Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada has revealed a few new details about the upcoming Tekken: Bloodline anime.
Netflix released a new video of Harada discussing why thenew anime series will be worth watching. According to Harada, "parts of [the Tekken] story that have only been written in words will be shown." While fighting games aren't usually known for the storylines, Harada reiterated the importance of the narrative to Bandai Namco's series, saying "Tekken has the longest-running video game storyline... That's how grand this is." The famously outspoken director also reassured audiences that the anime will have sometime for everyone. "I think die-hard fans of the original, and new viewers as well, will discover many new things that will make them say, "So that's what happened!," he said.
Harada's approval does not come lightly: in 2009, a live-action movie based on the games, directed by Rapid Fire's Dwight Little, was released. The film was almost universally panned and Harada publicly encouraged fans of his games to not watch it. "We were not able to supervise that movie; it was a cruel contract. I'm not interested in that movie," he said at the time. Despite the negative reception, a sequel, Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge, was released in 2014.
The new anime series details the events that occured during the 16-year timeskip that happened between the conclusion of 1995's Tekken 2 and the beginning of 1997's Tekken 3. The show will focus on a young Jin Kazama, as he starts to learn martial arts from his mother, Jun. In the video, Harada states that his favorite scenes are the ones that show the bond between Jin and Jun. The series will also feature Jin's quest for revenge against the monstrous Ogre, which causes him to seek out the guidance of his grandfather, the ruthless martial arts master and corporate overlord, Heihachi Mishima. In addition to Jin, the anime will feature appearances from many other characters from the popular fighting game franchise, including Paul Phoenix, Ganryu, King and Tekken 7's infamous Leroy Smith, who notably didn't appear in the games until much further down in the series' timeline.
Tekken originally debuted in 1994. Originally intended to rival Sega's pioneering Virtua Fighter, the series has grown into one of the most popular fighting games in the world. The franchise's initial roster of 18 fighters has expanded to dozens of unique characters, some of whom have become popular enough to get their own spin-off games and CG movies. The latest entry in the series, Tekken 7, was released in 2015 and was a hit with both critics and fans, selling over 9 million copies worldwide and becoming one of the most watched games at the yearly EVO fighting game tournament.
Source: YouTube