Tekken 8 – Hwoarang Trailer Moves Analysis: Yes, he is back and he is back with style. Bandai Namo finally drops the Hwoarang character reveal trailer for Tekken 8. It is shocking he came after Lili, but being a Hwoarang main this is such a relief.
Hwoarang as we all know is an expert in Taekwondo. He first appeared in Tekken 3 and had been in every game since then. A student of Baek, Hwoarang is hot-headed, arrogant, and impulsive. He is known to be very boastful of his fighting prowess and has a kiddish vibe to his personality.
However, in Tekken 8 Hwoarang seems to have become more mature with a new look and personality. In this article, we will be discussing his trailer and the new moves that we are introduced to.
Tekken 8- Hwoarang Trailer Breakdown | Moves Analysis
If you have watched the trailer, you would know that there are a lot of things that have changed. Tekken 8 would definitely be a very different game from 7. The characters so far that we have seen, have new moves and the new Heat mechanic could be a game changer.
Hwoarang is no different from the rest. I would be using timestamps from the Official Trailer itself and talking about what is happening there. I will try also try to explain the possible inputs for the new move. These will be just predictions and there is no way I would know the inputs before I get my hands on the game.
The trailer starts off and you immediately get shocked as Hwoarang looks completely different from all the games before. He looks mature, he looks more like his master Baek. Before we start explaining there are a few terms I would be using in this guide.
- u= up
- b= back
- d= down
- f= forward
- 1= left punch
- 2= right punch
- 3= left kick
- 4= right kick
- 1+2 or 3+4= pressing two buttons simultaneously
- 3~4= pressing 4 immediately after 3. It is commonly known as 3 slide 4.
- ss= side step
- ws= while standing
Trailer Breakdown with Timestamps:
- 0:37– You see Hwoarang use his d34. As we all know d34 leaves you in the Right Flamingo Stance. From what we see next, it looks like the d4 hell sweep that we commonly know as in Tekken 7. However, the animation looks different, and the hell sweep does not sweep the opponent off his feet. I could take this as a potential nerf to the character.
- 0:39– You can see his Backlash Power Crush is no longer a launcher. Now it only knocks down for a guaranteed ff3 follow-up.
- 0:42– This move is a bit confusing. It is clear that the move is a Heat Engager with a plus frame advantage. The input could possibly be a crouch dash f3. This is followed by a parry and a new spin kick which looks super cool. I do not think the spin kick comes out automatically after the parry, though. But since he uses both feet, I would probably go with a 3~4 from Left Foot Forward Stance (Default Stance).
- 0:45– We can see his ss4 counter-hit launcher to a move that looks similar to d34. It could be a new d34 animation from Right Foot Forward Stance or a db34 from RFF that take you into Right Flamingo. This goes into a combo of two kicks which seem to be new moves. It could either be a b4 to a f3+4 to a df4. I am not sure about this one. The combo ends with an uf3,4,3 move.
- 0:51: You see Hwoarang do a Left Flamingo to b3. This move was a power crush in Tekken 7, but I am not sure if it is one in Tekken 8. It could probably be something like a wall splat move. This is followed by a ws2,3 into a f,d3 (Left Flamingo Fake kick), and ends with Left Flamingo 3 and b2 probably.
- 1:02: Hwoarang gets a b4 counter hit launcher. He follows it up with a new combo move. It could be just a 2,3 or a 2 and u3. This is followed by his manual Heat Engager. The next moves would be his heat moves. The first one could be a b4 or a uf4 (I am not sure at all) into a f2 and ends with df3+4.
- 1:09: Hwoarang does a f4(into Right Flamingo), b3 combo, and it seems like his b3 from Right Flamingo is a Heat Engager move. He then dashes forward quickly and does from what looks like a df3, 4 into a b3 or a b3+4 (not sure about that). Breaks the wall and does a d4,4. The combo ends with another df3,4.
- 1:19: We see Hwoarang do a f1+2 which I guess is no longer a counter-hit launcher. This could actually be a huge nerf to the character. He follows that up with 44f (Right Flamingo)and b4 or uf4 as I said before. It is also a Heat Engager move, so we see him dash and do a u4 into f4 and then d4,3,4. This is the hellsweep we are all familiar with, but now it is a homing heat move as you see Jin sidestep and still get hit.
- 1:25: Hwoarang does his ff4, which is now a heat engager move. He dashes in and does a 334(into Right Flamingo) and then an uf4 followed by uf3,4. Now here is something different. Uf3,4 now goes into Right Flamingo, from where he ends the combo with a 4.
- 1:32: Lastly, we see his famous b3 launcher from his normal left-foot stance, followed by his super cool Rage Art. It seems like you do not need to be in Flamingo Stance for his Rage Art anymore.
There you go, a complete breakdown of Hwoarang’s Reveal Trailer for Tekken 8.
I hope the guide was helpful. Please let us know in the comments section below. Also, follow FPS Index for more guides on Tekken 8.
Arya is an avid gamer and a full-time content writer. His love for games is so unconditional that despite having a degree in Mass Communication he chose to have a career in the blogging world. He is a FIFA lover and has played every single FIFA game released since 2005. His knowledge of Sports Games is impeccable and every single article he writes is backed by years of experience.