Relationships
Okay, so
Ayo, this game is batshit. I mention it later too, but the whole plot is goofy AF. Still, let's tryy and delve into this messy plot and look into Lee's relationships.
This particular section is inspired by a now defunct Lee fansite called OBEY, OBEY, OBEY!. Have a look too!
Anyway, before I go deep into this, I reference canon (mainline games) and non-canon (other media, unless stated otherwise) material. My opinions here are just that - not fact!
Kazuya Mishima
Upbringing
"As Kazuya's rival, he was expected to follow him in as closely as possible; from a young age the same imperialistic teachings that were hammered into Kazuya were also hammered into him." (src)
This is something I also mention in Heihachi's section. Both the brothers were subject to intense routines (and both were taught Mishima karate) and strenuous lives (T1 & T7 profiles). I can't imagine it going too well being under Hiehachi's roof! And all of this was from age 12 according to the official Tekken guide book, with Kazuya being only a year older than him. This conflicts with the [manual] Since not much is revealed about their first interactions, I'm bullshitting it entirely to my headcanon.
Officially, Lee's parents were dead and he was adopted at 12 years old and brought to be a rival/object of jealousy for Kazuya. At first, I've no doubt the brothers fell for that ploy and started off rough. Lee probably was more open as he hadn't been exposed to the Mishima cruelty as of yet (to our knowledge) and was excited to have a new family. Both Kazuya and Lee were aware of Heihachi's plan, yet this self-awareness didn't seen change their rivalry
Tekken 1 & Tekken 2
According to the manual, Kazuya's directorship was "more ruthless and oppressive than that of his father, Heihachi." This was during the time Kazuya appointed Lee as his secretary. It's clear Kazuya wanted to humiliate and put Lee in his place in doing this, thought it's interesting he kept him on at all; he could've refused to let his brother work with him, but he didn't. I think this shows that while Kazuya was spiteful towards Lee (and vice versa), he still was on good enough terms to have him working so closely as his personal secretary. He probably got a power kick out of having Lee report to him, especially since Kazuya saw Lee as a rival.
I find it weird in the original Tekken English manual Kazuya is described as "Heihachi's eldest son" when at this point he's the only one. Is it because Lee is unlockable? Anyway!
Tekken 3 & Tekken 4
To be filled
Tekken 5
We get to see some interesting interactions, although they're non-canon. FFS, can they give us something instead of putting everything behind the scenes??? Anyway, Lee confronts Kazuya, believing him to have taken his position rightfully from him. I really like this scene! They bicker like brothers, and it's clear they're familiar with each other. I love Lee saying how Kazuya is always in his way (canonical, but not in this scene), and Kazuya refuting by claiming Lee never stays put ("maggot"), all while Lee is pacing and Kazuya has his arms crossed. Perfect!
"I did it. I finally did it. I took out Kazuya!"
^ If Lee wins, he's so fucking happy about it too - so happy he falls over (typical Tekken slapstick humour). We already knew this, but it's nice to see it confirmed how Lee is STILL obsessed with Kazuya and how inferior he feels to him.
Tekken 6
Lee Chaolan entered The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5 in order to exact revenge on Kazuya Mishima. However, Lee lost interest in the tournament when he learned that it was actually Jinpachi Mishima who had hosted it.
Receiving word that Kazuya would participate in The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6, Lee uses his G Corporation stockholder's complementary pass to enter the tournament in order to get closer to Kazuya.
- Tekken 6 profile/story texts
Tekken 8
Lee knows his adopted brother Kazuya inside and out, and he's started to fully use his knowledge and vast resources to develop a variety of weapons.
I mention Kaz in the T8 section, but here it's nice they finally are doing something again rather than Lee enters IronFist to fight Kaz -> Fights/doesn't fight Kaz -> Leaves. Yes, they grew up together! Of course Lee knows Kazuya inside out, and vice versa. This would also extend to Heihachi for all 3...Despite this, he makes the Violet suits to aid in the general war against Kazuya and aids Jin & Lars to win. His money sure came in useful! The extent Lee used his knowledge of Kazuya is unknown, but I reckon it had a lot to do with his fighting style (obviously) and general thought processes; Lee knows exactly what his brother his like, what he's likely to react like, what will agitate him etc. A shame the devs won't go into details about what "inside and out" means, but I like to think it's a lot of personal and emotional knowledge he has regardless if Lee used it to develop his machinations or not.
So, are they ever going to reconcile? C'mon, they've earned it. We can have really angsty scenes like both being tired of fighting and Lee trying to slowly break down Kazuya's walls.
Heihachi Mishima
Yeah pretty much this
Overview
Lee & Heihachi's relationship is complicated at best and abusive at worst. Although it's important to remember that Tekken generally is goofy and keeps a light-hearted tone overall, I guess kind of like The Simpsons did?? Anyway, my headcanon and views are basically based in an AU and/or interpretation (stretching it there) because I'm certain they don't reflect what the devs view their relationship as. Personally, I see Heihachi as a harsh, tough-love parent who manipulates Lee to do his bidding whilst holding genuine concern & affection for him as his son. He demands obedience and loyalty from Lee and pushes him with expectations that he needs to be strong in order to be a child of Heihachi. Lee feels like he can never put in enough to repay Heihachi for taking him off the streets and providing him with basically everything he has today (despite Lee getting there himself)! Though holding him dear also, Lee has learnt how cruel he can be firsthand.
Upbringing
Like mentioned in Kazuya's section, it's official that Lee was brought up with the "same imperialistic teachings as Kazuya". Okay...so what's meant by this? For starters, the harsh upbringing that being a child of Heihachi brings - intense training, teachings of superiority, might over all...you name it! Everything that Heihachi values he hammered straight into Lee and Kazuya.
The fact that Heihachi keeps Lee's name is interesting; IMO he kept it to remind Lee that he's different to him and Kazuya, and to instill more rivalry between the two on that basis. It's good to note his first name is actually Chaolan and his surname Lee (this is how Chinese family names work), BUT he's referred to with Lee as his first name. This could simply be for English speakers/easier for international means as it's not just Heihachi that calls him that. If I had to look further into it (and you bet I am), I think he also does it as a jab, a sort of insult to him. By denying his culture and background, he's denying Lee his identity and pushing his own ideals onto Lee. Heihachi influenced Lee by pushing Japanese customs onto him but not with the goal of helping him to get used to life in Japan, but rather to strip Lee of his past and to assure he would rely on his father, to see him as a figure he needs; afterall, he rescued him from the streets in China - his homeland. Heihachi antagonizes Lee's place of birth to diminish his identity further so it's easier to mould.
After spending so much time together, it's hard not to get an attachment. Though official material implies Heihachi only adopted Lee as a rival for Kazuya and nothing more, my headcanon slots in the manga and comics' takes!
Of course Lee grew up feeling like he owed Heihachi, and that feeling probably never went away. If it weren't for him, he probably wouldn't have survived, so he has a sort of debt he feels he needs to pay. Part of fulfilling that debt is being obedient to Heihachi. Lee probably showed respect at the very early stages and even admired him. After seeing how rigorous and expectant Heihachi was, Lee reluctantly continued to be obedient with varying levels of altercations. Heihachi used this to his advantage - Lee being at his call like a well-trained puppy meant grooming him to be Kazuya's rival and an asset to the Zaibatsu was easily achieved. It's interesting that Heihachi sent Lee to America to study; this shows that Heihachi no longer needed him as a rival to Kazuya, but still valued him as an asset/investment. He probably felt some innate pride in seeing his child grow up and foster the very teachings he instilled since day one; this echoes what he did to Kazuya where the canon implies Heihachi was glad Kazuya was powerful as he was kin. Regardless, Lee's years up to this point were challenging and he began to question the morals of the old man. Heihachi could just easily punish Lee in contrast to Kazuya where he was starting to bite back. Lee didn't really act up except on the odd ocassion. Instead, he learnt how to use his words and sweet-talked Heihachi to get what he wanted instead. Most the time Heihachi would know this was what Lee was up to, but as he grew older it was harder to discern.
In the later years, he was glad to be away from the Mishima estate and used the freedom to spend and do as he pleased. This is when he started on his hedonistic lifestyle, a sort of honey to distract him from his troubles at home. He probably got a few phonecalls to keep him on track though!
Affection
We see in manga [to be added later] (non-canon btw sadge) Heihachi is affectionate to Lee! Wow, that's a surprise! In the games, this is pretty much non-existent, so it's very nice to see at least in the media other than the games they actually cared enough to put this in. Such a wholesome interaction! Can we have something like this for Kazuya and Lee...please?
Timeline wise, this would've happened after Tekken 2, but before 2 years have passed (Heihachi was secluded). This makes me think this was the initial idea?
I've commissioned someone to translate my copy of the Tekken 2 Anthology which you can view (some) in the scans section. (TBA)
Tekken 1 & Tekken 2
So Heihachi sets up the tournament, all 3 enter, Heihachi 2nd and Kazuya 1st. Lee lost to Kazuya, which is kinda confusing because it's implied then he beat King who came 3rd. But then wouldn't Lee have been 3rd? The fandom also suggests Lee beat King. I think I'm overthinking it since it's possible to come 4th depending on the conditions to progress. Anyway, Kazuya ended up with rights to the Zaibatsu! Oof okay so...why the fuck did he do that. Heihachi, you could've just kept it instead of trying to feed your ego, but okay. SO yeah, Lee sides with Kazuya canonically, leaving Heihachi furious (retconned to being banished for knowing about the devil gene). Wait, if it was canonical Heihachi was mad at Lee for betraying him, that means Heihachi was offended Lee would not side with him. Ha! Call it how you like, that's jealousy.
Continuing on, Lee was trying to find the best way into the Zaibatsu, and probably knowing he couldn't defeat his family he had this as a back-up plan. Kazuya was unreasonable, but more reasonable than his father. This period prior was probably a more peaceful period with Heihachi (as peaceful as it could be) considering Lee got sent away by Heihachi to America for studies. I think he would've resented the fact Heihachi reserved only the most advanced Mishima-arts skills for Kazuya, and felt like he was being shipped away as an investment piece. Kazuya probably felt jealous too...Lee got to be away from Heihachi. But Lee still wanted the approval from his father at this stage, at least until the end of Tekken 1.
Tekken Tag Tournament
There's the infamous spanking scene which happens if you pair Lee and Heihachi together (depending on their outfits). That's pretty funny. He throws him on the ground after in a sort of slapstick humour. Jinpachi actually does this to Heihachi,
so it makes sense that he's getting revenge from his time onto his son. I say son because I very much doubt Kazuya let Heihachi do that, at least not when he started getting older! I like to think he started to lose the reigns over Kazuya
over time.
Taken straight from the wiki:
The "Neck Breaker" move Heihachi has (long-time move) looks like a noogie, but okay. They chose it specifically for one of Lee's & Heihachi's special intro, so I wonder if the devs thought the same? I feel as if they were going to put Heihachi beating up Lee, they would've chosen literally any other of his moves.
What's also good to mention is that the T2 manual states under Heihachi's bio: "Known associates: his adopted son, Lee Chao Lan (though of course Lee's loyalty to K.M and the conglomerate is above question." Kinda weird since this game was when he kicked Lee out of the Zaibatsu, and the talk is after this. But the dossier could be incorrect, or it could simply mean exactly as it meant - he's just been known to associate with Lee so even after exiling him he still is an associate which makes sense. I'm thinking too much into this!
Tekken 4, 5 & 6
Tekken 4Poor Lee! He's been hiding from Heihachi this entire time? What manner of scolding did he receive prior?!
Tekken 5In Lee's storymode, there's two scenes with Heihachi: one before and one after the battle. In the former, Lee's shocked Heihachi's alive; he's clearly not too happy about fighting him! Heihachi replies by telling him he's "pathetic" for thinking he died to just and explosion. To be honest, even in its non-canonical nature, after this I can see why Lee just says Heihachi disappeared instead of died later. Anyway, if Lee wins he's got an interesting quote I mentioned in the character page:
"Well, well. How cocky are you now, father?"
He uses "otou-sama" here and not "otou-san" interestingly. The former is a polite, respectful and formal way of addressing a father, and the latter is commonly used in Japan. I theorised this could be both him insulting the old man but also him addressing the fact that he is still his father despite the loathing. "Father" was the closest translation in English, though there's no real word for the tone and context the honourific is using.
Banishment from the Mishima Zaibatsu
NO, he was not "disowned". I debunked this popular (and incorrect) thought here in the facts & profile section.
Lee's banishment is debated among fans because of the contradictory history. Before the retcon in Tekken 7, Lee was exiled because Heihachi thought he sided with Kazuya against him, betraying him in the process. The direct quote from T4 is: After he betrayed Heihachi and sided with Kazuya at The King of Iron Fist Tournament 2, Lee was expelled from the Mishima Zaibatsu." My thoughts on this are that Heihachi does indeed value loyalty even if it's through submission like in the case of his son, Lee. Kazuya acted out and had gotten out of hand for the old man, and he felt powerless that his own kin could rival and even defy his strength despite a part of him being proud that his own kin was powerful.
HOWEVER, this was retconned in T7. Lee was banished because he knew of the devil in Kazuya. Okay? That makes sense, but also puts Heihachi in a slightly better light. Still, it doesn't make much sense. I guess Heihachi couldn't do the same with Kazuya because the law would be on Kazuya's side being a biological son of his? Did Heihachi just want to keep Kazuya close because of the devil, and to distance Lee/discredit him if he ever made a comment on it? We know Heihachi put shittons into PR, so it's plausible.
In the Tekken 2 Anthology, it is clear that Lee was excluded because Heihachi wrongly believed that he wanted the Zaibatsu & sided with Kazuya for nothing other than money.
Sapplejack translated the manga here.
This is pretty interesting, because in Tekken 7 we see Lee talking about how he got exiled because he knew about the devil in Kazuya. So why the change?! They just decided to retcon without taking into account the old story, but just like my theories page suggests, I believe after Tekken 2 they cared less for the original plot (particularly with Lee) and focused more on bloodlines.
In the TTT manhua, Lee's motives are to destroy the Mishima family which totally goes against the other media he's portrayed in.
Sapplejack links it here from the site xuewailx.
Tekken: Bloodlines (The Netflix anime)
This is the only cameo Lee gets in the recent anime. Heihachi asks more information to Lee's whereabouts, but they're unsure where he is (partying at the Bahamas lmao). This was an interesting scene to put in because it implies 1) familiarity with Lee (ok makes sense) and 2) concern for Lee (normally non-canon and not present in the games). The context of the scene is there's previous Tekken participants who have gone missing, so Heihachi asking about Lee shows genuine concern; what the nature of the concern is could be debateable, but it doesn't really make sense to point Lee out here out of everyone else missing otherwise. Either way... I'm happy about this! It's just weird they've backpeddled but I guess the team that made the anime took some artistic liberties (mixing game lore with the rest of media lore). Still, it doesn't add anything to the story or scene - all it adds is to Heihachi's character, and that's ONLY if you know of the existing relationship they have prior. So that's cool they included it.
Conclusion
The takeaway? You can go with the official canon of the main story (games) which has been retconned in areas, or you can go with your own! I'm the latter. I like a mixture of the manga and games to describe their relationship despite them obviously just being headcanons in an AU.
Tekken 8
This is fucking sending me he has a fucking shitty robot (combot-y) head of Heihachi. I'm done LMAO He's called it "Hachi" and he says "Hey, Hachi" as a joke. But my god, he's STILL not over Heihachi and the trauma even after his death. Someone get the bros some therapy.
I love how his page is one of the only character profiles that has paragraphs LOL. For Kazuya they just slapped on one paragraph with no details. If the game actually had the story and less things just chucked behind the scenes, there wouldn't be such a need for paragraphs. Seriously. More cutscenes: more wholesome, more slice of life, more downtime!!!
Kazuya & Heihachi
Anyway, it says here he has a "bitter hatred of both Heihachi and Kazuya". Okay, they're still keeping this part stagnant. Would love to see finally some closure and reconciliation with the brothers...They both haven't moved on from their father, so they can surely bond over that and then reflect on the past. Anyone else find it funny how Lee has bonded with his adopted family more than any Mishima has bonded with their kin?
Jin Kazama
FINALLY! Some. fucking. cute. uncle.moments!!! Lee, alongside Lars, train and aid Jin in order to fight Kazuya to stop him. Lee is incredibly supportive. My favourite moment is when Lee sets up a high five and winks at him telling him he can rely on them. Jin accepts! And Lee is so happy! Serotonin ACTIVATED
Lars
Based brothers working together for peace. I ended up really liking their relationship. In one of Lars' endings, Lee sets up the scene for Lars X Alisa. I know it's Tekken, but that's so unsettling to me LMAO she's a robot...eh..... Don't think too much about it...
If they wrote it better to this stage, they could frame it better as working together as a fragmented family to restore order and peace...but the devs already didn't really care and retconned various things prior. Still, in the end it ended up with that message. Will they stick with it?
Tekken Tag Tournament
Likes/Dislikes (Netsu rage mechanic)
NOW this mechanic I LOVE. It's pretty fun to have it implemented, and it revolves around relationships. Tekken isn't deep, it's more goofy kinda like how OG Resident Evil was to what Silent Hill was, but I can pretend, all right?! The devs are the ones who put it in! Okay so let's take a look...
Opinions on Lee
| Characters | Likes | Dislikes | Hates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kazuya | X | ||
| Heihachi | X |
Lee's opinions on others
| Characters | Likes | Dislikes | Hates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kazuya | X | ||
| Heihachi | X | ||
| Devil | X | ||
| Jin | X | ||
| Ogre/True Ogre | X |
Alright, well, is it any surprise Lee hates Kazuya and Heihachi and both hate him back? No. Still, it's good to point out in TTT Lee's Netsu would activate on Devil Kazuya after 7 hits (same number as Kazuya). This shows that he did know about Kazuya and the devil, and that they are one and the same. But also that Kazuya was still his brother and he did care for Kazuya enough to Netsu for him. Also, Lee Netsus for Heihachi after 5 hits. What the fuck? This isn't even a "balance" thing (as if), this is straight up them saying Lee cared more for Heihachi, or at least thought he needed more help if he got rekt. I kinda find this weird, but I suppose Lee still Netsu's for Kazuya and his devil form. Maybe it's the guilt and debt that I was talking about earlier too, and/or genuine concern. Lee does Netsu normally for people after 5, but if it was that then it would be weird in a mechanic based around relationships and with Lee hating Heihachi that he would still do it after 5. Also, Heihachi does not Netsu for Lee at all. Moko theorised this was due to "tough love" lmao.
Okay, but Jin? Why does he dislike Lee? Is it because Heihachi taught him to hate him? Lee also hates him? Huh???? Can some writers be hired to fill in all these gaps? I think Lee just disliked him by association. Regardless, Lee and Jin are on excellent terms in Tekken 8, something which I talked about earlier.
Ryuuzaki puts it best:
"Devil: Seven hits. Ack...I can't believe he will netsu a blue, furry freak that vaguely resembles his brother before he'll netsu for his nephew."
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
They expanded this which is nice.
Opinions on Lee
| Characters | Likes (+1) | Dislikes (-1) | Hates (-2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kazuya | X | ||
| Heihachi | X | ||
| Lars | X | ||
| Jin | X | ||
| Ling Xiaoyu | X | ||
| Alisa | X | ||
| Panda | X likes everyone except Kuma & Ogre | ||
| Devil Jin | X Hates everyone lmao |
Lee's opinions on others
| Characters | Likes (+1) | Dislikes (-1) | Hates (-2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kazuya | X | ||
| Heihachi | X | ||
| Lars | X | ||
| Alisa | X | ||
| Lili | X | ||
| Wang | X | ||
| Ogre | X |
Alright, now Lee doesn't care either way for Jin. Did they just retcon that, or was there actually something going on?