Mishima Kazuya

---

Context

Kazuya was the protagonist of the very first Tekken game.

Yet he isn’t the hero one would expect – not by any means. His whole motivation for much of the series has been getting revenge against his villainous father.

Mishima-san waffled back and forth between being an anti-hero and a villain. Furthermore he’s got the mysterious “devil gene” inside him which allows him to literally turn into a devil.

That and his convoluted family history could make him an interesting character for stories that focus on martial arts or occult themes.

Background

Powers & Abilities

Kazuya is one of the best martial artists in his world. He won the King of the Iron Fist Tournament multiple times. The first such victory was defeating his father for the title.

He also inherited the terrifying Devil Gene. This literally allows him to change into a demon with:

He is a competent leader, and was able to eliminate those that plotted against him. Kazuya led a world-dominating force against his father’s heavily militarized megacorporation.

In the video games

He’s actually a simple and straightforward character, with easy and predictable moves that can leave him open.

His major saving grace is that most of his moves do a lot of damage – even from just a hit or two. Many of his moves are thus great for punishing mistakes, encouraging defensive tactics.

Kazuya can be used offensively. This high-risk, high-reward approach is best left to skilled players who can control the tempo of a fight.

Offensive tactics are made easier as Kazuya is the only character with an automatic crouch-dash. Simple-pressing forward has him crouches slightly and moves a half step to the side while advancing.

This helps with dodging, particularly in the older games where the auto-tracking wasn’t as good.

History

Kazuya was the son of Heihachi and Kazumi Mishima. These childhood sweethearts had trained together in the Mishima Karate Dojo.

Kazuya reportedly was a healthy and happy boy. His mother loved him dearly and constantly doted upon him. But it wasn’t long before tragedies would befall them.

The Mishima Financial Group was making record profits. Heihachi, being the only son, was being groomed as the successor. The Mishimas went from being a prominent and well-off family in Japan to being one of the richest in the world.

The corruption of Mishima Heihachi

But rather than celebrate his family’s good fortune, Heihachi lusted for even more money and more power. He grew more and more ruthless.

While his wife loved him dearly, she could no longer ignore the global threat that he posed.

After a series of convoluted events, Kazumi attacked her husband. He was eventually forced to kill her in self-defence. This had terrible consequences for both Heihachi and Kazuya.

When Kazuya was five and they were training in the mountains, he angrily confronted his father about his mother’s death. He even swore revenge, but the small boy was obviously no match for a world class martial artist.

Heihachi was still in a confused, toxic state of grieving. He reacted…badly. Mishima-san declared that the heir of the Mishima Group had to be strong enough.

He then tossed his son off a cliff, telling him that he would only take him back if he could survive and climb back up.

Devil gene

Kazuya barely survived. Furthermore, the near-death experience triggered his latent Devil Gene. He had inherited this from his grandfather and his mother.

Kazuya didn’t know it yet, but this would lead him down a very dark path indeed.

Several sources state that he made a deal with the devil to survive. But these were older versions of the game that may have been mistranslated. Later games strongly establish that it’s a gene that has been passed through the family.

Heihachi adopted a Chinese street urchin named Lee Chaolan. He would often pit the two boys against each other, as only one would inherit the Mishima zaibatsuA specific type of huge Japanese corporation..

Walk away, punch a lot

Kazuya decided to leave.

The young man aimlessly traveled the world, as his family’s fortune was more than enough to support a lavish lifestyle. To vent his anger, he frequently competed — and won — in martial arts tournaments.

Kazuya notably clashed with American judo champion Paul Phoenix. This is the only fight he didn’t win by knock-out, as it ended in a draw.

Tekken

Heihachi announced the first King of the Iron Fist Tournament. Kazuya saw this as the perfect chance to enact his revenge upon him.

The extravagant prize money would attract fighters from all over the world. But Kazuya was fully prepared to fight through every single one of them to get to his father.

He managed to defeat Paul in their rematch after a hours-long battle. He also got a chance to finally face his adopted brother Lee again.

Tekken final match

In either case, Mishima was allowed to advance to the final match where he faced his father.

Kazuya’s rage finally got the best of him. It was here that he made the full transformation into his Devil form.

With this newfound power he was able to beat his father – and throw him off the same cliff he had thrown him off as a boy.

With daddy now out of the picture, Kazuya assumed full control of the Mishima Zaibatsu.

King of the iron fist

Whatever misdeeds and injustice his father had caused with his ruthless ambition… Kazuya proved to be far worse.

He changed the company’s course from a financial institution to one that dealt in heavy industry and weapons manufacturing. His greed knew no bounds. He would stoop to any low to get ahead including:

Under his leadership his empire expanded to the point where he controlled most of Hokkaido, the second largest island in Japan. Furthermore, his company’s military was now stronger than that of most countries.

And just to assert that he was the toughest alpha male around, he announced the second King of the Iron Fist tournament.

Tekken 2

During the tournament he encountered a wildlife conservation officer named Jun Kazama. The pair were instantly attracted to one another and wound up sleeping together.

There’s an implication that, Jun being a martial artist with psychic powers, she could sense the Devil’s presence within him. And sought to heal his emotional pain and free him from the Devil’s presence.

Heihachi returned – though the arrogant Kazuya hadn’t checked, his father had survived his fall. Heihachi badly beat Kazuha, who tried to turn into Devil again. But his encounter with Jun had awakened another entity within him, called Angel.

As the two vied for control of his body, Kazuya wasn’t able to stand his father’s onslaught, and he was knocked out.

Not wanting to be one-upped, Heihachi then threw his son into a live volcano. He flew away on a helicopter as it erupted, smiling all the way.

Tekken 3

This was the only game that Kazuya didn’t appear in. Yet his actions still had a huge impact on the game’s storyline.

Heihachi resumed control of the Mishima Zaibatsu and further expanded its base of power. But 20 years later, a mysterious young man sought him out and claimed to be his grandson. Jun had gotten pregnant after her night with Kazuya.

Long story short there was another Tekken Tournament to decide who was the toughest. Kazuya’s son wound up coming out on top.

But while all this was happening, Mishima Zaibatsu’s rival, the sinister G-corporation, fished a badly burned monster out of a volcano.

Of course, it was Kazuya in Devil form. Using their advanced genetics and cloning technology, they resurrected him. Their hopes were that he could be yet another weapon in their arsenal to challenge the Mishima Zaibatsu…

Megacorporate skirmishes

By now the Mishima Zaibatsu and G Corporation were the two strongest financial and military powers on the planet. Their cold war was careening towards a hot one.

Heihachi realized that the G Corporation’s genetics research and development had far outclassed his. He was concerned that this might give them the edge in their inevitable war.

He therefore sent his Tekken elite paramilitary to raid their headquarters. The soldiers were to steal whatever R&D they could and destroy the facility on their way out.

But he got a nasty surprise while watching the live feed of the operation. Kazuya was still in the G-Corp’s labs. He has allied with them against their common enemy, and hoped they could help him control his Devil Gene.

Kazuya made short work of the raiders. When he realized that they were on a live feed back to their HQ he proceeded to taunt his father.

Enraged, Heihachi did the only reasonable thing that Mishimas do to solve generational disputes. He announced another Tekken Tournament.

Tekken 4

Predictably, Kazuya made it to the finals. He discovered the existence of his son during the tournament, but Jin Kazama never showed up for their match.

Jin therefore forfeited the semi-finals. Thus, Kazuya was set to face off against his father again.

He was taken to Honmaru Temple deep within the Mishima compound. There, he faced his father and learned what had happened to his son.

Heihachi had ordered his soldiers to abduct Jin so that he could possess both Devil Gene recipients. Now all he had to do was defeat his son in combat again.

However, Kazuya now had much better control over the Devil. He morphed into his alter ego and knocked his father out with a laser blast. The Devil inside him then instructed him to draw its other half out of Jin – as the previous death by volcano had fractured its existence.

This did not work. Devil thought that it was Jun’s genetics that were preventing assimilation. But this did wake the monster within Jin, causing it to break the mystical chains holding Jin.

The two fought in their Devil forms, and Jin came out on top. He knocked his father out but didn’t kill him. He just wanted his father and grandfather out of his life.

Return of Jinpachi

Shortly after Jin left, Jack-5 combat robots attacked the Mishimas. They had to ally to defend themselves against wave after wave of the killer robots.

(Although truth be told in the video, they manage to make it look more like yet another dick measuring contest.)

Kazuya got a sudden flash that his beloved grandfather Jinpachi was still alive. Thinking that he would be a much better leader for the family business, Kazuya betrayed Heihachi, shoving him into a fresh wave of oncoming Jacks.

The incoming tide dogpiled him and self-destructed, presumably killing the elder Mishima. Kazuya turned back into Devil form and flew away to safety.

Jinpachi was also a recipient of the Devil Gene. He had been imprisoned decades before by Heihachi, both to control his Devil’s Gene and to take over the Mishima Financial Group.

The dungeon he was held in was beneath the Honmaru Temple. The explosion from the Jack-5s’ self-destruction freed him.

Tekken 5

This of course resulted in yet another Tekken Tournament. But surprisingly, Kazuya was largely absent from its key events.

The sudden assault by the Jacks had made him realize that a very powerful enemy with deep pockets was after him. He prioritized solving that mystery over the tournament.

By the end of the game, he found out that it was none other than the executives at the G-Corporation. They now saw him as more of a liability, and had hoped to take out their two biggest roadblocks to world domination in one strike.

Obviously, Kazuya now sought to extract some sweet, sweet revenge that he had become accustomed to…

Tekken 6

Between Tk5 and Tk6, Kazuya tracked down and exterminated the execs who had ordered his death. He then assumed the position of CEO of the G Corporation, and got right back to his plans of world domination.

But Jin had won the fifth tournament. Which made him the leader of the Mishima Zaibatsu.

Jin wasted no time in plunging the world into chaos. He openly stoked the flames of war and insurrection everywhere to claim whatever scraps were left.

Kazuya committed the full force of the G-Corporation to stopping the Mishima Zaibatsu. He was therefore hailed as a hero. This newfound popularity bolstered his forces, as volunteers joined the Mishima paramilitary.

And that’s about it really. The main storyline followed Jin and newcomer Lars Alexandersson, Kazuya’s long-lost half-brother.

It would seem most likely that Kazuya, for once in his life, acted more as a general and less of a soldier in this conflict. He scored major victories, and the war started to tip in his favor.

Instant Hell Murder

Jin vanished, and Heihachi resumed control of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Father and son resumed their decades-long grudge match, and Kazuya sought to strike the final blow.

He sent an army of Jack-6s to kill his father at the Mishima Dojo. But when they arrived, Heihachi was fighting Akuma.

(Yes, the Akuma from Street Fighter. He was the first guest character to actually matter, storyline-wise. But this version of Akuma didn’t seem quite as powerful as he does in the Street Fighter universe.)

Akuma and Heihachi teamed up, and eliminated the Jacks. This cut the video feed. But the duel reportedly then resumed, and Akuma allegedly slew Heihachi.

Kazuya poured resources into investigating these claims. But he didn’t get far into his investigation before it was interrupted by a powerful adversary.

Tekken 7

Akuma stormed the G-Corporation HQ and challenged Kazuya to a battle to the death. Kazuya ordered his men to stand down and the two fought on the building’s roof.

However, unbeknownst to the both of them they were being watched. Heihachi was still alive.

Akuma quickly got the upper hand, so Kazuya morphedImpossibly shifting into another form. into his Devil form. Heihachi had this broadcast live, to expose his son’s demonic powers. This rapidly shifted public opinion in his favor.

Before the match was concluded, the elder Mishima fired a power laser from the satellite. It destroyed the entire G-Corporation HQ. Kazuya, of course, lived to fight another day.

Duel anew

Father and son soon decided to resolve the matter the Mishima way. They met in single combat inside an active volcano. Possibly the same one that Heihachi had thrown Kazuya into all those years ago.

After a long and brutal battle Heihachi gained the upper hand, knocking Kazuya out of his Devil form. But it was Kazuya who eventually landed a killing blow, stopping his father’s heart with a punch. He then threw the body into a lava pit.

(Namco stated that this game finished the Mishima Saga. So Heihachi may very well be dead for good this time.)

Akuma then appeared to demand to finish their bout. Kazuya turned into Devil form and shot a laser at him. Akuma launched a Hadoken projectile of his own. And…freeze frame cliff hanger.

Description

Kazuya’s black hair is always swept back and ends in a spike at the end of his head.

His features are particularly sharp, and he’s almost always sneering.

He sports a large scar over his breastbone from when his father threw him off that cliff as a child.

His left eye glows red from Tekken 4 onward.

His original costume is a simple karate pants with a black belt and red foot and hand guards.

His alternate outfit is a purple tuxedo. In later games he starts dressing in finely tailored suits with a trench coat.

Devil inside

In Devil form his facial features remain the same. But his skin turns purple, and his lower body gets covered in purple hair.

There’s a large red jewel affixed to his forehead that he can shoot lasers from. And what devil wouldn’t be complete without horns which have grown larger and more menacing as the series progressed.

He also has bat like wings which he can use to fly. As graphics have gotten better, his skins could be depicted as being more chitinous, like that of an insect’s exoskeleton. Small spikes then appeared on his body.

Personality

First and foremost, Kazuya is a relentless revenge machine. He will stop at nothing to kill his father – even if his quest for revenge leaves nothing but destruction in its wake.

Aside from his father he seems to dislike most of his other living relatives, but not outright hate them.

His actions and some of his quotes resemble that of a formerly abused child who wants to grow so strong that no one can harm him. Ironically this makes him very much like his own father.

Megalomania and unquenchable thirst for power seem to run deep in the Mishima bloodline for generations, and Kazuya is no exception.

Other traits

Kazuya is distant and aloof in all his relationships. His only focus is on himself and amassing power.

He seems to respect and reward competent employees, particularly other strong fighters, provided they don’t talk too much. Most orders that he relays are done with a crisp, authoritative curtness.

His romantic relationship with Jun hasn’t been explored very much. Whether she was just a casual hook up or there was something more remains unknown.

However, later games show that he did deeply love both his mother and grandfather.

DC Universe Adaptation

(This section proposes ways of using this character in DC Universe stories).

The Tekken world wouldn’t mesh with most other universes. World governments are hopelessly corrupt and incompetent. This allows mega corporations like the Mishima Zaibatsu and G Corporation to wage constant wars for world domination.

That said he could be a good Bat villain. Kazuya and Bruce could play corporate chess games leading to physical fights. Oliver Queen’s Green Arrow would also work in a similar manner.

Other evil corporate overlords such as Lex Luthor wouldn’t work as well considering that he relies more heavily on his intellect and toys.

---

---

---