Tekken Analysis - Heihachi Mishima and the Japanese Father Archetype

Dron Punch TV the Tekken video game series is one that has transcended International boundaries with over 55 million units sold worldwide it has stood the test of time and proven its status as one of the greatest fighting game series of all time with its solid gameplay and intriguing lore it developed a DieHard Following being made in Japan it also borrows cultural influences from its societal Norms the archetype of the Japanese father can be seen in heihachi Mishima the patriarch of the Mishima clan in this video we will go over some of the plot points of tekken's story and its similarities to the Japanese father archetype the first Tekken game follows kazuya Mishima who looks to seek revenge against his father heihachi when he was a young boy hiachi threw him off a cliff as a test to see if he was truly worthy of his family's name miraculously cu zya survives and trains for the next two decades to enter the king of Iron Fist tournament and defeat his father the scar on his chest is a constant reminder of his mission and his father's cruelty aachi believed that he could make his son stronger through his torturous tutelage while on a business trip in China he saw a young orphan boy fighting in the street the boy was named Lee chaan he would be adopted by hiachi and raised to be a rival to Gaza both his biological and adopted son would grow to hate him as they were often pitted against each other kazuya and Lee's disdain of their father would be the only thing they would have in common other than training Lee in the ways of Mishima style karate he never held him in high regard or acted as a father figure to him the most prominent theme within the Mishima family is the neon no otosan or Japanese father during the 1970s there was a stereotype that emerged from Japan which became the model for the Japanese father younger Generations would perceive these men as uncultured or out of touch with modern Society wives of these men believe that it was best if they were Tasha deusu meaning alive well and absent from the home because of their role as head of the household and how hard they would work to support their families they were both feared and respected their wives would Brave their short tempers and their children were expected to be obedient to them their Outburst could be seen as a deterrent to keep the children in line aachi Mishima as head of the Mishima zaibatsu is a perfect example of authority and discipline reminiscent of the tradition Japanese father figure his strict and commanding demeanor is reflected in his interactions with his family members this Echoes the societal expectation of a patriarchal figure who enforces discipline within the family structure when Jin coso's mother disappeared after her encounter with ogre he went to heihachi to seek proper training to defeat his mother's attacker heihachi treated Jin no differently than his own children as he put him through a grueling training regimen through his training he turned him into the perfect War Warrior who would kill ogre and avenge his mother karate in its purest form stands for constant self-improvement Mishima style karate is no different for jyn to defeat ogre he would have needed to remain motivated and keep his eye on the goal of becoming the best fighter he could be JY needed someone to keep him grounded and learn how to persevere in difficult times he would have to be torn down and built back up to achieve his goal of avenging his mother heihachi taught Jinn that life is not fair and that he must do what he can to survive much like the Japanese father heihachi prepared his grandson for an unyielding and merciless World perhaps heihachi's most famous motto is that a fight is about who's left standing and nothing else in our everyday lives we Face an array of many challenges life will throw us many difficulties our way but it's up to us to figure out the best means of overcoming them heihachi has shown that he never gives up even when he has lost everything in Tekken 2 heihachi lost the Mishima zaibatsu to kazuya after being defeated in the first king of Iron Fist tournament he could have easily given up but he climbed back up the cliff from which he was thrown after entering the next tournament he defeated his son and reclaimed control of the zatu in sunzo The Art of War the book teaches you that you must appear weak when you are strong and appear strong when you are weak the this comes into play with self-preservation in difficult times kazuya may have lost to heihachi due to both his huus and him underestimating his father thinking that heihachi had nothing left it cost him the zatu and ultimately his life in the events of teen 7 aachi once again took control of the zatu after it was left without jyn's leadership due to Jinn causing worldwide conflict in the last game aachi needed to repair its stained reputation Waring with the Rival G Corporation led by his son heihachi reveal kazuya's devil form to the world which would turn the general populace against kazuya and work in favor of the [Music] zatu any decent parent would want their child to succeed sometimes the only way parents know how to bring out the best in them is through tough love in a Japanese family sons are seen as personal heirs to the family and are expected to behave in a way that will not bring shame to their fathers the expectations that a father will have for the son can be overbearing and may lead to conflict between the two the tale of the Mishima family is played with conflict while it's debatable if hiachi really did have good intentions for kazuya throwing him off a cliff planted the seeds of a lifetime of resentment though kazuya grew to become a formidable fighter and was successful in his business Endeavors none of it could undo the harm his father did to him he became the strongest Warrior he could be both physically and mentally so that no one could dictate how he lived not even his father if it weren't for heihachi's cruel Tendencies this story could have gone much differently in the face of societal expectations it's important to teach your children about the hardships of reality however doing it the wrong way could damage your relationship with them even if you have good intentions they may produce unintended and unwelcome results heihachi Mishima is far from being father of the year many of his acts can be seen as deplorable but that's not to say that we can't learn from them again we can learn that life is not fair and that we must become the best versions of ourselves in order to survive in an Ever Changing world not only that but we must also challenge ourselves to live a life of excellence and dignity if your father was ever overbearing to you it's best to not hold a grudge against him but if you want to go the kazuya route you can simply throw him off a cliff [Music] [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music]

Channel: Dragon Punch TV

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Length: 7min 23sec (443 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 17 2024