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Tekken 6 is the sixth installment of the 3D fighting game franchise Tekken, released in arcades in Japan in November 2007, with a worldwide arcade release following in 2008. An update, titled Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, would release in arcades the following year, and serve as the basis for the game's home console and portable release on Playstation 3, Playstation Portable and Xbox 360, marking the first time a Tekken title saw release on a non-Sony platform.
Six months have passed since the events of Tekken 5, which saw Jin Kazama, the current scion of the Mishima bloodline, defeat the resurrected revenant Jinpachi Mishima and emerge as the victor of the fifth King of Iron Fist Tournament, and in so doing, becoming the new president of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Not long after taking the company's reigns, everything changed: Jin would reorganize the Mishima Zaibatsu, transforming it from a MegaCorp into an independent nation unto itself, raising an army and declaring war against the other nations of the world! The world descends headlong into World War III as nations struggle to fight off the technologically advanced Mishima Zaibatsu and regain order. At the same time, Kazuya Mishima — Jin's father — rises to a position of leadership within the Mishima Zaibatsu's biggest corporate rival, G Corp, and places a bounty on the head of his own son, seemingly placing himself in a role as the world's would-be savior as a means to advance his own plans to take over the world. It's a family feud of global proportions: lines are being drawn in the sand, and everyone is being forced to pick a side!
Caught in the middle of this chaos is Lars Alexandersson, a former soldier of the Mishima Zaibatsu's Tekken Force, who broke off to form his own rebel army, Yggdrassil, in the hopes of stopping the world's continued plummet into chaos and warfare. Lars, himself, is of the Mishima bloodline, being one of several illegitimate children sired by the former president of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Heihachi Mishima; but he has no love for his feuding relatives and seeks to stop them. Joined by the android girl Alisa Bosconovitch, he sets out to save the world...but could there be more to Jin's war against the world than just global dominance?
Building off of the foundation laid by Tekken 5, Tekken 6 introduces new fighting mechanics that would go on to be standard for the series going forward. Chief among these features is "Rage": activating when a player is at critical health, Rage increases attack power, giving players who have found themselves on forced on the back foot a chance to turn the tables. Another key addition is "Bound" attacks, which — when used in combos — bounce opponents off of the floor and back into the air, adding more complexity and combo potential to combat. Stages also have a greater deal of interactivity, as fighters can send opponents crashing through walls or floors, expanding battlefields while also opening more opportunities for attacking players to continue their assault.
Aside from the additions to the fighting engine, Tekken 6 also has "Scenario Campaign", a fully-featured story campaign for the console versions of the game (the PSP version lacks this mode due to the handheld's limitations). Expanding upon the "Tekken Force" modes of previous games and "Devil Within" from Tekken 5, Scenario Campaign lets players play through instanced stages, taking on hoards of mooks and making their way to each stage's boss. The story, itself, follows Lars and Alisa's quest to defeat Jin and save the world, with twists and turns aplenty along the way.
Playable characters include
- From Tekken: Kazuya Mishima, Heihachi Mishima, Nina Williams, Anna Williams, Yoshimitsu, Jack-6, Lee Chaolan, Wang Jinrei, Paul Phoenix, Marshall Law
- From Tekken 2: Baek Doo San, Bruce Irvin, Lei Wulong
- From Tekken 3: Jin Kazama, Ling Xiaoyu, Hwoarang, Julia Chang, King II, Kuma II, Pandanote , Mokujin, Bryan Fury, Eddy Gordo
- From Tekken 4: Christine Monteiro, Craig Marduk, Steve Fox
- From Tekken 5: Asuka Kazama, Emilie "Lili" De Rochefort, Armor King II, Sergei Dragunov, Devil Jin, Raven, Feng Wei, Roger Jr.
- Introduced in Tekken 6: Robert "Bob" Richards, Leo Kliesen, Miguel Caballero Rojo, Zafina, NANCY-MI847Jnote , Azazelnote
- Introduced in Bloodline Rebellion: Lars Alexandersson, Alisa Bosconovitch
Tropes
- Adaptation Distillation: While characters in 6 do appear in the manga, several key factors differ from the actual game, which likely is the result of not having footnotes from the actual game at the time. These include:
- The overall tone is more lighthearted than in the game.
- Asuka is the main character instead of Lars.
- Some plot points appear to take things from Tekken 5 (I.e. Asuka and Lili meet for the first time).
- While the Devil Gene plays a big role in the manga, it is not the main conflict like the game.
- Characters of 6 barely interact with the cast and each other, if at all (one example includes Lars and Alisa never meeting each other).
- Azazel never appears in the manga
- Characters from 6 have personalities and backstories that differ from the games (examples: Lars was just a footsoldier, Alisa acts more as a messenger for Bosconovich, Leo is Lili's butler, etc.).
- Most of the conflict is squarely in Jin's company.
- Even veteran characters has some of their storylines switch up like Xiaoyu being an airhead classmate for Jin who doesn't even know or care about any of the chaos Jin is causing.
- Alien Geometries: Fallen Colony is set in a bizarre, ruined palace that defies gravity.
- All for Nothing:
- Eddy joins the Mishima Zaibatsu to earn money for his master's medication, only for said master to die in the interim.
- The game also canonizes Ganryu's ending in the previous game, in which he found the Forest Rejuvenation Data and used it to propose to Julia. She accepted the data, but rejected his proposal.
- Anti-Frustration Features: Upon clearing the tutorial stage for Scenario Campaign, you are given the option to unlock one playable character, so you don't get to stuck playing the new characters, Lars and Alisa, early on.
- Battle in the Rain: Lightning Storm takes place in the G Corp. helipad that is drenched in rain.
- Beat 'em Up: As with previous games, the game has a beat-em-up minigame in the form of Scenario Campaign, which is much larger in scale compared to Tekken Force or Devil Within, and basically serves as the game's Story Mode.
- Bittersweet Ending: Jin manages to vanquish Azazel, for now. Lars has to defeat Alisa to break her from Jin's control. However, the sequel reveals that Azazel is merely weakened and never truly dead, and Zafina had to seal what's left of the demon into herself.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: Eddy and Nina work as bodyguards for Jin, while Bruce and Anna serve the same role for Kazuya, even though Jin and Kazuya are unquestionably stronger than all of them.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: After Alisa's true status as an android programmed by the Mishima Zaibatsu to track Lars is revealed, Jin activates her battle mode, which causes her to become hostile to Lars. She remains in this mode until Lars puts her out of commission, whereupon she apologizes for attacking him, and Lars promises to restore her.
- Call-Back: Kazuya's personal bodyguards are Bruce and Anna, the same people he employed as bodyguards when he headed Mishima Zaibatsu in Tekken 2.
- The Casino: High Roller's Club takes place in one.
- Comeback Mechanic: The Rage mechanic offers players who are close to defeat a boost in attack power, allowing them to potentially turn the tables.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: In addition to NANCY-MI847 and Azazel (who are straight-up SNK Bosses), Jin Kazama will start the round with Rage Mode if fought as a boss. Normally, Rage only activates when you're near death.
- Creepy Cemetery: Cemetery. If you notice, there are zombies limping about in the background.
- Defeat Means Friendship: After King defeated Marduk in the fifth tournament, the two unexpectedly became close, and now compete in the sixth tournament as partners.
- Denser and Wackier: The Manga. If you thought the franchise had out of the world humor, the manga is upped by eleven. Even KAZUYA is part of the slapstick.
- Egypt Is Still Ancient: Both Zafina and Azazel invoke this, as Azazel resides in an Egyptian temple, while Zafina has Ancient Egyptian motifs all over her.
- Evil Versus Evil: Both Jin and Kazuya are evil men who drag the world in their war against each other. However, Jin is a Hero with Bad Publicity, since he launched the global war to awaken Azazel and defeat him, while Kazuya is a Villain with Good Publicity, since he relishes in the world's support for him to kill Jin and take his Devil Gene.
- Healthcare Motivation: Christie's grandfather once again serves this role for Eddy and Christie, although this time, Eddy is desperate enough that he decides to join Mishima Zaibatsu and participate in its global war so he can earn money for the medication.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Paul and Law (both in their late 40s) befriended Steve (early 20s) sometime before this game, and trio join the sixth tournament together, promising to divide the prize if one of them wins.
- Lost Food Grievance: In their endings, Asuka is baited to fight Lili when she crashes her bike into the latter's limousine, causing her lunchbox to fall open.
- Luke, You Are My Father: Lars is revealed to be Heihachi's illegitimate son with a Swedish woman. Lars knew his heritage from the beginning, but not the rest of the Mishima family. Even Heihachi has to be specifically told before he remembers the conception.
- Mutual Kill: It seems that defeating Azazel causes mutual damage to the victor, as Baek and Wang die upon killing him in their endings.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: Jin's takeover of the Mishima Zaibatsu, and his subsequent war against the world, has ramifications in the series' story that extend into all subsequent games.
- Offscreen Breakup: In between this game and the previous one, Mrs. Roger has divorced Roger, upon learning that he is enjoying a cushy life without his family.
- Ominous Latin Chanting: "Sacred Dark", the BGM for Azazel's Chamber, features this.
- Optional Boss: NANCY-MI847J don't have to be beaten to advance, although beating it will net you a good amount of money.
- The Prophecy: Zafina's prophecy of "two evil stars" was what motivated Jin to launch the global war in the first place. Julia also received a variation of the same prophecy, which led her to join the tournament.
- Pre-Final Boss: In Arcade, you will face NANCY-MI847J in Stage 7. Whether you defeat it or not, this will lead to the penultimate fight against Jin in Stage 8.
- Pyrrhic Victory: The game reveals that Paul's advance in the previous tournament was unceremoniously ended in his fight against Kuma. He managed to defeat the bear, but was left so exhausted that he was forced to forfeit.
- Ring Out: For the first time in the series, the game features this. Central Tower (where you fight NANCY-MI847J) has breakable glass floors which can cause ring outs, and certain stages in Scenario Campaign can cause ring outs if you fall from a cliff or into water.
- Sibling Team: Lars eventually teams up with Lee, his adoptive brother, to take down Jin and Kazuya.
- Slippy-Slidey Ice World: Manji Valley, much like Yoshimitsu's stage from Tekken Tag Tournament, is set in Yoshimitsu's Manji mountain retreat, which is enveloped in thick snow.
- SNK Boss:
- NANCY-MI847, as a humongous robot, cannot be staggered by any means, has much higher HP compared to anyone else in the game, and can break glass in the floor which can cause ring outs to players unfortunate enough to fall into it.
- Azazel, much like NANCY, is huge. While you can juggle him, he is invulnerable to certain attacks, like throws. Like Jinpachi from the previous game, it also has a move that stuns you for a looong time, enabling him to do anything as he pleases.
- Super-Empowering: Azazel's ball-shaped core grants normal people with the power of the Devil Gene. Ganryu and Yoshimitsu both gain Devil forms in their endings, and Hwoarang is nearly tempted with it until he destroys it at the last second. To people with the Devil Gene, it takes their power away instead, as demonstrated in Devil Jin's ending.
- Temple of Doom: Azazel's Temple, an ancient Egyptian temple that imprisons the embodiment of evil in the world.
- Updated Re-release: Bloodline Rebellion adds two new characters, costumes, and many updates to rebalance the game. The console version is based on this update.
- World War III: It's the Mishima Zaibatsu VS. the world, with G Corp involved as well.
- You Killed My Father:
- Miguel enters the tournament to take revenge against Jin for launching the airstrike that killed his sister.
- Leo enters the tournament to investigate Kazuya, who is suspected of assassinating their mother.
- In his ending, it is revealed that Armor King is actually the brother of the original Armor King, and he enters the fifth and sixth tournaments to kick Marduk's ass for killing him.
