Summary
With Heihachi gone,Tekken 8aims to end the Mishima family feud with Kazuya and Jin’s last, decisive battle against each other. While other fighting games, likeStreet FighterandMortal Kombat,have had multiple arcs,Tekkenhas revolved around the Mishima Family drama since the original 1994 arcade game.
It’s hard to imagine where elseTekkenwill go lore-wise. Plus, unlessT8gets some story DLC, its story mode won’t get followed up on for a good while. But here are some ideas for whereTekkencan go after the Mishima Saga, ranked from most likely to its wildest cards.
The list is spoiler-free, though readers may want to avoid reading the list until they finish the story mode, just in case they don’t want any hints.
1Here Comes A New Challenger!
A New Villain Arrives On The Scene
Chances are that a hypotheticalTekken 9will keep it simple and just introducea new, human villainwho has their own ambitions, like making their own company from the Mishima Zaibatsu and G-Corporation’s ashes. Or seeking vengeance against Jin, Kazuya, or any other key character. The story mode’s post-credits scene teases this, but there’s no telling what their role may be in the future.
They could end up being challenged bya new, more ruthless character, giving them a new rival to deal with. They could even be one of Heihachi’s other illegitimate children as, according to the series' head Katsuhiro Harada, he had at least sixteen more after Lars and Reina. But this could end up feeling like a side-chapter to the Mishima Saga. If the series wanted to move on entirely, its villain would have to be someone similarly dark, but with a different plot and background, like JP inStreet Fighter 6, orKing of Fighters' different tournament organizers.
2A New Demon Approaches
The Cast Take On A New Horror
Though, likeKOF,Tekkenhasn’t shied away from the supernatural. It doesn’t need a Devil Gene to bring in devils, as the series has included literal demons like Azazel, possessed women like Unknown, and eldritch beings from beyond the cosmos like Ogre. It even had a literal angel, whose story wasn’t explained clearly. Her return could solve that last conundrum.
Otherwise, there’s no shortage of different mythologies, folklore, and fiction to derivenew malevolent monstrositiesfrom either, and the clash between Jin and Kazuya would be strong enough to shake them awake. They could also be the MacGuffin for any new human villain who steps onto the scene like Ogre was inTekken 3. Either way, they’d make an impression. Especially if they were as painful to fight as Azazel or Jinpachi.
3The Archers Of Sirius Go Rogue
Claudio’s Clan Does A Heel Turn
Led by Claudio, theArchers of Siriusare a secret order of exorcists who have been operating in the shadows for centuries. They take out their demonically-infused foes with bows and arrows formed from Sirius-style sorcery. Though they have some scruples, like refusing to work with the Mishima Zaibatsu, they’re not angels.
Claudio isn’t above using dirty-handed tactics to achieve justifiable ends. For example, he joined forces with Xiaoyu just to use her as bait to lure Devil Jin out of hiding. Even if the Devil Gene gets eliminated, Claudio and his team likely won’t be done scheming. Especially with some rivals hiding out in the background too.
4The Hachijō Family Appears
The Mother’s Side Of The Family Makes Itself Known
Kazumi Mishima’s side of the family was revealed to be the progenitors of the Devil Gene inTekken 7. It had run throughthe Hachijō Clanfor thousands of years, leading them to use the power to keep order as a clan of assassins. Whoever seemed like a threat to the world would be disposed of, and Heihachi was a particularly powerful threat. So, they sent in Kazumi to stop him, though she was ultimately unsuccessful.
Her love for Heihachi arguably made things worse by producing Kazuya. It seems odd that the rest of the Clan didn’t pop up for Kazuya and Jin’s rise and fall. Unless they were in the backgroundwaiting to strike at the right time. Still, unless they have other targets in mind, like the Archers of Sirius, who would also be interested in their Devil Genes, they may be too connected to the Mishimas to feel like a fresh start.
5Get Ready For The Next Tag Battle
Make Tekken Tag Tournament 3
Then again, maybe Bandai Namco will put the lore on hold and let the newbies partner up with the oldies inTekken Tag Tournament 3. The first game was the jewel in the PS2’s launch library, andTTT2was underrated when it came to its stellar presentation and soundtrack. That’s not to mention it brought (nearly) everyone from the prior games back, with even more made available via its free updates.
However, that $0 price tag was likely because the game was stung byStreet Fighter X Tekken’son-disc DLC controversy. Without that, they likely would’ve been sold instead of handed out. The tricky gameplay wasn’t to everyone’s tastes either, leading toTTT2becoming the lowest-selling entry in the series since the original PS1Tekken. Between that andSFXT, Bandai Namco may be all tagged out.
6Tekken X Street Fighter Finally Happens
Bandai Namco’s Long-Awaited Crossover Gets Completed At Last
That’s also why this long-awaited project has been put on hold. Bandai Namco still claimsTekken X Street Fighterwas not canceled and was worked upon significantly until it was put on hiatus. But it’s been in mothballs for over a decade now. It’s likely that, if it was seriously being prepared for release, the developers would have to start from scratch.
That said, withSFXTin the past, andStreet Fighter 6bringing Capcom’s fighter back in style, revivingTXSFisn’t the craziest idea in the world. They could even includeSF6’s popular newbies like Manon and Marisa, or Luke and Jamie as preset teams. Though Bandai Namco would also need to sort out the 2D jumping, among other features, to keep the cast balanced. Otherwise, theSFcast could run riot over the rest likeAkuma did inT7.
7Moving To A New Generation
Create A Fresh Roster With New Characters
Even if Bandai Namco does move toTTT3,TXSF, or otherpotential crossovers and mixups, they’ll eventually have to come up with a newTekkenproject. They could make a new storyline with the old cast, though with the Mishima Saga over, it would be tempting for them to wipe the slate clean and producea new generation of fightersto tell a new story. The series had technically done it before, asT3replaced most ofTekken 2’s cast with new characters.
This soft reboot worked out better thanArt of Fighting 3,Garou: Mark of the Wolves, andStreet Fighter 3’sattempts. Yet Bandai Namco tried to do something similar for its premier weapons fighter inSoulCalibur 5, and it wasn’t received too well. If the developers aren’t careful, a"Tekken: New Generation"might not last long enough to get aThird Strike.
8Everything Gets Rebooted
So, how could Bandai Namco tell a new story from scratch without replacing anyone despite their old stories running their course?Give it a reboot!Head back to the past and retell the events with a few details changed. Maybe Heihachi could be the good one mentoring a fighter strong enough to take down his malevolent son. Or Kazuya could be the good guy for a change.
Anything could be switched up or altered. It’s worked forMortal Kombattwice now. However, in response to a question about remaking or rebootingTekkenon Twitter,series’ face Katsuhiro Harada said he’d rathermove the series into the futurethan tread old ground. It would take someone higher up in Bandai Namco and more devoted to the reboot idea to put it through. So, it would be easier forT9to be a full sequel than to change everything so drastically.
