Bob has always been quite the enigma. Since his debut in Tekken 6, the self-proclaimed hero of justice is the very definition of “you have to see it to believe it,” thanks to his massive physique fused with acrobatic freestyle karate.
Well, he’s back as the second Tekken 8 Season Pass 3 character, following Kunimitsu, and he’s taking the “Speed and Weight” philosophy and pushing it to the extreme, especially when paired with the Heat System. He’s an overall fun and tricky character to deal with, especially with his mix-ups, and should make quite an immediate impact when he joins the roster in early access starting August 20.
Tekken 8 Bob Hands-On Preview
Story-wise, Tekken 8 leans hard into Bob’s legendary sense of justice as he sets out to forge the ultimate recipe for strength following a period in the hospital where he grew frustrated with bland medical food, resulting in the wildly popular “Bob’s Onigiri.” He’s also appointed as an official investigator for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, especially since he helped defend New York from Kazuya Mishima’s G Corp invasion, earning the nickname “Onigiri Savior.”
It’s a pretty absurd backstory if we’ve ever seen one, but it’s fun and playful, just like the character. The fun also reflects in his looks and special intros, especially with Kazuya.
Combat-wise, Bob retains his identity as a close-to-mid-range all-rounder with explosive offensive mix-ups in Tekken 8. He is deceptively fast and has multiple ways to close gaps, with moves that can be long-reaching if opponents are not careful. He also trades straightforward guaranteed punishers for high-reactivity and aggressive pressure tools built around two core moves.
His trademark Spinner Ball rolling move returns as a primary tool to close distance and force reactions. From the Spinning Ball move, Bob can react with multiple moves depending on the situation. Pepperoni Fall can transition to Spinning Ball again if the fall is blocked or if it hits, and he even has a couple of moves, Lyonnaise Pressure and Stealing Home, which can confuse opponents who are expecting attacks from low and mid respectively.
Bob’s United Step is another way for him to close the distance while staying versatile, able to chain it into several options. Reactivity is the name of the game with Bob, and he does so with attacks that can either hit mid or low, and even one named Toe Smash that can hit fast enough to interrupt opponents trying to poke.
Bob goes deep in Tekken 8 with Heat integration, and in his Heat Smash alone, there are two perfect input timings that, while hard to master, ups the damage of his move and achieve max power while altering the visual effect of the move to emphasize speed, weight, and power.
Additionally, Bob in Tekken 8 also has a way to bait opponents into attacking him as he sets up for a counter, again with perfect input mechanics.
Bob’s re-entry into the Tekken 8 roster is very much welcome, but it’ll be interesting to see how his addition will shake up the current meta. His moves are punishing, and he can confuse opponents with a variety of follow-ups from his Spinning Ball and United Step, making his pressure game something to watch out for. Whether he is newbie-friendly enough remains to be seen, especially with the addition of perfect input timings into his moves, but he can definitely be a favorite for many as Season 3 comes rolling along.
Bob joins the Tekken 8 roster in early access starting on August 20, and an official release on August 25.
