Heihachi returns to Tekken 8 with new DLC, franchise's first story expansions

Not only is Heihachi Mishima not dead, but Bandai Namco is bringing him back alongside the Tekken series’ first story expansion in Tekken 8. 

First revealed during the Tekken 8 Top 6 finals at Evo 2024, Heihachi joins the game in Fall 2024 as the third DLC fighter featured in the first year’s lineup—and the Playable Character Year 1 Pass—following Eddy Gordo and Lidia Sobieska. 

As shown in the trailer, the Tekken team, including T8’s executive producer Katsuhiro Harada are well aware of what Heihachi’s return means for the franchise—and how it plays into ongoing memes about the character’s death. But bringing the fan-favorite back is just one part of Bandai’s upcoming plans. 

On top of an in-game Chipotle activation with new items you can earn and two pairs of official Tekken collaboration Nike shoes dropping, we got confirmation that the Tekken World Tour Finals is heading to Tokyo for the first time in December. But the biggest news is that Tekken is getting its first-ever story expansion later this year. This expansion will add a new chapter to the game’s The Dark Awakens story and “continues the clash between the Kazama and Mishima families.”

The trailer itself doesn’t reveal too much, though it does seem to show several characters embarking on a new adventure that takes them across the world to deal with a segment of the remaining Mishima Zaibatsu known as the Tekken Monks. Reina is key among the featured T8 characters, which makes sense considering her connection to Heihachi which was revealed at the end of the game’s story—which I will not spoil here.

It is very important to note that, while Heihachi, like all DLC fighters, will need to be purchased to access, the new story expansion will be a completely free update when it launches this Fall. 

We still need to wait for an official date for Heihachi’s launch, though Lidia is available to Playable Character Year 1 Pass owners on July 22, and all players who purchase the DLC fighter on July 25. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS5iUtopMTU 

I was also able to chat with Harada, producer Michael Murray, and director Kohei Ikeda at Evo. Some of those articles will be published over the next week, so stay tuned for more information about the game, new announcements, and the truth behind how Heihachi’s fate was changed after Tekken 7.