| “ | This victory will lead us into a better tomorrow! | „ |
| ~ Yggdrasil founder Lars Alexandersson in Tekken 8. |
Yggdrasil (in Japanese: ユグドラシル Yugudorashiru) are the main protagonists of the Tekken franchise.
They are a militaristic resistance group founded by Lars Alexandersson, a former member of the Tekken Force who led his teammates against the Mishima Zaibatsu after it was taken over by Jin Kazama. Over the course of the series, Yggdrasil's numbers have grown exponentially, and they have now recruited nearly every heroic character in the franchise, including a reformed Jin.
History[]
Origins[]
Yggdrasil’s origins are in the Mishima Zaibatsu and its Tekken Force. Prior the events of Tekken 6, a Tekken Force Captain, Lars Alexandersson, was angered by Jin Kazama’s leadership of Zaibatsu and his warmongering. Apparently a popular and charismatic leader, Lars and around half of Tekken Force (about 30,000 troops) defected to form the rebel army, Yggdrasil. Their primary mission was to bring an end to Jin Kazama's global war. They took the emblem of a lion and used a red and black color scheme to differentiate themselves from those Tekken Force who remained loyal to Jin. They initially set up a base in Northern Europe, where they were funded by an anonymous sponsor. This sponsor was later revealed to be Lee Chaolan, who often invested money from his company, Violet Systems, into defectors and enemies of the Mishima Zaibatsu.
Events of Tekken 6[]
The event starts with a raid conducted by Yggdrasil on a secret laboratory owned by the Mishima Zaibatsu. During the raid however, a third faction entered the scene, a squadron of JACKs sent by the Zaibatsu's corporate rival, G Corporation. Not expecting to deal with this additional level of force, Yggdrasil engaged in a fierce fight that eventually resulted in the detonation of a JACK. As a result of the explosion, their leader, Lars, suffered amnesia, setting back the operations of the rebel army.
Whilst Lars was regaining his memories with the help of a Zaibatsu-built android, Alisa Bosconovitch, Tougou was left in charge of organizing Yggdrasil. Tougou had contacts that helped Yggdrasil’s early establishment, for example receiving information from United Nations agent, Raven. Once Lars regained his memories, leadership was passed back to him. Yggdrasil was involved in raiding G-Corp to free Julia Chang, at Lee Chaolan’s behest, and also worked with Lei Wulong and Interpol against G-Corp as well. One of the largest Yggdrasil raids was on a Tekken Force compound, where a full scale firefight took place between the two armies, and may also have involved a coordinated attack with G Corporation on the compound. Another large raid was on G Corporation headquarters, Millennium Tower. During this raid, Tougou was killed by G Corp soldiers.
Yggdrasil pursued Jin to the Middle East with the help of intelligence from Raven. Lars was involved in confronting Azazel and Jin. Raven and the UN then recovered Jin’s body from the desert.
Tekken 7[]
After Jin escaped from the UN helicopter, Lars rescued him from UN soldiers and Jin was taken into Yggdrasil custody. Yggdrasil’s power at this stage was sufficient enough that the Mishima Zaibatsu chose not to pursue Lars when they heard he had captured Jin, despite also wanting to get hold of Jin. Capturing Jin in this way also placed Yggdrasil in opposition to the UN and their former ally, Raven. Yggdrasil used a facility provided by Lee Chaolan as their base of operations. Lee described himself as a sponsor of defectors from the Mishima Zaibatsu. Jin was taken to this facility and guarded by Lars and Yggdrasil soldiers, whilst he was unconscious. Yggdrasil’s base was subsequently attacked by Tekken Force under Heihachi Mishima's orders, who had taken over the corporation in Jin's absence. Tekken Force, led by Nina Williams intended to capture Jin and take him back to the Zaibatsu. Yggdrasil fought Tekken Force, but were ordered to evacuate the facility. Lee then detonated the building with Tekken Force and Nina still inside, although Nina survived.
Yggdrasil relocated to another Violet Systems building, where Lars revealed that his intention in sheltering Jin was to use him to put an end to the war. The Mishima Zaibatsu broadcasted footage of Kazuya Mishima’s battle in his devil form against Akuma at G Corp. Helipad, and then fired an orbital laser satellite to supposedly eliminate them. A surprised Lars ordered his troops to investigate the footage for confirmation on whether it was a hoax or not.
At this time, Yggdrasil were also harboring a journalist who was researching the history of the Mishima Clan in order to understand the origins of the war that had claimed his family. After Kazuya destroyed the Zaibatsu’s orbital satellite, public opinion turned against the Zaibatsu once more, causing a desperate Heihachi to instead turn to the journalist so that he could reveal the truth of the Mishima Clan's past on his own terms. It was revealed that Heihachi knew of the journalist's alliance with Yggdrasil, since he called Lars to pick the journalist up once he was done with him. Heihachi then went on to settle his score with Kazuya for a final time in a volcanic crater. Lars, Alisa, the journalist, Lee, and Yggdrasil forces watched the fight via a Violet Systems' spy satellite.
With Heihachi finally dead at the hands of Kazuya, G Corporation seems intent on continuing the war. Lars's plan is to use Jin against Kazuya, a task Jin seems ready to take on now that he has awakened from his coma..
Tekken 8[]
Yggdrasil resumed to harbor Jin for six months after the events of Tekken 7. With the organization's support, Jin, Lars, and Lee proceeded with "Operation Lightning" in an attempt to defeat Kazuya as he flew over New York. Though this operation failed, Jin was successfully rescued from the rubble left in the wake of Kazuya's attack, and healed aboard Yggdrasil's flying ship, Víðópnir.
Jin continued his training aboard Víðópnir in preparation for the tournament announced by Kazuya after Jin's defeat. Jin learned that after his battle with Kazuya, he became unable to utilize his Devil abilities, but he remained intent on joining the tournament in order to face Kazuya. During the events of the tournament, Jin faced Reina, who was later allowed within the ranks of Yggdrasil aboard Víðópnir for the sake of keeping a close eye on her due to her knowledge of Mishima Style Fighting Karate.
As the tournament continued, Yggdrasil was contacted by the United Nations, specifically the leader of the Raven Unit, Victor Chevalier, for an offer of partnership, despite the two having clashing goals in Tekken 7. The forces launched a joint assault on the coliseum where the tournament finals were taking place, but were unable to stop Kazuya from absorbing the power of Azazel from within Zafina, who had arrived separately to stop the misfortune she had foreseen. Weakened after the attack, Zafina had beseeched Jin to return to Yakushima in order to regain control of his Devil Gene. Jin acquiesced, making Yakushima a target for Kazuya and his G Corporation forces.
Yggdrasil soldiers, joined by Leo Kliesen, Leroy Smith, Kuma, Shaheen, King, Steve Fox, Paul Phoenix, Hwoarang, and later, Asuka Kazama and Lili, took to the battlefield on Yakushima in order to protect Jin. The forces were joined once again by United Nations soldiers, led by Victor and Raven.
In the good ending, following Jin and Kazuya's final clash, Yggdrasil forces provide aid to New York after its destruction at the hands of Kazuya's Devil. They are joined by Marshall Law and Azucena Ortiz, both of whom had previously sided with G Corporation. Rows of Yggdrasil soldiers are also seen saluting Lars in this ending, with other photos showing the continued prosperity of those that had allied with Yggdrasil during the conflict.
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 Heroes
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Kazama Family Yggdrasil United Nations Others Non-Tekken/Guest Heroes | ||