Colonel Sanders Enters the Ring in Unofficial Tekken Collab

Tekken Director's Colonel Sanders Crossover Dream Remains Unfulfilled

Despite Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada's long-held desire to include Colonel Sanders in the fighting game franchise, the iconic KFC mascot remains absent. Harada revealed in a recent interview with The Gamer that his proposal was rejected, not only by KFC, but also by his own superiors.

This isn't a new aspiration for Harada; he previously expressed his enthusiasm for a Tekken x Colonel Sanders crossover on his YouTube channel. His attempts to secure the collaboration, including direct contact with KFC, proved unsuccessful. According to game designer Michael Murray, KFC was "not very open to the idea." Harada even described receiving disapproving reactions from his superiors and KFC's marketing department, who doubted player reception.

Harada's vision for Colonel Sanders as a Tekken character, developed in collaboration with Director Ikeda, was described as "really brilliant." However, the marketing concerns ultimately prevailed. Despite this setback, Harada playfully extended another invitation to KFC in the interview, urging them to reconsider.

The Tekken franchise has successfully incorporated other guest characters, including Akuma from Street Fighter, Noctis from Final Fantasy, and Negan from The Walking Dead. However, Harada's ambition to include another food chain, Waffle House, also appears unlikely due to logistical challenges.

While the Colonel Sanders crossover remains a missed opportunity, fans can still anticipate the return of Heihachi Mishima as the game's third DLC character.