Potential Tekken Storylines After The Mishima Saga

Highlights

Tekken could introduce a new human villain to continue the storyline, potentially a rival to Kazuya and Jin.
A new Tekken game could feature new monster bosses, adding a new challenge and serving as a plot device.
The Archers of Sirius, led by Claudio, could become the main villains, offering a new story direction and organization to target.

With Heihachi gone, Tekken 8 aims to end the Mishima family feud with Kazuya and Jin’s last, decisive battle against each other. While other fighting games, like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, have had multiple arcs, Tekken has revolved around the Mishima Family drama since the original 1994 arcade game.

Mishima Family- Heihachi Kazuya Jin Reina

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It’s hard to imagine where else Tekken will go lore-wise. Plus, unless T8 gets some story DLC, its story mode won't get followed up on for a good while. But here are some ideas for where Tekken can go after the Mishima Saga, ranked from most likely to its wildest cards.

The list is spoiler-free, though readers may want to avoid reading the list until they finish the story mode, just in case they don't want any hints.

1 Here Comes A New Challenger!

A New Villain Arrives On The Scene

Pros: It's the simplest, most straightforward option, offering the least fuss and muss, and has worked for other fighting games.
Cons: Without due care or attention, the character could feel like a retread of prior villains.

Chances are that a hypothetical Tekken 9 will keep it simple and just introduce a new, human villain who has their own ambitions, like making their own company from the Mishima Zaibatsu and G-Corporation's ashes. Or seeking vengeance against Jin, Kazuya, or any other key character. The story mode's post-credits scene teases this, but there's no telling what their role may be in the future.

They could end up being challenged by a new, more ruthless character, giving them a new rival to deal with. They could even be one of Heihachi's other illegitimate children as, according to the series' head Katsuhiro Harada, he had at least sixteen more after Lars and Reina. But this could end up feeling like a side-chapter to the Mishima Saga. If the series wanted to move on entirely, its villain would have to be someone similarly dark, but with a different plot and background, like JP in Street Fighter 6, or King of Fighters' different tournament organizers.

2 A New Demon Approaches

The Cast Take On A New Horror

A sketched scene of Ancient Ogre standing by clones of himself

Pros: Monster bosses can provide a new challenge, and work as a good MacGuffin for the game's plot.
Cons: Tekken's monster bosses don't tend to show much character, nor last beyond their debut game.

Though, like KOF, Tekken hasn’t shied away from the supernatural. It doesn’t need a Devil Gene to bring in devils, as the series has included literal demons like Azazel, possessed women like Unknown, and eldritch beings from beyond the cosmos like Ogre. It even had a literal angel, whose story wasn't explained clearly. Her return could solve that last conundrum.

Otherwise, there’s no shortage of different mythologies, folklore, and fiction to derive new malevolent monstrosities from either, and the clash between Jin and Kazuya would be strong enough to shake them awake. They could also be the MacGuffin for any new human villain who steps onto the scene like Ogre was in Tekken 3. Either way, they’d make an impression. Especially if they were as painful to fight as Azazel or Jinpachi.

3 The Archers Of Sirius Go Rogue

Claudio's Clan Does A Heel Turn

Pros: They would give the series a new main villain and an organization to target, complete with a new story direction.
Cons: Claudio is a relatively new character who might not click as a villain like the Mishimas did.

Led by Claudio, the Archers of Sirius are a secret order of exorcists who have been operating in the shadows for centuries. They take out their demonically-infused foes with bows and arrows formed from Sirius-style sorcery. Though they have some scruples, like refusing to work with the Mishima Zaibatsu, they’re not angels.

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Claudio isn’t above using dirty-handed tactics to achieve justifiable ends. For example, he joined forces with Xiaoyu just to use her as bait to lure Devil Jin out of hiding. Even if the Devil Gene gets eliminated, Claudio and his team likely won’t be done scheming. Especially with some rivals hiding out in the background too.

4 The Hachijō Family Appears

The Mother's Side Of The Family Makes Itself Known

Pros: It builds on the old lore while giving it a new direction, and has the potential to provide new, interesting characters.
Cons: It's still technically more of the Mishima Saga with more of the Devil Gene. So, it could feel old-hat.

Kazumi Mishima’s side of the family was revealed to be the progenitors of the Devil Gene in Tekken 7. It had run through the Hachijō Clan for thousands of years, leading them to use the power to keep order as a clan of assassins. Whoever seemed like a threat to the world would be disposed of, and Heihachi was a particularly powerful threat. So, they sent in Kazumi to stop him, though she was ultimately unsuccessful.

Her love for Heihachi arguably made things worse by producing Kazuya. It seems odd that the rest of the Clan didn’t pop up for Kazuya and Jin’s rise and fall. Unless they were in the background waiting to strike at the right time. Still, unless they have other targets in mind, like the Archers of Sirius, who would also be interested in their Devil Genes, they may be too connected to the Mishimas to feel like a fresh start.

5 Get Ready For The Next Tag Battle

Make Tekken Tag Tournament 3

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Choose Your Character Screen

Pros: Everyone from the previous games could return, and the tag gameplay would switch things up from T7 and T8.
Cons: The game might not earn as much as the canon titles, and its gameplay may need to be altered if it was being made.

Then again, maybe Bandai Namco will put the lore on hold and let the newbies partner up with the oldies in Tekken Tag Tournament 3. The first game was the jewel in the PS2’s launch library, and TTT2 was underrated when it came to its stellar presentation and soundtrack. That’s not to mention it brought (nearly) everyone from the prior games back, with even more made available via its free updates.

However, that $0 price tag was likely because the game was stung by Street Fighter X Tekken’s on-disc DLC controversy. Without that, they likely would’ve been sold instead of handed out. The tricky gameplay wasn’t to everyone’s tastes either, leading to TTT2 becoming the lowest-selling entry in the series since the original PS1 Tekken. Between that and SFXT, Bandai Namco may be all tagged out.

6 Tekken X Street Fighter Finally Happens

Bandai Namco's Long-Awaited Crossover Gets Completed At Last

New Tekken Stories- Tekken X Street Fighter

Pros: It's a fresher idea than a tag game, and Street Fighter 6's popularity could make it a hotter property than back in the early 2010s.
Cons: It would likely have to be remade from scratch, and the SF cast would require strict rebalancing and tweaking to fit in.

That’s also why this long-awaited project has been put on hold. Bandai Namco still claims Tekken X Street Fighter was not canceled and was worked upon significantly until it was put on hiatus. But it’s been in mothballs for over a decade now. It’s likely that, if it was seriously being prepared for release, the developers would have to start from scratch.

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That said, with SFXT in the past, and Street Fighter 6 bringing Capcom’s fighter back in style, reviving TXSF isn’t the craziest idea in the world. They could even include SF6’s popular newbies like Manon and Marisa, or Luke and Jamie as preset teams. Though Bandai Namco would also need to sort out the 2D jumping, among other features, to keep the cast balanced. Otherwise, the SF cast could run riot over the rest like Akuma did in T7.

7 Moving To A New Generation

Create A Fresh Roster With New Characters

Iconic Tekken Moments- T3 Jin Eddy Hwoarang Nina Xiaoyu

Pros: It gives players a fresh cast with new stories, and worked previously for Tekken 3.
Cons: It only really worked for Tekken 3, and could alienate older fans.

Even if Bandai Namco does move to TTT3, TXSF, or other potential crossovers and mixups, they’ll eventually have to come up with a new Tekken project. They could make a new storyline with the old cast, though with the Mishima Saga over, it would be tempting for them to wipe the slate clean and produce a new generation of fighters to tell a new story. The series had technically done it before, as T3 replaced most of Tekken 2’s cast with new characters.

This soft reboot worked out better than Art of Fighting 3, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, and Street Fighter 3's attempts. Yet Bandai Namco tried to do something similar for its premier weapons fighter in SoulCalibur 5, and it wasn’t received too well. If the developers aren’t careful, a "Tekken: New Generation" might not last long enough to get a Third Strike.

8 Everything Gets Rebooted

Head Back To The Drawing Board And Start Again

Pros: It can tell fresh stories with the classic cast.
Cons: It's not a popular idea with fans, nor series' head Katsuhiro Harada.

So, how could Bandai Namco tell a new story from scratch without replacing anyone despite their old stories running their course? Give it a reboot! Head back to the past and retell the events with a few details changed. Maybe Heihachi could be the good one mentoring a fighter strong enough to take down his malevolent son. Or Kazuya could be the good guy for a change.

Anything could be switched up or altered. It’s worked for Mortal Kombat twice now. However, in response to a question about remaking or rebooting Tekken on Twitter, series’ face Katsuhiro Harada said he’d rather move the series into the future than tread old ground. It would take someone higher up in Bandai Namco and more devoted to the reboot idea to put it through. So, it would be easier for T9 to be a full sequel than to change everything so drastically.