Summary
TheTekkenseries has seen its fair share of surprise guest fighters, and it turns out that longtime director Katsuhiro Harada once attempted to get the rights to use KFC’s famous mascot, Colonel Sanders.Tekkensaw a resurgence earlier this year withTekken 8, which earned much praise for its plot, graphics, and more “aggressive” martial arts gameplay.
BeforeTekken 8charged its way into the arena back in January, the series saw the occasional appearance by special guest characters, though this trend hasn’t quite reached the extent of other fighters likeStreet FighterandMortal Kombat. 2015’sTekken 7was especially noteworthy for its guest DLC combatants, featuring unlikely contenders likeFatal Fury’s Geese Howard,Final Fantasy 15’s Noctis Lucis Caelum,The Walking Dead’s Negan, andStreet Fighter’s Akuma – the latter of which was even featured inTekken 7’s story campaign. Many speculate thatTekken 8will continue this with its own DLC, though no guest characters have been revealed yet.
As theTekkenfandom waits to see if special guests likeFinal Fantasy 7’s resident powerhouse Tifa Lockhart will appear inTekken 8, director Katsuhiro Harada recently let it slip that he once attempted to get Colonel Sanders as a guestTekkencharacter. In an interview withTheGamer, Harada said that he tried to get the rights to use thefried chicken mascot from KFCby visiting its office in Japan. However, the fast-food chain quickly shot him down after giving him a “bad look.“Tekken 8game designer Michael Murray backed up this story, speculating that KFC’s refusal might have stemmed from the idea of Colonel Sanders fighting someone.
Tekken’s Katsuhiro Harada Wanted To Have Colonel Sanders as a Guest Fighter
KFC might not be the first thing casual audiences associate with gaming, but the popular fried chicken brand has made some surprising promotional efforts in recent years. From tie-ins to existing games likeDiablo 4andGenshin Impactto mock consoles and dating simulators where Colonel Sanders could go out withLady Dimitrescu fromResident Evil Village, KFC and its mascot have become something of a meme in the gaming world. More recently, the Colonel appeared in plastic form as a playable character inFunko Fusion, complete with a chicken-launching bucket cannon.
In another timeline, KFC’s Colonel Sanders could have addedTekkento his growing gaming resume, delivering original-recipe beatdowns to the likes of Heihachi Mishima and Bryan Fury as a guest character of some kind. However, it was not to be, as KFC quickly shot down Katsuhiro Harada’s proposal to bring the mascot to the long-runningTekkenseries. Perhaps Harada would have better luck adding aWaffle House-themed stage toTekken 8, but gamers probably shouldn’t hold their breath for any restaurant-centric content anytime soon.
Tekken 8
WHERE TO PLAY
Tekken 8 brings the fight to the latest generation of consoles, powered by Unreal Engine 5. Feel the power of every hit in Tekken 8, the latest entry in the legendary fighting game franchise from Bandai Namco. Utilising the power and realism of Unreal Engine 5, Tekken 8 pushes the envelope for fighting games by taking full advantage of the power of the latest generation of consoles. Ground-breaking new features, breathtakingly detailed character models and dramatic environments make this one of the most visually stunning and immersive titles in the genre yet. Tekken 8 picks up after the gruesome battle that ended in Heihachi Mishima’s defeat in Tekken 7, focusing on a new rivalry, pitting father against son as Jin Kazama stands in defiance against Kazuya Mishima in a city-shattering face-to-face showdown.
