Hwoarang
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| Hwoarang | |
|---|---|
 Hwoarang in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 | |
| Full Name | Hwoarang |
| Fighting Style | Tae Kwon Do |
| Nationality |  South Korean
|
| Species | Human |
| Age | 19 (T3) 21 (T4,T5) 22 (T6) |
| Occupation | Resistance Leader |
| Game Appearances | Tekken 3 Tekken 4 Tekken 5 Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection Tekken 6 Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion Spin-off: Tekken Advance Tekken Tag Tournament Tekken 3D: Prime Edition Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Others: Tekken Card Challenge Street Fighter X Tekken |
| Voice Actors | Toshiyuki Morikawa (T3-TA)[1] Greg Dale (T4) Sang Hyeon Eom (T5-TTT2) Chris Rickabaugh (SFXT) Tomoaki Maeno (SFXT) |
Hwoarang (Hangul: 화랑 |Hanja: 花郎 Hwarang) is a character in the Tekken series who first appeared in Tekken 3 and returned in all subsequent games. He is the Taekwondo student of Baek Doo San, and entered the third Tournament to get revenge on Ogre for "killing" his master. He has also become Jin Kazama's rival after the two fought to a draw in one of Hwoarang's street matches before the events of Tekken 3.
Contents |
Personality
Edit
Hwoarang is a cool-headed, impulsive person who enjoys fighting. He is sometimes cocky and arrogant as he sometimes likes to boast about his skills and strength. He still holds his focus on his opponents to not lose himself in his pride. He is very rebellious and does not like to obey orders, this however changes in regards to his master Baek who he dearly respects. Hwoarang also holds a great sense of pride as well as a grudge towards his enemies. He also has a strong sense of determination to fight his rivals, especially Jin Kazama.
StoryEdit
Tekken 3 Edit
Manual Version -
Hwoarang entered this tournament after Ogre attacked his mentor Baek, who Hwoarang respects greatly. He wants to redeem himself by taking revenge against Ogre and defeating Jin Kazama (who Hwoarang failed to beat in a previous fight).
Official Version -
A student of Tae Kwon Do who works out at Baek Doo San's dojo, Hwoarang makes a lot of money through dishonest gambling wagers. As part of what's called a fraud team, he and other members pick fights for money. They manipulate the odds by concealing their true strength. Hwoarang escalates the odds against him and makes what appears to be a foolish wager. His opponents soon realize they're the real fools when Hwoarang soundly beats each and every one of them.
One day, members of the Mishima Group came to town, including among them Jin Kazama. Hwoarang talks them into his game and is matched against Jin. Hwoarang embarrassingly can only manage a draw. He hangs his head in disbelief at the first blemish in his perfect career. Sickened at the thought of having to tell his teacher, Baek, the bad news, Hwoarang vows to practice every day to guarantee that it would never happen again. Then, terrible news -- Ogre claims Baek as yet another victim.
Hwoarang now has a purpose in life. He will participate in the tournament, beat Jin Kazama and seek revenge against the God of Fighting: Ogre.
Ending: Hwoarang is sitting down in an alleyway, holding a trophy (that is a gold version of Heihachi's head). He is ready to toss it away when he notices Jin being pursued by the Tekken Force. Jin is then cornered by the soldiers. As a distraction, Hwoarang throws the trophy into the area, and then beats up the Tekken Force. When he turns to face Jin, Jin has already begun his transformation (into Devil Jin) and leaps out of the warehouse. Hwoarang smiles as he trembles with excitement.
Tekken 4 Edit
Hwoarang was drafted into the South Korean military and was assigned to a special operations division. Although his successes in various missions were highly regarded along with his prowess at Tae Kwon Do and combat techniques, his penchant for disobeying rules and orders gave his senior officers more than a few headaches. Hwoarang was uninterested in military life and felt a strange emptiness within him. He longingly recalled the days of hustling money in street fights and the rush he experienced from hand-to-hand combat. He often thought of one fight in particular - the fight against Jin Kazama. These longings could not be quelled by the military.
One day, Hwoarang found out about the announcement of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4. Hwoarang's blood stirred. He would defeat Jin, Heihachi Mishima, and anyone else who dared to challenge him to claim the Mishima Zaibatsu.
Filled with excitement he hasn't felt in years, Hwoarang slipped away from the military base and headed for the Tournament.
Ending: Hwoarang has finally been able to meet Jin in a parking lot. "You're finally here." he says as Jin approaches. "So, what do you want?" asks an indifferent Jin. Hwoarang replies, "I never got to fight you at the tournament. I'll take you on right here, right now." However, Jin says there is no reason to fight. Although, Hwoarang doesn't back down, and begins to fight him anyway. After the battle, Hwoarang's Korean commander steps in, as well as other South Korean military officials, ordering Hwoarang to surrender himself for court martial for dereliction of duty. Then Jin steps in, knocking out a few of the guards. Hwoarang joins in, and then the two run away, with Hwoarang concluding that he would let him, so as to even the score at the next tournament.
Tekken 5 Edit
Added by KillerZTekken 5 Manual Version: The South Korean Army took Hwoarang into custody during the last round of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4, keeping him from his long-awaited fight with Jin Kazama. Two months later, he was discharged from military service. With nothing holding him back, Hwoarang is free to pursue a confrontation with Jin Kazama.
Official Version: Tae Kwon Do Ace and rival of Jin Kazama, Hwoarang.
Hwoarang was taken into custody by the South Korean military during the last round of The King of Iron Fist Tournament 4, keeping him from his long awaited fight with rival Jin Kazama.
At the South Korean embassy, Hwoarang was brought before the ambassador, who told him, "You have received an official pardon granting you immunity from charges related to this incident. Also, we have received urgent military papers addressed to you. Please read them immediately!".
After reading the papers Hwoarang stood up abruptly: "I can't believe it. Are you sure this is correct?".
Hwoarang is discharged from the South Korean military a couple of months later. Free from military duty, Hwoarang seizes the opportunity to pursue Jin Kazama and finally battle him face-to-face.
Tekken 6 Edit
In The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5, Hwoarang faced Jin and defeated him. While Jin was lying on the ground, suddenly, he roars paranormally and produces a gale that blows Hwoarang away. From Jin's back, two black wings spread, and Jin stands up in his devil form. Hwoarang is at his wits end. He is not able to fight back, and soon he is knocked unconscious. When Hwoarang wakes up, he finds himself in the hospital. Nearby, he sees Baek standing as a visitor. Hwoarang hears the details from Baek. He ignores his nurse and tries to move from his bed. He falls down in order to beseech Baek to make him stronger. After leaving the hospital, Hwoarang starts training with unprecedented devoutness in order to defeat the "paranormal" Jin. Thus, with the announcement of The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6, he prepares for the tournament.
Ending: Hwoarang has defeated Azazel. He then takes the orb out of Azazel's chest. However, the orb tries to consume Hwoarang's soul, with Hwoarang shouting "I'm...not like him!". He manages to throw the orb to the floor and stomps on it, destroying it for good.
Other appearancesEdit
Tekken Tag Tournament Edit
Hwoarang is a playable character in the non-canonical Tekken Tag Tournament game. He retains his moveset from Tekken 3 with a few new ones to add. While being a non-canonical game in the series, Tekken Tag Tournament is looked at as the refined version of Tekken 3. In this game, like Tekken 3, he continues the grudge with Jin Kazama and Ogre in a certain rebellion his Master Baek would not approve of.
Ending: He confronts Jin Kazama and complains while Jin stands there with indifference.
Tekken Tag Special Alliance Partners
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Edit
Added by WhowahninjaHwoarang returns as a playable character in Tekken Tag Tournament 2. He retains his moveset from Tekken 6 with a few new ones added. His item move is a heel knife that provides a special K.O animation.
Ending: Hwoarang challenges Jin to a motorcycle race, and prepares himself. As soon as the light in front of them turns blue, the two immediately move out and waste no time racing. After swerving through various cars and trucks, Jin uses a nearby ramp to get ahead of Hwoarang, with the latter increasing his speed in response. Soon Hwoarang unknowingly passes Lei Wulong, who immediately apprehends Hwoarang for speeding. Later while Hwoarang is trying to convince Lei that Jin was the speeder, the said speeder passes the two with his motorbike at normal speed.
Tekken Tag II Special Alliance Partners
Character RelationshipsEdit
- Baek Doo San - His Tae Kwon Do teacher and master. In Tekken 6, Baek is an ally in the Resistance.
- Jin Kazama - His rival and friend.
- Eddy Gordo - His friend in Tekken 3.
- Ling Xiaoyu - Friendly acquaintance (as shown in Tekken 6).
- Devil Jin - Hwoarang was defeated by him at the end of Tekken 5, which resulted him being put in hospital.
- Ogre - Hwoarang entered the Third Tournament to get revenge on Ogre for attacking Baek.
- Miguel Caballero Rojo - His ally in the Resistance in Tekken 6.
- Steve Fox - His friend and partner in Street Fighter X Tekken (non-canon).
- Forest Law - One of his bosses in the Tekken Force mode in Tekken 3.
- Heihachi Mishima - One of his bosses in the Tekken Force mode.
TriviaEdit
General:
- He bears the nickname, Blood Talon, and the pseudonym 'BoB' (not to be confused with Robert Richards, the character introduced in Tekken 6, who is more commonly called Bob), allegedly because gamers have difficulty in writing his name correctly. Another theory is that it is derived from the pre-release Tekken 3 art by Namco where he was seen on a motorcycle, but without any name given, he became known simply as Boy on Bike.
- He is currently the youngest human male character in the series.
- Hwoarang's personality has a close resemblance to Nero, the main protagonist in the fourth installment of the Devil May Cry series.
- Hwoarang's moves are largely based on W.T.F. Tae Kwon Do which consists of mostly kicking and a few punches as opposed to his master Baek's moves which are largely based on the I.T.F. style of Tae Kwon Do which is more balanced in both punching and kicking.
- Hwoarang can be seen practicing Hwarang-Tul of I.T.F. Tae Kwon Do in Tekken 3's demonstration video, and many of his win animations in the series are taken from various Tul (korean for Kata) from the I.T.F. Tae Kwon Do style.
- Hwoarang's movements are motion captured. The actor is Hwang Su Il, a Tae Kwon Do I.T.F black belt of Japan.
- He is known for his distinctly orange and auburn hair. Physically Hwoarang has a very muscular and toned figure.
- A lot of fans, especially those of European and American origin have trouble pronouncing Hwoarang's name, canonically it is pronouced Hwa-rang, common mispronounciations include Whore-ang and How-rang.
- Hwoarang's name may be based on the Hwarang, a group of elite male youth in Silla, an ancient Korean Kingdom.
- Hwoarang has the most win animations in Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection and Tekken 6, with a total of ten win animations each. However, one of his win animations would only show up after defeating Jinpachi Mishima in Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, which is (obviously) not the case in Tekken 6.
- Hwoarang is the only person to win an official tournament match against Jin Kazama.
- So far all his prologues and epilogues involves Jin Kazama. In Tekken 5 and Tekken 6, both Hwoarang's endings involves Devil Jin.
- Yun-Seong from the Soul Calibur series has some of Hwoarang's kicking moves.
- Hwoarang's bosses in the Tekken Force side game are (in order of appearance) Eddy Gordo, Forest Law, Jin Kazama, and Heihachi Mishima.
- In the rare "Tekken 3 Symphony Orchestra" calendar by Namco, Hwoarang is seen rollerblading while wearing formal black clothes and carrying a cello in its case.
- Hwoarang has short and 'styled' hair for the first and last time.
- Hwoarang is seen out of his two stereotypical costumes (biker and taekwondo outfits) for the first time.
- Hwoarang speaks English when he confronts Jin for a fight, with Jin responding in English as well. This is the only time either speak English (with the exception of the non canon Street Fighter X Tekken), the rest of the time they only speak Korean and Japanese, respectively.
Tekken 5 and Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection:
- In the opening of Tekken 5 you see both Steve Fox and Hwoarang fighting each other, they were later announced as partners for Street Fighter X Tekken.
- The Heihachi trophy that was seen in Hwoarang's Tekken 3 ending is available as a customizable item for him in Tekken 5.
- Hwoarang's sub-bosses are Baek Doo San and Jin Kazama.
Tekken 6 and Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion:
- Hwoarang's name is pronounced incorrectly as "How-rang" instead of "Hwa-rang".
- Hwoarang's "Item Move" feature is a soccer ball, which Hwoarang kicks at his opponent. Another shows him hitting the opponent with a baseball bat ([1]).
- In the Scenario Campaign mode of Tekken 6, Hwoarang is a boss at the Industial Highway 357 stage.
- Hwoarang's Stage 1 and Stage 2 opponents in Scenario Campaign's "Arena" mode are Steve Fox and Baek Doo San.
- Hwoarang has a special tag throw with Baek and Steve where Hwoarang performs a "Human Cannonball" to push his opponent to Baek who promptly responds by kicking the opponent or Steve who will then jab the opponent then both of them attack the opponent simultaneously.
- He has special win pose with Baek Doo San and Devil Jin and two special win poses with Jin Kazama.
- His Taekwondo uniform has been incorrectly named as Karate uniform in the customization mode.
- His skin tone is notably lighter than any other human male character.
- In Tekken Tag Tournament 2, he can be customized to look like Naruto Uzumaki in his Shippuden attire.
Other:
- Even though Hwoarang does not appear in Tekken: The Motion Picture, his picture can be seen near the start of the movie along with some other fighters pictures.
- Hwoarang's rivals in Tekken Card Challenge are Jin Kazama, Forest Law and Heihachi Mishima.
- In Street Fighter X Tekken, Hwoarang is voiced by Chris Rickabaugh in English, and Tomoaki Maeno in Japanese.
- A character named "Iron Surfer", played by Stephen Fung, in the Hong Kong Martial Arts movie "The Avenging Fist" bears a strong resemblance to Hwoarang, and the movie itself is known for its many allusions to Tekken. The resemblance to Hwoarang is both in looks and fighting style.
