Summary
What an opening. A promising start so far.
This recap of the Netflix anime series Tekken Bloodline season 1, episode 1 contains spoilers.
Here are five reasons to watch Tekken: Bloodline.
A lot is riding on this series. Netflix commissioning a Tekken series is a good move, but let’s hope the anime series pulls off an impressive video game adaptation. Episode 1 is full of many thrills and an air of an origin story. It’s certainly a great start. Let’s recap episode 1.
Tekken: Bloodline season 1, episode 1 recap
Episode 1 opens up with a group of boys chasing Jin Kazama. They beat Jin up, laughing as they do. They are a group of bullies who underestimate their victims. Jin shows his strength and beats up each bully to claim victory. As he’s about to continue fighting them, his mother stops him — she tells him he needs to learn when to stop.
When they return home, Jin’s mother reassures her son; she explains that those bullies know he will achieve more in life and leave the island. The mother is disappointed that Jin hurt them rather than defending himself. Following this conversation, Jin trains with his mother outside. The mother is a master, training her son in many surprising fighting techniques.
In the evening, one of the bully’s fathers heads to the house to confront Jin. While Jin faces this man, the mother tells Jin to control his anger; she asks Jin to apologize to the man for hurting his son, which surprises him. The son’s father is drunk and wants to teach Jin a lesson, but before Jin can attack, his mother uses a defensive move to stop the man.
Back inside the house, the mother tells Jin that he has a gift and should not take pleasure in the suffering of others.
And then, the episode takes a turn; a demon approaches their house. The mother tells Jin to stay in the house “no matter what” and asks him to visit his grandfather if anything happens to her. Jin promises her he will always know when to use “attack or defense.”
The mother fights the demon, but she’s overwhelmed quickly. Jin stays inside, listening to the violence outside, unable to help his mother due to his promises.
However, the demon chokes his mother to near-death. Jin cannot help himself and runs to her aid, but his attacks are useless. The demon brushes him aside. The mother screams for Jin to run as she tries to fight the demon again. Eventually, she finds an advantage next to her burning house. She keeps the demon near her in a submission move. The fire reaches a gas cylinder, and the house explodes.
Jin’s mother is gone. Jin Kazama is distraught.
And so, Jin heads to the city to look for his grandfather, Heihachi Mishima, as he promised his mother. He tries to sneak into an office building, but one of the guards stops him. When the guard learns of Jin’s last name, he takes him straight to Heihachi Mishima.
The ending
Jin faces Heihachi Mishima for the first time, and surprisingly, the grandfather is not entirely happy to see him — he asks Jin to fight him. Jin tries to attack him, but he’s overwhelmed immediately. Heihachi Mishima tells Jin that he brings dishonor to the Kazama name and tells him to leave.
But Jin refuses to leave and mentions a green demon that killed his mother, which piques Heihachi’s interest — he tells Jin that the creature that killed his mother is called Ogre and that he’ll train him to fight and defeat him. In return, he wants Jin to prove his ancestry, even if it kills him.
What an opening. A promising start so far.
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