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If you’ve finished the story mode and want the Tekken 8 ending explained, then you’ve come to the right place. After the flashy final fight, we see some cutscenes showing the fallout, but things are left fairly open-ended, so we’re here to tell you what’s gone down. This guide will be full of spoilers, so if you haven’t finished the final chapter, look away now!
Check out our Tekken 8 review for a look at our thoughts on the game. And if you’re wanting to know more about the upcoming Tekken 8 DLC characters, we have a guide to help you out. With that, let’s take a look at the Tekken 8 ending and what it all means.
How does Tekken 8 end?
Tekken 8’s The Dark Awakens mode ends in Chapter 15 with a fight between Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima. There are two potential endings here. The ‘good’ ending is where Jin is victorious, and Kazuya is finally defeated, while the ‘bad’ ending has Kazuya victorious and free to continue his reign of terror.
Tekken 8 endings
The final chapter starts with Jin overcoming his devil gene thanks to a vision from his mother, Jun. This allows him to transform into the new Angel Jin, the antithesis of his previous Devil Jin form. After a calamitous battle with Devil Kazuya, the two end up losing their respective powers and are relegated back to being mere mortals, and fight to the end on a rocky platform in the ocean.
Tekken 8 good ending explained
In the good ending, called the ‘Hope’ ending in-game, Jin is victorious. A cutscene begins, which shows Jin on a cliff on Yakushima overlooking the ocean, with a white bird flying and a flower on the ground signifying his mother’s presence. He thanks his mother for helping him to seemingly eradicate the devil gene from the world.
It then cuts to Route 331 in the USA, where Jin’s motorcycle is stopped by Xiaoyu who is waiting on the side of the road, seemingly on a road trip together. We then cut back to Kazuya’s body where some shoes come into the frame. These are Jun’s shoes, with her visiting her former partner following the battle.
Lastly, we are shown a montage of photos of what the Tekken cast are up to following this event, with many in New York, while the members of Yggdrasil return to duty. The final scene shows Reina, who confirms that she is Heihachi’s daughter before seemingly awakening her devil form, setting her up as a potential antagonist for Tekken 9.
Tekken 8 bad ending explained
In the bad ending, called the ‘Despair’ ending in-game, Kazuya is victorious. After defeating Jin, Kazuya throws him off a cliff, as is customary in the Mishima household, and delivers that trademark Kazuya smirk. With seemingly nobody left to stop him, he declares his intent to return to power.
Alex’s Advice
While the bad ending is not canon, an achievement for completing it is required for unlocking all trophies in the game, so don’t forget to do both!
In this version, we see a montage of photos of the G Corp army laying waste to the world, with the likes of Bryan, Feng and an army of Jacks wreaking havoc, while Nina seems to be taking a break from it all.
The final scene is exactly the same, with Reina transforming into her devil form.
Tekken 8 ending explained
It’s fairly clear that the good ending in which Jin is victorious will be the canon ending. The idea is that, with Kazuya defeated, the cast believe that the devil gene has finally been eradicated, and that the world is safe once more. However, since nobody in the series is aware that Reina is Heihachi’s daughter, they are unaware that the devil gene still lives on.
Character Episodes
While this is just the story ending, each character has a non-canon Character Episode showing what their story would be like as if they were the protagonist instead of Jin.
This heavily suggests that Reina will be the major antagonist of the next game’s story, stepping in where Kazuya left off to take revenge on those that wronged her father. What we don’t know, however, is whether or not Kazuya is still alive. It would seem unthinkable to kill off a character as popular as Kazuya, but the same was said about Heihachi too. For that, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Whoever the antagonist of Tekken 9 is, it seems clear that the story will be entering a new era. The war that has been going on between Jin and Kazuya since Tekken 6 is finally over, so whatever is next in the series will be a new arc in the long and storied Tekken franchise.
That’s it for our Tekken 8 ending explainer. If you’re looking to try out the new fighters, our Tekken 8 Reina, Tekken 8 Azucena, and Tekken 8 Victor guides will get you started. And if you want to know who the best fighters overall are, check out our Tekken 8 tier list too.
Tekken 8 ending explained FAQs
Who’s shoes appear at the end of the Tekken 8 story?
At the end of the Tekken 8 story, Jun Kazama’s shoes are seen as she visits Kazuya following his defeat to Jin.
Is the Tekken 8 story canon?
There are two endings to Tekken 8’s story. The ‘Hope’ ending, where Jin is victorious is canon, while the ‘Despair’ ending where Kazuya wins is not.
