Tekken 8 Reveals Heihachi Mishima is Next DLC Fighter

Heihachi Mishima lives again as Tekken 8's next DLC fighter.

By Ricky Frech

Evo is the biggest fighting games tournament of the year, which means developers often save big announcements and reveals for the event. The 2024 version of the event is no different, as developer Bandai Namco has dropped a massive new trailer during the Tekken 8 portion of the tournament. The hit fighting game is in the middle of its Season 1 DLC after dropping Eddy and Lidia earlier this year, but the third fighter is a game-changer. The Tekken 8 team officially revealed that Heihachi Mishima is making his big comeback this fall, and fans are understandably very excited.

If you haven't been keeping up with Tekken, you might be wondering why it was such a big surprise to see Heihachi added to Tekken 8's Season 1 DLC. After all, he's one of the biggest characters in franchise history, serving as the main villain in several entries. However, at the very end of Tekken 7's story, Heihachi's son Kazuya Mishima finally gets the better of his father and throws Heihachi into a river of magma.

Of course, characters in fighting games don't usually stay dead for long, and it's no surprise Bandai Namco would want to bring Heihachi back for DLC in Tekken 8. Fans have long expected they'd make this addition at some point, largely due to how popular Heihachi has been throughout the series. Importantly, the team is adding a new story chapter called "The Dark Awakens" alongside Heihachi. It'll be fun to see how Bandai Namco incorporates him into the game alongside characters like Reina in the story mode. One thing is for sure: everyone needs to steer clear of volcanoes.

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Bandai Namco also announced that it is partnering with Nike for some new in-game gear. Of course, players can also pick up Tekken 8-themed Nike Air Foamposite Ones in the real world, if they want to show off their fandom. The sneakers will be available in September and the retail price is set at $250.

Tekken 8 is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. We don't have a firm release date for Heihachi Mishima, but it's safe to assume Bandai Namco will try to have him available in-game around the time the Nike collaboration goes live. Either way, we'll likely hear about a release date in the next few weeks. 

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