What martial arts does Jin Kazama use in Tekken?

Back in 1997, Jin Kazama was introduced as the main character in the video game Tekken 3 and featured on the front cover. Since then, he has gone on to be one of the most interesting characters in the video game series. One of the reasons for this is his interesting back story and mysterious personality traits.

However, another reason is down to his solid fighting style. For those knowledgeable about the Tekken series, you will be well aware that Jin Kazama’s fighting style is suited to Karate. For those new to his moves, read on for more information.

Jin Kazama uses Mishima Karate

In Tekken, Jin Kazama descends from the Mishima warrior clan. The Mishima family was a group from Japan that developed their own fighting style. This is purely fictional but is referred to as Mishima-Ryu Karate in the video games.

In short, this is meant to be like Goju-Ryu, or Isshin-Ryu. Basically, it’s just a made-up name that is attributed to Jin Kazama’s main fighting style. This makes sense, considering he did come from this clan in the first place – and the Mishima clan is loosely based on Japanese history. Having said this, if we’re to be realistic then Jin Kazama’s Karate style is actually centered around Kyokushin, which is often viewed by many as the most effective form of Karate when it comes to combat.

Jin Kazama uses Kyokushin Karate

Over the years, Jin Kazama has used two main moves that have directly stemmed from Kyokushin Karate. Specifically speaking, we’re talking about his use of the axe kick and roundhouse kick. If you’re unlucky enough to get hit by one of his axe kicks then they can cause serious damage.

Here, Jin quickly loads up the chamber and balances his lead leg for a split second, before shooting it high and landing it on his opponent’s head. Although fictional, the speed that he’s able to throw this kick is unreal and would be borderline impossible to defend against in real life.

Jin also likes to use the roundhouse kick. Again, this is commonly taught in Kyokushin as well as other forms of Karate. Sometimes, he will use a generic roundhouse to the chest but is also capable of pulling off a more athletic version, which involves doing a spinning roundhouse that can hit the head. Due to his jacked-up body and supernatural powers, getting hit by these kicks would not be nice to be on the receiving end of.

As well, Jin can also do stuff like roll kicks and other fancy techniques. For the most part though, his Karate is mostly based on the fundamentals and isn’t too flamboyant considering it’s a video game. This often includes punches from up close, as well as using his forearms to block return strikes. Overall, many Kyokushin Karateka have often praised the Tekken games for the closeness of Jin’s moves. Unlike other fighting games, it really is pretty realistic and sticks to the source material very well.

Jin performs Kata

Whilst on the subject of Jin being a Karate specialist, it would be rude to miss out his Kata performances too. Before fighting and after winning, he performs Kata as a homage to his love of Karate. Again, these are real moves that are from real life. As Jin Kazama is a Karate black belt, he also pulls off these moves in style, as you’d expect.

Jin Kazama uses Judo

In some of the later Tekken games, Jin Kazama also uses Judo when fighting. This makes sense as despite Karate being very effective, he still needs to know how to grapple. Without some form of grappling-based martial art in his repertoire, Jin would arguably be too one-sided when it comes to his fighting style. Thankfully, his Judo is good as well.

Some of Jin’s Judo moves include performing the Reverse Seoi Nage throw which is when he momentarily gives his back to his opponent, only to control their arm and slam them on the floor, using a squat to gain leverage on them. As well, Jin also uses a few footsweep variations to effortlessly place his opponent on the floor and score takedowns.

Whilst footsweeps may not be as brutal or hard on the body as Seoi Nage throws, they’re still effective in putting people on the floor. Remember, as most Tekken fights take place on concrete or hard floors, this means that Jin’s Judo still lands significant damage on his opponents.

Summary

Overall, it’s fair to say that the vast majority of Jin Kazama’s fighting style revolves around using Karate. Specifically, this Karate is called Mishima Karate. However, the reality is that it closely resembles the Kyokushin style that many are familiar with.

Arguably, over 90% of Jin’s techniques are based on Karate which fits in line with his Karate-based image. At the same time, Jin also knows some Judo which is useful if you want to mix things up. Combined with his incredible strength and athleticism, this makes Jin one of the best martial artists in the Tekken universe who is clearly a very skilled fighter.

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