Yoshimitsu (Tekken)

Yoshimitsu (吉光) is a name used by three different characters who appear in the Tekken and Soulcalibur series of fighting games by Namco.

The first version of Yoshimitsu made his debut in the original Tekken in 1994, and is one of four characters (with Heihachi Mishima, Paul Phoenix, and Nina Williams) to appear in every main installment of the series. The second version of Yoshimitsu appeared in every Soulcalibur game since the 1998 self-titled installment except for 2012's Soulcalibur V, which instead features a third version of the character, informally known as Yoshimitsu II. All Yoshimitsus are their era's leader of the honorable Manji clan, practitioners of ninjutsu, and master swordsmen with a mask and mechanical prosthetic arms.

As Tekken is set in modern times while Soulcalibur takes place in a medieval fantasy setting, the first Soulcalibur Yoshimitsu was originally considered to be an ancestor to Tekken's Yoshimitsu; however, the introduction of Yoshimitsu II revealed that Yoshimitsus are willingly killed and replaced by a younger protégé as part of a secret ritual, in order to make "Yoshimitsu" appear immortal to outsiders. Therefore, the Tekken version of the character is implied to have inherited the mantle in a similar way. The characters have been well-received by critics.