THY Chikurin won Tekken 8 at EVO Japan 2024, a celebration of fighting games held from Friday, April 27 to Monday, April 29, 2024!
The First Tekken 8 World Champion Is Decided
Released in January 2024, Tekken 8 is the latest entry in the series, arriving approximately nine years after Tekken 7—a game the development team noted received updates for much longer than originally expected. A world champion for this title has already been crowned on the EVO Japan 2024 stage.
Prior to the start of the finals, Chief Director Katsuhiro Harada and Producer Michael Murray took the stage. They spoke about how Tekken 8 is the first title in the series to be developed with a console-lead approach and stated, "We want to continue building this together with the community from here on out."
And then...
The Season 1 trailer was released as a surprise! Lidia Sobieska was announced as the second playable character for Season 1.
Furthermore, battle balance adjustments are scheduled for Spring 2024, with new stages and a photo mode planned for addition in Summer 2024.
With the excitement from these surprise announcements, the EVO Japan 2024 finals began! The following six players advanced this far, as listed on start.gg:
- Infested
- LowHigh
- Chikurin
- CHANEL
- Double
- Mangja
It was the final day of EVO Japan 2024. Fighting gamers from all over the world watched to see the outcome of the battle.
The players who moved on to the Grand Finals were Chikurin from Japan and LowHigh from South Korea.
In the same matchup during the Winners Final, LowHigh lost to Chikurin's Lili while using Dragunov. In the Grand Finals, he chose Steve, but Chikurin responded well and took the first match.
Chikurin had two rounds taken by LowHigh's destructive Dragunov combos, but he fought back without yielding and secured the second match as well!
LowHigh also took back a round with a spirited "Perfect," but it was too late to change the momentum. Chikurin, who was in peak form, achieved a brilliant victory and claimed the championship!
Amidst the rise of South Korean players, Japan's last hope secured the EVO Japan 2024 victory! Praise was also offered by Katsuhiro Harada.
"Thank you everyone for your support. There was something I absolutely wanted to say if I won. I really think I was able to win because Tekken 8 is so much fun and I was practicing happily every day. Tekken 8 is the best, most fun game, so please give it a try if you like! Please!"
(Translated from Japanese)
Q. Please tell us how you feel right now.
Chikurin: I was anxious before entering the tournament, but I'm happy that I could put everything I practiced into the matches and win.
Q. With Tekken 8, you were forced to change your main character; what was the reason you chose Lili?
Chikurin: Her strong counters and sidestepping mobility are appealing. It's fun because there are so many things you can do.
Q. What kind of tournament is EVO Japan to you?
Chikurin: Among international tournaments, it's a huge event for me, to the point where winning it feels like being the closest to being number one in the world.
Q. Was there an opponent who was particularly difficult on your path to victory?
Chikurin: Of course everyone in the finals was a formidable foe, but in my mind, Knee is the strongest in the world, and there were many times I lost in tournaments. I went in with the feeling of seeing how far my fighting style, which changed with Tekken 8, would work.
Q. Finally, please tell those who are interested in Tekken 8 about its appeal.
Chikurin: First, because it's a 3D fighting game, the combat is deep, and since each character's motions are well-crafted, it's fun to play. From a gameplay perspective, the Heat System added in this title has made offense stronger, so you can't win just by defending like before. It's a very interesting game!
EVOJAPAN優勝致しました！
国際大会では久々の優勝ですので本当に嬉しいです
本当に沢山の応援ありがとうございました！
鉄拳8最高！！ pic.twitter.com/HEakuozAoP
— THY l chikurin / チクリン (@chikurintut) April 29, 2024