Posted January 15 (edited) I looked for a topic dedicated to this game franchise, but I haven't found it so I decided to start it myself! If it's a duplicate anyway I'm sorry. T E K K E N TEKKEN is a fighting game franchise that was first released on September 21st 1994 and is the work of Bandai Namco. Firstly it was available as an arcade game, and in 1995 it became available on the PlayStation console and has gained more and more popularity all over the globe ever since. The name "TEKKEN" means "Iron Fist" in Japanese, and the game itself revolves around the "The King of Iron Fist" tournament that gathers martial artists all over the world and allows them to compete for the grand prize... or so everyone thought. Apart from the previously mentioned tournament, the story of the games is focused on a certain family, the Mishimas. During gameplay you're able to enjoy playing against your friends (or CPU) and you can also find out more about the participants of the tournament, their backstories and progress, as well as how everyone is intertwined in some way. Considering that TEKKEN 8 is launching in 11 days and that the franchise is turning 30 this year (just like me xD) I thought it would be great if we had a topic on this game series! Who's your favourite character and why? When did you start playing and what game did you start from? What are your happiest memories of playing these games? Which game do you think had the best opening/storyline/soundtrack/character roster? What character/stage/boss did you hate and why? Are you excited for TEKKEN 8 and what are you hoping for? I wanna know everything from your point of view! ❤️ Also because of a huge character roster in all eight canon games (plus some more in the spinoff games) this entire franchise has a rich and complex lore so I'd love for this topic to be open for discussion and exchange regarding that as well, and not just mere gameplay and technical stuff. I hope we'll all have fun here! Edited January 15 by Twyro Share this post Link to post
Posted February 11 If that's okay I'd like to bump this thread to see if there are more Tekken fans on this forum by starting the discussion from my perspective. My favourite memories of this game were the times when I was seven years old and when I'd frequently hang out with my cousin who was among the first kids to get every PlayStation console and had an impressive collection of video games. He was a huge gamer as a kid and at first I'd watch him play Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Tekken and other games, and later I'd want to give them a go too so he'd give me the second controller to battle each other. He'd nearly always kick my ass but I still had fun regardless. I was so happy seeing women in the character roster because I could identify with them, and in my Tekken beginnings I'd play as either Nina or Julia who I considered prettiest (oh, the innocent standards of a seven year old girl). Every time I'd see my cousin play a game that I liked I'd go to my dad and ask him to buy me the same console and the same video games I liked playing so that I could play them at home as well. My dad was the one who would traditionally buy me the consoles and he got me the PS1, PS2 and PS4 (I skipped the PS3 for some reason). He died in September 2021 and when I bought myself the PS5 ten days ago my eyes teared up because I decided to make my inner child happy the same way he used to make me happy. And here are my favourite characters, as well as the explanation as to why I like them: 1. Jin Kazama: in all honesty - he's hot! If I ever saw a man looking like him somewhere I swear I'd explode. On the other hand, his story of a tragic hero of the franchise is so layered and complex and I appreciate all the effort put into creating him as a character and building up his journey (until they made him start World War Three in Tekken 6 and made him completely unrecognizable). I remember his ending in Tekken 3 when my cousin showed me his devil transformation and neither he nor I knew why that happened, but we thought that it was bloody cool! As I grew and became more familiar with the lore I came to like Jin by seeing how much he loved and respected his mother and how isolated and alone he felt when she went missing. I love his character development in Tekken 8 (SPOILER AHEAD) where he realizes the atrocities he had committed and embarked on his redemption journey. I love how he's become more open and accepting of his friends (especially Ling Xiaoyu who's been practically in love with him for years), allies and some family members after all those years of restraining himself from any connections. His confrontation with his devil self where he started seeing that side of him as a strength instead of a curse, and in the end when he finally saw his mother who told him how proud she was of him and that his life was also worth protecting were so beautiful and emotional that I was literally sobbing when the complete story mode came out. And I think that it's so incredibly beautiful (and even somewhat sexy) seeing him use the Kazama martial arts against Kazuya and channeling everything his mother taught him, especially since he never used that fighting style in any game prior to Tekken 8. * Devil Jin: I'm not putting him as an entirely separate character because this is a side of Jin and not an independent entity, but being a separate character in the roster since Tekken 5 this is the way to do it - I adore the concept of Devil Jin and I think that his feathered jet black wings, as well as the forehead and chest patterns are absolutely awesome design wise. Also I used Devil Jin as my main in Tekken 5 and achieved the title of Tekken Lord with him so I'm a little bias tbh. I also used him in Tekken 7 until I eventually switched to Kazumi Mishima. 2. Jun Kazama: Tekken 3 was the first game of this franchise that was popular in Serbia (I'm not sure if Tekken 1 and 2 were ever available tbh) so I wasn't aware of the existence of some characters in the first two games and their back stories. When I went deeper into the lore I loved how they emphasized her purity, spirituality and how animals were always magnetically drawn to her and loved her. I was ecstatic to see her announced as part of the character roster in Tekken 8 because JIN IS GETTING HIS MOTHER BACK!!! I love her softness and the voice actress was the perfect choice for her. I think it's wonderful that she was shown as a sort of healer and that her aura is so bright and reminds one of a remedy. I decided to try her out in Tekken 8 and before you knew it she actually became my main! I find her fighting style so graceful and beautiful and somehow my random button mashing actually makes sense so I feel like she suits me in gameplay. 3. Julia Chang: she was my main in Tekken 3 (apart from Nina Williams) and through a significant segment of Tekken 5. Initially I picked her because she seemed the most appealing to me visually, but when I started understanding the characters' back stories I loved her noble goal of wanting to reforest her homeland and her dedication to making it happen. What I absolutely HATE though is what they've done to her in Tekken 7 - not only did they put her as a DLC character, but they also changed her overall essence by turning her into an influencer/youtuber girl and I think it's an absolute crime. She was so much deeper as a character up to that point! 4. Nina Williams: as I said, she was one of the characters I started playing Tekken as so I'll always have a soft spot for her for that reason. However, until Tekken 5 I wasn't aware that she was literally an assassin and that she's almost entirely detached from any human emotion. The other thing I dislike about her is her tendency to switch sides for mere interest, but if you put that aside her fighting style is something I think suits me in gameplay. 5. King 1 and 2: he was my cousin's favourite character (King 2 to be exact), and we both thought he was a mutant because of the jaguar head and tail (turns out those are masks). xD I don't use him (King 2) much because his attacks are mostly based on grabbing and I don't know how to make the most of him as a fighter, but I love the backstory of both King 1 and 2 as they are fighting to finance an orphanage in Mexico and help children. I'm always drawn to characters whose backstories are based on my own values. 6. Yoshimitsu: another character my cousin thought was really cool (and my best friend from college told me that she loves using him the most). He used to scare me a bit when I was a kid, but now I love him because he's helping the poor, and I think that his manner of expression (which is similar to Yoda from Star Wars sometimes) is hilarious! 7. Hwoarang: back in my childhood days I actually thought that he was the cutest male character, I even liked him better than Jin! He's a hot head, that's for sure, and he's a little explosive when it comes to his temper, but what I love about him is that he's honorable and refuses to cheat to accomplish his goals, which I also respect in people. 8. Ling Xiaoyu: I didn't like her in previous Tekken games because she always looked so childish (then again she is one of the youngest characters in the roster so it makes sense), but I adore her now in Tekken 8! Design wise she's more beautiful than ever, and when it comes to her as a character she's grown and matured so much, and also become so strong and brave, while still retaining the innocence of her inner child. 9. Kuma and Panda: I only love them because they're animals - I used to be so scared of fighting them as a kid and I only use them to complete their back stories in the games. 10. Leroy Smith: he's one of the new guys that I love! I love his swag, his personality, and his dog Sugar is ADORABLE!!! Love a dog person in Tekken. 11. Kazumi Mishima: I love her design, she looks absolutely divine and gorgeous, and her fighting style suits me best in Tekken 7. THE TIGER PUNCHES ARE EVERYTHING. However, as much as I love her, I absolutely hate the design of Devil Kazumi - I feel like she was created with absolutely no creativity and that she could have turned out so much better. I also hate fighting against Devil Kazumi because I only defeated her a couple of times when I got extremely lucky. She is awfully hard to beat. 12. Lee Chaolan: this guy is so elegant, I love him! He's also incredibly chill and has a nice personality, and also a genius for robotics. His catchphrase EXCELLENT pronounced in his accent always lifts me up! I believe that I've shared more than enough for now. I'll happily continue if anyone else is interested in engaging with the thread. ❤️ Share this post Link to post
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