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thaliexvii · 1 year

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Some Lee lore and my headcanons about him

Anonymous asked:

I was directed to you for some Lee lore/headcanons :) Early life as well as T1/T2 headcanons for Lee please?

Well, first thank you for asking me, Anonymous, I will try to tell you what I think of it even though my headcanon may not be the right one. I love to play him but everyone’s headcanons are different. It is very kind of erenaeoth to propose me for this and I hope it will give you some ideas for some parts. Since this is a long answer, I’ll put the rest under the cut.

First, in maybe historical details, if the time period of Tekken 1 was around 1994-1995, (Lee’s car from Tag is from 1999 but then that game is a bit of an anachronism, Lee was born during the Mao era in China (1949-1976 (around 1970, maybe 1973 if the car is some hint)). It was a time of many events and once Mao died in 1976, the Chinese economic reform (Gǎigékāifàng), known in the West as the opening of China, started in 1978, opening up of the country to foreign investment. The ‘BoluanFanzheng’ (Eliminating Chaos and Returning to Normal) was then a program attempting to correct the mistakes of the Cultural Revolution.

The Honda S2000 was manufactured in 1999 though it was shown as a concept car (Then called SSM) at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1995 so maybe Lee spoiled himself by already getting one of those futuristic cars in advance? He seems to love cars as we see him driving around for a bit in Tekken Tag 1, possibly as a way of relaxing and escaping the suffocating life with Heihachi or to get noticed, or probably both.

Of course, little Lee must not have understood all that was happening, maybe he does remember Mao’s state funerals and a few other events, maybe he remembers his parents having a little red book, but didn’t understand most of the events, but anyway what was important to know was that the opening may have been the reason why Heihachi was in China as a new investor and found Lee who was living in the streets.

My art of Heihachi finding young Lee Chaolan in the streets after a fight with other kids. (the background is a backstreet in Shanghai)

When Lee ended up in the streets, he probably was old enough to somehow fend for himself, since a three-year old would not have been able to steal food or find a shelter or anything like this and would possibly have found another parental figure to take care of him (of course, he could have found someone else who abandoned him, have lived in some homeless child shelter and escaped, but since there was no mention of it and Lee definitively took Heihachi as his father figure, I feel he was definitely alone once his parents died, with no people of importance around him). I think Lee didn’t have a big extended family and his parents must have died quite suddenly since otherwise he may have been taken under the wings of someone or some organization instead of ending up in the streets. In my headcanon, Lee is from Shanghai, and his immediate family died in a fire in an area with poor quality housing that exacerbated the fire.

Lee probably ended up living in the streets for a while, since he had time to learn how to fight to the point of looking like something of interest to Heihachi, who had to be really impressed by that kid’s fighting talent to decide he would make a good rival for his son. Of course, Lee could have begun to fight other kids even while his parents were still alive, but with the way it is said in his bio “Lee's parents died when he was a young child, leaving him to fend for himself on the streets. Facing a hostile environment each day, he quickly became a skilled scrapper with reflexes that were amazing for a boy of his age”, it seemed to have been out of necessity that he started to fight, so, once in the streets.

This time in the streets and all its dangers probably toughened him in many ways and made him more distrustful of anyone. However, Heihachi was able to pass through those defenses and take him out of the streets, probably by offering him food and then promising him the world, telling him he would be in a rich family and never lack anything. For Lee, once he dropped his defenses and opened up to another person for the first time since his parents, Heihachi suddenly appeared like a savior, all cheerful, saving him from the street and even from death... Lee certainly felt gratitude that quickly turned to love for his new adoptive father. Lee was indeed grateful for the rescue, so he somehow wanted to repay his savior and be appreciated by him. Heihachi was now his new father, his new father figure, the one who took him out of poverty and offered him a new life and the one he opened up his heart to. Heihachi’s approval became something very important for Lee from now on.

And with Heihachi being a narcissist, he probably kept reminding his new son of all he did for him and probably often mentioned that Lee owed him everything. Even though he adopted him and Lee owed him everything, Heihachi never gave his family name to him. This must not have been a decision from Lee, to somehow honor and remember his biological parents, but a very calculated one done by Heihachi, who somehow wanted to make Lee feel not worthy enough to be a real Mishima and to fight to deserve a place into the family. He did not adopt that kid to give him a charmed life or out of fatherly instinct, he just wanted a rival for Kazuya. If Heihachi had wanted to name Lee (first name is Chaolan, Lee is the family name), Mishima, Lee would have had no say in this, no matter how much he would have wanted to honor his biological parents. So it was a Heihachi decision to show his adopted son that he wasn’t a real Mishima and it was not Lee’s decision to honor his dead biological family. Heihachi wanted to tell him: “I’m your savior, your father, but you are not worthy to fully be my son, unless you fight for it.”

Heihachi is indeed his savior so, Lee is at first very grateful and loves his adoptive father, he owes him so much but once adopted, once he had given his heart and devotion to him, he is hurt to discover that in fact Heihachi does not really care about him and is in reality a mean father to both him and Kazuya. He notices that Heihachi is really mean with his biological son, Kazuya, but also that Kazuya is the only one who really matters to Heihachi, the only one their father really focuses on, either in anger or in pride. Kazuya is the real Mishima, the important one, but also somehow, for some reason, hated by his father. Heihachi mostly ignores or humiliates Lee and mistreats Kazuya. But also, this makes Lee jealous since Kazuya is the real son, the one Heihachi’s thoughts are on, the one who mostly represents the Mishima prestigious family in events. Lee is somehow the proof that Heihachi was so generous to have adopted and raised that child, not a source of prestige himself. He had to bring honor to the family and act as it was requested but to show how Heihachi raised him. Heihachi was not feeling with him the emotions he did with Kazuya. And what also give Lee more of an inferiority complex, is that Kazuya is the eldest. Lee is the second one, the other son. The not important one. This is another thing that Heihachi wanted Lee to feel so that he would fight to be noticed and consider Kazuya as his rival, the one to fight against. Heihachi did not want to give a brother to Kazuya, he wanted to give him a rival. Lee probably did not care about fighting for money, the company, and larger prizes at this stage, since, as a kid, all those things were far from his mind. He probably only wanted food, shelter and a loving family, but Heihachi forced him to fight for his place in the family and spoiled the brotherly relation Lee could have had with Kazuya by introducing that rivalry. But in fact, just to say, neither Kazuya nor Lee could have won the title of best son since the real son was Kuma, the only one treated with some affection by Heihachi… Heihachi always cared far more for his bears, Kuma I and II, to the point of dressing up his second one and offering him the Mishima Zaibatsu, maybe as a joke and trying to take it back like in Kuma’s ending in Tekken 4 but Alisa talks about him having been considered to be the next CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu in Tekken 6. Alisa: The bear in question was once a candidate to head the Mishima Zaibatsu. Lars: A bear running the Zaibatsu? Who comes up with this stuff? (Lars doesn’t know his dad…). Maybe after the whole Kazumi devil attack and his attempted murder of his son, Heihachi put all his love and affection on his baby bear... He had no place for humans anymore so Lee never stood a chance.

My art of Heihachi sending his children to school with the help of his favorite baby. In my headcanon, the Mishima polytechnical school already exists so they have the same uniform as Jin will have.

Of course the wealthy things Lee received were nice, mostly compared to having nothing in the streets, but it was constantly accompanied with stressful demands and expectations. Not only did Lee have to learn Japanese, he also had to learn Japanese customs, high society customs, how to write, and a few other remedial courses since he didn’t go to school when he was in the streets… And also, he may have been good at fighting but now he had to change his street fighting style to the Mishima ryu fighting style and learn the martial arts discipline while performing in his fights against Kazuya. All this forced him to study hard and learn fast. Lee was very intelligent as his bio says: “Lee was a prodigy both in smarts and martial arts”, so he succeeded in learning all of this probably quite fast but at the cost of his calm and peace of mind. He always had to perform for their father to show he was worthy of having been adopted. And when Heihachi shows he cares more about his bear than him, this must hurt him a lot. It probably turned him into quite a stressed child with his inferiority complex, always trying to please and satisfy his father, to not bring dishonor to Heihachi’s prestige and his claim that he raised that child. But Heihachi was not a supportive father. He seemed to have always told Lee that he was a disappointment, probably not good enough to be a Mishima. In the ending of Tekken Tag 2 when Violet has abducted his family to test Super Combot DX, Heihachi quickly mocks Lee over his robot: “You think were impressed by that hunk of junk? Pathetic!” and once Combot loses its head thanks to DJ, Heihachi says: “See? Nothing more than a disappointment!”, as if he’s saying, “See? You’re a disappointment, as always.” He then starts to laugh, somehow probably angering Lee who likely heard this a lot of time. Though Violet/Lee keeps his cool and makes them explode. So Heihachi always tried to make Lee feel like a disappointment, probably always threatening to send him back in the streets if he was not worthy enough, reminding Lee of his lowborn origins and his power over him. As we can see in the ending in Tekken 6 where Lee tied Heihachi, Kazuya, and Jin to missiles, as soon as the ball doesn’t reach him, Heihachi starts to laugh at Lee and tells him quite familiarly that he missed and once he discovers that the balls are explosive, he orders him to stop it right now, using his authority on him again. Heihachi seems to think he still hold authority over his adoptive son, like in Tekken 6 again, in scenario mode when he discovers that Lee built a new company, he says: “When did Lee (He does call him Lee, not Chaolan, to underline he is not a Mishima) have time to build up a corporation like this? I don't approve of this!”

To make Lee feel even more inferior, Heihachi also seemed to manipulate him by humiliating him with the spankings and noogies, as seen in the Tag games (All through Tekken Tag, if you pair Lee with Heihachi (with a certain combination of clothes) Heihachi spanks Lee or gives him a noogie at the start of each fight and when they lose, he grabs Lee and spanks him, he also spanks him in Tag 2 when they lose). Heihachi is always ready to mock Lee and it really shows that he was used to humiliating Lee. Lee is always a joke for Heihachi. He first took him as a rival for Kazuya but he also considered that kid as his thing and never respected him. He could do whatever he wanted to Lee, he was his toy. About the spanking, maybe it is also a form of Heihachi venting his own frustrations over his own father since as we can see in the continue scene of Tag 2, Jinpachi also spanks Heihachi… But Heihachi really treats Lee like a child, even when Lee had become an adult. He doesn’t take that son seriously, contrarily to Kazuya, who is the number one threat. Heihachi probably didn’t spank Kazuya anymore since he threw him from the cliff since Kazuya somehow scares him as a demon child. Heihachi sees a danger in him and Kazuya is not a joke like Lee. Even when innocent little five years old Kazuya did nothing wrong and ‘may’ only have that demon inherited from his mother, Heihachi is repulsed and scared by him. His fear and attitude then proceeds to turn Kazuya really evil… When Lee is grabbed by his father in the games for the spankings or noogies, Lee somehow does not resist much, he is more docile while Kazuya is even uncontrollable when tied in a space suit (Heihachi’s ending in Tekken 6).

Lee giving a revenge noogie to his father. Picture graciously provided thanks to @claudioseraph

That childish treatment is another manipulative attempt by Heihachi, to make Lee try to gain his father’s approval and do as his father requests, to finally be respected. But Lee respected his father and obeyed him, like a good son. Unlike Kazuya, who always showed Heihachi how much he hated him, calling him Oyaji (old man) and giving him hate letters, but he was never humiliated like this directly. The punishments for Kazuya seemed to have been more physical while those for Lee were more manipulative ones to humiliate him, even the physical ones were softer than the ones Kazuya received. Heihachi knew Kazuya would not be controlled like this - he could not use the need for affection or fear of losing everything on Kazuya since Kazuya already lost all those he cherished and didn’t want his hated father’s affection, but Lee could be controlled like this… Reminding Lee what he owed him, threatening to take it away from him, showing him some prizes he could win if he obeyed and giving him some compliments (very rarely but those few would give Lee hope for getting some more later) was a good trick, the rest of the time Heihachi would just ignore him, making Lee again work for his attention and approval. Having experienced how hard it was to live in the streets, Lee never wanted to go back there again and still thought that the abuse he lived in the Mishima house was better than starving in the streets. Even if they were often crushed, he had hopes of one day pleasing his father.

Lee’s wish, a loving father. (Panel from Tekken 2 comicanthology)

Lee was probably torn in all those feelings, he owed Heihachi, he still loved him, Heihachi was his father figure, and in return he wanted his love and approval but he also now really saw how Heihachi was to him and Kazuya. Maybe he felt he deserved the punishment and insults his father gave him since maybe he thought he may not have worked enough to please him, maybe he tried to convince himself that Kazuya deserved to be beaten for his insolence and stubbornness but I think he didn’t dare tell himself that in fact Heihachi was a bad father. Maybe if they both changed things a bit, Heihachi would be satisfied with them… Abused children always feel guilty and confused…

Despite not knowing why it happened exactly, Lee was aware of the war between his father and brother and he knew he was only caught in the middle of this. He somehow was on both sides while also being against both. When he was young his preoccupations were only to survive, to try to please his father so that he was not thrown out or punished but also to comfort his brother. Because even if they didn’t always get along, they still were brothers. Lee and Kazuya growing up together might have made them not only rivals, like Heihachi wanted, but also have brought them closer, since they are among the only two who knew what kind of a person Heihachi really was. Lee still wanted his father’s approval, still loved him, but he was not blind. Despite not knowing the real deep story, Lee was the only one who somehow understood Kazuya’s rebellion at the abuse while all the servants never saw any of this, or pretended to never see, and Heihachi made Kazuya pass at the little pest that needed to be punished. All narcissistic parents always shine in front of other people while only showing their true face to their abused children. In such a hostile and cold environment, it was good to have someone else, for both Lee and Kazuya. To feel less alone and know someone else knew the life they had. They might have fought often, have disagreements and jealousy but still they certainly cared for one another. They played together. They saw the abuse, fear and sadness the other lived. And they comforted each other. Until Heihachi pitted them one against the other again. So both Lee and Kazuya were rivals in things Heihachi forced them too, which also turned into a real rivalry, but also were brothers brought closer by the abuse. In my headcanon, they were homeschooled until highschool to hide the abuse and Heihachi not trusting his devil child Kazuya to behave.

While Kazuya was the little revolted devil in his youth and Lee was the well-behaved child, I think the roles somehow slightly inversed during their teenage years. Lee, who first probably was a nerd at school, loving mathematics (he was math teacher in Blood Vengeance even if it’s non-canon) and science like robotics, realized that his charm and beauty was attracting some students. So, enjoying the attention some people now were giving him, he started to flirt and exert that charm. He was the one others were fawning over, he was the one who got the attention, and he loved it. Despite still doing all the chores and training his father requested of him and still getting high grades at school, he decided that since he was almost invisible to their father, and tired of how disciplined all his Mishima life had been since then, but being also a bit more assured that he would not be thrown out of the house now that Heihachi put so much effort into schooling him (even if that threat probably came back sometimes but more rarely), he would become a bit more disobedient and he would also party with friends, somehow showing off his wealth to them to get more attention, and coming home back after curfew. Maybe sometimes being late at school, now busy smoking in some corner with other teenagers to look cooler and be more appreciated than the well-behaved nerd he was at the start of the school (Lee is often shown smoking in pictures). This probably pushed Heihachi to keep spanking his undisciplined teenager Lee, showing Lee even more that his father was not taking him seriously. But he also discovered that he could get others’ attention with his looks, his money and his flirting. If his father could not give him attention, he would get it elsewhere. Though he still wanted to be loved by his father but had found another way to heal his hurt over it. Meanwhile Kazuya also calmed down his angry revolt and was more focused on training to beat Heihachi one day. His angry tantrums were now useless, he was more calculating and less emotional.

But once they were adults, all would change again since Lee and Kazuya were now being implicated more with the Zaibatsu. Lee then began to realize that if he really could surpass Kazuya, he really could gain all of this fortune… Not just having great clothes and cool stuff like rich teenagers do, like he was enjoying until now, but being obscenely rich… even powerfully rich… Now not only was Lee confused between his love for his father, his need for approval, his fear to disappoint him, his own disappointment with how Heihachi was, his resentment for how he treated them, but now he also realized all he could gain from it. At first, he just wanted a loving family, he could now see that this would never be the case, but he could now have all this wealth… Yet he still hoped for his father’s love and approval… And between Kazuya and Heihachi things were still going well enough that Heihachi decided to teach Kazuya the more secret Mishima moves while he would instead send Lee to the United States, to the San Francisco Mishima Zaibatsu branch to complete his education. Another Heihachi calculated move that made both brothers jealous of the other. Lee was jealous of the favoritism and Kazuya was jealous of Lee’s freedom. A lot was going on in Lee’s head at this time. Not only was he jealous that Kazuya was getting the secret Mishima moves and time spent with their father as he was pushed aside in the U.S., he felt that his father did not deem him worthy of learning them (Lee never got to learn those moves in the games). Lee felt he had disappointed his father somehow and felt a lot of jealousy toward Kazuya…

So to forget his jealousy, his feeling of being pushed aside, feeling unloved and considered like an employee only, Lee started enjoying his freedom. He was in the U.S. far from the controlling presence of his father, far from Heihachi and Kazuya’s mysterious war, he had money, fame, he could party… Of course, he had a job for the Mishima Zaibatsu but he still could spend the rest of his time enjoying life… Trying stuff his father never allowed, more than cigarettes and coming home late, anyway not like Heihachi cared... He had the best in everything, he just didn’t have Heihachi's affection and esteem. But still, he had to keep up in his fighting, to impress his father when he would confront Kazuya again. He still did not want to displease his father. He still wanted to show him that he was worth something. So that his father would not really get rid of him. He may not throw him out of the house but he sends him halfway across the globe… So he hired a trainer, Marshall Law, and started to fight in underground tournaments, gaining his nickname Silver haired demon. Marshall Law and his friend Paul, and some other friends Lee made were not exactly the most elegant people so Lee let go a bit of the elegant costumes he had in Japan or at his work hours and dressed more like a rocker, wearing jeans and leather jacket. He was hanging with people from poorer backgrounds, like from where he originally came from. Maybe for a while, he felt like he could be pushed away from the family and those ordinary people were more his real social class and was a bit curious about them while wondering where he belonged… Though he would never tell them. No one had to know he was poor at first, no one had to know anything of his private life, in fact, but he liked to look like a rocker sometimes, meet simpler people and leave that corrupt world of business.

Lee relaxing with Marshall and Paul before a concert.

Because now that he was working more in those circles, Lee discovered how corrupt those practices really were. Not only the normal ones, that he had nothing against, it was the way it was, but also the horrible crimes, the threats, the murders… I always feel he had something to do in Mister Chang’s murder. Well, at least knew something about it. It happened when he was in the U.S. having a good position and learning of all the practices the Zaibatsu was using to get their way… So Lee probably knew (maybe a reason why he financed Julia’s researches, out of guilt of having something to do, even if barely, with her grandfather’s death). And he probably realized the full extent of the Mishima Zaibatsu’s corruption and evil practices, but did nothing against it. It may be troubling but it still was the way a business, some businesses, worked… (I feel that time period was when Lee was more selfish, caught up in his insecurities and ambitions). Lee still hoped he would get the Zaibatsu one day if he was not fully pushed away from the family, like he feared. Maybe he also had that small hope that maybe in fact his father trusted him enough to send him in the U.S… So he had to honor that trust. Either prove to his father that he was worth something or honor the trust his father put in him. Heihachi may be far away on the map but he was still very close in Lee’s mind. Lee still had to prove himself to him and please him. His stressful nature probably came back and he may have started to appease it with alcohol and maybe even drugs sometimes. He was realizing that things were getting more and more serious. He was enjoying the power, freedom, and fame his position now gave him but he would have to prove himself worthy to keep it while Kazuya was still near their father…

Lee probably didn’t fully know what would happen but he could feel something would happen between Kazuya and Heihachi. Either they become close and he is thrown away or they hate each other like they always did and one dies… The fact that one of them may lose everything probably troubled him very much. Lee really seems to undergo lots of changes at this time. I think Kazuya and Lee have grown more apart as brothers, they are not as isolated together as they were when they were children and they do not seem to have the same kind of life. And Lee does want to win everything but that impending family war was probably troubling him much. He probably does not want his brother to die or Kazuya to win everything and somehow both options were probably scaring him. He could not lose that rivalry but he could not accept his brother being killed. Or their father. He still owed so much to his father… And even if Lee still loves Kazuya, he does want to have the great life and prestige that Heihachi is showing before his eyes. If he is not rejected by Heihachi, if he can get his hands on all that, he will. When he was younger, he mostly wanted a roof, food, and love from his family but now the money and power did corrupt him more.

Once the first Iron Fist Tournament arrived and Lee truly realized that he could get the same as Kazuya if he wins, in fact get more than Kazuya, win the whole Zaibatsu, right now with that tournament, despite not being a full Mishima (so his father does care about him to deem him worthy enough to fight for it) he definitely does not want to back down. He may get on bad terms with Kazuya, but that is a once in a lifetime chance. Besides, it is also what their father wants, he must make him proud. His father will see he is worth something. Lee has a chance to not be the adopted child anymore, to not be the little brother anymore, the second one in everything, he can be a full Mishima by gaining the Mishima Zaibatsu and he won’t back away.

So when the first King of Iron Fist Tournament happened, Lee went back in Japan to participate. In the end, he was beaten by Kazuya before his brother went to beat their father and gained the Mishima Zaibatsu. The Tekken 2 bio says that once Kazuya won the tournament, Lee was mentally and physically destroyed and, in an old unconfirmed biography but very frequently found on Internet, Lee would have been so crushed that he fled to the mountains, screaming (somehow incapable of confronting his problems and showing his emotions. Lee does seem to be quite emotional by his ending where he jumps in joy and laughs in Tekken 1). In any Tekken 2 bio versions anyway, he had some kind of breakdown and depression. Lee still needed to prove himself to his father, to himself, and by this, he had to become a real Mishima and be better than Kazuya in many things to prove his worth and belonging. Kazuya learned the secret moves, Kazuya won the fight and the Zaibatsu, their father died… What did he have anymore? It put a lot of pressure on Lee’s shoulders which explains why Lee was totally destroyed after he lost to Kazuya in the first tournament.

Both brothers now believed Heihachi to be dead, Kazuya finally had his revenge and threw him down from a cliff. Lee knew that this tournament was the conclusion of Heihachi’s abuse towards Kazuya and him and he probably was relieved by it. Maybe once he calmed down about what he lost, he even joined his brother for this reason after the tournament. He knew that tournament was in fact an elaborate way for Heihachi to kill Kazuya and he was horrified by it. He still didn’t understand why Heihachi always hated his son so much. Though he also was disappointed to have lost his chance to win the Zaibatsu, Lee was probably still confused in his feelings toward his father. He may have been torn then between mourning his father's death or feeling relieved that his tyrannical attitude was over but he also understood why Kazuya killed him. They both knew that façade of cheerful, generous and philanthropic man, was hiding something much uglier.

Once Kazuya was at the helm of the Mishima Zaibatsu, he took Lee as a secretary. Despite Lee’s talents and knowledge of the Zaibatsu, he didn’t give him a better position, possibly to humiliate him since he was resentful that Lee tried to steal his inheritance. Lee accepted Kazuya’s offer since he didn’t really have any choice. He could quit and leave the Zaibatsu but then would lose all chances to one day get a better position, maybe even the Zaibatsu, and he probably had anxiety at the thought of trying to get a job elsewhere since he didn’t have faith in himself, he got his job at the Zaibatsu because he was Heihachi’s son. Heihachi never allowed him to be independent and confident in himself. Lee was now depressive, he wasn’t in a state to fight for anything anymore, so he then went to work for Kazuya as his secretary. He thought that Kazuya will probably stop being angry at him, he will probably elevate him to a better position soon and maybe, without Heihachi to pit them one after the other, they could get along…

My art of Lee and Kazuya celebrating a new beginning as brothers.

The fact that he tried to get the Zaibatsu and that Lee could not hide his frustration of having lost, brought Kazuya’s resentment upon him and it didn’t start as the best relation but working together, in the same office each day, also brought them closer once more. I like to think Lee tried to get along with Kazuya during that time and Kazuya calmed down in his anger. If he hated Lee, he would not have taken him near him, he wanted to annoy him, yes, but not get rid of him. Lee was one of the closest people to him (I often played Tekken bowl with both the brothers for this… throwing bowling balls at Heihachi’s head). Kazuya also could get along with Lee as long as Lee knew who was in charge. (You need to see @erenaeoth’s headcanons for Kazuya, they are excellent. It is deep and thought about the Kazuya he roleplays and writes him. Kazuya is not just a mean villain, all his life is taken into account). Hanging out together, Kazuya also probably helped Lee in getting out of this mourning and confusion by reminding him of how their father was toward him, toward them, how Heihachi was a monster, which probably brought Lee to more freely feel a lot of unavowed resentment toward Heihachi. Without his father to manipulate him, he started to realize and dare express all the hurt Heihachi did to them and that he didn’t deserve that treatment from his father.

With Heihachi gone, Lee thought that the crimes he knew were happening at the Zaibatsu, like the murders and threats to people who didn’t comply, like what happened to Mr. Chang, could now be a thing of the past. But Kazuya didn’t intend to let go of Heihachi’s efficient way of ruling the Zaibatsu so instead of stopping the crimes Heihachi was doing, Kazuya continued them and doubled down on it, bringing a bad reputation to the Zaibatsu. He more openly started committing heinous crimes, he had abductions and murders carried out and even started experimenting on endangered animals. Lee was very disappointed but again he did nothing to stop it for fear of losing his job, his advancement in the Zaibatsu, and he still hoped to get along with his brother. Maybe it was even out of fear of Kazuya, since, in Tekken 7, he does mention that he possibly was banished because he knew of Devil “I believe the real reason the Mishima family banished me was because they suspected I knew about the devil within Kazuya”. (The Mishima family consisted then of only Heihachi since he killed everyone else but maybe you could add Kuma, his favorite son. Little seven years old Lars had nothing to do in this of course, he wasn’t there). So Lee possibly may have witnessed Kazuya’s devil during that time. I like to think Lee and Kazuya really tried to be close, they were the only ones who knew all of the other’s life and traumas, but it just didn’t work out: Kazuya was too bossy, Lee too jealous, they didn’t have the same life or interests for the most part and they completely disagreed on how to rule the Zaibatsu. They both were frustrated that the other didn’t see their point of view.

So Kazuya kept on taking the Zaibatsu in a bad direction, once more attacking the Chang family (to get the amulet they had, like Heihachi had done), Kazuya ordered Michelle Chang’s mother to be abducted, another reason why Lee would feel guilty toward them and help Julia’s research for a while. He also abducted Doctor Bosconovitch to get his precious knowledge and scientific talent on creating intelligent fighting animals from endangered and even extinct animals and creating robots like the J.A.C.K, the doctor had previously made for Russia. So Prototype JACK was now upgraded. In my headcanon, Lee worked with the abducted Dr Bosconovitch on Prototype JACK, which gave him the knowledge required later to work on his robotic company and to even help repair Alisa.

There seems to have been a time where Lee was also a bad guy and killed the old man who trained him so that he would not tell Kazuya but that seems to be a very old version and non-canon anymore if it ever was, like the running to the mountain thing (but maybe it was why Lee was the bad guy in Tekken: the Motion Picture). Then in other versions, the old man turned into Wang, who of course wasn't killed and Wang asked him to save the honor of the Mishima Zaibatsu, meaning that despite Lee working for Kazuya, Wang had faith that Lee would be kinder than Kazuya and Heihachi (Wang was tricked by Heihachi in Tekken 1 and believed him to be a good man for all those years but by then had finally realized what Heihachi was, maybe even suspecting him of having killed his friend Jinpachi, Heihachi’s father. What Wang really knew was never confirmed but Jinpachi did tell him before disappearing that he had to stop the Mishima bloodline and later Wang tells Heihachi that he won’t fool him again).

Living in the Mishima garden since Jinpachi and Heihachi allowed him, Wang possibly knew Lee since childhood and probably knew that he was a good person. He possibly saw that Lee still was, despite the situation Lee was now in, since Wang decided to put his trust in him to bring back honor to the Zaibatsu and restore it to the way Jinpachi intended it to be, by stopping all those crimes that both Heihachi and Kazuya did. Wang possibly did not want Lee to become like him: not taking action only to regret it later. He probably had affection for that little child who was cut off from his Chinese culture, since Wang seems very traditional. But unlike Heihachi, Kazumi, Jinpachi, and Wang, Lee and also Kazuya have never really been attracted to the traditional side - they never have traditional clothing, unlike many other characters. Lee only finally had a Chinese armor in Tekken 7 (my headcanon is that Wang gave him) and nothing traditionally Japanese. He had an old costume in Tekken 6 but more of an historical 18th century European costume (and the rapier item move to go with it). I imagine growing up, he probably watched seventies animes, like of course all those mecha animes that were legion, and Rose of Versailles, an anime happening during the 18th century, that is full of elegant people and full of roses and dreamed about this romanticized side. Wang is a more traditional person, more from the time period before the Cultural Revolution (he probably left China in 1966 if not earlier, when Mao ordered the purge of all capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society to preserve Chinese communism). He probably wanted to teach Lee the more traditional Chinese customs. Maybe if he had the occasion, Wang may have helped Lee keep his Chinese language and write Chinese, though Heihachi probably watched so that his children were not influenced by anyone else but him, limiting contact with old Wang. But now Wang could freely get to Lee.

More historical looking clothes Lee likes (and a vampire cape) and his childhood animes, full of roses and robots. (Rose of Versaille/ Berusaiyu no Bara, and the robot ones, UFO Robot Grendizer and Mazinger Z)

But one thing is sure and canon, and that is that Wang offered to train Lee for the upcoming tournament (that Kazuya organized once he learned that Heihachi was alive). Wang was the boost that helped Lee get out of his apathy and depression. He acted as his mentor then and Lee always showed a lot of respect toward him afterward, calling him master or teacher in each game. So being given Wang’s trust, probably helping him in having more faith in himself, pushing him to listen to his conscience against those crimes, Lee decided to participate in the second King of Iron Fist tournament. His ambitions were to get the Zaibatsu, to stop Heihachi from getting it back, but also to stop the crimes Kazuya was committing with it. Yet by this time, Kazuya had also in his own internal struggle after meeting Jun. And his battle between Devil and Angel, between embracing revenge or love, which would weaken him against Heihachi in the tournament. Jun seemed to have been a good influence on Kazuya, she seemed to appease his paranoia and resentment. Lee probably knew Jun a bit and probably knew she had a good influence on Kazuya but he weirdly suspects her of being to blame for all that’s happened in Tekken 6 scenario mode. Lee Chaolan: "Kazama Style Traditional Martial Arts Dojo." Hmm, does someone here have a connection to Jun Kazama? Alisa Bosconovitch: Yes. One of her blood relations opened this dojo. It may be worth our while to investigate Lee Chaolan: I see. Perhaps the cursed blood of this family is to blame for all that’s happened.

I wonder if Lee had found out about Devil at the same time he knew Jun was going out with Kazuya? But technically Jun was in fact taking away that devil… In my headcanon, I prefer to imagine he noticed that she had a positive effect on Kazuya, I had read in the very old wiki that he helped her try to exorcise Kazuya by keeping Heihachi at bay and fighting him, which is why he is Heihachi’s sub boss in Tekken 2. But it was a passage that had no real official proof and got taken away since now everything has the official sources. But I would like to think they got along and wanted to save Kazuya…

Once Kazuya lost, Heihachi proceeded to punish his sons, both of them since he was angry at Lee for taking Kazuya’s side. He threw Kazuya in a volcano, apparently killing him, and expelled Lee from the Zaibatsu. He didn’t kill Lee, maybe he did not do it because, after all, despite the way he treated him, Lee had been his son for years, and even not loving him, he could not do that, Lee was not like Kazuya, he was a normal human, not a monster like he perceived Kazuya, and he felt a bit of pity toward him, so he expelled him from the Mishima Zaibatsu. He probably left him with nothing since in Tekken 6, Heihachi does seem angry to find out that Lee built himself some successful company so if he had given him something, he would not be surprised like this. Heihachi probably wanted to humiliate him once again by telling him, “Without me, you are nothing. I made you, I undo you.” In my headcanon, he brought him back to China, to the same street he found him in, to remind him what he was before. Being a narcissistic father, Heihachi wanted his son to see that he could do nothing without him, like he was nothing before meeting him and that since he betrayed him to go to Kazuya, he would not enjoy what his father could give him anymore, which also explains Lee’s constant anger toward Heihachi, who tried to humiliate him once again by exiling him with nothing (and also explains Lee’s revenge that are always kind of humiliating for Heihachi. Payback.).

With his many failures, the stress of competing, now truly realizing that he was nothing and never would be anything for Heihachi, and his brother’s brutal death (I headcanon Lee was in the helicopter, waiting for his turn to be punished by Heihachi so he knew what happened and was traumatized), Lee seemed quite worn-out once he was expelled. I think he really was destroyed and depressed when Heihachi got rid of him, he never really had the chance to rise from his previous depression when he lost the Zaibatsu to Kazuya. And it probably took some years before he could come back stronger, he didn’t build Violet Systems in a day. (I like to imagine he had to work and was a math teacher for a while like in Blood Vengeance before he started his company, I also headcanon that he put some money aside before he got expelled and could use it to partly help to start his project, but knowing his way of life, he probably spent most of his previous money on cars, clothes, parties, and beauty care sessions so he didn’t put that much aside). Since he was expelled and tried to hide himself when coming back, I feel that Violet Systems only recently became successful and Lee probably started implanting it in Japan only when he dared come back as Violet in Tekken 4.

But despite being miserable and shattered then, he probably would have kept hanging around his family if he had not been exiled by Heihachi. Somehow depressing and frustrating, that exile probably saved Lee’s life. Otherwise, he probably would have gotten even more corrupted by all the Mishima ways, by his resentment and frustration, while exiled and away from the toxicity of the Mishima family, he had time to think it all over without a bad influence around. He was alone. He could think by himself without trying to appease or please anyone. He first had that resentment and depression but like it was said in Tekken 4’s prologue, the idea of revenge left him so he started his new life and gained new confidence in himself. Maybe he learned to relax once exiled and this is why he is often seen taking life the good way, everything is excellent, his twenty years away probably helped him gain confidence in some of his capacities and gain some serenity. Until he went back toward the Mishima family… in a way to prove himself to them again…

In terms of his personality, I think Lee’s flirty and charming side is an attempt to get esteem and love from people since he lacked those things. But also he will never want real commitment or really give his heart. He will flee since he has to protect himself. Despite often being around a lot of people, I think Lee is a solitary person. I think he got hurt too much in his relations with his family. He was friend with Marshall and Paul before Tekken 1 and trained with them but there is no mention of it anymore, we do not know why but it seems none of them are trying to be friends again. I think Lee wants to keep people away from him. He looks very welcoming but his heart is hidden since he does not want to be hurt.

It is said that after his exile, Lee distanced himself to lead a solitary life. If we believe Harada, his secretaries are robots too, so he is surrounded by robots instead of humans. Of course, not all people who surround him are robots, he has a lot of humans at his parties, like for example, Tiger Jackson, who in my opinion seems to come often to those parties since he’s even got a place of honor on the couch in the Pool Party stage in Tekken 5 when Lee is not on it (not a robot, unless the lights on his clothes somehow indicate something… though in fact I do not think so). Apparently a solitary life full of parties, so not so solitary… Then how was he solitary? By not getting attached to anyone. All those people all come there for superficial reasons. They are not close: they party. If you can see the lyrics to Plastic Love, it might be a bit like this. He was hurt in his previous relations with his family, he doesn’t want to be hurt again so I think Lee decided to close his heart to any deep relations. It’s not because he has some show off and exhibitionistic sides that he truly shows himself. He is in fact a secret person, presenting a superficial side to keep people far from his real self. Violet is the proof of that. He used the flamboyant Violet when he needed to be hidden, he played superficial to a larger degree to protect himself. Violet acts more expressively, crazily and even ruder than Lee who is more classy and polite. He uses that personality not only to reach Heihachi in Tekken 4 but also to boost himself with self confidence. Violet seems more carefree and it is probably good for the stress Lee feels normally. Violet is an escape and an armor, underneath his sunglasses, Lee is protected, like an armor. He is invincible. He is excellent.

In love as well, Lee seems quite superficial and to keep his distances. I don’t think he even wants more than admiration and attention. When he flirts with his secretary in the Fight Lab of Tekken Tag 2, he flirts like a teenager and seems to mostly have fun being rejected rather than winning her. Like he doesn’t want to really catch her, he also doesn’t want to be caught, and shows it clearly by having many women around him, warning anyone that he isn’t serious. His goal does not seem to be to have a deep romantic relation, he likes to offer the image of the sexy man or romantic man with roses but he always keeps his distance.

Maybe the only person he may get closer to now in terms of friendship would be Lars but even then, maybe not. They have a plan to make and are carrying it out, but they are not that close. Lee was interested in being his friend, maybe even brother since he seemed to know who Lars was, and he did offer to help Lars and seemed a bit disappointed when Lars refused (though Lee was also secretly already helping Lars’ army, Yggdrasil, with his money before this…)

Lars telling Lee he cannot involve him in this, refusing his offer when Lee asks to join force with him. Lee remains a bit frozen before he acts all “I don’t care, that’s fine.”

Julia was a good friend, as Lee mentions, but she is now reduced to streaming to get money, indicating, not that Lee doesn’t necessarily want to help her, but likely that all his money is going to Yggdrasil now… but still, again, maybe they are not that good friends since apart from the Tekken 6 scenario campaign, it never was mentioned that he was friend with Julia, again it might just be out of guilt for her family suffering at the hands of the Mishimas. Like Alisa, Julia also thinks he is strange, maybe another way to keep people away and avoid being seriously close to anyone. He does likes to flirt and even has some kinky sides, like we can see when he plays with Anna in her interlude in Tekken 5, he roleplays with her at first, then the loser seems to pay a price. I think the fun here for him was the risk of being punished, not being punished. Anna seems to be more the dominant one and enjoyed winning while Lee accepts his fate, maybe coming from the fact that Lee always obeyed. He lost the game so he had to comply...

Anna and him also seem to be friends but not serious lovers since Anna went to get married and Lee didn’t do anything. I think it is a side they both have and appreciate: they leave the other their freedom. They are friends with how they both seem to regret having to fight each other in Tekken 6 scenario campaign: Anna: “Yes, I became Kazuya Mishima’s bodyguard in order to work against her. But I never thought you and I would end up as enemies.” Lee Chaolan: “Neither did I.” Anna went to get married but Lee seems to fear commitment.

Lee is that self-assured seductive guy throwing some ‘Excellent!’s a bit everywhere, he doesn’t want to show the unsure, bitter and resentful person he is underneath. He wants people to see someone who has never been poor and never has been hurt. And being near him could get people hurt since he knows he doesn’t want to be closer. My headcanon about Lee is that he is a cis man, grey ace, polyamorous, akoiromantic, sensually attracted, pansexual. But that is my opinion. He likes to be sensual and look sexy but doesn't need to go further. He also wants affection from many people to feel loved but does fear to show himself too much, that is why the relations never go too far emotionally and seriously. Once he gets their love, he leaves to not go further and either hurt them or be stuck with any people who see deeper actions as commitment. That fear of commitment also comes from his past since he was hurt a lot and does not want to be hurt again so he leaves it more 'superficial'. He loves to be wanted, to be the center of attraction, like he never was in his family and that is what matters to him. Someone closer would dig too much to see the real him and, since he left the suffocating Mishima family, he is free and intends to remain free.

The forty-eight-year-old Lee is less hurt and more sure of himself; he succeeded with his business by himself; he has also somehow learned to let go, like he abandoned his ideas for revenge, and he does spend a lot of time relaxing to appease his stressed nature. He still has his moments and his need to be alone. We see how he is still unsure when he just beat Kazuya in Tekken 5 interlude, he says it like it was a surprise then jumps in joy. And falls, then quickly gets up and acts like it never happened. Even though he is more sophisticated in later games, then, he still seems to have a more anxious side underneath that he tries to hide.

As for his family, in the games, Lee now seems to hate Heihachi but he only seems to focus on the rivalry or be angered by Kazuya, but all his interactions with him are not as hostile as with his father. He does receive Kazuya with calm in the Tekken 6 scenario campaign:

“Kazuya. I wasn't expecting a personal appearance. Rebel army? Nonsense. I'll ask you to cease these mad accusations, unless you have some proof. Ahh, you always lacked elegance, Kazuya.” While he loses it when Heihachi invades his place: “What? Why are you in my palace?! You have no right being here! That's enough! It's time I released years of resentment upon you!”

And in his Tekken 5 interlude: Lee: Kazuya why do you always get in my way? Kazuya: You’re the one who won’t stay put, you maggot. Lee: You stole the position in the Mishima Zaibatsu from me! Now it’s time to take back what’s rightfully mine. Kazuya: You have no idea what’s going on. It’s a shame how stupid you are. Lee: Shut up! Quit your rambling and fight! Come on.

Though insulting, calling Lee stupid and maggot, Kazuya seems more dismissing of him, scornful but he doesn’t have the hate for Lee that he has for his father. Lee is an annoyance, not an enemy. And Lee seems to be angry as a part of their rivalry but not for some personal hurt, even when he worked for him as secretary. Of course it annoyed him, but his anger toward Kazuya still seems more like a matter of rivalry, while Heihachi hurt him more. So their relation may have turned bad with all that happened between them, but still to a lesser degree than the one between them and their father. It is Heihachi who is at the center of all Lee’s revenge endings, rather than Kazuya. Lee sees that Kazuya is the product of his father’s mistreatments and hate, another reason to push some anger toward Heihachi. Though he does seem to blame it all on Kazuya to the journalist in Tekken 7… “his blood has cursed the Mishima household.” But I think it’s on the devil inside him that he really puts the blame. And he will fight against Kazuya in that war now going on but again, it is to stop the war, not a revenge thing.

In their winning pose in Tekken Tag 2, Kazuya keeps his stoic air while Lee makes a small smile, somehow showing some familiarity and no real hate between them both.

#lee chaolan #tekken #headcanon

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