Summary
Over the years, theTekkenfranchise has largely centered on the powerful Mishima family and its many internal conflicts. Since the initial game was released in 1994, fans have gotten to know family patriarch Heihachi Mishima, his son Kazuya Mishima, and his grandson Jin Kazama extremely well. Feuds among this trio of formidable fighters have become progressively more violent throughoutTekken’s seven mainline entries, culminating in the death of Heihachi duringTekken 7’s climax. With the upcomingTekken 8seemingly bringing Jin and Kazuya’s rivalry to a head, the future of the series could point toward a reboot, offering developer Bandai Namco the chance to start afresh.
Reboots are fairly common in video games, particularly in franchises that have been around for a significant period of time. When done correctly, they can inject new life into franchises that have become stale, offering fans the chance to see their beloved characters go in some wild and unexpected directions. One ofTekken’s oldest competitors,Mortal Kombat, has employed this tactic to good effect on more than one occasion and is doing so once more with the upcomingMortal Kombat 1, which again canonically reboots the series and its characters. ShouldTekkenchoose to reboot at some stage, it could learn a thing or two about how to do this successfully from its rival.
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Tekken Could Potentially Benefit From a Reboot
WhileTekkenhas followed the same story throughout its entire existence, the series has experimented with veering away from this with its two non-canonTekken Tag Tournamentspin-offs. While the first of these had no story to mention, the second one saw Heihachi develop a rejuvenation serum that reversed the aging process and brought him back to the peak of his strength. Even though it was non-canonical,Tekken Tag Tournament 2didn’t really stray too far from the beaten path. Aside from reviving the thought-to-be-deceased Jun Kazama, most characters, allegiances, and motivations remained the same.
After evading death for many years, Heihachi, so often cast as the evil tyrant, is finally dead. A reboot could reverse this, and maybe even give him a different role in the story. After years of family conflict, the prospect ofJin, his father Kazuya, and Heihachi all on the same page in a new post-reboot world might be enough to pique the interest of veteran fans. If the Mishima family were allies in a new continuity, it would take something extremely special to overcome them, and this could pave the way for a new set of protagonists to take center stage.
A reboot would afford some of the series' forgotten characters a new lease of life. Paul Phoenix, the veteran biker who served as one of the series' leads in its early days, has been demoted to little more than comic relief over the past decade or so. The same could be said for the Bruce Lee lookalike Marshall Law, who began the series as a main character but was quickly relegated to the background to make way for the Mishima family. A reboot could change this, and Paul or Law could find themselves in contention towin the prestigious King of Iron Fist Tournamentat last.
Tekken 8looks to embrace aggressive playmore so than any of its predecessors, and this should result in some of the most fast-paced and exciting battles the series has ever seen. Not much of the story has been revealed yet, but Jin and Kazuya are once again at odds, and it seems logical that there should only be one Mishima left standing when the dust settles. This could be the perfect place to endTekken’s overarching narrative, and if so, time will tell if that leads to a reboot.
Tekken 8will launch on Jun 23, 2025 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
