Tekken's Colonel Sanders dream fried by KFC

Katsuhiro Harada, the Tekken series director, once seriously tried to bring Colonel Sanders into the iconic fighting game. In an interview with TheGamer, Harada revealed that he pitched the idea to KFC Japan, hoping to add the fast-food legend as a guest fighter. Unfortunately, the Colonel didn’t make it past the boardroom, with KFC and even Harada's own bosses giving the idea a "bad look."

Game designer Michael Murray further explained that KFC wasn’t open to the Colonel swapping his chicken bucket for a roundhouse kick. According to Murray, the issue might have been that Tekken is a fighting game. While KFC has let Sanders be a part of other quirky projects like the bizarre dating sim I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin' Good Dating Simulator, a brawler was apparently a step too far for their brand.

Harada added that this rejection also kills any hopes for the fans regarding other oddball requests from fans—like the much-desired Waffle House stage—since these partnerships involve navigating tricky corporate discussions. For now, fans will have to settle for Tekken 8's actual roster, including the return of Heihachi Mishima​.