So took a break from making guides to actually play the game, crazy concept right? I wasn't expecting much out of Tekken 8's story mode, other than the final sequence I did not care for Tekken 7's but I didn't realize for the ride I was about to go on. Mortal Kombat 1's cinematic story mode is what everyone has chased for years, it was first, and always was the best without equal in my eyes but Tekken 8 finally topped it. Due to the plot? lol hell no, but just the fun moments, the fanservice, the great action, its just super well done in my eyes so lets talk about it!

"I learned Mishima martial arts on the internet." Reina confirmed subscriber to Rooflemonger's channel!

I love that Heihachi lives so rent free in both Jin and Kazuya's minds that anything little that even reminds them of the guy triggers PTSD flashbacks.

When Jin's Tekken 3 theme started playing, while he regained his Mishima moveset, I legit teared up... And Antares, T6 Jin theme and Snow Castle playing while Jin battles Devil Jin in his mindscape... Mindblowingly good!

I love how they went all-out in embracing its lovable stupidity & "anime moments" when every other game is trying to appease some mythical demographic of "modern audiences". Harada clearly DGAF and it makes the game even better.

I think the part that sets T8s story apart from the others, even as a VERY casual Tekken fan, is that its all killer and no filler MK9 and every other FG cinematic story mode trying to dedicate at least ONE chapter to every character is admirable, but it definitely makes them much more plodding than they really should be, at least for sizeable stretches of them Having like, 2 dedicated sections that give the broader cast to just enough time to shine was a very smart move, and it kept a smile on my face during both of them. You don't need constant plot, sometimes you just gotta let your characters do their thing

Poor Reina has a lot of respect for someone she probably never met. She should ask Jin and Kazuya what Heihachi did to them when he had an INKLING of suspicion that they had devil power. Girl, your dad would not love you any different.

Something easy to miss: there is an alternate ending to chapter 15 if you fight all the way until the last part where both Jin and Kazuya are in Rage (red aura) and then you intentionally let Kazuya win. You also get an achievement and title for seeing this ending. It doesn't work if you lose before Kazuya's rage, since you'll just get the "Retry" option instead.

The funniest thing to me was that, after being mentioned as missing since T6, Leo's dad just shows up with zero fanfare and zero explanation beyond Leo's character story going "btw Leo found him and is working as his assistant"

Asuka has lost so much of her individuality that shes literally drug around by Lili. Kind of sad and hilarious at the same time.

I loved how they really leaned into the corny anime Light/Darkness FRIENDSHIP&LOVE themes. I laughed out loud and was cheesing cheek to cheek most of the cut scenes. Thought the tournament part was just the right amount of time, and they fit it in naturally.

I swear, I lost it when in chapter 15 Jin did his Tekken 3 pose and then had the moveset from Tekken 3!!. I found myself grinning from ear to ear.

Getting thrown into surprise Tekken force was awesome and Jin's changing moveset in the final fight was incredible

The music in the story mode! The score! This was a film. Literally on the levels of final fantasy visuals and presentation.

I loved the story, I really hope there is dlc story. I don't want to wait 10 years to find out more about Reina and how she got the Devil Gene.

I'm glad they did jin well, gave my main Xiao some decent spotlight and even brought back jun! They didn't sweep jins heel turn in 6 under the rug(mostly) but had it as a focal point of the character driven story being Jins acceptance of himself and his sins to forge a better path. He can't make up for what he did but he can atleast make sure to spend the rest of his life atoning for that. I understand the issue people take with it that he should have just died or what he did isn't forgivable but Jin himself spent most of the past 20 years wanting to not only off his own bloodline but kill himself because he also considered himself tainted and not worth anything. To see him ask his mom if he truly deserves to even exist or live and then shout out that he wanted to survive and become happy was amazing. It reminded me of one of my favorite type moon nasuverse protags Shirou Emiya who had also a journey of self acceptance from not caring about his own life to actively wanting to survive. I really enjoyed it.

Ive been a lifelong tekken fan since T3. Seeing Jin grow into the goat he was supposed to be made me shed some manly tears. T8 is amazing. Money well spent.

"Your techwear is no match for my Jays, Kazama Jin." -Kazuya probably

So small break from guide vids just to talk about the plot itself. I didn't expect much out of it so I didn't stream or record myself or anything like that(im not really a "reaction" vid kinda guy after all) but I sorta wish in retrospect I did, because I had lot of fun playing the story mode. I had zero expectations, and it blew me away, well done is all I can say. So after this character guides will start soon on the channel, hopefully some Ed news soon for SF, and we will see where this crazy genre will take us next. Also next week streams should finally start up again, I can finally find time to play the game with the main guides done lol

A wise man one said: "Sometimes, it's not what the plot is, but how one can tell it that makes it good"

As someone that hated Tekken 7 story mode to the point I wasn't even going to bother with 8's and put it off for a couple of days I was blown away by how fun and entertaining it was when i finally played it.

Never forget MK vs DC’s cinematic story mode, technically the first but pretty unremarkable

I have to say from the moment we enter jins mind palace to the very end of the story I was going crazy the whole time. The attention to detail they put into the different jin movesets is like the coolest thing

My theory is kazuya is gonna get a redemption arc and team up with Jin against Reina

One suddle yet powerful moment is the brief pause kaz has before clocking jin. I interpret as him seeing he is just like heiachi beating on his own son. Very brief yet very powerful moment for me.

The fights just feel so snappy. I would normally just expect a structure of cutscene and then a fight and repeat until the final cut scene. But the way they handled it made it feel so natural and fluid I thought. The variety is great, the voice lines mid-fight, Jins moveset changing as he loses and gains respect for himself, managing to fit in the tournament and several boss characters and the whole rebellion/Tekken force mode! The final fight was perfectly executed and very emotional

“Like old 80’s Hulk Hogan not modern day bad Hulk Hogan” lmaoooooo

Loved the story mode. The callbacks to prior Tekkens bring tears of joy to my cold Mishima eyes XD

Dang i hated that the story ended in such a cliffhanger

I agree!! Tekken 8 story has took the title from Mk9 and Injustice 2 as the best story in fighting game periods.

We must not forget the bad ending if you mess up all the qtes where kazuya wins and toss jin down a cliff

The WHOLE ending sequence had me freaking the fuck out! The one white wing Devil Jin got; all the army kung fu nonsense; *fucking Angel Jin;* Jin coming to terms with his mishima style; Jin *finally* using the kazama style; it's all just the *business*

You just gotta appreciate how Tekken can balance between hilariously stupid (awesome) saturday morning Avengers cartoon plot... and then getting you in the feels in that finale (both in T7 with Heihachi and here in T8 w Jin). Perfect, no notes. Keeping being silly Tekken.

Finally Rooflemonger dees the REAL Tekken 8 video that we've been waiting for!

He had me at "hello and welcome!" Love all your content rooflemonger! I appreciate the King Guide as this game I'm picking him up!

I heard the other story modes weren’t good, so I think I got the best experience as a newcomer by watching your other lore videos and then playing it.

9:00 I hope the release the data for who was picked more in the tournament. Not a huge deal but could be fun to see how your picks compared.

it could be that kazuya died so that's why jun came for him. maybe it's the afterlife hmm

Great vid glad to have you talk spoilers I was interested in hearing what you had to say after your tweets and it was the tekken 3 Jin theme lmao. Such a great story mode

There's no way they would drop those cliffhangers and wait till T9 to resolve them. DLC definitely imminent

I just finished it a couple of hours ago too, my last memory was playing Tekken 4 when I was like 6 or 7. Playing Tekken 8's story mode was really nice man, really loved the build-up for Jin & the final battle with Kazuya felt so special man.

Jin’s motives in T6 were always very strange. Destroy half the world to save the world from the devil gene that was dormant? Would’ve made more sense if he gave into the devil gene after some trauma and forgone that whole azezel (or however you spell it) arc. Better yet, just erase Tekken 6 from canon lol

Just finished the story mode. I can't remember the last time i popped off for a fighting game campaign, and I did multiple times here!

Hey dude! Glad you loved the story mode! I did too and I agree that's it's one of the best story modes in fighting game history! They made up for the lackluster execution of Tekken 7 with this. I think it'll be one we will revisit for years to come. It's got so much artistry and badassary put into it. And the plot itself, while cliche at times is very heartfelt, especially for us longtime fans of the Tekken lore.

Was wondering if you would make a video like this! I don't have any IRL friends who like Tekken as much as I do, so I don't really have anyone to talk to about this masterpiece of a story mode! So listening to you gushing over it is very cathartic for me! Also, I thought about an interesting idea, what if they added Devil Reina as a dlc character with Heihachi's exact moveset? That would be a fun way to bring the character back without outright resurrecting him.

I felt like they already had it in them with Tekken 7, the flaw with that story was the presentation and, of course, the narrator/reporter, if they had gone for a different voice direction and writing for that character, I think they would already have one of the best fighting game story modes in the genre; with Tekken 8 they did something that was not only up to the standards of Tekken 7, but it may have been even better, and they chose to omit the narrator, which goes to show exactly what I mentioned: they already had it, they just needed to make a small adjustment with their presentation. If I were to de-construct and analyze Tekken 8's story, I'd say that its major successes were: 1. entertaining gameplay sections that go for distinct and fun premises, they start off right away with Jin vs Kazuya which is fun over the top nonsense, they have a playable tournament arc in Italy which was probably my favorite part, the Tekken force segment featuring several characters and hyping them up and their interpersonal dynamics, and the amazing shonen anime ending between Jin and Kazuya. 2. this game fully realizes several story arcs that had been going on for *YEARS* at this point, including Ling having feelings for Jin, Jin dealing with his devil, Kazuya embracing the lessons his shitty life taught him and becoming the villain, and so on. 3. Sentimentality, Tekken 8 fights with its heart, as Leeroy would put it, that's what makes Tekken 8's climatic encounters so involving for anyone who likes this series, it feels like everything that matters is on the line, it really has that anime feel to it, a feel that connects with people through feelings that are evoked in the game's characters, and it manages to get people personally invested. I don't mean to be too negative in comparison, but this is not something that I felt from Mortal Kombat 1, for example, the story mode in that game was enjoyable, but it did not have me emotionally invested like T8 did. This game, I think, is a milestone for fighting game storytelling that should mark a new chapter in how these game modes are done. 27:32 Panda deserves better than this, we all know that.

What i cant get enough of was how sweet my main Leo was in their role. ❤

I just hated that Asuka was in the story and only got 30 seconds of relevance. I was sad. She was just there.

The tekken 3 music call back for jim had me HYPED UP

Very nice to hear your thoughts 😃. I'm really hoping we get a story expansion cause I ain't waiting for a decade to know what happens next lol. We certainly gave BN enough money to do as much. And it's make it even more worthwhile to invest in dlc, at least for me.

I'm going to be real I haven't even finished the story mode due to how fun the rest of the game is and I'm waiting on my friends to get here so we can all experience it together. And yet, something I absolutely love about it already from just the first chapter is how seamlessly gameplay ties into story. Especially when compared to Mortal Kombat which has a lot of dumb stuff that occurs because of its format from character specific chapters making characters way too powerful (and then become jobbers the millisecond its no longer centered on them, forced fights that frankly shouldn't happen, to even just the awkward way matches just starts with both characters standing around, doing some dialogue and a slow transition to their fight Stances. Whereas with Tekken they don't do that shit cuz it's all hands. They throw hands while talking, they throw hands in the cutscenes and they will throw hands in the match. Hell they throw hands to _start_ the match which is just great, I love the transitions in between each phase simulating an exact real fight and is just exactly what a fighting game story mode should be.

It's going to be very funny when in Tekken 9 they'll treat the Kazuya winning ending as canon. Or neither ending. Or both!

This game ROCKS PERIOD!!! No question about that ❤

fuck yes! i was hoping you would make a video about the story. Saludos desde Argentina

I like what happens if you let Kazuya win the very last bit before the Bamco logo punch.

I’ve never been much of a Tekken fan but I got wrapped up in the hype for this new one. I’ve played it and really enjoyed the story mode and it makes me wanna go back and play the later games. This felt like the end of an era. Even though I’m not as familiar with these characters, this definitely felt like a final showdown between Jin and Kazuya.

I wad afarid you wouldn't make a a video on it! Thanks, as a newbie I hope to understand the refrences better.

That Jin going back to his old fighting style from the old games that he abandoned was amazing.

Did you get the alternate ending too or only the Jin ending?

Wasn't there a dialogue mentioning that Victor saved Claodio right before the beam hit?

The best Japanese Studio to make an awesome story, the Jindemption is real 😈

There are also alt ending if you lose to Kazuya on his last phase (when he goes into rage) and a canonical cutscene of how Jun survived (it gets unlocked in gallery after you beat story mode)

I hope they do have ideas of dlc story episodes instead of waiting years for tekken 9 for the story to continue

I loved this story it was so fun, just really cool

Jin destroyed the building in the beginning because he couldn't control the devil power anymore, that's why he had the "getting the power back" arc, because he didn't trust the devil inside him

Absolutely, the most frustrating thing about the story mode that really makes me sad is the wasted potential and humiliation of Asuka. For one, why is Jun even in this game really if she’s only barely there in cutscenes and doesn’t play an active role in the story other than helping Jin achieve his angel form? I feel like Jun’s role in the story can easily be replaced with Asuka. Jin laments for his deceased mother, Asuka is all like “hey don’t be sad, you can do it!” and Jin gets teary eyed because Asuka reminds him so much of his mother. There could’ve even been a scene in which Devil Jin is going all crazy and Asuka tries to save everyone from his frenzy and holds him back even if it would be stupid and basically her sacrificing herself to at least spare any more casualties, only to unknowingly use her power to suppress the devil gene. Then he gets that flashback scene with his mom and he turns to Angel Jin. That way we get to see Asuka shine as a selfless hero who’s willing to give her life to save her friends, showcase her powers and connection to Jun, and give both her and Jin some great character dynamics and growth. Hell, the very least they could’ve done was let Asuka get revenge against Feng for destroying her father’s dojo and sending him to the hospital. Leeroy could’ve been backed into a corner, only for Lili and Asuka to jump from the jet and it goes into a 3v1 battle ending in Feng’s defeat. That way we would have that plot line resolved. To have their rivalry actually be a serious pivotal moment in Asuka’s resolution and not a joke used for funny intro cutscenes/endings that humiliate Asuka and make her look pathetic would be such a good character moment. Plus it makes Feng look more badass bc it’s like it took 3 of you to defeat me and you still barely managed to knock me out. But other than Asuka being done dirty (and Paul too since he doesn’t really get to fight Kazuya when he’s supposed to be his rival), the story and cutscenes were absolutely terrific! Side note: I’m glad Xiaoyu got to shine in this story, playing a huge, pivotal role for Jin as well as holding it down for him and taking on a bunch of Jack 7s with Panda. So cute and bubbly, yet badass!!

I absolutely love how this game's story mode is pure anime - both in the over-the-top superpowered bullshit between Jin and Kazuya, but also in all the _incredibly_ goofy bullshit like King boosting morale through the power of Pro Wrestling or Azucena just leaving the battlefield when she finds another coffee fan. This game rules so hard

Can kazuya get a redemption arc pls? pls jun bring that man back

I really hope Street Fighter and Tekken do Another Story kind of Expansions, these games will probably have a very long runtime, so I really would like to see more significant Story content.

I absolutely loved the story mode for this game, and definitely think we will be getting an Aftermath style DLC story mode It might not mean anything but I specifically remember seeing Harada make a poll on if people enjoyed the story mode, maybe gauging interest for a story dlc?

21:31 , I skipped this cutscene and was so confused on how the hell we got to space and where Angel Jin came from, I went back to the last chapter to watch it

Great vid Roofle. So you noted that Tekken borrows a bit from other games, but have you or anyone else noticed a heavy inspiration taken from DoA's Eliot and Hayate? These characters might as well be 1 for 1s for Leo and Lars.

that 0.40% is probably just Rangchu, practicing to kill some demons again.

I’m not the biggest King fan, I don’t hate him, just not a fan, but that scene of him in the war as well as your description of it was hype

The story is really anime, and I love it. Can't wait where the story continues though.

I'm more excited for the story now. I wasn't too bothered to try it out in the demo.

Hoping n extra dlc story

That story mode is epic!!!!

Man! I'm SO Happy that the Tekken 8 story was so fun! Truly the best story mode of the entire series! Loved how wild they got, with all the movesets and fights, as well as letting you be able to choose which characters to play during the tournament. While there are still some who got the short end of the stick, I am glad the side characters got something, even if it was only a little bit. Even crazier that it actually has a "bad" ending if you let Kazuya KO you twice during the final phase of the fight where you're both in rage.

Dude I agree with you 100%! Tekken 8 has been a breathe of fresh air. The game is great and yes best story mode for a fighting game. That climax battle was absolutely amazing!

Jin redeemed! Kazuya was a amazing boss! Law unfortunately will always be a joke MK VS DC was the first cinematic story mode actually

As a preamble, i still need to play the story myself to get a feel for everything but i won't be able to pick it up anytime soon, so thank you for the video. With that out of the way: when i saw Jun's boots walking up to Kaz, my knee-jerk response was Kaz washing up on that Buddhist yellow river in the spirit realm; it was like Jun had just been waiting for him before passing on herself. I know it's not likely, however, my reaction made my brain go nuts over the possibilities such as fighters resisting death and crossing back over for reasons similar to how Dragon Ball fighters retain their bodily visage in the spirit world because of their strong spiritual energy.

My favourite moment of final fight was when Kazuya was just mauling Jin and for a moment, when he saw how hurt he is he hesitated for a moment.

Thorgi 's Aracde and roofle uplaods at the same time with same banner :D and talks about story

Even tho we lost Heihachi we have Reina and a better version of Lars. Both are powerhouses who'd definitely make him proud.

It was a great story mode. Also, when you play the character stories, many untold things become clear, like Jun's story...

Their stamina is unreal.

11:03 “SO LONG GE BOWSER” mario 64

This is exactly what most modern fighting game needs, If you're going to have a story mode, you need good writing, this story mode was perfect, the lore in Tekken has been pretty insane, Street Fighter's story was a bit messy but it's not bad either, Mortal Kombat's story is mediocre, with constant retcons it suddenly just made the story unsettling, Tekken is very straightforward.

9:40 vessel is a noun!!!

As you, I enjoed it a lot even if it's too much anime for me. I remember when I was a kid, gushing over Jin, poor boy betrayed by his relatives, the devil stuff, the evil arc... And here they gave me the redemption I wanted! This makes me wish to write a fan fiction, because there is so much potential for a serious novel instead of something so flashy and anime, but hey, at least here we have some kind of character development. Anyway, been a fan of Tekken since the first, and I think this chapter might be the best of the franchise. Have a nice day! Edit: also, Angel was so cool! And when the old Jin music started... Such a cool fanservice!

Jin still has the Devi tattoo at the end of the story

I love tekken 8 story its really awesome

Real talk, special style is amazing for story mode especially the crazier movesets. I’m relatively new to the series, but not needing to pause to check for TS whenever i didn’t feel like it was dope

Can you do a video on how to counter/beat yoshi he seems to safe along with the random stuff he can pull out

I'm stealing this from a wrestling recap podcast that I've been listening to. But the analogy using the current roster at 16:35 in this video would be Bobby Lashley coming in to the drums from his entrance and turning the tide of any battle.

What were your thoughts on Lars vs true devil kazuya? (Obvs on hard) that fight gave me so much grief

Theres a little small part where you missed if you miss the last QTE sequence kazuya beats jin and throws jin off a cliff and continues his global conquest also the tekken 8 credits is covered in blue clouds where the evil characters cause havoc and destruction

I was a bit confused of HOW Reina got the Devil genes since Heihachi killed his wife longer ago then she's alive, so the thought that there might be more clans with the devil genes existing actually makes sense, love to see more of it!!! also it's interesting that you didn't mentioned the alternative ending where Kazuya wins, havn't seen this one myself but it's a thing that exists. also also, the ending this with Jun showing up besites Kazuya, there are 2 ways to see it, eather, yes, she's alive, or Kazuya is actually dead and that's her spirit, eather way, I hope we'll know more whenever Tekken 9 releases mid 2030's.

Reina also has the devil gene. That was why she was able to hold her own against True Devil Kazuya