Tekken 8 is now in development for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, and will be the latest installment in the nearly 30-year-old series. Just in case fans weren’t feeling old enough, the series took the Guinness World Record for longest-running coherent storyline in a video game. That is, it has followed the trials and tribulations of its main characters more than any other video game franchise.
The series itself has had its ups and downs, both of which have had their impact in one way or another. Some have shaken up the fighting games community. Others went further and reached the wider society at large. So, with that out of the way, here are the Tekken most memorable moments in the series.
10 the grin
Technically, Tekken 1The big moment was that it was the first PS1 game to sell more than 1 million copies and kickstart the console as a contender. However, the original game was left in the dust as the sequels took to the stratosphere. The graphics and gameplay were more resistant to Battle Arena Toshinden than his own follow-ups.
Still, it did lay the foundation for the series to follow. Such as the Mishima family as tools. Kazuya’s Arcade Mode ending shows him getting revenge by dropping his unconscious father Heihachi off the same cliff he was thrown from years ago. All without regrets, happy music and a big grin. The man has had similar endings over the years, but the original stands out for how weird and funny it has become over the years.
9 Introducing Tekken 2
Tekken 2 improved so much from the original that it wasn’t even funny. It had better graphics, smoother gameplay, multiple game modes, a large selection with everyone having their own Arcade mode endings and more. It also helps that it still has the best intro and music in the series.
The intro managed to show everyone in the game, including their storylines, in a dramatic way. Whether it’s Heihachi climbing back up the cliff he was thrown off, or Yoshimitsu showing off his new spinning arm, it was a tour de force in 1996. Subsequent games would try to replicate it, but they’d also go on for a long time (Tekken 5) or suffer from butt rock (also Tekken 5). Tekken 2The intro looks old, but the direction and music are always green.
8 The new generation
Street Fighter 3: New Generation has removed almost all of its classic characters and nearly killed the series. Garou: Mark of the Wolves did the same, and actually completed the fatal anger games out for 20+ years. Then Tekken 3 did and became the most iconic entry in the series. Why did it work for them? There are a few reasons: it was 3D, it had more classic characters and was on the PS1. The new characters were really well designed.
Hwoarang had a more intricate view of Tae Kwon Do than his master Baek. Xiaoyu had an original set of unique tactics that set her apart from her grandfather Wang. Eddy was notorious for his silky capoeira moves. While the new protagonist Jin Kazama took over Kazuya and Jun’s moves and made his own. He became the hero Tekken between his grinning father and ruthless grandfather. If only it lasted.
7 Tagging to the PS2
Instead of going directly to Tekken 4Namco got everyone from the previous three games together for a tag battle. The original arcade game was actually a revamped version of Tekken 3 of Tekken 2 characters. It played fine, although it wasn’t much graphically. If only there was an upcoming console that needed some bangers for launch day.
Namco was no stranger to ramping up their console entries. soulcalibur used the power of the Dreamcast to leave the arcade original graphic behind. So, Tekken Tag Tournament did the same with the PS2, being the big highlight in a sparse launch lineup. While the background elements are outdated, the main character models hold up fairly well even today.
6 He’s back
Tekken 4 is the black sheep of the series. It was a noticeable downgrade from Tekken 3 because it has fewer characters and some rough character designs. It also introduced Just Frame moves, which were a double-edged sword. They were satisfying to finish, and also really broken in the right set of hands. Especially for Jin players.
although na Tekken Tag Tournamentthere was a renewed interest in the classic cast, and Tekken 4 was the beginning of their reintroduction. The greatest of these was the return of Kazuya Mishima. He was presumed dead after being dropped into a volcano Tekken 2 and missing in Tekken 3. But his return was teased in Tekken 3and Tekken 4 delivered by giving him a new look, voice and movement set that continues to this day.
5 Return to form
Tekken 5 bounced off Tekken 4‘s icy reception by going back to Tekken 3‘s formula. It’s almost funny how far Namco went to undo its predecessor in terms of character design, story, and more. But it worked! Tekken 5 became the second best-selling entry in the series behind the classic third entry.
Tekken 4The walled stages, Just Frames and the like were retained. But it also played more like Tekken 3 with its open, flat stages. Older characters like Baek and Bruce returned, and Devil Jin made his highly anticipated video game debut with Jin’s old Mishima-esque move set. New characters like Asuka and Feng Wei kept things fresh and the new boss Jinpachi kept players on their toes by being the series’ first really tough competitor.
4 Madness in multiple formats
The problem with Tekken 5 is that Namco couldn’t leave it alone well enough. Even after they merged with Bandai. Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection rebalanced, adding the series’ favorite Lili and giving PSP owners something to play. While the next two entries were preserved Tekken 5‘s character designs right down to the winning camera angles. People couldn’t be blamed for thinking Tekken 6 was just Tekken 5 in HD with its looks and gameplay.
There were changes, though their effectiveness was questionable, such as making Jin as bad as his dad, the shaky online mode, or the bloated Scenario Campaign mode. Still, it played solid enough for its 360 debut. Thanks in part to the rough launch of the PS3, the main series would no longer be a Sony exclusive. It would also show up on Microsoft machines from Tekken 6 and even the Wii U.
3 Everyone is here
To round out the PS3/360 generation, Bandai-Namco brought back the Tag formula Tekken Tag Tournament 2. It was expanded with more characters, additional tagging techniques and more. Still, it sold the worst of the series. Maybe fans were burned out on the Tekken formula or were disabled by the high-execution yet broken tag techniques. More likely it was scorched by the bad press Street Fighter X Tekken receive.
It’s a shame because it has the best presentation of all games. It brought back almost everyone from the previous games (even Dr. Boskonovitch!) Certain teams had their own tagging techniques and winning poses, and their endings used a wide variety of animation styles. If all games had a presentation similar to TTT2it would be a better world.
2 “Die 1000 dead!”
Guest characters have become more and more common in fighting games over the years. Tekken 3 maybe it started by having the manga dinosaur Gon on his roster. But then the series left that all to their rivals…until Tekken 7. It had maybe the weirdest with Noctis from Final Fantasy 15 and Negan from The living Dead. But the first guest character made the biggest impact.
Most of the guest characters hung out on the periphery of the game’s lore. But street fighterAkuma’s is deeply entrenched in Mishima’s family drama. Kazumi, the mother of the Mishima family, ordered him to kill her husband Heihachi and her son Kazuya. His gameplay clashed enough with the Tekken formula to make it tricky but top-tier.
1 Heihachi Mishima Is..?
Despite the fact that I have experienced several protagonists over the years, TekkenThe most iconic character has to be his original big boss: Heihachi Mishima. His horned haircut and ruthless nature have made him a constant figure in the series, albeit as a boss (Tekken 1, Tekken 4), underboss (Tekken 3, both Tekken Tags), or any normal character.
Namco teased him to kill in Tekken 5, to get into it shortly afterwards. If he survived being thrown off a cliff, he could survive being blown up, right? But from Tekken 7‘s fiery conclusion, the original King of Iron Fist may be gone for good. His departure was cited by the developers as a “turning point” for the series. The only question left is which direction will? Tekken 8 go in without him? Time will tell.
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