The idea of Colonel Sanders, the iconic founder of KFC, stepping into the ring of the Tekken series has been a long-held dream of Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada. However, despite his enthusiasm, Harada has faced rejection from both KFC and his own superiors.
Harada's Colonel Sanders x Tekken Request Shot Down By KFC
Harada Also Shot Down by His Own Bosses
For years, Harada has been vocal about his desire to see Colonel Sanders as a guest fighter in the Tekken franchise. In a recent interview with The Gamer, he recounted his efforts to bring this vision to life. "A long time ago, I wanted to have Colonel Sanders from Kentucky Fried Chicken fight," Harada explained. He even took the initiative to approach KFC's head office in Japan directly.
Harada's interest in this crossover isn't new; he had previously discussed it on his YouTube channel, expressing his excitement about the potential of having the KFC mascot in the game. Unfortunately, his dreams were met with disapproval, leaving fans with no hope of seeing Colonel Sanders in Tekken 8 anytime soon.
Game designer Michael Murray provided additional insight into Harada's discussions with KFC during the same interview. According to Murray, Harada's personal outreach to KFC was met with resistance. "They weren't very open to the idea," Murray noted, suggesting that KFC's reluctance might be due to the concept of Colonel Sanders engaging in combat. "It just goes to show how difficult these types of discussions are."
Harada has often spoken about his aspirations to include Colonel Sanders in Tekken, imagining a scenario where he had full creative control. "Quite honestly, I dream of Colonel Sanders from KFC in Tekken. Together with Director Ikeda, we have an idea for this character," Harada shared. He believed it could be executed brilliantly, yet KFC's marketing team remained unconvinced. "The marketing department, however, does not want to agree, because they think that players will not like it," Harada lamented. He even made a public plea to KFC, saying, "Everyone advises us against it at every turn. So if anyone from KFC reads this interview, please contact me!"
While the Tekken series has successfully incorporated guest characters like Akuma from Street Fighter, Noctis from Final Fantasy, and Negan from The Walking Dead, the inclusion of Colonel Sanders and even another food chain like Waffle House remains a distant fantasy. "It's not something that we can accomplish on our own," Harada acknowledged about the challenges of bringing such ideas to fruition. Nevertheless, fans can still look forward to exciting additions like the return of Heihachi Mishima as the third DLC character in the game.
