Tekken's boxing kangaroo is back. Bandai Namco has released the gameplay reveal trailer for Roger Jr., the third fighter in Tekken 8's Season 3, and given him a date. Season 3 Pass owners get him first, with early access opening on November 11 (November 12 in Europe and Asia). Everyone else can buy him from November 16, five days later.
When Roger Jr. arrives, and who gets him first
The split release follows the same pattern as every Season 3 character so far. The Season 3 Pass, which costs $34.99 on Steam, comes with five days of early access to each fighter in it. That is why the window runs from November 11 to November 16 rather than opening to everyone at once. Players who skipped the pass can buy Roger Jr. on his own once the early access period ends, and Bandai Namco warns on the store page that the individual DLCs are sold separately too, so pass owners should be careful not to buy him twice.
Tekken 8 is on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC through Steam, and Roger Jr. is coming to all three. The store listing had only promised him for an October to December window, so the reveal pins him toward the middle of it.
A family act, again
Roger Jr. has a longer history in the series than most of the cast. Tekken 2 introduced Roger, a boxing kangaroo, alongside Alex, a boxing dinosaur. Roger Jr., his son, took over the slot in Tekken 5, and stayed through Tekken 6 and Tekken Tag Tournament 2. He did not make the cut for Tekken 7, so this is his first appearance in a mainline game in well over a decade, and his first in Unreal Engine 5.
His mother is part of the act, as she was before. In the key art for the trailer, a full-grown kangaroo in shiny purple and pink gloves wears a gold chain spelling out "MUM", while a joey in matching red gloves peeks out of her pouch. Bandai Namco's own caption for the trailer jokes that he is matching outfits with his mom. That is a clear sign the team is keeping the series' oldest running gag about him: the mother fights, and the child rides along and chips in.
Bandai Namco has not yet put out a full move list or a starter guide for him. It has done that for earlier Season 3 characters around their launches, so expect one closer to November 11.
Season 3 so far
Roger Jr. is the third of four fighters in the pass. Kunimitsu, the masked fox ninja, opened the season this spring. Bob, the fast heavyweight, followed in August.
Beyond the four characters, the pass also covers an extra battle stage called Subsea Lockdown, due between January and March 2027, and the Aurora Outfit Pack, which adds 44 costume designs across the roster. Bandai Namco's store listing says everything in the pass will be out by March 31, 2027.
Next up: Yujiro Hanma
The last name on the list is the strangest one. Yujiro Hanma, the overpowered father figure from Keisuke Itagaki's martial arts manga Baki, is the season's guest fighter. Bandai Namco teased him back in May, and slotted him into a January to March 2027 window on the store page.
The new trailer ends with another short look at him, and Bandai Namco says it will show much more of Yujiro at the Tekken World Tour Finals on January 17, 2027. The tour finals are also where Season 3 itself was revealed, so that is the date to watch for a gameplay reveal and a launch date.
What to do now
If you already own the Season 3 Pass, there is nothing to do: Roger Jr. will unlock for you when early access opens on November 11. If you have been waiting to decide, the price gap is easy to work out. The pass bundles four fighters, a stage and a large costume pack for $34.99, while each character can also be bought alone after its early access window. With Roger Jr. arriving next month and Yujiro due early next year, half the pass is still to come, which makes now a reasonable time to decide.
