Interview: Athena wants Heihachi back in Tekken 8!
A charming interview with a multi-talented Heihachi main with a unique perspective on life.
Athena is a Tekken player and coach with a ton of charm! She mained the old man Heihachi in Tekken 7 and ranked up to Tekken God Prime (TGP)!
She first caught my attention by posting her Tekken gameplay clips on Twitter years ago; she was perhaps first introduced to the world via Playstation’s “Women of the FGC” series.
Athena is very bright personality and really knows how to play Tekken! She’s a competitive player, and she’s someone I’ve been wanting to interview for a while now, so we had a little chat about her history and future plans in an attempt to get to know her better. From her early memories of Tekken 3 to her nuanced understanding of the game's mechanics, Athena's journey is a testament to her passion and dedication.
This article peels back the layers of her experience, exploring her connection to Tekken, her coaching philosophy, and her thoughts on the evolving landscape of competitive play. Enjoy the conversation!
Arcade Press: Hey, Athena how are you?
Athena: Hello I am doing well. I am living life, going to school, working, and playing the game that I love so very much. Life is good. So honestly I cannot complain at all.
AP: Why Tekken? Why not any other fighting game?
Athena: I honestly ask myself this question all the time. I think it is basically because Tekken is so difficult and layered, and I love complicated things, I love the problem-solving aspect of this game.
Every single day you play you're guaranteed to learn something and when you do you can apply what you have learned it feels so rewarding to make a stride. I usually joke to my peers that being good at Tekken requires a Doctorate. But yes, I just love the overall appeal of Tekken, the movement creates such an aesthetic that puts me in a trance.
I truly don't think there's a game more visually pleasing than Tekken and I mean that for every version of the game.
AP: You mentioned before that your journey into Tekken started at a very young age. How do you think growing up with Tekken has shaped your approach to the game compared to players who might have picked it up later in life?
Athena: My very first Tekken game was Tekken 3. I will never forget, my parents surprised me with a PlayStation for Christmas. It came with a bunch of games and if you remember the Tekken 3 cover with Jin - who to most little girls would look so scary and intimidating but not me - it was the very first game I popped into my console and I have not looked back since.
Growing up playing the game helped me with the notations for sure. Imagine a little girl in the practice room for hours, that was very much me. I played Yoshimitsu for some reason and learned how to do his b+1 string, the little spinning move he had and I would be so proud of playing with my cousins and showing them all the new moves I learned. Looking back at that I am happy that I never strayed away from those habits. If you are someone who has picked up Tekken later in life, I'm starting to notice how intimidating the large movelist can be for most.
AP: Can you share some insights into your coaching philosophy and how you tailor your approach to different students' learning styles?
Athena: I am a firm believer in coaching quite like how I was coached in sports. I was always told that repetition and muscle memory cannot be beaten and I stress that when I have my coaching sessions.
Drills are my go-to and the reason for that is because I think it's imperative to do the things we do not want to do first and make that become second nature. When my students want information on the general Mishima gameplan I stress to them that you have to be as fundamentally sound as possible to play them at the highest level and to do that they need execution. Once they have the execution it becomes very easy to align their mind with their hands since they can do what we are thinking and talking about.
Then it is on me to adjust to my student's needs and we all know as a Tekken player it is very important to be able to adapt.
AP: What are some of your other hobbies or interests? Are you a writer? When looking at some of your other interviews you remind me of an artist or writer.
Athena: Oh boy do I have a lot of hobbies! I play guitar, edit, compose music, love tech, and am a lover of investing, what's funny is that these are just the hobbies that I can think of off the top of my head! Sometimes it scares me because I love picking up and learning new things but I fear there are not enough hours in the day for me to do them all. I truly believe I can do whatever I set my mind to and because of that, I have a lot of interests. It can be a blessing and a curse as I'm quite literally never bored but I also never know what to do sometimes. Yes, I do write, personal stories that I hold near and dear to me and I also draw. So to answer the question I do consider myself am artist and a writer yes. Not a day passes when I want to learn something new or brush up on something old. It for sure helps keep my mind fresh and active.
AP: What are your current thoughts on Tekken 8 as it stands right now?
Athena: I feel like right now this is a 9/10 fighting game. But it could be a perfect 10/10 game with Heihachi in it. Just kidding! I am enjoying the fact that while movement isn't what it used to be in terms of the first Tekken game I started taking seriously Tekken Tag Tournament 2, where backdash and sidestepping were elite. At least Tekken 8 has great sidestepping which is also something I take pride in. I feel like some players at all levels forget that Tekken is a 3D game, utilizing movement and knowing when to do it adds that extra layer of depth that makes me love the game even more. Tekken 8 is a great game even in its Vanilla state, but I cannot wait to see what they fix, add, or patch that being the Heat mechanics.
AP: How are you dealing with the loss of Heihachi in Tekken 8?
Athena: Ironic, that this is the next question. While I am still holding onto hope that he'll appear as DLC someday, I think I'm one of the few who miss him dearly. I don't care what anybody says that's my guy till the end, and playing the story and seeing the Heihachi references hurt my heart and soul. Not to mention - spoiler alert - Reina is his daughter. I want to love her like I love the old man but to me, she's not him and that makes me miss him even more. Even when I play as her, and try to play her like him... something feels like it is missing and so I am not dealing well with the loss of Heihachi. Thankfully, I was recommended to play other characters so Dragunov has my immediate attention until Heihachi shows his "robotic/cyborg" self again
AP: What can we expect from Athena this year?
Athena: That's a great question as I want to be more on top of things Tekken. The plan is to compete more, play more, lab more, and create content. I want to stream on all platforms, get more people interested in Tekken as a franchise, and take advantage of a new game while discovering what makes Tekken so special as a whole. Tekken has changed my life for the better and I am thankful for what Tekken has done and so this is my way of paying it forward!