Bandai Namco’s most feature-rich game to date is Tekken 8. Along with all the features you would expect from Tekken, this game also includes new characters, new gameplay mechanics, the Arcade Quest mode, and an entirely new story campaign.

The story is continued in the game by Jin’s disappearance, which occurs immediately after Kazuya defeats Heihachi in Tekken 7. Jin Kazama, who has returned from T7’s events in the Middle East, and Kazuya Mishima’s father-son rivalry are finally resolved in Tekken 8’s story, titled “The Dark Awakens.” It also provides a peek at the post-conflict Tekken universe.

You’ve come to the correct spot if you’ve completed the story mode and are looking for an explanation of the Tekken 8 ending.

We see some cutscenes depicting the aftermath following the spectacular final battle, but the story is left largely unfinished, so let us tell you what happened. You should turn away now if you haven’t finished the last chapter because this guide contains a lot of spoilers.

Players only need to lose the final battle with Kazuya in Chapter 15 of The Dark Awakens to access the alternate ending. This is actually quite challenging, though, since losing health will cause a game over screen in all but one of the numerous stages of the final fight.

Players can circumvent this by waiting until Kazuya glows red during the last stages of the fight. Only then will running out of health cause a different ending, enabling players to obtain the Despair Trophy / Achievement.

Ending Explained

The main plot of Tekken 8 has two possible outcomes. The outcome of the last confrontation between Jin and Kazuya determines the conclusion you receive. One “good” ending and one “bad” ending are present.

The “good” conclusion to the game’s plot is essentially found in Tekken 8’s “Hope” ending. Devil Jin is aided in overcoming the Devil gene and transforming into an Angel by a vision of his mother, Jun, following a battle with Kazuya’s all-powerful True Devil form.

With his newly acquired strength, he stops Kazuya’s energy ball from ending the world and tosses it into the sea. The outcome is a tremendous explosion that sends the two men into space.

Once more, both characters trade blows on a massive chunk of rock that serves as a makeshift stage. At the end of the battle, Jin and Kazuya both transform back into their human selves from their supernatural forms.

Now that the cards are stacked, Jin wins the last fight, which takes place. Jin is shown gazing out to sea from a cliff in the last cutscene. After that, he notices a white bird flying in his direction and proceeds to pick a flower off the ground.

Jin acknowledges his mother’s presence immediately and gives her credit for her assistance in defeating the Devil. The last scene of the cutscene shows Jin and Xiaoyu meeting on a desolate road, suggesting that they rode off into the sunset together.

Before Jun visits Kazuya, the character is seen at the scene of the battle lying face down. That’s not all, though, because the game also features a post-credits scene in which Reina declares herself to be Heihachi’s daughter before turning into the Devil herself.

One could argue that Tekken 8’s “bad” ending is “Despair.” It happens following Jin’s defeat by Kazuya in the decisive fight, which sets off a different epilogue cutscene. With a sly smile on his face, Kazuya throws Jin off a cliff at the start of the scene, and then he declares his unwavering desire for power once more.

With this conclusion, the final credits also change, and the music becomes even more ominous. In this instance, the credits show a maniacal, Bryan Fury taking over the G Corporation, an army of Jack-8s taking over the streets, and Nina Williams driving off in the distance.

Everything supports Kazuya’s hegemony over the globe. This ending’s post-credits scene is the same as the last one, suggesting that Reina will be Kazuya’s next challenger.

In the hidden epilogue, Kazuya wins the last fight. He ends his victory in typical Tekken fashion by tossing Jin’s corpse off a cliff, most likely to his death since the Devil Gene is no longer present.

The scene cuts to Kazuya sitting at his desk, planning his takeover of the entire world—even without his Devil power—after he gives himself a small smile. The credits roll as they always did, but now they feature the villains waging war and wiping out humanity rather than images of the world being rebuilt and the heroes celebrating.