One ofTekken 8’s characters in the roster uses a move that is straight out of the long-runningNarutoanime series. The character in question is Lars Alexandersson, a veteran character of theTekkenseries who will be returning inTekken 8. He was first introduced in the sixth numbered mainline entry in 2008 as its protagonist. He is an illegitimate child of the series’ longstanding villain Heihachi Mishima, making him tied to the longstanding Mishima inter-family conflict as an enforcer and captain of the Tekken Force.Like many other characters coming back inTekken 8, Lars has both retained mechanics as well as overhauls to fit the game’s more aggressive playstyle. Lars’ moveset was showcased in a recent trailer, where it shows his movestaking inspiration from a variety of martial arts stylesas he fights off the latest Jack-8 model. This includes a variety of attacks that are imbued with lightning. His Rage Art, meanwhile, is taken fromNaruto.RELATED:Tekken 8 Reveals How Paul Phoenix Has Changed From Tekken 7Fans of bothTekkenandNarutonoticed the similarities betweenLars’ Rage Artand the character’s Ultimate Jutsu inNaruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, where Lars made a special guest appearance in the latter. The animations and camera angles are quite similar, and even have the same finishing sequence where Lars punches the opponent into the ground.
This Rage Art also seems to be based off the Lightning Blade orLightning Cutter Ninjustsu from theNarutoseries, a variant on the Chidori technique. This move was first used by Kakashi Hatake, one of Naruto’s mentors. The visuals of the lightning bouncing and Lars zipping around as a bolt seems to be inspired by the Ultimate Jutsu from Kakashi’s move set from the same game. It’s a rather appropriate reference, since bothTekkenand theNarutogames were published by Bandai Namco, and the flashiness of Lars’ new move makes him look incredibly powerful.
The official UK Twitter for Bandai Namco also noticed the similarities, where it pointed outLars Alexandersson’s special guest appearance inNaruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2. Lars was added in the latter game, due toUltimate Ninja Storm 2’s director seeing an alternate design byNaruto’s mangaka, Masashi Kishimoto, that was made forTekken 6. Some are hoping that the costume that he had in theNinja Stormgame will make a comeback in this title, or that Lars will be one of the retained fighters forNaruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionscoming out later this year.
