‘Leroy and Raven will kick your ass’ - Harada hits back at fans accusing Tekken of racism
"If you think you can just claim anything that way and it will pass, you are mistaken."
Tekken’s most famous developer, Katsuhiro Harada, has responded to criticism of how the series handles its black characters from fans who’re keen to see Eddy Gordo revealed for Tekken 8.
Whether or not players will be able to throw hands as Eddy Gordo — the Brazilian martial artist that made his debut all the way back in 1997’s Tekken 3 — has, for better or worse, been a big point of focus for a lot of them in the run up to release. Now, Harada’s stepped in to respond to one fan suggesting that Gordo hasn’t been formally revealed yet due to racism.
In their post, this Twitter user argued: “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.”
Responding, Harada began by saying: “If you think you can just claim anything that way and it will pass, you are mistaken. [Leroy] and Raven will kick your ass.” He then argued: “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?”
The developer finished by adding: “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.”
If a December leak via German and Hungarian versions of the PlayStation Store proves accurate, people could well be getting their Gordo fix as part of the game’s first season of DLC, alongside Roger, Xiao Meng and Armor King. This year one playable character pass, as it’s been dubbed, comes included with both the Deluxe or Ultimate editions of the game.
If you're plump for either of those, you’ll also get a bunch of other goodies that are detailed in this handy blog post. I’m sure you’ll agree that missing out on getting gold suits to dress every playable launch character in would be a crime against nature.
While you wait for January 26 to arrive, make sure to check out features dissecting why Tekken 8 is coming with enough launch content to blow your socks off and why you might end up spending more time in its training mode than you might first anticipate.