An Instagram star specializing in tricks, martial arts, and breakdancing has copied the moves of a range of Tekken fighters in a new video, including fan favorites such as King, Eddy Gordo, and Heihachi Mishima. While short, the video displays not just an assortment of attacks but real fighting styles from around the world.
Tekken is one of the longest-running fighting game franchises in the world; it debuted as a competitor for Sega's pioneering 3D title, Virtua Fighter. The series has continued long past its rival, and though the most recent release is technically 2015's Tekken 7, that game continues to get updates on home consoles in the form of new seasons. A Tekken 8 may happen - but Bandai Namco doesn't appear to be in a rush. Guinness World Records has identified the series as having the world's longest-running video game storyline, but that claim is considered controversial.
The video was created by Sam Da Flyin Hawaiian, who describes it as "one of the most fun series" he's done so far, with "no equipment, money, or incentive." It does of course help his social media presence, which as of this writing weighs in at over 131,000 followers. Beyond King, Eddy, and Heihachi, other characters on display include Raven, Yoshimitsu, Bruce Irvin, Julia Chang, Ling Xiaoyu, Lei Wulong, Kazuya Mishima, Bryan Fury, Marshall Law, and Jin Kazama. For comedy, it even includes the kangaroo duo of Roger and Roger Jr. - with a second person hidden in Sam's clothing for Roger Jr.
Some of the fighting styles will be familiar to the average person, such as karate, kung fu, and Muay Thai - the latter, represented in the video by Bryan Fury, is the most common standing style in MMA leagues like the UFC. Julia Chang, however, mixes multiple Chinese styles such as Baji Quan, and Eddy Gordo uses capoeira, a style founded by Brazilian slaves that's deliberately disguised as dancing. Marshall Law uses Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do.
On Instagram, at least, Sam has yet to say what other games he might try to copy. Since Mortal Kombat or Soul Calibur would require weapons, Street Fighter might be a logical next step. One of Sam's interests is a Cambodian style called bokator, but it can't be found in any games - one of the few Western pop culture references is Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon. There are Tekken styles he has yet to showcase, such as aikido, Sambo, and Eskrima - so in that sense, he may have already picked the perfect franchise to mimic on Instagram.
Source: Sam Da Flyin Hawaiian