Panda

Story

Panda's story is inseparable from her owner, Ling Xiaoyu. While Ling was at Mishima Industrial College and was set to join the King of Iron Fist Tournament, Heihachi trained and prepared Panda to be Ling's bodyguard. The two got along exceptionally well. They're constantly seen together and understand each other despite the seemingly impenetrable language barrier. 

Since the third King of Iron First Tournament, Panda has been Ling's unchanging companion, serving as her bodyguard during three subsequent Tekken tournaments. She either tries to assist Ling or motivate her, should any trouble arise. The only time Panda didn't join Ling as a bodyguard was during the seventh King of Iron First tournament as Panda lost her when Ling once again set out to search for Jin Kazama.

Outside of the tournaments, Panda and Ling are seen as friends simply enjoying daily life together, with Ling riding Panda to and from school or hanging out at amusement parks with other friends. Along the way, she is constantly approached by Kuma, who hopelessly tries to impress her or gain her affection. Despite repeatedly denying or ignoring him, Panda has shown concern for her relentless admirer in the past.

Personality

Panda is shown to be a very caring and affectionate animal, consistently showing empathy and concern for Ling. However, when pestered by ceaseless advances from Kuma, she can get quite aggressive.

Appearance

Panda looks just like any other panda but somewhat bigger than average. Her only defining features are bracelets on her arm, similar to those worn by Ling Xiaoyu.

Playstyle

Panda and Kuma share the same playstyle as they share the same moveset and frame data, the only difference being their Rage Art animations. Bears are interesting and unorthodox characters. Like other fighters with large bodies, their movement is below average, and most of their moves are on the slower side. However, their long arms and short, somewhat tucked-in legs mean that they have a good range to play neutral and check their opponents with pokes. Because of this, bears tend to favor staying at mid-range and chipping away at their opponents, occasionally capitalizing on strong counter-hit launchers. The assortment of evasive stances can allow bears to be more aggressive, but this kind of approach tends to fall apart when fighting more experienced opponents.