Kunimitsu, the popular kunoichi of the Tekken series, has announced her return in Tekken 8.
During Tekken 7, she appeared as a late-game DLC character and cultivated a large fanbase thanks to her performance exceeding expectations. As such, many users are focused on what kind of performance she will bring to Tekken 8. How did the development team aim to integrate Kunimitsu into this game? Before her release, we were able to get answers through an interview with Producer Michael Murray.
Infiltrating Mishima Polytechnic, the target is her mother's nemesis!
As briefly seen in the previously released trailer, this second-generation Kunimitsu has the backstory of infiltrating Mishima Polytechnic as a student.
Producer Murray explained, "You might have noticed in the trailer that Kunimitsu wears an outfit that blends ninja armor with a school uniform; this reflects the concept of her living as a student at Mishima Polytechnic." He added that among the students, Reina had already noticed Kunimitsu's infiltration, and the two perceive each other as people they can use while maintaining a facade of friendship.
It is thanks to this relationship that Kunimitsu informs Reina of the G Corporation's invasion plans in advance, or that Kunimitsu obtains the powerful cursed blade, Gujido, through Reina. After obtaining the blade, Kunimitsu participates in The King of Iron Fist Tournament hosted by Kazuya Mishima to hunt down Yoshimitsu, her mother's nemesis.
In addition to Reina, Kunimitsu also has special interactions with Raven, who trained under Kunimitsu's father, an old friend of Victor. Producer Murray stated that while there is no separate story expansion this time, players will be able to catch glimpses of Kunimitsu's backstory through these special interactions.
A master of various stances and mind games; aggressive play is key
Producer Murray highlighted Kunimitsu's strengths as having a variety of stances and being adept at mind games. Kunimitsu possesses three types of stances: 'Setsunagake', 'Back-turned', and 'Katon'.
First, 'Setsunagake' is characterized by the ability to quickly close the distance to the opponent, allowing Kunimitsu to utilize her unique mobility to apply pressure and launch fast-paced offensives. 'Back-turned' is a stance where, while she becomes unable to guard, she can interrupt the opponent's flow and regain the turn with relatively simple moves, such as fast mid-attacks or low-attacks that catch the opponent off guard. 'Katon' is a stance that toys with the opponent, such as through teleportation attacks, allowing her to maintain an advantage once she wins a mind game.
Producer Murray explained that because Kunimitsu generally has short reach until Heat is activated, it is best to close the distance as much as possible to maintain the offensive. He then introduced Kunimitsu's ultimate performance, 'Flame Dance'. Flame Dance is an attack Kunimitsu can use during Heat, allowing her to engage in long-range combat using two swords. It is characterized by offsetting her disadvantage of short reach, enabling more aggressive play.
Finally, Producer Murray explained her Rage Art, which utilizes the cursed blade Gujido, emphasizing that it is a technique that highlights her unique characteristics and serves as her final counterattack. It is characterized by using nine cursed blades to slash the enemy, and he added that they paid close attention to the presentation to bring out the kunoichi's flair.
Seeing is believing: Kunimitsu's features confirmed through early play
Thanks to Bandai Namco, we had the opportunity to play Kunimitsu early before her release. After spending several hours in practice mode and CPU matches, I felt she is a character specialized in infighting with very distinct strengths and weaknesses.
The risk is that her moves have short reach, requiring you to constantly stick to the opponent, but once you get in, you can unleash a relentless barrage of attacks. It also felt designed to satisfy both those who are simply interested in Kunimitsu and those who intend to use her as their main character.
For example, if you execute ↖+LKRK, Kunimitsu launches the opponent; if you follow up with a right-hand spam and then a Heat Smash, you can deal over 80 damage without complex commands. Of course, such techniques have high frame disadvantages and only work in lower ranks, but the design allows even those just interested in the character to easily progress through matches.
Conversely, those aiming for higher ranks or looking to master Kunimitsu must learn complex combos utilizing Setsunagake, Back-turned, and Katon.
Tekken 8 Kunimitsu release commemorative Q&A with Producer Murray
The setting where Kunimitsu forms a cooperative relationship with Reina to uncover the secrets of the Mishima Zaibatsu is impressive. Without spoiling anything, can you tell us what kind of variable this will act as in future story developments and in what direction the story will proceed?
“ There are no plans for a separate story expansion with this Kunimitsu release. However, as mentioned earlier, you will be able to learn little by little about Kunimitsu's setting in this game through interactions with specific characters like Reina or Raven.
Kunimitsu is a very popular character. It seems there are players who want to start Tekken 8 because of her, and while she looks fun based on the description, the control difficulty seems quite high. I'm curious how long it will take for new and beginner players to grasp the basic operation of Kunimitsu.
“ That's right. I am well aware that she is a popular character among users due to her unique moves and the voice actor who plays her. Among the techniques introduced today, the basic moves are simple enough for anyone to use, and there are move inputs and air combos prepared that anyone can use up to an intermediate level. However, for Kunimitsu's unique moves or high-damage combos, practice is naturally required to input them correctly.
Are there any techniques good for beginners to use?
“ If you press RP (right hand) 5 times, a tornado is triggered, making it possible to use simple combos for beginners. On the other hand, damage-oriented combos require technique. Since the moves derived from stances also have their own weaknesses, it is designed as a character that reveals more depth the more you learn, in that you need to judge the situation when using techniques.
I'm curious about the setting of the cursed blade Gujido. Please tell us more about it.
“ Ninja characters in Tekken possess mysterious powers. This is true not only for Kunimitsu but also for her nemesis, Yoshimitsu. In keeping with the mysterious ninja concept wearing a fox mask, Gujido is an extension of that mysterious power. When Gujido is deployed, the sword spreads out like a fan, which is also a representation of a nine-tailed fox (Gumiho).
When a DLC character appears, the first concern is 'balancing'. Anna came out quite strong, and subsequent releases like Fahkumram, Armor King, and M. Raven were balanced reasonably well. I'm curious how much consideration went into balancing Kunimitsu's performance this time. It would be good if you could explain which existing character she is similar to in performance, or if there were parts you avoided to prevent her from being overpowered.
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