is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
of
Bandai Namco
also known as the Bandai Namco Group and generally Bandai Namco, is a Japanese multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, formed from the merger of Bandai and Namco on S ...
's ''
Tekken
is a Japanese Media mix, media franchise centered on a series of fighting game, fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations.
The ...
''
fighting game
A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...
series, serving as its
main antagonist
Main may refer to:
Geography
* Main River (disambiguation)
**Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany
* Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province
*"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries
...
. Introduced as the boss character from the first ''
Tekken
is a Japanese Media mix, media franchise centered on a series of fighting game, fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations.
The ...
'' video game from 1994, Heihachi appears as the leader of a military firm known as the Mishima Zaibatsu. He was the protagonist of ''
Tekken 2
is a fighting game, the second entry in the ''Tekken'' series. It was released in arcades in 1995, and for the PlayStation in 1996. The original arcade version of the game was released in ''Tekken 5''s Arcade History mode for the PlayStation 2, ...
'' and ''
Tekken 7
is a fighting game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is the seventh main and ninth overall installment in the ''Tekken '' series. ''Tekken 7'' was released to arcades in March 2015. An updated arcade version, ''Tekken 7 ...
'' whereas he was a boss character in two additional installments. He is opposed by many of his relatives who wish for his death out of revenge and to take over the Zaibatsu. This happens across the series and one of the creators of ''Tekken''
Katsuhiro Harada
is a Japanese game producer, director, and general manager from Bandai Namco Entertainment, best known as the former producer (now Michael Murray ) and current director of the popular fighting game series ''Tekken.''
Biography
Harada was born ...
has called it a "family feud". Heihachi wants to defeat his son and grandson,
Kazuya Mishima
is a fictional character in Bandai Namco's ''Tekken'' fighting game series, first featured as the protagonist in the original 1994 game and later became one of the major antagonists and antihero of the series. The son of worldwide conglomerate ...
and
Jin Kazama
is a fictional character of the ''Tekken'' fighting game series created by Bandai Namco Entertainment. He was introduced as the protagonist in the 1997 game ''Tekken 3'' and has been the central character of the series from that game onwards. T ...
respectively. Heihachi's backstory and motives are revealed in ''Tekken 7'', suggested to be his final appearance in the series.
Outside of ''Tekken'' spin-off titles, Heihachi also appears as a playable character in other games such as ''
Soul Calibur II
is a 2002 fighting game developed by Project Soul and published by Namco and the third installment in the ''Soulcalibur'' series of weapon-based fighting games. It is the sequel to ''Soulcalibur'', which was released in July 1998. Originally int ...
'', ''
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
''PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale'' is a 2012 crossover fighting video game developed by SuperBot Entertainment, in conjunction with Bluepoint Games, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It features various characters drawn from dif ...
'', ''
Street Fighter X Tekken
(pronounced "Street Fighter Cross Tekken") is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom and released in March 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, in May for Microsoft Windows and in October for the PlayStation Vita. The game feature ...
'', and the ''
Project X Zone
(pronounced as "Project Cross Zone") is a crossover tactical role-playing game for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Monolith Soft with assistance from Capcom and Red Entertainment and published by Namco Bandai Games. The game is a follow up to the ...
'' games. He is also featured in the printed,
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
and live-action adaptations of the ''Tekken'' series. In contrast to the main ''Tekken'' games, Heihachi also appeared in many games with a younger appearance.
Harada referred to Heihachi as one of his favorite characters from the series. Critical reception to Heihachi has been positive with journalists praising his moves and characterization. However, critics joked about his design and expressed a lack of interest in his role in ''Tekken 7'', where he is one of the most important characters. Nevertheless, his popularity has led him to become one of Namco's and ''Tekkens mascots.
Conception and creation
''Tekken'' series director
Katsuhiro Harada
is a Japanese game producer, director, and general manager from Bandai Namco Entertainment, best known as the former producer (now Michael Murray ) and current director of the popular fighting game series ''Tekken.''
Biography
Harada was born ...
has stated that Heihachi is his favorite character in the series overall
and the character he most frequently selects when playing. He further described Heihachi as a "very human character", stating that while focus has been placed on his appearance, he found the character's philosophy more interesting, and that in the series he was a "perfect portrayal of the evil that lurks in men's hearts", an evil "far more hideous than any made-up monster".
In response to claims that the story of ''Tekken'' was complicated, Harada denied as he saw it as a "simple" struggle between members from the Mishima family. Despite promotion from ''Tekken 5'' claiming that the character has died in the intro, Namco Bandai denied this statement in interviews. Heihachi's story and traits are based on Harada's history with his father. Harada was born in 1970, after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. However, Harada claims that in that period, parents were harsh with their children in Japan. As a result, Heihachi was portrayed as an antagonistic father to his son; something that the Japanese players could relate to. Heihachi's power in the form of the ''zaibatsu'' was based on the Imperialistic Japan. Furthermore, Heihachi is ''Tekken''s personification of wartime Japan.
After ''Tekken 6'', Heihachi's voice actor
Daisuke Gōri
was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Kōtō, Tokyo. Throughout his life, he was attached to TV Talent Center Tokyo, Yoshizawa Theatre School and then Mausu Promotion; he was attached to Aoni Production at the time of his death. ...
passed away. In order to include the character once again in the spin-off ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'', Namco hired a new voice actor who would fit into the character. As for in this game, Heihachi took a potion to make himself look younger. The voice selected was
Unshō Ishizuka
was a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and theatre director from Katsuyama, Fukui. He was affiliated with Aoni Production at the time of his death and was known for providing the voice of both the narrator and Professor Oak on the Japanese a ...
. ''Tekken 7''s story mode was supposed to conclude the long struggle between Kazuya and Heihachi. However, Namco made the story so that newcomers to the franchise would understand it easier. In further teasers of the game, Harada stated that in ''Tekken 7'' Kazuya or Heihachi would die in their final fight. In 2016, Harada commented he had his own family. As a result, he compared it with the violent characters from ''Tekken'' who are constantly fighting each other: Heihachi, Jin, and Kazuya. He viewed this type of family as "too hard" in comparison. When asked about the final fight between both Kazuya and Heihachi, Harada called it "a major milestone in the storyline", as he was surprised by how extended the rivalry between these two characters has become due to the franchise's current popularity, and thus felt it was necessary to end this in a mortal fight.
In ''Tekken 5'', his movesets were viewed as one of the strongest from the cast but
GameSpy
GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1996 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...
commented that he lacked a weakness, as well as quicker attacks. In preparations for ''Tekken 7'', Harada commented that he would often try Devil Jin if he was an "intermediate player", comparing his skills with Heihachi's. For Capcom's crossover game ''Street Fighter X Tekken'', the official guide noted how Heihachi's multiple combos could inflict a large amount of damage on the opponents.
For the film ''
Tekken: Blood Vengeance'', writer
Dai Satō
is a Japanese screenwriter and musician.
Having begun scriptwriting at a young age and writing scripts for various companies, Satō later focused his attention on writing for anime series. The first major series he worked on was the groundbrea ...
commented that he had to wait to get Namco's approval to introduce Heihachi's final transformation using the power of the Mokujin in order to fight Jin in his Devil form. Heihachi's transformation surprised Harada and other members due to how over-the-top it was. The fight scene between the three generations of the Mishima family proved to be difficult to make as a result of the choreography aimed as well as the movement of motion actors. In order to use Heihachi in the movie, the original character Shin Kamiya was created. Shin's relationship with the Devil Gene experiments attract villain in the story. In retrospect, Satō was shocked when learning Lars was Heihahchi's son, comparing it to
Masami Kurumada
is a Japanese manga artist and writer, known for specializing in fighting manga featuring bishōnen and magical boy.
He is the founder of the manga studio Kurumada Productions or Kurumadapro for short. He is famous as the creator/author of popu ...
's
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
''
Saint Seiya
, also known as ''Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac'' or simply ''Knights of the Zodiac'' (translated from the French title ''Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque''), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It ...
'' which uses a similar plot twist involving a man like Heihachi, Mitsumasa Kido, having several offsprings secretely.
Comic book artist
Cavan Scott
Cavan Scott (born 18 April 1973), is a New York Times bestselling comic writer and author. He is best known for his work on a variety of spin-offs from both ''Doctor Who'' and ''Star Wars'', as well as comics and novels for ''Teen Titans'', ''Bla ...
described Heihachi and Kazuya as "demons" due to their dark character traits, making their rivalry with Jin look unfitting in the narrative because of their differences. Scott wanted fans to look forward to his ''Tekken'' comic adaptation due to his handling of the three main characters, as it's set during the time Jin becomes similar to Heihachi and Kazuya, making their war more engaging. While still treating Jin as the main character for not reaching Heihachi's traits in terms of corruption, he believed the two would, nevertheless, be interesting enemies.
Appearances
In video games
Main ''Tekken'' series
In the first ''Tekken'' game, Heihachi hosts the King of Iron First Tournament where he faces his son, Kazuya Mishima in the finals. Kazuya wins the tournament, tosses Heihachi off a cliff and assumes control of the Zaibatsu. Heihachi survives the fall, and then returns two years later in ''
Tekken 2
is a fighting game, the second entry in the ''Tekken'' series. It was released in arcades in 1995, and for the PlayStation in 1996. The original arcade version of the game was released in ''Tekken 5''s Arcade History mode for the PlayStation 2, ...
'' to defeat his son. During the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2, Heihachi loses to
Paul Phoenix but he replaces him when Paul was forced to forfeit after getting stuck in traffic as result of a multi-car collision on the expressway, and therefore unable to make the match on time, after defeating Kazuya in the finals, Heihachi tosses his body into a volcano, killing him. Fifteen years later, Heihachi learns of a creature,
Ogre
An ogre ( feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the wor ...
, which has immortal blood, Heihachi seeks his blood in order to create an "ultimate life form". Around this time, he meets a teenager named Jin Kazama, who claims to be his grandson and begs Heihachi to train him so he can take revenge against Ogre for murdering his mother
Jun. Heihachi agrees, and four years later, announces the ''King of Iron Fist Tournament 3'' to lure Ogre out. After Paul Phoenix defeats Ogre in the tournament, but then quits the competition under the impression that he has won, when he had one last opponent remaining in Ogre's true form after Ogre absorbs Heihachi's fighting force, after Heihachi tried to capture him while he was unconscious. Jin is reinstated in the tournament and replacing Paul in the finals, he manages to defeat True Ogre and completely dissolves, avenging his mother's death and winning the tournament as a result. Moments later, Jin is suddenly gunned down by a squadron of Tekken Force led by an awakened Heihachi, who no longer needing him, personally fires a final shot into his grandson's head. Jin, however, revived by the Devil within him, reawakens and dispatches the soldiers, smashing Heihachi through the wall of the temple as he survives.
During the events of ''
Tekken 4
is a fighting video game developed and published by Namco as the fourth main and fifth installment in the ''Tekken'' series, following the release of the non-canon crossover titled '' Tekken Tag Tournament'' in 1999. It was released as an arcade ...
'' Heihachi collects the remains of Ogre and attempts to combine his and Ogre's DNA, but discovers that he will need the Devil Gene possessed by his son and grandson as a catalyst. Heihachi learns Kazuya has been resurrected. To lure both to him, Heihachi holds the fourth King of Iron Fist Tournament two years later. Heihachi defeats Kazuya in the finals, and takes him to Hon-Maru. However, the two are defeated by Jin, who escapes after sparing Heihachi's life. Following Jin's departure in ''
Tekken 5
is a fighting game developed and published by Namco for the arcades in 2004, and for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. It is the fifth main and sixth installment, in the '' Tekken'' series, marking the tenth anniversary of the series. The game is set ...
'', an army of G Corporation
Jack-4s invade Hon-Maru. Heihachi is seemingly killed in the attack, but in reality was blown a great distance away after the Jacks detonated. However, he managed to survive and when he came to, the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5 was already over. He encountered
Raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
and they began to fight.
Before a winner could be decided, Raven received orders to return to headquarters, and he had to withdraw from battle.
After that encounter, Heihachi went home, without any knowledge of the events that occurred at the tournament, where he was ambushed by the Tekken Force. He appears in the story mode in the console version of ''Tekken 6'', whose main character is
Lars Alexandersson
is a fictional character from the '' Tekken'' fighting game franchise by Bandai Namco Entertainment. First introduced in the 2008 arcade game '' Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion'', he became the main protagonist in the story mode of ''Tekken 6' ...
, Heihachi's illegitimate son. Heihachi tries to make an alliance with Lars but it fails.
Heihachi returns as the main character and arcade mode subboss in ''
Tekken 7
is a fighting game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is the seventh main and ninth overall installment in the ''Tekken '' series. ''Tekken 7'' was released to arcades in March 2015. An updated arcade version, ''Tekken 7 ...
''. The story follows most of his backstory. Heihachi is better known as the only son of Jinpachi Mishima, a famous martial artist who founded the Mishima Zaibatsu company. He later meets Kazumi Hachijo, who is much younger than him and sent by her family. Eventually, Heihachi and Kazumi become closer and get married, and Kazumi gives birth to their son, Kazuya. One evening, Kazumi attempts to kill Heihachi in cold blood and reveals that was the reason she married him. Her clan foresaw his attempt at world domination in the future and she was sent to assassinate him before that future comes to pass. However, Heihachi overpowers and, realizing the woman he loved is gone, kills her. In the same year, Heihachi overthrows his father for control of the Mishima Zaibatsu.
Following Jin's disappearance after his battle with Azazel, Heihachi single-handedly retakes the Mishima Zaibatsu and announces a seventh tournament to lure Kazuya out. At the same time, he is confronted by
Akuma, whose life was once saved by Heihachi's deceased wife, Kazumi, and who promised to kill both Heihachi and Kazuya for her in return. Heihachi clashes with Akuma and loses, but survives. In order to save the Zaibatsu's image, Heihachi captures footage of Kazuya's battle with Akuma in his Devil form; Their fight is interrupted as Heihachi blasts the two using Dr. Abel's satellite, but both survive. Heihachi then confronts Kazuya at the site of a volcano and the two clash. After a long struggle, Heihachi is apparently finally killed; his body is subsequently thrown into a river of molten lava.
Other video games
In the spin off ''
Tekken Tag Tournament
is a spin-off of Namco's ''Tekken'' fighting game series. It is the fourth installment in the ''Tekken'' fighting game series.
''Tekken Tag Tournament'' was released as an arcade game in 1999, before becoming a North American and European launch ...
'', Heihachi appears as a playable character. By winning the game as him, Heihachi is seen meditating while remembering his fights against Kazuya and Jin. In ''
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'' is a sequel to the ''Tekken'' fighting game series. It was released for the arcades in September 2011. It received an update, subtitled ''Unlimited'', on March 2012. A console version based on the update was release ...
'', ''
Tekken 3D: Prime Edition'', ''
Tekken Revolution
was a free-to-play fighting video game developed and published by Namco Bandai Games. It was released on the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Store in June 2013. It is the first game in the '' Tekken'' franchise to be made free-to-play and ...
'', ''
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
''PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale'' is a 2012 crossover fighting video game developed by SuperBot Entertainment, in conjunction with Bluepoint Games, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It features various characters drawn from dif ...
'', ''
Project X Zone
(pronounced as "Project Cross Zone") is a crossover tactical role-playing game for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Monolith Soft with assistance from Capcom and Red Entertainment and published by Namco Bandai Games. The game is a follow up to the ...
'', and ''
Project X Zone 2
''Project X Zone 2'' is a crossover tactical role-playing game for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Monolith Soft and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Despite the game being the sequel to '' Project X Zone'', the plot is a homage to the eve ...
'', Heihachi appears to have regressed back to his original appearance. Heihachi is seen with a full head of hair for the first time. According to his character profile on the ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'' website, this is because he drank a rejuvenation serum. In the ending of such game, Heihachi tries to drink a serum to become a Devil like Jin, Kazuya and Kazumi, but instead turns into a bear. Additionally, In the "Fight Lab" section of the game, Lee kidnaps the Mishima three fighters for Combot's final test of the machine.
Heihachi makes a brief appearance on the ''Tekken'' spin-off game ''
Death by Degrees'' as an optional boss. He also makes an appearance as a playable guest character in the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
and ''HD Online'' versions of the fighting game ''
Soulcalibur II
is a 2002 fighting game developed by Project Soul and published by Namco and the third installment in the ''Soulcalibur'' series of weapon-based fighting games. It is the sequel to ''Soulcalibur'', which was released in July 1998. Originally in ...
'', and as an unlockable narrator in ''
Ridge Racer 6
''Ridge Racer 6'' is a racing game by Namco released in 2005. It was the sixth console game in the ''Ridge Racer'' series but unlike the previous mainline entries, which were released for PlayStation consoles, this entry was released exclusivel ...
'', one of the launch titles for
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
. A
Mii
A Mii ( ) is a customizable avatar used on several Nintendo video game consoles and mobile apps. Miis were first introduced on the Wii console in 2006 and later appeared on the 3DS, Wii U, the Switch, and various apps for smart devices. Miis c ...
costume of Heihachi was added to ''
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
and (colloquially and collectively referred to as ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' or ''Smash 4'') is a group of two 2014 crossover fighting video games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS ...
'' through DLC., ''Heihachi Mishima'' was also briefly considered as a playable character in the same game: ''
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
and (colloquially and collectively referred to as ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' or ''Smash 4'') is a group of two 2014 crossover fighting video games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS ...
'', but was decided against because the game's developer,
Masahiro Sakurai
is a Japanese video game director and game designer best known as the creator of the '' Kirby'' and '' Super Smash Bros.'' series. Apart from his work on those series, he also led the design of '' Meteos'' in 2005 and directed '' Kid Icarus: U ...
, considered implementing Heihachi's movement in ''Super Smash Bros.'' to be difficult, this was mentioned in Sakurai's Thoughts About Making Video Games 2. In ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...
'', the costume returns and he is also featured as a sprite in Pac-Man's Namco Roulette taunt. He later appears as a background character in the Mishima Dojo stage and as a Spirit.
Heihachi appears in a cameo in the Tekken Bowl App due to the pins being based on his face.
Heihachi is one of the bonus characters available to play as or against in ''
Anna Kournikova's Smash Court Tennis
''Anna Kournikova's Smash Court Tennis'', known in Japan as , is a tennis video game developed by Namco for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation. It is the second title in Namco's ''Smash Court'' series of games. The game was released in Japan ...
'' for the
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
(alongside fellow
Namco
was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...
characters) and is an unlockable character in ''
Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2
''Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2'', known in Japan and Australia as is a tennis game created by Namco for the PlayStation 2 in 2004.
Gameplay
The game features many playable modes including Arcade mode and the in depth Pro tour mode in whic ...
''. He also makes guest appearances in the role-playing game ''
Tales of the Abyss
is an action role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio as the eighth main title in their '' Tales'' series in celebration of the series' 10th anniversary. Originally released for the PlayStation 2, the game was published by Namco in Japan ...
'' (as one of Anise's custom dolls) and in ''
Pac-Man Fever'' (alongside several other Namco characters). In the crossover tactical RPG ''
Namco × Capcom
(pronounced as "Namco Cross Capcom") is a tactical role-playing (RPG) crossover video game developed by Monolith Soft for the PlayStation 2 and published by Namco in 2005. The gameplay combines tactical RPG and action sequences during battles, ...
'' Heihachi appears as one of playable characters representing the Namco universe. He also appears in the crossover fighting game ''
Street Fighter X Tekken
(pronounced "Street Fighter Cross Tekken") is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom and released in March 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, in May for Microsoft Windows and in October for the PlayStation Vita. The game feature ...
'' with
Kuma as his official tag partner. He also appears in
SNK
is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
's mobile phone game ''
The King of Fighters All Star
''The King of Fighters All Star'' is a beat 'em up role-playing game developed by Netmarble Games and published by SNK. It was first released in Japan on July 26, 2018, for the iOS and Android. The game is a retelling of SNK's ''The King of Fight ...
''. Heihachi also makes a cameo appearance with Kazuya in the
PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, it was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North Ame ...
game, ''
Astro's Playroom
''Astro's Playroom'' is a Platform game, platform video game developed by Japan Studio's Team Asobi division and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5. A sequel to ''Astro Bot Rescue Mission,'' the game comes pre-instal ...
''. Heihachi appears as a playable character in ''Fist of the North Star Legends ReVIVE''.
In other media
![Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Cary-Hiroyuki_Tagawa.jpg)
Heihachi appears as the main antagonist in the anime ''
Tekken: The Motion Picture'', voiced by Daisuke Gōri in the Japanese version and by John Paul Shepard in the English dub. In the beginning, Heihachi throws Kazuya off a cliff as a child, and sixteen years later, hosts the King of Iron Fist Tournament in order to lure Kazuya out in the hope that he will accept his destiny as his heir. In the climax, Heihachi battles Kazuya and initially takes the upper hand, but is ultimately defeated. Kazuya, however, spares his father's life, and Heihachi escapes the battleground in a jet.
He is also present in the 2009 film ''
Tekken
is a Japanese Media mix, media franchise centered on a series of fighting game, fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations.
The ...
'' where Heihachi is portrayed by stuntman
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Japanese: 田川 洋行, ''Tagawa Hiroyuki''; born September 27, 1950) is a Japanese-born American actor, film producer, and martial artist.
Often cast as villains, he is known for his film roles in ''The Last Emperor'' ...
. Tagawa reprised his role in the prequel ''
Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge''.
He also appears as the main antagonist in the 2011 CGI animated film ''
Tekken: Blood Vengeance'', which is an alternate retelling of the events between ''
Tekken 5
is a fighting game developed and published by Namco for the arcades in 2004, and for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. It is the fifth main and sixth installment, in the '' Tekken'' series, marking the tenth anniversary of the series. The game is set ...
'' and ''
Tekken 6
is a fighting game developed and published by Bandai Namco Games. It is the sixth main and seventh installment in the ''Tekken'' franchise. It was released in arcades on November 26, 2007, as the first game running on the PlayStation 3-based ...
''. In it, he was supposedly killed by Kazuya four years ago, though in reality he is hiding and had conducted the M-cell experiment (taken from the Devil Gene) on a high school class to test immortality. However, all of the subjects died with the exception of Shin Kamiya, who managed to gain immortality as Heihachi desired. Heihachi is absent for most of the film until the climax, where he reveals that the experiment was just a ruse; he instead tries to take the Devil Gene from Kazuya and Jin, which gives its users increased power. After killing Shin, he fights Kazuya and Jin, awakening the Mokujin spirit for help, though he is ultimately defeated by Jin. He is also present in the novel ''Tekken: The Dark History of Mishima''.
Tooru Fujisawa
is a Japanese manga artist. His name is romanized as Tohru Fujisawa on the Tokyopop English-language '' Great Teacher Onizuka'' books and as Toru Fujisawa on the Kodansha bilingual releases. His first serialized work was ''Adesugata Junjo Boy' ...
featured Heihachi as a cameo in his manga ''
Great Teacher Onizuka
''Great Teacher Onizuka'', officially abbreviated as ''GTO'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tooru Fujisawa. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from January 1997 to February 2 ...
'', modeled after his younger appearance in ''Tekken''. In it, he engages in an arm wrestling competition with protagonist Onizuka, shouting out controller inputs while the crowd shouts for him to "Do a combo!" Though Heihachi strains him for a moment, Onizuka defeats him, calling him "triangle head" as an insult. Heihachi cameos again in a later issue briefly, overseeing students as they clean graffiti from the school's walls. Heihachi also makes a cameo appearance in the ''
Puchimas! Petit Petit Idolmaster''
ONA
Ona or ONA may refer to:
Anthropology
* Ona people, an indigenous people of southern Argentina and Chile
** Ona language, a language once spoken in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego
* Ona, a pre-Aksumite culture in Sembel, Eritrea
Geography
* On ...
series.
In merchandise
In 2006, Namco released a Heihachi figurine as part of a ''Tekken 5'' set based upon his promotional artwork for the game. While not posable, the PVC figure came with equipable clothing items modeled after those in the game. A "statue" of Heihachi modeled after his ''Tekken 5'' attire also appears in the Namco-themed lounge available for Japanese
PlayStation Home
PlayStation Home was a virtual 3D social networking, social gaming platform developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's London Studio for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) on the PlayStation Network (PSN). It was accessible from the PS3's XrossMediaBar (XM ...
users. A Heihachi Mishima-Inspired "
Sukajan Jacket" was also released.
Reception
Heihachi has been a popular character. In 1996, Japanese magazine ''Gamest'' magazine named Heihachi the 15th best character of the preceding year, and in December 1997 he placed 40th on their list of the best video game characters. Sites have noted him as one of the best ''Tekken'' fighters citing his recognizable strength despite his old age. In the official poll by Namco, Heihachi is currently ranked as the 24th most requested ''Tekken'' character to be playable in ''
Tekken X Street Fighter
(pronounced "Tekken Cross Street Fighter") is a crossover fighting game that was being developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was supposed to cross the universes of Namco's ''Tekken'' and Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' into one game, creating ...
'', at 6.12% of votes. He was also recognized as one of the best bosses in gaming as well as ''Tekken'' characters by multiple websites.
Critics enjoyed his work in the ''Tekken'' narrative. ''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' noted that what made the character stand out mostly within fighting games in general was to his history in ''Tekken''. The same site enjoyed his narrative in ''Tekken 2'', calling his ending as "the craziest moments in the ''Tekken'' series" as he throws Kazuya into a volcano. His portrayal as a villain also earned subject of praise due to his treatment to his relatives.
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
named him one of the top ten villains in video games at number three, describing him as one of the most interesting villains in fighting games and adding comments on his little changed design across the series. He was listed as the 78th "most dastardly ne'er-do-wells" villains on video game by
GamesRadar
''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
. GamesRadar listed Heihachi as the 3rd "Top badass old folk", with comments focused on his role within the story. The same site also named him as the "3rd gaming's richest jerk", for having the "10th most impractical hairstyle in gaming" and as the "3rd gaming hero you didn't realize was dead the whole time". ''
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
'' described him as "a legendary fighting game villain", and cited the impact of his supposed death in ''Tekken 5''. WhatCulture named him as the "9th Most Memorable Video Game Boss of All Time", stating "Heihachi is one slippery fish, and despite constantly finding himself in situations where his extended family wants to kill him a thousand times over, always manages to come out on top. He's basically un-killable, and his Goju-Ryu moveset is the bomb."
Both
Kotaku
''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier.
History
...
and ''
Game Informer
''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' have labelled him as one of the worst parents in video game history because of how he treats his relatives Kazuya and Jin.
Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...
ranked Heihachi as the 9th best fighting game character, adding "The grand dame of the Tekken series, Mr Mishima Senior is one of only a handful of characters to have appeared in each of the main entries in Namco's legendary brawler." His character design, however, has been the subject of criticism due to ridiculous it looks. His younger appearance in ''
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'' is a sequel to the ''Tekken'' fighting game series. It was released for the arcades in September 2011. It received an update, subtitled ''Unlimited'', on March 2012. A console version based on the update was release ...
'' resulted in surprising reactions by critics who mainly pointed his hair.
What Culture ranked him as the 8th greatest character in fighting games, calling him "one of the most iconic and important characters in the Tekken series, and even hardcore fans may have lost track of how many times he has died and come back to life." PlayStation Universe included Heihachi and Kazuya among the top 5 rival pairs in ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'' based on the potential a team up the two can make.
[Mike Harradence]
Tekken's greatest rivals make the best Tag Teams
, PlayStation Universe, 19 September 2012 Heihachi has also been rivaled with Capcom's characters including
M. Bison
M. Bison, also known as the Dictator (for international tournaments), is a fictional character created by Capcom. First introduced in '' Street Fighter II: The World Warrior'', he is a recurring character in the ''Street Fighter'' series of figh ...
and
Gen
Gen may refer to:
* ''Gen'' (film), 2006 Turkish horror film directed by Togan Gökbakar
* Gen (Street Fighter), a video game character from the ''Street Fighter'' series
* Gen Fu, a video game character from the ''Dead or Alive'' series
* Gen l ...
due to their portrayals as in the games.
Heihachi's role in the story of ''Tekken 7'' was met with mixed responses. This was mainly due to how both he and his son are the center of the narrative and the resolution might not appeal to most players despite scenes within the game showing nostalgic value. The character's final fight in ''Tekken 7'' has been noted to be one of the hardest for newcomers due to how much more powerful he is than Kazuya, his rival. However, Akuma was noted to be far more challenging than Heihachi's fight.
Journalists have also commented on Heihachi's role in other games and adaptations. GamesRadar also ranked Heihachi's guest appearance in ''Soul Calibur II'' as the "40th awesome character cameo".
GamePro
Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
in their preview of ''Soul Calibur II''
's console ports called Heihachi's appearance in the series a landmark both as the second ''Tekken'' character to appear in the titles and as the first unarmed fighter in the series. On the other hand, Arcade Sushi named Heihachi for his appearance in ''Soul Calibur'' as one of the "worst fighting game guest stars". In a review of the first ''Tekken'' live-action film, ''
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
'' had negative opinions on Kazuya and Heihachi's subplot regarding their rivalry. THEM Anime Reviews criticized poorly pronunciation of Heihachi's name in the anime film of the series. Anime News Network joked about how ridiculously evil Heihachi is seen in the film due to how he nearly kills Kazuya. The Fandom Post enjoyed Heihachi's fight against Kazuya in the Western comics while also noting that the comic gave him more honor than his son.
See also
*
List of ''Tekken'' characters
References
External links
Heihachi's Soul Archive page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mishima, Heihachi
Fictional businesspeople in video games
Fictional business executives
Fictional child abusers
Fictional commanders
Fictional Japanese people in video games
Fictional Gōjū-ryū practitioners
Fictional karateka
Fictional martial arts trainers
Fictional murdered people
Fictional murderers
Fictional warlords in video games
Male characters in video games
Male video game villains
Namco antagonists
Tekken characters
Fictional uxoricides
Video game bosses
Video game characters with superhuman strength
Video game characters who can move at superhuman speeds
Video game characters with electric or magnetic abilities
Video game characters introduced in 1994
Video game mascots