Line #7 Fridge/Tekken


1	!!As this is a Fridge page, spoilers ''will'' be left unmarked. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!
2	!!FridgeBrilliance
3	* Why does Heihachi attempt to [[HumanShield protect Kazuya]] in the latter's ending for ''2''? Because Heihachi is revealed in ''7'' to specifically loathe the ''Devil Gene'' as the cause of nearly all of his problems and woes. While he may hold contempt for Kazuya after the first game's ending, seeing Devil operate separately from Kazuya was likely him seeing an opportunity to actually free his son of the gene's curse -- only to get betrayed and used as a stepping stone with the revelation that Kazuya was frankly no better than the Devil in the first place. Since Heihachi's ending is the canon one, Heihachi instead sees Kazuya become the Devil inside, and finishes what he started all those years ago.
4	** Alternatively, if you consider it a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind for Kazuya with Devil trying to possess him, Kazuya himself is seeing the lingering positivity of Heihachi as his father that he remembers in his attempts to stave off Devil's influence, but Kazuya being [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk Kazuya]], he refuses to let go of ''his'' vengeance and uses the opportunity to strike both down.
5	* Kazuya being more open in evilness during the time he's the head of Mishima Zaibatsu can have more meaning than just plain "He's probably eviler than Heihachi"; if you recount that Kazuya probably hates everything about Heihachi, so he probably held a disdain in Heihachi's practices about being a {{Miser}}, looking good in public while scheming behind their backs, so he decided to be more open in the evilness of the Zaibatsu, [[AtLeastIAdmitIt at least he's being honest that he's an evil prick and the Zaibatsu is an evil corporation, not a generous one]]. Not that it lessens his evil value, but it does shed a deeper motive for being openly evil.
6	* In ''Tag 2'' Jun is cold with just about everyone, but one notable exception is Nina. They might fist bump, which is more than what everyone bar her son gets with Jun. But Nina is Jin's bodyguard (and also one of the few partners that ''he'' likes), meaning she and Jun can find some common ground. For bonus points Jun's new win pose is similar to [[DarkActionGirl Nina's.]] Are we sure she's not evil?
7	* In ''Tag'', the first entry in the Tag series, Jun did not have good Netsu allegiance with Nina, either. Though by that point, for all we knew, in the third tournament Nina was an unwilling enemy of Jin's, having been [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed]] by Ogre to kill him.
8	* Yoshimitsu's sword, according to ''6'', is possessed by a spirit that craves the blood of evildoers. His sworn enemy is Bryan -- a ''cyborg''. As shown in the former's ''[=TTT2=]'' ending, Bryan doesn't bleed when cut through by Yoshi -- he explodes instead. In other words, even if Yoshimitsu were to defeat Bryan, his sword's bloodlust will not be satisfied and will still attempt to eventually possess him. No wonder Yoshimitsu is very, very pissed off at Bryan. That said, Fumaken (the second sword he picked up in ''6'' to seal away the cursed properties of the Yoshimitsu blade) is supposed to mitigate all of that. Yoshimitsu's loathing for Bryan is simply due to [[UngratefulBastard what Bryan did to Doctor Bosconovitch and his fellow Manji ninjas prior to the fifth tournament]]. Anyone would take offense to that, and while Yoshimitsu is eccentric, [[GoodIsNotSoft he already doesn't take kindly to villains to begin with]].
9	* Jin winning the 3rd tournament despite Paul beating Ogre and Hwoarang facing Jin to a tie? Look at the structure for the earlier games before the number of characters really took off. You faced every other fighter except the sub-bosses, then your personal sub boss, (or in T3, just Heihachi), then the boss. The tournament isn't a one-and-done tourament, it's a round robin event. Ogre showed up in the middle of T3 and Paul somehow overcame him, and left assuming he'd won, because.... [[AwesomeEgo he's Paul]]. Jin and Hwo drew, but Jin still won overall (we can assume Paul left after he'd lost to Jin but not Hwo, so Jin still had more actual wins).
10	* Marshall Law and Paul Phoenix being homages to Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris makes more sense if you know that the two were friends in real life, leading to Bruce inviting Chuck to appear in his film ''Film/WayOfTheDragon''. So, them being homages to Bruce and Chuck also means that their friendship was a homage to Bruce and Chuck's friendship before Bruce died a year after the film's release.
11	* If you compare Baek's movelist in earlier games, say, ''Tekken Tag Tournament'', to his latest appearance in ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'', you can see that while Baek may have learned some moves, he's lost quite a bit too, unlike other fighter who typically get more complex movelists than they had in earlier games. For example, his Baek's special is missing in [=TTT2=] and most other moves similar to his emblematic sequence of side kick x 2->Axe kick->Tornado kick->Spinning side kick, with the only remnant of this being his Tornado kick->spinning side kick in [=TTT2=]. This could be seen as an indicator of something most other fighters seem to be unaffected by: Baek is aging, and thus cannot perform some of his old moves as well as he could.
12	* Now that the seventh game's story had been told, Jun's WhatTheHellHero moment in getting her son to find Heihachi makes all the sense in the world. When he was young Kazumi tried to kill him many times and he brushed it off, seeing that she was mentally unwell and hoping that something would get through to her. It's not shown how much of this if any Jun would know but she persevered with Kazuya no matter how evil he was. Heihachi of all people would know a thing or two about raising the son of someone who came across as mentally unwell (due to, y'know, the Devil Gene) not to mention his own grandson.
13	* WordOfGod [[https://twitter.com/harada_tekken/status/986983907147968514?lang=en clarifying what the characters on King's Player 2 costume in 3 say]] (Mishima Heavy Industries: EVIL) reveals that King actually participates in political activism against the Zaibatsu during the tournament.
14	* Heihachi's taking over the family business of warmongering and continuing it seems like a KickTheDog moment to his own father Jinpachi, but it makes sense; Heihachi is a man of martial arts and power, and was likely raised during the era of World War II or the immediate aftermath given he's in his mid-70's when he finally dies and ran the company for 40 years prior to the first game. Jinpachi had contributed military power and might during the war, only to grow to regret this decision, something that Heihachi [[EvilCannotComprehendGood probably didn't understand.]] He likely knew nothing ''but'' conflict as a driving goal as a result, and forcefully took the family company from Jinpachi to do what he thought the Mishimas were best at. This is also bolstered by Kazumi's betrayal that causes his StartOfDarkness, as being forced to kill and take such a heavy hit upon his heart pushed him down the very path Jinpachi tried to step away from.
15	* With ''Tekken 8'' Jun reveal and CharacterRerailment, it's starting to make a lot more sense that Kazuya acted aloof and sadistic to her even in the non-canon ''Tag 2''. The Jun that he knows and acknowledged as 'fearless and mysterious' is the one filled with extreme pureness and can make him drop his guard in surprise. Therefore, a colder, aloof Jun in ''Tag 2'' (and the one that turns into Unknown) cannot be the same Jun that he grew to 'respect'. Therefore, in Kazuya's eyes, Tag 2!Jun/Unknown is an imposter unworthy of even his VillainRespect, so he's free to absorb her with no tinge of regret while [[EvilLaugh laughing evilly.]]
16	* While the Kumas and Panda may seem like [[JokeCharacter joke characters]], do keep in mind is that they are bears. Apex predators that ''can and will'' maul your face off. Now subject them to training from Heihachi and they even become more dangerous. Evident in Kuma II when he finally begins to learn most of Heihachi's moves between ''7'' & ''8''.
17	* It's not surprising that in their special intro in ''8'' that Panda rejects Kuma's fish. Pandas do not eat fish what so ever.
18	** Not to mention she's biologically incompatible on top of being older than him.
19	* Whether or not Mokujin is included in a mainline game's lineup can serve as a litmus test as to whether or not a game's antagonist poses a serious threat to the world. The games Mokujin feature in - Tekken 3, 5 and 6 - featured Ogre, the spirit possessing Jinpachi and Azazel (as well as Jin's atrocities) respectively, whilst 1, 2, 4, 7 and 8 moreso focused on the Mishima bloodline feud.
20	* In ''8'' 's final battle between Jin and Kazuya, the former was able to achieve three things that neither the latter nor Heihachi could in ''7'': serenity, stillness, and balance. By listening to the advice of the other fighters, his allies, and his mother, making peace with his darker half and acknowledging his past misdeeds and mistakes, and combining traditional karate, Mishima style karate, and Kazama-style aikijutsu, Jin was able to obtain victory. Kazuya on the other hand never let go of the past despite killing Heihachi, was taught only pain, betrayal (not helping is that in ''7'', Kazumi asked Akuma to have him killed to prevent him from doing harm with powers he'll inherit from her), obtaining power by any means necessary, and had no one for support. Heihachi was ruled by fear and paranoia, thus siring multiple children with several women to see if any of them had the Devil Gene. It also left him unbalanced in his last stand against Kazuya, thus costing him his life.
21	** Another factor is the way Jin & Kazuya were raised. Jin had the chance by to be raised by his mother Jun and inheriting her morals for 15 years. It's why he spared both Kazuya and Heihachi in ''4''. Kazuya never had the chance to know his mother Kazumi as she was killed when he was only 5 thus inheriting only Heihachi's MightMakesRight tendencies, while learning only rage, hatred and seeing love and compassion as crutches. And without Kazumi to hold him back, Kazuya delivered the death blow to Heihachi.
22	* Why is Marshall focused on money in every game set after Tekken 3 to the extent that it drives his involvement in ''8'' 's plot? The Darkness Awakens reveals that Jun was gone from wider society for about 7 years by the time of Tekken 8; since that took place 4 years before Tekken 3 and Tekken 4 takes place 2 years later, that means Tekken 5, 6, 7, and 8 take place over the course of approximately a year. Now look at what happened to Marshall. In Tekken 4 he declared bankruptcy and in Tekken 5 his son got severely injured in an accident that incurred significant medical debt. He hasn't had time to come to terms with his situation, so of course he'd be obsessed with getting financially stable and taking drastic measures to reach that goal.
23	* Victor makes it clear to Lars that he dislikes codenames and thinks they're for children, hence why he rarely goes by his actual codename of "Phantom Raven" despite his legendary status. However, notice that Victor goes out of his way to refer to Dragunov solely by his own nickname ("White Angel of Death"); considering the age difference, it could be his own way of mocking Dragunov and effectively calling him a child.
24	* Despite the difference in power, Lars' sheer tenacity in fighting against True Devil Kazuya causes the latter to get flashbacks to his final battle against Heihachi from ''7''. While this may seem weird considering Lars is almost nothing like Heihachi, remember that both are the only members of the Mishima bloodline to ''not'' possess the Devil Gene at all, and despite that lack of demonic power, both are standing up to arguably the strongest being on the planet with nothing but sheer willpower driving them and doing enough damage to force said being on the ropes - Victor and Raven even point this out in an earlier conversation before agreeing to ally with Yggdrasil.
25	* According to Reina, bearers of the Devil Gene can awaken their demonic powers when their hosts are at an inch away to death's door. Kazumi awakened hers when she is defeated by Heihachi. Kazuya awakened his after Heihachi throws him off the cliff when he was a child. Jin awakened his after being shot by Heihachi. Reina, in the other hand, is a special case where she makes a suicidal ploy by tanking True Devil Kazuya's laser, which could have killed her. Only for her own Devil Gene to awaken, [[ThanatosGambit just as she planned]].
26	* Even though G Corporation now sponsors the 8th King of Iron Fist Tournament in the Story Mode of ''8'' with Heihachi gone, the Character Episodes somehow suggests that the Mishima Zaibatsu still has the right to the tournament in general. Since the Zaibatsu is now without a leader to manage the company, their version of the tournament is basically in the same manner as the 4th, whoever wins gets to claim the Mishima Zaibatsu -- power, wealth, everything.
27	** Leaning on Fridge Humor, as Marshall Law's ending in ''8'' points out that whoever wins the tournament and the keys to the Zaibatsu may have to go through the debt the company has accrued, especially the damages the company caused when Jin, while he was the CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu at the time of ''6'', started WorldWarIII. It's no wonder Marshall freaks out from the large portion of zeroes and commas attached to the bills presented to him and immediately passes away from the shock.
28	** It's going to be an uphill battle for Reina due to not only acquiring the aforementioned debt but to legitimacy claims due to Heihachi siring many children with several women as well. The Mishima Zaibatsu in its current condition is a white elephant at best. Even with her newly acquired devil powers, she can't do anything rash without getting noticed by the UN, Yggdrasil and the Kazama clan.
29	* As shown in his ending in ''Tekken 4'', even if Hwoarang does win the tournament but does not get to fight Jin like he wanted to, it always leaves him embittered to the point he finds Jin in random places like a parking lot to finally duke it out. Little did he know is Jin's own personal struggles -- his Devil Gene and feuds with his forefathers, until he's finally made aware of Jin's devil form in ''5''. Now that Hwoarang recognizes what his rival had gone through, their fight in the story mode of ''8'' managed to reconnect them. In Hwoarang's ending in ''8'', a repeat of ''4'', while he's still discontent with Jin not showing up; at least he can finally have a match with the latter now that Jin manages to put his past behind him.
30	* Lee Chaolan plays a more important role from ''6'' and beyond isn't because he and Lars share a common disdain towards Heihachi and Kazuya, it's because Lee knows that the [[BigScrewedUpFamily Mishima family infighting]] can spill out of control on a ''global scale'' and someone needs to put a stop to it, not helped by Jin starting WorldWarIII. Thanks to his vast knowledge and resources, Lee is able to provide Lars' rebel army with the inventory needed to prepare for their battle against G Corporation, best shown with Violet Systems' PowerArmor, and even upgrading Alisa's weapon systems.
31	** This makes both Lars and Lee as effective {{foil}}s to Kazuya, Heihachi, and even Reina. Lee was adopted by Heihachi, while Lars is the HeroicBastard son of Heihachi. Lee is one of the few people Lars can turn to when in a dire of need, treating one another as a blood brother. Meanwhile, Kazuya and Heihachi's animosity for one another is the result of a ViciousCycle of abuse, betrayal, and hatred. And the only reason why Lars needed Jin alive, the latter being the only one who can break that cycle, and Jin succeeded in the Hope ending of ''8''.
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33	!!FridgeHorror
34	* All the atrocities committed by [[BigScrewedUpFamily Heihachi, Kazuya, and Jin]]? You have [[GreaterScopeVillain the Hachijo Clan]] to thank for that as they were the ones that ordered [[StartOfDarkness Kazumi to kill Heihachi]]. It is unknown if there are any more members around let alone see them [[KarmaHoudini answer for their actions]].
35	** There's a possibility that in between certain games, Heihachi took his time to hunt down all Hachijo members and slaughter them all in revenge of what they made Kazumi do to him. He just didn't bother to announce.
36	** Even if there were survivors, all their plans were for [[AllForNothing naught]] as their god was killed not by a Mishima but a ''Kazama''. [[ProphecyTwist Prophecies aren't always accurate]].
37	** The main reason the Hachijou Clan never bothered to deal with the Kazama family is that a group of spiritualists were considered BeneathNotice and not worth the time. But after the end of ''8'', where a Kazama (Jin) successfully purified the Devil Gene (and killed their deity), one can only wonder what the rest of the Hachijou and any remaining Azazel worshippers will think and how they will plan to avenge their deity. Jin, Jun, and Asuka may find themselves inside the crosshairs of a bunch of pissed-off cultist families and they may try to recruit Reina into to joining their cause.
38	* Kazuya still continues his sneaker collection as revealed in ''8''. But with his more evil nature after the first game, then you start wondering ''how'' he amassed such collection and the fate of the merchants he encountered to get to that point, in case Kazuya is not in the mood of a fair trade: Coercion? Fist to the face? Getting blasted by the Devil's laser ''to the face too''?
39	* Marshall siding with G Corporation in Chapter 10 in ''8'' is basically him [[DealWithTheDevil selling his soul to the Devil]] out of desperation to achieve a lifestyle of opulence and escape his life of PerpetualPoverty. As Paul pointed during their confrontation, his greed brought out a worst version of himself. However, Marshall is only putting himself in more danger than what he bargained for. Even if G Corporation managed to come out on top, they won't hesitate to [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness get rid of Marshall once all is said and done]]. It's no wonder he turned up in the Hope ending running a soup kitchen with Paul and [[NothingIsScarier didn't appear]] in the Despair ending [[UncertainDoom at all]].
40	* The reason why Jin couldn't get close to Xiaoyu until ''8'' is out of fear that any possible children they might have would [[WhatIfTheBabyIsLikeMe inherit the Devil Gene]], if not the cruelty, callousness, sociopathy, and miserly behavior from Jin's forefathers, aside from Lars and the late Jinpachi. And as we have seen from Kazumi and Reina, the womenfolk aren't that ''much better'' either.
41	* Although PlayedForLaughs as with most Character Episode endings in ''8'', Steve's ending has him with an overly-muscular physique, so incredibly swole that his physique isn't out of place in the setting of ''Manga/BakiTheGrappler'', raises a cause for concern, justifying Paul and Marshall's shocked expressions at the sight of Steve being hardly recognizable. How the hell does Steve gain such an insane amount of muscle mass? One should remember that Steve is a byproduct of the Mishima Zaibatsu's supersoldier program, in an attempt by Heihachi to replicate the Devil Gene before it was scrapped for good, the experiment left Steve to deal with the BodyHorror that is the scar on his left arm. One would be left to wonder if Steve pushed his body to its limits throughout his championship pursuits would be the reason for his increasing muscle mass, meaning that the Zaibatsu's experiment went... [[GoneHorriblyRight horribly right]].
42	* As Shaheen's ending in ''8'' shows, even while G Corporation continues to wage war against the world, Lili often finds herself being constantly targeted due to her being the daughter of a wealthy Monegasque oil magnate. Not helped that she was even kidnapped before her debut appearance. With the Mishima Zaibatsu out of the picture, G Corporation plans to seize the Rochefort family business and assets, and their attempts on Lili's life is basically a scare tactic for Mr. Rochefort into forcibly complying with G Corp. It's no wonder why her father was so paranoid at her participating in the King of Iron Fist Tournaments without bringing any personal security. Considering the circumstances that befell Shaheen's best friend Salim, being the CEO of a Saudi oil company, it's kinda justified that Shaheen doesn't want Lili's father, or even Lili herself, to go through the same kind of tragedy he experienced.

Context Fridge / Tekken