Highlights
- The Tekken series has some genuinely heartbreaking and dark moments, including characters being thrown into volcanoes and tragic backstories.
- Kazuya's ending in Tekken 4 is beautifully morbid, as he absorbs Jin's power to resurrect himself with manic laughter.
- Gigas sacrifices himself to save his adoptive daughter, Katarina, in an emotional ending that leaves his fate ambiguous.
The Tekken series may have some comical and cartoon-like elements to its storytelling, but that is masterfully balanced out by its genuinely compelling narrative and straight-faced telling of events brewing out of control during every King of Iron Fist Tournament. Naturally, there have been some dark moments.
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That is to say, there are endings that go beyond just one fighter killing another. In actuality, there are some genuinely heartbreaking and nasty turns of events that have occurred throughout the series, which include throwing people into volcanoes, tragic backstories, heartbreaking losses, and the end of the world. These are bound to leave their mark on any lover of the series.
10 Heihachi’s Revenge – Tekken 2
Heihachi has never been Father of the Year material, considering he threw his son, Kazuya, off a cliff when he was a kid. Even when he grew up and did the same to him, he just came back for revenge. And, in Tekken 2, he decides to take it one hefty step further.
Instead of simply dumping him off a cliff, Heihachi goes one step further and drops his not-so-beloved offspring in a volcano to be burnt to a crisp. Even with the dated visuals and animations, it is no doubt a dark ending, and what would seem like a gruesome demise for Kazuya.
9 Kazuya Regains His Powers – Tekken 4
It’s not a new concept in the series for Kazuya to have an ending where he regains his previously-lost Devil powers. But there’s just something beautifully morbid about his ending in Tekken 4 that really stands out from the others.
Kazuya is brought by Heihachi to a tied-up Jin. Devil reveals he is part of Kazuya, and will absorb the remaining power from Jin to resurrect himself. How he tosses a shocked Heihachi and absorbs Jin’s aura with manic laughter afterward is so morbid and awesome. According to the post-ending text, “the Mishima Zaibatsu compound and the area surrounding it vanished without a trace.”
8 Gigas Sacrifices Himself To Save Katarina – Tekken 7
Experimented extensively by G Corporation, Gigas is a hulking bioweapon that is an utter powerhouse and has an imposing and memorable design on top of that as well. But whoever said he doesn’t have a heart?
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Lore-wise, he’s the adoptive father of Katarina. In her ending, they finally come face-to-face, only for her to be injured by a gun-toting G Corporation soldier. Gigas charges at the soldier, sending them both falling off the edge as his daughter looks on. His fate is left ambiguous as a result, and to see him reunite with his estranged daughter and retain a bit of humanity by sacrificing himself for her sake is a hard-hitter.
7 Combot Crumbles – Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
- Platform(s)
- Arcade , PS3 , Nintendo Wii U , Xbox 360
- Released
- September 11, 2012
- Developer(s)
- Namco Bandai
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
Combot’s ending in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is a sad one. In a pencil-sketched ending (which is a nice contrast compared to using technology to animate a 3D cutscene, giving it a more ‘human’ touch), Combot is seen walking around a city and is stunned by the sight of cars being crushed. Shortly after that, he falls apart, and his creator, Violet, mournfully holds his broken remains.
What made him fall to pieces? Was it from pure shock? Did he realize that nothing is forever, especially beings made of metal? It’s all ambiguous, but Namco tastefully handled the ending to really invoke emotion in players.
6 Wang Perishes – Tekken 6
Wang Jinrei is a very old dude, pushing way past 100 years of age to end the Mishima bloodline and save the world from its ongoing global conflict by participating in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6. In his ending, he defeats the ancient demon Azazel, who tries to go for one last sneak attack. However, he counters it and utterly destroys him with a final elbow strike.
After this, however, Wang collapses and dies, finally realizing his time is up. No sad music, no one holding his body, etc. He accepts that his time has come, and simply falls to the ground, saying how he’ll be seeing his fallen friend, Jinpachi, again. An honorable, but melancholic, end.
5 Baek’s Flashback – Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Baek got himself a bit of character development with his ending, in the form of a shocking and upsetting flashback. When reflecting on his thoughts, he thinks back to practicing martial arts with his father as a child. However, a powerful strike from him accidentally kills his dad. Unable to handle the ongoing guilt, he breaks down in tears
His student, Hwoarang, thinks he’s mad for being late. Unsurprisingly, Baek maintains his strict demeanor and harshly punishes the tardy fighter while standing near a sign labeled “Indomitable Spirit”. It’s a nice touch, likely a reminder to remain strong, despite his haunting past that he has never accepted or come to grips with.
4 Jack-2 Gets Deactivated – Tekken 2
Everything seemed like it was going well for Jack-2, who is seen on an island with a young girl. Pretty music plays while this lumbering war machine delicately watches over the child like a guardian. However, a satellite blasts a laser from orbit, vaporizing his back. While Jack-2 slumps with a massive hole in his back, the girl remains oblivious, chasing a butterfly.
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To see him deactivated in such a brutish manner always was a tear-jerker of an ending. Even the song ends with a melancholic outro, and is officially named on the soundtrack release “...Why?” Countless players needed a hankie after this…
3 Wang Defeats Jinpachi – Tekken 5
Wang’s ending is quite special compared to the others in Tekken 5. Before the boss battle, he is hesitant to battle his old friend, especially since he thought he was dead for the past three decades. After the fight, Jinpachi is apologetic as his friend holds his body, and, with one last goodbye, crumbles into sand.
A distraught Wang cries out for his friend, not content with saving the world, but instead greatly saddened by what he calls “the curse of the Mishima bloodline.” Standing up, he vows that his time is not yet over. To see Wang’s long-lost friend turn out to be the main villain and perish at his hands is enough to tear even the strongest martial arts fighter down emotionally.
2 True Ogre / Ancient Ogre Destroys Cities – Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Both True Ogre and Ancient Ogre made their return in Tekken Tag Tournament 2, and their endings, despite appearing vastly different from one another, have the same premise. They unleash their fury on the world and destroy entire cities.
True Ogre’s ending is from the perspective of a survivor’s camera, whereby he engulfs it in flames – just like the rest of the ruined city around them. Meanwhile, Ancient Ogre’s conclusion is told via a unique and unsettling animation, whereby clones of him are summoned to march through cities and raze them. It’s enough to send chills down spines.
1 Jinpachi Wins – Tekken 5
Despite being the big bad guy in Tekken 5, Jinpach is mournful to know that he cannot be stopped (that is, if the player gets a game over in the arcade mode after losing against him), and sheds a single red tear. After that, he begins to scream and transform before bolting into the sky.
The scariest aspect is the message that appears afterward: “Jinpachi's mind is consumed by the devil,” and that “the world will never be the same.” So, the planet is doomed and not even he can stop himself. It’s easily the darkest ending in the series, as a victory for Jinpachi is a loss for all of mankind.