Tekken: Bloodlinefinally got released on Netflix in August of 2022, and it was a surprisingly faithful adaptation ofTekken 3. It follows Jin Kazama as he seeks to avenge his mother’s death at the hands of a war god known only as Ogre. Following her last words, he seeks out his grandfather, Heihachi Mishima, who agrees to train him in the Mishima arts. However, it’s under his care that Jin learns more about his grandfather, his father Kazuya, and his Mishima lineage than he bargained for.
RELATED:Thing’s Netflix’s Tekken: Bloodline Changes From the Games
For casual fans, it’s a fun if brief martial arts romp with more than enoughTekkencharacters to get through. But for big fans, there’s much more that catches the eye. From big beats to tiny details, here are some of the things that onlyTekkenfanatics will have caught while watching the Netflix series.
This list contains mild spoilers forTekken: Bloodline.
Little Bits to Look Out For
There are a few little details lurking here and there that fans might’ve caught. Despite being an adaptation ofTekken 3,Tekken 4’s Steve Fox and Craig Marduk turn up for cameos. Additionally,Tekken 7’s Leroy Smith gets lines, a fight, and many scenes with Jin, while Eddy Gordo, one of the more iconic (and notorious)Tekken 3originals, gets reduced to a text cameo as Jin browses the internet.
More significantly, Ogre’s list of supposed victims matches those in the games, as his move set consists of techniques taken from Baek Doo San, Wang Jinrei, Lee Chaolan, and the original King. For another blast from the past, the pendant Heihachi hopes to detect Ogre with matches the one Michelle Chang held in her ending inTekken 2.Beyond that, it mostly stayed offscreen in the games, but its use inBloodlineis canon, right down to Julia wanting it and her missing mother Michelle back.
The Games Exist in the Show Too
Heihachi and Julia explain the significance of the pendant to Jin throughout the show. What it does, where it came from, who it belongs to, etc. It’s all new to Jin, but maybe it shouldn’t be. In the first episode, Jin is playing a game on a handheld device. The viewers never see the screen, but the audio is clearly fromTekken 2. From its sounds, Jin is playing as his mother Jun, and fighting against Jack-2. It’s the only appearance fromTekken’s mechanical menace in the show thus far.
RELATED:The Best Anime Based On Fighting Games
While it’s just a cute reference to the original games tobreak the fourth wall, it’s also a little odd. Does this mean that all of the games exist inBloodline? Are they licensed sports games like theUFCgames? Do they also have the same Arcade Mode endings? If so, Jin clearly didn’t main Michelle, or he’d have recognized the pendant. He also could’ve found out what happened to Kazuya by beating Arcade Mode with his granddad.
Dress Code
Everyone’soutfits come from the games, thoughBloodlinepicks and chooses different outfits from across the series. Julia goes for her latest attire inTekken 7rather than herTekken 3Native American gear. Xiaoyu and Nina favor theirTekken 5clothing, and Kazuya wears the designer pants he’s had sinceTekken 4as opposed to the plain white ones he had inTekken 2. Still, other characters prefer to keep it old school. Heihachi never wore his black gi inTekken 3, soBloodlinerectifies this by sticking the old man in it for most of the show.
Likewise, Hwoarang is in his white Tae Kwon Do gear fromTekken 3. Paul’s been wearing his red gi since 1994, so he stays with it inBloodline. Jin earns his flame pants and studded red gloves through training. However, for an obscure touch, he and Xiaoyu can be seen wearing the Mishima Polytech uniforms fromTekken 3andTekken Tag Tournamentin Episode 2. That outfit could even give Jin and Xiaoyu a separate ending inTag, where Jin carries his bag the same way as he does inBloodline.
Got the Moves
It sounds like an obvious move to make for a fighting game anime, but many of the characters useactual moves from the gamesagainst each other. Jun shows Jin her White Heron mix-ups and Cartwheel Kick, then he uses both against Heihachi towards the end of the series (not that he used the Cartwheel Kick in the games).
RELATED:Iconic Fighting Game Moves Based on Real Techniques
Heihachi does his Hell Sweeps and hisTekken 7Rage Art. Xiaoyu lands her Back Layout in a satisfying fashion. Then King gets to show his signature throws, including some multipart combinations. There are some significant differences here and there. Ogre doesn’t run through all the moves he took from the other characters, nor do Jin’s video game uppercuts resemble the big electric pillar he uses in the show. Even so, there should be more than enough classic moves to please the crowds.
Paul the Contender
Despite being one of the game’s most powerful fighters, Paul Phoenix has largely been treated as a joke character in later entries. He challenges aliens to fights inTekken 5when he isn’t begging his buddy Marshall Law for tips. Then he’s joining Marshall in get-rich-quick schemes inTekken 6or getting chased by angry bears inTekken Tag Tournament 2. So, it might be surprising to some to see him treated so seriously inBloodline. It’s all canon too, for the most part.
He was the original rival character of Kazuya, just as Hwoarang is to Jin, so him fighting the malevolent Mishima to a draw is in the lore.Bloodlineeven goes a step further by having him see Kazuya and Heihachi’s final bout live and in-person and helping Jin by attacking True Ogre, which isn’t in the lore. Canonically, he missed out on winning theTekken 2tournament because of a traffic jam. Then he beat regular Ogre and left the scene, not knowing the creature had a second form. It’s these narrow misses at victory that led to his Flanderization in subsequent games.
Recurring Roles
Over time, theTekkengames increasingly expanded their roster’s vocals. OnceTekken 5came around, Bandai-Namco gave each character their own native tongue. It’s neat, but it led to an odd situation where everyone can understand each other fluently no matter their language.Bloodlinesticks to one language overall per dub. Jamieson Price is the only English-speaking actor to reprise his role, with Erika Harlacher and Jeanne Tirado replicating theirTekkenactors quite well. Conversely, the Japanese dub managed to get almost all of the actors from the games, including some deep dives.
Isshin Chiba returns as Jin Kazama, as does Masanori Shinohara as Kazuya, and Hidenari Ugaki (Goro Majima inYakuza) as Ganryu. Toshiyuki Morikawa (Yoshikage Kira inJojo’s Bizarre Adventure) voices Hwoarang, and originally did vocals for the character inTekken 3,Tag, and Japanese versions ofTekken 4, while Nina’s VA, Yuki Tōma, originally voiced the assassin inTekkens 1-Tagas well. She also played Xiaoyu fromTekken 3to 2012’sStreet Fighter X Tekken. After that, Xiaoyu was played by Maaya Sakamoto. So, when the two characters fight inBloodline, die-hard fans might enjoy it asclassic 1990s Ninataking on the new 2020s Xiaoyu.
