Summary
Brian Cox ofSuccessionfame recently recapped the story of theTekkengames ahead ofTekken 8’s impending release in a new video. TheTekkenseries of fighting games stretches back to the PlayStation 1 era, and has consisted of eight mainline entries, numerous spin-offs, and a few manga, film, and anime adaptations. Themain storyline ofTekkencenters around the King of Iron Fist Tournament, a martial arts competition hosted by the sinister Mishima Zaibatsu corporation that grants the winner control of the company, and possibly the fate of the world.
Many fighters have competed in the King of Iron Fist Tournament throughout theTekkengames, but the heart of the series lies in three generations of the feuding Mishima family. It started with Heihachi Mishima, the cruel patriarch of the Mishima clan and leader of Mishima Zaibatsu, and his son Kazuya Mishima, who served asthe primary protagonist of the originalTekkenand later became a recurring villain himself. 1997’sTekken 3saw the introduction of Jin Kazama, Kazuya’s son who inherited his Devil Gene, a genetic abnormality that grants its bearer great demonic powers at the cost of corrupting their mind.
In a new video posted on the official Bandai Namco Entertainment America YouTube channel,Successionstar Brian Cox walks viewers through the long and twisted three-way rivalry between Heihachi, Kazuya, and Jin to help them catch up in time forTekken 8. Cox describes how Heihachi tossed a five-year-old Kazuya off a cliff as a test for the Devil Gene, which in turn drives Kazuya to seek revenge on his father. The story then shifts to years later, when Heihachi trained his grandson Jin as a means of enacting vengeance against Kazuya, only to betray Jin by shooting him at point-blank range and triggering Jin’s own Devil Gene.
As Brian Cox notes in his narration, this growing war between the three most prominent members of the Mishima family would reach its apex inTekken 7, which ends with Kazuyadefeating his father Heihachi once and for alland poetically tossing his body into a volcano. This leaves Kazuya within arms reach of controlling the world, with a now-recovered Jin being the only person capable of stopping him. This final battle will take place inTekken 8, which is being hailed as the start of a new chapter in the long-running fighting franchise.
Tekken’s Mishima family dramacould easily be compared to the story of the dysfunctional Roy family from HBO’sSuccessionseries or William Stryker’s abuse of his mutant son Jason inX2: X-Men United, which makes it all the more fitting for Brian Cox to refresh viewers on the twisted tale of Heihachi, Kazuya, and Jin in the build-up toTekken 8. Fans won’t have to wait too much longer to see the final battle between the two surviving Mishima warriors, asTekken 8launches on January 26 across all current-gen platforms.
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.
