10 Most Popular Tekken Characters

First Appearance: Tekken

The original Tekken boss, Heihachi Mishima rounds out the main trio of Mishima characters. He is the son of Jinpachi, father of Kazuya and grandfather of Jin, as well as being husband to Kazumi. Heihachi is also the adopted father of Lee Chaolan, a fellow Tekken mainstay, and the father of Lars Alexandersson with an unknown woman.

Heihachi’s story starts before the original Tekken. He trained by Jinpachi in the Mishima family dojo, along with Kazumi. Unbeknownst to Heihachi, she is actually related to the rival Hachijo Clan. The pair eventually fell in love and married, however this is all a ruse for Kazumi to get close to Heihaci. When everything comes to a head, Heihachi kills Kazumi.

This happens in the same year as a five year old Kazuya fights Heihachi at the Precipice of Fate, as well as him facing off against his father to take control of the family company: Mishima Zaibatsu. During Heihachis hostile takeover, Jinpachi is imprisoned beneath the ‘Hon-Maru’ where he eventually starves to death - not being seen again until 2004’s Tekken 5.

Compared to both Kazuya and Jin, Heihachi is slower in terms of gameplay; however this drop in speed is made up from in power. Heihachi is unable to tap into the Devil Gene like his son and grandson, due to it being passed down from Kazumi. Despite this, Heihachi continues to strive for victory against all odds, and fans have been enamoured with his villainous determination since 1994.