Tekken 8’s Ending Explained

It seems that developer Bandai Namco listened to those fans who were dissatisfied with Tekken 7‘s story mode. Tekken 8 doubles down on its overarching narrative, for example. Introducing a longer, more complete story mode titled The Dark Awakens, Tekken 8‘s story mode is more than twice the size of Tekken 7‘s and presents a more linear, coherent plot that largely centers on protagonist Jin Kazama and his immediate circle of friends. The game’s ending provides something of a conclusion to the series arc but features a couple of key mysteries for fans to ponder over.

The longest-running video game storyline elevates to new heights, quite literally, during the events of Tekken 8. Jin and Kazuya’s rivalry reaches a raging climax, with both fighters able to tap into their devil gene’s true power like never before. The result is that players experience both characters in brand-new forms: Angel Jin and True Devil Kazuya. The game’s closing chapters see these fearsome warriors beat each other senseless atop a falling comet, in a spectacular battle that feels like it’s been ripped straight from an Anime series.

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Tekken 8 Review

More than a fresh coat of paint, Tekken 8 outdoes its predecessors in every way, and builds the best starting point for the series in the process.

Tekken 8’s Ending Leaves Several Questions Unanswered

Tekken 8’s Story Seemingly Resolves the Devil Gene

The result of Jin and Kazuya’s penultimate battle is that neither father nor son can exert their dominance fully. Still, importantly, Jin is seemingly able to achieve what he set out to do, erasing the devil gene from both him and his father. With both men reverting to their human selves, the battle recommences, and a vicious fistfight ensues. During this fight, Jin is finally able to overpower his father and leaves him lying unconscious face down on the floor. He confirms that this means the devil gene is gone from the world, before spotting a dove flying past, signifying his mother’s presence. He picks a white flower up from the floor, thanking his mother for her help and guidance in defeating Kazuya.

The game then shows Jin riding his motorbike on a highway in the USA before he pulls over to the side of the road, where Xiaoyu awaits him. The footage then cuts back to Kazuya, and a mysterious pair of shoes is seen walking up to his lifeless body. Eagle-eyed gamers will spot that these shoes belong to Jun Kazama, Jin’s mother, heavily implying two pieces of key information: Kazuya is not dead, and Jun is alive. Up until that point, Jin believed his mother to have died at the hands of Ogre, and it is implied that Jun’s part in Tekken 8‘s story is only spiritual, with her current status not confirmed.

Tekken 8’s Story Conclusion Will Probably Not Be Explained Anytime Soon

While each of the 32 fighters on Tekken 8‘s roster gets their own character episode, these are not thought to be canon, so Jun’s, in which it’s revealed she went into hiding after being defeated by Ogre only to return to help her son defeat Kazuya, cannot be considered as concrete proof that she is alive. The scene in which she arrives at Kazuya’s side during the game’s climax is the biggest hint yet that she is actually alive, but this will likely be confirmed in the future.

The game’s post-credits scene shows the mysterious new character Reina confirming she is the daughter of Heihachi Mishima, before awakening her own devil form and vowing to find and defeat her brother Kazuya. This is potentially setting Reina up as a big part of the series’ future. She may even become a possible antagonist in the series’ next installment, although, if Tekken 7‘s longevity is anything to go by, Tekken 9 will not arrive any time soon.

Tekken 8

Bandai Namco’s Tekken 8 will be the franchise’s debut entry on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and the fighting game is built in Unreal Engine 5. The story revolves around Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama’s relationship.

Released

January 26, 2024

Genre(s)

Fighting

Engine

Unreal Engine 5