Pakistan’s Tekken Dominance to be Challenged by Japan and South Korea

The current season of the Tekken World Tour is in its final stages, and competition is getting fierce. With the World Tour Finals in Japan only a few months away and virtually all direct qualification spots locked up, the preparation for the final battle begins in earnest.

Players from all over the world are stepping up their game, and the players of South Korea and Japan, have chosen to adopt a unique strategy. While the two nations had been the proverbial standard bearers for the game, the arrival of Pakistan on the international scene shook up the status quo quite a bit.

Not only has Pakistan been dominant on the international stage, but crucially, both the last two World Tours have ended with a Pakistani as World Tour Champion; Atif Butt in 2023 and Arslan Ash in January of this year.

While Tekken 8 has shifted the sands a little, with most players still adjusting to the new game. Even Arslan, who still managed to retain his EVO crown, has expressed frustration with the game of late. No less than 4 Pakistanis secured a top 20 spot on the World Tour global leaderboard.

The Japanese and South Korean players have joined forces as a result, with South Korea’s Rangchu, himself a former Tekken World Tour Champion and now residing in Japan, posting a clip to social media site X, showing all the top Japanese and South Korean players practicing together, in an attempt to dislodge Pakistan from the Tekken throne.

Rangchu tweeted, “We will practice hard so that we don’t lose to other regions.” The reigning champion cheekily responded with,

Practice well, because Pakistan is going to take the title home again this year.

The rest of the regions are not sitting idly by either, with Shadow20z of the USA as well as Jodd and Joka of France and the UK respectively being more than capable opponents, bolstered by icons like Speedkicks and SpaghettiRip, who have emboldened their regions with a rallying cry akin to a call to arms.

With all these combustible elements, the 2024 Tekken World Tour Finals in Tokyo, Japan are sure to be electric.