Heihachi returns from the dead. again! In an upcoming update for Tekken 8, everyone’s favorite grandpa survives his journey through the lava and is back in the ring. But his return also raises a lot of questions. What are his new moves? What was the thought process behind his return? Now that he’s back, where will Reina (his protégé) go from here?
To answer these questions, I spoke with Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada and Tekken 8 producer Michael Murray (who translated Harada’s answers). I was directed into a dark room during a brief 10-minute meeting with the upcoming Tekken update, and they opened the curtains slightly when Heihachi returned.
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iGamesNews: Heihachi is back! Previously you talked about the importance of his “death” in Tekken 7. Tell me about the decision to bring him back?
Harada: For “Tekken 7”, we hope to end Heihachi and his Son Kazuya. So when I ask the team for something, usually [when they go] At 70% of what I asked for, I was surprised. Even I don’t usually go that far! For Tekken 8, we have decided to convey Kazuya and his son. So I’m surprised Heihachi died like everyone else!
Murray: Let me add [Tekken 8] The director and I heard from Harada that even he It took a little convincing. So we tried to do it convincing [laughs]. So even when Harada saw it, he was like, “Ha! He’s kind of dead!”
Harada: It’s a bit challenging. First of all, the first thing I want to say is that for the story of Tekken 8, we also want to make it believable. We can’t just bring him back and throw him into the game. So while it would be challenging to bring him back and do a storyline where he doesn’t actually Dead, we wanted to make it very thorough and convincing for the fans. So it should be very interesting when you see it in an update. And it’s free for everyone!
iGamesNews: One thing about Tekken 8’s story is that you can see the character’s progression through the move list; with Jin, who goes through all the different fighting styles over the years, you can see him grow as a character. Now, Heihachi is back and he has different moves. So how do you show character growth through actions like this?
Harada: This is a good question. You are the first to ask this question. That’s a good point, and it’s safe to say Heihachi will have something similar [to Jin]. In the trailer, we get a look at his gameplay. But in story mode, we see a similar type of progression. We don’t want to give too much away.
iGamesNews: I want to talk about Reina; she was introduced as Heihachi’s new generation “torch bearer”. Are you worried that Heihachi’s impact on the series will be diluted a bit when she returns?
Harada: We understand where you’re coming from with this question, but there’s a key difference between Heihachi and Reina. Heihachi is based on the Mishima style. Reina possesses some of these attributes, but she also possesses the backbone of Daido that Heihachi does not. She has moves like spins and kicks. So she is already unique.
When we introduced her, we thought she would be somewhat popular – but the fan response to the whole character has been beyond our expectations. So we see her continue to be a big part of the game moving forward. Not only her action settings, but also her storyline. Heihachi’s return does not diminish her importance.
It’s worth noting that I had 10 minutes to learn about the new version of Tekken 8 before this interview. In it, when Heihachi fights Rena in Versus Mode, he bluntly states that she will play an important role in his plan, so the path is paved for more story development for both characters.
iGamesNews: Heihachi’s new moves are interesting. He has new stances, and while they don’t address the weaknesses in his kit, they do add more options. There are more lows, more chaos. What’s your approach to adding to Heihachi’s move list? How do you keep him true to past iterations while refreshing the character in Tekken 8?
Harada: The answer starts with “Tekken 8”, not just Heihachi, but the entire lineup. We don’t talk much about balanced teams, but they are mostly made up of pro players, ex-pro players, etc. But it’s not just the same guys over the years, there’s also the addition of younger players. Especially with Tekken 8, many of the younger players on the balance team looked at the entire cast and clearly thought about not only “this is Nina, she’s got her moves all along” but also how unique each character is place. What makes them popular among individual fans. How does it interact with the story, setting, etc.?
Once they have a clear idea of their characters, they look at what makes them so powerful, what makes them unique. We often make many connections to real martial arts through real martial artists. Either Michael Murray and his connections to martial artists, or other martial artists who knew about Tydo, etc. Even if you say karate, there are many different types. Kyokushin, competitive karate, and even Okinawan style karate. But these connections to martial arts and martial arts masters also influence how we add movement.
Tekken 8 is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The next DLC character, Heihachi, will be released tomorrow, October 3rd.
