Bandai Namco dropped a surprise at EVO 2026 last night: TEKKEN! CARTOON, a brand-new animated project that trades the franchise’s signature grittiness for chibi versions of Kuma, Kazuya, and the rest of the gang. The official teaser is out now — and it looks nothing like what most Tekken fans expected.
What Is TEKKEN! CARTOON?
Revealed at EVO 2026 in Las Vegas on 26 June 2026, TEKKEN! CARTOON is a newly announced animated project from Bandai Namco Entertainment. The teaser puts familiar faces — Kuma the bear, the masked warrior Yoshimitsu, android Alisa, martial artist Paul Phoenix, and the perennial villain Kazuya Mishima — in a superdeformed, brightly coloured style that leans hard into comedy.
It’s a sharp change of direction from Tekken: Bloodlines, the 2022 Netflix anime that adapted the story of Tekken 3 with a dark, dramatic edge. TEKKEN! CARTOON is pointing in the opposite direction entirely — think animated shorts in the vein of game-studio chibi spinoffs, rather than a prestige series. Given how distinctive the Tekken cast is across three decades of games, there’s a lot of comedic mileage in that aesthetic.
Who’s Making It?
Bandai Namco has assembled a dedicated team for the project:
- Director: Sohta Ozawa (NERD studio)
- Character Designer & Animator: Amehiro
- Director of Photography: Yuta Kakei
- Creative Directors/Planners: Syohei Hashimoto and Hironori Hasegawa
- Brand Supervisor: TEKKEN Project
Amehiro handling both character design and animation suggests a tight, focused production rather than a large-scale studio effort. The superdeformed style plays to each character’s strengths: Kuma’s sheer bulk, Yoshimitsu’s erratic energy, and Kazuya’s perpetual scowl all translate naturally into visual comedy. Whether this expands into a full series or stays as a run of animated shorts is still to be announced.
Release Date and Platform: Nothing Confirmed Yet
As of the EVO 2026 announcement, there is no confirmed release date, platform, or distribution partner. As reported by Push Square, Bandai Namco’s official statement reads: “Your favourite #TEKKEN characters are coming out of the ring and into the cartoon world. Keep an eye on our socials for more news about the TEKKEN! CARTOON.”
More details are expected at upcoming events later in 2026. For now, Bandai Namco’s official social channels are the best place to watch for updates.
Tekken in Singapore — A Ready-Made Audience
Tekken 8 has been a staple of Singapore’s local FGC scene since launch, with a dedicated player base spanning community meetups and competitive online play. The timing of the reveal — right in the middle of EVO 2026, where Tekken 8 is one of the main featured titles — puts it in front of the global fighting game community at peak attention.
After Tekken: Bloodlines found an audience on Netflix, there is a reasonable precedent for Bandai Namco’s Tekken animated content reaching streaming platforms that are accessible here. Nothing is confirmed — but when more details drop, we’ll have them. Watch this space.