Now that the splendor of the Tekken 8 reveal trailer is over, and after watching it at least 30 times. I figured it was time to decipher the trailer and find all the hidden tidbits. This is Bandai Namco, after all, and there’s no way they’d release a trailer like this without dropping breadcrumbs for its fans to go crazy over.
Why is Jin upset with Kazuya?
Besides Kazuya Mishima being a complete dick and having caused numerous battles and wars for no release, he also killed off his father. Yep, that’s right, folks, we won’t be seeing Heihachi Mishima in Tekken 8, as Kazuya used all of his strength and punched his old man right in his chest — essentially stopping Heihachi from breathing. And to make sure he was dead, and as customary, Kazuya dropped into a volcano. This family has issues.
However, it goes deeper than this. Jin not only hates Kazuya, who happens to be his father, and the one who cursed him with the Devil Gene. A power granted to Kazuya after Heihachi dropped him off a cliff when he was just a child. The same Devil Gene caused Jin to start a global war that caused millions of innocents to be killed in the conflict, only to awaken the entity known as Azazel. Azazel is who gave Kazuya his Devil Gene in the first place. This entity that’s been sleeping for how long started this entire mess.
Azazel’s goal is to end the world, and to do this, he needs both Kazuya and Jin to awaken him. Jin has other plans and manages to punch a hole in Azazel’s chest. It isn’t known if Azazel was killed off or not, but both Jin and Azazel ended up falling down a hole in the ground. Later, Jin is found, reunites with his half-brother, Lars Anderson. After some story bits, Jin states that he needs to rid the world of the Devil Gene and Kazuya.
Ok, that’s a lot of backstory, but it’s important to understand the conversation at the start of the Tekken 8 trailer. This is where Jin tells Kazuya that they don’t belong in this world, to which his father tells him that those are “such pathetic words,” and they face off.
For real, if you can, please go back and play the Tekken games to see the entire story. It’s a great ride. Ok, let’s continue.
Combat is looking mighty fine
Throughout the Tekken 8 reveal trailer, both Jin and Kazuya perform their signature moves. I’ve gone back and played some Tekken 7 just to be sure, and yep, they haven’t changed, which should make fans of the series happy.
I can’t tell about the part where Kazuya makes his bicep grow massively and performs a powerful strike against Jin. Perhaps this is a new super move?
The Super Slow Motion also returns, as seen early on in the fight. This effect occurs when both players are nearly dead, and an attack gets tossed out. It doesn’t matter if the attack connects or not; the Super Slow Motion effect will occur. It’s very dramatic and one of the cooler features of Tekken 7… and now Tekken 8.
Screw Moves or the Aerial Tailspin is also back in the game, as indicated when Kazuya sends Jin flying backward and spins his body around. This causes Jin to land on his back as he hits the ground, with his legs facing upwards, which allows Kazuya to extend the combo with an Electric Wind Godfist. This technique was introduced in Tekken 6 and has been a mainstay of the series since.
If you’ve ever watched Tekken 7 fights, you’ve likely seen this move used repeatedly in combos. Or if you’ve played it, maybe you’ve used it a few times or had it inflicted on you.
Both characters use their Devil Gene during the fight. While Kazuya uses Devil, as he’s able to fully control it now, thanks to the events of him being killed off and later resurrected. Yeah, Tekken has a strange story, but it’s a fun one. Unlike his father, Jin cannot fully control his Devil Gene, so he only partially uses it. In the trailer, we also see him partially use it, with the one wing extending to his right. He uses this to launch a massive attack at Kazuya, and the trailer ends.
That stage looks familiar
When I first saw the trailer, I remarked that the stage these two powerhouses were fighting on looked familiar. And it does, as it resembles the same stage as Jinpachi Mishima.
Kazuya’s and Jin’s Grandfather, Jinpachi Mishima, who served as the final boss in Tekken 5 on the PlayStation 2, featured a fight on a stage that was surrounded by a destroyed temple. While you fought, massive typhoons would circle the stage but never interfere with the fight. It’s not the same stage but similar to Jinpachi’s. Except now, we can see the scattered remains of G-corp soldiers, as indicated by the G-corp emblem as the stage is zoomed in on.
However, we can also see that stage is on the edge of an ocean or river, as we can see a ship in the background. During the fight, massive lighting hails from the sky, as does volcanic debris, which snaps the ship in half. We can also see several trees ablaze. While this isn’t the same stage as Jinpachi’s, it does feel similar.
That’s just a few things I’ve noticed from the Tekken 8 reveal trailer, and I’m sure there are more to discover. I’ll have to watch the trailer a few hundred more times. Not that I don’t mind.
If I’ve missed something, please feel free to let me know what that is, in the comments.
Tekken 8 will be released in 2023 for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. There’s currently no set release date for Tekken 8.
