Yes, it’s an announcement of an announcement, but we’re talking about one of the most important and beloved characters in the entire Tekken franchise. Heihachi Mishima was revealed as the third DLC character en route to Tekken 8 back at Evo in July, but we haven’t heard much since.
That’s going to change next Tuesday, September 24, however, as Bandai Namco has announced Mr. Mishima’s gameplay trailer will be released at 7 a.m. PT, and will be promptly followed by a special Heihachi episode of Tekken Talk featuring game director Katsuhiro Harada.
Here’s the X post the official Tekken page put up early on Friday:
He’s back.
Watch the Heihachi Mishima gameplay trailer – 09.24, 07:00 PDT | 16:00 CEST https://t.co/QrD8fMYFQz
Then join us for a Special Heihachi #TEKKEN Talk with @Harada_TEKKEN, @mykeryu, @nkt_dreamer & @y_esports!
https://t.co/rFcBJU7smB
pic.twitter.com/nRZT5Qsk8D— TEKKEN (@TEKKEN) September 20, 2024
Heihachi has long been a prominent Tekken antagonist as the Mishima family, of which he’s the elder, is integrally tied to the franchise’s ongoing lore. Those keeping up with that lore know full well that Heihachi was conclusively killed off in Tekken 7 by way of being thrown into a river of lava.
Of course, Bandai isn’t one to let a little thing like conclusive death get in the way of giving fans one of their favorite characters (and making some extra DLC money while doing so), and so Heihachi will somehow be rejoining the fight and thus maintaining his perfect Tekken attendance record (Paul, Nina, and Yoshimitsu are the only other three characters who boast this status, by the way).
We’ll be covering the trailer as well as the ensuing Tekken Talk here on EventHubs, so be sure to check back here on Tuesday morning to see what Heihachi is bringing to battle this time around.
For now, share your thoughts on Heihachi’s return in the comments below. How are you feeling about Tekken 8’s first batch of DLC thus far, and whom do you think the final character this season might be?