Is Reina, Tekken 8’s final launch character, a Mishima?

On November 13, Reina, Tekken 8’s final launch character was unveiled, and keen eyed fans instantly recognised aspects of her fighting style. Yes, Reina, The Purple Lightning, is clearly cribbing notes from Heihachi and Kazuya with her fighting style, using the distinct Mishima fighting-style, with some of her own unique flair on it.

But does this make her a Mishima? Is she related to Heihachi, Kazuya, and Jin, or is something else going on? Everything about her is shrouded in mystery except that she is a high school student at Mishima Polytechnical School, so lets dive deeper into the new fighter:

Let's go through the evidence in favor of Reina being a Mishima. In the Tekken series so far, only Mishimas have used the Mishma martial arts style. The use of the Mishima martial arts style is so linked to the Mishimas, that to distance himself from his family, Jin deliberately stopped using them. 

However, note that we said “so far.” In the trailers, Kuma, Heihachi’s pet bear, has started using some of his master’s old moves, getting rid of the Mishima exclusivity. Reina also attends Mishima Polytechnical School, a school founded by Heihachi. It would be strange, but not completely out of left field for them to be training people in Mishima-style Karate at this highschool. After all, its a highschool that Jin and Xiaoyu have attended, so the Martial Arts club has got to be stacked!

Additionally, Reina’s reveal trailer put her in the familiar throne room usually used by Heihachi, Kazuya, and Jinpachi Mishima in the past, suggesting she definitely has some links to the family. 

There’s other theories that think Reina might not be a Mishima directly but something else. The purple trim on her hair reminds many of Lee Chaolan's alter ego, Violet. Lee is Heihachi’s adopted son, and adopted the Violet hairstyle to hide his identity. Perhaps Reina is either another adopted child, or related to Lee somehow? After all, why wouldn’t one of the prospective CEOs of the Mishima Zaibatsu want his daughter to go to Mishima High?

There’s also Reina’s strange behavior. Reina is student at school, but has a very adult way of talking. She’s confident, cocky, and really doesn’t give off “just graduated highschool” vibes. Perhaps there’s something else going on. Instead of learning Mishima martial arts, perhaps she’s a reincarnation of Heihachi, or something along those lines. The Tekken series has seen cloning, robots, reincarnation, resurrection all take place, so it’s not out of the question.

There’s also this incredible FX that occurred in the trailer. Some people see Heihachi, while others see a wolf face, similar to Unknown, or Ogre. Whatever the case, it’s definitely a clue to Reina’s identity.

However, the likely answer might just be that Reina is a Mishima. Occam’s razor posits that the simplest theory is most often the real answer, and perhaps this is the case for Reina. Still, we’ll have to wait for Tekken 8 to release in 2024. The game’s launch roster will count 32 characters with a storyline centered around the fight between Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima. How will Reina factor into this? We’ll have to find out!

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