King (Tekken) Explained

King
Series:Tekken
Creator:Seiichi Ishii (King I)
Katsuhiro Harada (King II)
Voice:Masayuki Hirai (Tekken: Bloodline)
Leandro Cano (Tekken: Bloodline)
Motion Actor:Minoru Suzuki[1] [2]
Osami Shibuya
Origin:Mexico
Nationality:Mexican
Fighting Style:Professional wrestling, Lucha libre

is a title used by two characters in the Tekken fighting game series created by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The characters were inspired by Japanese pro wrestler Satoru Sayama,[3] as well as Mexican wrestler Fray Tormenta,[4] a Catholic priest who became a luchador in order to support an orphanage. The character, King, has been present in all the main Tekken installments to date, with King I present in Tekken and Tekken 2, and King II debuting in Tekken 3 and returning for the following main games since.

Characteristics

King is widely recognized for the jaguar mask that hides his true identity. Throughout his appearances in the virtual realm, the face beneath his jaguar mask remains a mystery, shrouded in secrecy. Interestingly, the physical portrayal of King's movements was done by the Japanese professional wrestler Minoru Suzuki, who lent his expertise to the character's motion capture sessions.[5] King is a Mexican luchadore and series' one of two luchadores overall (the other being Armor King).[6] Fray Tormenta, a Mexican Catholic priest, served as an initial influence on King's character and backstory. King is seen to be mostly growling throughout the Tekken series; however, according to Japanese video game director Katsuhiro Harada, King is capable of speaking Spanish, but he prefers not to.[7] Harada also revealed that King is the most popular Tekken character in Japan over the complete span of the Tekken series.[8]

King is known for his professional wrestling attacks and has an arsenal of huge amounts of moves on his command list. King holds the record for having the most moves in the Tekken series, notably in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Tekken 7.[9] [10] King has been able to perform the Sharpshooter since Tekken 2. Other moves he uses include the "Frankensteiner", while his "Muscle Buster" pays homage to Suguru Kinniku's "Kinniku Buster."[4] In Tekken 3, the King moveset got even more detailed with more chain throws, and King received additional new wrestling moves such as Rolling Death Cradle, Winding Nut, Stretch Buster, and many others.[11] Benjamin Turner from GameSpy described King's chain throws in Tekken 5 as "ridiculously intricate".[12] In Tekken 8, King gained some additional moves inspired by famous pro-wrestlers, such as Triple H's Pedigree and Randy Orton's RKO.[13]

Appearances

In Tekken

Tekken—Tekken 2

King I

The first King was used to being a brawling orphan. He was later adopted by a respectful family. He then became a masked wrestler, entered the tournament, and with the intention of preventing them from turning into the type of person he once was, he thought of building an orphanage for orphans.[14] In King of Iron Fist Tournament 2, King I encounters fellow wrestler Armor King, who convinced him to return to wrestling once again and to continue participating in tournaments to help the orphanage.[15] King I was later killed by Ogre.[16]

Tekken 3—Tekken 8

King II

The second King was a street urchin who was brought up in the first King's orphanage. Until the age of 24, this wrestler worked hard with King until one day, news broke of the first King's death at the hands of Ogre.[17] Seeing that the orphanage would crumble into ruin, this man donned the mask of King and imitated his style.[18] However, since his technique was learned just from watching King, not training with him, he lost every competition he entered.[18] One day, however, a stranger with a black jaguar mask visited the new King, introducing himself as an old friend. This man revealed himself to be Armor King, who was interested in finding out if the rumors of a new King were true. For four years, the two of them trained, and the new King learned quickly, maturing into a forceful wrestler with extreme power, known as King II.[19] By this time, the now 28-year-old wrestler was a worthy heir to the throne, however, he longed to punish the one responsible for the original King's death.[20]

After the third King of Iron Fist Tournament, King II discovered that his master, Armor King, had been killed in a bar fight. The murderer, Craig Marduk, had been arrested in Arizona and was sent to prison.[21] After being released from prison, Marduk challenged King II to a tournament in Tekken 4. King II won. King II then followed him to the hospital to finish him, but decided to spare Marduk after feeling cruel for killing him because of his desire for revenge.[22] However, King II discovered that Marduk in a black jaguar mask, resembling the original Armor King, had challenged King II on television.[23] King II accepted the challenge and defeated Marduk, leading to their friendship. Later, Marduk revealed that he was attacked by the man he was convicted of killing, Armor King. Determined to uncover the truth, King II and Marduk entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6.[24] They discovered that the other Armor King was the younger brother of the original.[25]

King II returns as a playable character in Tekken 7, with an alternate costume based on New Japan Pro-Wrestling wrestler "Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada being available for him in 2017.[26] King II enters the tournament to pay for the hospital bills of Marduk and Armor King II and to reconcile with them and his old orphanage.[27] The next tournament's host Kazuya Mishima reveals himself as a devil and announces the King of Iron Fist tournament 8. King II joins Jin Kazama side after learning about Kazuya's evil plans. Later, King and other fighters help restore Manhattan while celebrating freedom from G Corporation's tyranny.[28] In his Tekken 8 ending, King II battles a British boxer named Steve Fox in the quarterfinals.[29]

Other games

King appears in the non-canon Tekken games such as Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken Card Challenge,[30] Tekken Advance,[31] Tekken Resolute,[32] Tekken Tag Tournament 2,[33] ,[34] Tekken Arena and Tekken Revolution.[35] King appears as a playable character in crossover fighting game Street Fighter X Tekken.[36] King also made an appearance in the Namco crossover Namco × Capcom with Felicia from the Darkstalkers series as his fighting partner.[37] King appears as a Spirit in the Nintendo crossover video game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[38] King appears as a playable character in Fist of the North Star Legends ReVIVE.[39] Namco High, a browser-based dating game, features King in the role of a detention officer.[40]

In other media

Animations

King I makes a cameo appearance in as one of the tournament competitors. He has no spoken lines, and it is unknown how he progresses through the tournament. He is last seen being carried by Armor King I off the exploding Mishima resort.[41] King II's images are briefly seen in the CGI film when an Irish woman, Anna Williams, opens a file containing images of various persons of interest.[42]

King II appears in the anime as a competitor in the King of Iron Fist Tournament. He was an orphan under the original King before his death by Ogre. King II is seen as intimidating due to his animalistic nature. However, his noble side is shown when he visits a Chinese girl, Ling Xiaoyu, in the hospital after their match. Rumors about King II are cleared up when the tournament's participant, Julia Chang, reveals his good nature to the tournament's winner Jin Kazama. Despite his defeat by Jin in the finals, Jin gifts the prize money to King II.[43]

Merchandise

Epoch Co. released a 1/10 scale King action figure, based on his appearance in Tekken 3. The figure comes with a removable champion belt.[44] Epoch Co. also released a 12-inch King action figure based on his Tekken 4 appearance.[45] In 2017, King was one of the five Tekken characters to receive a Funko Pop.[46] King's Player 2 t-shirts and pants were part of the initial wave of Esther Ng's PRIX line of Tekken 3-inspired merchandise. The date of availability of these items was January 18, 2023.[47]

Storm Collectibles, a Hong Kong-based manufacturer of action figures, released a 1/12 scale King action figure based on his Tekken 7 iteration with interchangeable wrestling capes and pairs of hands.[48] A 17 centimeters King action figure was produced by Game Dimensions with a few additional items, such as a stand to carry a "FIGHT" sign, an extra pair of hands, and a white energy buildup.[49] In 2023, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America revealed two action figures, King and Jin Kazama, each in their Tekken 8 outfit, available later in 2024.[50]

Critical reception

King is one of the most popular Tekken characters, receiving praise by critics. King was recognized by IGN, with author Bill Barnwell noting the realism of his mask.[4] Henry Gilbert of GamesRadar+ stated about King that "King is notable because he gives the developers an excuse to animate almost every single wrestling move known to man. Watch as King smoothly transitions through accurate recreations of power bombs, surfboards, spinning toe holds, and muscle busters with ease, all leading up to the ultimate move, the Rolling Death Cradle. King is like a walking Wikipedia of moves, all lovingly recreated by developers who clearly care about wrasslin' as much as any fan."[51]

King holds the Guinness World Records title for the "Most moves for a Tekken character" as of the 2011 video game Tekken Tag Tournament 2, with King having 176 amounts of different moves.[52] Although this record was again broken by King himself, with him having 186 different moves in Tekken 7. Tizoc, a character from The King of Fighters, takes inspiration from King and shares similarities with his appearance. Tizoc wears an eagle mask as opposed to King's jaguar mask, which is a clear distinction between the two.[53] In the study titled "Digital Mexican: Visual Representation In Video Games," author Angel Martin Palomares asked participants to discuss how King and King II represent their cultures. Most of the participants rated King as a medium representation; some participants were surprised that King was a part of their culture, while one of the participants stated, "King, being an animal, did not reflect their cultural background."[54] However, in the case of King II, he received overall positive comments from participants. The majority of the participants rated him as a positive representation.[55]

In his examination of Digital Narratives and Linguistic Articulations of Mexican Identities in Emergent Media: Race, Lucha Libre Masks and Mock Spanish, author Daniel Calleros Villarreal discussed the manner in which King and Armor King are being portrayed. He noticed a notable absence of verbal communication and the faceless presentation of these characters in the game. Through his analysis, Villarreal pointed out that the depictions of Mexican subjects in Tekken appear dehumanized due to the absence of speech and the strange facial expressions. Villarreal drew attention to the use of realistic feline wrestling masks as a symbol of the characters' inability to communicate verbally, comparing this depiction to similar sub-human anthropomorphic figures.[56]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. 1722551903220097121. Harada_TEKKEN. During the development of TEKKEN3 (Arcade release was in 1997, but development took less than two years, 1996-1997), we tried many animation captures, and.... November 9, 2023. February 19, 2024.
  2. Web site: Tekken 3 team interview. https://web.archive.org/web/20090628031835/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=11177. June 28, 2009. Computer and Video Games. July 30, 2013.
  3. Web site: In Japan, Wrestling Masks Aren't Just for Half-Naked Dudes in Boots . Brian . Ashcraft . . 2011-09-29 . 2011-10-13 . 2011-10-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111015091834/http://kotaku.com/5845062/in-japan-wrestling-masks-arent-just-for-half+naked-dudes-in-boots . live .
  4. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20080730205709/http://sports.ign.com/articles/885/885406p2.html. July 30, 2008. Barnwell, Bill . The Ten Best Fake Wrestlers In Videogame History - Sports News at IGN . Sports.ign.com . 2011-09-14 . dead. 2011-10-13.
  5. Web site: Good . Owen . Tekken boss confirms iconic fighter King's strange origin . Polygon . January 5, 2024 . August 7, 2023 . January 6, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240106034709/https://www.polygon.com/videos/23817667/tekken-king-motion-capture-actor . live .
  6. Book: Video Games and the Global South. Phillip Penix-Tadsen. 2019. 9780359641390. 105–106. Lulu.com .
  7. Harada_TEKKEN . 208608911098523649 . He can speak Spanish but he don't... .
  8. Harada_TEKKEN . 1386832503898480640 . in Japan? King (on average in the series)..
  9. Book: Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2016. Guinness World Records. 2015. 9781910561102. 161.
  10. Web site: Most moves for a Tekken character . Guinness World Records . June 16, 2024 . March 24, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230324182708/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/110588-most-moves-for-a-tekken-character . live .
  11. Web site: Computer and Video Games - Issue 188 (1997-07)(EMAP Images) (GB) . July 1997 . 2014-05-21 . Internet Archive.
  12. Web site: GameSpy: Tekken 5 - Page 1 . Ps2.gamespy.com . 2011-10-13 . 2011-09-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110928161205/http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/tekken-5/590622p1.html . live .
  13. Web site: Tekken 8 Character Uses Iconic WWE Wrestler Finisher. Trumann. Tu. Game Rant. April 1, 2023. February 22, 2024. April 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230409042245/https://gamerant.com/tekken-8-wwe-king-triple-h-pedigree-finisher/. live.
  14. Web site: Tekken (1994) King profile . June 19, 2024 . July 1, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210701045931/https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/tekken/images/c/c3/King-TK1-manual.png/revision/latest?cb=20201021094234&path-prefix=en . bot: unknown . .
  15. Web site: Tekken 2 King Profile . February 16, 2024 . November 19, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221119153202/https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/cs/list/tekken2/king.html . bot: unknown . .
  16. Web site: Street Fighter X Tekken roster: Meet all 55 characters . Henry Gilbert . . October 23, 2012 . June 15, 2024 . July 18, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230718135555/https://www.gamesradar.com/street-fighter-x-tekken-roster-meet-all-43-characters/3/ . live .
  17. Book: Tekken 3 (Prima's Official Strategy Guide - 1998) . June 15, 2024 . . 80 .
  18. Tekken 3 Special Update. . 92. Ziff Davis. March 1997. 81.
  19. Book: The Art of Tekken: A Complete Visual History. Dynamite Entertainment. 2019. 978-1524107734. Hurwitch, Nick. 152.
  20. Web site: Tekken 3 King Profile . February 16, 2024 . March 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230307182926/https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/cs/list/tekken3/king.html . bot: unknown . .
  21. Book: The Art of Tekken: A Complete Visual History. Dynamite Entertainment. 2019. 978-1524107734. Hurwitch, Nick. 167.
  22. Book: Tekken 5 NTSC-U/C Manual . 36—37 . . June 15, 2024 .
  23. . Namco . . King II: Prologue . King. A wrestler with the spirit of two champions. After beating Craig Marduk, he followed Marduk to the hospital to kill him. then he realized revenge was not the answer. Later, King heard Marduk challenged him to a rematch wearing the black jaguar's mask. "I won't let him disgrace my master!" says King. They will settle their score in The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5. .
  24. Web site: Tekken 6 - Characters - King . Tekken.namco.com . 2011-10-13 . dead . https://archive.today/20100129202027/http://tekken.namco.com/characters/king/ . January 29, 2010 .
  25. . . . October 27, 2009 . Marduk ending / Armor King II ending .
  26. Web site: Tekken 7: FR's New Japan Pro-Wrestling Crossover Shown in Video. Jennifer. Sherman. Anime News Network. January 3, 2017. 2024-02-18. 2017-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20170104065419/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-01-03/tekken-7-fr-new-japan-pro-wrestling-crossover-shown-in-video/.110578. live.
  27. . . . June 2, 2017 . King is not only a masked professional wrestler, but also the proud owner of an orphanage. Recently, King's sworn friend and comrade, Craig Marduk, as well as the man King called his master, both engaged in a bloody fight which left them with critical injuries. King desperately wanted to come to his friends' rescue, but knew that their operations wouldn't come cheap. At the same time, King's orphanage was in constant danger owing to the war that raged between G Corporation and the Mishima Zaibatsu. Finding himself caught between a rock and a hard place, King entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament with his eyes set firmly on the cash prize. .
  28. . . . January 26, 2024 . Chapter 10: All-Out Assault .
  29. . . . January 26, 2024 . Steve Fox: What, did you come to rub it in? Or do you still want to fight? / King II: (That's the spirit!) (Come at me again with all you've got.).
  30. Web site: Tekken Card Challenge for WonderSwan . . July 15, 2000 . June 17, 2024 . February 27, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180227094349/https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/07/15/tekken-card-challenge-for-wonderswan . live .
  31. Web site: Tekken Advance Preview . Greg . Kasavin . . May 16, 2007 . June 17, 2024 . June 3, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200603230732/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tekken-advance-preview/1100-2816948/ . live .
  32. Web site: Tekken Resolute . . . June 17, 2024 .
  33. Web site: Tekken Tag Tournament 2 King Profile . February 22, 2024 . February 3, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240203145623/https://www.tekken-official.jp/tag2/chara/king.html . bot: unknown . .
  34. Web site: Tekken 3D: Prime Edition Review . Matt . Edwards . . . February 17, 2012 . June 17, 2024 . May 21, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240521234210/https://www.eurogamer.net/tekken-3d-prime-edition . live .
  35. Web site: Tekken Revolution Gameplay Off Screen (King vs. Lars & Leo) - TGS 2013 . September 19, 2013 . . June 17, 2024 .
  36. Web site: Kenneth Richardson. Hugo and King to Body Slam Street Fighter X Tekken Mobile . June 29, 2012. DualShockers. February 18, 2024.
  37. Web site: Felicia and King artwork . RPGamer . June 15, 2024 . June 15, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240615091606/https://archive.rpgamer.com/games/other/ps2/namxcap/art/namxcapart029.jpg . live .
  38. Web site: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Tekken's Kazuya is Now Available, New Spirits Added . Ravi . Sinha . GamingBolt . June 30, 2021 . June 19, 2024 . June 30, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210630075819/https://gamingbolt.com/super-smash-bros-ultimate-tekkens-kazuya-is-now-available-new-spirits-added . live .
  39. Web site: 『北斗リバイブ』×『鉄拳7』コラボが5月31日開幕！ 一八、平八、シャオユウ、キングが参戦. "'Hokuto Revive' x 'Tekken 7' collaboration begins on May 31st! Kazuya, Heihachi, Xiaoyu, and King join the fray". dengekionline.com. KADOKAWA Game Linkage Inc. ja. May 31, 2022. June 2, 2022. June 2, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220602144858/https://dengekionline.com/articles/133968/. live.
  40. Web site: Impressions: Namco High . Cassandra . Khaw . January 13, 2014 . Rock Paper Shotgun . . June 15, 2024 . May 16, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210516092143/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/impressions-namco-high . live .
  41. Tekken: The Motion Picture . Tekken: The Motion Picture . . 1998 . 1998 .
  42. Tekken: Blood Vengeance . Tekken: Blood Vengeance . Asmik Ace
    Namco Pictures . 2011 . 2011 .
  43. Tekken: Bloodline . Tekken: Bloodline . . 2022 . 2022 .
  44. Web site: Tekken 3 - King - Action figures Tekken 3 (#9) - 1/10 (Epoch). MyFigureCollection.net. 2024-02-19. 2024-02-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20240219202315/https://myfigurecollection.net/item/131656. live.
  45. Web site: Epoch . Tekken 4 Series 1 12" Figure King: Toys & Games . . June 16, 2024 . June 26, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100626045620/https://www.amazon.com/Epoch-Tekken-12-Figure-King/dp/B001KZ2BGA . live .
  46. Web site: Pereira . Chris . Tekken's Own Line of Funko Pop Figures Arrives This Year . . December 27, 2023 . January 23, 2017 . September 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220907141635/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tekkens-own-line-of-funko-pop-figures-arrives-this/1100-6447179/ . live .
  47. News: Tekken 3 King Player 2 Shirt and Pants Coming to PRIX . Jenni . Lada . Siliconera . January 18, 2023 . June 16, 2024 . January 18, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230118210252/http://siliconera.com/tekken-3-king-player-2-shirt-and-pants-coming-to-prix/ . live .
  48. Web site: Storm Collectibles - Tekken 7 - King, 1/12 Action Figure, Brown . . June 16, 2024 . June 16, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240616184656/https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Collectibles-Tekken-Action-Figure/dp/B09CSLDDKL#federation=archive.wiki . bot: unknown .
  49. Web site: BANDAI Game Dimensions Tekken King Action Figure . . June 16, 2024 . June 16, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240616190632/https://www.amazon.com/BANDAI-Dimensions-Articulation-Accessories-Figures/dp/B0CNH7G53K/#federation=archiv . bot: unknown .
  50. Web site: Get Ready for Second Wave of 'TEKKEN' GameDimensions Figures. Bug. Hartsock. The Pop Insider. September 5, 2023. February 18, 2024. February 18, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240218212624/https://thepopinsider.com/gamedimensions-wave-2/. live.
  51. Web site: Top 7… awesome wrestlers who could only exist in games . Henry . Gilbert . November 3, 2014 . GamesRadar+ . October 18, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151024001201/http://www.gamesradar.com/top-7-wrestlers-games/ . October 24, 2015 .
  52. Book: Guinness World Records 2017 Gamer's Edition. Guinness World Records. August 30, 2016. 9781910561416. 77.
  53. Book: Daniel Calleros Villarreal . Digital Narratives and Linguistic Articulations of Mexican Identities in Emergent Media: Race, Lucha Libre Masks and Mock Spanish . 2015 . The University of Arizona . 73—74 . .
  54. Book: Digital Mexican: Visual Representation in Video Games . 46—47 . Angel Martin Palomares . Drexel University . 2023 . June 21, 2024 . .
  55. Book: Digital Mexican: Visual Representation in Video Games . 49 . Angel Martin Palomares . Drexel University . 2023 . June 21, 2024 . .
  56. Book: Daniel Calleros Villarreal . Digital Narratives and Linguistic Articulations of Mexican Identities in Emergent Media: Race, Lucha Libre Masks and Mock Spanish . 2015 . The University of Arizona . 71 . .

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