Zafina Azazel Mashup in Tekken 8 seems to be the new Meta. The mysterious Zafina makes a surprise debut on Tekken 8’s roster shortly before the game officially launches on January 26, 2024, that is after a successful Closed Beta Test. Zafina’s Tekken 8 move set and play style have become all the more unpredictable, with Tekken’s Azazel overpowering her. This is making Azazel’s role even more pivotal in the new Heat System, in contrast to Zafina’s move set in Tekken 7. Voiced by Cindy Robinson, Zafina seems to be the final character making her way to the list of Tekken 8 characters, with glimpses of Tekken’s Azazel trying to overpower her.
Tekken 8 Zafina and Azazel: Gameplay Trailer and Reveal
New Intro and Outfit!
In Tekken 8, Zafina is introduced as the “Mystic Stargazer” as she adorns a new outfit, which complements her Egyptian roots. Though this outfit change has been a bit controversial, it fits well with her mysterious background and her inner battle to contain Tekken’s Azazel spirit. But to be fair, the default Tekken 7 Zafina costume is still available, as is the case with all the other Tekken 8 character’s costumes.
Zafina’s Storyline Converges With The Mainline Story in Tekken 8
Zafina also gets a few new intros and interactions with Tekken 8’s Claudio, the head of the exorcist organization, The Archers of Sirius. Tekken 8’s Claudio is pivotal in his role to contain and strengthen the seal on Zafina’s arm to contain Azazel. The interaction sets the stage for the upcoming story and lore for Tekken 8, sparking interest from many fans of the franchise.
Tekken 8 Zafina Gameplay Breakdown
As for Zafina’s Tekken 8 Gameplay, she takes moves from Tekken’s Azazel, but they’re significantly buffed compared to Azazel’s power dynamic with Zafina in Tekken 7.
Zafina Azazel Mashup in Tekken 8 Transpires New Moves Into Her Arsenal
As for the combat mechanics, Zafina can enter her different stances upon performing normal moves and attacks i.e. allowing her to automatically enter her Scarecrow Stance, giving her plus frames and block, with the ability to follow up with the Azazel hand. This also goes hand-in-hand with other moves, allowing her to quickly jump into her Tarantula Stance for follow-up hits. Scarecrow stance can now allow you to perform a bounce, contrary to wall splats performed by Zafina in Tekken 7.
Zafina Azazel Tekken 8 Mashup Brings Forth Unique Heat Burst, Heat Engager, and Heat Smashes
In addition, we got to see a new Heat Burst which leaves the opponent bound, allowing for more follow-up combos and openings to juggle the opponent.
Using Azazel, Zafina enters into a Heat Engager, follows up with a Heat Dash, performs a stun, and firmly wraps things up with her new Heat Smash which features a dark, yet radiant purple vortex effect, that knocks the opponent into the distance. With another Heat Engager using Tekken’s Azazel hand, Zafina seems to be the new OP Tekken 8 character on the list.
Tekken 8’s Zafina Azazel Rage Art Unleashes Azazel’s Powers
The trailer ends with Zafina’s new Rage Art in Tekken 8, featuring Azazel’s hand crushing the opponent, imbued with purple radiant particle effects. This Rage Art is an overhauled version of Zafina’s Rage Art in Tekken 7, showcasing the fact that Azazel’s spirit grows stronger, weakening the seal on Zafina’s arm.
Does Zafina Have Azazel in Tekken 8? What Happened to Zafina’s Hand in Tekken?
In Tekken 6, an ancient prophecy stated that two evil stars would come into contact, causing the seal of the imperial tomb to open and resurrect Tekken’s Azazel. After Lars Alexanderson and Jin Kazama defeated Azazel, Zafina realized that Azazel’s spirit was still alive in the form of an orb. To prevent Azazel from resurrecting, Zafina absorbed Azazel’s spirit into her left arm, causing her arm to resemble Azazel’s.
Zafina was introduced in Tekken 7’s Season 3 on September 10, 2019, as a DLC character. In Tekken 7, trying to contain Azazel’s spirit, which was overwhelming Zafina, she made her way to Claudio, the head of the Archers of Sirius. Ling Xiaoyu and Claudio helped Zafina strengthen the seal.
Now in Tekken 8, Zafina’s motives remain unclear, but it seems that she’s adamant about eliminating Kazuzya Mishima and Jin Kazama who contain the devil gene and symbolize the two evil stars that serve as the progenitors for Azazel’s Resurrection.
It’s speculated that Zafina is on her quest to eliminate the devil-wielding stars, Jin and Kazuya before Azazel completely overpowers her.
Who is Zafina’s Voice Actor in Tekken 8?
You’d be pretty surprised to know that Tekken 8’s Zafina’s voice actor is none other than Cindy Robinson, who is known for her VA career in various movies. But what stands out is Cindy Robinson’s role as Amy Rose in the Sonic The Hedgehog Franchise since 2010 and onwards.
All Tekken 8 Characters – Tekken 8 Roster So Far
Tekken 8’s Roster of Characters has been growing significantly with each gameplay reveal and trailer. We were first introduced to a few fan-favorite and expected characters to be joining the Tekken 8, but Bandai Namco added a few surprise characters into the mix, with some new characters that we’ve never seen before.
The total number of characters in Tekken 8 so far is 33 characters, with fans awaiting more surprise releases down the line. There’s the inevitable expansion of the Tekken 8 Roster via DLC characters, making their way to Tekken 8 in the upcoming seasons. Without further digressing, here’s the complete Tekken 8 Character Roster so far:
*UPDATE: The Tekken 8 character roster has been updated, with the Eddie Gordo making his way to the next King of Iron Fist Tournament as a DLC character in Season 1.
But that’s not all, three more DLC characters will make their way to Tekken 8 in the coming seasons of 2024. For now, the current number of characters in Tekken 8 has been updated to 34.
- Devil Jin
- Asuka Kazama
- Jin Kazama
- Kazuya Mishima
- Devil Kazuya
- Jun Kazama
- Lars Alexanderson
- Alisa Bosconovich
- Reina (New)
- Nina Williams
- Kuma
- Panda
- Ling Xiaoyu
- Claudio Serafino
- Raven
- Paul Phoenix
- Marshall Law
- King
- Yoshimitsu
- Bryan Fury
- Leo Kliesen
- Feng Wei
- Hwoarang
- Steve Fox
- Sergei Dragunov
- Victor Chevalier (New)
- Lee Chaolan
- Zafina
- Shaheen
- Leroy Smith
- Azucena (New)
- Lili – Emilie De Rochefort
- Jack-8
- Eddie Gordo*
Tekken 8 Release Date – When Is Tekken 8 Coming Out?
After months of anticipation ever since the first trailer dropped back in 2023, Tekken 8’s release date has finally been slated. The eighth main entry and tenth instalment, of the franchise Tekken 8 will release on January 26, 2024, for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC.
