This Toxic Video Game Couple Stands Above The Rest
Entertainment is ripe with its toxic couples. Be it in movies, on television, there are some people who just never come together in any kind of romantic fashion. Sometimes, it's through no fault of their own — they're just not right for each other. Other times, such as with The Joker and Harley Quinn, it's just an unholy alliance between two awful people with their own issues. Video games aren't immune to these kinds of couples, either.
In fact, tons of toxic relationships exist in video games. Sometimes, it's not even obvious to the player why it's toxic in the first place. As defined by Dr. Elizabeth Scott for Very Well Mind, a toxic relationship is "one that makes you feel unsupported, misunderstood, demeaned, or attacked." An alternative way of looking at it is a relationship that essentially brings out the worst in two people. With this definition in mind, what is the absolute most toxic relationship in video game history?
Heihachi and Kazumi bring out the worst in each other
Anyone familiar with the "Tekken" series is aware of Heihachi and Kazumi Mishima, the series' resident power couple. However, if we're actually examining the two's relationship, it must be said that they bring out the absolute worst in each other. Heihachi himself is quite the character, becoming the "Tekken" series' main antagonist beginning in the third game due to his lust for power and world domination. His wife Kazumi even plots to kill him in "Tekken 7: Fated Retribution," as well as their son Kazuya. When converting into her devil form later in the game, she mocks Heihachi and his family lineage. Oh, and her marrying him was all part of a plot to kill him at the behest of her family. So there's that.
Even without their violent and oppressive tendencies, the two are pretty much responsible for creating the Devil Gene — a genetic condition that afflicts anyone who carries it with supernatural powers that have often been used for evil deeds. Heihachi himself doesn't carry the gene, implying it was likely passed down by Kazumi. But no matter who's responsible for the passing down of the Devil Gene, it's obvious that these two are equal parts responsible for a lot of the bad things you see happen in "Tekken."
Heihachi and Kazumi are their own are pretty toxic. Combine that with their bloodlines and their family tree, and it's obvious these two should've stayed apart. And if they're in the upcoming "Tekken 8," we're all in for a world of trouble.