GENOCELL

GENOCELL was the name of a forest rejuvenation project lead by a team of scientists and researcher. The head researcher was Professor T and one of his team was Julia Chang. GENOCELL has biological purifying qualities that seem to stimulate biological growth. The main purpose of GENOCELL was to reforest deserts in Julia's home state of Arizona. It was funded and supervised by G Corporation and its data was located in one of the G Corporation's maximum security labs.

Story[]

After discovering that her homeland was in danger of desertification as a result of rapid global climate change, Julia began researching ecosystem reforestation. She joined an advanced genetic research group, led by Professor T, that studied the biological mechanism of reforestation. The project was called GENOCELL, and the grant for the research came from G Corporation. G Corporation's supercomputers, located at their high security research center, were being used for the research, and all of the research data was stored on their file servers. The research was completed but then put on indefinite hold. Despite the amount of security, the G Corp research center had been attacked by the Mishima Zaibatsu, who succeeded in stealing valuable data, including all of the GENOCELL reforestation data.^[1]

GENOCELL data was then put to use in the Mishima Zaibatsu's Devil-Human Integration Program, where it was used to try and create devil-human hybrids. Julia entered the fourth tournament to try and recover the data, but was ultimately unable to recover her data.^[2] During the fifth tournament however, likely with the help of Ganryu, Julia was able to recover the data she needed, and GENOCELL was successfully used to begin reforesting Arizona.^[3] As of Tekken 7 Julia continues to self-fund her work through live-streaming, as she had to flee G Corporation after it was discovered that she was spying for Violet Systems.

Devil-Human Integration Program[]

Main article: Devil-Human Integration Program

The Mishima Zaibatsu used the GENOCELL research they had stolen to aid one of their own projects, the Devil-Human Integration Program, led by Doctor Abel.^[4] In this project, they posited that devil cells from the Devil Gene existed. They intended to merge these devil cells with human cells in order to create a devil-human hybrid. When trying to merge the cells together, under normal circumstances, the devil cells destroyed the human cells, however, through the use of GENOCELL, the devil cells could be suppressed and the creation of a viable life form could be made possible. In her (non-canon) ending, Julia managed to delete all GENOCELL files, stopping this research, but also postponing the dream of saving her home in the process.

The Devil-Human Integration Program is likely canonically unsuccessful, since Heihachi Mishima was not able to secure either of the research subjects he wanted to progress this research: Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama both escaped his capture at the end of Tekken 4, and he has not been able to capture them since. With the deaths of Dr. Abel and Heihachi, it is likely that this project has been either indefinitely halted or cancelled.

Related Characters and Organizations[]

G Corporation - Funded GENOCELL research and stored its data in a maximum security laboratory.
Mishima Zaibatsu - Raided G Corporation and stole GENOCELL.
Tekken Force - Carried out the raids on G Corp, including those to gain GENOCELL.
Violet Systems - Secretly funded some of Julia's research, including GENOCELL.
Julia Chang - Researcher who worked on GENOCELL.
Professor T - Head of GENOCELL research.
Dr. Abel - Used GENOCELL data for the Devil-Human Integration Program.
Heihachi Mishima - Ordered the raid on G-Corporation to steal GENOCELL. The Devil-Human Integration Program was launched to make him stronger.
Kazuya Mishima - His DNA was (non-canonically) used in the Devil-Human Integration Program.
Ganryu - He, possibly canonically, retrieved GENOCELL data to give to Julia.
Lee Chaolan - CEO of Violet Systems, he secretly funded some of Julia's research on GENOCELL.
Jin Kazama - He was captured at the end of Tekken 4 so that his DNA could be used in the Devil-Human Integration Program.

Trivia[]

Dr Abel's research into combining GENOCELL rejuvenation data with the Devil Gene followed on from the failed research the Mishima Zaibatsu was doing on Ogre's DNA. It was part of ongoing research that Heihachi ordered to try and increase his power and rejuvenate himself, so that he could keep up with Kazuya Mishima.
It is also likely that the Devil-Human Integration Program is related to the Mishima Zaibatsu Supersoldier Program research that the Mishima Zaibatsu did on Steve Fox. The Supersoldier Program involved an attempt to synthesise the Devil Gene in the years after the second tournament.^[5] It was ultimately a failure, and likely the reason why the Devil-Human Ingeration Program needed a live devil test subject.
In her Tekken 4 ending, Julia is able to take control of the Zaibatsu, but realises GENOCELL is being used in the Devil-Human Integration Program, and decides to destroy the data rather than seeing it used to create hybrid human-devils.
In his Tekken 5 ending, Ganryu retrieves GENOCELL data for Julia, and hands it to her on a floppy disc, before he tries to propose to her. It is likely that this ending is canon, as Alisa Bosconovitch mentions in Tekken 6 that Ganryu stole top secret data from Mishima Heavy Industries.^[6] Additionally, Julia's Tekken 5 profile states she received a 'letter in a foreign language' and an enclosed invitation to the tournament, and in her Tekken 5 interludes, Ganryu deliberates about how best to help Julia recover the data, implying he invited her to the tournament to try and help her.^[7]
In her Tekken 5 ending, Julia is able to retrieve GENOCELL data, and builds a lab in Arizona where she is able to use the data for her research. At first the experiments keep ending in failure but eventually she is able to reforest the desert with her research. It is possible this ending is canon, since her Tekken 6 PSP prologue^[8] says she was sucessful in the project and her Tekken 6 ending shows a large area has been forested.
- It is possible that both Ganryu and Julia's Tekken 5 endings are canon, with Julia's leading on from Ganryu's. This would mean the canonical story was that Ganryu invited Julia to the tournament to help her find the data, and then he successfully broke into Mishima Industries labs and stole the data on a floppy disc. He gave the data to Julia and she then set to work trying to use it for reforestation. After many setbacks, Julia was successfully able to do so. This leads into her Tekken 6 profile, where the data has been recovered and reforestation is successful, but Julia is asked by a wise woman to go and take prevent Jin and Kazuya clashing rather than pursue her project at home for now.
In Tekken 7, continued reforestation is still on Julia's agenda, thought she has started an online stream to fund it, since she no longer wishes to have anything to do with G Corporation.This occurs after Kazuya has been revealed as a devil by news sources, though she has already fled G-Corp in Tekken 6 by this point, with the help of Lars, Alisa, and Lee.
Despite not knowing much about him, Professor T seems to be an important figure in Julia's story since he may have been her boss for a while and he is important to the GENOCELL research, being the leader of the research team.
It is likely that the secure data on GENOCELL that was stolen by the Mishima Zaibatsu was being stored on supercomputers based in G Corporation's Nepalise research facility. This laboratory was decimated by a Mishima Zaibatsu raid and the secure servers were airlifted out by Zaibatsu helicopters.^[9]
Some GENOCELL research was funded by Lee Chaolan's Violet Systems, who was secretly funding Julia's research in exchange for her spying on G Corporation for him.