Harada Apologies For “Lying” About Heihachi Mishima’s Return In Tekken 8

There’s a trend in certain media and franchises that the “dead don’t stay dead.” In comic books, dead characters get back all the time. In video games, look at characters like Bowser, Ganondorf, Sora, Liu Kang, and so many more, and you’ll see that “death” holds little meaning when you can Deus Ex Machina your way back to life just to suit your needs. For Tekken 8, that was proven once again when Heihachi Mishima was revealed to be coming back to life and arguably looking better and more insane than he has been in years. That rubbed some fans the wrong way, as a man named Harada said, “Heihachi is really dead this time,” following the events of the last game.

If you don’t recall, the climax of the 7th entry was that Heihachi and his son Kazuya had a “final battle” within a volcano. It’s a key location for the members of the Mishima clan. Just saying. Anyway, father and son fought to the death, and thanks to the power of the Devil Gene, Kazuya was able to defeat his father once and for all. Or, so we thought. Except, Heihachi’s back, somehow, and that meant Tekken 8 Director Katsuhiro Harada had a LOT of explaining to do!

Sure enough, in a chat with IGN, Harada noted:

“So, it wasn’t a lie. And then, also, the timing is right since it’s the 30th anniversary of the franchise. And so, we need all three of the Mishimas. This is the most iconic in the series. Right?”

On the one hand, you have to appreciate him saying that he “didn’t mean to lie,” and Harada further noted that the Bandai Namco team put “a lot of effort” into the story that brings Heihachi back into the fold. However, it’s not hard to look at the internet and find stories from Harada stating many times over that “Heihachi is dead” and that he wouldn’t be in the newest entry. So, yeah, he lied. He totally lied, and now he’s just backtracking.

The real question is the “state” of Heihachi in the DLC, and how he came back to life. In the trailer, we see him in a much younger form that resembles earlier entries in the franchise. When he died, he looked quite a bit older. Also, the DLC trailer indicates that Heihachi might be in “peak form” physically, but his mind isn’t what it used to be.

Only time will tell if this “lie” pays off.