Kuma is a veteran fighter in the King of the Iron Fist Tournament. For six official tournaments, two non-canon tag tournaments and one crossover tournament, he’s been an aggressive force. But now, it seems that Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada is hesitant to let the bear compete in Tekken 7.
In an interview with Siliconera that was published this past Friday, Harada fielded questions about microtransactions, Lucky Chloe and the roster for Tekken 7 on consoles. Harada confirmed that they would be adding additional characters beyond the ones in Tekken 7: Fated Retribution. When the interviewer asked whether Roger or Kuma would be amongst them, however, here’s what Harada had to say.
It’s very difficult. They were part of Tekken and we’ve seen when they’re not there we have a lot of fans who say those characters are what made Tekken interesting we want to see them again. But, if we do introduce them, we get another side of the community who says, “What’s your problem? Why are you putting animals into my proper fighting game?” Then the people who got the animal characters are happy and they become quiet, but then the voices saying, “What’s your problem why are these crazy characters in the game?” are left. It’s very hard and it’s something we would like to think in depth about.
That doesn’t sound good.
The animal characters have been in Tekken since the beginning. The crazy, if crass sense of humour has always been there as well. I guess there’s something immersion breaking about having a grizzly bear, a boxing kangaroo or any non-human fighter competing in the greatest martial arts tournament in the world. But then again, throughout its bizarre history, Tekken has also had:
A decrepit, old man who fights on his stomach.
A schoolgirl who takes selfies with her opponents.
A sentient training dummy with a complex backstory.
Whatever… this is.
I guess everyone has a line, and for some people, fighting furry animals is it.
I say keep the joke characters. The goofiness in the Tekken franchise is an inevitable byproduct of its large rosters. The original console version of Tekken had 20 characters. Tekken 7 has 29 characters and counting. The extreme, weird fighters and left-field moments lighten the mood, add some needed levity and keep things varied and interesting. If it was all Mishimas and Devil Genes, the storylines would get really monotonous and tedious, really quickly.
If Kuma and Roger suddenly have ridiculous frame advantages and start popping up in Evo tournaments, then we might need to have a serious talk. But they have always been side characters, and they fill that role just fine. Anyone who gets that upset over a bear fart to the face is exactly the type of person who needs to have Kuma in the game; they need to lighten up a little.
Well, maybe that went a little too far. How about some dancing?
Ah, that’s better.
Comments
7 responses to “Should Tekken Keep Its Ridiculous Joke Characters?”
Of course! That’s what makes Tekken so great! If Roger Jr isn’t in Tekken 7 then it’s a straight-up pass from me.
They should add Vincent Adultman, three kids stacked inside a trenchcoat. Think of the juggle combo you could pull off with six fists!
Oh and I guess the entire Mishima family with their ridiculous heritage, Yoshimitsu and his ridiculous appearence every iteration and Gunjack/Jack # are all super serious characters. Where are the complaints about Fat Bob, or Bryan the cyborg, or Tiger Jackson? What about the silly stereotypes EVERY character is subject to? Mokujin ffs…
People love the game for the wacky characters. The people complaining need to lighten up and stop trying to ruin everyone’s fun. For the record, I hate playing as Kuma/Panda, but I would hate to see them gone.
Meh, I like the goofiness of those extra characters. You can’t turn all franchises serious. Thought Gon would get a mention here though!
I just want a return of Gon. He was great!
Tekken has the best joke characters. They should always be included!
Yes. Yes, it should.
Always loved those wonderful Tekken characters, but always hated the game because it’s the only fighting game I am totally shit at even when I studied one character’s moves to death. There is always that one dude who lives in the arcade (too bad arcades are mostly gone now) who then sits next to you on the only Tekken coin op in the arcade to challenge you, and wipes the floor with you kicking you off the machine to then put a roll of coins on the table so he can be happy for the next 5 hours showing off his knowledge of every single character to everyone waiting to for him to finish because challenging him isn’t going to do you any good. You will always lose.