Miary Zo’s gameplay trailer recently premiered at EVO France 2025, and the entire presentation left me more disappointed than hyped.
If you’ve been anywhere around me, you would know that I am Tekken’s biggest fan, and even when the direction of the franchise wasn’t going the way I wanted it to, I still stuck by the game and defended it. I told myself to trust the process, the game would eventually get better, and I would come back with a newfound love for it.
This trailer did the exact opposite, leaving me feeling mixed about where the game is headed.
My Hopes
When Miary Zo was first announced as a character right after Armor King’s announcement, I was as hopeful as can be. The presentation showed her as a fighter who used martial arts from Madagascar, something that I feel I naturally gravitate towards because of the fighters that I liked. Hwoarang represents Taekwondo, Eddy has Capoeira, Dragunov has Krav Maga, and now Miary Zo is bringing a new fighting style to the table. I wanted more fighters in the series that took their fighting seriously and felt like they had the fire to win, and while Miary Zo’s interaction was more aloof than I wanted, I was still hopeful because of the emphasis on martial arts.
It’s also important to note that this is an original Tekken character coming in as DLC after there was an uproar of hate this Season. I hoped this was going to be a return to form, a character that focused on poking and movement instead of gimmicky moves that had too many keywords, something that most of the roster has transformed into over the months. Miary Zo’s design was also something that had me excited because, skimpy clothes aside, she’s actually really well designed! I love the bright colors, I loved her demeanor, and I was looking forward to seeing more of her. As you could probably tell from the title, I was wrong.
The Truth
It’s EVO France 2025, and the Miary Zo trailer comes to the screen. I brace myself for the hypest pop-off I could have, anticipating all the beautiful and clean animations. What I got instead was Bandai Namco trying to turn the game I loved into an Arena Fighter or SoulCalibur. Instead of seeing unique Madagascar fighting styles inspired by animals (the trailer says that, btw), I instead got a spiritual lemur tail, pole dancing, and what I would call a temper tantrum disguised as a wall combo.
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Miary Zo is caught in this weird middle ground where her moves are so unusual, but she’s still portrayed as a fighting master who loves the art of fighting. Not only are her animations not what I expected, but her gameplay is the same lackluster snowball offense that gets exhausting to play over time. Don’t get me wrong, she looks extremely fun to play, especially when you factor in all the unique properties she has.
Miary Zo has a wall stance, high and low crushing moves that catch the opponent off-guard, an advancing mid plus on block move that also probably crushes lows. All of her unique offensive and defensive setups make me excited to play her, but I dread the thought of playing against her. Other than these animations, what really broke my heart was the second half of the trailer.
Wasted Potential
Miary Zo was marketed as a martial arts fighter with a bit of flair all so they could subvert your expectations and reveal that she actually has Ogre’s and True Ogre’s powers. That’s right, they took one of the main antagonists in the Tekken series, a creature so feared and strong that it caused an important main roster death, and turned her into a detached fighter that throws up peace signs and flies around with a giant spear.
I mean no offense to cutesy characters. I like the contrasting personalities that the Tekken roster has, but this is an intimidating series antagonist we’re talking about.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are ways that this could have been done better. Street Fighter turned Fang into Aki, and Tekken turned aspects of Azazel into Zafina, both of which prove that it can work, but this just isn’t it. The fighting style is too flashy, the personality too distant, and I’m sure the gameplay isn’t going to be as interactive as the scripted fight scenes are as well. There are just so many things that I wish Miary Zo would be, and the Tekken team has just failed to meet all of them.
Looking at things with a calmer mind, I do hope that Miary Zo still succeeds as a Tekken character. She still has a cool design, and without any prior assumptions, I can say that her moveset is unique. Character identity is a huge thing for me, and even if I don’t like it, she still has a lot going for her.
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