Developer Bandai Namco has unveiled some of the major details of the upcoming arcade update for the fighting game "Tekken 7."
Interestingly, the first fighter unveiled for the "Tekken 7 Fated Retribution" update is Akuma from Capcom's "Street Fighter" franchise, Gamespot reported.
Bandai made the surprising revelation during the end of the King of the Iron Fist competition on December 12. The studio even accompanied the announcement with a new trailer featuring Akuma taking on Heihachi.
In the "Street Fighter" universe, Akuma is a demon and the younger brother of Ryu and Ken's master, Gouken. He first made his debut in 1994's "Street Fighter II Turbo" as an unlockable character and secret boss.
It is not yet exactly clear how Bandai was able to snag Akuma from Capcom for "Tekken 7 Fated Retribution" but it probably happened through a business deal. But, in the upcoming arcade update, Akuma will not just be a simple playable character. Instead, he will play a central role in the game's story.
According to Forbes, Akuma is connected to the world of "Tekken" through the character Kazumi Mishima, who is the wife of Heihachi and mother of Kazuya. This connection is already interesting enough since for "Tekken 7," Kazumi is one of the main bosses that players have to defeat.
Apparently, in the game's storyline, Akuma is indebted to Kazumi. She then asks the Satsui no Hado master to repay this favor by killing Heihachi and Kazuya for her.
Although there have already been games that pitted characters from "Street Fighter" and "Tekken" against each other, the upcoming "Tekken 7 Fated Retribution" will probably have the most depth regarding the involvement of the two rival franchises.
Aside from the fact that Akuma is embedded deep into the game's plot, he is also a central character in the "Street Fighter" franchise. His appearance in the game could even suggest that the core stories of the two fighting games are somehow connected.
However, the character's involvement in "Tekken 7" could have a negative consequence for "Street Fighter" fans. As noted by Polygon, Capcom has not yet announced if Akuma will officially join the roster of "Street Fighter 5." Although nothing has been confirmed yet, his absence could be the result of an exclusivity deal with Bandai for "Tekken 7." But, since this is just a speculation, there's still a chance that Akuma will join the upcoming "Street Fighter" game that's slated to come out on February 16, 2016 for the PC and PlayStation 4.
As for "Tekken 7 Fated Retribution," it is not yet clear when the arcade update will arrive and if it will arrive for the console versions of the game.
