Heihachi Mishima
Encyclopedia
is one of the main characters in the Tekken
fighting game
series. He is one of only four characters (the others being Paul Phoenix, Nina Williams
and Yoshimitsu) to have appeared in every game in the series and he makes two appearances within the series as the final boss. He is also the only Tekken character aside from Yoshimitsu to be featured in the Soul
series (as a guest character in the PlayStation 2
version of Soulcalibur II.).
and Lars Alexandersson
, the adopted father of Lee Chaolan, and the grandfather of Jin Kazama
. He fights with Mishima Style Fighting Karate
and is the founder and the Commander of the Tekken Force Unit. He has hosted half of the King of the Iron Fist Tournaments with the second, fifth and sixth King of Iron Fist Tournaments being hosted by Kazuya, Jinpachi, and Jin respectively.
to defeat his son, and tossed Kazuya's body into a volcano to kill him.
Later (now 73), he created a military force called the Tekken Force. Fifteen years after the end of the second tournament, in Central Mexico ruins they discovered Ogre, a creature with bloodlust for strong fighters. Seeking to create the ultimate lifeform from the creature, Heihachi took in his grandson Jin Kazama, trained him, and four years later announced the third Iron Fist tournament
as bait. Ogre arrived and was defeated by Jin, only for Heihachi to in turn betray and attempt to kill him. Jin survived, transformed into devil, attacked Heihachi and flew away.
Afterwards, Heihachi attempted to combine his own DNA with that of Ogre, but discovered that he would need the Devil Gene as a catalyst, held by both his son and Jin. Unable to find Jin, Heihachi learned Kazuya had been resurrected
by G Corporation, a rival company. To lure both to him, he held the fourth King of Iron Fist Tournament
with his very company's ownership as the grand prize. After the Tekken Force captured Jin upon arrival, Heihachi defeats Kazuya. However, the two would be later defeated by Jin who escapes after sparing Heihachi's life.
Immediately after Jin's departure, an army of Jack-4s built and sent by G Corporation invaded Hon-Maru. Heihachi is seemingly killed in the attack, but survives in order to recover control of his company in Tekken 5
. He continues his role in Tekken 6
where Jin's has taken Mishima Zaibatsu's control.
Though unrelated to the story of the series, during the second trailer for Tekken Tag Tournament 2
, Heihachi appears to have regressed back his Tekken 2 appearance. Katsuhiro Harada commented on Heihachi's new voice actor for the game as former voice actor Daisuke Gōri
passed away in 2010.
. He appears on a monitor talking with Enrique Ortega, explaining that he has assigned the Tekken Force to help him. When Nina Williams
arrives, he recognizes her as the great assassin, and signs off leaving Enrique to fight her. The player can choose on the last stage on Nina mode, whether they want to fight against Heihachi or Anna Williams (in case Anna mode has been completed). Heihachi is one of the bonus characters available to play as or against in Anna Kournikova's Smash Court Tennis for the PlayStation
, alongside fellow Namco
characters, including Richard Miller (from Time Crisis
), Pac-Man
, Reiko Nagase and fellow Tekkenites Eddy Gordo
, and Yoshimitsu in his Tekken 3
incarnation. He also makes an appearance as a playable character in the PS2
version of Soulcalibur II. This is currently the only game in which he speaks English. Heihachi will also appear in the crossover game Street Fighter X Tekken
.
Heihachi also makes a guest appearance in the RPG Tales of the Abyss
as one of Anise's custom dolls. Heihachi also appears in Pac-Man Fever
, alongside Tiger Jackson, Astaroth from Soul Calibur, Reiko from Ridge Racer, and Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man. Heihachi appears in Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2
as an unlockable character. Heihachi also appears in Namco × Capcom as a playable character.
Heihachi appears in both the anime Tekken: The Motion Picture
, voiced by John Paul Shepard, and the 2010 film Tekken, Heihachi is portrayed by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
. In the former, he is the main villain, while in the latter, he is initially a villain but becomes a much more sympathetic character than in the games, as he is willing to give his life to save Jin from the Tekken Corp soldiers. Heihachi appears in the 2011 CGI Film Tekken: Blood Vengeance which is set between the events of Tekken 5 and Tekken 6. During the film, Heihachi once again confronts Jin, but is defeated.
, modeled after his younger appearance in Tekken. In it, he engages in an arm wrestling competition with protagonist Onizuka, shouting out controller inputs while the crowd shouts for him to "Do a combo!" Though Heihachi strains him for a moment, Onizuka defeats him, calling him "triangle head" as an insult. Heihachi cameos again in a later issue briefly, overseeing students as they clean graffiti from the school's walls.
users.
In 1996, Gamest magazine named Heihachi the fifteenth best character of the preceding year, and in December 1997 he placed fortieth on their list of the fifty best video game characters. Gaming Target
listed him as the best Tekken character, citing his strength despite his age. IGN
called him "...one grandpa you don't want to come across in the retirement home", citing his ruthlessness in their profile of him. GamePro in their preview of Soul Calibur II' s console ports called Heihachi's appearance in the series a landmark both as the second Tekken character to appear in the titles and as the first unarmed fighter in the series. GameDaily
named his hairstyle one of the weirdest in gaming, stating "Heihachi Mishima is a tough old bird, and he's got the wings to show for it." GameSpot
named him one of the top ten villains in video games at number three, describing him as one of the most interesting villains in fighting games and adding comments on his little changed design across the series. In PS2Planet's "Top 5 PSOne Villains", Heihachi was third with comments on him being the most realistic villain because of the themes the character touches. Edge
described him as "a legendary fighting game villain", and cited the impact of his supposed death in Tekken 5.
Both Kotaku
and Game Informer
have labelled him as one of the worst parents in video game history because of how he treats his relatives Kazuya and Jin. Computer and Video Games
also listed him as one of the angriest gaming characters as a result of his actions towards Kazuya made to eliminate his weakness. His younger appearance in Tekken Tag Tournament 2
resulted in surprising reactions by critics who mainly pointed his hair. In a GamesRadar
article by Michael Grimm, a fight between Heihachi and M. Bison
was written as one of the ones players wanted to see in Street Fighter X Tekken
because of their two similarities such as being their franchises' villains and other characteristics.
Tekken
is an arcade fighting game franchise created and developed by Namco. Beginning with the original Tekken arcade game released in 1994, the series has received several sequels, as well as various home conversions and spin-off titles released for consoles...
fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
series. He is one of only four characters (the others being Paul Phoenix, Nina Williams
Nina Williams
is a character from Namco's Tekken game series. She is known to be a cold-blooded assassin who had made her very first appearance in the original Tekken game and since has appeared in every Tekken game released...
and Yoshimitsu) to have appeared in every game in the series and he makes two appearances within the series as the final boss. He is also the only Tekken character aside from Yoshimitsu to be featured in the Soul
Soul (series)
The is a weapon-based historical fantasy fighting game series by Namco Bandai Games. The series revolves around a sword that, after years of bloodshed and hatred, gained a soul of its own, the Soul Edge, and the sword forged to counter it, Soul Calibur. The series is special in that each character...
series (as a guest character in the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
version of Soulcalibur II.).
Conception and creation
Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada has stated that Heihachi is his favorite character in the overall series and the character he most frequently selects when playing. He further described Heihachi as a "very human character", stating that while focus had been placed on his appearance he found the character's philosophy more interesting, and that in the series he was a "perfect portrayal of the evil that lurks in mens' hearts", an evil "far more hideous than any made-up monster or demon." Heihachi's fighting style is not based on any existing style, and was instead created by the series' development team.In video games
Heihachi is the son of Jinpachi Mishima, the father of Kazuya MishimaKazuya Mishima
is a fictional character in the Tekken fighting game series. Although originally appearing as the main protagonist in the original Tekken game, he becomes one of the series' leading villains from Tekken 2 onward, after being overtaken by the Devil Gene, where he is known as Devil Kazuya .-In the...
and Lars Alexandersson
Lars Alexandersson
is a video game character from the Tekken fighting game series developed by Namco Bandai. Introduced in Tekken 6 Bloodline Rebellion, Lars appears as a member from the Tekken Force military unit confronting the Mishima Zaibatsu that started a war...
, the adopted father of Lee Chaolan, and the grandfather of Jin Kazama
Jin Kazama
is a video game player character in the Tekken fighting game series released by Namco Bandai. Trained by his grandfather, Heihachi Mishima in order to enter the King of Iron Fist Tournament, Jin wishes to avenge his mother's apparent death...
. He fights with Mishima Style Fighting Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
and is the founder and the Commander of the Tekken Force Unit. He has hosted half of the King of the Iron Fist Tournaments with the second, fifth and sixth King of Iron Fist Tournaments being hosted by Kazuya, Jinpachi, and Jin respectively.
Tekken plot history
In an attempt to eliminate his son's "weakness", Heihachi tossed Kazuya, his then 5-year old son, down a deep ravine, claiming that if he were truly his son, he would be able to survive the fall and climb back up. To further motivate Kazuya, Heihachi adopted Chinese orphan Lee and raised him as a rival to his true son. After Kazuya had traveled abroad and became an undefeated champion, the 52-year-old Heihachi announced the King of Iron Fist Tournament in order to test him. Kazuya won the tournament, tossed Heihachi off the same cliff and assumed control of the Zaibatsu. Heihachi survived the event, and returned 2 years later in the second tournamentTekken 2
Tekken 2 is the second installment in the popular Tekken fighting game series. It was first released in arcades in 1995, and later released for the PlayStation in 1996...
to defeat his son, and tossed Kazuya's body into a volcano to kill him.
Later (now 73), he created a military force called the Tekken Force. Fifteen years after the end of the second tournament, in Central Mexico ruins they discovered Ogre, a creature with bloodlust for strong fighters. Seeking to create the ultimate lifeform from the creature, Heihachi took in his grandson Jin Kazama, trained him, and four years later announced the third Iron Fist tournament
Tekken 3
Tekken 3 is the third installment in the popular Tekken fighting game series. It was released for Arcades in March 1997, and for the PlayStation in mid-1998. The original Arcade version of the game was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 as part of Tekken 5s Arcade History mode...
as bait. Ogre arrived and was defeated by Jin, only for Heihachi to in turn betray and attempt to kill him. Jin survived, transformed into devil, attacked Heihachi and flew away.
Afterwards, Heihachi attempted to combine his own DNA with that of Ogre, but discovered that he would need the Devil Gene as a catalyst, held by both his son and Jin. Unable to find Jin, Heihachi learned Kazuya had been resurrected
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
by G Corporation, a rival company. To lure both to him, he held the fourth King of Iron Fist Tournament
Tekken 4
Tekken 4 is the fifth installment in the Tekken series. It was developed and published by Namco. It was released as an arcade game in 2001 and on the PlayStation 2 in 2002. It is succeeded by Tekken 5.- Gameplay :...
with his very company's ownership as the grand prize. After the Tekken Force captured Jin upon arrival, Heihachi defeats Kazuya. However, the two would be later defeated by Jin who escapes after sparing Heihachi's life.
Immediately after Jin's departure, an army of Jack-4s built and sent by G Corporation invaded Hon-Maru. Heihachi is seemingly killed in the attack, but survives in order to recover control of his company in Tekken 5
Tekken 5
is the sixth installment in the popular Tekken series. It also marks the tenth anniversary of the series. It was updated for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3 as Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection and succeeded by Tekken 6.- Story :...
. He continues his role in Tekken 6
Tekken 6
is a fighting game developed and published by Namco Bandai. It is the eighth game in the Tekken franchise. It was released in Japanese arcades on November 26, 2007 as the first game running on the PlayStation 3-based System 357 arcade board. The game received an update, subtitled Bloodline...
where Jin's has taken Mishima Zaibatsu's control.
Though unrelated to the story of the series, during the second trailer for Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
is a fighting game in the Tekken series and the successor to 1999's Tekken Tag Tournament. The game was released in Japanese arcades on September 14, 2011 and will be released on the PlayStation 3 sometime in 2012...
, Heihachi appears to have regressed back his Tekken 2 appearance. Katsuhiro Harada commented on Heihachi's new voice actor for the game as former voice actor Daisuke Gōri
Daisuke Gori
was a Japanese voice actor, narrator and actor from Kōtō, Tokyo. Throughout his life, he was attached to TV Talent Center Tokyo, Yoshizawa Theatre School and then Mausu Promotion; he was attached to Aoni Production at the time of his death. His real name, as well as his former stage name, was...
passed away in 2010.
Other appearances
Heihachi makes a very brief appearance on the Tekken spin-off game, Death by DegreesDeath by Degrees
Death by Degrees is an action-adventure video game, developed by Namco. It is initially a spin-off from the Tekken series of fighting games...
. He appears on a monitor talking with Enrique Ortega, explaining that he has assigned the Tekken Force to help him. When Nina Williams
Nina Williams
is a character from Namco's Tekken game series. She is known to be a cold-blooded assassin who had made her very first appearance in the original Tekken game and since has appeared in every Tekken game released...
arrives, he recognizes her as the great assassin, and signs off leaving Enrique to fight her. The player can choose on the last stage on Nina mode, whether they want to fight against Heihachi or Anna Williams (in case Anna mode has been completed). Heihachi is one of the bonus characters available to play as or against in Anna Kournikova's Smash Court Tennis for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, alongside fellow Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
characters, including Richard Miller (from Time Crisis
Time Crisis
Time Crisis is a light gun shooter arcade game produced by Namco in 1995 and released in early 1996. It was later ported for the PlayStation in 1997, bundled with the G-Con 45 controller.-Gameplay:...
), Pac-Man
Pac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
, Reiko Nagase and fellow Tekkenites Eddy Gordo
Eddy Gordo
is an Afro-Brazilian video game character in the Tekken fighting game series by Namco. He made his debut in the arcade version of Tekken 3 in 1997 and his first console appearance was in the 1998 PlayStation port of the title...
, and Yoshimitsu in his Tekken 3
Tekken 3
Tekken 3 is the third installment in the popular Tekken fighting game series. It was released for Arcades in March 1997, and for the PlayStation in mid-1998. The original Arcade version of the game was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 as part of Tekken 5s Arcade History mode...
incarnation. He also makes an appearance as a playable character in the PS2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
version of Soulcalibur II. This is currently the only game in which he speaks English. Heihachi will also appear in the crossover game Street Fighter X Tekken
Street Fighter X Tekken
is an upcoming crossover fighting game being developed by Capcom. The game was announced at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International by Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono. The game is set to release on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation Vita sometime in March 2012. The game...
.
Heihachi also makes a guest appearance in the RPG Tales of the Abyss
Tales of the Abyss
is a console role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco in Japan and Namco Bandai Games in North America. Tales of the Abyss's characteristic genre name is The Meaning Of Birth RPG . It is the eighth mothership title in the Tales series, and was released for the...
as one of Anise's custom dolls. Heihachi also appears in Pac-Man Fever
Pac-Man Fever (video game)
Pac-Man Fever is a party video game released for Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 in 2002 . Like in many party video games, players move about on a virtual game board, with the object of the game being to reach the end first...
, alongside Tiger Jackson, Astaroth from Soul Calibur, Reiko from Ridge Racer, and Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man. Heihachi appears in Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2
Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2
Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 is a tennis game created by Namco for the PlayStation 2.-Game modes:The game features many playable modes including Arcade mode and the in depth Pro Tour mode in which you create a player and try to become a tennis champion. Other modes include Exhibition,...
as an unlockable character. Heihachi also appears in Namco × Capcom as a playable character.
Heihachi appears in both the anime Tekken: The Motion Picture
Tekken: The Motion Picture
is a Japanese animated adaptation of the Tekken video games by Namco produced in by ASCII Corporation and Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Originally released in Japan as a two-episode OVA, an English adaptation was produced by ADV Films, which edited both episodes into a single hour-long film and...
, voiced by John Paul Shepard, and the 2010 film Tekken, Heihachi is portrayed by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
is a Japanese-American actor.In addition to his extensive film work, he has appeared on television in Star Trek: The Next Generation - "Encounter at Farpoint" , Thunder in Paradise , Nash Bridges , Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding , and Heroes . He also provided the voice of Sin Tzu for the video game...
. In the former, he is the main villain, while in the latter, he is initially a villain but becomes a much more sympathetic character than in the games, as he is willing to give his life to save Jin from the Tekken Corp soldiers. Heihachi appears in the 2011 CGI Film Tekken: Blood Vengeance which is set between the events of Tekken 5 and Tekken 6. During the film, Heihachi once again confronts Jin, but is defeated.
In other media
Tohru Fujisawa featured Heihachi as a cameo in his manga Great Teacher OnizukaGreat Teacher Onizuka
, officially abbreviated as GTO, is a Japanese shōnen manga written and illustrated by Tohru Fujisawa. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from May 1997 to April 2002. The story focuses on 22-year-old ex-bōsōzoku member Eikichi Onizuka, who becomes a teacher at a private high...
, modeled after his younger appearance in Tekken. In it, he engages in an arm wrestling competition with protagonist Onizuka, shouting out controller inputs while the crowd shouts for him to "Do a combo!" Though Heihachi strains him for a moment, Onizuka defeats him, calling him "triangle head" as an insult. Heihachi cameos again in a later issue briefly, overseeing students as they clean graffiti from the school's walls.
Promotion and reception
In 2006, Namco released a Heihachi figurine as part of a Tekken 5 set based upon his promotional artwork for the game. While not posable, the PVC figure came with equipable clothing items modeled after those in the game. A "statue" of Heihachi modeled after his Tekken 5 attire also appears in the Namco-themed lounge available for Japanese PlayStation HomePlayStation Home
PlayStation Home is a virtual 3D social gaming network developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's London Studio for the PlayStation 3 on the PlayStation Network . It is available directly from the PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar under PlayStation Network. Membership is free, and only requires a PSN...
users.
In 1996, Gamest magazine named Heihachi the fifteenth best character of the preceding year, and in December 1997 he placed fortieth on their list of the fifty best video game characters. Gaming Target
Gaming Target
Gaming Target is a website covering video games and gaming culture that was founded on February 17, 1999 by Matt Swider.-History:When it launched in 1999, Gaming Target focused solely on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color...
listed him as the best Tekken character, citing his strength despite his age. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
called him "...one grandpa you don't want to come across in the retirement home", citing his ruthlessness in their profile of him. GamePro in their preview of Soul Calibur II
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
named his hairstyle one of the weirdest in gaming, stating "Heihachi Mishima is a tough old bird, and he's got the wings to show for it." GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
named him one of the top ten villains in video games at number three, describing him as one of the most interesting villains in fighting games and adding comments on his little changed design across the series. In PS2Planet's "Top 5 PSOne Villains", Heihachi was third with comments on him being the most realistic villain because of the themes the character touches. Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
described him as "a legendary fighting game villain", and cited the impact of his supposed death in Tekken 5.
Both Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
and Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
have labelled him as one of the worst parents in video game history because of how he treats his relatives Kazuya and Jin. Computer and Video Games
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
also listed him as one of the angriest gaming characters as a result of his actions towards Kazuya made to eliminate his weakness. His younger appearance in Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
is a fighting game in the Tekken series and the successor to 1999's Tekken Tag Tournament. The game was released in Japanese arcades on September 14, 2011 and will be released on the PlayStation 3 sometime in 2012...
resulted in surprising reactions by critics who mainly pointed his hair. In a GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
article by Michael Grimm, a fight between Heihachi and M. Bison
M. Bison
M. Bison, known in Japan as Vega, is a video game character created by Capcom. First introduced in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, he is a recurring character in the Street Fighter series of fighting games, acting as the final boss and primary antagonist of the Street Fighter II and Street...
was written as one of the ones players wanted to see in Street Fighter X Tekken
Street Fighter X Tekken
is an upcoming crossover fighting game being developed by Capcom. The game was announced at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International by Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono. The game is set to release on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation Vita sometime in March 2012. The game...
because of their two similarities such as being their franchises' villains and other characteristics.