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Tekken is a popular fighting game franchise developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment with 7 installments and another one on its way next year.
But in the meantime, Tekken 7 currently holds the record for the most playable characters in the roster so far – 54 to be exact, with 16 new exciting fighters introduced to the game’s universe.
Like Mortal Kombat, each fighter comes with their own moves and unique combos that make them better to play than others. For this tier list, we’ll also dive into which storylines are more interesting to go through.
So, if you’re wondering which characters are the best to play both combat-wise and story-wise in Tekken 7, keep on reading!
Tekken 7 S-Tier Characters
1. Akuma
It’s funny that the strongest fighter in Tekken 7 is from another fighting game. If you’ve played Street Fighter, then you’re probably familiar with Akuma. What makes him so powerful is his capacity to withstand damaging blows.
He may feel a bit slow but he’s a savage when it comes to combos. Your enemies won’t have enough time to recover from the severe damage Akuma deals. He is also an integral part of the game’s main storyline, which makes him a character worth investing in.
2. Jin Kazama/Devil Jin
Jin was the face of Tekken until he became the villain in the last two games. And right before that was the time Devil Jin became a fully playable character. The only difference between the two is that the other flies.
It’s hard to pinpoint their weaknesses as Jin is the total package – with devastating combo damage, a Heihachi-like pressure style, a perfect mix of mids and lows, and even some great evasive skills and pokes.
3. Julia Chang
Julia is one of the strongest characters in the Tekken franchise to date. She’s well-equipped to beat even the most broken characters in the game if you’re good enough.
The closest fit for Julia’s playstyle would be a mixup/okizeme-centered character with a strong neutral, although she is fairly versatile. With quick moves like the FF1 and shotgun, Julia has excellent mobility.
As a result, this makes her adept at disrupting her enemy’s approach and taking them down.
Tekken 7 A-Tier Characters
4. Fahkumram
This Muay Thai fighter certainly packs a punch. Fahkumram’s basic attacks have a charging system that instantly wall-stuns enemies. This is a great method for finding a rapid combo when executing wall pressure.
Fahkumram’s rage drive also works closely with Kazuya and Katarina’s, which instantly breaks the floor and opens up some room for a finishing combo. His cheese move is the Ramasura spin, which should be avoided at all costs if you’re up against him.
5. Geese Howard
Infamously known as “Nightmare Geese,” Geese was considered one of the most unfair bosses to beat in the King of Fighters and Fatal Fury series and continues to be one of the strongest villains in fighting game history.
The same applies to his appearance in Tekken 7, giving him a spot in our A-tier list. Geese Howard balances his play between being a poking zoner at extended ranges and a powerful burst damage dealer in close range.
6. Sergei Dragunov
Also known as the “White Angel of Death,” this badass Russian fighter is famous for his space control and nasty offense skills. He can attack enemies with strong moves until they crack and has a lot of powerful grabs at his disposal if they fail to do so.
Dragunov also has one of the best wall carries and useful moves that will keep his enemies scared for the next.
Tekken 7 B-Tier Characters
7. Steve Fox
This young British boxer appeared first in Tekken 4 and shocked everyone when he was revealed to be related to Nina Williams in Tekken 7. Because he’s a boxer, Steve Fox lacks some kick moves.
However, he compensates for a lot of it with sways and is designed for landing powerful counter hits. He’s definitely not an easy character to pick up, so those who have had time with him in the previous games do have a better advantage.
8. Nina Williams
Nina is considered to be the best Williams sister and her neverending feud with Anna has always been interesting to watch. She’s also one of the easiest characters to learn in Tekken and pays off pretty well.
Nina specializes in offensive short-range combat with high-speed moves and is the queen of locking down enemies. Most of her moves can cancel into a sidestep, which makes it easy for her to continue her offense.
Although her damage isn’t top tier, Nina has one of the fastest counter-hit launchers and the best wall carry in the game.
9. Leroy Smith
Some may argue that Leroy Smith doesn’t deserve to be in here, but it’s hard to deny that using him gives you an easy win. This martial artist is considered a broken character and it doesn’t take a veteran to see why.
It sucks because people were so excited to see him. He’s the Eddy of this generation and you can honestly just spam parry to oblivion to defeat your opponent. If you want to piss your friends off and other online players in tournaments, then Leroy is the way to go.
Tekken 7 C-Tier Characters
10. Alisa Bosconovitch
Alisa was introduced fairly late into the franchise but has gained a lot of love from players. She’s another beginner-friendly character to learn with more focus on poking and great punishing moves. Her approach is slow and steady, and her WR + 2 allows her to close in on her opponents.
Alisa’s combos deal a good amount of damage but it’s best to be careful unless you’re utilizing her mid-attacks. Other of her features include strong homing attacks and launchers, as well as a good sidestep.
11. Josie Rizal
A true Filipina at heart, this nymphet enjoys arnis and kickboxing. She’s more of a niche character that depends on whiff punishments and counter-hit launchers.
Her playstyle is centered around the defensive and is great to play against characters like Dragunov. Her only weakness is her left-tracking and low damage output in wall-less stages.
12. Kuma/Panda
You should pick these fluffy bears if you’re looking for some fun factor. While they’re considered comic relief characters, Kuma and Panda are still well-rounded fighters.
It’s not really a surprise that they take on their masters Heihachi Mishima and Ling Xiaoyu, so they definitely had a lot of time to learn their fighting skills. Much like Jin and Devil Jin, these two characters are no different from each other.
Although they’ve been nerfed in Tekken 7, Kuma and Panda still have one of the best oki traps, whiff punishers, and great wall damage.
Tekken 7 D-Tier Characters
13. Hwoarang
Everyone would agree that Hwoarang is not for babies. With over 100 moves, a variety of stances, a lack of solid defensive capabilities, matchups that only range from good to awful, and a challenging learning curve.
Hwoarang’s strategy is based on a steady barrage of strings that depletes the enemy’s health bar and denies them a turn since they are always compelled to respond to the next mix-up. If you manage to master him, then you’re going to have a lot of fun.
14. Lars Alexandersson
Despite his constant presence in the story, Lars is one of the most underused characters in Tekken both casually and competitively. It’s understandable as he’s only gotten progressively weaker throughout the franchise.
He only has the upper hand when his enemy makes mistakes and counters them with punishments, which usually consist of two moves. This means you’ll need to put in a lot of work in order to win as Lars.
Tekken 7 E-Tier Characters
15. Eliza
It’s hard to find players that are really good at Eliza as she’s sparsely used in tournaments. However, the unfamiliarity could be seen as an advantage. This vampire was imprisoned by the De Rochefort family and is believed to be Lili’s sister, however, it hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Eliza is a high-risk fighter and you’ll need to memorize her cancels to master her. If you manage to perform those cancels, then you’ll be able to deal a lot of damage.
16. Noctis Lucis Caelum
Tekken has its fair share of crossovers, but no one expected Noctis from Final Fantasy to appear in the fighting game. His moves are pretty similar to the original game and deal a decent amount of damage. However, he lacks in the poking department and heavily relies on cheap moves.
Conclusion
That’s it for our Tekken 7-character tier list! What do you think? Keep in mind that the game constantly releases updates so the order of this tier ranking isn’t set in stone. We hope that this guide helped you decide which characters you should play as next.
Though, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try out those that aren’t on this list as well. If you enjoyed this guide and want to learn more about Tekken, stay tuned for more!
