Tekken 7 Director Reveals New Character, Clarifies "Lucky Chloe" Situation

[Steven Bogos]

Tekken 7 Director Reveals New Character, Clarifies "Lucky Chloe" Situation

Shaheen, a Saudia Arabian fighter, is the latest character to join the Tekken 7 roster.

Tekken 7 director Katsuhiro Harada has taken to sterotype [https://twitter.com/Harada_TEKKEN/status/550473977177468928].

Furthermore, Harada tried to clarify some of the confusion that arose with the "Lucky Chloe" character revealed last year. After a little bit of negative reaction to the character from a single, western message board, Harada said that the character would not be included in the US release [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/138981-Tekken-7-Lucky-Chloe-Is-Exclusive-to-Asia-and-Europe], and would be exclusive to Asia and Europe.

"Many spammers/haters attacking us (That was an extreme prejudice and tons of dirty words. Of course I hate this happen), then I said just counter 'sarcasm/joke'" said Harada [http://www.twitlonger.com/show/ni4llf] in response to the controversy, which, if we can work through the bad English, seems to me like he was just "kidding" about Lucky Chloe being cut from the US release. He added "We promise an experience equal for all players, communities," which further suggests that Tekken 7 will have the same characters across all regions.

So at this point, we know that Shaheen, the Saudia Arabian stereotype, will be included in the US release of Tekken 7, but we're still not 100% certain on Lucky Chloe, the "Cat Girl" stereotype. We have reached out to Bandai-Namco for clarification.

Source: Joystiq [https://twitter.com/Harada_TEKKEN/status/550473977177468928]

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[Ken_J]

Furthermore, Harada tried to clarify some of the confusion that arose with the "Lucky Chloe" character revealed last year.

Wait, that was just a few weeks ago...

Crap, Not these jokes again.

 

[Kameburger]

Yeah I was going to say, it seemed really silly that they would remove a character, although admittedly I am not actually against that response. I think Tekken is not a large offender when it comes to the male gaze fallacy, I mean no one there is dancing like a stripper and the most you get are some skin tight outfits. There aren't many gratuitous panty shots, and since the stances at least try to maintain a hint of accuracy they're are not many overly sexualized poses.

Then again I actually couldn't find this thread on Neogaf that they were referring to originally, but it does go to show that Japanese developers are reading these message boards. But it is one of the first instances where our demorepubligamocroxicity has hit Japanese shores not through the attention of their western members, which is not insignificant.

 

[Liam Steel]

Cat girl stereotype? I didn't know they were such an oppressed group.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

I don't think people hated Lucky Chloe because she was a stereotype (also, what the hell is a "Cat Girl Stereotype"? Is it offensive to women who think they are Catwoman?) I thought people hated her because they thought the character was completely ridiculous looking, especially in a fighter like Tekken that at least tries to be somewhat not goofy. Her look seemed more appropriate for "Skullgirls" to me.

Now, granted, I haven't played Tekken since about Tekken 3, so maybe the series has gone completely bonkers since then, but I just thought she looked like a really dumb character.

And also, with the exception of the sword, Shaheen looks and dresses like dozens of men I met during my time in the Middle East, so I'm not sure why that makes him a "stereotype"

 

[StriderShinryu]

Is Shaheen a stereotype? Yes, but his design was actually created in part through consultations with fighting game fans in the Middle East. If you look at the original concept art for Shaheen he was basically an Assassin's Creed character but his appearance was toned down considerably based on that consultation. So, given that he was at least to some extent a Saudi stereotype created by Saudi people, is there really that much to complain about and repeatedly reference throughout the article?

 

[LysanderNemoinis]

Cat girl stereotype? I didn't know they were such an oppressed group.

Everyone these days is oppressed, real or fictional. But after seeing this new character, I'm going to find a nice bunker to hide in because it's only a matter of time until this guy creates an absolute politically correct shitstorm.

But in all seriousness, for the sake of everyone at Bandai-Namco, I say stick to offending cat girls and nerds and whoever else, but maybe pull Shaheen from the roster. Because unlike any other supposedly offensive characters you might make, this one could lead to people getting hurt.

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

I think he looks awesome really.

I do agree with previous poster that it could possibly, just maybe, create one hell of a storm.
Or it might just be in a tea cup. It's a toss up.

Neko's are nice...didn't really see the problem with that one to be honest.
A bit over the top, but hey it's all good.

Captcha is telling me that time is an illusion..hmm.

 

[balladbird]

Cat girl stereotype? I didn't know they were such an oppressed group.

Spoken like someone who has never been on the receiving end of a cat girl union boycott. >.< they're the reason Disney had to pull cat ears off of Elsa in "Frozen"


to be serious, though, I actually really like the new design. there's nothing overtly offensive about it, though I admit to a little bit of ignorance on the subject. the headdress is traditional in the area, and it's not like anything about the outfit or appearance is inherently offensive. unless in gameplay he does anti-infidel yodels and chants death to america, I really don't see any grounds for a storm. Hell, it's actually pretty inclusive to have a Saudi Arabian character to begin with.

 

[InsanityRequiem]

Snip.

I don't find the "serious" argument for Tekken to be a legitimate argument. I mean, we're talking about a series that involved creatures and animals that don't exist as characters. Pandas, wood people, demons, and mythical creatures. Heck, I looked up Tekken characters and these five (of many) doesn't hold true for the "serious" argument.

Spoiler

So really, a chick that has a fetish for cat attire doesn't seem all that out of place for a series like Tekken from what I've seen.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I don't think people hated Lucky Chloe because she was a stereotype (also, what the hell is a "Cat Girl Stereotype"? Is it offensive to women who think they are Catwoman?) I thought people hated her because they thought the character was completely ridiculous looking, especially in a fighter like Tekken that at least tries to be somewhat serious.

Tekken and the word "serious" don't really go hand in hand. I mean we've got Tiger headed wrestlers, Bears, Pandas, Raptors (of the Jurassic Park type), Kangaroos, "Ogres", Demons, Angels... The list keeps going the longer the series runs, but its basic Anime stuff more or less. So a Cat Girl isn't that outrageous... No more outrageous than Paul's flattop or Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan clones (never mind the Cyborgs and robots).

 

[Megacherv]

Cat girl stereotype? I didn't know they were such an oppressed group.

Everyone these days is oppressed, real or fictional. But after seeing this new character, I'm going to find a nice bunker to hide in because it's only a matter of time until this guy creates an absolute politically correct shitstorm.

But in all seriousness, for the sake of everyone at Bandai-Namco, I say stick to offending cat girls and nerds and whoever else, but maybe pull Shaheen from the roster. Because unlike any other supposedly offensive characters you might make, this one could lead to people getting hurt.

Not particularly, he consulted the Middle Eastern fighting game community and they thought the design looked really good, and the fact is that that's hope Saudi people often dress. Nobody complained when Bob was introduced and he was a fat american guy in a work shirt and denim dungarees, or Miguel who looks like his name sounds.

 

[Jeremy Dawkins]

I don't think people hated Lucky Chloe because she was a stereotype (also, what the hell is a "Cat Girl Stereotype"? Is it offensive to women who think they are Catwoman?) I thought people hated her because they thought the character was completely ridiculous looking, especially in a fighter like Tekken that at least tries to be somewhat serious.

Tekken and the word "serious" don't really go hand in hand. I mean we've got Tiger headed wrestlers, Bears, Pandas, Raptors (of the Jurassic Park type), Kangaroos, "Ogres", Demons, Angels... The list keeps going the longer the series runs, but its basic Anime stuff more or less. So a Cat Girl isn't that outrageous... No more outrageous than Paul's flattop or Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan clones (never mind the Cyborgs and robots).

Don't forget all the dudes with the devil gene and Heihachi's youth stuff that happened in (recent?) games. Anybody trying to call Tekken serious does not have a leg to stand on. Although to me that kind of stuff is fine. I love Kuma, especially in his ending where he gets control of the zaibatsu.

 

[Alfredo Jones]

I'm glad Lucky Chloe gets to stay, if only because it will be a giant middle finger to all those who complained.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

I'm glad Lucky Chloe gets to stay, if only because it will be a giant middle finger to all those who complained.

Most people who were complaining being the kind of whiny dullards who clearly need to learn some damned tolerance for variety. Yeah, she's silly, but she's ultimately harmless.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I don't think people hated Lucky Chloe because she was a stereotype (also, what the hell is a "Cat Girl Stereotype"? Is it offensive to women who think they are Catwoman?) I thought people hated her because they thought the character was completely ridiculous looking, especially in a fighter like Tekken that at least tries to be somewhat serious.

Tekken and the word "serious" don't really go hand in hand. I mean we've got Tiger headed wrestlers, Bears, Pandas, Raptors (of the Jurassic Park type), Kangaroos, "Ogres", Demons, Angels... The list keeps going the longer the series runs, but its basic Anime stuff more or less. So a Cat Girl isn't that outrageous... No more outrageous than Paul's flattop or Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan clones (never mind the Cyborgs and robots).

Don't forget all the dudes with the devil gene and Heihachi's youth stuff that happened in (recent?) games. Anybody trying to call Tekken serious does not have a leg to stand on. Although to me that kind of stuff is fine. I love Kuma, especially in his ending where he gets control of the zaibatsu.

Oh yeah I loves me some crazy as fuck Tekken stuff. I've never really been able to grasp the "lore" but who cares? I love winning with Bryan Fury just because of one of his endings had him going all Hulk on a tank. Plus in Tekken Tag, he had the easiest bowling technique (my friends said using Bryan Fury in bowling was cheating...).

 

[DarklordKyo]

Snip.

I don't find the "serious" argument for Tekken to be a legitimate argument. I mean, we're talking about a series that involved creatures and animals that don't exist as characters. Pandas, wood people, demons, and mythical creatures. Heck, I looked up Tekken characters and these five (of many) doesn't hold true for the "serious" argument.

Spoiler

So really, a chick that has a fetish for cat attire doesn't seem all that out of place for a series like Tekken from what I've seen.

Don't forget the kangaroo.

 

[SKBPinkie]

Yeah, the whole "serious Tekken" thing is dumb. The series has had kangaroos, dinosaurs, wooden dummies, robot girls with exploding heads, alien samurais, dude with two-foot long blonde hair, and other random crap like that.

Why someone is "offended" over the cat-girl character is beyond me. You want to make an argument that she's a boring, tired stereotype? Sure, that's something that makes sense.

But a girl with cat ears and a tail is nowhere, and I mean nowhere near the weirdest character in a Tekken game.

 

[Mahorfeus]

Wasn't it obvious that he was just messing with them all along?

At any rate, Shaheen does look pretty badass. I'm a bit of a sucker for the Arabic warrior look.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

I will give anyone here even money that Fox will go in to Hyperactive Hyperbole mode and say that games now let you play as terrorists.