Bandai Namco’sTekken 8looks set to continue the series' tradition of fast-paced, hard-hitting combat when it finally releases.Tekken 7finally finished its post-launch support last year, paving the way for the fan-favorite franchise to shift the focus to its newest entry.Tekken 8’s character rosterwill feature many of the series' beloved and iconic fighters, and once again looks set to focus on the conflict between Kazuya Mishima and his son, Jin Kazama. Both have the mysterious devil gene flowing through their blood, enabling them to transform into demonic entities in moments of rage, and the origins of this gene should be further explored in the game.
Theconflict inTekken’s Mishima familyhas been the focal point of the game’s story since the series' inception in 1994. The source of much of this conflict is the devious family patriarch, Heihachi Mishima, who has battled his son and grandson constantly over the years. The events inTekken 7’s climax saw Heihachi finally killed at the hands of his son, and with Heihachi now properly absent from the series for the first time, the stage is set for Kazuya and Jin’s rivalry to come to a head. Both of these fearsome fighters now appear to have some degree of control over the devil gene, allowing them to manipulate its powers, which is something neither has been able to do before. This should affordTekken 8ample opportunity to shed more light on the gene’s backstory.
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Tekken 8 Should Build on the Devil Gene’s History
Despite being a prominent part of the series, the devil gene was shrouded in mystery right up until the release ofTekken 7and the introduction of Kazumi Mishima, Heihachi’s deceased wife. Following Kazumi’s introduction, it was established that she was the carrier of the devil gene, confirming that Heihachi’s side of the family is not connected to it in any way. Throughout the game’s story, it was revealed that Kazumi was part of the Hachijo clan, an ancient group whose members possess the devil gene and harness its power to fuel their ambitions.
Kazumi was tasked by the group with assassinating Heihachi, but in a shocking series of events, fell in love with him instead, eventually marrying him and giving birth to Kazuya. Not long after this, Kazumi failed to defeat Heihachi in combat and was killed by him. The devil gene also shares some kind of connection with the ancient demonic entity Azazel, who was locked away in a temple for years in an effort to protect the world, but exactly how the two are intertwined remains amystery ofTekken’s bloodline.
Tekken 8could be a great time to delve back into this important connection and elaborate further. Both the Hachijo clan and Azazel seem to be key in understanding the devil gene’s origins, and both may still have a crucial role to play in the franchise’s lore. There is certainly no shortage of directions in which the upcoming fighting game could take the story. Heihachi was the driving factor behind the series' overarching narrative, and his absence certainly leaves a void that needs to be filled.
Both Kazuya and Jin are big enoughprotagonists to carryTekken’s plotforward, and there are a number of recurring characters, many of which have had to take a back seat to the Mishima family’s antics over the years, who are more than capable of stepping up to main character status. Paul Phoenix, Hwoarang, and Marshall Law all started out with interesting backstories but were relegated to side character status as the years went on. WhetherTekken 8chooses to keep the focus on Jin, Kazuya, and the devil gene or not, the game should prove to be the series' most ambitious title yet.
Tekken 8is currently in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
