Editing Tekken (universe)

{{Title|''Tekken'' (universe)}}

|caption          = [[File:TekkenSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert-dark]]<br>The logo of the ''Tekken'' series from ''Tekken 6''.

|latestinstallment = ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken 8}}'' (2024)

The '''''Tekken universe''''' ({{ja|鉄拳|Tekken}}, ''Iron Fist'') refers to the ''{{b|Super Smash Bros.|series}}'' series' collection of characters, stages, and properties hailing from the long-running series of fighting games created and owned by [[Bandai Namco]] (formerly Namco). Originating in 1994 for arcades, the series centers around a feud among the members of the Mishima family surrounding the inheritance of [[Heihachi Mishima]], a recurring antagonist in the series. One of Bandai Namco's flagship franchises and its best-selling one, the ''Tekken'' series has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide during its lifespan and is considered a pioneer in the fighting game genre, being one of the first to utilize 3D animation and CGI in its gameplay, unheard of for the genre at the time. The series was originally represented in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'' through a [[downloadable content]] costume for Mii Brawlers based on Heihachi Mishima, while joining the roster with [[Kazuya Mishima]] in [[Fighters Pass Vol. 2]] of ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''.  

The earliest version of ''Tekken'' can be traced back to an internal test case at [[Namco]] in the early 1990s. The purpose of this test was to experiment with the animation of 3D character models, which was a new trend at the time. The team for this test later started playing with texture mapping, which the company had worked on with the 1993 arcade game ''{{iw|wikipedia|Ridge Racer}}''. As the project slowly morphed into a fighting game, {{iw|wikipedia|Seiichi Ishii}}, former designer for {{uv|Virtua Fighter}} was brought on to direct the project. While this new game, called '''Rave War''' at the time, would be fundamentally similar to Ishii's previous work, there would be some fundamental differences. ''Virtua Fighter'' used small stages with the "ring out" system of a fighter instantly losing if they step out of bounds and a 3 button control scheme: punch, kick, and defense. ''Tekken'' experimented with infinite stages that had no boundaries and a 4 button control scheme: left arm, right arm, left leg, and right leg. Other minor differences include more detailed textures and a higher frame rate. The name was eventually changed to ''Tekken'' late in development. The ''Tekken'' series holds the world record of being the longest-running story in a video game, with ''Tekken 8'' being the latest game in the plot's length in the span of 30 years.

The game was the first PlayStation game to ever surpass one million units sold, and was overall praised as being an impressive port, although some issues like the PAL release being less optimized than the other versions were raised. This inspired Namco to make a sequel, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken 2}}'', which released in 1995 in arcades and 1996 on PlayStation. Most of the original roster returned, many with moveset overhauls to differentiate themselves, along with several new characters. All the stages from the previous game are replaced with original locations. New modes include Survival Mode, Team Attack Mode, and Time Attack Mode. All of this and other minor changes like improved gameplay and graphics made ''Tekken 2'' superior to the original in the public's eyes, with even better reviews and higher sales numbers.  

Another sequel, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken 3}}'', was released in arcades in 1997, this time on the new System 12 arcade board, and in 1998 on PlayStation. This game is the first entry [[Katsuhiro Harada]] got to direct, and he would later become the main director of the franchise going forward. The game featured a roster of mostly new fighters, with only six returning from the previous game—the game marked the first inclusion of a guest character, being Gon from the [[wikipedia:Gon (manga)|titular manga series]]. This game is notable as the first in the series to allow side stepping, a technique that would become a staple in not just the rest of the franchise, but the 3D fighting game sub-genre as a whole. The PlayStation port also included new modes that expanded upon the gameplay: Tekken Force, a stage-based beat-'em-up game, and Tekken Ball, in which players fight by hitting a ball back and forth and damage is determined by whether one of the players can hit the ball back or not. At 8.36 million copies sold, ''Tekken 3'' was the single best-selling entry in the series and held that title for 14 years.

Also in 1998, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken: The Motion Picture}}'' released. A loose retelling of the first game in an anime OVA format, the film received mixed reviews and is largely forgotten in the sea of anime adaptations of video games at the time.

Two spinoff entries entered the franchise following ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken 3}}''. The first, ''Tekken Card Challenge'', released in 1999 on Wonderswan. The game is similar to ''{{iw|wikipedia|Yu-Gi-Oh}}'', in that players used cards of various effects against opponents that do the same thing, with a game ending when one player runs out of cards or life points—the major difference is the inclusion of elements from the ''Tekken'' series, including fighting, blocking, and juggling for extra damage. The second, ''Tekken Tag Tournament'', also released in 1999 in arcades and in 2000 on PlayStation 2 as a launch title for the system. The game was the first to introduce a tag mechanic where a player picks two different fighters and can swap between them during a match. Both fighters have different health bars, but the match ends when only one health bar is depleted.

The next mainline entry, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken 4}}'', released on the System 246 arcade board in 2001 and on PlayStation 2 in 2002. The game featured most characters from ''Tekken 3'' returning, as well as several newcomers. After the release of ''Tekken 3'', players started complaining about the infinite stages, which encouraged strategies of getting a few hits in and running away until the time ran out. The team addressed this by not only experimenting with boundaries like walls, but also uneven terrain, ceilings, and obstacles. The walls were praised for offering new strategies like wall splats, but most other changes were received poorly for interrupting the flow of the match. This led to the game being the most controversial entry in the series, with significantly worse reviews and sales.

That same year, the series' first entry on a Nintendo system, ''Tekken Advance'', was released. It was a downgraded, sprite-traced amalgam of both ''Tekken 3'' and ''Tekken Tag Tournament'' exclusive to Game Boy Advance. The game was praised as an impressive piece of software able to cram the entire arcade game into a single cartridge. While ultimately inferior to the original, it served as a serviceable entry for ''Tekken'' on the go.

The next entry, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken 5}}'', released on the System 256 arcade board in 2004 and on PlayStation 2 in 2005. The game featured most characters from ''Tekken 4'', as well as several newcomers. The development team addressed the complaints from the previous entry by removing most of what ''Tekken 4'' added in, but kept walls and improved their functionality. The game was praised for these changes, as stages were now integral to matchups, specifically how easy one fighter can take another fighter to a wall. The game pulled ''Tekken'' out of the rut the previous game put it in and became the second best-selling game in the series at the time. The arcade version received a free upgrade, called ''Tekken 5.1'', which changed aspects like UI and gameplay balance. The game also received a standalone update for both PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3, titled ''Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection'', which added new modes, characters, and further gameplay balances.

That same year, ''Tekken Pachislot'' released, which converted the ''Tekken'' universe into a {{iw|wikipedia|pachislot}} experience. This machine received several sequels, including ''Tekken Pachislot 2nd'' in 2013, ''Tekken Pachislot 3rd'' in 2014, ''Tekken CR'' in 2014, and ''Tekken Pachislot 4'' in 2019.

The next entry, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken 6}}'', released on the System 257 arcade board in 2007. Most of the characters from ''Tekken 5'' returned, as well as several new characters. The game expanded on the functionality of walls and added the ability to break them, as well as introduce breakable floors, which served as combo extenders. This was done to preemptively remove most potential infinite combos that walls enabled in previous entries. This necessitated bigger stages, which led to the innovation of portions of the stage next to or below the initial area sectioned off at the start of the match, only opening when the corresponding wall or floor was broken. The game also introduced the Rage system, which increases a character's damage output when low on health. While not given as favorable a response or selling as well as the previous entry, the game is still seen as an excellent entry in the series. The game received a major update in 2008, titled ''Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion'', which introduced new characters, stages, items and customization option. This version of the game was ported to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PlayStation Portable in 2009. The game is notable for being the first multi-platform entry on consoles. As of this game, future ''Tekken'' console launches use their updated arcade title versions.

The ''Tekken'' franchise returned to cinema in 2009 with the release of ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken|2009 film}}''. A very loose adaptation of the franchise as a whole, the film was universally panned, even by the ''Tekken'' team, and flopped at the box office. However, it did receive a prequel in 2014 titled ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge}}'', which was also critically panned.

The franchise next released a slew of spin-off titles. The first was the 2010 Java mobile game ''Tekken Mobile'', later renamed to ''Tekken Resolute''. The game is the first proper 2D Tekken fighting game and is notable among mobile games at the time for offering local wireless multiplayer via Bluetooth. This was followed up by the 2011 PlayStation 3 title ''Tekken Hybrid'', which contains the feature film ''Tekken: Blood Vengeance'', an HD remaster of ''Tekken Tag Tournament'', and a demo called ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Prologue''—the demo was for the then-upcoming ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken Tag Tournament 2}}'', which released on the System 369 arcade board in 2011 and on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 later that year. A [[Wii U]] version was released after, based on the arcade update ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Unlimited'', and included exclusive content such as costumes based on [[Nintendo]] characters. Next was ''Tekken Bowl'', a free mobile app released in 2011 based on the side mode introduced in ''Tekken Tag Tournament''. Afterwards came ''Tekken 3D: Prime Edition'', a stripped down port of ''Tekken 6'' for [[Nintendo 3DS]] in 2012. While the game was praised for functioning very well for the system it was on, it was criticized for its overall lack of content. Next came ''{{iw|wikipedia|Street Fighter X Tekken}}'', a crossover game with the {{uv|Street Fighter}} universe. While the ''Tekken'' team had little involvement with this entry, 25 of their characters did appear in this game. Another game titled ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken X Street Fighter}}'' was in the early stages at the same time, but was indefinitely shelved after the lukewarm reception and disappointing sales of its sister title, with it still being on hold in 2021 <ref>https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sro0br</ref>. Next was ''Tekken Revolution'', a modified version of ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'' released on the PlayStation Store in 2013. The game received mixed reviews, with many agreeing that it was simply a watered down version of an already existing game and was criticized for the prominent microtransactions creating a "pay-to-win" culture. The game was pulled from the European store in 2016 and support officially ended in 2017. Soon after was ''Tekken Card Tournament'', a digital trading card game similar to ''Tekken Card Challenge'', with turn-based mechanics. Finally, there was ''Tekken Arena'', a mobile MMORPG in 2013, where the player made their own avatar with special stats to defeat bosses and other players.

The next mainline entry, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken 7}}'', released on the System ES3 arcade board in 2015 and runs with {{iw|wikipedia|Unreal Engine 4}}. Most of the characters who last appeared in ''Tekken 6'' return, as well as several new characters. This game is notable for being the first mainline entry to introduce true guest characters—though ''Tekken 3'' had Gon, ''Tekken 7'' introduced Akuma from {{uv|Street Fighter}} as a significant part of the story, and characters from {{uv|Fatal Fury|The King of Fighters}}-related series (namely ''Fatal Fury'' shared universe series, and the titular ''KOF'' tournament series), {{uv|Final Fantasy}}, and even ''{{iw|wikipedia|The Walking Dead|franchise}}'' were later added in as DLC and additional contents for post-console release Arcade updates (the latter guest series is excluded from the arcade updates). There were also crossovers with Bandai Namco's other IPs such as {{uvm3|Taiko no Tatsujin}}, and {{uv|Pac-Man}} as it happened during the franchise's 40th anniversary. The game also introduced several new mechanics, including an expansion to the "Rage" family of systems like Rage Art and Rage Drive, which are special moves only accessible when low on health. The game received an update titled ''Tekken 7: Fated Retribution'' in 2016, which introduced new characters, stages and mechanics. This version provided the basis for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows versions in 2017. In June of 2022, the game was confirmed to have surpassed 9 million copies sold, surpassing ''Tekken 3'' as the single best selling entry in the series.

The ''Tekken'' team has also collaborated with {{iw|bulbapedia|The Pokémon Company}} to develop ''{{iw|bulbapedia|Pokkén Tournament}}'', which released in arcades in 2015 and on Wii U in 2016. The game is notable for having different stages and characters between both versions, and using the same compatible memory card on both versions can unlock the missing content in both. The game received an enhanced port titled ''Pokkén Tournament DX'' on [[Nintendo Switch]] in 2017, which combined the content in the arcade and Wii U version and added new content. Aside from a ''Tekken'' skin created for ''Galaga'', ''Tekken Mobile'', released for mobile devices in 2018, used touch screen inputs to use the fighter and has gacha elements known as Waza cards, which did have unique effects. As of February 15, 2019 the game was no longer playable likely because of the negative reception of the game's expensive prices, and lack of revenue on the game's part. Four years later and after continuous updates for ''Tekken 7'', a Netflix animated series of the franchise titled ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken: Bloodline}}'' was revealed, and premiered in 2022. This series focuses on Jin Kazama's plot during the storyline of the franchise.

At [[EVO]] 2022, a new entry had been confirmed for the franchise. It shows Kazuya's ending cutscene from ''Tekken'', before switching to a higher quality model of himself, smirking at the camera, and the phrase "Get ready" appearing next to him. It was then at the opening of Sony's State of Play of September 13, 2022 that confirmed the untitled ''Tekken'' game shown at EVO 2022 was in fact the next mainline entry, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken 8}}''. The existence of the game was previously leaked in November 2021, as part of a list of games leaked from Nvidia, but was officially announced in the State of Play. The game runs on {{iw|wikipedia|Unreal Engine 5}}, with more depth on the gameplay and the stages' environments rendered in real-time thanks to the engine's power. The game released on January 26, 2024 PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X & S, and PC. Plot-wise, it focuses on the conflict between Kazuya and Jin after the events of ''Tekken 7''. The game mostly consists of characters from ''Tekken 7'' with a few newcomers. The new gameplay innovation is a replacement of Rage Drive moves called the heat system, which can be activated to boost certain abilities depending on the character and use some exclusive techniques, and can end with a super move during the heat state, further expanding gameplay diversity between players. Additionally, the voice overs of this game are solely provided by the current voice actors, rather than reusing voice archives from the previous games.

 

[[Heihachi Mishima]], the main antagonist and mascot of the series, appears as a downloadable Mii Costume. This marks the franchise's debut in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series

In the base game, the ''Tekken'' universe returns as one of {{SSBU|Pac-Man}}'s sprites in his [[Namco Roulette]] taunt, being a sprite of Heihachi. The universe would gain more content through DLC, with the Heihachi Mii Costume returning alongside Challenger Pack 6's release, then Kazuya Mishima a fighter, a stage, 39 songs, and 13 spirits added in Challenger Pack 10 as part of the [[Fighters Pass Vol. 2]].

The Mii costume based on [[Heihachi]] returns from ''Smash 4'' as a {{SSBU|downloadable content}}, as part of version 8.0.0, within the sixth wave of Mii Fighter outfits along with Challenger Pack 6 and {{SSBU|Min Min}}. It was released on June 29th, 2020, and prior to {{SSBU|Kazuya}}'s addition later in the Fighters Pass.

*{{Head|Mii Brawler|g=SSBU|s=24x24px}} '''[[Heihachi Mishima|Heihachi Outfit]]''' ([[DLC]]): The outfit returns as a DLC from ''Smash 4'', receiving updated visual detail.

*'''[[Heihachi Mishima|Heihachi Wig]]''' ([[DLC]]): The headgear returns as a DLC from ''Smash 4'', receiving updated visual detail that would retroactively be consistent in style with {{SSBU|Kazuya}}'s character model.

*'''[[Victory theme#Tekken announcer|Victory! Kazuya]]''' ([[DLC]]): Unlike other fighters, Kazuya does not have a victory theme. Rather, the announcer from ''Tekken 7'' ([[List of voice actors|Josh Keller]]) replaces the standard [[announcer]] and says "Kazuya Mishima wins!" only if the player wins a free-for-all or 1-on-1 game. Otherwise, no themes will be played nor the announcer will return in other game modes.

The ''Tekken'' universe has media represented throughout the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series with a total of 13 games and media. The latest media represented in this universe is ''{{iw|wikipedia|Tekken 7}}'', released on March 18, 2015.

**{{GameIcon|SSBU}} All spirit artwork except Nina Williams and Yoshimitsu comes from this game.

*''Tekken'' is the only DLC universe to not introduce a support [[spirit]] skill.