Kunimitsu, the popular Kunoichi from the Tekken series, has announced her return in Tekken 8.

Having appeared as a DLC character late in Tekken 7 and winning over a massive fanbase with her unexpectedly high performance, many users are eager to see how she will fare in Tekken 8. How did the development team aim to integrate Kunimitsu into this game? We sat down with Producer Michael Murray before her release to find out.

Infiltrating Mishima Polytechnic: The Target is Her Mother's Nemesis!

As briefly shown in the pre-release 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 a mix of ninja armor and a school uniform; this reflects her concept as a student at Mishima Polytechnic." He added that among the students, Reina has already caught on to Kunimitsu's infiltration, and the two view each other as useful allies while maintaining a facade of friendship.

This relationship is why Kunimitsu tips off Reina about the G Corp invasion plans, and in turn, why Reina helps Kunimitsu obtain the powerful cursed blade, 'Gujido.' After acquiring the blade, Kunimitsu enters The King of Iron Fist Tournament, hosted by Kazuya Mishima, to hunt down her mother's nemesis, Yoshimitsu.

Beyond Reina, Kunimitsu also has special interactions with Raven, who trained under Kunimitsu's father—a long-time friend of Victor. Murray noted that while there is no separate story expansion this time, players can piece together bits of Kunimitsu's backstory through these special interactions.

A Master of Stances and Mind Games: The Importance of Aggressive Play

Murray highlighted Kunimitsu's strengths as her variety of stances and her ease in initiating mind games. Kunimitsu possesses three distinct stances: 'Setsunagake', 'Back-Turn', and 'Katon'.

First, 'Setsunagake' allows her to quickly close the distance, utilizing her unique mobility to apply pressure and launch fast-paced offensives. 'Back-Turn' makes her unable to guard, but it allows for quick mid-attacks or surprise low-attacks that can disrupt the opponent's flow and help her reclaim the turn. 'Katon' is a stance used to toy with opponents, including teleportation attacks, allowing her to maintain an advantage once she wins a mind game.

Murray explained that because Kunimitsu generally has short reach until Heat is activated, it is best to close the distance and maintain pressure. He then introduced her 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. This offsets her disadvantage of short reach and enables even more aggressive play.

Finally, Murray described her Rage Art, which utilizes the cursed blade Gujido, emphasizing it as a move that highlights her unique character traits and serves as her final counterattack. It features her using nine cursed blades to slash the enemy, and he added that they paid close attention to the presentation to capture the essence of a Kunoichi.

Seeing is Believing: Hands-on Impressions of Kunimitsu

Thanks to the support of Bandai Namco, we had the opportunity to play Kunimitsu before her official release. After spending several hours with her in practice mode and CPU matches, she feels like a character specialized for infighting with very distinct strengths and weaknesses.

While the short reach of her moves poses a risk, requiring her to stay glued to the opponent, she can unleash a relentless, fierce barrage of attacks once she gets in close. It was also clear that she was designed to satisfy both casual fans of the character and those looking to make her their main.

For example, executing ↖LKRK launches the opponent; following up with a right-hand combo and a Heat Smash can deal over 80 damage without complex commands. Of course, such moves carry significant frame disadvantages and only work at lower ranks, but the design allows even those just interested in the character to easily enjoy the game.

Conversely, those aiming for higher ranks or looking to master Kunimitsu must learn complex Chain Skills utilizing Setsunagake, Back-Turn, and Katon.

Tekken 8 Kunimitsu Release Q&A with Producer Michael Murray

The setup where Kunimitsu forms an alliance with Reina to uncover the Mishima Zaibatsu's secrets is impressive. Without spoiling anything, can you tell us how this might act as a variable in future story developments or what direction the story might take?

" There are no plans for a separate story expansion with this Kunimitsu release. However, as mentioned, you will be able to learn more about her setting in this game through interactions with specific characters like Reina or Raven.

Kunimitsu is a very popular character. It seems like some players might want to start Tekken 8 just for her, but she looks like she has a high skill floor. How long do you think it will take for new or beginner players to grasp her basic operation.

" Yes, I am well aware that she is a popular character among users, thanks to her unique moves and the voice actor behind her. As I introduced today, her basic moves are simple enough for anyone to use, and we have prepared move inputs and aerial combos that anyone can use up to an intermediate level. However, mastering her unique moves and high-damage combos will naturally require practice.

Are there any moves good for beginners?

" You can trigger a Tornado by pressing RP (Right Punch) five times, which allows beginners to use a simple combo. On the other hand, damage-focused combos require technique. Since moves derived from stances also have their own weaknesses, the character is designed with depth—the more you learn, the more you realize that situational judgment is key when using her moves.

I'm curious about the lore behind the cursed blade Gujido. Could you 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 line with the mysterious ninja concept wearing a fox mask, Gujido is an extension of that mysterious power. When she deploys Gujido, the sword fans out like a folding fan, which is also a motif of the nine-tailed fox (Gumiho).

When a DLC character appears, the first concern is always 'balancing.' Anna was released quite strong, while subsequent characters like Fahkumram, Armor King, and M. Raven were released with relatively balanced kits. How much consideration went into balancing Kunimitsu? Could you explain if her performance is similar to any existing characters, or if there were aspects you avoided to prevent her from being overpowered.

" Even before the announcement, Kunimitsu was frequently mentioned in various communities when discussing the next character. It is true that because she was a strong character in Tekken 7, there were concerns that she might become even stronger when combined with the Heat system in Tekken 8. Conscious of this, I told the balance team to aim for a balanced release rather than pushing her performance to be strong from the start. It's not that Kunimitsu will be weak, but she won't be a character strong enough to break the game's balance upon release.

As you can see with recent DLC characters, they are fun to play but are not top-tier characters. I want to emphasize that the balance team has adapted to the Tekken 8 system and is making adjustments based on that.

I also play Fahkumram occasionally, and he has the disadvantage of having a large frame, making him easy to hit and vulnerable to sidestepping. Kunimitsu is also fast and flashy, but she has short reach, and achieving high combo damage requires significant practice. Therefore, Kunimitsu will not shake the foundation of the game's balance or lead to every tournament player using her as soon as she is released.

In Tekken 7, the torch was passed to the second-generation Kunimitsu, which was very popular with fans. You've already explained the costumes, but in this title, where the visuals have been significantly revamped, what visual aspects did you focus on most to differentiate her from the previous game in terms of modeling and attire.

" Since the second-generation Kunimitsu is a student at Mishima Polytechnic, Costume 1 emphasizes a more energetic image compared to the first generation. First, the key colors are based on red and white, decorated with particularly vibrant tones among Japanese aesthetics. Modern elements suitable for her age, such as sneaker-style shoes, are also a feature. Additionally, motifs of the nine-tailed fox are incorporated throughout her outfit.

May 28: The first Season 3 character, 'Kunimitsu', is coming!

Murray concluded the interview by saying, "It's been a while since I visited Korea, and this time I visited Jinju. I was surprised that people recognized me just walking down the street and told me they loved Tekken. I truly realized that Korea is indeed the 'Kingdom of Tekken,' and I am grateful for the infinite love you send to the series. Even at the last EVO Japan, I saw Korean users facing off against each other, and it seems there are so many strong players in Korea. I feel the great love from Korean users, and the entire development team is sincerely grateful."

The first new character of Tekken 8 Season 3, Kunimitsu, will be playable starting Thursday, May 28, for those who own the Season 3 Pass, and will be available for individual DLC purchase starting Tuesday, June 2. Following Kunimitsu's release, Bob is scheduled for the summer and Roger Jr. for the fall, with the final character of Season 3 to be revealed at the upcoming fighting game tournament, Combo Breaker.