Bandai Namco Entertainment invented Jin Kazama as a fictional character for the Tekken fighting game series. He first debuted as the series’ main character in the 1997 game Tekken 3 and has remained so ever since. Jin, who received training from his grandfather Heihachi Mishima, aspires to exact revenge for his mother Jun Kazama’s purported demise. However, Heihachi betrays Jin in order to activate the Devil Gene, a genetic anomaly in his body.
His father Kazuya Mishima, from whom he received the gene, likewise irritates him. Jin loses control of the Devil Gene when interacting with his relatives, resulting in the creation of his alter ego, Devil. Since Tekken 5, Jin has been playable after being previously introduced as a non-playable character in Tekken 3. Jin has made appearances outside of video games in both animation and live-action film adaptations of the games, as well as in various other game franchises as a playable character.
Jin was created as the series’ new protagonist and a replacement for Kazuya, who he was visually modeled after, and was first imagined as an innocent man. He would later turn into an antihero due to his ongoing disputes with his family, as directed by Katsuhiro Harada of Bandai Namco ever since his debut. However, Jin was portrayed as the primary character in numerous game adaptations. Since his debut in Tekken 3, Isshin Chiba has regularly provided his voice, and other appearances have had a variety of English actors.
The character has received favorable reviews, with commentary focusing on his moves and his place in the larger Tekken tale. Since his debut in Tekken 3, Jin has established himself as a fan favorite and has frequently been referred to as one of the best Tekken characters owing to his fighting style and the effect he had on the plot. His sinister persona was also acknowledged, and Devil Jin continued to enjoy popularity for keeping Jin’s traditional combat technique, which the latter had abandoned.
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Gameplay
Because Jin was presented as the main character in Tekken 3, his motions were balanced to ensure that he would not have any strong or weak. His design was hampered as a result. He uses both moves from Heihachi and Kazuya, though not with the same force, and was designed to appeal to franchise veterans.
Jin has no role model for his fighting technique, therefore the Tekken staff came up with a number of his karate skills. Ryu Narushima, who also possessed standard karate in his fighting technique, played Jin in the movie. Steve Fox and the Mishima—Jin, Kazuya, and Heihachi—were cited by Harada as the strongest actors in the series.
🥋🎮 Jin Kazama from Tekken
Saw the new “Tekken: Bloodlines” anime on Netflix and got inspired 💡🎨#digitalart #digitalpainting #digitalillustration #art #illustration #jinkazama #jinkazamatekken #tekken #bandainamco #namco #fanart #fightinggames #lineart pic.twitter.com/yIrbNohQNE
— scoographics (@artbydave93) August 19, 2022
In his early performances, Jin combined the fighting styles of his parents, Kazuya Mishima and Jun Kazama, combining “Mishima Fighting Karate” and “Kazama-Style Self Defense” In both Tekken 3 and Tekken Tag Tournament, he uses this fighting technique. However, this method was abandoned in Tekken 4 in favor of “conventional” Karate, sometimes referred to as Kyokushin karate.
Jin uses unusual methods as a result, such as the Right Hook, also known as the “Right Roundhouse Punch” in Japan. In Tekken 4, Jin is frequently regarded as the most powerful character. He underwent modest tweaks that made him noticeably stronger in Tekken 6 than his Tekken 5 persona while his power was diminished in the next games.
Devil Jin is a stronger fighter than regular Jin because he uses techniques from Jin’s Mishima fighting style. Jin’s devil form is similar to Kazuya’s and can produce a projectile move. Devil Jin’s combat method, however, is categorized as “Unknown”. However, Devil Jin also has a number of flaws that individually counterbalance his dualistic nature with that of ordinary Jin.
Design and development
After graduating from college, Namco artist Yoshinari Mizushima made Jin Kazama. The Tekken team was pleasantly surprised by the character’s design, which was developed alongside Ling Xiaoyu. As part of his sinister character arc throughout the series, Jin was first featured in Tekken 3 as a “misfortune character.” Additionally, the team intended to portray him as a person of resolve.
His father Kazuya Mishima, who was missing in Tekken 3, served as the inspiration for Jin’s outward appearance. Returning gamers were confused by Jin’s similar appearance, which included spiked black hair, red gloves, and matching black and red leggings (keikogi). Jin was first envisioned with his left arm covered by additional garments. His design was intended to be straightforward but instantly recognizable.
Jin’s first name was Jin Mishima (), and his appearance was more like that of his father, especially when he wore gloves. He received a less elaborate design than his forerunners Despite the fact that in his first appearance, Jin was depicted without any clothing covering his torso, in later games, Jin was given a jacket with a hood, which Harada discovered to be very well received by the fanbase.
As a result, despite his initial perplexity regarding the fanbase’s response, Harada sees the many remarks about this as encouraging feedback. Devil Jin, Jin’s alter persona, has a tattoo covering his entire chest. Harada asserted that he came to appreciate this element of the plan.
A unique outfit for Jin in Tekken 5 was created by guest artist Mutsumi Inomata; it is a panda-themed outfit with an open jacket that sits just above his belly and includes a blue flame motif, as well as coordinating white pants. In place of the jumpsuit, Jin dons a long, black coat in Tekken 6 that resembles the one he wore for his Tekken 5 conclusion.
