When the 2010’s rolled around, I don’t know what happened
between me and fighting games. For years, I was more or less an avid fan of
fighting games. There was the Street Fighter series, Mortal Kombat, Virtua
Fighter, and of course, Tekken. I guess I got burnt out on the franchise since
I barely played any of Tekken 6. I barely touched the modern MK games. I think
the only fighting franchise I gave any attention to was Netherrealm’s Injustice
series.
Let me get back to Tekken, though. I had gotten the latest
game, Tekken 7, some time ago. I hadn’t cracked open the case for months until
we got to the holiday season. I had more time off for work than I realized, so
I popped that baby in. I guess I needed to get some things off my chest, and
honestly, it had been too long since I’ve kicked butt as Eddy Gordo. I don’t
know what happened, but it felt like going home for the first time. Anyway, I
thought I’d just off my favorite characters from the franchise. This is just me gushing on my faves. These are the ones who got the coolest
moves, got good backstories, and just look pretty cool. It’s also not in order,
but the best are up top.
1. Marshall Law
Why yes, the obvious homage to Bruce Lee is one of my
favorite characters. Why do you ask? In all seriousness, he’s probably the
first character I picked up in the first game. His moves and combos were pretty
cool to do. Those flips of his were also pretty rad. I was finally able to pull
them off in the later games which was cool. His backstory wasn’t the greatest
though. He was just a simple cook with a knack for kung fu. I also gotta mention
his son, Forrest, who you play in Tekken 3 and the Tag Tournament games. Why is
Forrest only in one main game? Oh well… his dad’s cooler anyway.
2. Jin Kazama
Next, we got the tortured soul of the franchise and the son
of Kazyua Mishima and Jun Kazama. Jin was first introduced in Tekken 3, aka
“Tekken: The Next Generation.” Because of his father, Jin was cursed with the
Devil Gene, and this causes him to lash out and transform into a human/demon
hybrid. It’s also his story the later games end up following. Jin’s an
interesting one. He first started out fighting in the Mishima’s fighting style.
His fighting style and moves completely changed in later games, and I don’t’
think I’ve ever seen that happen with another fighter. It was like a complete
shift. At least his new style (traditional karate) was pretty effective. Also,
I love that hoodie from Tekken 4. I wish I could find one.
3. Eddy Gordo
You know Eddy’s got to be on here. He first showed up in
Tekken 3 and then was around here and there in the later games. He was a
Brazilian who got locked up in prison or a crime he didn’t commit. While he was
there, he got trained by a Capoeiran master. After he got out, he entered into
the Iron Fist Tournament (the Mishimas were behind his father’s death) and
history was set. I also gotta mention his protégé, Christie Montiero, the
granddaughter of Eddy’s master. She was pushed to be the fighter while Eddy was
relegated to a skin in some games. She was also quite… cute, okay? Anyway, it’s just cool to play either
character. The moves are so fluid and just cool. It’s what introduced me (and
others) to Capoeira. Besides, there ain’t too many black fighters around, ya
know?
4. King
Next up is the luchador himself. King’s whole mission was to
enter the Iron Fist tournament to get money for an orphanage. The story changed
in later games as someone else took the King title. I’m not much of a wrestling
fan, but King would make me one. He always had some cool moves to pull off.
Besides, it’s not everyday where you get to play a dude who wears the head of a
jaguar… I think that’s what that is anyway.
5. Nina Williams
While most of the female characters aren’t my faves, Nina is
one who I tend to play at times. She was one of the originals from the first
game. She’s an assassin who has a pretty weird rivalry with her red-headed sister,
Anna Williams. Most of her endings would involve her trying to one-up Anna in
some way. She also had a pretty cool move set. She even had a move that was
pretty… ball-breaking.
6. Kazyua Mishima
Next up, it’s another original and one of the big ones. Kazyua
is the son of Heihachi Mishima. His story especially in the later games revolve
around the fact that he once made a pact with a demon because his father was
such a bad dude. That doesn’t mean Kazyua a good guy, though. There was a
reason he was a villain in the live-action Tekken movie. His move set was
pretty cool. He was also a snazzy dresser. Not many dudes can kick butt dressed
in Armani.
7. Raven
So, how do you get Blade in the Tekken Universe? Simple,
just bleach his hair and call it a day. Seriously, I wonder if Wesley Snipes
got aroundto playing Tekken 5. Raven’s a US secret agent who got tasked with
finding out who killed Heihachi Mishima in the game. As for his move set, it
was pretty cool. He was a ninja and that easily showed with his moves and look.
I know he’s been replaced with another character in Tekken 7, but I wouldn’t
count out seeing the Wesley Snipes ripoff in another game.
8. Ling Xiaoyu
Ling Xiaoyu was another one of the new fighters from Tekken
3. Her master was Wang, one of the hidden characters from the first game. She
had a pet Panda (who also is a playable character) and she used to have a crush
on Jin Kazama. Anyway, she had a pretty nice move set. Some of her kicks were
pretty powerful.
9. Paul Phoenix
Here, we got another one of the originals. Paul Phoenix was
a simple street fighter. Heck, I think he and Ken Masters (Street Fighter)
shopped at the same store for their fight gear. His story’s simple: he wants to
be the best fighter in the world. His endings for the games also show this and
some hilarity. His move set is pretty powerful but sometimes hard to pull off.
I know there was this one move he could pull off in Tekken 3 where he could
pretty much end a match in a few seconds. I think they lessened this move’s
power in later games, unfortunately. Still, he’s a cool character to play.
10. Hwoarang
Finally, there’s the redheaded master of kicking. Hwoarang
was another new fighter from Tekken 3 who took a while for me to like. He was a
Korean soldier who went AWOL to be in the tournament. His master was Baek Doo
San, yet another former fighter from the franchise. He had a big rivalry with Jin Kazama and most
of his endings would revolve around that. I still remember his badly voiced ending from Tekken 4 where he and Jin throw down and fight. I think it was Tekken 4 where I really started to like his
move set. His main thing was kicking and
he ruled at that. It could get pretty inventive.
………………………………………………………
Well, I could probably list some more, but I’ll stop here. There’s
only so much you can say about a bunch of characters from a fighting game. If
you got any faves I didn’t list, let me know. Well, I think it’s time to move
on my favorite segment of this month: Bruceploitation… Lord, help me. Anyway,
Peace, God Bless, and don’t spam that same move over and over again.
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