《鐵拳3》是南夢宮（Namco）於1997年推出的系列第三作，也是3D格鬥遊戲史上最具里程碑的作品。舞台設定在《鐵拳2》十九年後，隨著時間流逝，原本眾多熟悉的角色逐漸淡出舞台，迎來全新的世代。新的主角「風間仁」承繼三島一八與風間準的血脈，並在命運的推動下成為系列後續劇情的核心。憑藉System 12基板帶來的技術提升，畫面、動作與系統全面翻新，使本作被視為整個系列的高峰。到2018年為止，在全球累積銷量突破832萬套，甚至超越《快打旋風2》，被公認為史上最成功的格鬥遊戲。

故事從風間準與年幼的仁在屋久島的恬靜生活開始，然而古代格鬥之神Ogre的甦醒打破寧靜。全球武術家相繼失蹤，準察覺災厄即將降臨，叮囑仁若遇到危險便前往尋找三島平八。某夜，Ogre的襲擊奪走準的下落，而昏迷後醒來的仁只看見滿目焦黑的殘骸與母親失蹤的痕跡。憤怒與悲痛之中，他體內被壓抑的「惡魔基因」甦醒，在左臂烙下詛咒的印記。為了變強並擊敗Ogre，他向三島平八求助，並坦承自己是三島一八之子。平八立刻察覺仁身上潛藏的力量，暗中決定利用他作為誘餌，四年後舉辦第三屆「鐵拳王全球格鬥大賽」，期待Ogre現身並趁機奪取力量。

仁在大賽中一路擊敗強敵，最終打倒Ogre的真身。然而剛取得勝利之際，平八卻下令鐵拳部隊將他槍擊。仁在子彈雨中倒下，但惡魔基因再次救了他，使他黑翼怒張、死而復生。仁瞬間消滅部隊並將平八擊至寺院外，隨後飛向夜空，正式揭開「三島家詛咒」在後續作品的長篇劇情。

《鐵拳3》的最大變革，來自「橫移（Sidestep）」系統的全面導入。在前兩作中，深度軸移的效果有限，而本作首次讓所有角色只需輕推搖桿上下即可實現側身閃避，使3D立體攻防的概念真正成立。跳躍高度也被調整為更貼近現實，使空戰不再過度浮空，而是更注重可控性與地面攻防。連段判定、倒地起身、擒拿脫出、投技派生等細節皆被大幅優化，使整體動作更流暢、更加強調節奏與預判。這些改動同時滿足新手與高手：入門者可以輕鬆按出漂亮動作，而熟練玩家則能透過節奏掌握、間合控制與軸移對抗展現深度技術，構成「容易上手、深不可測」的格鬥哲學，也成為系列後續所有作品的基礎。

本作在角色設計方面大幅擺脫前作那種B級電影式的造型，轉向更寫實、更具現代感的格鬥家。風間仁的空手道、花郎的跆拳道、凌曉雨的中國武術皆透過真人動作捕捉呈現，動作自然、拳腳節奏有力，達到當時極具說服力的視覺水準。尤以「艾迪（卡波耶拉）」與「花郎（跆拳道）」最受矚目，他們的武術姿態完全忠實於真實格鬥家，是格鬥遊戲中最成功的動作捕捉案例之一。一方面，系列怪奇傳統也沒消失，像「木人」、「熊」、「吉光」等角色讓寫實與荒誕維持並存，保留《鐵拳》獨特的遊戲個性。

PS版本推出後，不只完美移植街機內容，更增加大量特色模式，讓遊戲變得更加耐玩。Tekken Force是橫向卷軸清版動作玩法，玩家操控角色連續打倒敵兵，最後挑戰平八；重複通關四次還可解鎖 Dr. Bosconovitch。Tekken Ball 則是將格鬥與排球混合的創意模式，玩家以拳腳擊球並反彈至對手以造成傷害。輕鬆、有趣且策略性十足，是最受粉絲喜愛的支線模式之一。

自街機推出起便迅速席捲全球，家用版更創下不可思議的832萬套銷量，使它成為格鬥遊戲史上最暢銷的作品，甚至改寫整個格鬥市場的格局。評論普遍認為本作是《鐵拳》系列的巔峰，動作、系統、角色、音效、節奏皆達到前所未有的成熟度。許多媒體至今仍將《鐵拳3》列入「PS 時代最偉大遊戲」名單之一。即便如此，本作依然存在一些缺點。橫移雖然創新，但判定並不完善，許多攻擊仍能追蹤側步中的角色，實際戰略價值不如後作完整。後撤步過強、部分下段技風險過低、角色強弱仍存在較明顯差距，使對戰平衡不如後續的《Tag Tournament》。音樂方面採用前衛電子工業風，雖然整體品質與風格統一性很高，但由於旋律性不足，使部分玩家覺得不易記住。然而多年後，這些曲風也成為《鐵拳》系列獨特音樂色彩的一部分。

《鐵拳3》不只是系列的里程碑，更是整個3D格鬥遊戲史上決定性的作品。將格鬥遊戲從華麗的招式競賽，推向講究節奏、間距、預判與走位的深度技術層次。許多後續名作如《鐵拳 Tag Tournament》、《鐵拳7》、《鐵拳8》都在其基礎上成長。它代表 90年代格鬥遊戲的黃金時代，也被視為格鬥遊戲最純熟的一次巔峰。

Tekken 3, released by Namco in 1997, is the third main installment of the series and one of the most pivotal titles in the history of 3D fighting games. Set nineteen years after the events of Tekken 2, the passage of time ushers in a new generation as many familiar faces gradually retire from the stage. The new protagonist, Jin Kazama, inherits the bloodline of Kazuya Mishima and Jun Kazama, and is thrust by fate into becoming the central figure of the series’ ongoing storyline. Powered by the System 12 arcade board, the game received sweeping improvements in visuals, animation, and gameplay, earning its reputation as the series’ high point. By 2018, Tekken 3 had sold over 8.32 million units worldwide, surpassing Street Fighter II and becoming the best-selling fighting game in history.

The story begins with Jun Kazama and a young Jin living peacefully on Yakushima—until the resurrection of the ancient fighting god Ogre shatters their quiet life. Martial artists around the world mysteriously disappear, and Jun senses impending disaster. She warns Jin that if danger comes, he must seek out Heihachi Mishima. One night, Ogre attacks, and Jun vanishes in the chaos. Jin awakens amid smoldering ruins, finding no trace of his mother. Overwhelmed by grief and anger, the dormant Devil Gene inside him awakens, burning a cursed mark into his left arm.

Determined to become stronger and defeat Ogre, Jin seeks help from Heihachi and reveals that he is Kazuya’s son. Heihachi quickly realizes the potential of Jin’s power and secretly plans to use him as bait. Four years later, he hosts the Third King of Iron Fist Tournament, hoping to lure Ogre out and seize its power.

Jin battles his way through formidable opponents and ultimately defeats Ogre’s true form. But at the moment of victory, Heihachi betrays him and orders the Tekken Force to open fire. Jin collapses under the hail of bullets—until the Devil Gene revives him once more. Sprouting black wings, he obliterates the soldiers and hurls Heihachi out of the temple before taking flight into the night sky. This marks the beginning of the Mishima bloodline curse that shapes the narrative of future installments.

The greatest gameplay innovation of Tekken 3 is the full implementation of the Sidestep system. While the previous entries offered only limited 3D movement, this installment allowed every character to dodge sideways simply by tapping up or down, finally establishing true three-dimensional offense and defense. Jump height was also redesigned to be more realistic, removing the exaggerated floatiness of earlier games and reinforcing a grounded, controlled style of combat.

Major refinements were made to combo logic, wake-up options, throw escapes, and command chains, resulting in far smoother and more tactical gameplay. These changes benefited both newcomers and veterans: beginners could easily perform satisfying moves, while experienced players could leverage spacing, timing, movement, and prediction for deep competitive play. This dual-layer design philosophy—“easy to learn, endlessly rewarding”—became the foundation for all subsequent Tekken titles.

Character designs underwent a significant shift, moving away from the B-movie stylings of earlier games toward more realistic, modern martial artists. Jin’s karate, Hwoarang’s taekwondo, and Xiaoyu’s Chinese martial arts were all animated using motion capture, giving their techniques natural flow and convincing impact. Of particular note were Eddy Gordo (capoeira) and Hwoarang (taekwondo), whose authentically captured martial arts made them iconic examples of animation excellence in fighting game history. At the same time, the series’ quirky tradition remained intact with characters like Mokujin, Kuma, and Yoshimitsu bridging the gap between realism and absurdity.

The PlayStation home release not only faithfully reproduced the arcade version but also introduced several popular new modes. Tekken Force added a side-scrolling beat-’em-up campaign in which players fought waves of Tekken Force soldiers before facing Heihachi; completing it four times unlocked Dr. Bosconovitch. Tekken Ball, blending fighting mechanics with a volleyball-style game, allowed players to strike a ball toward each other to deal damage. Light-hearted yet strategic, it became one of the most beloved bonus modes in the franchise.

Upon release, Tekken 3 took both arcades and home consoles by storm, with the PlayStation version selling a staggering 8.32 million copies. Widely regarded as the pinnacle of the franchise, it set new standards in animation, mechanics, character design, audio, and pacing. Many media outlets still list it among the greatest games of the PlayStation era.

Despite its acclaim, the game did have flaws. The sidestep mechanic, though groundbreaking, suffered from inconsistent hit detection—many attacks still tracked opponents during evasion, limiting its strategic value. Backdashing was overly powerful, some low attacks offered disproportionately high rewards, and the cast exhibited noticeable balance differences, shortcomings that were later addressed in Tekken Tag Tournament. The soundtrack, composed in an industrial electronic style, lacked strong melodic hooks, making it harder for some players to remember, though its cohesive production quality and distinct tone were appreciated by many and later became part of the series’ musical identity.

More than just a major entry in the franchise, Tekken 3 stands as a defining work in 3D fighting game history. It transformed the genre from flashy move execution into a discipline grounded in rhythm, spacing, movement, and prediction. Later titles—Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken 7, Tekken 8—all grew from this foundation. Representing the golden era of 1990s fighting games, Tekken 3 is still regarded as one of the most polished and influential fighting games ever made.