When it comes to father-son relationships, Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama don’t set a good example. They are central figures within the Tekken franchise along with Kazuya’s father Heihachi, and they have been in conflict since the beginning of the series. Their complex relationships are constantly in the spotlight, so it’s no surprise that the recent debut trailer for Tekken 8 featured Jin and Kazuya engaged in a battle of epic proportions.
In the course of TekkenThe seven main episodes, Jin, Kazuya, and Heihachi, have crossed paths repeatedly, and despite short alliances, no one has been able to stay on the same page for long. Whether it’s Heihachi’s selfish quest for power, or Kazuya and Jin’s quest for revenge, the Mishima family is as fierce now as when the series debuted more than 25 years ago. With the presumed death of Heihachi suggests Tekken 8 could break a long tradition by leaving the cunning old warrior out, the stage is set for Jin and Kazuya’s rivalry to reach a tense climax.
The Early History of Kazuya
Kazuya Mishima had a difficult childhood. At the age of five, he discovered that his mother, Kazumi Mishima, had been murdered at the hands of Heihachi. Furious, he confronted his father, but was promptly defeated and thrown off a cliff. Heihachi feared that his son possessed the same genetic curse as his mother, called the Devil Gene, and hoped this experiment would lure this evil entity out of Kazuya. The powerful gene, passed down from generation to generation, highlights its host’s worst traits and becomes active when the host has a fatal or near-death experience.
Sure enough, Kazuya’s devil gene was activated and he was able to survive the fall. With his strength in full view, the rest of Kazuya’s childhood passed relatively smoothly, with Heihachi continuing to train his son every day. During the events of TekkenKazuya was able to win the first King of Iron Fist tournament, defeat his father and make him fall off a cliff in revenge.
Tekken 2 saw Kazuya’s true nature exposed, and after entering into a brief and abusive relationship with Jun Kazama, the devil in him tried to take over. This inner turmoil allowed Heihachi to return and beat him in the final of the 2nd tournament. After his victory, Heihachi took Kazuya high in a helicopter and dropped him into a volcano, seemingly killing him. However, Kazuya managed to pass the devil gene to his unborn son, Jin.
The History of Kazuya and Jin
Immediately after the birth of Jin Kazama, his mother Jun started a secluded lifestyle for them in the mountains to hide from the wrath of Kazuya. Having foreseen an imminent danger in the form of Ogre, Jun explained Jin’s origins and asked him to seek out his grandfather Heihachi in the event of her death. After Ogre killed his mother, Jin swore revenge and began training under his grandfather and became a master of Mishima-style karate. After winning the third King of Iron Fist tournament at the climax of Tekken 3, he defeated Ogre, but was caught off guard and shot in the head by Heihachi, who was once again serving his own selfish interests. This awakened Jin’s sleeping devil gene, and he swore revenge again.
Many years later, Kazuya would come face to face with his son for the first time during Tekken 4, in a lab where Heihachi had hoped to extract the devil’s gene from his grandson to realize his own ambitions. Kazuya managed to subdue and control his inner devil, but eventually Jin unleashed his power to defeat his father and grandfather before flying into the night again.
After his defeat, Kazuya became CEO of the mysterious G Corporation and found himself in direct conflict with Jin again after taking control of Heihachi’s company, the Mishima Zaibatsu. During Tekken 6, Jin began to suffer from his own internal power struggle and declared war on the world – attacking corrupt governments and trying to eradicate the devil gene by provoking the demon Azazel. Kazuya’s G Corporation was the only organization that had any chance of defeating Jin’s Mishima Zaibatsu, so a full-scale war was declared.
This led to a battle that ended with the death of Azazel and the disappearance of Jin. Heihachi, who had been waiting in the shadows, seized the opportunity to take back control of his company. However, this did not end the war, as Kazuya and Heihachi continued to pursue each other incessantly all the time. Tekken 7. This culminated in an epic battle on an active volcano, and Kazuya got the upper hand to kill his father by dropping him into the lava below. Discovered and healed by his allies, Jin vowed to take revenge on his father.
With Heihachi removed from the equation, it seems the time has finally come for Jin and Kazuya to settle their bill. Tekken 8. Perhaps in this next episode the long-running Mishima feud will finally come to an end.
Tekken 8 is currently under development.
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