Tekken 8 has confirmed that a longtime fan-favorite character has died permanently and definitively following the events of the previous game. There are many returning faces in the current lineup of this round of Tekken Championship; such as Kazuya Mishima, Hitoshi Kazama, Ling Xiaoyu, and even Jun Kazama who returned after leaving the main line for more than ten years.
THIS POST WILL FEAT THE SPOILERS OF TEKKEN 7
Heihachi Mishima has been a mainstay of the franchise since the first Tekken game. Mishima has the habit of throwing his family from cliffs or high places, and his son Kazumi Mishima has repaid his favor more than once. Despite his multiple “deaths” throughout the franchise, he always returns, more ruthless than ever. Kazuya and Heihachi’s clash ended in Tekken 7, this time with the latter thrown into a volcano. Despite rumors that the former big boss will return and Heihachi is resurrected from the dead again, Tekken 8 producer Katsuhiro Harada confirmed that his death is permanent.
This was revealed during an interview with TheGamer, where Harada and his translator, Michael Murray, were asked about the fact that Tekken 8 would break the tradition of Heihachi Mishima appearing in the game. Murray has the audacity to point out that Heihachi could not have survived after his limp body was thrown into the lava, quipping: “I don’t know how he didn’t die, do I?” when the interviewer retorted that Heihachi had repeatedly While escaping, Harada added “I think he’s dead”.
Harada then goes on to cite lore points from the franchise, such as the fact that he doesn’t transform demon genes, which means he doesn’t have revival powers like Jin or Kazuya. Not only that, but Harada himself was surprised how sure Heihachi’s death was to his staff, with the development team telling him they would only do what he asked. Murray recalls how Harada told his team the story after Heihachi died so many times that they needed to make his death seem permanent by the end of Tekken 7 and make sure it was convincing.
Harada said the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu was his favorite character, so he was shocked to see him die. The producer even expressed regret that he let his team do what he asked so willingly. Murray teased that an AI version of Heihachi might be on the horizon, but for now, the ruthless Iron Fist villain won’t be returning in upcoming titles.
Tekken 8 is currently in development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.