giving T8 players free cash to buy the DLC, and compensating the Chinese player while allowing other Tekken fans from China to compete in tournaments. But between that and their game cancelations and layoffs, things aren’t looking good at Bandai-Namco. But for now, T8 remains popular, and its cast has gone from strength to strength over its updates. So, this list has also been updated to reflect those changes, alongside receiving a few more of the series' toughest female characters.
15Lidia Sobieska
The Warrior Prime Minister
With Kazuya threatening to destroy the nation of anyone who lost in his tournament inT8’s story mode, fans wondered whereLidia Sobieskawas. As a world leader, the Prime Minister of Poland, they would’ve thought she’d stand up for her country in the tournament, or operate behind the scenes, interacting with Victor or other organizations to stop the power-mad devil. Well, she came back inT8’s Season 1 DLC and had her own story chapter with Eddy and Heihachi.
Gameplaywise, she deals out heavy damage, is great at carrying her opponents towards the wall for more punishment, and keeps them down on the ground with her okizeme game. However, she had trouble against more defensive players as she had trouble opening them up with her pokes, or punishing them if they whiffed their strikes. Still, between jabby pokers like Nina, or dancey evaders like Xiaoyu and Azucena, she stands out with her smash-mouth style.
14Christie Monteiro
Classic Capoeirista
Funnily enough, theTekkendevelopers had wanted to add a female Capoeirista to the roster sinceTekken 2. But they needed beefier hardware to capture the fighting style’s more mobile, dance-like kicks and spins. By the time they got it forTekken 3, they had seen the movieOnly The Strongand decided to make their Capoeirista a man, producing the notorious Eddy Gordo. Still, they didn’t let go of the concept and brought it to life inTekken 4throughChristie Monteiro.
She’s the granddaughter of the man who taught Eddy and was no slouch at Capoeira herself. Mainly because bar a few throws, she had the exact same move set. But she took center stage inT4andTekken 5, with Eddy as her alternate skin. Her wild kicks, infinite strings, and beginner-friendly moves made her a popular character to cheese her opponents with, which made her an especially strong contender inT5: DR. Though once other players figured out Eddy and Christie’s tricks, they went down the ranks in subsequent games.
13Asuka Kazama
Spirited Peacemaker
PoorAsuka Kazama. Her fighting style and heritage suggested she would be a bigger deal than she ended up being. She could’ve been testing her distant cousin Jin Kazama, interacting with her auntie Jun, or using her physical method of peacekeeping against the Mishimas directly. Especially as her take on Kazama-style ju-jitsu is more hefty than her aunt’s, with hard kicks and elbow strikes. But instead, she’s been engaged in her rivalry with Lili for so long that fans are wondering when they’re going to drop the pretense and kiss already.
That and, despite the lore saying otherwise, her moves haven’t been as potent as her Monégasque nemesis. At least, not for most of her appearances. She dealt more damage, but she wasn’t as mobile.T8’s recent updates have helped her out, upping her defensive game, though she’s still got a while to go to get back to her peak inTekken Tag Tournament 2. Her sabaki parries and risk-taking approach put her further ahead in that game than in her later appearances.
12Panda
Pretty Protector
Wait,Panda? Isn’t she one ofTekken’s weakest characters? 9 times out of 10, yes. Alongside her equally ursine rival Kuma, their big size and slow moves saw them at the bottom of the series' tier lists. Even when she gained her own moves, she wasn’t anything to write home about. She and Kuma were basically joke characters that stuck around because they were the series' cuddly mascots, the equivalent ofStreet Fighter’s Blanka-chans.
But every dog has its day, or bear in this case. Both Kuma and Panda were considered strong contenders inT5: DR, ranking alongside other high-end bruisers like Bryan and Law. Granted, their size and speed still made them risks their opponents could use against them. But they were great at punishing their opponents, and their additional range helped them punish moves other characters had trouble with, like Devil Jin’s Twin Pistons. So, Panda was one ofT5:DR’s strongest female fighters, after Anna and Julia.
11Anna Williams
Scarlet Lightning
Tekkenis famous for the Mishima clan’s family feud, but they’re not the only fictional family with a vendetta.Anna Williamshas been trying to get one-up over her big sister Nina sinceTekken 1. Whoever the blonde bombshell is aiming for, her brunette counterpart will sashay in her way with a smirk and a bazooka. Which she may need as she’s on par with Nina in either lore or gameplay overall.
Her Aikido-Koppojutsu move set is similar, but her unique moves tend to be less safe by comparison. Then she often gets nerfed in updates when she could do with a buff or two. But she’s still strong enough to put the rest of the roster in their place with her strong slaps and pokes. She even proved herself to be the stronger sister inTekken 5: Dark Resurrection. If shegets to return inTekken 8down the line, it’d be nice to see the sisters settle their rivalry.
10Reina Mishima
Purple Lightning
T8only had 3 newcomers on its base roster, withReina Mishimabeing the most interesting. Another one of Heihachi’s illegitimate children (one of 18-24 such kids, according to Harada), she’s as cruel and ruthless as her dear old dad. Only she mixes up some of his Mishima-style karate moves with Taido, a more dance-like, Capoeira-esque version of karate with broad, swinging kicks.
This actually gives her a wider, effective range than her ‘brother’ Kazuya while being just as good at creating and closing distance. She can get deep into her opponent’s face, then move away when the time is right. That said, she’s not an easy character to learn. Master players will get the most out of Reina’s stances, cancels, and auto-parries. Average and beginner players may feel overwhelmed. Chances are most Reina players online will be more predictable than her opponents are expecting.
9Angel
Protector of Purity
Using the term ‘female characters’ seems rather impersonal, but not every femme inTekkenis human. There are female animals like Panda and Roger Jr’s mom (the one players actually control if they pick the little Joey), and even giant robots like the one-offTekken 6special boss NANCY-MI847J. Then there are celestial beings likeAngel. Little is known about her, except that she wants to save Kazuya from his Devil side.
Her light and his darkness are intertwined, which is why they share the same moves. They’re largely the same as Kazuya’s, except they had unblockable laser attacks. She and Devil would actually beat Kazuya inTekken Tag Tournament 1’s tier lists due to their improved juggle abilities (e.g., they don’t have to crouch to do the Twin Pistons uppercuts). She returned forTekken Tag Tournament 2, but she hasn’t made a canon appearance since herdebut.
8Lili
Fighting Heiress
In lore,Emilie ‘Lili’ De Rochefortis still lagging behindher tomboyish rival, Asuka Kazama, in combat. Ever since she lost to her duringT5’s events, she’s been seeking a rematch. She does have other goals, asT6saw her try to get her billionaire dad’s oil fields back from the Mishima Zaibatsu…which at the time was run by Asuka’s distant cousin Jin. Wherever she goes, she can’t escape the Kazamas.
In gameplay, while Asuka’s no slouch either, Lili has the edge over her. Her mix of gymnastics and self-taught strikes saw her stand above her frenemy in theT6tier lists, only for the two to reach relative parity inTTT2andTekken 7. It helps that she’s more beginner-friendly, offering simple strikes and dodges than Asuka’s sabaki parries and counters. However, like gymnastics, if players put a foot wrong with Lili, they’ll pay for it.
7Katarina Alves
After having Eddy Gordo share the Capoeira role with Christie Monteiro for the past few years, Bandai-Namco decided to switch things up forT7. Eddy would return, but Brazilian women would get a new representative inKatarina Alves. She was snarkier than her bubbly predecessor, and she hada new Savate stylethat, according to EventHubs, made herT7’s highest-tier femme fatale.
Granted, she wasn’t exactly ravaging her way through the roster like Akuma and pre-patch Leroy. But like Christie & Eddy, her beginner-friendly moves saw her stand strong in casual bouts. Why should they learn the Mishima clan’s wavedashes when Katarina just needs the right kick button? Whether she’s in the hands of a master player or a noob, her moves can frustrate her opponents as effectively as her taunts.
6Julia Chang
Wandering Fighter
One of the waysT1separated itself fromVF1and other fighting games at the time was by combining tropes. Instead of havinga kung fu girl and a Native character, they had Michelle Chang, a Sino-Native American who mixed kung fu with suplexes. She had fun moves with spinning kicks and sharp, stunning elbows. WithTekken 3skipping ahead in the timeline by 19 years, she was succeeded by her daughterJulia Chang.
She had swifter strikes and more suplexes, which took her from strength to strength. InT3, she was mid-tier, andTekken 4made her the lowest-tier woman. ThenT5:DRandT7made her the strongest, with Dashfight placing her just behind Akuma and Fahkumram, two of the strongest characters in the game. It’s no wonder the Changs' smash-mouth style has become a mainstay of the series.
