Fighting games aren't known for their deep stories or well-rounded cast members, but underneath the veneer of violence can lie a bevy of strong characters. No character represents this better than Jin Kazama/Devil Jin. One of the protagonists of Namco's Tekken series, Jin in many ways represents the logical end of its iconic Mishima family. Through a combination of his own popularity, as well as his devilish alter ego, he's played the role of hero, anti-hero, and villain in the series. He's also replaced his own father as the main character, as well as had a gradually evolving fighting style and move set, unusual for such an iconic fighting game character. Here's a look at the Devil Gene, and the Devil Jin that it spawned.

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Tekken and the Devil Gene

 

Tekken, along with its contemporaries of Virtua Fighter and Dead or Alive, usher fighting games into the third dimensions, leaving old 2D stalwarts such as Street Fighter and Fatal Fury behind. The story initially centered around Kazuya Mishima, who sought revenge on his murderous father Heihachi after the latter tried to kill him as a child. Heihachi is also the chairman of the Mishima Zaibatsu, and hosts the King of Iron Fist fighting tournament to test who is the strongest in the world.

Also present in the Mishima bloodline was the Devil Gene, which manifested itself in Kazuya. It saved him from his potentially fatal injuries when Heihachi tried to kill him as a child, and does the same in the climax of Tekken 2, when Heihachi throws his son into a volcano. This saves Kazuya, but the Devil entity would split off from him, and eventually possess his son.

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Jin Kazama

Jin Kazama was introduced in Tekken 3, taking over the role of protagonist from Kazuya. Jin was Kazuya's illegitimate son with Jun Kazama, and his fighting style combined the moves of both of his parents. He would train under his grandfather Heihachi, but when he seemingly wins the King of Iron Fist Tournament, Heihachi betrays and kills Jin. The emergent Devil Gene saves him, however, and the newly transformed Devil Jin attacks Heihachi and escapes.

Jin's ability to replace the previous protagonist is especially uncanny among fighting games, which are known for their sense of legacy. For instance, Street Fighter III initially planned to have newcomer Alex replace Ryu and Ken as the main character, until poor testing in arcades forced Capcom to include the characters again. He is also more innately heroic than his father, making the battle to control Devil Jin all the more tragic.

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Devil Jin

Devil Jin is an especially versatile character in the Tekken series, both within its gameplay and narrative. Jin eventually replaced his classic Jun/Kazuya mashup of movesets for one based off of traditional karate. Devil Jin, however, retained many of his classic moves, allowing old fans to still be able to play as the "old" Jin. These attacks automatically make Devil Jin more powerful than normal Jin, due to the already powerful Kazuya's influence on Devil Jin's attacks. Devil Jin's moveset also involves laser beams and flying swoops, making him especially dangerous in a more grounded fighting game series devoid of projectiles and longe-range attacks. Conversely, while the original Devil/Devil Kazuya has seen sparse use since his introduction, Devil Jin is ubiquitous in the franchise.

Jin himself grew to hate Devil Jin, seeing it as the manifestation of his accursed Mishima heritage. Devil Jin would almost kill Heihachi in Tekken 4, if not for the calming influence of his mother's memory. Jin would defeat his grandfather Jinpachi in Tekken 5, becoming the new chairman of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Devil Jin's arcade ending even has him absorbing Jinpachi's powers! Jin would still wrestle with his alter ego, wanting nothing to do with its or his evil bloodline. He would even wage war with the entire world in Tekken 6. This was a suicide mission, as he hoped to awaken the monstrous Azazel. By fighting the demon in a battle to the death, he would both rid the world of it, as well as save it from the terror of the Devil Gene. It's this moral ambiguity and depth that makes Jin such a conflicted hero, and Devil Jin such a fearsome villain and bogeyman for the series. Given that Jin and his alternate form are still alive and well in Tekken 7, the Devil is sure to collect his due again whenever a sequel arrives.

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