Panda

Story

Panda is a giant animal, a loyal pet and friend, and a specially trained bodyguard of Ling Xiaoyu. She debuted in Tekken 3 and then appeared in every mainline entry of the franchise.

When Ling Xiaoyu moved to Japan to participate in the tournament, Panda accompanied her and later was trained by Heihachi Mishima in advanced bear fighting. That made her a perfect bodyguard for Xiaoyu during the tournament. There, Panda also met Kuma, who showed his romantic interest and even offered flowers as a gift, but Panda ignored him completely.

After the tournament, Panda spent a lot of time training alongside Xiaoyu and later joined her as a bodyguard once again during the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4. After the tournament, the disappearance of Jin Kazama deeply saddened Xiaoyu, and Panda was determined to find him to make her friend happy again, but to no avail. 

After the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5, Xiaoyu disappeared, aiming to find Jin Kazama by herself. In search of her dearest friend, Panda made her way to another installment of the King of Iron Fist Tournament, hoping to find Xiaoyu there. Instead, she met Paul Phoenix, was forced to fight him, and prevailed. After the fierce battle, Panda noticed one of her bracelets fell off, reminding her of Xiaoyu and her scent. Trying to follow it, Panda raced over beaten Paul to continue her search.

Personality

Panda is an animal of high intelligence and near-human empathy. She cares deeply for her dearest friend, Ling Xiaoyu, and is ready to do everything to make her happy. Panda also sometimes shows her playful side, just like her best friend, but rejects Kuma, who sees her as a romantic interest and can even fight him if he's too persistent.

Playstyle

Panda's gameplay and mover are almost identical to Kuma's; therefore, they share the same strengths and weaknesses. Compared to most of the characters, Panda has longer arms and a nonstandard hitbox, which helps her punish the opponents from a distance while not being hit. Her Hunting Bear Stance can provide an excellent opportunity for high-damage mixups and additional evasiveness. However, her kicks lack range due to their short legs, and her backdash is also not quite effective.

Appearance

Panda is a giant animal and looks exactly like a panda would usually look. However, she wears several bracelets, a red backpack, a scarf, and red ribbons around her ears, which makes her look more human-like.