Final Fantasy XVI protagonist Clive Rosfield is Tekken 8’s next guest character

During The Game Awards 2024, Bandai Namco revealed the final playable character in Tekken 8‘s Year 1 Pass, and it’s none other than the protagonist of Final Fantasy XVI, 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 from Final Fantasy XVI, complete with Ifrit and Phoenix fighting in the background and “Find the Flame” (one of the best songs in the Final Fantasy franchise) as its background theme.

And yes, voice actor Ben Starr confirmed that he’s returning to voice his breakout character. Clive Rosfield will debut in Tekken 8 on December 19, 2024, 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 official Tekken 8 Twitter/X account confirmed that the collaboration will also include many other cosmetic items based on other Final Fantasy XVI characters, like Joshua Rosfield and Jill Warrick.

This DLC character got a divisive reaction from Final Fantasy fans

Fans had been asking Bandai Namco and Tekken 8 producer Katsuhiro Harada to add Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII to the game for months. She seemed like a perfect fit, not only because Square Enix recently released FFVII Rebirth, but also because she’s a martial artist who fights with her fists. As a result of this rampant speculation, many gamers expressed clear surprise and disappointment due 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 which Noctis Lucis Caelum from Final Fantasy XV was 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 XVI still is an incredible video game that deserves recognition, so this definitely wasn’t a bad choice at all. While Clive would fit the style of Soul Calibur way better, it doesn’t seem like Bandai Namco plans to revive that franchise anytime soon.