History Characters / Tekken1

* ButtMonkey: If his constant failures in running his dojo and Chinese restaurant aren't sad enough, his son getting into a reckless motor accident practically buried him in a bottomless hole of debt.

* BewareTheSillyOnes: He hops around in his sword like a pogo stick or uses both as stilts and can spin until he makes himself dizzy enough to collapse. He likes striking kabuki poses while bellowing about justice and honor. And he's kicked ass in every single game in the series to date.

* DifficultySpike: [[Invoked]]. The series' producers note that this was the intention behind his revamped moves in ''6''. Apparently, he's now an "Expert-level character" to master.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:As "Violet"]][[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/violet_t7fr.jpg]][[/labelnote]]]]

* WorfEffect: In the early games, mainly Tekkens 1 through 3, he was a threatening presence often placing high in the various King of Iron Fist Tournaments and can even go toe to toe with Kazuya. However as the games go on, he becomes less and less of a contender, he even has a difficult time defeating Kuma II at this point.

* AmbiguouslyHuman: He's never seen outside of his armor, and his appearance gets more and more freaky as the series goes on, looking everything from insectoid to robotic to like he's half octopus. Namco and ''Tekken''[='=]s creators have never clarified why he looks the way he does in-universe and whether we should take the freakiness at face-value.

->'''Fighting Style:''' ''"Martial Arts" (seemingly based on [[BruceLeeClone Jeet Kune Do]])''

->'''Fighting Style:''' ''"[[RobotSoldier Power Fight]]"''

->In Tekken 7, Jack-7 is a simple character with long arm reach which lends himself to keep-away playstyle. He has some of the best low pokes, frame traps and command throws to break down defensive opponent. However, he has poor sidestep for evasion and lacking in panic moves.

* NiceGuy: It's [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] due to his flamboyance and arrogance but Lee is a genuinely friendly man and probably the nicest Mishima next to Jinpachi and Lars.

** Notably, her endings with Steve in ''4'', where she finds that she can't kill her own son and actually thanks him for allowing her getaway. This is [[SugarAndIcePersonality a rare show of kindness for the icy and aloof]] Nina and makes you wonder about the kind of woman Nina would turn out to be if her life wasn't plagued by the death of her father, an intense sibling rivalry, losing her memory, and being [[MindControl manipulated]] by Ogre.
** If playing as her in Scenario Campaign, she warns Christie before her boss fight that going after Eddy will get herself hurt.
** In both Lars' storyline in ''6'' as well as ''7'''s opening, she recognizes with some sympathy the lengths Jin had to go through, including starting a World War, to save the world from Azazel.

* ProfessionalKiller: Mostly played straight, although [[HitmanWithAHeart she's unable to kill Steve despite allegedly feeling nothing for him.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Anna's red. This is even reflected in their clothing, with Nina wearing deep blue or purple while Anna usually wears red.

* SpyCatsuit: Her 2P outfit in ''Tekken 4'' suggests this. It's also used as her costume during Tekken 7's Story Mode.
* SupermodelStrut: One of her [[VictoryPose win poses]] starting from ''Tekken 3'' has her doing a brief provocative strut, complete with swaying hips and a hand on her waist, before stopping and doing her trademark NoblewomansLaugh. Some games (such as ''5'') also give a MaleGaze shot of her rocking hips as she's walking.

* ThatThingIsNotMyChild: In Steve's ending in ''7'', [[LukeYouAreMyFather when he finally learns Nina was essentially his mother]], Nina rejects it. Whether or not she meant it or did it to push him away to not paint a target on his back is up in the air.

* TookALevelInJerkass: While she still had a rivalry with Anna, she never did any more than pull pranks on her. There were times when she could be civil with Anna, as shown by her ''Tekken 2'' ending. Since she lost her memories, Nina went from merely pulling pranks on Anna to physically assaulting and even attempting to kill her.
* {{Tomboy}}: To Anna's [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Girly Girl,]] though that isn't saying much. In comparison to Anna's more provocative outfits, Nina's costumes are often tied together with some elements of combat gear; even the wedding dress she wears in ''7'' notably has a holster for her pistol hidden away. She's also more reserved and no-nonsense in her temperament, whereas Anna often exudes a seductive and more outwardly girly aura.
* TomboyishPonytail: A staple hairdo of hers. Her default hairstyle was changed in ''7'', though the ponytail is still available in customization.

* TykeBomb: She was trained to be an assassin since she was a child. She fits this more than Anna despite the latter having the same upbringing. While Anna is also an assassin, she still has a personal life and has far better social skills. Nina's job as an assassin is her entire lifestyle.

* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother: Even if she's chronologically 42, the fact of the matter is that Steve Fox, who doesn't look that different from her at her biological age, is her son. [[spoiler: In ''Tekken 7'', she claims that she's not actually Steve's mother in the usual sense: he was a DesignerBaby grown in a UterineReplicator as part of a failed SuperSoldier experiment. Her genetics were used in the experiment. [[UnreliableNarrator But that's only if she's telling the truth]].]]

* AmnesiacDissonance: In ''3''.

** In the live-action film their rivalry is completely omitted and they both serve as assassins [[TwinThreesomeFantasy and lovers]] to Kazuya.

* CatFight: With Anna. Happens ''a lot''. The best example would be in her ending from ''Tekken 6'', where the two fight in the ladies' restroom after preparing for a formal event, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw6XUkHHmQ8 wrecking the entire room in the process.]] Nina wins, and [[FaceDoodling draws on Anna's face with lipstick for added measure]]. However, Anna's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q129VAuEjj0 ending]] in the same game has the two on good terms for a change, with the two playing a well-mannered game of pool before teaming up [[BarBrawl to beat the ever-loving crap out of some thugs]]. Nina even compliments Anna with a "wow".

** In the earlier installments, Nina was far more emotional and aggressive. After being cryogenically frozen and briefly losing her memories, she becomes far more aloof.
** In ''4'' it's clear that she cares about Steve since she decides to not kill him after she learns Steve is her son, and even saves him from other assassins in his own ending, but in any game afterwards, whenever they meet Nina wants nothing to do with him, with her prologue from ''5'' even saying she felt nothing when learning he's her son, and ''7'' eventually having her disown him once he confronts her and she reveals how they're related.

* ContinuitySnarl: Her Japanese Tekken 3 profile says that she and Anna were forcefully put in cryo-sleep for 15 years until Ogre being unearthed released his evil spirit and woke them up, whereas Anna's says that they willingly participated in it for 19 years until they were woken up by Ogre but not during the initial excavation that freed him. Furthermore, Nina's own profile says she's 22, even though she was 22 when put in cryo-sleep, woke up 15 years later, and the third tournament only happened four years later, [[WritersCannotDoMath so she should be 26]].

* CorruptedCharacterCopy: Of Sarah Bryant from ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter''. Like Sarah, Nina is an attractive blonde who wears a form-fitting outfit, is sent to assassinate a certain fighter at a tournament, and at one point loses her memory. The difference is that while Sarah was brainwashed into trying to assassinate Jack, Nina is an assassin of her own volition.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Her new design in ''8''. Nina has completely ditched her skintight assassin outfits and applicable disguises for her line of work. She keeps her iconic biker jacket from ''Blood Vengeance'', but now wears it over her dress from ''Death By Degrees'' as well as donning a pair of sunglasses. In conjunction with her new hairstyle, this gives her a more mature, professional look that is more indicative of just how much of a veteran killer she is.

* TheDragon: Starting from ''6'', she has become this to whoever is in charge of the Mishima Zaibatsu. In ''8'', she becomes this to G-Corp instead.

* GorgeousGaijin: She's Irish, although [[NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent she doesn't sound like it]], and wears some pretty form-fitting outfits.

* HeadTurningBeauty: It is pretty much one of her only redeeming qualities, along with her combat ability and level-headedness. In her spin-off game, Nina's beauty was front and center in the game's packaging and advertising. One of the game's main villains notes as he lies dying that his view of her form as she walks away is a decent sight to die to.

* InJoke: Promotional materials describe her as an expert in the martial art of Koppo. In real life, Koppo was popularized by master Masashi Horibe, who was famously vocal in that women should be kept away from the art because (allegedly) it was too brutal for them.

* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: While she fills in Steve when they come blow-to-blow in ''7'', she immediately disowns Steve as her son afterwards.
* KickingAssInAllHerFinery: Her ''Tekken 7: Fated Retribution'' outfit is something like a torn wedding dress[[spoiler: (Anna's torn wedding dress specifically)]].
* KickTheDog: Her ending in the first ''Tag Tournament'' has her pretend to make a truce with Anna in the middle of yet another argument, and then put her sister in a painful armlock when she tries to accept. Anna's ending doubles the jerkassery by switching their roles, except that when Anna tries to extend a hand in forgiveness, Nina ''still'' grabs her and puts her in an armlock.

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: In ''Tekken 3'', until she recovers. Notably, all it takes to restore her memory is seeing her father's grave. It didn't end well (for Anna, anyway).
* MamaBear: An unusual example; she does take out the assailants who were about to take out Steve during her mission, but doesn't feel any sense of devotion or affection towards him.
* MsFanservice: Along with Anna, she's the pioneer lady of the series, dating all the way back to the very first game, and ''still'' stands up against the likes of Christie, Lili, and Zafina. [[https://youtu.be/bVFnXKpiH5M?t=43s Her introduction in ''Tekken 2'' solidifies this]].

* MurderousThighs: One of her multi-grab chains starts with this.
** In a very impressive feat, a brief scene in her ''Tag 2'' ending has her [[NeckSnap breaking a mook's neck]] with this, grabbing his gun, and then proceeding to shoot the rest of the mooks headed her way -- ''all while still clinging to the now-dead guy's neck, who's still standing upright the whole time!''

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: With her new design in 8, Nina bears some resemblance to the former actress Creator/BridgetFonda.

* GuestFighter: Just like Paul, Law is playable in ''VideoGame/UrbanReign''.

* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Due to him getting more and more desperate to escape the PerpetualPoverty for his family and keeping his dojo, Law's judgment is not getting a good highlight when he thought of recruiting [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Feng]] [[DeceptiveDisciple Wei]] to take care of his dojo.
** [[spoiler:He takes Nina's offer to join G Corporation in ''8''; the same organisation that currently holds the entire planet hostage in a kill-or-be-killed regime.]]

* JackOfAllStats: Much like Bruce Lee’s real life emphasis on flexibility in fighting, Law’s playstyle has historically revolved around this concept. Law is generally fast, has strong pokes, counter hitters, pressure tools, tracking attacks, very good block punishment, a combo starting throw, a 50/50 from his crouch mixup and being very safe on many of his attacks when blocked. Although Law is strong in many departments, his all-aroundness is balanced by his overall short range and low damage on his normal attacks, Law can do a lot, but he can’t do anything unless he gets close.

* JerkassBall: His ending in ''Tekken 6'' involves his dosing ''entire'' laxatives at the pizza for Paul and Steve, just so he is given time to escape with the money he won with the help of the two. Laxatives are hazardous, y'know. However, he's the only guy who has family at stake rather than being just in for the glory and he was getting desperate, owing to his history of perpetual failure to solve financial problems. He's usually nicer outside this one incident.
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: [[spoiler:''Tekken 6'' showed Law's willingness to use underhanded methods to improve his chances of getting the tournament prize money, including blatantly cheating and rigging the brackets in his favour. His ending also shows him backstabbing his own friends to steal the entire pot from them. ''Tekken 8'' takes the next logical step and sees Law join forces with G Corporation after Paul forgets their agreement to split the prize money. Paul even points out that Law's obsession with money has driven him mad, though considering how desperate Law's financial situation is at that point, it may be hard to blame him.]]
* MartialPacifist: At first, he tried to be an ArrogantKungFuGuy, but after the incident with Baek, he mostly uses his fighting skills to support and help his family.
* OlderThanTheyLook: ''Tekken 6'' presents minor changes to Law's design. A simple shave and a VA change was all it took to make Law look incredibly younger. In fact, out of all male characters that debuted in the first ''Tekken'', Law is the only one who doesn't look like he's in his forties. When put directly next to his own son, Marshall can easily pass as being [[MumLooksLikeASister his older brother.]]
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Marshall's primary motivation throughout the franchise is quite simply to get more money. Sometimes, he's more motivated by glory or revenge, but since both his dojo and restaurant have fallen into disrepute, he needs to compete in the King of Iron Fist to pay his bills. [[spoiler:It's also the only reason why he joined G-Corp during the all-out war.]]

* PerpetualPoverty: He fell into this since the fourth game and has yet to escape it. It's usually PlayedForLaughs, but it's hard not to feel bad for him as his financial situation grows increasingly desperate. [[spoiler:It gets PlayedForDrama in ''8''. After Paul forgets their agreement to split the tournament prize money, he gets so desperate to get out of poverty that he joins G Corporation.]]

* PutOnABus: When Forest Law [[GenerationXerox took his dad's place]] in ''3'', many thought that Marshall would be going this route... which set up a double subversion of sorts when Forest was relegated to the background after ''Tag Tournament'' and Marshall returned in ''4''.
* {{Revenge}}: His motivation for entering the second tournament in ''2''.
* SharpDressedMan: Marshall’s outfits, for many years, were strictly designed around martial artist attire and a few references to Bruce Lee’s movie characters; then, Law in ''8'' finally referenced another side of Bruce Lee, the movie star as a man who liked to dress elegantly on occasion, Law has one of his alternate outfits being a groovy set with aviator glasses styled almost the same as the one look Bruce Lee had in certain parties in the seventies.

* ThisIsUnforgivable: In ''6'', Law still remembers the dojo-trashing incident very well. He made it clear that he will never forgive nor forget what Baek has done.

* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:Berates Paul for not keeping his promise to split the prize money, leading them to a heated argument while ''everyone else is resisting G Corporation forces''.]]

* ButtMonkey: He's either this, TheChewToy, or TheWoobie. If his constant failures in running his dojo and Chinese restaurant aren't sad enough, his son getting into a reckless motor accident practically buried him in a bottomless hole of debt.

* GoodOldFisticuffs: Being a Jeet Kune Do practitioner, he practices this while also being a BareFistedMonk (since, while Jeet Kune Do is about as finesse based as your typical Martial Art, it was described by Bruce Lee as "scientific street fighting"). As of ''8'', however, he now uses nunchucks as well in several moves including his Rage Art.

* AwesomeButImpractical: Paul's Burning Fist is to this game pretty much the same as Ralf's Galactica Phantom to ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' series. MegatonPunch? Check. Does ungodly damage? Check. Long wind-up time during which the opponent may attack you? ''Double check'', and unlike Ralf, he doesn't have Ralf's usual benefits of being ImmuneToFlinching during the windup or his range.

* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: Proceeds to do this to Azazel after his usual, rectifier exposition in the Scenario Campaign:

* DumbMuscle: Getting there, due to the {{Flanderization}} of the more boorish, goofier elements of his personality.

* FakeUltimateHero: An interesting subversion. Paul ''went undefeated'' throughout the Third King of Iron Fist Tournament, but he left before Ogre transformed. Because of his swelling pride, Paul boasted about his actual accomplishment, but because he technically didn't win, his bragging annoyed more than a few of his fans.

* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Marshall's son Forest.

* {{Kiai}}: His deathfist yell is certainly the longest and loudest {{Kiai}} in the game. It's a dang powerful MegatonPunch too.

* MegatonPunch: The aforementioned deathfist, Burning Fist. When it connects, it sends his opponent tumbling away and eats a good chunk of their health bar. The quicker variant, Phoenix Smasher (the move more commonly referred to as his Deathfist), doesn't deal as much damage, but its quickness ensures it's not any less deadly. ''8'' gives him another, slightly weaker Deathfist variant which can be made more powerful by holding both punch buttons.

** In ''5'', in Law's story mode, if Law lost against him, Paul promises to share the prize money with him. Though it doesn't directly happen as the player have to beat him to progress with Law, if you beat the game with Paul, it's inferred he's fulfilled his promise with Law (judging by the little shack he holes himself in).
** Forest's ''Tag 2'' ending also ensures Paul's quality of this trope. He willingly agrees with Forest's idea of spending a mountainload of cash that could be used to have fun in Las Vegas... to buy a new home for a family in need.

* PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure: [[spoiler:In ''8'', Paul and Law have a heated argument in the ''middle of a battlezone'' due to Paul's inability to keep a promise Marshall told him about (though in all fairness, it wasn't Paul's fault, since the tournament he had been planning to win and split the prize money with Law basically got derailed by the plot). It led to Paul assuming he joined the G Corporation. Fortunately after Kuma took a rocket for Paul, they stop fighting each other, and by the end they both help run a soup kitchen.]]
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: The Phoenix Smasher (aka "Deathfist"), his signature attack. Sends your opponent rolling back from the impact and one of the most painful moves in the whole series. His Rage Drive (a more powerful version of this move) makes this trope all the more possible to accomplish; a hit can send an opponent all the way to the other end of the screen.

* RightForTheWrongReasons: [[spoiler:During his argument with Marshall in ''8'', he is right to point out that money is all that the latter thinks about, but what Paul doesn't realize is that unlike him, Marshall has actual bills to pay, like his son's hospitalization and his dojo.]]

* WhatTheHellHero: In ''8'', he gives one of these to [[spoiler: Marshall Law when he realizes his friend's become so desperate for cash that he joined up with G-Corp. The same G-Corp that's currently holding the entire world hostage.]]

* PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure: [[spoiler:In ''8'', Paul and Law have a heated argument in the ''middle of a battlezone'' due to Paul's inability to keep a promise Marshall told him about. It led to Paul assuming he joined the G Corporation. Fortunately after Kuma took a rocket for Paul, they stop fighting each other, and by the end they both help run a soup kitchen.]]

* PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure: [[spoiler:In ''8'', Paul and Law have a heated argument in the ''middle of the battlezone'' due to Paul's inability to keep a promise Marshall told him about. It led to Paul assuming he joined the G Corporation. Fortunately after Kuma took a rocket for Paul, they stop fighting each other, and by the end they both help run a soup kitchen.]]

* PerpetualPoverty: He fell into this since the fourth game and has yet to escape it. It's usually PlayedForLaughs, but it's hard not to feel bad for him as his financial situation grows increasingly desperate. [[spoiler:It gets PlayedForDrama in ''8'' when he gets so desperate to get out of poverty after Paul forgets to split the tournament prize money that he joins G Corporation.]]

* PerpetualPoverty: He fell into this since the fourth game and has yet to escape it. It's usually PlayedForLaughs, but it's hard not to feel bad for him as his financial situation grows increasingly desperate.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Classic Outfit]][[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_phoenix_tekken7_vanilla_render_clean.jpg]][[/labelnote]]]]

* CharacterCatchphrase: "Excellent!" (Not to be confused with [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons that other guy]] or ThoseTwoGuys ([[Film/BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure You know who.]])

!!! Base Roster

!!! Bosses

* BreakoutCharacter: Not only is she the only character (alongside Paul Phoenix) to consistently appear in every ''Tekken'' game thus far, she even stars in her own game, ''Death by Degrees''.

->Before the 4th tournament, Armor King retired, got caught in a bar brawl against Craig Marduk, and got killed. King II set out to avenge him, eventually succeeding his legacy (though not by killing Marduk). In ''5'', he's succeeded by his brother, who also donned the mask alongside him when he was alive.

* HatesEveryoneEqually: Jacks [[ZigZaggedTrope zigzag]] this in a weird way in ''Tag 1''. Jack-2 hates everyone there (Save for Golden Tetsujin and Xiaoyu with her secret green costume, who get neutral netsu with everyone), meaning that no matter how much his partner gets beaten up, he won't activate netsu, and curiously, that was the same case with Prototype Jack. However this is not the case with Gun Jack, who has neutral netsu with most characters and even likes Jack-2 and P. Jack. It's [[AvertedTrope averted]] once again in ''Tag 2'', where he only dislikes/hates enemies of G-Corporation, and [[HatedByAll Ogre]].

* HatesEveryoneEqually: For some reason, his netsu relationships default to hating everyone in ''Tag 1'' (Except for Golden Tetsujin and Xiaoyu with her secret green costume, which default to neutral netsu with everyone), meaning that no matter how much his partner gets beaten up, he won't activate netsu, (and that certainly does him no favors on the competitive side where he's considered the worst character in the game). Curiously enough, Jack-2 had the same thing going on, but Gun Jack didn't. {{Averted|Trope}} in ''Tag 2'', where he's DLC, and DLC characters have neutral netsu towards everyone.

* HatesEveryoneEqually: For some reason, his netsu relationships default to hating everyone in ''Tag 1'' (Except for Golden Tetsujin and Xiaoyu with her secret green costume, which default to neutral netsu with everyone), meaning that no matter how much his partner gets beaten up, he won't activate netsu, (and that certainly does him no favors on the competitive side where he's considered the worst character in the game). Curiously enough, Jack-2 had the same thing going on, but Gun Jack didn't.[[AvertedTrope Averted]] in ''Tag 2'', where he's DLC, and DLC characters have neutral netsu towards everyone.

* AdaptationalVillainy: In ''Tekken 1'' and ''2'' he was just a greedy villain, he wanted to kill Heihachi and Kazuya to take over the Mishima Zaibatsu but couldn't do anything against them and did little back then, essentially just TheStarScream. [[Anime/TekkenTheMotionPicture The Motion Picture]] made him into someone who lied about wanting to be with Nina while cheating on her with Anna, releasing invisible dinosaurs on the island where the tournament takes place to kill Kazuya, with no care about it killing other competitors, and planning to use them to ConquerTheWorld, and after his plans fail and Heihachi backhands him away after Lee can't defeat Kazuya, Lee has a mental breakdown, kills his assistants and activates the island's self destruct system, killing himself while trying to take everyone else with him.

* TheBusCameBack: She came back to the series, albeit non-canonically in ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'' as a console exclusive, like Jun and other series staples that haven't appeared in a while.

* GlassCannon: In ''Tag 1'' she's on the group of characters with 140HP, which's the lowest amount possible. This was likely done to separate her from Julia (Who's at 151HP), and because Michelle has higher combo potential.

* OutOfFocus:
** Among the original eight from ''Tekken 1'', she's the only living one who hasn't returned in a canon game after ''3'', and she's not playable in that game, only part of Julia's profile and her ending. Outside of that, Michelle only comes back as a playable character in ''Tag'' games. Even with Julia replacing her, outside of ''Tekken 3'', Julia's stories never even mention Michelle, not even in her dialogues from Scenario Campaign.
** In Anime/TekkenTheMotionPicture she gets a background story and a motivation to participate in the tournament, yet unlike Kazuya, Jun, Lei and Jack-2, it amounts to nothing. Once she loses to Kazuya at around the halfway point of the movie, her screen time ends, and before she lost she still was desperate to have revenge against Heihachi, so she didn't develop too as her character was the same at the beginning and end of the movie.