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Tekken 8 director issues scathing response to racism allegations

Following a X comment claiming the creators behind Tekken 8 are racist, game director Katsuhiro Harada issues a scathing response.

Tekken 8 director issues scathing response to racism allegations: A black man wearing huge glasses with golden chains and a white and gold shirt with white dreadlocks stands ready to fight

Following a claim that Tekken 8‘s development team is racist for not revealing Eddy Gordo ahead of launch, game director and franchise creator Katsuhrio Harada has issued a response calling the original poster a “delusional person.”

One X (formerly Twitter) user asked about Eddy Gordo, the Brazilian powerhouse who is currently missing from the Tekken 8 roster lineup. They go on to speculate that the reason for his omission so far is that the development team is “racist,” claiming that Tekken 8‘s creators “don’t care about black characters or dark skinned people.”

“It’s going to be a while until the real fighters come out instead of these, whites, Latins, and Asians,” they conclude, tagging game director and Tekken creator Katsuhiro Harada in the post. Harada was quick to issue a response.

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“If you think you can just claim anything that way and it will pass, you are mistaken,” he writes in a January 3 response. “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 realize that even if it were an emotional argument, it doesn’t make sense.” Please note that the original response has been edited, and this is the finalized version that’s available at the time of writing.

Tekken 8 director issues scathing response to racism allegations: A response from Tekken 8 creator Katsuhiro Harada to a tweet claiming the team is "racist"

One comment on Harada’s repost reads “I’m sorry you had to listen to the worst take in video game history. 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,” and has prompted a second response from the Tekken creator.

“Of course we do not consider our own IP to be perfect,” Harada comments. “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.”

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Harada issued a similarly explosive response to requests to add Eddy Gordo back in August 2023, asking players to “stop asking [him] for s**t,” while stating that “silly threats” will eventually lead to a “rapid decrease” in the dev team’s motivation. There are still a couple of weeks to go until the Tekken 8 release date, however, meaning we may see a trailer for the character between now and then.

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