Summary
Tekken 8has met a great deal of success within the fighting game community. However, the game’s appeal extends beyond the depth of its mechanics, and to its story as well.Tekken 7was intended as the grand finale to a decades-long feud within the Mishima family. With an old series antagonist blossoming in its wake,Tekken 8has already shown that futureTekkengames would be wise not to reverse this decision.
Heihachi Mishima was a central antagonist for much ofTekken’s history. This was in contrast to his son, Kazuya Mishima, the other main antagonist ofTekken. Despite sharing villainous tendencies, the feud between Heihachi and Kazuya is one ofTekken’s longest running storylines.Tekken 7’s story concluded the final chapter of their rivalry, and although both of them have survived lethal circumstances before,Tekkenshould avoid using another villainous revival.
Heihachi Shouldn’t Return in Future Tekken Games
Heihachi and Kazuya Define Tekken’s History
One of Heihachi’s earliest villainous acts was throwing his young son Kazuya off of a cliff. Kazuya would return the favor inthe very firstTekkengame. However, after surviving falling off of a cliff just as his son had, Heihachi escalated their fighting even more by throwing Kazuya into a volcano at the end ofTekken 2.
Kazuya managed to survive the fall into the volcano, and continued to fight back and forth with his father for the next several games. Kazuya and Mishima have had their ups and downs, but despite occasionally being forced to put their differences aside, the mutual hatred between the two never died down.
In fact, the miraculous circumstance that allowed Kazuya to survive the volcano is the very same trait that sparked his father’s hatred: the Devil Gene. Heihachi correctly believed Kazuya inherited the Devil Gene from his mother Kazumi, and sought to erase it by killing them both. Likewise, Kazuya hates his father because of the death of his mother, and has been seeking revenge ever since.
Tekken 8 Has a Promising Story Mode
While Kazuya and Heihachi’s climactic battles have defined much of the series' history, it shouldn’t go on to defineTekken’s future. Kazuya finally claimed his revenge inTekken 7upon casting Heihachi into a volcano.Tekken 9should accept the finality of previous games, andTekken 8has already shown plenty of promise.
Although Kazuya has survived being thrown into a volcano, this doesn’t mean that Heihachi can do the same just because they’re related. After all, he doesn’t share the Devil Gene he persecuted his son for. More importantly, it would simply be redundant to have Heihachi return yet again, andTekkenhas more interesting stories to follow in the future.
Following in the footsteps of its predecessor,Tekken 8focuses on another long-running conflict within the Mishima family. Rather than battling his father, Kazuya set his eyes and fists against his son, Jin Kazama. Jin is the protagonist of mostTekkengames, and has about as much of a grudge against Kazuya as Kazuya did against Heihachi.
Tekken 9 Should Explore the Full Potential of Tekken’s Future
Just asTekken 7ended the long battle between Kazuya and Heihachi,Tekken 8concluded another long chapter in the series' history. Kazuya and Jin’s days are both far from over, though the story of the Devil Gene seems to be coming to a close. However, the Devil Gene isn’t finished yet, andTekken 9has a lot going for itif it aims to put together a fresh narrative.
While Heihachi may be dead, and the Devil Gene’s influence may be waning, both of their stories are alive and well within Reina.Reina is one ofTekken 8’s most popular new characters. She is the daughter and successor of Heihachi, and shares an unforeseen connection to the Devil Gene despite seemingly being unrelated to Kazumi. Reina is seemingly out to get revenge on Kazuya for killing Heihachi, and reviving their father would certainly cheapen this plot hook.
While Heihachi’s return would provide plenty of fanservice, it would also take away a lot of the catharsis from previous games. Jin and Kazuya’s rivalry has as much excitement as Heihachi and Kazuya’s did. Furthermore, Reina is a new antagonist to the series who could bring as much weight as Heihachi. Despite Heihachi’s death, the Mishima family’s story is alive and well, and reviving him woulddoTekkenmore harm than good.
Tekken 8
WHERE TO PLAY
Tekken 8 brings the fight to the latest generation of consoles, powered by Unreal Engine 5. Feel the power of every hit in Tekken 8, the latest entry in the legendary fighting game franchise from Bandai Namco. Utilising the power and realism of Unreal Engine 5, Tekken 8 pushes the envelope for fighting games by taking full advantage of the power of the latest generation of consoles. Ground-breaking new features, breathtakingly detailed character models and dramatic environments make this one of the most visually stunning and immersive titles in the genre yet. Tekken 8 picks up after the gruesome battle that ended in Heihachi Mishima’s defeat in Tekken 7, focusing on a new rivalry, pitting father against son as Jin Kazama stands in defiance against Kazuya Mishima in a city-shattering face-to-face showdown.
