Devil Jin Transformation

Lore & Background

The Devil Gene is a genetic abnormality within Jin Kazama's body, inherited from his father Kazuya Mishima at birth. Heihachi Mishima betrayed Jin specifically to awaken this genetic abnormality. Unlike his father, who accepted his demonic side, Jin loses control of the Devil Gene, which causes his transformation into Devil Jin. The parallel between Jin and Kazuya's devils was compared to the protagonists from the Star Wars films, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, respectively. Devil Jin is often shown wearing chains on his body, though Harada claims these are symbolic. Like his father's devil persona, Jin's is also shown to possess wings, though Harada claims they are actually related to his mother's heritage rather than the Mishima's. For the film Blood Vengeance, Jin manages to control his Devil powers, resulting in him achieving a new Devil transformation designed by Takayuki Takeya, famous for designing characters from Devilman and Kamen Rider. Director Yōichi Mōri wanted to change the impression of the Devil in the game, giving the New Devil Jin a "sinister yet beautiful" design.

In Their Own Story

In Tekken 8, Jin is shown in a major conflict with his Devil Gene as it keeps absorbing his humanity to the point he becomes Devil Jin in the middle of a fight against his father Kazuya. This confrontation has been building up for several years. The final scene of the trailer involves broken chains, which Harada remarked act as symbolism to Jin breaking free from the conflicts he has been connected to for several games. Harada has apologized to the character for the harsh treatment he gave him over the years. Devil Jin completes the character's arc that Harada crafted in terms of Jin's corruption, now represented in his genes. Harada recalls receiving letters from fans who were angry for turning Jin into a villain in Tekken 6.

Reader's Guide

Devil Jin was first introduced as a non-playable character in Tekken 3 and has been playable ever since Tekken 5. Devil Jin remains popular for retaining Jin's classic Mishima-Ryu fighting style, which Jin discarded since Tekken 4 before retaining it in Tekken 8. For Tekken 7, Jin was made into a hidden sub-boss in the game's arcade mode, with Harada explaining that the requirements to unlock him were very difficult. Harada added a hint that players who use Kazuya Mishima might have a better chance of fighting Jin, while the Devil persona is a hidden boss. Devil Jin possesses a tattoo that covers his entire torso, which Harada claimed he grew to like as part of the design.

Did You Know?

• Devil Jin was first introduced as a non-playable character in Tekken 3 and became playable starting with Tekken 5.
• Harada claims Devil Jin's wings are actually related to Jin's mother Jun Kazama's heritage, not the Mishima bloodline.
• For the film Blood Vengeance, Takayuki Takeya designed a new Devil Jin form with a 'sinister yet beautiful' appearance.
• Devil Jin retains the classic Mishima-Ryu fighting style that Jin discarded from Tekken 4 until Tekken 8.
• In Tekken 7, Devil Jin appears as a hidden boss, and Harada hinted that players using Kazuya Mishima might have a better chance of fighting him.