Tekken 8 Director slams ‘deluded’ racism claims
The creator and director of the Tekken franchise has responded to claims that the games development team are racist.
The accusation was raised by a Twitter user who was upset that Eddy Gordo had not been revealed before Tekken 8’s launch.
Tekken 8’s Director shut down racism claims after not revealing a fighter prior to the game’s launch
The team behind Tekken were accused of racism earlier this week after a Twitter user became upset that the popular fighter Eddy Gordo has not yet been revealed before launch.
The user, TimTiger16, claimed: “The only reason why Eddy Gordo hasn’t been revealed yet is because the creators of Tekken are racist and don’t care about black characters or dark skinned people, so it’s going to be awhile until the real fighters come out instead of these whites, Latins, and Asians.”
TimTiger16 tagged Katsuhiro Harada, the Tekken game director and franchise creator, in the post, who naturally did not take kindly to the accusations against him and his team.
Harada responded: “If you think you can just claim anything that way and it will pass, you are mistaken.
“Leroy and Raven will kick your ass. Come to think of it, there are no Japanese characters in the American dramas and movies that I love, but I have never felt discriminated against because of it. What do you think is the crucial difference between you and me? (I am sure you don't understand).
“You are not logical at all, and you are simply a delusional person who doesn't even realise that even if it were an emotional argument, it doesn't make sense.”
It is worth noting that the Twitter response from Harada has been edited, however this is the text at the time of writing.
Commenters reacted positively to Harada’s response
Commenters have reacted positively to the post.
“I’m sorry you had to listen to the worst take in video game history,” wrote one commenter. “When it comes to diversity Tekken has been the best in fighting games hands down, treating characters of many different cultures with respect. I've always admired that about Namco.”
Harada responded to the tweet, saying: “Of course we do not consider our own IP to be perfect, we may have made mistakes, but at least we have learned a lot and are trying to make it loved by as many people as possible.”
Other commenters also came forward to defend the response.
One said: “This is the type of response we need to see more of when creators (especially Japanese these days) are accused of such ridiculous things.”
Others praised his reply, writing that it was an “amazing” response to the accusation.
This is not the first time Harada has had to issue such a harsh response to online hate after responding rather explosively to trolls demanding Eddy Gordo be added back to Tekken in August 2023.
