Eddy has received heavy criticism in the fighting game community for the low skill floor associated with his play style; however, the character, along with Christie, has been credited with popularizing the art of capoeira to a new audience within the larger gaming and martial arts community, and has influenced popular culture.

[9] Mestre Marcelo Pereira, a Brazilian capoeira master, was the motion capture artist for Eddy Gordo in Tekken 3.

Marcelo Pereira reported that during the development of Tekken 3 he had been injured, as a result the acrobatic movements he performed were restricted.

In Tekken 4, the team was able to successfully create "an attractive female character named Christie" who practiced Capoeira, so they chose to replace Eddy with her.

[17] He decided to enter the tournament, believing he could either convince the MFE or take control of it and force it to help him get revenge on his father's killers.

After the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3, Eddy found and taught Christie Capoeira, who became impressive at the martial art after two years of training.

"[15] In Tekken 8, Eddy's usual gameplay style is modified to include a "Mandinga" function, a feature exclusive to him, allowing him to gain access to additional attacks.

[26] Pete Dreyer at Red Bull listed Eddy among the "cheapest" fighting game characters, stating "The problem was that because of his style and his multiple stances, if you didn't recognise his moves and what they did, there was absolutely no way to know what was going on, and every time you thought you could get in a punch, you'd get a swift kick in the face.

[31] In 2003, Epoch Co. released an Eddy Gordo action figure as part of their Tekken Tag Tournament toyline; the toy featured interchangeable hands and a display stand.

"[33] In early 1998, Electronic Gaming Monthly reported that Eddy Gordo was "the current fan favorite" of the Tekken 3 cast.

"[39] In his 2014 article "In Defense of Button Mashing", Kevin Wong of Kotaku explained his success at Tekken 3 with Eddy after having struggled playing as other characters: "I won't gild the lily by claiming any sort of thought out strategy.

"[40] Eddy's hairstyle in Tekken 8 has received some controversy as being "so overused in recent works of fiction in what has become a reductive trope for men of color in the industry.

[41] Vandal commented that Eddy's new design divided the fanbase due to his new haircut as it came across as a generic character and come across as similar to actor Michael B. Jordan.

[42] VG427 lamented that early trailers did not show Eddy's gameplay but they enjoyed the motion capture given to the character's model as it helped to further detail his fighting style as well as facial expressions.

[43] Destructoid noted that Eddy was a fan-favorite since his introduction due to how he continues having a role in the story and is still playable alongside Christie uses a similar fighting style, making his return in Tekken 8 welcome.

[44] In retrospect, PCGamer called Eddy as easy for newcomers as "The guy your pal who's never touched a fighting game picks and mashes their way to victory with."