Into the Mind of the Dark Ascetic Master, Heihachi Mishima of Tekken (And Directory)
Updated: Oct 11
Article Synopsis by Mr. C. Kingsley and Co.
"Into the Mind of the Dark Ascetic Master, Heihachi Mishima of Tekken" is an insightful exploration of Heihachi Mishima, a complex character in the world of gaming. The article delves into his psyche, presenting him as both a villain and an anti-villain with nuanced motivations rooted in power, asceticism, and philosophical underpinnings.
The article excels in unpacking Heihachi's multifaceted personality, providing readers with a fresh perspective that goes beyond the typical good-versus-evil dichotomy. It also integrates philosophical concepts like Nietzsche's Übermensch and Taoism, enriching the analysis and bridging the gap between popular culture and academic philosophy.
The comprehensive lore incorporation from the Tekken universe, including the roles of Kazumi, Azazel, Kazuya, and Jin, provides a well-rounded context for readers to understand the intricate relationships and motivations driving Heihachi's actions.
The engaging narrative style of the article maintains an authoritative tone throughout, using phrases like "a man so evil and yet so weirdly moral" to effectively convey the complexity of Heihachi's character. Thematic cohesion is interwoven, presenting a clear and persuasive argument about Heihachi's role and philosophy within the Tekken narrative.
Overall, "Into the Mind of the Dark Ascetic Master, Heihachi Mishima of Tekken" is a commendable work that invites readers to view Heihachi Mishima through a sophisticated and analytical lens.
(Tekken Directory:
The character from Tekken, Heihachi Mishima.... Never in my career of philosophical inquiry have I witnessed such a ruthless man not only towards the world, but also towards himself. Unforgiving not only to others, but also to himself. To him, all weakness is anti-justice. To him, all justice stems from power. To him, it's not only that might makes right, but weakness deprives humanity of its rights as well.
Trained under his master and father, Jinpachi Mishima, Heihachi Mishima is not pure evil. Rather, his malice is inconsistent. On the surface, Heihachi seeks world domination because he only cares about power. On a deeper level, Heihachi understands it is power that makes everything, everything, work. Work and fail, based on power.
Power to him is a natural resource, and one of the most basic resources in the universe. He not only acquires a powerbase to follow him, and builds the empire he took over from his father.... He purposefully trains himself, his body and mind, for the very world he seeks to attain... and the very family he sees as his worst adversaries.
From his very early days he was horribly misunderstood, as the world focused on his malice, less on his viewpoints. This was a grave mistake from these very days... whose first significant victim was his own wife, Kazumi Mishima. A wife and assassin in disguise, torn between orders from her clan to kill him, and their true love as husband and wife...
Kazumi Mishima, the wife of Heihachi Mishima, is well versed in Hachijō Karate. She was childhood friends with her husband Heihachi and eventually, they fell in love. Through their love, they birthed a healthy young boy. Fast forward a few years later, Heihachi would become the head of a huge organization called the Mishima Zaibatsu, with plans to conquer the world.
Kazumi loved Heihachi unconditionally, but at the same time, he was beginning to feel dangerous. In this state, Heihachi threw the world into war and Kazumi took it upon herself to stop him. -- The Tekken Fandom
The wife's sacrifice for the very world she wished to spare from her husband's lofty ambitions, ended up in vain. Heihachi killed her when she tried killing him.
Heihachi did it with regret, however he realized she had to be finished off, for she was no longer the loving wife he used to know. In fact, Kazumi was there in her devil form, the one accessible to her using the cursed devil gene. The devil gene, inherited by the overarching evil of Tekken... Azazel the Rectifier, a demon of pure evil.
A demonic being of divine proportions, The Rectifier bestowed upon his divine worshippers the gift of the devil gene. A gene so corrupt, it allows a person to transform into a demon of immense power, crushing many of those who would stand in the way of the Azazel worshipper. Kazumi and her clan had the devil gene, therefore being Azazel's willing followers.
Heihachi had another task at hand as well as world domination.... To overcome and defeat all of those who carried the devil gene, who originated from the all-evil Azazel himself. The Dark Lord, the Rectifier of all things.... The only being in Tekken with zero redeeming qualities.
Mankind bound me, thinking they could escape subjugation. Willfully and selfishly, they have reduced the world to tatters! Now the sinners must atone. -- Azazel the Pure Evil Villain
A man so evil and yet so weirdly moral, he would wage war against his own son, Kazuya, and his own grandson, Jin, just so he could fulfill his own vow.... To be the one man who shall rid the world of the cursed devil gene.
A man so morally corrupt, yet so ascetic, he would host world fighting competitions and put his whole empire, the Mishima Zaibatsu, as the reward of the victor. A man so power hungry, yet so weirdly humble, he would train in isolation after losing his conglomerate, so he would take it back as well.
Can't you see? He is not hungry for power for the sake of power. He is hungry for power because power is what allows him to better execute his ambitions, as well as work on himself to become the best version of himself. He is not blinded by power. He uses power to gain power, and when he loses power, he would work on himself, so he would have the power to restore the very power he lost, making him overly powerful in the whole process.... The whole process of victories and defeats. He wins either way. With each victory, with each defeat. Every failure is an opportunity, every victory, as well.
With each opportunity he loses or seizes, he uses it to look forward for the next source of power... be it new recruits, be it the Tekken Force -- his personal army -- be it the opportunity to hone both his mind and spirit, for power.
Heihachi isn't just a ruthless tyrant, but an ascetic who denies himself all forms of weakness. He does not permit weakness in him, nor in others. He is unforgiving towards everyone, and especially towards himself. He doesn't allow anyone to fail, and that includes himself as well.
His failures never compromise his iron spirit, instead leading him to realize the next potential successes. He refuses, refuses to give up on his goals: Conquer the world, while purifying it from the influence of Azazel, the Devil himself.
Is he pure evil? He is absolutely not purely good. Yet, he is not pure evil. He is pretty much an anti-villain, who sees it proper to kill his own wife, seal Jinpachi in the family dojo's underground. Turning into an undead being, Jinpachi seized control of the company one last time. If Jin wasn't able to kill Great Grandpa Jinpachi, either the son Kazuya or Heihachi would've done it themselves.
Azazel was so awful, Jin Kazama started a Third World War, after succeeding his great grandfather, just to awaken the demonic being from his slumber with all the bloodshed, and kill him. Jin sought to rid himself of the Devil Gene he himself inherited from his grandmother, Kazumi. Like Heihachi, however, he sought to rid the world of it as well.
Kazuya Mishima, the main son, seems to be the only one who embraced the evil inside of him, insisting on killing his father, his own son, and without seeing the Devil Gene as a problem... For seeking revenge for Kazumi's death and embracing his inner demons with a firming embrace, Kazuya is thus a pure-evil man, marking himself his father's true arch-nemesis...
It's the fate of our family to fight and betray each other. It's in our blood. You won't escape it. -- Kazuya Mishima
And it all started and escalated because of Azazel. All the world's misery stems from the ironic subversion of a demonic entity, used as a sacrificial pawn...
Instead, Azazel bestowed upon his servants a gift that sacrifices them. Not for the greater good, but for his pure evil, running in their blood forever. That is why both Heihachi and Jin, his grandson, seek power -- to rid the world of the Devil and his minions.
Not all heroes wear capes. Sometimes, the hero is neither good nor evil. Sometimes the hero is beyond good and evil, acting like Nietzsche's overman for the greater sake of world rectification.
It is through the fight with Azazel and his minions, that the fighters of the Tekken franchise rectify themselves from weakness. Through this cycle of world suffering, the spirit is endured and empowered, and people become the strongest versions of themselves.
Azazel, being the ultimate creator of problems, encourages people to sacrifice their weaknesses... Power is there, ultimately, to solve problems. The good of the world of Tekken has grown to be a contra. A contra that balances the evil of Azazel.
And that is how even the most evil of beings, encourages us to refuse to stagnate. Refuse, and instead work on ourselves tirelessly, to overcome opposition. The more opposition we defeat, the more power we gain to help others... Help the world.
Azazel, the rectifier of all things. Symbolically and like Heihachi, we are all his "successors"....
Understand the balances of the universe. Use this understanding to find peace. For the key in harmony is found in the balances of power. The Ying to one's Yang, the Yang to another's Ying. Use this understanding to find peace whether or not you're in the solitude of a hermitage or in the middle of a conflict.
By the philosophy of Taoism, it all makes a great deal of logical sense.
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I used to play a fighting game called Tekken 3. Is this the story behind it? Anything of Yoshimitsu's story? Thank you!
Quite a creation, Heihachi Mishima. Brilliant work. 💯❤️