is the name of two fictional characters in the Tekken fighting game series. The characters were inspired by the pro wrestler Satoru Sayama, as well as Mexican wrestler Fray Tormenta, a Catholic priest who became a masked wrestler in order to support an orphanage. The character of King has been in all the Tekken games to date, with King I being in Tekken and Tekken 2, and King II debuting in Tekken 3 and being in every subsequent game since. Reception of the character has been very positive since the beginning of the series, with King described as a "fan favorite" and considered one of the series' most iconic characters.
Character backstory
King I
The first King used to be a ruthless street brawling orphan with no care in the world except for fighting. In one of his fights, King was grievously wounded and collapsed in front of a monastery. The Marquez priests saved him from death. After recovering, King realized the error of his ways and resolved to start a new life. He became a Catholic priest and renounced his old fighting ways. He then became a man with a mission; he dreamed of building an orphanage for street children, hoping to save them from becoming the kind of person he used to be. Eventually he was successful in building an orphanage, but funds were tight. To bring income to the orphanage, King fought in wrestling matches, donning his now iconic Jaguar mask to conceal his identity and acquiring the title "Beast Priest". It was at this time that King came to the attention of his future rival Armor King, one of a wrestling Tag Team who also wore Jaguar masks. Early in his career King accidentally crushed the eye of Armor King during a match. King has won many titles since, whilst the injury caused Armor King's career to plummet. King entered the first King of Iron Fist Tournament and after defeating Armor King managed to place third, winning enough prize money to continue supporting the orphanage. After a child died in his care, King became depressed and, giving up his jaguar mask, returned to the street and became an alcoholic. He would have died had he not been convinced by his old friend and rival, Armor King, to again wear the jaguar mask and join the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2. King trained intensely and recovered from his alcoholism. He battled Armor King in a rematch at the tournament and was defeated. After the tournament, King participated in both pro-wrestling and martial arts tournaments to win money for his orphanage. He also taught his fighting skills to the children under his care as a means of self-defense. Sometime later on, Ogre, the God of Fighting, was awakened from an ancient ruin in Mexico by Heihachi Mishima's Tekken Force. Ogre attacked several martial artists around the world, including King, who was killed.
King II
The second King was a street urchin who was brought up in the first King's orphanage. Until the age of 24, this wrestler worked hard with King until one day, news broke of the first King's death at the hands of Ogre. Seeing that the orphanage would crumble into ruin (the money gained from King's wrestling matches was the only funding received), this man donned the mask of King and imitated his style. However, since his technique was learned just from watching King, not training with him, he lost every competition he entered. One day, however, another man with a mask visited the new King, introducing himself as an old friend. This man revealed himself to be Armor King, who was interested in finding out if the rumors of a new King were true. For four years, the two of them trained, and the new King learned quickly, maturing into a forceful wrestler with extreme power, known as King II. By this time, the now 28-year-old wrestler was a worthy heir to the throne, however, he longed to punish the one responsible for the original King's death. With rumors of the "God of Fighting" circulating, Armor King revealed to his student that the elusive entity was the one most likely responsible. Armor King watched as the new King, fueled with rage, set his sights on avenging his foster father's death and proving himself worthy of wearing the mask.