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Tekken has started a devilish narrative since 1994. With more than 8 installments, players do enjoy the bright color and cheerful characters of this franchise, throwing punches to become the King of The Iron Fist. But who holds these tournaments, and what dark story hides behind the scenes? Tekken games have an in-depth story and timeline that’s becoming more and more detailed entirely with the recent release of Tekken 8.
The Mishima Family’s Connection To The Devil Gene
During WWII, Jinpachi Mishima ran a Japanese company organization called the Mishima Zaibatsu. This company manufactures tanks, heavy weapons, and warfare tools that are capable of massive destruction. Through this busyness, the Mishima Zaibatsu grows, and after Jinpachi, his son Heihachi is chosen to be the head of the organization. The Mishima family has traditional roots in martial arts as well. There are the Mishima schools and even places that teach the Mishima’s aggressive fighting style.
During his time as the head of the company, Heihachi Mishima and a woman called Kazumi start a family. Kazumi gives birth to a child, named Kazuya, but soon after Heihachi discovers that their son, has the devil gene; a power of evil that runs through Kazuya’s veins.
The reason Kazuya has the devil gene is his mother, Kazumi. She’s from the Hachijo clan of assassins, who inherit an ancient devil gene. Once Heihachi figures out this issue, he kills his wife and then throws the 5-year-old Kazuya off a cliff, but this ain’t even near the ending of the entire Tekken games story timeline.
Kazuya Extends The Mishima Bloodline
Kazuya survives the fall due to his devil powers, and years later, the rageful son returns, seeking vengeance against his father. Heihachi starts the King of The Iron Fist tournament to test him, and Kazuya succeeds in defeating the opponents. In the end, he defeats Heihachi, and this time, he throws his father off a cliff.
Not long after, Kazuya meets a woman called Jun Kazama. The Kazama family have purification skills, sensing devils and attempting to stop them. Jun and Kazuya have a child named Jin, and then Kazuya leaves them to reach his goal of ruling the world as the head of Mishima Zaibatsu.
But, in an “if you don’t see the dead body, they’re not dead” style, Heihachi returns, and defeats Kazuya, throwing him off a cliff, again! This is while a demon named Ogre attacks the Kazama clan’s home island, and Jun Kazama seemingly sacrifices her life to save Jin.
Not long after, Jin goes to his grandfather Heihachi as advised by his mother. He then learns the Mishima’s fighting style and swears to kill the Ogre that killed his mother. Hence Heihachi Mishima announces another King of The Iron Fist tournament to lure out the demon.
At a pivotal point in Tekken‘s entire story and timeline, Jin defeats Ogre, only to get shot by his grandfather in the head. However, the devil gene activates once the owner is in a near-death experience, and so does the one that lives inside Jin.
Jin Kazama Lives To Claim The Zaibatsu
Jin Kazama turns into his devil form, escaping from Heihachi’s forces. Not long after, it’s been revealed that Kazuya has also survived the second cliff fall thanks to his devil gene, and he’s being kept in a company called the G-Corporation. So with two devils alive, Heihachi Mishima calls for another tournament to lure them out, and kill them in one place.
After the tournament, Jin defeats both his father and grandfather and leaves them. The Mishima’s home that they were fighting in gets invaded by robots, and Heihachi is left in there. Robots blow up the whole place, which awakens Jinpachi Mishima’s possessed body.
Jinpachi announces the next King of The Iron Fists tournament with the leadership of the Mishima Zaibatsu on the line. And Jin takes it, defeating his great-grandfather and becoming the head of the company.
To Kill The Devil Itself
One of the most important parts of the entire Tekken story narrative is the devil gene. But the question is, where does it come from? Turns out a creature called Azazel is the one that gives its servants a devil power. Once Jin figures out about this source of evil power, he declares war on every single nation to lure out Azazel.
Jin succeeds and defeats Azazel after. But this fight weakens him so much that he is kept in health check by the rebel forces, led by Heihachi Mishima’s second son, Lars Alexanderson. Meanwhile, Heihachi returns as the head of Zaibatsu, seeking Kazuya to kill him and stop his devil from destroying the world.
The fight between Kazuya and Heihachi enrages, and they go all out in an epic battle. In the end, Heihachi is finally defeated, and killed by Kazuya, throwing his father off the cliff in a Mishima-fashion move. Soon after, Kazuya starts another all-out war against the world and even absorbs the full power of Azazel to become an unstoppable force. His motive? Ruling and clearing the world of the weak.
The Final Act
After all the efforts that Heihachi Mishima made to stop the devils from ruling the human world, Kazuya, the devil, wins. But there’s one more character on the same devil-power level as Kazuya: Jin Kazama.
Jin has never had a father and son relation with Kazuya, being raised by his mother Jun. Jin also does have his mother’s last name over the Mishima, hence why he’s called Jin Kazama and not Jin Mishima. But remember how the Kazama clan had the powers of purification? That plays a key role in the Tekken story timeline going forward.
Jun Kazama’s trainings help Jin to overcome his devil, and control it instead of unleashing evil acts of war. So, after a long struggle, Jin purifies the evil and kills the gene inside him and his father Kazuya. In a final human-form fight, Jin defeats Kazuya and puts him down for good. Now is this the end of entire Tekken‘s story though? Nope.
Heihachi’s Secret
While Jin was trying to defeat Kazuya, a girl named Reina stood beside him to fight Kazuya’s forces. She has the same fighting style as Heihachi Mishima and is later revealed to be his daughter whom nobody knew about. However, she is turned into a devil form once Kazuya attacks her with a killer beam. After Kazuya is defeated, Reina shows her devil-given powers and swears by the name of his father to get his revenge on Kazuya.
And that’s it! This was the entire Tekken games story timeline from 1994 to 2023’s Tekken 8 including all the main instalments narratives. The rest of this revenge story is to be told in the upcoming Tekken game, which isn’t announced yet.
Tekken 8 is currently available to play on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
