Tekken 8's newcomer features changed drastically during development.
Tekken 8 recently introduced its first African female fighter, Miary Zo, an 18-year-old from Madagascar. On paper, this should have been a big moment for representation. Tekken has few Black characters, but only has been female. Master Raven, who was dark-skinned and better representation, was removed from Tekken 7, making Miary the only Black female presence in her original intended form. While her debut should be celebrated, there is a lot to unpack about how her design landed.
First off, Miary Zo used to be much darker in her concept art. The difference between the original art and the in-game 3D model is stark. The concept art featured rich dark tones that reflected her Malagasy heritage. In the game, she is light, almost paper-bag light. Tekken went with the most Asian Malagasy as their first African character in the series. It is eye opening.
"Tekken went with the most Asian Malagasy as their first African character"
Now, I get it. Concept art rarely translates one-to-one into 3D. Usually, it is about costumes, poses, or textures. But I have never seen a character’s skin get this light in translation. It is not just a minor tweak; it changes the character entirely. While her eyes pop against the lighter skin and her clothes look vibrant, it does not erase the fact that something was lost.
The real issue is not her skin tone alone. It is her face. Compare her base concept art to her 3D model and the differences are glaring. Straight hair, pale skin, softened facial features. It is a far cry from the dark-skinned fighter who was originally envisioned. Honestly, she ends up looking like a generic 3D hentai model, polished but stripped of the cultural identity she was supposed to represent.
This is not the first time fighting games have done this. Vanessa Lewis in Virtual Fighter is a perfect example. She was darker-skinned in VF4 but got noticeably lightened in VF5, losing some of the authenticity of her African roots. Miary Zo feels like déjà vu of Elena from Street Fighter, an African fighter whose final design ends up looking anything but African. It is a familiar pattern: celebrate diversity, but only if it fits a safe visual standard.
Some might point out that Malagasy people vary a lot in appearance, thanks to mixed African and South-East Asian (Borneo) ancestry. Sure, you will see light-skinned individuals. But the majority, especially those practicing Moraingy, the martial art Miary Zo’s style is based on, are significantly darker. Tekken could have leaned into this: darker skin, lightly East African or Oceanic mixed features, celebrating Madagascar’s unique heritage rather than smoothing it over.
Tekken seems comfortable giving male characters dark skin, yet they removed Master Raven, the only Black female fighter with authentic darker skin. They really dropped the ball here.
At the end of the day, Miary Zo has potential. She is Malagasy, she is a fighter, and her look is undeniably striking in terms of costume and eye color. But as Tekken’s first African woman, she should have been dark-skinned, culturally grounded, and visually true to her heritage. Instead, we got something glossy, safe, and homogenized. A fighter stripped of some of the identity that could have made her iconic.
Miary Zo’s debut is a step in the right direction for representation, but it also shows how much more care fighting games need to put into honoring the cultures they claim to showcase. For Tekken, this should have been a moment to flex authenticity, not just visuals that pop under the studio lights.