One of Tekken 8’s characters in the roster uses a move that is straight out of the long-running Naruto anime series. The character in question is Lars Alexandersson, a veteran character of the Tekken series who will be returning in Tekken 8. He was first introduced in the sixth numbered mainline entry in 2008 as its protagonist. He is an illegitimate child of the series’ longstanding villain Heihachi Mishima, making him tied to the longstanding Mishima inter-family conflict as an enforcer and captain of the Tekken Force.Like many other characters coming back in Tekken 8, Lars has both retained mechanics as well as overhauls to fit the game's more aggressive playstyle. Lars’ moveset was showcased in a recent trailer, where it shows his moves taking inspiration from a variety of martial arts styles as he fights off the latest Jack-8 model. This includes a variety of attacks that are imbued with lightning. His Rage Art, meanwhile, is taken from Naruto. Fans of both Tekken and Naruto noticed the similarities between Lars’ Rage Art and the character’s Ultimate Jutsu in Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, where Lars made a special guest appearance in the latter. The animations and camera angles are quite similar, and even have the same finishing sequence where Lars punches the opponent into the ground.
This Rage Art also seems to be based off the Lightning Blade or Lightning Cutter Ninjustsu from the Naruto series, a variant on the Chidori technique. This move was first used by Kakashi Hatake, one of Naruto’s mentors. The visuals of the lightning bouncing and Lars zipping around as a bolt seems to be inspired by the Ultimate Jutsu from Kakashi’s move set from the same game. It’s a rather appropriate reference, since both Tekken and the Naruto games were published by Bandai Namco, and the flashiness of Lars’ new move makes him look incredibly powerful.
The official UK Twitter for Bandai Namco also noticed the similarities, where it pointed out Lars Alexandersson’s special guest appearance in Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2. Lars was added in the latter game, due to Ultimate Ninja Storm 2’s director seeing an alternate design by Naruto’s mangaka, Masashi Kishimoto, that was made for Tekken 6. Some are hoping that the costume that he had in the Ninja Storm game will make a comeback in this title, or that Lars will be one of the retained fighters for Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections coming out later this year.
Tekken 8 is currently in development.