Please note: This name is Chinese; "Wang" is a family name, not a given name; the given name of this character is "Jinrei".
Wang Jinrei (王驚雷 Wáng Jīngléi; Japanese: ワン・ジンレイ Wan Jinrei; It may be written with given name first as Jinrei Wang) is a character in the Tekken series of fighting games, first introduced in the original Tekken game. He returned in Tekken 2, Tekken 5, and Tekken 6, and also for the spin off tag games, Tekken Tag Tournament and Tekken Tag Tournament 2.
Biography
Personality
Wang is an old man who has seen a lot in life. From the way Wang dresses and the way he speaks of jiang shi and other legends, staying in a Fujian Tulou, knowing about Mokujin in Tekken 6 and mentioning gods, he seems to hold traditions and legends in great esteem. He possibly left China during the start of the Mao era if not before. Wang seems to have the means to acquire a lot of information, such as about Alisa, Ogre's epitaph, or the Mishima Zaibatsu. He is also someone who seems to want more from life and to hold a bigger role, as evidenced by when Xiaoyu tells him he's being overly-dramatic and has watched too many Kung Fu movies, or when he reunites all the older men, in his Tekken Tag Tournament 2 ending, to tell them that he wants to be recognized and seen as a young stud. This does not stop him also complaining from time to time about his old age and failing health.
Wang bears many regrets. He mentions his negligence toward the Mishima Zaibatsu that allowed it to expand so much, and all through Tekken 5 he expresses similar regret. He regrets not having been able to save his friend Jinpachi from his son Heihachi, and regrets having been manipulated by Heihachi for so many years. Heihachi somehow manipulated him into believing Jinpachi was a threat, and even tells Wang: "I’ll be the one to stop him, once and for all!", indicating that he perhaps painted his usurping of Jinpachi before in a positive light to Wang. Wang's reply ("I won’t let you fool me again!") indicates he has no intention of falling for this twice. Once beaten by Wang, Heihachi somehow acts pitifully saying: "Wang Jinrei how can you?...", perhaps showing that Wang was someone gentler in his younger days who spoiled Heihachi in his youth.
Wang's belated confrontation of the Mishimas may come out of strong loyalty to his friends. On beating Heihachi in Tekken 5, he remarks "Why do I have to hurt my friends to do the right thing?" and when Jinpachi asks him to kill him, Wang once more says: "I will not harm my friend ever again!" Although Wang does accept to fight Jinpachi, he wishes there were another way, indicating that conflict that results in challenging his former allies is a great burden to him. Wang's dedication to loyalty is also evidenced in his treatment of Feng Wei. He understood that Feng beat his master in a fair fight, and he talked to Lei (who was to arrest Feng) about it, exonerating Feng from culpability.
Wang is someone for whom teaching and leading a younger generation is important. He tries to show them a better way and often shares his wisdom. He is happy to share his knowledge as an elder and does succeed in gaining respect from some, such as Lee Chaolan or even Feng Wei. He is easily angered however, when he is not respected or listened to, as in the case of Marshall, where he informs him that he will chastise him harshly for his not so honest actions, or when Xiaoyu refuses to listen to him and leave a fight, despite her being a younger relative of his.
Appearance
Wang Jinrei is an old man who wears mostly traditional Chinese clothes. He is almost entirely bald, having just a slight bit of hair at the top of his head as shown in Tekken Tag Tournament, until in Tekken 5 where he is seen to be completely bald. Wang is also consistently depicted with a full, white beard, which is paired with a mustache from Tekken 2 onward.
Outfits
Main Article: Wang Jinrei/Outfits
Story
Tekken
Version 1
Jinrei is an old man with whom bravery still runs strong, a practitioner of Shinirokugo-ken.
Jinrei, a kindhearted individual who sympathizes with his fellow countrymen, is the head of overseas Chinese merchants. He was also a very close friend to Kazuya's deceased grandfather, Jinpachi Mishima. After Jinpachi's death, Jinrei fell under Heihachi's influence, but truth be told, he doesn't feel comfortable with Heihachi's conduct.[2]
Version 2
Wang Jinrei is a brave old man who has a kind heart. Wang continued to remain generous and kind while living as a recluse in the Mishima gardens. Wang was a close friend of Heihachi Mishima's father, Jinpachi Mishima. After Jinpachi's death, he put his faith in Heihachi. However, Wang does not know of Heihachi's actions. He faces Marshall Law in the King of Iron Fist tournament and the fight ends in a draw.[citation needed]
Tekken 2
Official Website Profile (Japanese)
Jinrei, an old man with whom bravery still runs strong, is a practitioner of Shinirokugo-ken. He was also best friend to Kazuya's grandfather, Jinpachi Mishima.
Wrapped up in the wishes of Jinpachi; "In order to bring about peace the Mishima clan must be destroyed", Jinrei decided to join the tournament, but he seeks to transfer the burden of taking Kazuya out to someone else capable of doing so. But, if there is no other, he's prepared to do what must me done (He will not leave until the deed is done).[3]
Version 2
Wang is an old friend of Jinpachi Mishima, the father of Heihachi Mishima and the grandfather of Kazuya Mishima. Wang had seen the way Kazuya and Heihachi abused and corrupted the Mishima Zaibatsu. Wang later becomes Lee Chaolan's instructor and convinces him to help him bring honor back to the Empire.[citation needed]
Ending Description, "Celebration"
Wang walks up a hill while the sun is setting. He approaches a grave stone of Jinpachi Mishima. Wang pours a bottled drink on the top of the grave stone. Then, Wang pours some of the drink into a small cup. He drinks from the cup, and then he exhales. A close-up of Wang's face is shown as the ending movie ends.
Tekken 5
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection Manual, PAL
Long ago, Wang had a close friend from a distant land... Jinpachi Mishima. Just as the world was about to be engulfed in the flames of war, his friend vanished. Will Wang find him at The King of Iron Fist Tournament?[4]
Official Strategy Guide
Long ago, Wang had a close friend from a distant land... Jinpachi Mishima. Just as the world was about to be engulfed in the flames of war, his friend came to him and said, "In order to bring about peace, the Mishima clan must be destroyed."
Jinpachi disappeared, leaving these words behind. Some time after, Wang learned of the death of his friend as the world was embroiled in war.
Thirty years later, Wang was living in isolation when an invitation to The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5 was delivered. Along with it was a message: "I need your help, old friend. Seek me out, Wang Jinrei."
Believing his friend to be dead, Wang Jinrei was quite surprised by the message and decided to enter the tournament to look for Jinpachi.[5]
Prologue
Wang Jinrei. A relentless merchant.
Jinpachi, his childhood friend, once told Wang, "To preserve peace, I must put an end to the Mishima bloodline." These were Jinpachi's last words to him.
30 years after Wang heard of Jinpachi's death, he received an invitation to the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5.
"I need your help, come see me, Jinrei." The letter was signed "Jinpachi Mishima".
A confused Jinrei says, "What? Jinpachi is alive?" Wang enters the tournament to see if his long lost friend still lives.[6]
Ending Description
Wang has defeated Jinpachi Mishima. Jinpachi's "Devil" form fades away, leaving only Jinpachi in his human form laying on the ground on his stomach. Wang holds Jinpachi, shakes him, and asks, "Jinpachi, are you ok?" Jinpachi replies, "I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble..." Wang says, "Don't say such things! We have been through so much and have always been like brothers.". Jinpachi reaches up to Wang with one of his hands and says, "Jinrei...", Wang grabs Jinpachi's hand with one of his hands and says, "Jinpachi!". Jinpachi says, "I wish we could have had one last drink together...but I'm afraid my time has come... Good bye, my dear friend... It was fun..." Jinpachi turns to dust in Wang's arms. Wang runs his fingers through the sand that was Jinpachi while saying, "Jinpachi... Jinpachi!..." Wang continues talking, saying, "It's the curse of the Mishima bloodline!..." Wang gets up while saying, "Jinpachi...it appears that my time has yet to come!" A shooting star flies across the sky.
Tekken 6
Official Strategy Guide
Jinrei Wang heard of the Mishima Family?s cursed blood from his close friend, Jinpachi Mishima.
Wang was utterly defeated in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5 by Jin Kazama, a man bent on wiping out the Mishima family's cursed blood. Something Wang once sought as well, but Wang was never comfortable with the idea of wiping out his friends and always let other willing bodies step up. Not long after, Jin took the life of Jinpachi, instantly elevating himself as the head of the MFG.
Blaming his failure on his indifference, Wang lamented his lack of action.Once again, the King of Iron Fist is held, and with newfound purpose, Wang participates in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6.[7]
Prologue
Wang, who heard about the cursed blood of the Mishima family from his friend Jinpachi Mishima, tried to stop those of the Mishima bloodline, but was defeated by Jin Kazama. Jin would continue onward to take Jinpachi's life and claim the Mishima Zaibatsu for himself. Under his reign, the Zaibatsu rapidly began to build its military might.
Once the Mishima Zaibatsu declared war, conflict broke out around the world, enveloping the globe in chaos. Wang strongly regretted his failure to stop the Mishima Zaibatsu before it went out of control. He decides to enter The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6, intent on destroying the Mishima bloodline once and for all.[8]
Ending Description
Following his victory over Azazel, Wang prepares to leave before sensing Azazel's presence behind him. But as the monster was about to attack, Wang used a powerful elbow attack right on his foe's back, causing the latter to disperse into a orb with magenta-colored scarabs fading into nothingness.
Yet, it also took its toll on Wang as he murmurs "Jinpachi..my friend. My time has come." before falling onto his knees, saying "I'll see..you again..." as he falls onto the ground.
Scenario Campaign
Wang is seen warning the amnesiac Lars Alexandersson after their fight about Alisa Bosconovitch's true allegiance, Jin's pure-mindedness and how the Mishima Zaibatsu still has enough manpower to take on the entire world. Wang also tells them to ask Heihachi about a tablet he found in Central America that could provide useful. After Lars' departure, Zafina appears from the shadows. They then talk about how they believe Lars will be the one to stop Azazel from destroying the world, something which became only half-true.
Other Appearances
Tekken Tag Tournament
Wang appeared as a playable character in Tekken Tag Torunament. He retains his moveset from Tekken 2 with many new moves added. Many moves were added due to his absence in Tekken 3.
Ending Description
Wang is doing internal Kung Fu with Xiaoyu. Wang suddenly stops and Xiaoyu rushes to his side. Wang holds his back in pain, Xiaoyu looks at the camera with a quick smirk and her hands on her hips.
Tekken Tag Special Alliance Partners:
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Wang returned as a playable character in Tekken Tag Tournament 2. He retains his moveset from Tekken 6 with a few new moves added.
Profile
A Chinese master fighter who is highly proficient in Xing Yi Quan. Jinpachi Mishima is a friend of his with whom he often drinks tea, and the two have developed something of a friendly rivalry. In order to destroy the cursed Mishima bloodline, he sets out to fight once again.
"You're still so naive. You can't beat me with strength alone!"[9]
Ending Description
Wang has called a meeting with Jinpachi Mishima, Sebastian and Doctor Bosconovitch on a discussion table. Their main topic is their existence as well as future appearances in the Tekken series.
Wang and Jinpachi discuss each other's popularity, with Jinpachi pointing out how Namco very nearly killed Wang off in his Tekken 6 ending (where he does indeed die after beating Azazel), to which Wang claims his "awesome popularity" kept him alive. When Jinpachi expresses disbelief at Namco nearly killing off a "no name character" like Wang only to chicken out at the last minute, Wang counters said argument by pointing out how Jinpachi literally crumbled into sand before Wang's very eyes in his Tekken 5 ending. Doctor Bosconovitch shows no concern, as he believes that so long as the Jack-series, Yoshimitsu, Alisa and Bryan are still present in the game, he will still also be present through them. Sebastian states that he doesn't mind being unpopular as long as he protects and serves Lili.
Bosconovitch eventually comes up with the idea of using technology on every elderly person in the room, himself included, to turn them into Alisa-style cyborgs. Some time later, Ganryu and Baek arrive to see that plans were already being made to turn all four old men into cyborgs. While Baek finds the idea ridiculous, Ganryu seems to be excited at the prospect.
Tekken: Bloodline
Wang has a cameo appearance in Tekken: Bloodline as one of the fighters from the second King of Iron Fist Tournament that disappeared following Ogre's attack spree.
Gameplay
Wang is one of the few characters in the series to primarily use soft form Kung-Fu techniques. He has some of the most interesting and effective parries, crushes and reversals which he can use to frustrate and rebuke less experienced players.
Less useful at distance, in the hands of a seasoned player he can obliterate even the best of close range defense with an off-kilter collection of stun attacks, attacks throws and strikes that give some of the best frame advantage in the series. He is a character with some unique defense options and a relentless, lethal close range game.
Fighting Style
Wang fights using Xin Yi Liu He Quan.
Moves
- Wang Jinrei/Tekken Movelist
- Wang Jinrei/Tekken 2 Movelist
- Wang Jinrei/Tekken Tag Tournament Movelist
- Wang Jinrei/Tekken 5 Movelist
- Wang Jinrei/Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection Movelist
- Wang Jinrei/Tekken 6 Movelist
- Wang Jinrei/Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Movelist
Character Relationships
Jinpachi Mishima
His best friend, they had a strong friendship due to them both being skilled martial artists with a mutual interest in world peace. Wang was childhood friends with Jinpachi and they have been through many things together, considering one another to be like brothers[10] Wang and Jinpachi often drank Sakè together, and Wang was the last person to see Jinpachi alive before Heihachi imprisoned him in Hon-Maru's basement. After Jinpachi disappeared, Wang was deeply saddened and mourned his friend, entrusting Jinpachi's son, Heihachi, to continue his legacy. Wang entered the fifth tournament when he received a letter from Jinpachi, asking him for help. In their (non-canon) dialogue in Tekken 5, Wang is shocked when he sees Jinpachi transformed into a monster but refuses to harm him. Wang relents when Jinpachi begs him to kill him as his consciousness is fading and he doesn't want to cause any more harm to humanity. When Wang ‘dies’ in his Tekken 6 ending, instead of thinking of his dead family members or anyone else, he murmurs Jinpachi’s name.
Other
- Ling Xiaoyu - His student and distant relative.
- Heihachi Mishima - He was initially one of Heihachi's supporters during the original Tekken, but withdrew once he realized what Heihachi's true intentions were for the Mishima Zaibatsu. He also seems to address Heihachi in a quite familiar way, having probably seen him grow up, as Wang has been friends with Heihachi's father since his own childhood.
- Lee Chaolan - He trained and convinced Lee to bring good to the Mishima Zaibatsu before Tekken 2.
- Feng Wei - They can be seen interacting in Tekken 5 and Tekken 6. Despite first thinking that Feng is arrogant due him not responding when spoken to, Wang starts to respect him after he accepts defeat, and urges him to continue his training. They have a long discussion in Wang's (non-canonical) Scenario Campaign playthrough, where he forgives Feng Wei on behalf of his master. Feng is extremely grateful to Wang for this.[11]
- Jin Kazama - He was defeated by Jin in the fifth tournament. According to their dialogues in the Scenario Campaign, Wang holds Jin responsible for murdering Jinpachi and wants to avenge him, seemingly not aware that it was actually Jinpachi's wish to die. The only thing he despises even more is Jin’s devil form.
- Lars Alexandersson - His ally in the Scenario Campaign, Wang teaches Lars about what he knows about the Mishima clan. The look in his eyes reminded Wang of a certain man he knows, likely Heihachi, Lars's father and Wang's once friend. Wang believes Lars can help save the world from war.
- Kazuya Mishima - Wang disapproves of him and tried to convince Lee to turn against him prior to Tekken 2. As with Lee, Wang has known them both since their childhood. In his Scenario Campaign playthrough, Kazuya shows he's very well acquainted with Wang's habits and actions.[12]
- Alisa Bosconovitch - His ally, however Wang was somewhat suspicious of her and warned Lars about Alisa's "true" personality.
- Zafina - His ally in Tekken 6 Scenario Campaign, she also told him that Lars would save the world, a prediction that partially came half true.
- Lei Wulong - Lei is acquainted with Wang, as seen in Scenario Campaign. Wang asks Lei to let Feng go in his Scenario Campaign dialogues. In the non-canon Street Fighter X Tekken, Wang is Lei's friend and also training partner according to Lei's win-quote against Xiaoyu.
- Marshall Law - They were each other's sub-bosses in the first game. Law is one of the fighters who recognizes and shows respect to Wang in the Scenario Campaign dialogues.
- Kuma - Wang expressed regret that Kuma was thrown in the forest, calling Kuma a poor creature. Kuma in turn calls him grandfather, indicating they seem to like each other.
Quotes
Trivia
General:
- Wang is the oldest playable human character in the Tekken games.
- Wang Jinrei's name in Chinese as 王驚雷/王惊雷; wherein (王 Wáng) is the surname and (驚雷/惊雷 Jīngléi) is his given name.
- Wang's given name was misspelled as 'Jinfrey' in the Tekken 2 PlayStation instruction book (Jun Kazama's bio page).
- In Wang's Tekken 5 ending, it is stated that Jinpachi told Wang he should put an end to the Mishima bloodline. These were the last words Jinpachi spoke to him. This could account for Wang's animosity towards Kazuya throughout the games (e.g. telling Lee Chaolan to take the Mishima Zaibatsu off Kazuya in Tekken 2, and Wang's personal dislike for Kazuya shown in Tekken 6 Scenario Campaign).
- Heihachi Mishima, by contrast, largely avoids Wang's animosity. Wang states that this is because Heihachi "fooled" him into friendship.[13]
- Wang's 2+4 throw in the earlier games is reminiscent of Chun-Li's throw in Street Fighter II.
- Wang somewhat resembles Master Roshi from the Dragon Ball franchise. The name Roushi is also used in the filenames containing Wang's data in Tekken.
- Wang shares some moves with Michelle Chang and Julia Chang (d/f+2,1; u/f+3+4 etc.). These similarities originate from Wang originally being a clone of Michelle in the first Tekken with a few additional moves of his own, but lore-wise it can also be explained due to him partly using the same fighting style as the Changs. In Tekken 5, when Wang returned after an absence, the animations and properties for some of these shared moves were changed to differentiate him more.
- In the first game, Wang's additional moves were Nina Williams's f,f+1+2 and Paul Phoenix's qcf+2. In the arcade version, one of his default throws was from Nina and the other from Kazuya, but in the console version, he received his own default throws.
- Wang's sub-boss is Marshall Law.
- Wang is the only unlockable in the game who has unique voice clips. All of the other unlockables have voice clips shared with the default characters.
- Wang's sub-boss is Jun Kazama.
- On the arcade version, it is possible to switch the default positions of Jun and Baek Doo San in the game options; in the latter case, Baek will become Wang's sub-boss.
- On the arcade version, some of Wang's sound effects are mixed up. When Wang is hit by a 'heavy' move, one of his attack sounds plays; when Wang is knocked out, his second 'hurt' sound plays instead of his usual wail. This was fixed on the PlayStation 2 version.
- Wang's sub-boss is Jun Kazama. If Jun is not available, then it is Kazuya Mishima. If neither Jun nor Kazuya are available, then it is Lee Chaolan.
Tekken 5 and Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection:
- Wang is unlocked by beating story mode five times with a different character.
- Wang's sub-bosses are Ling Xiaoyu, Feng Wei, and Heihachi Mishima.
- Wang has the most interludes with the total of four.
- Wang Jinrei's second player Tekken 5 costume makes him resemble Master Roshi from the Dragon Ball franchise.
- Wang has two secret pre-fight animations, which will only be shown before fighting a female character (excluding Ling Xiaoyu, female Mokujin and Lili). In one of them, Wang says, "Wow... You're hot...", and in the other, Wang says, "Wow... Today must be my lucky day". The latter will occasionally be used after Wang gets a strike in the Tekken Bowl side game in Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection.
- Prior to Tekken 7, Wang was the only character with an intro like this, only in Tekken 5 and Dark Resurrection, while in Tekken 6, he shares this trait with Miguel.
Tekken 6 and Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion:
- Wang's item move has him charge up a wand before using it to blast the opponent. His second item move has him rise up while grounded and make a small hop before reverting back to his normal stance.
- Wang's pre-fight animation saying "Wow... Today must be my lucky day", that previously only appeared when encountering female characters, can now happen for all characters. It's unknown if this is intentional or not.
- Wang is the only character that will properly refer to Lee by his given name, Chaolan. Additionally, several Chinese characters, including Lee and Law refer to him as "teacher" (老師).
- Wang's partners in Ghost Battle (from lowest to highest ranks) are Ling Xiaoyu, Roger Jr., Feng Wei, Sebastian and Jinpachi Mishima.
- Wang's Item Move has him briefly charge electricity before sending a wave out of his fingers, shocking the opponent.
- Wang's ending seems to hold a double meaning where all the characters participating in the meeting discussing their "future" in Tekken are not only old age-wise, but also rather unpopular usage-wise. Appropriately, none of the characters in the ending have returned for Tekken 7 so far, except for Ganryu in Season 3.
Other:
- Wang appears in the opening sequence of Tekken: The Motion Picture (along with Hwoarang, Forest, Kunimitsu, Eddy and Xiaoyu) but he doesn't appear in the actual movie (which is the same case with the aforementioned characters).
- In Tekken: Blood Vengeance, Wang's dossier is briefly seen when Anna Williams opens a file containing dossiers of various persons of interest.
Gallery
- Main article: Wang Jinrei/Gallery
References
- ^ Katsuhiro Harada @Harada_TEKKEN, Twitter, 4:21 PM Jun 13, 2024. Note that information is not stated in-game and only comes from a database of information provided by series developer Katsuhiro Harada.
- ^ Character Profiles for Tekken 1 & 2, www.tekkenzaibatsu.com
- ^ Tekken 2 Official Japanese Website Profile. English Translation: Tekken Zaibatsu "Tekken & Tekken 2 Character Profiles".
- ^ Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection PlayStation PAL Manual.
- ^ Tekken 5 Official Strategy Guide,Brady Games (2004), p.198.
- ^ Tekken 5 In-Game Prologue.
- ^ Tekken 6 Official Strategy Guide, Brady Games (2009), p.262]; transcribed on Tekken Zaibatsu.
- ^ Tekken 6 In-Game Prologue.
- ^ Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U profile.
- ^ See Wang's Tekken 5ending
- ^ Wang Jinrei/Scenario Campaign Dialogues#Feng
- ^ Kazuya Mishima/Scenario Campaign Dialogues#Wang Jinrei
- ^ Wang Jinrei/Tekken 5 Interludes