Heihachi Mishima

Heihachi Mishima
Tekken character
Heihachi Mishima in Tekken 7 (2015)
First gameTekken (1994)
Created byHajime Nakatani
Designed byAya Takemura
Takuji Kawano (Tekken 4–Tekken 5, Soulcalibur II)
Voiced by
English
Japanese
Portrayed byCary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Motion captureSyuichi Masuda, Kouji Kawamoto (Blood Vengeance)
In-universe information
Fighting styleMishima-ryu Karate (based on Goju-ryu karate)
OriginJapan
NationalityStateless (Citizenship revoked by Japan)[10]

Heihachi Mishima (Japanese: 三島 平八, Hepburn: Mishima Heihachi) is a character in Tekken fighting game series created by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco), serving as one of its main antagonists. Introduced as the boss character from the first Tekken video game from 1994, Heihachi appears as the CEO/leader of a military firm known as the Mishima Zaibatsu founded by his father Jinpachi Mishima. Heihachi was the protagonist of Tekken 2 and one of the two main characters of Tekken 7 along with his son Kazuya Mishima, furthermore Heihachi was a boss character in two additional main installments of the series.

He is opposed by many of his relatives who wish for his death out of revenge and to take over the Mishima Zaibatsu. This happens across the series and one of the creators of Tekken Katsuhiro Harada has called it a "family feud". Heihachi wants to defeat his son and grandson, Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama respectively. Heihachi's backstory and motives are revealed in Tekken 7, in which he is killed by Kazuya and thus does not initially appear in Tekken 8. Heihachi returns in 8 as post launch DLC, having been resurrected as part of the series' anniversary.[11] Heihachi has two known illegitimate children who are playable in the series, the first is the hero Lars Alexandersson, who debuted in Tekken 6; and the second is Reina, who was introduced in Tekken 8, uses some of his moves and has a similar personality, and is later revealed to be also a Devil Gene user as both Kazuya and Jin.[12]

Outside of Tekken spin-off titles, Heihachi also appears as a playable character in other games such as Namco x Capcom, Soulcalibur II, The King of Fighters All Star, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Street Fighter X Tekken, Project X Zone and its sequel Project X Zone 2. He is also featured in the printed, animated and live-action adaptations of the Tekken series. In contrast to the main Tekken installments, Heihachi also appeared in many games with a younger appearance especially in Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

Harada referred to Heihachi as one of his most favorite characters from the series. Critical reception to Heihachi has been positive with journalists praising his moves and characterization. However, critics made fun of his design and expressed a lack of interest in his role in Tekken 7, where he is one of the most important characters in the game.

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  3. ^ "【ワーナー公式】映画（ブルーレイ, DVD & 4K UHD/デジタル配信）｜ＴＥＫＫＥＮ -鉄拳-". warnerbros.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  4. ^ "鉄拳 Kazuya's Revenge". sonypictures.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 31 May 2023.
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  6. ^ "Daisuke Gori (visual voices guide) - Behind The Voice Actors". behindthevoiceactors.com. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  7. ^ "ヤング平八の声優さんは"石塚運昇さん"です！". Archived from the original on 14 September 2017.
  8. ^ "Unsho Ishizuka (visual voices guide) - Behind The Voice Actors". behindthevoiceactors.com. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources.
  9. ^ @NetflixJP_Anime (18 July 2022). "『Tekken: Bloodline』 8月18日より全世界独占配信決定🎉 更に、本予告映像と日本語吹替キャストも解禁！ 豪華キャストは… ◆風間 仁／#千葉一伸 さん ◆風間 準／#能登麻美子 さん ◆三島 平八／#楠大典 さん ◆三島 一八／#篠原まさのり さん ◆ファラン／#森川智之 さん #ネトフリアニメ (続)☟" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 July 2022 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "Tekken 7 - the Best Fights Are Personal". Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^ "Tekken 8 Interview: Why Harada Lied to Us and How Heihachi Found His Way Back to Tekken 8". IGN. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  12. ^ @Harada_TEKKEN (16 January 2011). "about 18~25 (all over the world) or more. I confirm 9. RT @FantasticBros Does Heihachi have any other illegitimate children?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.