Tekken 7 has been out for just over a month now, so I’m going to assume the majority of you have played through the story mode. If not STOP READING – SPOILERS INCOMING.
Heihachi and Kazuya’s twisted relationship (if you can even call it a relationship) is something that has been with us for the best part of two decades now. I don’t want to go into the fine details of the story, because if you’re reading this, chances are you already know what happens and don’t need an in-depth analysis. But what I do want to do is discuss how the story ended and share some thoughts.
Story Overview
So that we’re on the same page, here’s a quick recap.
Heihachi and Kazumi get married and have a son, Kazuya. It turns out Kazumi only married Heihachi to destroy the family from the inside out. Kazumi was a member of the Hachijo Clan, a group of assassins. The Hachijo Clan have ‘possessed the Devil Gene since ancient times.’ Kazumi tried to kill Heihachi, but he managed to overpower her, even in her Devil form, and killed her. As Kazumi is Kazuya’s mother, he carries her blood, so Heihachi throws him off a cliff for Devil Gene confirmation. Kazuya survives (obviously) and swears revenge on Heihachi for throwing him off a cliff, and for killing his mother…
The start of the Mishima Saga.
After years of absolute madness, plus a Devil Gene infused grandson (Jin), and some Akuma death warrants, Heihachi and Kazuya meet for one final battle where Kazuya finally kills Heihachi.
Are you still with me?
So, Kazuya finally got the revenge he’s waited for his entire life, killing his father. However, it turned out that Heihachi was kind of the ‘good guy’ all along. Using the term ‘good guy’ loosely of course. This was actually my prediction with ‘crying Heihachi’ being the giveaway.
Heihachi’s Legacy
Tekken 7’s narrative leads us to believe that most of the evil things Heihachi has done in the past is a result of the Devil bloodline and trying to destroy it. Forgetting the whole world domination/Ogre saga of course. Maybe ‘tragic villain’ is a more fitting term for Heihachi.
To me, Heihachi was always the face of Tekken. He’s always been there right in the center of everything since the game first debuted. So in all honesty, I was a little devastated when he died. Tekken without Heihachi… I can’t even imagine it! But like many stories, we need to say goodbye to some characters in order for the story and other characters to develop.
The End
Do I want Heihachi to somehow make a return? Yes, of course! It’s not impossible. Do I think he will? No. I know this is Tekken where anything is possible, but no, I don’t think they would’ve “bigged it up” as the end of the Mishima saga, only to have him return.
But is it really the end of the Mishima saga? Not entirely. We knew Tekken 7 was going to be based around Heihachi and Kazuya, and we now know that Kazuya Mishima succeeded in getting his revenge and killing his father. However, in Tekken 7’s end scene his son Jin Kazama says “The Devil’s blood runs through my veins. So it’s up to me to kill Kazuya.”
Cliffhanger
So, the Mishima storyline has actually ended on a cliffhanger, rather than concluding 100%. We may have seen the end of Heihachi, but this just paves the way for the end of Mishima Saga Part 2 – Kazuya vs Jin. Father vs Son round 2.
What did you think of the ending? Were you happy with the conclusion? Or, would you have done things differently?
Let us know in the comments.
