Even Street Fighter has had a handful of adaptations, some of which have been passable. However, unlike the aforementioned games, Tekken hasn’t enjoyed an attempt at translating the game’s story for TV and movies.
Tekken’s live-action flick from 2010 is one of the few films with a zero percent rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. So, you can only imagine how starved Tekken fans are for a proper adaptation. Thankfully, it appears that Netflix is ready to deliver.
— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) March 19, 2022 Tekken: Bloodline is part of Netflix’s latest attempt to capitalize on the growing popularity of games-turned-anime shows. Following in the footsteps of Castlevania, Arcane, Cuphead, and Dota: Dragon’s Blood, among others, Bloodline will focus on Jin Kazama, one of the series’ most popular characters who joined in 1996’s Tekken 3. As a vote of confidence, Tekken’s producer and director, Katsuhiro Harada, even asked fans to check out the one-and-a-half-minute teaser trailer for Bloodline. It’s still unknown if Bloodline is canon to the games or not. If we presume that Bloodline will be like Castlevania and follow the games loosely, the animated show will shine some light on the confusing Mishima family that’s behind The King of Iron First Tournament as well as the powerful corporation that serves as its financial backer and benefactor. Speaking of, Heihachi Mishima, the franchise’s central antagonist, as well as Jun Kazama, Jin’s mother and a playable character in 1995’s Tekken 2, both appear in the trailer. Other familiar faces include Paul phoenix, King, Leroy Smith, Kazuya Mishima, Ganryu, and of course, the Ogre. Bloodline represents Netflix’s continued deep dive into video game adaptations. Only time will tell if Bloodline will meet the same fate as Arcane or Castlevania or if it’s going to die as soon as it starts streaming, just like the live-action Cowboy Bebop. Unfortunately, Netflix did not confirm when exactly Tekken: Bloodline will be released on the streaming platform as well as how many episodes it will have. In the meantime, fans can look forward to watching fighting game professionals duke it out in Tekken 7 at EVO 2022 from August 5-7.
