Summary
- The Tekken series once sought to add KFC mascot Colonel Sanders as a guest fighter.
- Tekken has included special guests from franchises like Final Fantasy, The Walking Dead, and Street Fighter.
- Director Katsuhiro Harada revealed that he attempted to bring Colonel Sanders to Tekken, but was quickly shut down by KFC.
The Tekken series 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. Tekken saw a resurgence earlier this year with Tekken 8, which earned much praise for its plot, graphics, and more “aggressive” martial arts gameplay.
Before Tekken 8 charged 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 like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. 2015’s Tekken 7 was especially noteworthy for its guest DLC combatants, featuring unlikely contenders like Fatal Fury’s Geese Howard, Final Fantasy 15’s Noctis Lucis Caelum, The Walking Dead’s Negan, and Street Fighter’s Akuma – the latter of which was even featured in Tekken 7’s story campaign. Many speculate that Tekken 8 will continue this with its own DLC, though no guest characters have been revealed yet.
Tekken 8 Reveals When Heihachi Mishima is Coming to the Game
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As the Tekken fandom waits to see if special guests like Final Fantasy 7’s resident powerhouse Tifa Lockhart will appear in Tekken 8, director Katsuhiro Harada recently let it slip that he once attempted to get Colonel Sanders as a guest Tekken character. In an interview with TheGamer, Harada said that he tried to get the rights to use the fried chicken mascot from KFC by visiting its office in Japan. However, the fast-food chain quickly shot him down after giving him a "bad look." Tekken 8 game 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 like Diablo 4 and Genshin Impact to mock consoles and dating simulators where Colonel Sanders could go out with Lady Dimitrescu from Resident 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 in Funko Fusion, complete with a chicken-launching bucket cannon.
In another timeline, KFC’s Colonel Sanders could have added Tekken to 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-running Tekken series. Perhaps Harada would have better luck adding a Waffle House-themed stage to Tekken 8, but gamers probably shouldn’t hold their breath for any restaurant-centric content anytime soon.
Tekken 8
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- January 26, 2024
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, Arika
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS5 & Xbox Series X|S
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.
- Franchise
- Tekken
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
