On the stage of the 2024 Evo tournament in Las Vegas, Tekken 8 producer and director Katsuhiro Harada announced that Heihachi Mishima would return to the series as a DLC fighter launching in the fall. This revelation surprised many, as Harada had previously stated that Heihachi was dead. The leader of the Mishima clan was revealed in a fiery trailer that shocked Tekken 8 players worldwide.
Heihachi Mishima, one of the main antagonists of the Tekken series, is the father of Kazuya Mishima and grandfather of Jin Kazama. As the former head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, a multinational corporation, Heihachi was pivotal in creating the King of Iron Fist martial arts tournaments, where ownership of the organization was offered as the main prize. Although Heihachi was a protagonist in Tekken 2, his role as an antagonist spanned most of the franchise. In Tekken 7, Heihachi faced Kazuya for a final showdown atop an active volcano. After a fierce battle, Kazuya tapped into his devilish powers to defeat his father and tossed Heihachi's body into the volcano.