This interview has been edited for clarity.
As the mainstay for fighting game fans since its introduction in 1994, the Tekken series has played host to multiple iconic characters over the years but few have matched the notoriety of antagonist (and on rare occasions, protagonist) Heihachi Mishima, who was introduced in the first game and has been featured in every title since. Cutting an imposing figure with his powerful stature, large spiked-up sideburns, and a star-shaped scar on the chest, his presence has been prominent until Tekken 7 seemingly put a stop to the tradition, with the formidable fighter thrown into a volcano and presumed dead.
But no mere volcano can keep the King of Iron Fist down as he’s escaped the jaws of demise yet again, rising from the grave to become a playable addition in Tekken 8’s upcoming DLC alongside its v1.08 update, which also introduces a new, free story expansion, Unforgettable Echoes, releasing some time in Fall 2024.
Unlike his previous comebacks though, Heihachi’s resurrection wasn’t in the cards from the start. Speaking to Geek Culture at a special preview session held for select Southeast Asia media, project producer Michael Murray revealed that the original plan involved killing the character once and for all in Tekken 7, only for series lead and chief producer Katsuhiro Harada to admit that he “didn’t really mean” to do so.
“Maybe you all know that Harada is a big fan of Heihachi. When he used to organise tournaments back when he was a young guy, all the Japanese guys in the arcades called him the Heihachi from Shinjuku,” revealed Murray.
“He’s always had a special fondness for the character, and when we were doing the story mode for Tekken 7, we really had to find some kind of final conclusion because the Mishimas had been trying to kill each other for so long.”
Murray adds, “Harada told [Tekken 7] director [Yasuki] Nakabayashi and myself, ‘Okay, I know it’s not going to be fun, but you have to kill Heihachi. It has to be done,’ so we worked really hard to make it look convincing.”
In doing so, more room was given to spotlight the enigmatic new character, Reina, in Tekken 8 and weave her story into the overarching narrative. Then, there was another concern – with the series’ 30th anniversary coming up and with Heihachi, one of the most prominent figures, missing from the roster, how else can the celebration excite and appeal to fans?
Bringing the character back to life ended up being the consensus, with the team having more work cut out of them. “Harada was like, ‘You know, I didn’t really mean to kill him. You and Nakabayashi were a bit too convincing,” Murray shares with a laugh.
“It was a lot of fun trying to come up with a story arc that kind of justifiably explained why he wasn’t dead.”
This narrative expansion marks the first story DLC in Tekken’s history, coming by way of a substantial update that also includes a paid outing. In the latter, players will be able to dominate as Heihachi, step into a new Genmaji Temple stage, and unlock new move sets for the tyrannical villain. Courtesy of the game’s heat system, he now has access to two different stances – Electric Thunder God Fist, which delivers formidable and hard-hitting lightning-based attacks, and Electric Wind God Fist, an attack that can counter an opponent’s high and mid attacks.
The Mishima Style Fighting Karate master can also tap into his ultimate technique, Warrior Instinct, to increase the amount of recoverable health regained while simultaneously reducing his opponent’s regainable health on hit, although this technique is only effective for the round of its activation.
In combat, Heihachi feels surprisingly balanced, combining several aspects of the two previously released DLC characters – hard-hitting base damage similar to Lidia Sobieska and fluid movements akin to that of Eddy Gordo. Heihachi’s base attacks, while not as quick as Eddy’s, still possess a level of swiftness that is frankly surprising considering the age and general bulkiness of the character. Unsurprisingly, when attacks hit, they hit hard, making landing blows feel electrifying, and not just because his fists are literally electrified. This feeling is also exacerbated by an opponent’s reaction to being hit, which is befitting of how it would feel like to get hit by an old buff dude who’s probably made of 80% muscle and can catch a bullet… with his teeth.
Heihachi might seem like a complex character to use with his dual stance combat style, but thanks to Tekken 8’s handy assist mode, players can perform one of his stance-related attacks with a simple button press. Although this feature doesn’t come anywhere close to actually learning his complete move set, it still provides newcomers a way to ease into the character’s more complex moves.
While this combination of agility and power may seem overpowered, much effort has been put not only into building the character to make him feel powerful and worthy of his title but also focusing on finding a balance to ensure a level playing field.
According to Murray, one of the team’s main priorities when designing Heihachi’s move set was to ensure the character “felt more powerful and dynamic in his animations,” with certain moves deemed cheesy in the previous games removed, in favour of “extensions to existing moves” that are now more accessible to newcomers.
This attention to detail extends to non-combat elements, including his Rage Art animation. A nod to his numerous recurring appearances over the years, it features a backdrop of tombstones and a neat aesthetic touch to the scar on his chest, which illuminates when he powers up.
“You wouldn’t believe how long we spent on what that fist mark should look like,” expresses the series veteran. “The designer did so many iterations of it. Some of them were just a blackish-looking mark; some were more indented. It glows, and it’s just all these details put into making the story authentic [that was the challenge]. It can’t just look cool, right? It’s got to have a reason.”
Apart from Heihachi, the paid DLC for Tekken 8 also includes a new stage to brawl it out – Genmaji Temple, a secluded mountain retreat where mysterious monks undergo intense training. The new stage comes with a rather unique feature where the atmosphere of the stage changes throughout the match, transitioning from an evening setting with gentle falling leaves littering the ground to a silent and ominous snow-covered night. An additional daytime setting for the stage can be selected, providing a clearer view of the mountains surrounding the battlefield.
As for the free-to-play lore expansion, Unforgettable Echoes expands on The Dark Awakens storyline from the main game and focuses on the events that followed Heihachi’s supposed death at the end of Tekken 7. Here, players will step into the shoes of Lidia and Eddie, allowing them to try out each fighter at no additional cost. Occurring across a wide range of locations, most prominently the new Genmaji Temple, the story covers Heihachi’s recovery as he trains to regain his strength after his defeat at the hands of Kazuya. In an interesting turn of events, players will get to see a different side to the character, having seemingly lost his recollection of previous events and being led down the path of righteousness by the Tekken Monks.
Players will also get to try their hands on Eddie and Lidia, with their segments intertwining storyline-wise with Heihachi’s overall plot. Having Eddie’s segment kick-starting the expansion was a smart move, as his character’s moveset is by far the easiest to get the hang of among the three. That’s not to say the expansion is easy by any means, as the Lidia section that follows features some fights that really push a player’s limits. It all culminates in Heihachi’s segment, which is understandably the longest, giving players ample time to get used to his moveset.
For the Tekken team, the new story expansion serves as a special initiative to celebrate the franchise’s 30th anniversary while answering the wishes of the community – especially newer players.
“One growing trend that we noticed was that the newer players care a lot about the story, and it motivates them to see what’s going to happen to their favourite character, or what the story arc from the previous installment – how’s that going to wrap up,” Murray reveals. “We realised a lot more people [were] asking for story content post-launch… and at the same time, we really wanted to explore other character lines for the additional characters like Lidia and Eddie without just throwing them in the game.
He continues, “The team couldn’t just give away characters, as so much work has been put into development which cost money, but it’s a good balance to let people at least try them before [purchasing] them. We’re not sure how it’s going to work out, but I think it’s a worthwhile experiment.”
As part of the update, two new in-game collaborations for cosmetic items will also be available in Tekken 8. The first is a pair of Nike sneakers inspired by Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima, obtainable in the free tier of Tekken Fight Pass Round 3, and the next, is free themed sunglasses for Kazuya, courtesy of a tie-up with Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster. Additionally, various quality-of-life tweaks can be expected, such as an online practice mode within Tekken Dojo in the Fight Lounge, and the highly-requested feature of displaying a preferred character in the background in the main menu screen.
As the future of the long-running franchise continues to shine brightly with the v1.08 update, there are plans to explore new forms of martial arts, keeping up with the series’ homage to the fighting spirit. More specifically, pencak silat – the unifying term for Indonesian fighting styles – may get its debut sooner than later, answering the calls of Southeast Asian fans.
“I’m a bit of an otaku regarding martial arts, and I love to look up different ones,” muses Murray, referring to the Japanese word used to describe individuals with consuming interests. “I’ve never really studied it in earnest, but I was looking up that they actually have pencak silat in competitions, and there are different categories that you can compete in, like how karate has their kata; pencak silat has kick-based ones, and even weapons base and then kata.
“Personally, it’s quite intriguing to me, [and] it’s something that I would like to consider in the future. If we can find a good character to implement that into, maybe it’ll be a candidate,” he concludes.
The v1.08 update for Tekken 8 will be fully released in Fall 2024.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
