Paul Phoenix (ポール・フェニックス Pōru Fenikkusu?) is a character in the Tekken series who made his debut in the first Tekken game and since then has appeared in every game to date. He is a hotheaded, aggressive character, determined more than ever to win the King of Iron Fist Tournament to prove he is the best fighter in the entire universe. Although he gets close several times (especially in Tekken 3), Paul has never won a tournament.

Despite his initial setup in the first game as a possible rival to Kazuya, as well as his arguably more serious standing in the earlier games, Paul has increasingly become something of a joke character (story-wise). This is quite obviously evidenced by the facts that he is rivals with joke characters (Kuma I and II) and that his endings have become more comedic. Nevertheless, he is among the most popular and well-loved Tekken characters. Paul Phoenix is a tough American fighter.

Something of a drifter, Paul has no real career, instead making money by streetfighting and taking occasional work as a bouncer while he pursues his real passion - to prove himself to be the toughest fighter in the universe. Paul trains with Marshall Law, who would go on to become his good friend, and Lee Chaolan, and remains undefeated in battle, with the exception of a young fighter named Kazuya, who held him to a draw. When Paul hears the announcement of a King of Iron Fist Tournament, he enters, seeing the opportunity to face his old rival and prove himself to be the best.

While Paul does indeed come face to face with Kazuya, he is unable to defeat him. In the process, Paul acquires a new rival - a bear named Kuma. Two years passed before news reached Paul of a second tournament; while he was again successful in defeating Kuma, he still was not able to prove himself to be stronger than Kazuya; this time, Paul had earned the right to face Kazuya, but traffic on the Japanese highways prevented him from reaching the venue in time, forcing him to forfeit. Paul had to wait another twenty years for a third attempt to prove himself, but when he received an invitation to another King of Iron Fist tournament, he accepted immediately.

This time, Paul defeated all who stood before him, including Kuma II, the son of his old rival, and Ogre, the god of fighting himself. Returning home believing himself to be victorious, Paul was unaware that victory had once again eluded him; Ogre had not been defeated, and had morphed into his true monstrous form, only to be defeated by Jin Kazama. Feeling cheated of his win, Paul enters the fourth tournament, seeking his long-overdue victory.

This time though, Paul was too cocky and underestimated his opponent, who was once again Kuma, and lost the fight. Humbled, Paul returned to his training with renewed determination. When the announcement of a fifth tournament reached Paul, he entered with renewed vigor. This time, Paul successfully defeats Kuma, but the fight took its toll on him and, exhausted, Paul was forced to forfeit once again. Soon after, the sixth King of Iron Fist tournament was announced.

Short of money, Paul enters and, realizing he cannot succeed on his own, teams up with his old friend Marshall Law to see if they can win the prize money together. While they did well in the tournament, they were unable to claim the top prize. Undaunted, Paul continues to pursue victory in the King of Iron Fist Tournament and enters the newly announced seventh tournament. When Paul Phoenix, the golden boy of the martial arts world, steps into the ring, the excitement of the crowd is palpable.

But this time, when his opponent's name rang over the arena's loudspeakers, he could only scratch his head in disbelief. It was Kuma... again! However, Kuma was nowhere to be seen. Word went round that the bear had dropped out of the tournament. The ring announcer informs the spectators of a last-minute change to the fight card. Relieved, Paul awaits the entrance of his long-anticipated human opponent... But, however, it wasn't Kazuya as he hoped, it was a black and white bear, whose temper had hit boiling point due to Paul's behavior.

He is also present to help Marshall Law find a better fighter to run the dojo, and Paul claims himself to be one, but Law declines as it would be a bad idea for Paul to run a dojo like the last time he did, after "winning" the third tournament. Instead, Law put the word out that if any strong fighters wanted to try out for the job, they should come and prove their skills in combat. Challenger after challenger appeared, but none of them was good enough for either Paul and Law.

Ending Description: Paul celebrates his victory against his opponent which was another bear named Panda. The audience, however, begins to boo Paul for defeating Panda. Paul is then forced to flee the arena after the crowd begin attacking him by throwing various objects at him, particularly when someone threw a sword at him.