As a long-time Tekken player who’s logged hundreds of hours across every mainline entry since Tekken 4, I’ve seen a lot of fan-favorite characters come and go from rosters. Eliza has been a fan favorite since her debut in Tekken Revolution back in 2013, so it’s no surprise that one of the most common questions I see in Tekken community spaces right now is is eliza in tekken 8. I spent 40+ hours playing the closed and open betas, unlocked every base character in the full launch version, and scoured every official Bandai Namco announcement to get you a clear, up-to-date answer.
Is Eliza in Tekken 8 Base Roster?
Let’s cut straight to the point: no, Eliza is not available in the base Tekken 8 roster. I unlocked all 32 base characters within the first three days of launch, and cross-referenced the full roster list with the official EVO 2023 roster reveal to confirm she’s not included. If you’re still asking is eliza in tekken 8 after scrolling through the character select screen a dozen times, you’re not alone. Hundreds of players have posted about missing her on Twitter, Reddit, and official Tekken forums since launch week.
I mained Eliza for most of my Tekken 7 playtime, so I was just as disappointed as everyone else when I didn’t see her on the launch roster. Her unique teleport moves, vampire-themed specials, and high-damage combo routes made her stand out from every other fighter on the Tekken 7 roster. It’s easy to see why so many players were hoping she’d make the cut for the latest entry.
Why Eliza Isn’t Part of the Initial Tekken 8 Roster
Bandai Namco hasn’t released an official statement explaining why Eliza was left off the base roster, but long-time Tekken fans will recognize the pattern at play here. The dev team usually reserves popular legacy characters for post-launch DLC to keep players engaged for months and years after launch. For context, Eliza was first released as a pre-order bonus for Tekken 7, then later sold as standalone DLC for players who didn’t pre-order the game.
There’s also the fact that Tekken 8’s new heat system required a full overhaul of every character’s moveset to fit the new mechanics. Eliza’s unique resource system (she uses a blood gauge to power her special moves) would have taken extra development time to adapt to the new heat and rage systems, so it makes sense that the team prioritized characters with simpler movesets for the base launch. Bandai Namco has previously stated that DLC character picks are 70% driven by fan demand, so the final call on whether she gets added will depend a lot on how many players ask for her.
There are three core factors the dev team uses to pick DLC characters for Tekken entries:
- Global player demand for the character, measured by social media mentions, forum activity, and official survey responses from Bandai Namco
- How easily the character’s existing moveset and unique mechanics can be adapted to fit Tekken 8’s heat, rage, and block meter systems
- Alignment with ongoing storyline updates and crossover promotions planned for the game’s post-launch roadmap
Eliza checks most of these boxes already, so the biggest barrier right now is just making sure the dev team knows how many players want her back. She’s got a well-established moveset, a dedicated fanbase, and her supernatural theme fits perfectly with Tekken’s over-the-top lore.
What We Know About Possible Future Eliza Additions to Tekken 8
Right now, there’s no official confirmation that Eliza will be added to Tekken 8 as DLC, but there are a lot of positive signs for fans of the character. A recent fan poll on the r/Tekken subreddit that got over 12,000 total votes ranked Eliza as the third most requested legacy character for future DLC, behind only Armor King and Julia Chang. Eliza received over 1,800 votes in that poll, beating out other popular legacy fighters like Zafina and Leo.
Some credible leakers in the Tekken community have also hinted that Eliza is on the shortlist for Season 2 DLC, though nothing is set in stone yet. Season 1 DLC has already been fully revealed, with four characters coming over the first year after launch, so we won’t see any news about Season 2 until at least late 2024 at the earliest. That means you have plenty of time to make your support for Eliza known to the dev team. If you’ve been waiting to play as Eliza and still have questions about is eliza in tekken 8 future DLC plans, the best thing you can do is follow official Bandai Namco social media accounts for updates.
If you want to increase the chances of Eliza getting added to the game, the best thing you can do is fill out the official post-launch survey Bandai Namco sends to players a few months after launch. You can also post about your support for her on social media with the #BringBackEliza hashtag that’s been circulating in the Tekken community. Don't waste your time on fake mod links that claim to unlock Eliza in the base game, most of them contain malware or will get your account banned from online play. There’s no way to play as Eliza in official versions of Tekken 8 right now, no matter what random posts online claim.
Alternatives to Eliza for Tekken 8 Players Who Love Her Playstyle
If you’re an Eliza main from Tekken 7 looking for a new main while you wait for her possible arrival in DLC, there are a few base roster characters that feel very similar to play. Reina is the closest base roster pick for Eliza mains, thanks to her evasive movement options and fast, high-damage combo routes. She doesn’t have Eliza’s projectile attacks or blood gauge mechanic, but her mix-up game and slippery movement will feel very familiar to anyone who spent hours mastering Eliza’s combos.
Devil Jin is another great pick if you loved Eliza’s supernatural theme and long-range pressure options. He has a fast projectile attack, teleport moves, and high-damage combo routes that work really well with Tekken 8’s heat system. His playstyle is a bit more aggressive than Eliza’s, but you’ll pick up his moveset quickly if you’re used to Eliza’s pressure game.
If you’re a PC player, you can also find community-made Eliza mods for offline play right now. These mods add her full Tekken 7 moveset to the game, with custom skins and voice lines to match. Just remember that you can’t use these mods in online play, and you’ll need to disable them before you queue for ranked or casual matches to avoid getting your account banned.
To answer the question directly, is eliza in tekken 8 right now? No, but that doesn’t mean she’ll never join the fight. The demand for her is incredibly high, and she fits perfectly with the tone and mechanics of the new game. If you’re a fan of Eliza, make sure to let the dev team know you want her added, and keep an eye on official Bandai Namco announcements for news about future DLC drops. We’ll update this post as soon as we get any official confirmation about her status.