Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
    Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2 But Why Tho 10

    Spider-Man Is Coming To Magic And It’s Just Like The Comics

    08/29/2025
    Star Wars Visions Volume 3 Black

    ‘Black’ Sets The Tone For A Bold New Mixtape In ‘Star Wars Visions: Volume 3’

    08/28/2025
    Olivia Colman in The Roses

    ‘The Roses’ Is A Reimagining, Not A Remake, And That’s Why It Works So Well

    08/27/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Anime » REVIEW: ‘Tekken Bloodline,’ Season 1 – Delivers Authentic Fighting Action

REVIEW: ‘Tekken Bloodline,’ Season 1 – Delivers Authentic Fighting Action

Charles HartfordBy Charles Hartford08/19/20224 Mins ReadUpdated:08/29/2022
Tekken Bloodline - But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Tekken Bloodline - But Why Tho

Tekken Bloodline Season 1 is an action anime produced by Studio Hibari and LARX Entertainment on Netflix. While living a quiet existence on a tropical island with his mom wasn’t exactly what he wanted from life, Jin Kazama couldn’t complain. Training, studying, and sunny days were his. Until a monster named Ogre murdered his mom and set him on the road to revenge. But can he avenge his mother without becoming everything she would hate?

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

As one of the classic fighting game franchises, Tekken has a look and design that will be familiar to many gaming fans. This brand awareness helps garner interest, but also creates an expectation of what the series will deliver. Fighting games are filled with fast, hard-hitting action as the characters deliver over-the-top combos. The best thing about Tekken Bloodline Season 1 is just how faithfully the series recreates the essence of fighting games and their unique brand of action while augmenting how it showcases it through its non-interactive medium. Combos that see fighters juggled in mid-air, defying every law of gravity there is blends together with furious kicks, punches, and throws that see the combatants abused in ways only a video game character could survive.

These hard-hitting fight scenes are liberally peppered through Tekken Bloodline Season 1‘s six episodes, highlighting a perfectly functional story. Jin’s quest for revenge and his training at the hands of his brutal grandfather, Heihachi Mishima, competently delivers well-handled, if predictable story beats. A couple of episodes in the series’ middle take a few moments to expand upon some of the other fighters, but little to no time is spent with them. And while this may disappoint some fans when their series favorite is given little time on screen, given the show’s extremely short episode count, it is for the best.

Much like the combat design, the visuals in Tekken Bloodline Season 1 lean into the source materials of the franchise with abandon. The monstrously sized limbs of the over-muscled fighters are delivered in all their glory, and even characters like King, whose Jaguar head looks as ridiculous here as it does anywhere else, is never shied away from. But while how true the design keeps the characters is commendable, the visuals’ greatest strength is the cinematography during its high-octane fight scenes.

To truly create the high-impact, no holds barred battles, and pull the viewer right into their midst, the camera work during every major fight scene in Tekken Bloodline Season 1 uses placement and motion to craft some of the most visually intense fighting moments I’ve seen in a while. Side-splitting kicks see the camera shoot along the same trajectory, helping the viewer feel the momentum and force of the blow. Combination attacks that start low and end high see the camera willing to bounce from above to below with quick, but clear cuts, allowing the viewer to always have the best vantage point of the action.

This kinetically-infused camera work does a great job of alleviating the show’s greatest visual weakness, the stiffness of some of the character motions. While the sequences of attacks are always cool as they harken back to the trademarks from the games, the way the characters employ them often feels less fluid than I’d like. This is far more noticeable during practice sequences and other times when the camera isn’t dancing around the fighters. Thankfully, when this problem would hurt the show the most, during its key fight sequences, is when it is least noticeable.

The only other major complaint I have with how Tekken Bloodline Season 1 is the bizarre choice to have every character constantly dropped in the same, triangle-shaped shadow. Why it is constantly there is completely beyond me, but its presence defies all logic. Characters can be lit from all sides and the shadow will be present. A moment can see the camera angle go from front to side to back and the shadow will shift to constantly drape over the person, always angled directly toward the camera. It is one of the most minor, yet maddeningly annoying visual design quirks I’ve ever experienced.

Tekken Bloodline Season 1 delivers the exact blend of furious combat and passable storytelling fighting games fans would expect. And even if you aren’t a long-time fan of the franchise, if you are looking for a fun way to kill a couple of hours, you can let yourself slip away into this hard-hitting power fantasy.

Tekken Bloodline Season 1 is streaming now on Netflix.

Tekken Bloodline
  • 8/10
    Rating - 8/10
8/10

TL;DR

Tekken Bloodline Season 1 delivers the exact blend of furious combat and passable storytelling fighting games fans would expect. And even if you aren’t a long-time fan of the franchise, if you are looking for a fun way to kill a couple of hours, you can let yourself slip away into this hard-hitting power fantasy.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’ Celebrates The Power of Storytelling
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo,’ Season 1 Delivers A Memorable Journey
Charles Hartford
  • X (Twitter)

Lifelong geek who enjoys comics, video games, movies, reading and board games . Over the past year I’ve taken a more active interest in artistic pursuits including digital painting, and now writing. I look forward to growing as a writer and bettering my craft in my time here!

Related Posts

Marin in My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 9
8.5

REVIEW: ‘My Dress-Up Darling’ Season 2 Episode 9 — “Because I Don’t Intend to Sleep Tonight”

08/30/2025
Shiki in Tougen Anki Episode 8
5.0

REVIEW: ‘Tougen Anki’ Episode 8 — “The Unreliable Hero”

08/30/2025
DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 9
8.0

REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan’ Season 2 Episode 9 – “I Want to Rebuild the House”

08/28/2025
Sakamoto Days Episode 18
7.0

REVIEW: ‘Sakamoto Days’ Episode 18 – “Kanaguri”

08/27/2025
Captivated By You Episode 1
6.0

REVIEW: ‘Captivated By You’ Episode 1 — “Someone Adorable”

08/25/2025
Marin in My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 8
7.0

REVIEW: ‘My Dress-Up Darling’ Season 2 Episode 8 — “The Only Way I Can Think to Express That Gratitude Is With Money”

08/23/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Cosmic Spider-Man card details Features

[EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

By Kate Sánchez09/02/2025Updated:09/02/2025

An exclusive look at a new 5-Color Spider entering Magic: The Gathering’s Spider-Man set, and Cosmic Spider-Man is going to be a tough one to take on.

Hololive EN at Radio City Music Hall Events

Hololive EN At Radio City Music Hall Was A Pure Expression Of Fandom

By Adrian Ruiz08/31/2025Updated:09/03/2025

Hololive EN turned Radio City in New York City into the pure expression of fandom: chants, penlights, and community in perfect sync.

Karl Anthony Towns in NBA 2k26 But Why Tho
8.5
PS5

REVIEW: ‘NBA 2K26’ Brings Basketball To Life

By Kyle Foley09/03/2025

NBA 2K26 combines improved visuals with some important tweaks to keep the series feeling fresh in the latest yearly release.

Cronos: The New Dawn Nest
8.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Cronos: The New Dawn’ Does Post-Apocalyptic Psychological Horror Right

By Mick Abrahamson09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

While not particularly sacry, Cronos: The New Dawn is a lot of fun as a survival horror that puts you in the futuristic armor of the Traveler.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here