Bandai Namco has revealed a first look at Tekken 8 DLC character Yujiro Hanma, and the Baki rep is looking just as uncanny as fans expected.
The new trailer for the fighting game’s Season 3 characters debuted alongside Evo France 2026. Following Kunimitsu’s release in June and Bob’s release in August, kangaroo-and-joey fighter Roger Jr. is now officially set for a November 11 early access launch, with the full release following November 16, but the character most fans are looking forward to is still without a proper release date.
Roger Jr. is definitely the star of the new Tekken 8 DLC trailer, with nearly three minutes of its four-minute runtime dedicated to showing off the marsupial boxer’s gameplay. The Yujiro teaser, meanwhile, is tucked at the end, but its reveals are particularly shocking. You can see how the Baki the Grappler villain has been reimagined within the world of Tekken below.
Yujiro is… expressive, to say the least, so nailing his face and bulging muscles was always going to draw attention. Well, the Bandai Namco team did their best, with today’s Evo trailer showing just a few shots of his iconic toothy smile and flexibility.
It looks like work on the anime guest character is still underway, but just because there’s no release date doesn’t mean there isn’t a plan to show more. The end of the new teaser promised that a new Yujiro trailer will premiere alongside the Tekken World Tour Finals January 17, 2027. That’s three months out from now, so we can probably expect to see gameplay by that point.
Looking back at the calendar, Bandai Namco has typically had a few months of downtime between Tekken 8 DLC releases. It will have been two months since Roger Jr. was released when the Yujiro trailer is shared, meaning we can also expect a release date announcement around that time, too. If we’re lucky, the Baki fighter might even drop that same day, but again, nothing regarding his release date has been confirmed quite yet.
Roger Jr. and Yujiro are both included in the Season 3 pass and will round out its promise of four bonus characters. Season 1 and Season 2 included fighters like Heihachi, Armor King, Anna, and Final Fantasy 16 protagonist Clive Rosfield. While passes cost $30 each, the Season 3 pass is currently available for $34.99.
IGN learned more about Yujiro’s inclusion in Tekken 8 when speaking with producer Naoya Yasuda and director of promotions and former Baki manga editor Yuki Yokoi earlier this year. Be sure to read the full interview for insight into how and why the team decided to include a character that never loses. You can also read about how former Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada influenced one of Roger Jr.’s best references, and the player who climbed through the ranks while blindfolded.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
