Tekken 8 Heihachi Mishima preview - How does the King of the Iron Fist feel?

Recently, we took part in a Tekken 8 preview focused on Heihachi Mishima. The King of the Iron Fist is back, despite being declared dead - which may be the most Tekken thing to happen so far. I don't think anyone actually believed the martial artist with a penchant for throwing family members off of high places could be killed by something as menial as a volcano. Still, we won’t spoil why or how he’s back and is all about his gameplay.

I think one of the most important things for Heihachi Mishima in Tekken 8 is that relative newcomers will have easy access to some of his more powerful techniques, while also keeping the general difficulty curve of the character intact. Arguably one of the most interesting and powerful fighting game characters of all time, here are our thoughts on the King of the Iron Fist.

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Tekken 8’s Heihachi Mishima has never felt more aggressive and powerful

Heihachi Mishima is so much fun to play (Image via Bandai Namco)

Heihachi Mishima is. . . not dead in Tekken 8! Despite what we heard, the rumors of his demise appear to be greatly exaggerated. In fact, Mishima is back in Early Access on September 30, 2024, at 4 PM PDT, and the official launch is on October 3, 2024, at 4 pm PDT.

One thing we learned while chatting with Michael Murray, a game designer behind Tekken 8, is that the character did undergo some changes. While yes, he’s still monstrously powerful, and a fun, technical character, he’s had some modifications made to his gameplay.

Mishima is more aggressive, and more of a rushdown character now. Instead of depending solely on his technical martial arts prowess, he now focuses on overwhelming his opponents with sheer, godlike force. He hits like a demon but still has all the cool, technical bits that make him so fun to play.

His popular grapples are intact as well, since the Headlock Noogie and Jumping Power Bomb still exist, thankfully. He has also had a stance change, which adjusts the properties of various moves in his arsenal. This was a really cool change and allows for some pretty amazing moves in battle.

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Heihachi Mishima’s Heat System moves offer everyone access to his greatest techniques

Nobody is safe from the King of the Iron Fist (Image via Bandai Namco)

In my past Tekken content over on YouTube, I had more than one person roast me for not using lots of Electric Wind God Fist when Tekken 8 launched. I must confess that I’m not a Tekken main although I love the game and have played it since the first arcade release in the United States. Still, I'm not someone who practices the game all the time.

This means that my Electric Wind God Fist inputs are not perfect - and they have to be. Thankfully, in Tekken 8, you can input both that and the Electric Thunder God Fist without Perfect Inputs - if you’re in Heat Mode. This makes it just a bit easier for casual players to access such powerful moves while allowing the more experienced players to keep doing things as normal outside of Heat Mode. In addition, being in Heat Mode gives the Wind God’s Kamae attack reversal effects against High and Mid attacks. That’s another serious boon to the master of the Mishima style.

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How does Heihachi Mishima play for the casual observer?

That knee lift is devastating (Image via Bandai Namco)

As a relatively casual player in Tekken 8 and someone who enjoyed playing as Heihachi in previous games, I can say that he’s so much more impressive in this modern iteration. His pressure is strong, while his juggles and combos feel good, and are relatively easy to perform with practice.

I think my favorite part about playing as Heihachi is the pure rushdown and pressure he puts on people. If you catch someone with a single hit, it could easily spell their demise. One of his combo starters, the axe kick launcher, took some getting used to, but after a few attempts, it became second nature.

I think it was the transition from the double tap forward, to back arrow inputs for some of the other strikes that took some adjusting for me. However, I really believe fans of aggressive play are going to love Heihachi.

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Final Thoughts on Heihachi Mishima

Heihachi won't disappoint players when he launches (Image via Bandai Namco)

Effective use of his Wind God’s Kamae and knowledge of strong rushdown strategies in Tekken 8 will separate the weak from the strong. Heihachi is a little on the difficult side to master I think, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone. However, he comes with a major patch that brings an incredible story and quality of life adjustments with it.

I know some people are going to be mad that he’s back, but I don’t think they will be in the majority. There will also be players who are upset that the Electric Wind God Fist is occasionally easier to perform. I think it’s a good idea, though, since it doesn’t trigger unless you’re in Heat Mode, anyway.

I’m a huge fan of what the Tekken team has done with Heihachi. He’s powerful, fast, and most important of all, he’s fun to play. I can’t wait to see him showing up in tournaments later this year.