It is always extremely entertaining when highly anticipated video games recruit top Hollywood icons for marketing purposes, and TEKKEN 8 teaming up with the amazing Brian Cox continues that trend in the greatest way possible. Fans of the fighting game franchise have been waiting for a mainline installment since TEKKEN 7 was released almost seven years ago in 2017, and the eighth-numbered title is right around the corner.
Of course, it has definitely been a long time since the previous title was launched worldwide, which could have resulted in many players forgetting some major narrative elements.
This is where the Succession star comes in, as he recaps everything that has led to the events of TEKKEN 8 to bring everyone up to speed, and the resulting collaboration is absolutely extraordinary.
Brian Cox Explains All of the Plot Points That Have Led to TEKKEN 8
A few families in the world of video games are as dysfunctional as the Mishima bloodline, and since the TEKKEN franchise mainly revolves around the actions of its members, it is important to know exactly why they have always been at each other’s throats. Brian Cox is no stranger to similar dynamics, since he himself starred as the head of the Roy family in HBO’s hit television series Succession.
So this collaboration was the perfect match made in heaven as the official Bandai Namco Entertainment America channel on YouTube posted a “Story So Far” trailer to explain how the narrative has brought the characters to where they are and their motivations in TEKKEN 8.
From numerous King of the Iron Fist tournaments to crazy lore that involves devilish genes, there is a lot to unpack to truly understand what TEKKEN 8 is all about. The Emmy award-winning actor starts off his narration by saying that regardless of the size, each and every fight has some sort of motive or “story behind it.”
In the trailer, Cox stands in front of an excellent backdrop with various screens showing iconic TEKKEN moments, including the inevitable upcoming final clash between Kazuya Mishima and his son Jin Kazama.
The TEKKEN franchise officially kicked off three decades ago in 1994, so the story of the Mishima family is undeniably one of the best in fighting video games, especially considering how long-running and connected it has been. As Brian Cox so eloquently puts it:
There’s one hell of a story to tell.
In TEKKEN 8, Jin Kazama will finally face his demons in the form of his father, Kazuya Mishima, for the last time, which is a battle that fans of the franchise have been looking forward to for a long time.
The Mishima Family Loves Throwing Each Other off Cliffs
What makes the story of the TEKKEN franchise so unique is how it is not just about the battles that take place during or away from the King of the Iron Fist Tournament. It also gets extremely over the top at times, as Kazuya is literally trying to take over the world in TEKKEN 8, and the only real obstacle in his way is his son.
This is because Jin is the only other person in the entire universe who possesses the Devil Gene, so he basically has to become the savior of billions of people to stop his father from global domination.
Cox hilariously points out how bonkers it is for the plot to get to this point, while also joking about how ridiculous the concept of the Devil Gene is. The best part of the recap is easily when the Succession star asks why these family members “keep throwing each other off cliffs,” which seems to be a tradition that could continue in TEKKEN 8 as well.
It all started when Heihachi Mishima threw his five-year-old son Kazuya off a cliff, and there was no going back after that.
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