As far as father-and-son relationships go, Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama don't set a good example.They are central figures within the Tekken franchise alongside Kazuya's father Heihachi, and they've been in conflict since the series' inception. Their complex relationships are constantly under the spotlight, so it's no surprise that the recent debut trailer for Tekken 8 featured Jin and Kazuya engaged in a battle of epic proportions.
Over the course of Tekken's seven main installments, Jin, Kazuya, and Heihachi have crossed paths repeatedly, and despite brief alliances, none have been able to stay on the same page for long. Whether it's Heihachi's selfish quest for power, or Kazuya and Jin's drive for revenge, the Mishima family is as fierce now as it was when the series debuted over 25 years ago. With Heihachi's supposed death suggesting Tekken 8 could break a long-standing tradition by leaving the wily old warrior out, the stage is set for Jin and Kazuya's rivalry to come to a thrilling climax.
Kazuya's Early History
Kazuya Mishima had a rough childhood. At five years old he discovered his mother, Kazumi Mishima, was murdered at the hands of Heihachi. Furious, he confronted his father, but was promptly defeated and thrown off a cliff. Heihachi feared his son possessed the same genetic curse as his mother, called the devil gene, and hoped this experiment would coax this evil entity out of Kazuya. The powerful gene, passed down through generations, draws out its host's worst traits and becomes active when the host has a fatal or near-death experience.
Sure enough, Kazuya's devil gene activated, and he was able to survive the fall. With his strength on full display, the rest of Kazuya's childhood passed relatively uneventfully, with Heihachi continuing to train his son every day. During the events of Tekken, Kazuya was able to win the first King of Iron Fist Tournament, defeating his father, and dropping him off a cliff as revenge.
Tekken 2 saw Kazuya's true nature exposed, and after entering a short and violent relationship with Jun Kazama, the devil within him tried to take over. This inner turmoil allowed Heihachi to return, beating him in the final of the 2nd tournament. Following his victory, Heihachi took Kazuya high up in a helicopter and dropped him into a volcano, seemingly killing him. However, Kazuya managed to pass the devil gene to his unborn son, Jin.
Kazuya and Jin's History
Immediately after Jin Kazama's birth, his mother Jun began a reclusive lifestyle for them in the mountains to hide from the wrath of Kazuya. After foreseeing an imminent danger in the form of Ogre, Jun explained Jin's origins and asked him to seek out his grandfather Heihachi in the event of her death. After Ogre killed his mother, Jin swore revenge and began training under his grandfather, becoming a master of Mishima-style karate. Upon winning the third King of Iron Fist Tournament during the climax of Tekken 3, he defeated Ogre, but was blindsided and shot in the head by Heihachi, who was once again serving his own selfish interests. This woke Jin's dormant devil gene, and he swore revenge once more.
Many years later, Kazuya would come face-to-face with his son for the first time during Tekken 4, in a lab where Heihachi had hoped to extract the devil gene from his grandson to further his own ambitions. Kazuya managed to subdue and control his devil within, but ultimately Jin unleashed his power to defeat his father and grandfather before once again flying off into the night.
Following his defeat, Kazuya became CEO of the mysterious G Corporation, and found himself once again in direct conflict with Jin after he seized control of Heihachi's company, the Mishima Zaibatsu. During Tekken 6, Jin began to suffer with his own internal power struggle, and declared war on the world - attacking corrupt governments and seeking to eradicate the devil gene by drawing out the demon Azazel. Kazuya's G Corporation was the only organization that stood any chance of defeating Jin's Mishima Zaibatsu, and so a full-scale war was declared.
This led to a battle that ended with Azazel's death and Jin's disappearance. Heihachi, who had been waiting in the shadows, seized the chance to take back control of his company. This did not end the war, however, with Kazuya and Heihachi continuing to relentlessly pursue each other throughout Tekken 7. This climaxed with an epic battle on an active volcano, and Kazuya gained the upper hand to kill his father by dropping him into the lava below. Jin, who had been discovered by his allies and nursed back to health, swore to take revenge on his father.
With Heihachi now removed from the equation, it would appear that the time has finally come for Jin and Kazuya to settle their score in Tekken 8. Perhaps the long-running Mishima feud could finally be drawing to a close in this next installment.
Tekken 8 is currently in development.