When The Walking Dead‘s Negan was announced for Tekken 7, the fighting game community collectively let out confused exasperation. Why Negan? Why The Walking Dead? Could Namco Bandai really not have found a more fitting character for Tekken? Negan and his precious baseball bat, Lucille, isn’t the worst possible choice for characters in Tekken 7, but we can think of five better with minimal effort? These characters might not be from Katsuhiro Harada’s favorite TV show, but they are absolutely deserving of a spot in the Iron Fist Tournament more than Negan.
Characters better than Negan | Kazuma Kiryu
What needs to be said about Yakuza’s Kiryu that you don’t already know? When it comes to fighting with his fists, he’s a veteran, punching out goons since the ’80s. He’s got multiple fighting styles, including speedy punches and devastating heavy blows. He might even take some weapons into the ring, as he has extensive experience with knives, guns, bats, and even bicycles. Anything can be a deadly weapon if you put your mind to it.
When it comes to Tekken‘s style of hand-to-hand combat, Kiryu is a natural fit, and we can easily see him using a scissor kick to knock enemies into the air, before kicking them into a corkscrew combo and slamming them to the ground. His Rage Art could even be one of the many violent and powerful Heat Actions from the Yakuza series — the possibilities are endless.
Kiryu’s friend and rival Goro Majima is another good choice, though Majima’s breakdancing fighting style has already been taken by Lucky Chloe. Sorry, Goro!
Characters better than Negan | Phil Mitchell
EastEnders is a series with a lot of characters, though many of them appear to be too fragile to make it in the world of Tekken. Phil Mitchell is not one of them. Phil Mitchell is a man above the law, empathy, and triviality. Phil Mitchell is the alpha and the omega, and he would win the King of Iron Fist Tournament with a hand behind his back.
Phil Mitchell is a man that’s not only capable of deep emotion, but also of compassion. He’s a man fueled by vengeance, but also love. A walking oxymoron, while also a comfortable constant in an ever-changing and confusing world.
What attacks would he have? It doesn’t matter. His enemies probably wouldn’t even be able to stand when presented with his aura. Although his Rage Art would be based on that one time he went mad while driving an excavator. Legend.
Characters better than Negan | Dante
No, not the DmC Dante, I’m thinking the more traditional one with white hair, a big sword and an attitude to match. He was the coolest in the 2000s, showing all the gamer kids that leather jackets and being goth didn’t have to be mocked, it could be celebrated. Well, until you wore that leather jacket outside of course.
A man that keeps demons in hell and kicks them off our world, Dante would be a natural fit for Tekken. Sure, he has a big sword, and that would usually be more of a Soul Calibur character, but if Tekken 7 can have Noctis wielding a massive bunch of weapons, then Dante can occasionally shoot someone.
Characters better than Negan | Donkey Kong
Mike Tyson once offered a zookeeper $10,000 to let him fight a silverback gorilla in its cage. It’s the kind of story so absurd that it has to be true. And it also makes a part of you feel incredibly sad that you can’t watch the event unfold. But Tekken could solve that.
Imagine a big ape just slapping the life out of Heihachi. Jin transforms into his Devil Jin form, shooting lasers around the stage, and a big monkey just picks him up and throws him against the wall. It’s these visions that help Tekken fans sleep, as they imagine their favorite characters throwing down against impossible odds.
Donkey Kong might be slow and stupid, but like Bear and Panda — two established Tekken favorites — his speed could be an advantage, as he uses his abilities to trip up enemies, drops bananas on the floor, and then unleashes his powerful punches on them. His Rage Art even has great potential as it could have him using his opponent’s head like a pair of DK Bongos. It’s the stuff of dreams even if Nintendo would make never make this dream a reality.
Characters better than Negan | Just a zombie
Alright, hear me out. I haven’t watched The Walking Dead in years, because it got incredibly boring and most would probably agree that the show is past its prime. When I think of the series, I don’t think of Negan and his weird attachment to a baseball bat. I think of zombies. And, genuinely, I think just a random zombie would’ve been a better fit here.
Picture it. It’s literally a rotting corpse. What attacks are gonna take this thing down in a hand-to-hand martial arts tournament? Not much. He’s gonna grab, bite, swing his arms around — you can even picture a seriously dumb yet seriously brilliant aerial juggle executed with wildly swinging arms.
As for a final Rage Art? It’ll be a call to the zombie brethren to eat up the opponents, of course. Naturally. It just makes sense.
