Producer and director of Tekken 8, Katsuhiro Harada, announced that Heihachi Mishima would make a comeback to the series as a DLC fighter that will launch in the fall on the stage of the 2024 Evo tournament in Las Vegas. Tekken 8 players around the world were stunned to see the leader of the Mishima clan exposed in a dramatic trailer, despite Harada's earlier declaration that Heihachi was dead.

Heihachi Mishima, the grandfather of Jin Kazama and the father of Kazuya Mishima, is a major adversary in the Tekken series. Heihachi played a major role in starting the King of Iron Fist martial arts competitions, where the ownership of the organization was given to the winners. Heihachi was the former lord of the Mishima Zaibatsu, a multinational corporation. Heihachi spent most of the franchise as an enemy even though he was a protagonist in Tekken 2. Heihachi and Kazuya squared up in Tekken 7 for a final battle atop an erupting volcano. Following a duel, Kazuya uses his demonic abilities to vanquish his father and hurls Heihachi's corpse into the volcano.

Despite Harada's earlier claims that Heihachi Mishima passed away in Tekken 7, this was not the end of him. Harada made an appearance on stage during the Tekken 8 finals at Evo 2024 in Las Vegas to reveal a teaser for the upcoming DLC fighter in Tekken 8, who happened to be the resurrected Mishima clan leader. The trailer, which lasted for about three minutes, opened with a view of some Mishima Zaibatsu warrior monks being defeated by an unidentified attacker. The offender, who turned out to be Heihachi, disguised his identity by donning a white tiger mask. After that, the trailer swung around to show off characters like Lidia Sobieska and Eddy Gordo before ending with a view of the volcano that Heihachi was thrown into.

Tekken 8 Teases The Return Of Heihachi Mishima

Heihachi smiled and walked away from the flames, his distinctive moustache and haircut intact, a threatening grin on his face. Heihachi will be available in the fall of 2024 as a character in Tekken 8's Season 1 DLC, according to Harada. Harada also said that Lidia Sobieska will be available on all platforms on 25th July in Tekken 8, with early access beginning on 22nd July.

Harada also mentioned that the 1.06 update for Tekken 8, which would be released together with Lidia, will come with a new stage and a free picture feature. We'll never know what Bandai Namco will do to maintain the momentum through 2024 with Tekken 8's new partnership with Nike and the return of Heihachi to the franchise.