Tekken 8: How to Play Hwoarang

Former Korean SpecOps and self-proclaimed rival of Jin Kazama, Hwoarang, returns to the Iron Fist Tournament in Tekken 8. A student of Baek Doo San, Hwoarang is a kick-focused fighter, using his feet to unleash devastating attacks in rapid succession. Appearing in every Tekken installment since his debut in Tekken 3, Hwoarang is known for his fiery orange hair and equally hot temper. Even so, Hwoarang is a skilled and dedicated fighter, able to climb the ranks of the Korean military despite his reputation for insubordination and disrespect.

Given his few punch combos (and the few he has are not the most powerful, outside of meteor smash finishers in kicking combos), Hwoarang can be a tricky character to pick up but incredibly rewarding to master.

Style Overview – Hwoarang, The Blood Talon

Hwoarang’s fighting style leans heavily on Taekwondo, using his kicking combos to control the fight’s pace. He rarely uses punch attacks outside of locking opponents to set up a hard-hitting kicking combo. As a kicker, Hwoarang can be slower than most other fighters his size, especially regarding attack start-up times.

While this can make it a bit more difficult to start combos, once an attack lands, players can easily keep their enemy from recovering by keeping them airborne or knocked down (known as ground juggling) to eviscerate their health bar completely.

When first learning Hwoarang, keep the following in mind to quickly adapt to his fighting style:

• When in doubt, throw some kicks out – While he doesn’t completely neglect his hands, Hwoarang will use kick attacks for 90% of his combos. If the pressure is on, try some simple kick combos (LK, LK, LK, OR RK, RK, RK, RK) to push back against your opponent.
• Spacing is key – Hworang has pretty good reach with his standard kick combos and can reach even further when players use his momentum or rising attacks like Peacekeeper or Hunting Hawk. Keeping a bit of distance between yourself and the enemy can prevent a quick jab from interrupting the startup of a heavy-kick combo.
• Don’t forget to grapple – Second to his kicks, Hwoarang also has a large variety of throws in his moveset (most unavailable in Tekken 8‘s new Special Style) – if enemies get too close for comfort, use a grab to throw them to the ground and create some space to set up a hard-hitting combo.

Hwoarang’s Move List

In total, Hwoarang has 156 unique techniques at his disposal, with most of these moves stemming from his Flamingo stances. These stances can be excellent for initiating and maintaining air and ground juggle combos, while the 11 throws in Hwoarang’s kit should be used when enemies get too close for comfort to create space for a follow-up kick strike.

Combos for Hwoarang

When building combos for Hwoarang, players will want to string together attacks that will keep enemies suspended in air or keep them from being able to recover. Hwoarang’s momentum attacks and downward smashes, when combined with combos from his Flamingo stances, can juggle an enemy completely to oblivion with the proper inputs.

Basic Combo: Left Plasma Blade + Right Kick + Right Kicks > Raptor Combo

Launch your enemy into the air and catch them with a right kick to keep them airborne. Immediately follow up with Right Kicks > Raptor Combo to keep the enemy suspended before kicking them back to a safe distance.

Input: Back + LK, RK, RK, RK, RK, RK

Advanced Combo: Right Hook Kick + Right Flamingo + Screw Kick + Left Flamingo + Flamingo Rocket + Flying Nerichagi + Forward Step + Hunting Hawk

Performed only from Normal stance and when Heat activation is available, this combo is capable of decimating most of an enemy’s health and can set the course of the round if executed successfully at the start of the fight. Start with a right high kick that transitions to Right Flamingo, allowing the execution of a strong spinning kick. Transition to Left Flamingo, and kick the enemy back while activating Heat with Flamingo Rocket. Input the three forward commands during the Heat Rush, kick the enemy back down to the ground, then launch into the rising kick combo Hunting Hawk to close the distance and kick enemies back to the ground once again.

Keep in mind that if using this combo while not near the edge of the map, the Flying Nerichagi will knock players back out of the range of Hunting Hawk – be sure to quickly input a forward step after touching down from the Flying Nerichagi if necessary.

Players can also follow this combo up with their Heat Smash for additional damage – just remember to take a step forward before using the Heat input if the enemy is thrown back by the Hunting Hawk technique (typically, they will smash to the ground, but occasionally can be thrown back and out of range of Trinity Claymore.

Input: Forward + RK, Forward + LK, Forward + LK, Forward + LK, Forward, Forward, Forward (Hold) + LK, Forward, Up-Forward + LK, RK, LK

Perfect Combo: Right Flamingo + Right Viper Combo + Right Viper Combo + Combat Low + Firecracker + Peacekeeper + Spinning Axe Kick + Right Kicks

A combo as disrespectful as his hair is orange, start by transitioning to Right Flamingo and catching the enemy with two quick viper kick combos – it is recommended to hold the RK input to help prevent accidentally executing the Right Sword knockback kick.

After a few Viper combos, tag the enemy with a low shin kick and launch into the low-hitting Firecracker technique, throwing enemies back. Dash forward and ground juggle the enemy with a Peacekeeper thrust kick, activating Heat. Input Spinning Axe Kick during the Heat Dash, continue the ground juggle and finish off with a quick Right Kicks combo.

Keep in mind that with practice, players can sneak in multiple Viper Kicks back to back if they want to disrespect their opponent in true Hwoarang style.

Input: Forward + RK, Forward + RK (Hold), Forward + RK, Down + RK, Down + RK, RK, Forward, Forward (Hold) + RK, Forward, Forward (Hold) + LK, RK, RK

Tips for Winning as Hwoarang

For those looking to master Hwoarang, focus on learning the timing of his simple kick combos and pair them together for incredible juggle combos. Hwoarang may not have the flashiest moves in the game, but his mighty normal attacks combined with superb timing can create an unparalleled fighting style.

To increase your win ratio with Hwoarang, keep these tips in mind:

• Patience is a virtue – While being patient is not like the hot-headed Korean fighter, Hwoarang players will want to wait for an opening before attempting to launch any combos. Some combo starters like Plasma Blade can push through some enemy attacks, but most of Hwoarang’s cross kicks are vulnerable to interruption during their long startups. When enemies miss attacks or during their recovery after you block an incoming attack, unleash the fury.
• Throw them on the ground – By combining his various throws and downward kick strikes, Hwoarang has strong ground juggling abilities – abuse these attacks to keep enemies from recovering and stomp your way to victory. Throws can also be used to push back enemy fighters who get too close for comfort.

How to Counter Hwoarang

Tekken 8’s roster of fighters gives players a great variety of choices when strategizing against Hwoarang. Hwoarang’s main weaknesses are his long startup times and preference for hitting opponents in the mid and high lanes. Fighters that like to hug the ground with some of their attacks, like Lili or Kuma, can easily dodge Hwoarang’s attacks while simultaneously initiating their devastating combos, sliding under Hwoarang’s legs as he goes to attack.

Lili is a superb pick against Hwoarang due to her size and speed. While her execution style is different, her combos tend to hit in the same areas as Hwoarang’s techniques; they simply execute faster, with Lili’s lowest startup hitting 8 frames (Hwoarang’s lowest startup is 10 frames but averages 15 frames).

Players will also find that Hwoarang will struggle against speed-focused close-range melee fighters like Victor. Victor can easily outpace Hwoarang with his rapid knife attacks and can counter-spacing strategies with his blink attacks, counter-attacks, or by simply pulling out his pistol and firing a few shots to push Hwoarang back.