The Strongest Female Tekken Characters, Ranked

One of Street 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 Kombat turned their ‘Kurtis Stryker’ character into Sonya Blade, Fatal Fury 2 made their Japanese kunoichi equivalent Mai Shiranui, and Virtua Fighter gave players two women to choose from in Pai and Sarah.

Then there’s Tekken. Namco expanded on VF‘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 as the 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.

15 Lidia Sobieska

The Warrior Prime Minister

• Debut: Tekken 7 (Season 4 DLC).
• Highest Tier: B (Tekken 7).

With Kazuya threatening to destroy the nation of anyone who lost in his tournament in T8‘s story mode, fans wondered where Lidia Sobieska was. 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 in T8‘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.

14 Christie Monteiro

Classic Capoeirista

• Debut: Tekken 4.
• Highest Tier: A- (Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection).

Funnily enough, the Tekken developers had wanted to add a female Capoeirista to the roster since Tekken 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 for Tekken 3, they had seen the movie Only The Strong and 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 in Tekken 4 through Christie 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 in T4 and Tekken 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 in T5: DR. Though once other players figured out Eddy and Christie’s tricks, they went down the ranks in subsequent games.

13 Asuka Kazama

Spirited Peacemaker

• Debut: Tekken 5.
• Highest Tier: A- (Tekken Tag Tournament 2).

Poor Asuka 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.

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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 in Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Her sabaki parries and risk-taking approach put her further ahead in that game than in her later appearances.

12 Panda

Pretty Protector

• Debut: Tekken 3.
• Highest Tier: A (Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection).

Wait, Panda? Isn’t she one of Tekken‘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 of Street Fighter‘s Blanka-chans.

But every dog has its day, or bear in this case. Both Kuma and Panda were considered strong contenders in T5 : 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 of T5:DR‘s strongest female fighters, after Anna and Julia.

11 Anna Williams

Scarlet Lightning

• Debut: Tekken 1.
• Highest Tier: A+ (Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection).

Tekken is famous for the Mishima clan’s family feud, but they’re not the only fictional family with a vendetta. Anna Williams has been trying to get one-up over her big sister Nina since Tekken 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 in Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. If she gets to return in Tekken 8 down the line, it’d be nice to see the sisters settle their rivalry.

10 Reina Mishima

Purple Lightning

• Debut: Tekken 8.
• Highest Tier: A (Tekken 8).

T8 only had 3 newcomers on its base roster, with Reina Mishima being 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.

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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.

9 Angel

Protector of Purity

• Debut: Tekken 2.
• Highest Tier: S (Tekken Tag Tournament).

Using the term ‘female characters’ seems rather impersonal, but not every femme in Tekken is 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-off Tekken 6 special boss NANCY-MI847J. Then there are celestial beings like Angel. 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 in Tekken 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 for Tekken Tag Tournament 2, but she hasn’t made a canon appearance since her debut.

8 Lili

Fighting Heiress

• Debut: Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection.
• Highest Tier: S (Tekken 6).

In lore, Emilie ‘Lili’ De Rochefort is still lagging behind her tomboyish rival, Asuka Kazama, in combat. Ever since she lost to her during T5’s events, she’s been seeking a rematch. She does have other goals, as T6 saw 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 the T6 tier lists, only for the two to reach relative parity in TTT2 and Tekken 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.

7 Katarina Alves

Bad Girl

• Debut: Tekken 7.
• Highest Tier: S (Tekken 7).

After having Eddy Gordo share the Capoeira role with Christie Monteiro for the past few years, Bandai-Namco decided to switch things up for T7. Eddy would return, but Brazilian women would get a new representative in Katarina Alves. She was snarkier than her bubbly predecessor, and she had a new Savate style that, according to EventHubs, made her T7‘s highest-tier femme fatale.

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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.

6 Julia Chang

Wandering Fighter

• Debut: Tekken 3.
• Highest Tier: S (Tekken 7).

One of the ways T1 separated itself from VF1 and other fighting games at the time was by combining tropes. Instead of having a 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. With Tekken 3 skipping ahead in the timeline by 19 years, she was succeeded by her daughter Julia Chang.

She had swifter strikes and more suplexes, which took her from strength to strength. In T3, she was mid-tier, and Tekken 4 made her the lowest-tier woman. Then T5:DR and T7 made 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.

5 Jun Kazama

Light of Hope

• Debut: Tekken 2.
• Highest Tier: S (Tekken 8).

Mama of Jin, baby mama of Kazuya, but her own woman, Jun Kazama, has had an odd run in the series. She was in the middle of the tier list in her T2 debut and didn’t receive enough arcade play to get into the sequel. This relegated her to the Tag games, where she was bottom of the pile in TTT1, then back to the middle of the pack in TTT2 in both her original and Unknown forms, despite being the game’s final boss.

Then she came back canonically for T8 and became its best character! Well, until update 1.01.04, which nerfed her to just being one of its best characters instead. Her mixups are still hard to predict, her moves are still hard to sidestep thanks to their wide range, and most of them are safe, so she’s hard to punish on whiff too. Even after subsequent patches, she’s held a sturdy place around the S and A ranks.

4 Azucena

Coffee Queen

• Debut: Tekken 8.
• Highest Tier: S (early Tekken 8).

Tekken 8‘s tier list has changed a lot over the months since its release. Most players now dread being drawn against a decent Dragunov player rather than a Jun Kazama. But some characters got a severe nerfing, with Devil Jin going from the top of the tree to the doldrums of B-tier, breaking his S-rank streak across the series. Another character who got shunted down the roster was Azucena, who went from contending with Jun to just being above Devil Jin in the B-tier.

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She is great at dodging, with plenty of mobile hops that can evade errant jabs and strikes automatically, though they take skill to use. Her true strength lay in her launchers. Tekken has been about juggle combos since 1994, and in Azucena’s case, she’s got plenty of launchers to get a juggle going. Thanks to the patches, many of them have been made less safe on block, and her damage has been toned down. She’s still popular on EventHubs tier list though, so there’s a chance she could rise back up the ranks.

3 Alisa Boskonovitch

Destroying Automaton

• Debut: Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion.
• Highest Tier: S (Tekken 6).

The latest creation from Dr B is one of the more polarizing characters on the roster. While Tekken has had some wild characters like bears, demons, and dinosaurs, the humanoid characters seemed more grounded. Then T6 introduced Alisa Boskonovitch, an anime waifu-like robot that can fire her chainsaw arms off like rockets and pop her head off for attacks. However, compared to her crazy forebears, she isn’t that out of place.

Her polite, if occasionally menacing tone (“Please die”) bounces well off of the likes of Xiaoyu and fellow T6 newcomer Lars. It also helped that she was almost as OP as Lars, if not more so, in T6, as she could put up decent offense both up close and from a distance. Though, unlike Lars, her curious mix of rockets, saws, and figure skating-like slides and dives stayed strong in T7 and got stronger still in T8 , taking her to A-Tier.

2 Ling Xiaoyu

Dancing Phoenix

• Debut: Tekken 3.
• Highest Tier: S (Tekken 4, Tekken 8).

Describing Ling Xiaoyu as powerful is a little odd, as strength isn’t really her key feature. She has the odd meaty attack, but most of her strikes are as damaging as a strongly worded letter. However, they are fast enough to stop the opponent in mid-stride. That is if she doesn’t cartwheel, spin, or roll out of their way to find fresh openings for attacks. Like the rabbits on her clothes, she flees from hard strikes and jabs back when the opportunity arrives.

Her Phoenix Stance crouches below high attacks, can jump above low attacks, and roll to the side to throw her foes. She also has a whole list of attacks she can do with her back towards the opponent. She’s a threat no matter her position, which got her high positions on tier lists for T3, T4, and T6, and solid positions for TTT1 and T5: DR. Just TTT2 and T7 saw her fall to the lower tiers, but she bounced back in T8, where she’s contending with another Tekken mainstay as the game’s strongest woman.

1 Nina Williams

Silent Assassin

• Debut: Tekken 1.
• Highest Tier: S (Tekken 1, Tekken 4, Tekken 8).

A Tekken ranking wouldn’t be complete without its original top woman, Nina Williams. Her long-range pokes and multipart throws made her arguably the strongest overall character in T1. She sat in the middle of the tier lists for her subsequent games before she reclaimed her spot as the strongest female character in T4. Her Ivory Cutter overhead was almost as dreaded as Jin’s Just-Frame Laser Scraper, and it was easier to do.

It’s quicker to list her weakest outings, as TTT1 reduced her ability to knock her opponents down, while T5: DR made her the lesser Williams sister compared to Anna. Even so, her moves are generally safer on hit, and her pokes are still capable of stopping opponents in their tracks. T8 saw her gradually rise up its ranks as her Heat mode added to her pistol combos, and her mixup game was as strong as ever. After the past few updates, she’s regained her position as Queen of the Iron Fist as an S-Rank fighter. But that could all change again soon enough.

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Released

January 26, 2024

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

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Cross-Platform Play

PC, PS5 & Xbox Series X|S

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