During The Game Awards 2024, Bandai Namco revealed the final playable character inTekken 8‘s Year 1 Pass, and it’s none other than the protagonist ofFinal FantasyXVI, Clive Rosfield.
This epic new trailer shows Clive fighting several Tekken 8 characters by using all of his Eikon abilities. Even his loyal companion, Torgal, assists him in some of his moves! And if that wasn’t already exciting enough, Clive will arrive alongside a brand-new battle stage, Phoenix Gate fromFinal Fantasy XVI, complete with Ifrit and Phoenix fighting in the background and “Find the Flame” (one of the best songs in theFinal Fantasyfranchise) as its background theme.
And yes,voice actor Ben Starrconfirmed that he’s returning to voice his breakout character. Clive Rosfield willdebut inTekken8on July 22, 2025, but players who have bought the Year 1 Pass will be able to try him out 72 hours earlier, on December 16. On top of that,the officialTekken 8Twitter/X accountconfirmed that the collaboration will also include many other cosmetic items based on otherFinal Fantasy XVIcharacters, like Joshua Rosfield and Jill Warrick.
This DLC character got a divisive reaction from Final Fantasy fans
Fans had been asking Bandai Namco andTekken 8producer Katsuhiro Haradato add Tifa Lockhart fromFinal Fantasy VIIto the game for months. She seemed like a perfect fit, not only because Square Enix recently releasedFFVII Rebirth, but also because she’s a martial artist who fights with her fists. As a result of this rampant speculation,many gamersexpressed clearsurprise and disappointmentdue to the fact that Bandai Namco and Square Enix decided to go with Clive Rosfield instead of her.
Nevertheless, Clive’s inclusion shouldn’t really be much of a surprise because it’s reminiscent of the time in whichNoctis Lucis Caelum fromFinal Fantasy XVwas added to Tekken 7, so this seems like the next chapter in a weird new tradition between Square Enix and Bandai Namco. Aside from that,Final Fantasy XVIstill is an incredible video game that deserves recognition, so this definitely wasn’t a bad choice at all. While Clive would fit the style ofSoul Caliburway better, it doesn’t seem like Bandai Namco plans to revive that franchise anytime soon.
