Tekken 7 has a good roster of fighters, with more of the core Tekken characters along with loads of fun newcomers and crossover fighters. How to unlock characters in Tekken 7 can be complicated though. There are quite a lot of Tekken characters which you can’t access when you first boot up the game.

Like most of the top fighting games, a lot of characters come from DLC. Although, the unlock method for Tekken 7 can vary a bit. There aren’t any fighters that need unlocking by grinding through any specific modes. However, there are secret alternative characters that only pop up in very specific situations. On top of that, there are even more methods for how to unlock characters in Tekken 7 like through pre-orders and DLC. This is how you can access everyone!

Paid DLC Characters – How to Unlock Characters in Tekken 7

Source: Bandai Namco

The majority of solutions for how to unlock characters in Tekken 7 are simple. Paying cash. Most of the characters in the game that aren’t there from the beginning are instead unlocked via paid DLC. These are all of the characters you unlock simply by buying them:

Lei
Noctis
Negan
Geese
Leroy
Lidia
Julia
Ganryu
Zafina
Kunimitsu II
Fahkumram
Anna Marduck
Armor King II.

These characters were accessible through paid DLC. You’ll have to buy them in the store to unlock them, you can’t get them otherwise.

How to Unlock Eliza

Eliza in Tekken 7 was accessible through pre-ordering the game. There was a different method for how to unlock Tekken 7 characters here, and you didn’t have to pay for the DLC! If you were early enough at the time, you would have the character. However, anyone who has picked up Tekken 7 afterward won’t be able to get the character for free.

Source: Bandai Namco

After release, she was available for sale after a gap of 30 days after Tekken 7 launched. If you missed her for free though, you’ll now have to buy her. If you’re looking for how to unlock characters in Tekken 7, Eliza is the same as the other DLCs now.

Palette Swaps and Transformations – How to Unlock Alternative Characters in Tekken 7

The majority of character unlock conditions are just buying them. There are a couple of exceptions though. There are pallet swap characters that you can access in-game with more specific steps on how to unlock the Tekken 7 characters. However, this doesn’t really work if you’re online trying to climb the Tekken 7 ranks. There are a few fighters that aren’t stand-alone characters but can be unlocked in-game in some situations.

Devil Kazuya

Devil Kayuza is a more popular fighter but he doesn’t get his own slot in this game. To access this character, you’ll need to transform into him by using the Rage Art. It only lasts a short duration though.

Violet

Violet isn’t available as their own character either but as a different appearance for Lee. You can select this version of the character by using Player Two to select Lee.

Tekken 7 Character Unlocks

Source: Bandai Namco

Those are all of the Tekken 7 characters that need unlocking. Everyone else is accessible from when you open up the game! There aren’t a whole lot of specific tasks you’ll need to go through if you want to get everyone in this title though. We might see different unlocks in the rest of the series, but we’ll have to wait till the release of Tekken 8 to see.