Tekken 8 Character popularity: Which fighters have the highest pick rate? (Feb. 2024)

Tekken 8 offers a sizable roster consisting of beloved veterans and newcomers, but some are undeniably more popular than others when it comes to choosing a main for online matches.

On X (formerly Twitter), Twitch streamer AlietteFaye has handily put together charts tracking how popular each character in Tekken 8 performs in online play based on the ranked leaderboards. These charts only take into account the PlayStation 5 and PC versions, though. Furthermore, the PS5 data is taken from Destroyer rank and above, while the PC data is taken from Shinryu rank and above, so the charts primarily focus on higher ranked players who have been consistently playing Tekken 8.

At the time of writing, this data is current as of February 2024, one month after Tekken 8’s launch, so we’ll be sure to update this article should the numbers drastically change in the coming months.

Who is the most popular Tekken 8 character on PS5?

The most popular Tekken 8 character on PS5 is, perhaps unsurprisingly, Jin Kazama, with 6.82 percent of players using him. While his status as the series’ protagonist means many long-time Tekken fans flock to him, his streamlined and more accessible moveset makes him a perfect pick for new players too. This is why he’s regarded as one of the best characters in Tekken 8; we even ranked him as an S-Tier character on our Tekken 8 character tier list.

He is closely followed by fellow S-Tier fighter King, with Victor (one of the newer characters and an A-Tier fighter) and Dragunov (another S-Tier fighter) taking third and fourth place respectively.

Who is the most popular Tekken 8 character on PC?

Curiously, the PC data tells a slightly different story. Instead of Jin, the most popular Tekken 8 character on PC is Dragunov, with 7.27 percent of players picking him. Granted, while not as accessible as Jin, Dragunov is another top-tier character who can be deadly in a skilled player’s hands thanks to his wide array of moves and high mobility.

The runner-ups are another mix of S and A-Tier fighters, though the order is slightly different compared to the PS5 data. In second place is Reina, a mysterious newcomer who fights similarly to series villain Heihachi, with Victor and King coming in third and fourth place respectively. Jin, meanwhile, is in fifth place.

Who is the most popular Tekken 8 character overall?

When taking into account both PS5 and PC player data, the most popular Tekken 8 character overall is Dragunov, with 6.10 percent of all players using him. Jin, however, comes in at a close second with 5.90 percent of players, so he could potentially overtake Dragunov depending on future balance updates. Meanwhile, to no one’s surprise, third and fourth place go to King and Reina respectively, with Victor bringing up the rear in fifth place.

The drop in players from fifth to sixth place is the most drastic. While Victor has 5.34 percent of players, Hwoarang and Azucena both have 4.20 percent of players, thus sharing sixth place. Still, that’s arguably an impressive showing for Hwoarang given he’s a B-Tier character compared to the S-Tier Azucena.

If you’re curious about the least popular characters, the bottom four is the same combination of characters across all three charts: Leroy Smith, Zafina, Shaheen, and Panda. Leroy placing among the bottom isn’t too shocking since he’s one of the few characters we’d mark as a C-Tier fighter (he’s certainly faring far worse than his fellow C-Tier fighters Asuka and Lee Chaloan). But, overall, he’s managed to still be more popular than the B-Tier Zafina and the A-Tier Shaheen.

While the order of these three characters fluctuates between the charts, the one fighter who remains the least popular Tekken 8 character regardless of the platform is Panda, with only 0.53 percent of all players on PC and PS5 picking her.

All Tekken 8 characters, ranked from most to least popular