Hwoarang (화랑) is a character in the Tekken series.
| Hwoarang | |
|---|---|
| 'Tekken series character | |
| File:Hwoarang grey.jpg | |
| First game | Tekken 3 |
History
Tekken 3
Hwoarang is a student of Baek Doo San and well-versed in the martial art of Tae Kwon Do. He used to gamble in street fighting. His fellow gang members would lose matches, then Hwoarang would step in and win. During one of these matches, he faced Jin Kazama, but he only managed to draw. Frustrated, he entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3 to fight a conclusive battle with Jin. After that he appeared in Tekken Tag, a title which has no official connection to the storyline.
Tekken 4
In Tekken 4, Hwoarang was drafted into the South Korean army. He left the military so he could face Jin in the 4th King of the Iron Fist Tournament. In his ending, he spotted Jin and told him that he had a reason to fight him. (Jin told Hwoarang in English that there's no reason to fight). Hwoarang bested Jin and told Jin that he would have another chance at the next tournament. (This ending, however, did not occur.) In reality, Hwoarang was arrested by the South Korean Army for desertion and sent to military prison. (It should be noted that the Korean Military has no jurisdiction to operate within Japan.)
Tekken 5
In Tekken 5, while Hwoarang was awaiting court martial, he was taken to the Korean embassy where the ambassador issued him some urgent papers. After reading the papers, Hwoarang exclaimed, "I can't believe it! Are you sure this is correct?" (It has been suggested that these papers were from Baek himself, informing Hwoarang of his being alive after Ogre's attack.) Hwoarang completed his military service within two months and then entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5 eager to fight Jin Kazama. He was also asked to compete by his former master, Baek Doo San. Hwoarang, while fighting in the Fifth Tournament, defeated his rival Jin, leaving him feeling empty. However in his ending, he was attacked on his motorcycle on the freeway by Devil Jin. What happened afterwards remains to be seen.
Trivia
- Yun-seong from the Soul Calibur series greatly resembles Hwoarang. Their similarities include being of Korean descent, red unruly hair, highly stylized and/or acrobatic kicks, their rash personalities, and the fact that they both have a Japanese rival (Jin Kazama for Hwoarang, Mitsurugi for Yun-seong).
- Hwoarang, properly romanized hwarang, was the name of a group of young male warriors in the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla. In recent times, the hwarang have become symbolic of the Korean martial spirit. The martial art that these warriors practiced is today called Hwa Rang Do, and has its roots in Korea. Hwoarang's fighting style has little in common with Hwa Rang Do however.
- In attract mode for Tekken 3, Hwoarang can occasionally be seen performing a sequence of moves. Those moves are legitimate Taekwondo techniques and comprise the opening moves of Hwa-rang, the pattern that an ITF Taekwondo student must perform when grading for his first gup.
- Hwoarang was voiced by a Korean Voice Actor (alongside Baek Doo San) in Tekken 5.
- He bears the nickname, "Blood Talon".
- Movement provided by Hwang Su-il; Hwoarang uses ITF-style Taekwondo.
- Hwoarang was featured in the E3 2006 trailer of Tekken 6 in which he is shown doing battle against Jin alongside Dark Resurrection character Lili. This could hint that Hwoarang may play a larger role in the next game and that his ending in Tekken 5 might be canon.
- Hwoarang speaks fluent English in Tekken 4, with an American accent. In Korean console version of Tekken 4, Hwoarang and the Seargant in his ending spoke Korean. In Tekken 5 he speaks Korean.