Lars Alexandersson
Encyclopedia
is a video game character from the Tekken
fighting game series developed by Namco Bandai
. Introduced in Tekken 6 Bloodline Rebellion
, Lars appears as a member from the Tekken Force military unit confronting the Mishima Zaibatsu that started a war. During the game, Lars is revealed to be the illegitimate son of Heihachi Mishima
, the former leader from Mishima Zaibatsu and goes to confront the current one, Heihachi's grandson Jin Kazama
. Lars has also appeared in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, a video game based on a series whose author was in charge of designing Lars' alternate outfit. Video game critics have often commented on Lars' character, praising his appealing fighting style, but criticizing his design to the point of finding it ridiculous.
and became a ranking officer in the Tekken Force at a fairly young age due, in part, to his renowned physical and mental ability. Despite this high rank, Lars often fought on the front lines, which made him quite popular among his subordinates. Only he knew the fact that he drew the Mishima bloodline through his father, Heihachi. Lars' fighting style is based on Tekken Force trained and self-taught military combat.
In the console versions of Tekken 6, and more specifically in the story-driven Scenario Campaign within, Lars is made the central character along with Alisa Bosconovitch
. After an infiltration of a Mishima Zaibatsu-run laboratory goes awry and a series of Jack robots overwhelm Lars' rebel squadron, Lars is left with no memory and begins to seek out his true purpose. Joined by an activated Alisa, he crosses the world trying to grasp his identity. Along the way he meets a lieutenant in his rebel Tekken Force army who tries to enlist him to help the cause once more. Lars' memory is restored upon encountering Heihachi Mishima at his compound, at which point he also rediscovers his purpose. He resumes his role as the leader of the rebel Tekken Force army and infiltrates both G Corporation and eventually the Mishima Zaibatsu itself where he encounters Kazuya and Jin respectively. Before he is able to fight Jin at the Zaibatsu headquarters, it is revealed that Alisa has been acting as Jin's surveillance unit and has been monitoring Lars' movements around the world. He commands Alisa to attack Lars, to which she unwillingly complies as per her programming. After a fight with Lars, Alisa leaves to join Jin. At this point, Raven offers to accompany Lars and together the two pursue Jin into the desert where he intends to awaken the ancient beast "Azazel". At Azazel's Temple, Raven and Lars collectively defeat the newly awoken Azazel and encounter Alisa and Jin one more time. Lars disables Alisa and engages Jin in battle but before he is able to finish his fight, Azazel reappears and Jin turns his attention to the monster. Jin destroys Azazel (seemingly at the cost of his own life) and Lars' mission is completed. He brings the disabled Alisa to Lee Chaolan, who offers to restore her. After leaving Alisa with Lee and parting company with Raven, Lars gets a call summoning him for a new mission.
Lars is also featured as a playable character in the fighting game, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2
. He appears in his alternate Tekken 6 costume designed by Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto
.
. His outfit was designed by Masashi Kishimoto
, author of Naruto
.
's Ryan Clements found Lars appealing commenting on his "badass nature" as well as his movesets which were often punches aimed at the opponent's face. Additionally, the accesories that became to available to Lars were noted to make the him more likable to the point of commenting "I don't think you realize how badass this guy [Lars] is." On the other hand, writers from GameSpy
labelled Lars as "Captain Ridiculous" owing to his "absurd" looking design which they found similar to Michael Jackson
. Nevertheless, he liked his gameplay mechanics as it made him a fast character and allowed to torture the opponent. GameSpot
's Justin Calvert found him similar to Jin Kazama and commented that "the only thing remarkable about him on this occasion was his gravity-defying hair style." Writing for 1UP.com
, Shane Bettenhausen also praised Lars' moves mentioning their balance between speed and strength. However, like other reviewers, Bettenhausen considered the character's appearance ridiculous comparing him with Final Fantasy
protagonists despite his integral role in the story. While also calling Lars similar to a Final Fantasy character, Bryce McDonough from IGN AU stated he was "ridiculously strong" joking it was better not to make fun of him. Jeff Gerstmann
from GiantBomb considered his actions in the plot "pretty dull" and concluded that his leading role from the story mode was "sloppy" since while players were able to choose any character to play with, Lars was always the focus following fights. His moves were also compared with the Mishima characters by Videogamer.com's Wesley Yin-Poole, yet at the some less effective. Yin-Poole often called Lars "the emo", but added that his hairstyle and cape are "classic Tekken." Within the debuting Tekken 6 characters, GameZone
found him as the most challenging one as his moves would require a skilled player. Nelson Hum of GameFocus called Lars a "dud" and "Dragon Ball
reject".
Lars' addition to Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 has receive mostly positive comments. Kotaku
's Mike Fahey liked it as it helped to expand the game's roster, but thought others characters from the Tekken series would be more suitable than Lars. A similar comments was made by Tyler Nagata, a writer from GamesRadar
, who found Lars' alternate design to resemble Narutos character Sasuke Uchiha
despite not suffering changes for the game. Jamin Smith from Videogamer called it a "strange crossover", but still noted that fighting games fans would appreciate his appearance in the game.
Tekken
is an arcade fighting game franchise created and developed by Namco. Beginning with the original Tekken arcade game released in 1994, the series has received several sequels, as well as various home conversions and spin-off titles released for consoles...
fighting game series developed by Namco Bandai
Namco Bandai
, also known as the Bandai Namco Group, is a Japanese holding company formed from the merger of Namco and Bandai. It has interests in toys, video games and arcades, anime, and amusement parks. The new entity was founded on September 29, 2005...
. Introduced in Tekken 6 Bloodline Rebellion
Tekken 6
is a fighting game developed and published by Namco Bandai. It is the eighth game in the Tekken franchise. It was released in Japanese arcades on November 26, 2007 as the first game running on the PlayStation 3-based System 357 arcade board. The game received an update, subtitled Bloodline...
, Lars appears as a member from the Tekken Force military unit confronting the Mishima Zaibatsu that started a war. During the game, Lars is revealed to be the illegitimate son of Heihachi Mishima
Heihachi Mishima
is one of the main characters in the Tekken fighting game series. He is one of only four characters to have appeared in every game in the series and he makes two appearances within the series as the final boss...
, the former leader from Mishima Zaibatsu and goes to confront the current one, Heihachi's grandson Jin Kazama
Jin Kazama
is a video game player character in the Tekken fighting game series released by Namco Bandai. Trained by his grandfather, Heihachi Mishima in order to enter the King of Iron Fist Tournament, Jin wishes to avenge his mother's apparent death...
. Lars has also appeared in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, a video game based on a series whose author was in charge of designing Lars' alternate outfit. Video game critics have often commented on Lars' character, praising his appealing fighting style, but criticizing his design to the point of finding it ridiculous.
Appearances
Following Jin Kazama's victory at the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5, the Mishima Zaibatsu started a war against the world, with Jin at the helm. The rise of the G Corporation opposition resulted in a global trail of carnage. In the fray, a large portion of the Zaibatsu's special military unit, the Tekken Force, defected from the organization. Lars Alexandersson led the coup d'étatCoup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
and became a ranking officer in the Tekken Force at a fairly young age due, in part, to his renowned physical and mental ability. Despite this high rank, Lars often fought on the front lines, which made him quite popular among his subordinates. Only he knew the fact that he drew the Mishima bloodline through his father, Heihachi. Lars' fighting style is based on Tekken Force trained and self-taught military combat.
In the console versions of Tekken 6, and more specifically in the story-driven Scenario Campaign within, Lars is made the central character along with Alisa Bosconovitch
Alisa Bosconovitch
is a video game character from the Tekken fighting game series developed by Namco Bandai, first appearing in Tekken 6 Bloodline Rebellion. Alisa is an android with detachable body parts. She was created by Dr. Boskonovitch. Alisa and Lars Alexandersson are the main protagonists of the console...
. After an infiltration of a Mishima Zaibatsu-run laboratory goes awry and a series of Jack robots overwhelm Lars' rebel squadron, Lars is left with no memory and begins to seek out his true purpose. Joined by an activated Alisa, he crosses the world trying to grasp his identity. Along the way he meets a lieutenant in his rebel Tekken Force army who tries to enlist him to help the cause once more. Lars' memory is restored upon encountering Heihachi Mishima at his compound, at which point he also rediscovers his purpose. He resumes his role as the leader of the rebel Tekken Force army and infiltrates both G Corporation and eventually the Mishima Zaibatsu itself where he encounters Kazuya and Jin respectively. Before he is able to fight Jin at the Zaibatsu headquarters, it is revealed that Alisa has been acting as Jin's surveillance unit and has been monitoring Lars' movements around the world. He commands Alisa to attack Lars, to which she unwillingly complies as per her programming. After a fight with Lars, Alisa leaves to join Jin. At this point, Raven offers to accompany Lars and together the two pursue Jin into the desert where he intends to awaken the ancient beast "Azazel". At Azazel's Temple, Raven and Lars collectively defeat the newly awoken Azazel and encounter Alisa and Jin one more time. Lars disables Alisa and engages Jin in battle but before he is able to finish his fight, Azazel reappears and Jin turns his attention to the monster. Jin destroys Azazel (seemingly at the cost of his own life) and Lars' mission is completed. He brings the disabled Alisa to Lee Chaolan, who offers to restore her. After leaving Alisa with Lee and parting company with Raven, Lars gets a call summoning him for a new mission.
Lars is also featured as a playable character in the fighting game, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, known in Japan as is the sequel to Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Namco Bandai Games...
. He appears in his alternate Tekken 6 costume designed by Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto
Masashi Kishimoto
is a Japanese manga artist, well known for creating the manga series Naruto. His younger twin brother, Seishi Kishimoto, is also a manga artist and creator of the manga series 666 Satan and Blazer Drive...
.
Creation and design
In contrast to other Tekken 6 debuting characters that were based on fans' suggestion, both Lars and Alisa were created with a different approach. Lars was developed to be a character that veteran Tekken gamers would find new. Additionally, his motions and moves were made so that players could develop various strategies at the time of using him. The storyline from Tekken 6 was also made to focus on Lars' mysterious identity and intentions of an encounter against Jin Kazama. Katsuhiro Harada stated that Lars' techniques were made so that they could easily overpower his opponents as well as to counterattack them when the player is facing a difficulty using him. As with several Tekken 6 characters, Lars was given an alternate outifit designed by a manga artistMangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
. His outfit was designed by Masashi Kishimoto
Masashi Kishimoto
is a Japanese manga artist, well known for creating the manga series Naruto. His younger twin brother, Seishi Kishimoto, is also a manga artist and creator of the manga series 666 Satan and Blazer Drive...
, author of Naruto
Naruto
is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
.
Reception
Critical reception to Lars' character has often been mixed with several writers commenting on the character's outfit. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Ryan Clements found Lars appealing commenting on his "badass nature" as well as his movesets which were often punches aimed at the opponent's face. Additionally, the accesories that became to available to Lars were noted to make the him more likable to the point of commenting "I don't think you realize how badass this guy [Lars] is." On the other hand, writers from GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
labelled Lars as "Captain Ridiculous" owing to his "absurd" looking design which they found similar to Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. Nevertheless, he liked his gameplay mechanics as it made him a fast character and allowed to torture the opponent. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Justin Calvert found him similar to Jin Kazama and commented that "the only thing remarkable about him on this occasion was his gravity-defying hair style." Writing for 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
, Shane Bettenhausen also praised Lars' moves mentioning their balance between speed and strength. However, like other reviewers, Bettenhausen considered the character's appearance ridiculous comparing him with Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
protagonists despite his integral role in the story. While also calling Lars similar to a Final Fantasy character, Bryce McDonough from IGN AU stated he was "ridiculously strong" joking it was better not to make fun of him. Jeff Gerstmann
Jeff Gerstmann
Jeff Gerstmann is an American video game journalist and former editorial director of the gaming website GameSpot and the founder of the gaming website Giant Bomb. He began working at GameSpot in the fall of 1996, around the launch of VideoGameSpot when GameSpot separated PC and console games into...
from GiantBomb considered his actions in the plot "pretty dull" and concluded that his leading role from the story mode was "sloppy" since while players were able to choose any character to play with, Lars was always the focus following fights. His moves were also compared with the Mishima characters by Videogamer.com's Wesley Yin-Poole, yet at the some less effective. Yin-Poole often called Lars "the emo", but added that his hairstyle and cape are "classic Tekken." Within the debuting Tekken 6 characters, GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
found him as the most challenging one as his moves would require a skilled player. Nelson Hum of GameFocus called Lars a "dud" and "Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995; later the 519 individual chapters were published into 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. Dragon Ball was inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the...
reject".
Lars' addition to Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 has receive mostly positive comments. Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
's Mike Fahey liked it as it helped to expand the game's roster, but thought others characters from the Tekken series would be more suitable than Lars. A similar comments was made by Tyler Nagata, a writer from GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
, who found Lars' alternate design to resemble Narutos character Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke Uchiha
is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. He was created as a rival and foil to the series' titular character, Naruto Uzumaki...
despite not suffering changes for the game. Jamin Smith from Videogamer called it a "strange crossover", but still noted that fighting games fans would appreciate his appearance in the game.