My "Heihachi Mishima Is In Tekken 8" Rant

[@axelwust9376]

"Who cares about lore in fighting games?" Tekken, who decided to subvert expectations since 1st game to play with the cliches

[@travelerwatanabe]

Yeah, Tekken's story has often mattered a lot more than say in Street Fighter, that's a fact.

[@decadentgamer3108]

@@travelerwatanabe Yeah, the fact that in the beginning they did keep it simple showed that they wanted to take the story a little more seriously but most old school Tekken fans know, the story lost the plot after Tekken 4 lol.

[@OmegaBlackHeart]

​@@decadentgamer3108 Yep! Paul became more of a joke from 5 onwards and more over the top elements starting coming back into the series.

[@UnifiedEntity]

Id through in Mortal Kombat as well.

[@shawklan27]

​@@travelerwatanabe yep

[@phenom504]

At this point expecting any of the Mishimas to stay dead is like expecting any of the McMahons in WWE to stay off tv forever

[@sadetwizelve]

@@phenom504 exactly! It's the McMahon show.

[@handlebarsmustache]

Isn't Triple H technically a McMahon?

[@sadetwizelve]

@handlebarsmustache NO! How can he technically be a McMahon when he has no McMahon dna? He has no mcmahon dna and he's a man,so he's not gonna take on the mcmahon name on a marriage license...tf are you talking about?

[@ivan-fs]

Kasumi and Jinpachi disliked this comment.

[@binho2224]

@@ivan-fs I'd like for them to come back!

[@shawklan27]

Tekken 7 sucked but that end fight was seriously well done and for them to undo his death just retrospectively makes 7's story even DUMBER

[@papaadot9369]

Bingo

[@tomasburian6550]

It was, but I seriously hated the story mode because it wasn't regular fights. Most of the time I had no idea what was happening and characters being temporarily invulnerable, getting their health back or being overpowered, that made for a horrid experience.

[@MobDraws69]

They even referenced the “Heihachi Mishima is dead” line in the T8 story just for the mf to be back 😂

[@RealMikeHollow]

Harada out here playing 😂

[@scorchedearth5354]

They did the same thing in Tekken 5 😂

[@coffeebean_tamer]

Raven just got subjucated to desk duty... Poor Raven 😂

[@shawklan27]

​@scorchedearth5354 Raven be having a existential crisis right about now

[@xenogen372]

​@@scorchedearth5354In the exact same game is crazy 😂

[@MrSquishy0]

They could've included him in the story as a flashback or something and still have him playable. But having him alive in the story pisses me off because its one thing when the players dont care about the story but its sad when the developers dont care either.

[@RealMikeHollow]

Yeah, but bro by that logic they haven't cared about the story since the end of Tekken 1 cos this is the 5th or 6th time a Mishima has died. Personally, I think Harada and the team have cared since Tekken 2 and I don't think the standards should change now.

[@MrSquishy0]

@@RealMikeHollow but let's be real, the other times that happened wasn't nearly as impactful as heihachi dying in T7. Yes he has died and come back to life 3 times before this but it felt real in T7 because of the way it was done. On top of that it removes Reina's motivation to get revenge on the Mishima's and her being the next "villian" of the story. I don't know man, Tekken has never had a good story and you can like it if you want but this is a new low for its storytelling and to me it really shows how creatively bankrupt they are when it comes to this Mishima bloodline feud.

[@blackdarkness6798]

​@@RealMikeHollow All you can say is they didnt care of it and should just roll Heihachi is beloved cuz we seen of his character through the story, without it he would be bland, so stop with this idea none cares of the story, without a story you wouldnt like or hate characters

[@Green90759]

The voice actor of Heihachi passed 2018. It would've been honor for the VA role if the character never came back.

[@gempura]

Namco and Capcom have no faith in the new villains they created. What's the point of Reina and JP if they can't even get the full spotlight in their debut game? Can Heihachi and M. Bison fans live without them for one game?

[@papaadot9369]

Like thank you

[@yungslack7311]

I apologise but you want to alienate players for over a decade? They can have the characters in game but not in story. M Bison players shouldn’t have to sit out a whole game.

[@SAR-re1fx]

Im a Tekken veteran and I was ready to move on from Heihachi, after Tekken 5 he has become a joke. I had faith in Kazuya and Reina as villains. To be honest. I didnt even think Kaz was gonna get a full redemption after T8. But this is a joke. They said this is the last game with the Mishima feud and is not. The story ended in a good way after the final showdown of Jin and Kaz , this ia not needed. They could have bring back Heihachi as DLC in a flashback, not canonical alive.

[@RealMikeHollow]

Yeah, alienate an entire playerbase for the half baked story people are gonna play for 4 hours. They don't need to have faith in their new designs. They need to make good ones and then maybe people won't care. People clamoured for Bison because JP sucks and has 0 aura. People do like shiny new toys, but that's usually when the new toy is actually shiny.

[@jenn5628]

​@@SAR-re1fxyou know I definitely agree I think the story is just repetitive right now the storyline has been going on since we were all little children or even before some were born like how long is it going to go on?

[@onceuponagamemaster1588]

Here's the problem: You asked a question. You said "Do you really care about the story that much?" My answer is a >very loud< *"Yes."* Immediately what I will then hear is 'Oh well you don't matter. lol' Or 'Nobody else cares about Fighting Game lore.' (Especially since I've watched polls be done on this. I look at MANY KZbinrs who do hour-long essays on lore and video series for it. ) I feel like once you immediately dismiss a demographic that we all know is there - you just tell on yourself for not looking past your own bias. Which if you don't wanna look past your own bias; do you thing, man. But that doesn't make it truth, that doesn't make it reality. Now honestly, I don't care about Heihaci coming back. I'm neutral on it. The characters I wanna see in T8 I can wait on - I'm sure they'll show up. And even if they don't, I already got my main. (Leroy) So I'm straight. But I will say...Tekken 7 making the whole story about Heihaci dying and then *Harada lying about Heihaci being completely dead* DID annoy me. Because you're making a >very specific choice< You are >selling to me< that T7 is impactful and then if you're saying with a straight face 'This character is dead' without a smirk or a _wink_ or anything that shows you are just joking; I'm taking you seriously. And then come to find out it was all just a ploy to get us hype that Heihaci is back? Because that's really what it is - he didn't *go anywhere.* He was _in the last game._ I agree with what you said. If you don't have the balls to kill these characters *stop doing it.* (Or having them be 'ghosts' is fine too.) At the very least stop trying *so hard* to convince us that they _are_ dead. That is _my_ issue if I'm going to get personal about it. I know just how unkillable Mishimas are; I never expected it. I never expected BISON to die either. But I figure if you take a whole game to explain 'How they died' you're going for something new. When you just backpedal on that, you sour it all. Nobody takes you seriously. And I'm glad you brought up MK1 because that is deadass a game I made up my mind NOT to get >even after playing it< because I learned of the stupid shit they did in the story. Maybe something like this won't be felt in T8. Maybe SF6 won't feel it either. But this is something that can make people 'pass' on future installments; *especially* the casual crowd.

[@yungslack7311]

Bro you’re so autistic its unreal. Story important in FGC games 😂 All the stories in all FGC games are horrendous narratives which are even bad compared to most trash anime series. Tekken story has always been and will always be : hot garbage URREGHHHH MY DEVIL GENE man fuck off You didnt buy MK1 cos it sucks as a game, not the story 😂

[@binho2224]

Exactly. It's not only that he died, it is all the things they did and the way they told the story in T7, making them feel as lies and they were just playing with us. I liked the story mode in Tekken 8, but who cares at this point, they have 0 impact. And a lot of people don't even touch online. So, as you said, many people can skip the next installment.

[@OmegaBlackHeart]

Well said 👏🏼

[@KingOfStreetFighters]

👆This guy speaks the truth.

[@WaterKirby__64]

I couldn't have said it better myself 💯

[@papayapayama2087]

I dont care if heihachi is cool and fun and makes for epic story moments. Tekken 7 made a perfect ending to his character, a very well made one for a fighting game. And now he is just like "Lmao im back guys haha lets go fighting again my dudes!" Like tell me why the fuck i should ever care about tekken story again? As a newcomer and enjoyer of good stories this just makes me not care about tekken. Tekken players are maybe used to this but i say its just lazy bad writing how they did it. Atleast put some effort into it. Also dont blindly defend it. You have to be able to see the negatives too even if you love it yourself. It makes you lose credibility. All in all. Heihachi reveal is the biggest marketing stunt they have made so far. They are desperate for dollar and relevenace since people have negativity towards them. So why not bring back old heihachi right? Its so cheap man.

[@RealMikeHollow]

You're a newcomer to Tekken so it's why you don't get it. The only way I'd lose any credibility is if I didn't express how I actually feel about this. I know people might like it when I take their side, but don't try to gaslight me into saying I'm blindly following something. I'm observing what I've been observing since I played Tekken 1. This is the 6th time the Mishima's have cheated death so why would I NOW all of a sudden be up in arms about it? Surely when Kazuya came back from the dead or when Heihachi did in the literal next game or when he appeared in the very game he was supposed to be dead in, surely then I would have had a problem with it? Why would I now? People are outraged about a man coming back from the dead like he didn't do it twice already.

[@Staylor8611]

I've played tekken since T1 as well and this is the first time I'm actually shocked in a bad way that he's back into the main story. Mostly because of Tekken 7 , I thought Heihachi was gone for good, that epic last fight with Kazuya. Now that he's back in the main story in T8 the shit doesn't make any sense at all. Reina was supposed to take his place like how Jin took Kazuya's place in Tekken 3. It was just too early in my opinion to bring him back into the main storyline. Should've just been like a side character not affiliated with the story

[@ReneGade405]

Heihachi not being base roster not only makes the story seem like it won't really change but also takes a spot from other characters who deserve some shine or the possibility of more new characters

[@RealMikeHollow]

It was a stupid decision to not have him as a base character, but one that's ultimately going to make them a lot of money, however, him not being there means he's the most deserving to take a spot because he's Heihachi Mishima 😂

[@WavyJayZ]

The story wont change, i think this portion of the story will take place during the events of the original story.

[@ReneGade405]

@@RealMikeHollow seems more like a ez cash grab to me and this has effects on the story as well now that he's just back the Mishima conflict will just continue and no other characters will get there shine like asuka,Yoshi,ninia,steve

[@chantevlogs384]

This was hype and brought some excitement to the game for me tbh but in saying that, they could have had the same look with long white hair and the mask and made it a completely new character and I think people still would have been hyped because he looks dope.

[@WavyJayZ]

@@ReneGade405 yoshi and nina were clearly in the trailer. Nobody cares about asuka and steve story wise.

[@amarjo351]

T7 had way too much care put into his death for them to whip out heihachi in season 1. Jinpachi would have been a better fit.

[@RealMikeHollow]

It was a moment in time. Happened 8 years ago. It's time to create some more epic moments and enjoy them till Tekken 9 comes out.

[@Impalingthorn]

@RealMikeHollow Yeah but I don't really think that addresses the fact that they sorta just showed they'll lie if it means drumming up hype. That, and it makes any future additions to the story harder to take seriously. Once again, this is specifically BECAUSE of how heavily they sold Tekken 7 on this promise that Heihachi was dead this time and "The Mishima Saga is over". The idea was good, but the execution of just having him be regular young Heihachi instead of some "what if" scenario like Nightmare Heihachi landed on its face for me.

[@tbndidntpop7072]

@@Impalingthorn theres suspicion that Heihachi now has a devil or is controlled by one hence his "resurrection". If that is the case it solves any T7 story issue about taking away from it. I personally dont care. Its a fighting game mostly its about the characters and their kit, if i wanted a good cohesive story game i would play something else.

[@Impalingthorn]

@@tbndidntpop7072 I don't really care about the story myself, but it feels like the reason they designed him this way was for the story which is where my gripes come in. I feel like we got cheated out of a potentially great little non-cannon skin for Heihachi just so he could be shoehorned back into the main plot. Like, I don't see Jinpachi coming back either for example, but I still want him in Tekken games regardless; demon skin and all.

[@shawklan27]

Jinpachi would've been more HYPE blud

[@KinotheHedgehog]

So you basically don't have an actual justification for Heihachi's return? That's the takeaway I got from this video The idea that a Tekken game NEEDS Heihachi is just stupid, Tekken 3 proved we didn't NEED Kazuya despite the fact he was essentially a main character at the time. Not to mention Tekken 8 sold the best out of any Tekken game perfectly find without Heihachi being there. As for the story, it's a legitimate point and I find it silly that you attempt to handwaive it so ignorantly. Tekken was the FIRST fighting game to have a focus on story, it actively put more effort into the story with each game in the series to the point that 6 gave us an actual story mode for the first time. The only thing bringing him back shows is that Harada has ZERO confidence in Reina being a good future villain, and that Tekken 7 basically means nothing now since that entire game sold itself on being the final deathmatch between Kazuya and Heihachi. We SEE him die, heart stopped, gone, on screen. If the story doesnt matter, then why does Tekken have a story mode at all? If you genuinely think you can give a proper explanation for his return, please do. I challenge you to think of a good reason that isn't cope or your personal headcanon.

[@401dRb]

womp womp

[@marcusrimson6330]

Heihachi has died three different times, and he just won't stay dead, just let him die, man

[@coffeebean_tamer]

Yet Jinpachi had a one shot and done or 2 if you include Tag 2 then it's not canon

[@marcusrimson6330]

@@coffeebean_tamer Exactly, Ogre and Jinpachi both died once and it's permanent but Heihachi always gets brought back it sucks so much that they won't just move past him already

[@RealMikeHollow]

MISHIMA HEIHACHI FOREVEEEERRR 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@mogucentral3820]

Namco does not have a choice but to bring him back to restore Tekken 8 LOL. the number of players are declining and they need to do something before they end up like KOF LOL

[@YoungSweezy]

I am happy for Heihachi back. I really am. But his death is also a big deal, not only it moved Kazuya forward from his eternal rivalry with him. But kinda the whole plot tried to focus on Jin and other characters, lets not forget about Reina. Reina was supposed to be this nostalgic tool to remind us how we miss Heihachi. I feel you with the wrestling comparison, but when Harada decided to kill off Heihachi, i was like, damn, Tekken will really move on without him? Harada has balls. And when Reina was introduced, he basically showed all of us, that Heihachi is really gone. All of that now just feels like "JK LOL". Again, i am really happy for Heihachi, i love him same as everyone else, but if we waited few years for his return and let Reina cook and solidify herself AND then bring the old man back, i am sure many of us would be in tears of joy. Harada just robbed us from all of that for shock value.

[@SAR-re1fx]

i I uninstalled the game yesterday, Im a Tekken player veteran, im fed up. Online issues, poorly optimized pc port, microtransactions, crap customizations, battle pass, heat system and now Heihachi is alive... No thanks lol , Im quitting the game for some time. I own the rest of the Tekken franchise so Im going back to replay the classics. Tekken 3 is the most successful of all of them and it didnt have Kazuya in it. The MAIN protagonist. Let's leave it like that. Is a fighting game, yes, but story is important too, we can't mindlessly consume media without analyzing it. If you want them to offer you garbage to you and eat it... Is up to you, of course. Good video even if we don't have the same opinion.

[@RealMikeHollow]

Thanks for watching, dude. Appreciate ya ☝🏾 Tekken 7 is the most successful Tekken game though. Tekken 3 is just the most iconic now. Also, Kazuya died at the end of Tekken 2 but he came back in Tekken 4 and Heihachi "died" at the beginning of Tekken 5 but not really too lool. It's the same thing that's been happening for 30 years.

[@SAR-re1fx]

@@RealMikeHollow Kazuya only died once in Tekken 2, not three times like Heihachi did. That´s riddiculous. Jin died also once in Tekken 3... but ey, whatever dude XDDD

[@valsione38]

Im not sure but at this point I think SNK are the only ones that try to keep their lore kinda consistent, yeah I know "who cares about FG lore" and I agree but that gives some sort of new life to certain games imo.

[@Cronalixz]

KOF was always kinda wacky, even excluding dream matches. Unless you mean Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury. City of the Wolves does seem consistent

[@RealMikeHollow]

Geese will return after all this 😂

[@ShatteredPedestal7]

@@RealMikeHollowGeese does have a Nightmare form, so at least if he does come back, the explanation is that it was a nightmare Terry or Rock had.

[@thesilentsociety3252]

True, even SNK is considering merging all of their mainline game timelines. But if they do some retcon might be coming. Given Geese is dead in Fatal Fury but alive in KOF

[@fabbae215]

granblue and ggstrive have some good stories imo

[@darkskein]

A bit of devil's advocate: Yeah gameplay function matters more, but as we remembered with MVCI it's not 100% true. People wanted X-Men and not just their functions. I'm not surprised that Heihachi is back, but I'm surprised he's back in the main story. That it's not a flashback or something. Or some sort of clone or cyber version. I was expecting the whole point of Reina being his replacement, but she is quite different.

[@RealMikeHollow]

Yeah, I'm not for the moveset as a function. I want the character back, but I meant it more than gameplay as a whole means more than story.

[@ssjmajindante9337]

I think the biggest problem with this decision is the fact that Kazuya Looks like a worse character because of it. Both from a game play and a story perspective. From a story perspective Kazuya has been losing since Tekken 2 So the fact that he finally got the win that rounded out his character arc Was a huge thing for him back in 7 but now that is essentially pointless. The story portrayed Heihachis Death in a way that made it seem permanent it even went out of its way to give him Context for his actions in such a fashion that made it seem like this was the end for him which is why he talked to that random reporter. he was in a sense writing his own eulogy/will for everyone to know his side of things. From a gameplay perspective since Kazuya Lost his devil gene he quite literally has no identity now As a playable character. Heihachi had mishima karate longer then him Lars has his own style and Jin has 2 styles to fall back on now in addition to karate and Reina has Taido karate. Without the devil gene Kazuya quite literally has nothing to his character from both a story and gameplay perspective the devil gene angle was all he had. Im sure even Kazuya fans hate that. As much as we all say fighting game stories don't matter the story itself characterizes characters When it comes to every facet of how the character looks, plays ,and is designed. And if the character you like gets treated in the way that Kazuya has been it makes you think Harada or anyone else at bandai dgaf about him and as a fan makes you like them less because if they Don't care enough About giving Kazuya the biggest moment of his life after all these years of living in Heihachis shadow why should you as a fan should?

[@rickysewell9573]

Tekken 7 gave closure to the Heihachi and Kazuya feud. Even for Tekken this was a bad idea bringing him back. But I would be less disappointed if he was somehow resurrected. This is just my opinion.

[@RealMikeHollow]

It wasn't a bad idea for Tekken, you just don't like it. This was a great idea for Tekken because it's going to breathe more life into the game. It'll cause loads of people to flock back to the game, ultimately meaning that people don't care enough about the story to stay away.

[@rickysewell9573]

@@RealMikeHollow Story wise I don't think it was a good idea.

[@papaadot9369]

​@@RealMikeHollow it's a bad idea

[@yungslack7311]

@@papaadot9369its not People who mained Heihachi minimum will be over the moon You’re a redditor, respectfully ky

[@77_ACE.]

@@yungslack7311 tf is wrong with you, you bellend

[@auruka]

So the director was like: Let’s take away something from the people and sell it as a new product Create a problem and sell the solution

[@Someone_Somewhere7]

Average corporate greed.

[@ZetaFan42069]

Harada learned that tech Capcom with akuma in sf5 and sf6

[@traive-alastor]

And it works so well because people are stupid as fuck.

[@billydonuts4965]

To be fair,I don’t blame people for believing that Heihachi was actually dead. T7 seemed to answer every question regarding his feud with Kazuya and finally “ended ” it with the awesome volcano fight.

[@papaadot9369]

Bingo

[@KingOfStreetFighters]

If you don't care about story, why do you care if Scorpion is Hanzo Hasashi or an imposter? The "function" is there

[@RealMikeHollow]

I have a video coming up explaining this. Would be too long to put into text.

[@C.R.Cole331]

What was the point of the previous game's story? 3 hour Heihachi send off that shafted the rest of the cast into character episodes resulting in him not even being dead. What’s the point of Reina then? What will she avenge? Heihachi’s non-death? Or was it just to introduce a new Devil gene’s user?

[@kenanisrael9323]

I said this and got bamboozled by heihachi they don't see the full pic until the dust settles Reina has become asuka without a story now cuz she has nobody to avenged.

[@MrSolidsnake293]

@@kenanisrael9323 good shes a shite character and im glad you lot are malding over it. flavor of the month looking azz

[@eocaio2]

​@@kenanisrael9323 yep reina definitely will turn into a asuka 2.0

[@kenanisrael9323]

@@eocaio2 sucks that she made a dramatic debut just for it to mean nothing because harada decide to digg up heihachi again there's no point for Reina nor asuka to be in the story anymore the plot could more on without them disappointed in bamco.

[@RealMikeHollow]

You guys are making a lot of assumptions. Firstly, Reina has been extremely well received (unlike Asuka) and she's super popular with both sides of the player base. I doubt she's going to become a jobber just because Heihachi is back. Secondly, you ask what was the point of the previous games story? The same as the other Tekken games where the exact same thing happens over and over. Literally the same. Please check the logs. This is like the 6th time this has happened in that family.

[@AirLancer]

Really cheapens the whole ending of Tekken 7, which was basically the only good part of that game's story (besides whenever Akuma showed up). Maybe if it wasn't so soon, but season 1? Why even bother "killing" him at all if they were going to just bring him back so soon anyway?

[@Jake-nh5th]

the main character of tekken not being it tekken 8 cheapens the game. game trumps story in a fighting game every single time

[@RealMikeHollow]

If you feel that way about all of the Tekken games then fair enough. If it's only for Tekken 7 then it makes no sense. This is the same formula used in every Tekken game and they were always starting roster.

[@toyoseries]

​@@Jake-nh5thIsn't it technically Jin right now since 3? (Minus 7 and 6 cuz he's the villain in that one)

[@SAR-re1fx]

​@@toyoseries yes, Jin has been the poster boy and main character since 3

[@Impalingthorn]

I want to stress, and only because I have a suspicion I am not alone here, that the problem ISN'T that Heihachi returned... It's HOW they did it. Because they didn't need him to literally be alive for story purposes. They could have just as easily made a hypothetical Shin-Heihachi, Robo-Heihachi, Zombie/Nightmare Heihachi or some other variation. And instead they took the literal laziest route and had him just re-alive himself rather boldly and proudly. And I'm going to go ahead and say this too: Tekken in recent years has really been stealing off Street Fighter's homework between stages, characters and general directional ideas when it comes to what they aimed to do, but THIS happening a mere month after Bison did the same thing? Yeah, not sure if I am buying it. Pretty sure they literally saw Capcom get away with it and said "Why can't we" while forgetting Bison actually had a history of changing bodies to fall back on. Maybe I'm wrong, if they release a gameplay trailer here soon then that probably means there was no way they could have done that within that short time span, but as of the moment I am thinking this is another in a line of hasty decisions Tekken has made to chase that beloved "Hype Money" Capcom is so good at printing.

[@mogucentral3820]

I absolutely agree with you here...they have been copying SF that's why they intentionally want Capcom to release something first before they do. I just noticed it when they delayed the release of Tekken 8. Even the heat system is just a rip off of SFV's V System. Harada is trying so hard to keep up with SF6 because probably of how many players are playing SF6 right now. The players on steam count in Tekken 8 is getting lower from 49k on their debut to 5k per day now while SF6 still very consistent averaging 30k per day. So they don't have a choice but to make an impact to gain more players again LOL

[@Impalingthorn]

Yeah, I began to notice it after I noticed that Tekken 8 randomly decided to have a stage within the Roman coliseum... Just like SF6. Then of course there was the time they added in Shaheen specifically because Harada, quite literally, coordinated with Ono so that they would both add middle eastern characters to the franchise. Various other things I won't get into, but just very strange coincidences, like "Why, just now of all times in 2024, do both Tekken and SF have SPECIFICALLY the Roman Coliseum as stages?". Maybe I'm wrong, once again, but between that and things like the V-System and Heat and now Bison and Heihachi, I'm just really suspicious. And I can't stress this enough, it's not that I dislike Heihachi. I called, from day onr, that he would get brought back. The question WASN'T "if" he was coming back, it was "how". Me and my buddies were ready for what they were going to show off and then just... "Okay, he's just alive again and Harada/Team Tekken just friggin' lied about all of that 'The Mishima Plotline ends here' crap". It took a lot of wind out of the sails for me. Part of me is happy he's back and another part of me is annoyed by how low effort it was. "He survived being chucked into molten lava" is lame. Yeah, it is consistent with his character, but the MARKETING for Tekken 7 was distinctly INCONSISTENT with that character writing and makes the entire finale of that game's story (the only good part of the story for that matter) weak. I think they dropped the ball on the delivery.

[@mogucentral3820]

@@Impalingthorn I agree with you on all of this. Namco seem to be very frustrated on how they can keep up with Capcom especially that Ono is no longer part of the company and Harada does not have any connections with Capcom. I think that's why the only thing he can do is let Capcom release something first and get ideas from it. And for the storyline, this is probably the worst storyline for me, In Tekken 7 they can't even put a good story when Akuma was added and now they totally ruined the story again. (well, the story is kinda cringe actually LOL. it feels like it's some kind of an avenger rip off LOL) I love Tekken but for me, Tekken 8 is the worst installment, not only it has a lot of bugs, but it seems like a rushed game.

[@Impalingthorn]

​@@mogucentral3820 Totally agree. I wasn't huge on Tekken 7. In fact I had a ton of problems with the gameplay and story in general just because of how they dialed back the defensive play for offensive focused gameplay. There were also the busted DLC characters, marketing Tekken Bowl as DLC in general, the terrible arcade stories, off division of features like the jukebox, reluctance for rollback netcode, poor implementation of Supers, etc. I had a lot of problems with new additions and changes they made, not on paper bust just in terms of their execution. "Execution" is a big key word for me when it comes to T7 and I think they actually flopped in a lot of areas but were overlooked simply because it was the most accessible Tekken game. I mean... We literally didn't have anything else if we're talking about Steam. My biggest concern with Tekken 8 was that they would double down on the bad. And it wasn't AS bad as I thought it was going to be, but it still has a LOT of issues and they were not shy about their dishonest practices such as with the DLC and microtransactions... Which, speaking off, releasing Heihachi as DLC in Season 1 to begin with when, just like Tekken 7, there were two bears in the game at launch, FEELS incredibly shallow. Everything about Tekken 8 from its story to its Heat mechanics to even the inclusion of Heihachi and the entire microtransaction store feels "rushed", just like you said. A lot of these ideas are not INHERENTLY bad, but their execution is incredibly middling across the board.

[@Impalingthorn]

@Northstar-x I am now upset that we didn't get Super Spooky Omega Calcium Heihachi. He cannot die because his bones are so strong.

[@theftking]

Can we all just acknowledge that withholding a beloved character for DLC despite him being included in the base version of every other Tekken game ever is kinda messed up and not something we should just accept.

[@RealMikeHollow]

I hear ya, but realistically speaking in a situation like Heihachis and Bisons; how do we go about doing something about it?

[@seido1160]

Not buying it​@@RealMikeHollow

[@fe_-jc1bq]

I feel like kazumi wouldve been a bigger "WHAAAATTTT" reaction instead of "bruh this guys still not dead?!" Its cool hes back but if theyre not gonna take deaths seriously then im just gonna assume whoever "died" in a tekken game will be dlc in the next 🫤

[@RealMikeHollow]

That's why I've been screaming for Jinpachi to return since T5 😭

[@secretalt1265]

People like you are part ouf the problem, vouching for and buying this cash grab dlc. If the story doesnt matter, according to so many blind consumers, just ask harada to only focus on online and tournament stuff. No single modes for t9, no arcade, no ball, nothing. Its all about the money.

[@tmma1869]

Tekken 7 severely lacked singleplayer modes and it's the currently highest-selling Tekken. Unfortunately lore enjoyers and casuals don't matter because FGC elitists™ say so. Such a very loud minority

[@allgreatnike1009]

Honestly, I am never taking the story of Tekken seriously again... I used to think they took a really bold move with Heihachi's death. I don't mind him being playable, but it's bringing him back to the story from the dead.... that I think solidified the tekken story as something to not take seriously ever.

[@RealMikeHollow]

Then that would have been the case 30 years ago when he supposedly died, or when he died again after that. Or when you literally watch Kazuya get dunked into an active Volcano in Tekken 2, only to return in Tekken 4. This is the 6th time they've done this. What made all of those deaths and returns serious but this one a joke?

[@allgreatnike1009]

@RealMikeHollow It's different because if you watch tekken 7's 2014 trailer, it is literally pitched as the END OF THE MISHMA SAGA. I recommend you rewatch the trailer because the vibe and setup are different from the previous entries, and I would argue that the tekken 7 story also shared the same vibe. Ultimately, though, I now see this as a successful attempt from Bandai of selling us a staple character of the series. Now, when fan favorites die, I know they are planning to just resell them.

[@allgreatnike1009]

@@RealMikeHollow also thank you for the reply!

[@ojay4923]

@@allgreatnike1009 Stating facts

[@leonlegend]

@@RealMikeHollow Tekken 1, Heihachi survives the same way Kazuya did. Self explanatory. Tekken 2, Kazuya is thrown into an active volcano & stays out of Tekken 3. Your logic is already falling apart. Tekken 4, Kazuya returns after missing a game & fans requesting him back. Kazuya looks like a corpse in that game to reflect what happened. Tekken 5, Heihachi 'dies' at the beginning of the game. If you pick Kazuya it takes a few minutes to find out he's not dead. If you were like me & played all the side characters instead, he's the last guy you unlock, to your surprise after all the time & effort put into playing the game. Which depending on your skill or age, could last you a few hours or days. Tekken 7, people go into it knowing it's a send off to Heihachi & all accept it. He's been in every game & the plot between Kazuya & Heihachi has run its course. It's time Heihachi has his character slot taken by someone else. But until Tekken 8 releases, people can still play him so there is no Heihachi draught until the next game. Tekken 8, Heihachi is not in the game, fans see that Namco were serious & are excited to see what the future holds. What new & interesting ideas will they introduce? A few months pass, after 8 years of people believing he isn't going to be in this one, he comes back as if nothing ever happend even though the previous game's whole story revolved around wrapping him up for good. If you still don't get it (which you probably don't) it's all about pacing, time & promises made in game & by Harada that were broken that makes this different.

[@ridleyroid9060]

I was just dissapointed, I really thought theyd actually have him stay dead this time. A part of me thinks they hard pivoted because sf6 announced Bison, who was also meant to be dead. I have no investment into sf6 but I think I understand how they felt when Bison was announced. I think Im done with Tekken for the time being, not just because of this reveal, but because of all the chipotle nike and other monetization theyve been shoving down everyones throats. Its just become a living ad of a game.

[@jonas34ptfernandes38]

There is no way they changed the dlc story mode after Bison reveal, this had to be planed way before that

[@ridleyroid9060]

​​@@jonas34ptfernandes38It probably was, but the coincidence is truly thought provoking. Also I heard certain leaks had Marduk and Fahkumram as the dlc chars and while leaks are 9/10 times just bulls***, there was a credible one prior to T8 that spoiled the roster correctly. Still, you are most likely correct.

[@DEANDRE_DTS]

He should be free dlc tho It would be like paying for scorpion or sub zero THE POSTER BOYS

[@shinmazingerz1210]

Tekken writers on their way to ruin their only good story point in 30 years

[@thesilentsociety3252]

Honestly wish they never deviated from the original plans post-T4

[@papaadot9369]

Yep

[@trianls7629]

@@thesilentsociety3252 There were original alternative post-T4 story? Can tou please tell me where I can you tell more about it or where I can read about it,please?

[@UnifiedEntity]

The story was only ever decent to good up until Tekken 4. Tekken 5 was in a weird....area with Jinpachis insertion

[@ShinmegamiPersona]

@thesilentsociety3252 T5-7 was a joke though, turning it into a gene and making it like Hachi has a reason to throw Kazuya off the cliff

[@rufracerplayer]

Mishimas cheating death is not what’s wrong with Tekken’s story, hell that’s the only thing consistent about it. It’s literally everything else that’s the problem.

[@XiaoGege]

Reina should have been a completely different character instead of being another Mishima. She was supposed to be Heihachi's replacement but now we have 4 Mishimas in one game.

[@RealMikeHollow]

Add Jinpachi and make it a Mishima Sandwich 🗿

[@toyoseries]

Isn't Jin a mishima too? That would be 5.

[@shadowofthenorthstar989]

you mean 5 lmao u forgot Devil Jin. dont blame u tho

[@XiaoGege]

Devil Jin is one of the 4. I didn't include human Jin on this one. I forgot about Kuma, so that's one more.

[@viktorstanev2752]

People really are forgetting about Kazumi in here, huh...

[@Staylor8611]

The story feels like it's all over the place now. I thought that's why Reina was in place for Heihachi since he was supposedly dead.

[@travelerwatanabe]

I've been a fan of the Tekken series since 2004. So im well aware of all the many things Heihachi has survived. But we were outright lied to, and also- his story got overdone and reptitive over the course of the series. I was happy for Tekken to move on, away from Heihachi. His story concluded. But i guess my wishes were not meant to be.

[@RealMikeHollow]

We got lied to in Tekken 5 as well. Tekkens always been full on Baki type anime stuff so I never believed it when they said that 7 was his last game. Didn't make sense to retire your most popular character when the series was hitting record levels of popularity.

[@travelerwatanabe]

@@RealMikeHollow true enough in Tekken 5,i remember that. But there was a longer gap of not knowing it was a lie this time. As for Heihachi being the most popular, I actually am unsure I know the usage data for him, so you may be making a fair point there.

[@travelerwatanabe]

@RealMikeHollow the other issue is now Tekken 7's story was entirely for nothing. Skip it. Hell, it makes Reina slightly redundant too, in some regards. Death is meaningless, story went nowhere and only tricked some of us to think it was, don't bother getting invested. =/

[@yurizoku4943]

No, I don't want to see Heihachi interacts with Kazuya, I've seen it too many times already. I want to see Reina takes over Mishima Zaibatsu, but now it never happens, cause her whole presence is pointless. Tekken writing always was kinda terrible, but now it's complete clown fiesta. Wanted to say it has zero sense, but it's more like negative sense.

[@NihilisticIdealist]

Tekken 4 had a surprisingly good story. And Tekken 5's had its moments. Wang Jinrei's ending should have been canon.

[@naokikashima2885]

At this point they shouldn't even bother with a story mode for the next game, because nobody gives a shit. This is beyond pathetic. I mean, we all knew Heihachi would come back at some point, but not IMMEDIATELY after his "death" lol. How the hell are they going to explain Heihachi surviving after falling into lava? At least Kazuya had the devil excuse. Why the hell is he YOUNGER now? What's the point of fighting him if he's basically immortal? Seriously, fuck Tekken. The gameplay has turned into a clown show so I guess the story must follow.

[@Dragoncam13]

At this point they might as well bring Tag 3 tbh

[@cosmicspider2]

Unfortunately they'll continue churning out stories because you have people who either don't give a fuck and won't call them out and criticize their writing or they unironically like what they're given.

[@Dragoncam13]

@@cosmicspider2 story wise,the fighting game community is unironically cooked. Where people are fine with all of this yet toasted SoulCal6 smh

[@cosmicspider2]

@@Dragoncam13 As long as they're given what they want, whether it's a character, good online, or gameplay they can validate and stroke their egos to, the FGC will more often than not accept whatever slop is thrown at them. Or at the very least ignore it.

[@Dragoncam13]

@@cosmicspider2 tbh not even just them but the FPS scene as well,these bozos are making it bad for the people who actually care about a consistent story or a story mode that’s actually decent and not all over the place

[@Noum77]

Tekken is a comic book now, no one truly dies

[@RealMikeHollow]

Nobody's truly died since the 1st game. It's been 30 years. Why are people only realising this now? 😭

[@blackdarkness6798]

​@@RealMikeHollow King 1, Kuma 1, Ogre, Jinpachi, we acting like they didnt die permanently, dont lie nobody died when there are examples of some who did

[@leonlegend]

​@@blackdarkness6798Wang & Beak are also dead. Michelle may as well be, too, seeing how they'll never use her again. I'm not even sure if Jun is a ghost or not in 8 because they did nothing with her in the story.

[@blackdarkness6798]

@@leonlegend these 2 arent confirmed dead, only times they did vs against azazel which never happened, michelle got replaced by julia Jun is explained in her character episode and special cutscene way back with Ogre, she isnt a ghost, also you saw her at the end near Kazuya

[@leonlegend]

@@blackdarkness6798 Yes, but character endings are supposed to give us a clue as to what really happens to them. I mean why else would you have Wang keel over & die in his own ending? It certainly isn't what his fans want to see. Michelle being replaced by Julia is true but they could still use her in Julia's story but they don't. Also, Michelle's story has been left unfinished. Also also, there's Jaycee, so they even have a gameplay reason to bring her back. As for Jun, her character episode says she was just sleeping for years & we really shouldn't even bother considering character episodes when a lot of them contradict the main story mode, as well obviously not happening (Yoshimitsu's ending has him killing Bryan... again. Do you really think for a second that Bryan isn't going to be in Tekken 9 or do you reckon that the rivalry will still be the exact same as it was in Tekken 5, which was 20 years ago?) As for the scene with Kazuya, I've heard people say that is to show that Kazuya is dead & it is Jun's spirit greeting him. I wonder if he'll be Tekken 9 season 1 DLC?

[@benetnasch1774]

I was mostly surprised at how early he came out, we all knew one way or the other he would come back, but at least for me I expected to see him in late s2 or s3

[@junk_bot_man6412]

They want budget

[@Impalingthorn]

They saw that Bison hype.

[@blackdarkness6798]

Who is we in here? Nobody expected his return after they 7 story and Harada saying he is dead dead, let alone people wouldnt have been hype like that if he was expected

[@junk_bot_man6412]

@@blackdarkness6798 nah people would be hype still. That whole trailer was obviously leading up to heihachi but he’s still so nice to see again

[@Resignedbc27]

The fact they couldn't wait a whole game to bring him back is crazy. making us pay for a base roster characters as DLC is a little ridiculous. they should've been there from the get go. ill hold off on the next dlc characters until i see them.

[@NYEBANGIR]

Story will never progress

[@RealMikeHollow]

Because throwing hands is eternal 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@DENZEN220]

theres no point in a story if youre gonna kill him and bring him back 3 times.

[@RealMikeHollow]

There is. Doing it 4 times 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@stutta]

Critiquing Tekken story is like Critiquing WWE storyline. These stories are about creating hype. This was hype. If you can't get with it, you might be playing the wrong game.

[@stutta]

The last of us might be on sale 😂

[@Apostolis444]

It wasn't confirmed he was dead in 1 or 5.He was wounded very bad and we assumed he died.But in 7 we literally hear his heart beat stop.And even harada back in 2015 and 2016 was saying that tekken 7 will end with only one of them making it out/being alive

[@DENZEN220]

@stutta that's a fair statement if you don't care about the story. And you're right. A story is just one component to the games marketing. In tekkens case not it's really the only marketing. And yes the point of a video game is to make money. But here's the problem with your logic. Let's say you watch a you tube ad. Let's say it's advertising a car. This car doesn't only market it's self on its handling/0-60/top speed aka gameplay. BUT it also markets itself on its pedigree through the years. For example Chevy's v8. Let's say this advertising says this is gonna be the last v8 production of our car along with legacy features. Aka this is the last of the Mishima saga. Let's say we show this galloping through windy roads and hauling ass down the drag strip with bits and bobs layed throughout the car highlighting it's history. Telling its STORY. Let's say you buy thus car because you're under the impression this is the last v8 they will make. They even go out of their way of taking their last production v8 and running down the Bonneville salt flats lacing with nitrous at max rpm highest gear and blowing it up at 200mph as a viking death. And honorable send-off to a warrior car. Heihachi faught to complete exhaustion flashbacks highlighting his history. He faught till his heart stopped and was thrown into lava ensuring his death. His viking death. After you buy this previously advertised car you then get another add from the same company selling the same car for more money but a v6 engine. It's fine because you bought the last car because you were told it was the last v8 variant. Only 6 months later for them to re-release the v8 as a couple thousand dollar addon. You'd be upset.

[@DoubleHelixReviews]

I'm glad it wasn't just me being upset with his return. If he was a dlc in season 2 or 3 and was just there to fill a slot cool but now the only impactful moment in tekken 7 shitty story mode means nothing now that he's actually alive. It also lessen Rina's in T8 with her being a almost clone of him. I just feel like they really dropped the ball with him right here.

[@ace0135]

thematically it might have been better to reveal him as the last character of the game

[@RealMikeHollow]

Possibly but they were probably looking at the overall reactions and thought it be best to get some real hype going.

[@ace0135]

@@RealMikeHollow All we need is Orochi in KOF15 and this officially becomes the era of "The main villain is finally dead! Psych!"

[@xenogen372]

​@@ace0135Honestly Orochi's return would be fire, he hasn't been in since what, KOF 97?

[@thedarkderp2520]

​@@ace0135kof is a crossover series and snk don't take that timeline seriously so him returning would surprise absolutely nobody who's an snk fan

[@djtoxicdhg]

Im soo sick and tiyerd of them selling us legasy caricters hes bin in tekken for what almost 15 years and and now we have to pay for him just pure greed

[@Cronalixz]

It goes to show how reactionary we all are. I was using this mfker a couple of months ago in T7, and this is supposed to be exciting?

[@budgiecat9039]

​@@Cronalixzit's not. It's just as stupid as Eddy Gordo 's gay new haircut

[@RealMikeHollow]

It's exciting that Tekkens most important character has returned. It's less than ideal that we have to pay for him.

[@pastorofmuppets9346]

Its an fgc wide problem, cant let go of og characters. Latest example is bison, coolest hes ever been but still

[@SneaksBL]

lol we had this climactic story ending with Tekken 7 that was decades in the making, just for them to be like “nah nvm he’s alive” lmao. I’m also a Craig Marduk fan and honestly would’ve preferred him over Heihachi right now. I think they should’ve gave the character more time away then brought him back. At this point stop “killing” these characters and just make stories where they stay alive. You don’t have to keep doing these fake deaths it’s unnecessary.

[@kenanisrael9323]

Exactly 💯 true what your saying... This same question I asked and I added this to my question Like what does his return do for Reina now she's without a story her whole goal was to avenged him but since he's back he can do it himself waste made no sense bringing him back.

[@budgiecat9039]

​@@kenanisrael9323 it's frustrating. I guess the theory that they killed him off was to also honor the two deceased voice actors but I guess that was bs

[@kenanisrael9323]

@@budgiecat9039 they could of wait for a season 3 to add him and pay honor to the voice actors that pass now t7 made no sense that's null in void made us play this feud only for it to be getting a second chance in t8 and you know he ain't change still the same boring old crap since t1.

[@simonjeremy1776]

What made y'all even think that he was actually dead? This is his 3rd time "dying"

[@dronnovik95]

I would like to be reminded, in what fighting game death actualy mattered

[@MorningstarJinn]

So what was the point of t7 again

[@RealMikeHollow]

To enjoy a moment in time where everything came to a head and Akuma was in the middle of it. That was 8 years ago. It's now time to enjoy the goats throw down once more.

[@leonlegend]

​@@RealMikeHollowHow about when you give us the impression that your doing something new, interesting & exciting, you do just that instead of the same shit we've had for decades. And stop acting like just because YOU personally don't care about story that means it's objectively worthless. There is a large audience that does care & Namco knows that, it's why they keep putting money & effort into the story. Maybe you'd realise that if you could see past your own bias.

[@KinotheHedgehog]

​@@leonlegend Good to see that somebody else gets it.

[@_Adjei_]

Yup, Tekken 7 was released for the arcades in 2015 and on PS4/Xbox One & Steam in 2017. Heihachi looks slightly younger, but I think it could be the lighting since his character profile shows his actual age from T7. I would love to see a customizable option to make a younger version of him from TTT2.

[@CB66941]

What's the point in following Tekken's story when there are no stakes? Seriously we have to wait like 5 years+ to know what happens next in the next Tekken game for these characters. That's an egregious amount of time when compared to the sequels of other games. They're definitely going to give back Jin and Kazuya's powers in Tekken 9. Tekken 8's dlc announcement made Tekken 7 pointless filler, while Tekken 9 will render whatever happens in Tekken 8 pointless too. There's no reason to care anymore

[@drwgalabuschagne3287]

Just oes to show. Harada couldn't be creative to save his own life...

[@polokente2483]

Although MK doesn’t have Hanzo Hasashi in their game, they understood to still have their main antagonist (Shang Tsung) in MK1 despite Liu Kang wiping him from history in Mk11 story.

[@papaadot9369]

Mk1 story is terrible

[@NYG5]

He can be a flashback character as long as we actually have flashback fights. Him coming back for real is some awfully strange Sword Saint Isshin black magic

[@RealMikeHollow]

He'll come back a 4th time at some point in the future too 😂 Mishima's are unkillable.

[@SuperFusionAJ93]

"Did I ever tell you what "The Definition of Insanity" is?" -Voss-

[@BastoGhost]

Reina was a mix of Lydia and Heihachi Now we got both of them, what's the point of having her now ?

[@kei7540]

She still plays unique from them 😂

[@The_WIll_OF_D99]

Just because Capcom and Bandi are willing to bring back a character who has" died" break their story. SNK as you said kept the fucking character died for 20+ years. BECAUSE THEY CARE and their games for the most part does fine without him. If he came back would it be hype? Probably for people like you. But most genuinely wouldn't like it. Not only did his deadass completed his arc. But in story if you knew...ALREADY HAD shit that could resurrect people. They were scrolls in yhe story and after the fight Fight Geese ALMOST died in that first fall. He had to heal behind the scenes because he was lucky he had 1 of the scrolls on him during that fight. Then later after a few games all the scrolls got destroyed so NO MORE second chances. Him and Terry have that last fight. Terry tried to save Geese but his pride didnt allow that so he ripped away his hand and fell to the city floor. Terry later Adopts Rock Geeses son and raises him. Bringing his dumbass back would not only ruin the storyline SNK does indeed care about but it would also not make sense because the only thing in story that could have saved him got destroyed. SNK for decades dont bring back dead characters only in All start or crossover games. He is the only villin in that roster who did come back as a Non-canon Nightmare version he was playable or had a excuse in that means. But SNK later retiered that concept. Kain Rock's uncle is the main focus and plus. THEY JUST KILLED OF GRANT...he has his own student take his place and wears his broken mask. If they retcon Geeses death it takes away new and unique character evolutions for it. I can definitely tell you dont care for the story and that fine. Thats you. But to write it out completely is stupid to me. Especially if you played any SNK game story and Gameplay go hand and hand to them it influences Movesets, Gameplay of he characters and design. I can keep going but i made my point. But ill end it with this. I would be happy IF HE CAME BACK IF and only IF. he is the Last character added in the game and has no bearing on the story. He is their for people like you who want what if like shit. Let the original Garou cast get back in add some classics and once the base shit is set. Give a free for fun type shit like they did with KOF (in KOF It made sense in lore why those bosses came back. ) But Nightmare Geese just to have a fun little nod and some cool what if lines I can accept. Let everyon else who actually matter come back secure their position. That to me hits that sweet spot. Give him a what if arcade ending and thats it no story relevance in the canon because he's dead.

[@ShadeThaArtist]

@11:30 "characters don't stay dead for the integrity of the story" King 1 dead Armor King 1 dead Kunimitsu 1 sick and dying Beak dead Wang dead Jinpachi dead, revived by Spirits to die again Kuma 1 dead We can definitely continue to list people lol

[@RealMikeHollow]

King replaced by King. Armour King replaced by Armour King. Kuni replaced by her daughter Kuni. Baek merged into Hwos moveset. Jinpachi will likely return one day but currently dead. Kuma replaced by Kuma. 80% of your list is still in the series with a II next to your name. Difference is, Heihachi is not replaceable. Almost all of these guys are.

[@absolutezero7373]

It seems pretty desperate. How early they're doing it

[@papaadot9369]

Bingo

[@DrakeHunter324]

I think it's symptomatic of selling characters as DLC. Bison, always been popular. First release of season 2, gets people buying him if not the pass. Heihachi, always popular. Maybe Eddy and Lidia aren't making the sales. Heihachi will though. That said both have been dead so many times it's more an eye roll situation than a surprise.

[@tinyparcel6305]

As a guy main since alpha 2 I have made my peace knowing that my characters not coming back as an order sol main since accent core I know I'm not getting my main back. So Ima be honest I'm not trying to hear people bitch about their main not returning in a sequal game. Whole new game comes out, you say it's good but, you can't play as one character you write the game off. Nah mate that's some close minded mess. I'm glad to see Heihachi come back, but here's the thing. Heihachi is Tekken, Tekken doesn't feel right with out him; Bison is not street fighter you can have a game without him being there. As far as city of the wolves and SNK they should not bring back geese for fatal fury, SNK actually respects it's lore, we've had more kof games without Geese than with him he's not necessary. That being said like major fighting game plots don't really matter so the entire rosters fair game init.

[@tamen5369]

the thing is regardless of the leaks, the story mode expansion has been planned for a while so heihachi being a pivot due to leaks is very unlikely since it takes a shit ton of time and resources to do that kind of content and clearly based on the inclusion they have been working on it since the games release

[@RealMikeHollow]

This is true but he could have been in the new story mode, but not accessible as a character till season 2. That's what I think the pivot is.

[@connormoon9879]

I completely understand where you're coming from, and I agree with you. With that said, as someone who played Heihachi as their second main in T7, I couldn't be happier that my Iron Grandpa is back in the game 😂

[@anshcheema611]

watching ur video reallt changed my whole perspective on the situation and u have given me a lot to consider thx man keep up the great content

[@RealMikeHollow]

Thank you, bro ☝🏾

[@deththekidd5062]

What’s worse is you brought akuma all the way into the story for nothing

[@RealMikeHollow]

It wasn't for nothing. It was fun 8 years ago to get that story and those fights. It's a new game now with a new direction.

[@shot1897]

At this point might as well bring back jinpachi

[@RealMikeHollow]

If they do that, I'll never stop smiling 🗿

[@Staylor8611]

And Kazumi

[@aSaiyan_Cloeku]

Bro said he doesn’t get to miss a game Fr 😂

[@Blacklightning95]

I’m like this… why is he even dlc in the first place? DLC has become to much nowadays

[@Carbinatedfartt]

Just don’t buy him and keep it pushing , he makes perfect sense for DLC.

[@enenra5201]

Mr krabs: money

[@nicholas8363]

I can understand why people are annoyed he is back as Tekken essentially has pulled a fast and furious but it does make the story more spicy now as everyone will want to know how he survived (all the people crying about heihachi all while jun kazama is roaming freely even though she is supposed to be missing/dead)

[@TheKingOfRuckus]

I feel like Ono and Harada were having lunch like two years ago, and Harada said "If you do it, I'll do it.", so....they did that sh!t😂. M. Bison is back, Heihachi is coming. With regards to characters, you can't really top Heihachi returning with any one else in the Tekken cast, so I agree about a guest character coming. It's just a matter of who and from which game series.

[@AirLancer]

Ono hasn't been with Capcom for a long time.

[@budgiecat9039]

It's not even that serious. It's not like Heihachi was gone for years like Jun Kazama. He was in the previous game cmon these people need to cut the bullshit. Jun Kazama was a well liked character to use in Tekken 2 and she was killed off for literally decades. So it's not the gameplay. It's Harada.

[@TheKingOfRuckus]

@@AirLancer Good point, forgot about that😂

[@jenn5628]

More like Nakayama and Harada lol

[@LordRaptor]

The story jumped the shark a long time ago, when they originally pretended like Heihachi was dead in Tekken 5 and I'm never gonna like the DLC tactics, but with Virtua Fighter and Soul Calibur both being defunct at this point, Tekken is pretty much the only game I spend money on anyways, what's important is that the game is fun to play, both in SP and online, which, it for the most part is...and Heihachi being back is literally the best case scenario, he was the only favorite of mine not in the game yet, but I knew he'd be sooner than later.

[@binho2224]

I refuse to believe Virtua Fighter is dead!!! Sega is surely doing something with the IP. Fingers crossed.

[@BOICLUTCH]

I feel Heihachi was sped up due to Bison dropping and the positive reviews and such. Another factor may have been the DLC leak way back and that's what cause them to change.

[@somegamer4071]

Better than the last time they killed heihachi, he was back the instant after you go into the story mode. at least this time we thought heihachi was gone for years before they revealed his return. Honestly he was too iconic to ever take out.

[@mysteryinkii6160]

Honestly they could make Heihachi work by saying he was brought back to life my these Tekken monks because [insert cultish reasons] it'd be a cool way to make that relate to Reina in a way.

[@NateDdragon]

Can’t they pull a Tag 2 and bring him back for non-canon reasons? Does Bamco have a contract against this?

[@naukith2023]

i love the old fart, but if he is in tekken 8 then what is the point of reina in the game then? i saw her entire point being in the game as "old fart isn't here so here is him isekaid as a highschool girl", she also had a very similar moveset to him even. even tho ill come back to tekken to play as him ofc, bummed out on him coming back

[@naukith2023]

although i obviously agree with you that him coming back might be that one push back to mainstream that tekken needs rn, im just kinda scared that they won't have another return pop like this

[@thefirstprime0124]

Tag team maybe jin and Kazuya vs Heihachi and Reina

[@kiracaos]

I dunno man, I think Reina still has a place. The female Mishima. Is that 1 too many? Perhaps. But then again, there are so many shotos and people always want Sakura back, the femlae shoto.

[@christheophilus7154]

bruh you even watch the trailer? looks like heihachi was running some kind of mishima temple where he was training people. reina must've been one of those trainees.

[@Cronalixz]

​@@kiracaosReina is more than a Mishima though, she literally plays like Heihachi

[@papaadot9369]

I know this isn't related but wit heihachi coming back in Tekken 8 Ghost probably is still alive in the TV show power

[@Staylor8611]

Writing doesn't matter anymore, it's like fk it anything goes, just slap it altogether into a pile of shit.

[@songoku9348]

I personally am interested to see where they take his character, he is ‘reborn’ and is trying to put the past behind him. Hence why the Tekken monks are getting rid of any Mishima Zaibatsu remnants. Maybe he’ll be more of a supporting character but still retaining his personality. Who knows.

[@Cronalixz]

Knowing Harada and how he shamelessly tries to make Heihachi somehow the good guy, it's very possible this time he comes back as an actual good guy

[@budgiecat9039]

​@@Cronalixz I love how Miguel is conveniently not in the story when we all know he'd be steaming that everyone acting like Jin is a hero lol. And yeah trying to make Hehaichi a hero is stupid. It's also hypocritical to say Hehaichi can't be dead when Jun was dead from Tekken 3 to Tekken 8. The only reason Hehaichi survived so much is because he's Harada's waifu b*tch

[@Cronalixz]

@@budgiecat9039 I really don't understand what they are thinking. It's almost like the higher ups are forcing them to play it ultra safe and release characters that we were playing with last YEAR. The initial reaction of people is that they're hyped, but once they actually get their hands on the characters I expect the same thing as with Eddy and Lidia. No one is going to give a shit

[@budgiecat9039]

@@Cronalixz i already knew they were full of shit when Harada replied to fans asking if Tekken 1 and Tekken 2 outfits could be added in the game either free or DLC and he said nonsense like the engine can't render such old outfits. I actually replied to him saying that's nonsense and just give the fans what they want and he got mad at me 🤣🙄🤌

[@liamroma3677]

​@@Cronalixz I really never saw this as them trying to make him a good guy. But I do think kazuya and jin not having the gene changes things for their dynamic now.

[@bdubs725]

Heihachi was 100% planned from the beginning. I am studying to become a game developer and I know that you cannot make changes this fast in games development. Also he will probably play an integral part in the expansion story meaning this was planned a long time ago.

[@RealMikeHollow]

Yeah, I think it was planned long ago, but I don't think they'd planned for him to be playable till season 2. I imagine season 2s characters are all fully worked out as well.

[@budgiecat9039]

Thanks i hate it. Shoulda stayed dead. Fans erupting because they see somehow Heihachi returned, is like Disney Star Wars shills being excited because somehow Palpatine returned in shitty ass Rise of Skywanker and the Acolyte show jangled the rememberberries keys in the finale episode by including Yoda in a post credit scene even though the show sucks ass and makes no sense. Trying to make sense of Tekken's stupid ass story and Heihachi being broken invincible is nonsense but Hehaichi's character arc was completed. Bring in VF cameos already

[@cosmicspider2]

Seriously. Just a bunch of man-children that need their pussies powdered and want their keys and toys.

[@RealMikeHollow]

You interact with a video game. You simply sit and watch Star Wars. People got hype cos they got their character back and one of the most fun characters in the game history. People that don't even use Heihachi or play the game are mad cos a character people enjoy has come back and call them shills for doing so. We are truly in the upside down.

[@budgiecat9039]

@@RealMikeHollow I don't just sit and watch Star Wars because Star Wars is a brand that includes movies, TV shows toys, books, video games just like Tekken has become your reply doesn't make ANY sense.

[@Rius9106]

We are talkimg about tekken storyline here, something like this is to be expected. It's been 8 years since heihachi died in the story. He stayed dead for a long while.

[@liamroma3677]

​​@@budgiecat9039you mentioned rise of Skywalker which is a movie. It stands to reason that u do just... sit and watch that movie. So yeah his reply does make sense.

[@redgrave4492]

I definitely lean more heavily towards gameplay over lore in fighting games. Story experience will be like 5 hours while versus other players will be like 100s of hours, so story is less impactful in the game's overall experience. I'm not bothered by a character returning even if it's convoluted, at least people get their main back. Granted they could think of taking more ambiguous defeats for villains, rather than having them in situations where they should be dead only to pop up again lol.

[@sonicallstarify]

I'm so excited that he's back. For me and many others who are really starting their Tekken journey with 8, we won't miss out on this legendary fighters style.

[@Ja-Tonic]

Heihachi was my main since Tekken 3, I later picked up Leo and just sorta switched between characters whenever i felt like it. Heihachi has been in every single tekken game, wheras Kazuya wasn't in 3, and Jin obviously wasn't in 1 and 2, he's arguably the face of the entire franchise which is why many were excited to see him back, myself included. I just think it was redundant of the team to play it off as though the Iron Grandpa is finally dead and dusted only to pull the rug out from underneath us, it's bittersweet but definitely more towards the sweeter side.

[@naswiipp]

Now they can finally bring back Baek Do San. He's my all time favorite main

[@RealMikeHollow]

I wouldn't bank on that one although it would be cool to see him and Hwo face off.

[@acemaison2834]

The irony for all the references of Lars to heihachi in story and reina’s fighting style is hilarious. But silver lining it means different dlc will added in weird order.

[@trainerhero5978]

I dont really wanna judge yet until i see how they wil handle heihachi resuction in the story dlc i understand why heihachi is back but i loved the way how he dead in tekken 7 so didnt expect them to bring him back

[@Gamercrew72]

Watching it live with Mike and the chat was mental I popped off so hard!

[@RealMikeHollow]

It was a special moment indeed 🗿

[@hendrasusanto5062]

Actually harada has mentioned long time ago that season 1 dlc are characters that's important for the story expansion that's why they said they don't think about guest character on season 1. Also they purposely said heihachi is completely dead in the Evo showcase 2023. Which shows they already know they will reveal heihachi at the first EVO of Tekken 8

[@WaterKirby__64]

Super awesome video, Mike. Tekken ain't Tekken without Heihachi and it's super awesome and hype to see him back in Tekken 8 🤠👍🏼

[@RjFox09]

I played T7 story and no i didn't just play for a few hours. I played for hundreds of hours and yes i care about the narrative,cause i like things that makes sense,even if it's fantasy.they said T7 was going to be the conclusion of Heihachi vs kazuya saga. Which apparently they lied. Plus your talki g about gameplay,but remember those characters who didn't make it to T7? Bruce,wang,baek,ogre, aren't they also gameplay that many people also like? So what happened? Bandai namco is beginning to be a money hungry sell out. Just see what's happening. Battlepass and costumes that's for sale after the release? Chipotle and Nike? I wouldn't be surprised if they're gonna partner up with other company for the ads. They released Heihachi for the dough! And pro wrestling really? Dude it's not like the characters in this game are going to lose thier job and career bro. That's just a silly comparison..

[@AnonymousC2218]

agreed that wrestling comparison is so corny.

[@jaccblacc8424]

Reminds me of similar situation with Tekken 3. Heihachi "killed" Kazuya in Tekken 2 by tossing him into a volcano then in Tekken 3 they replaced him with Jin with almost the exact same moveset as Kazuya in the first two games until they brought him back in Tekken 4 (and TTT1 before that if you want to count it but it's not canon). The only difference is that they didn't bring back Kaz for Tekken 3, making it the only game in the series were he doesn't show up unlike Heihachi were Kazuya "killed" him in Tekken 7 and now he's back despite the fact Reina is supposed to be his replacement. Not mad, just feel like they did it too early maybe.. Though this year is the 30th anniversary of Tekken, it doesn't make sense for him to NOT show up

[@shinfitz]

I agree with all but one thing. The character being gone for a little while absolutely helps. If ‘Taker walked out the next night the pop wouldn’t have been as big. If Hiachi, or Bison, or Hanzo were on the base rosters the pop (and DLC sales) wouldn’t be as big. Sometimes they have to be gone, even if it’s just for the first year.

[@mc_zittrer8793]

First, Heihachi yeeted his son off a cliff. Twice. Then, he blasted every Mishima male into space, strapped to the *outside* of a rocket, all while watching from a nearby hillside and laughing like a Saturday morning cartoon villain at their plight. THEN. Then, he went into orbit, took his tied up son and grandson, and punted them back down to earth, since our planet didn't have steep enough cliffs. And they all fell down, including Heihachi, because that's just how Tekken's crooked sense of humor works. If there's even a single Mishima missing, the punchlines just don't hit the same. So no, I'm not in the camp that thinks Heihachi should stay dead, I think this is hilarious.

[@TheBlackOtaku]

Fighting game characters are like comic book characters no matter how many times they get killed off they just keep coming back.

[@damhatrebloc]

there are just some characters that should appear in every single iteration of a franchise. I think nina belongs in every tekken as well cause shes such a badass assassin and my main since tekken 6 after i dropped Law double backflipping, junkyard DSS Setups having A

[@DPantherful1]

Characters that have appeared in every Tekken: Heihachi, Nina, Paul, Yoshimitsu How ever many roster spots there are in a Tekken game, save 4 for these guys. They're a lock, always. Characters that have *~technically~* appeared in every Tekken: Law (Forest in T3, Marshall in every other) King (King I in T1 and T2, King II in every other) Kuma (Kuma 1 in T1 and T2, Kuma II in every other) Because of story reasons, they may have not been the same character. But they're the same character lol, save 3 spots for these guys. Now of course, characters like Jin, Bryan, Xiaoyu, Hwoarang, Steve, Lili, Feng, IMO are locks too. But these 7 ain't going anywhere. For the people mad that Kuma is a lock, I'm sorry, he's a lock. Now Panda being a lock these days I won't defend that; that's kinda wack lol.

[@Ja-Tonic]

​@@DPantherful1 I'd like to add another factoid to this, Tekken Revolution, a now defunct free-to-play online-only Tekken game- didn't have Yoshimitsu in it, and Heihachi was only an arcade boss. Shit was weird lol

[@DPantherful1]

@Meme_Knight I try to pretend that game did not exist. But they brought Eliza and I liked her in 7, so eh lol

[@ViewtifulJae]

Seeing a tank top like that makes me feel like I’m watching Scarface lol like a blast from the 80s and sweaty disco or sumn

[@RealMikeHollow]

😂😂😂 do love me some 80s gangsta flicks.

[@geraldtorres5339]

Im highly disappointed. I play with Heihachi and I like Heihachi but man he isn’t NEW and he has been in EVERY GAME. Not to mention it kind of kills the story for 7 all the build up that led to the epic battle was for nothing. AND they “killed” him in T5 which I let slide. At this point I want Ancient Ogre back then.

[@Staylor8611]

At this point might as well bring everyone back that "died". They've all been resurrected by the devil gene

[@geraldtorres5339]

@@Staylor8611 yea seriously

[@AnonymousC2218]

@@Staylor8611 I would like to see King I , Armor King I and Kuma I to make a return.

[@leonlegend]

Why would you bother spending time, money & resources making animations & cut-scenes, hiring voice actors & writters to make a STORY mode if it doesn't matter?

[@RealMikeHollow]

They matter but they don't matter as much as the gameplay or the roster needs.

[@luisdp6660]

Omg how can you hear that pop off at evo and say that the resurrection wasn't great lol, all those resources just led to that, and that only means what mike's saying, in fightin games story IS not the first priority jesus christ..

[@leonlegend]

@@luisdp6660 yet another who treats their own opinions as fact. I'm not trying to say that you are wrong for being excited that Heihachi is coming back. All I'm saying is we have valid reasons to be disappointed by this decision & for you & him to act like we're fools for being invested in the story is asinine. You may not care for the plot but there are many others that do. Is that so fucking difficult for you to understand? Also, I don't see how 'all those resources just led up to that' when said resources were for writing him out. That seems like either a waste of resources or bad resource management to me.

[@luisdp6660]

@@leonlegend i'm srry that's a fact, this IS not the legend of Zelda. Wheter you're dissapointed or not that doesn't change the facts. I don't think you are fools for that either. How can you think IS wasted resources when all led to that Big reaction, this characters would and should keep coming back, Goku, Undertaker, i mean, they're the greatest and they can't die

[@leonlegend]

@@luisdp6660 'Gee, what's more important? Short-term & temporary audience reaction or long-term & permanent storytelling?' No. It's not a fact, it's your personal preference. DBZ has in universe maguffins to bring someone back from the dead & The Undertaker is a real person in the real world who is bound to reality & can absolutely die, so I hope he stays retired so that that doesn't happen or get seriously injured or has another match like the 1 he had with Goldberg.

[@VermillionThaKid]

Never cared to play heihachi but I’m so glad he’s back. It’s super good for the community.

[@kentstarliner5728]

"It would take a planet falling on them at this point." That made me think about Gundam and how they try to drop colonies(massive cities) from orbit on their enemies, lol.

[@DuskMindAbyss]

If they arent gonna kill the main characters for good then stop writing stories centered around killing the main characters for good. Its that simple fam, stop dickriding the faceless corporation.

[@RealMikeHollow]

Dick riding cos I want my characters back so I can use them? The f*ck? 🧐 Ain't nobody talking about some faceless corporation, I'm tryna wave dash with a tiger gi on. Relax.

[@Emperor_of_Nowhere]

​@@RealMikeHollow Pathetic just simple pathetic. After seeing your other comments just simple say you really dont care the story at all and stop with the excuses. Like others have said if there're not going to bother with a consisten storyline don't make one, if their to scared to kill a character off DONT, if people like you are going to cry for them to bring the characters back just so you can play as them killing any momentum in a story why brother. They should stop wasting the time of people like me that are interested in their story not just the gameplay. And the idea of Ghost/Memory of Heihachi or any other character for that matter would work just fine. People like you would still be able to play as those characters without them having to retcon or jump through hoops to explain why a someone that died is back.