Streaming giant Netflix has brought one of the most popular fighting video games to life in the first trailer for their upcoming animated adaptation, Tekken: Bloodline. The series, which is based on the 3D fighting game franchise, Tekken, will center on well-known character Jin Kazama as he trains for the battle ahead, uncovering dark truths about himself and his heritage along the way. You can check out the trailer below.
While video game adaptations tend to be extremely hit-or-miss (mostly miss), animated takes on the digital source material are quite often of much better quality than their live-action brethren. Looking at you Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge. So, while we have been burnt many, many times before, let’s try not to give up on Tekken: Bloodline just yet.
The official synopsis for Tekken: Bloodline, which comes courtesy of Netflix on YouTube, reads:
“’Power is everything.’ Jin Kazama learned the family self-defense arts, Kazama-Style Traditional Martial Arts, from his mother at an early age. Even so, he was powerless when a monstrous evil suddenly appeared, destroying everything dear to him, changing his life forever. Angry at himself for being unable to stop it, Jin vowed revenge and sought absolute power to exact it. His quest will lead to the ultimate battle on a global stage — The King of Iron Fist Tournament.”
A poster for Tekken: Bloodline has also been unleashed alongside the trailer, giving us another look at the mysterious powers possessed by Jin Kazama, who goes on a heroic mission leading to the ultimate battle.
Tekken: Bloodline Will Feature Several Characters Fans Know and Love
As well as teasing its main character and his turbulent journey from out-of-his-depth teen to all-powerful warrior, hinting at several elements of his past that will be familiar to fans of the video game, the Tekken: Bloodline trailer also reveals several other characters who will factor into the animated series.
The pointy-haired, mustache-sporting Heihachi Mishima will act as the main antagonist, much like in the video games, taking his grandson Jin Kazama under his wing and teaching him the ways of the warrior while hoping to unleash a dark power that resides within him.
Other characters shown in the footage include Kazuya Mishima, the estranged father of Jin Kazama who is often portrayed as an antihero in the Tekken games; Leroy Smith, a martial artist from New York City who has a vendetta against Heihachi Mishima; Jun Kazama, the mother of Jin Kazama; Paul Phoenix, a hi-top haired, short-tempered biker and judo practitioner who hopes to prove he is the best fighter in all the world by winning the Iron Fist Tournament; King, a masked wrestler; and Ogre, an Aztec fighting god with ties to Jin Kazama and his mysterious, mystical, violent past.
Tekken has been adapted for the screen before in the form of several animated projects and one live-action movie in 2009. Here’s hoping that Tekken: Bloodline can succeed where they failed. Tekken: Bloodline has not yet been given a specific release date by Netflix, but is due to be released to the streaming platform worldwide sometime in 2022.