During the Japan Fighting Game Publishers Roundtable that took place recently, Tekken director and producer Katsuhiro Harada revealed that he began wearing his trademark sunglasses after Capcom asked him to become a villain.
“I was actually forced by Capcom to wear these sunglasses, originally,” Harada said during the live stream as reported by Event Hubs.
“They told me, ‘Please wear these sunglasses for four years since you’re the bad guy.’ And now I’m still wearing them 10 years later.”
Harada would don his signature sunglasses during the cross-promotion for Street Fighter X Tekken, with Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono positioned as the good guy foil, according to English translator Michael Murray. “He said that his sunglasses are something that Capcom asked us for,” said Murray.
“True story though. Capcom U.S.A. told him to do it because he’s ‘the bad guy.’ That was back during the Street Fighter X Tekken stuff. Yoshinori Ono was supposed to be the good guy and Harada was the bad guy. But then everyone came to expect it. He has to play along, right?”
Harada’s sunglasses have become part of his personal image in the years since Capcom released Street Fighter X Tekken, with the video game producer always seen wearing a pair during public appearances.
Even when he made a cameo in the Tekken 7 gameplay reveal trailer for The Walking Dead’s Negan, Harada’s digital likeness was sporting a pair of shades.
Beyond the origin story of Harada’s fashion style, more information on Tekken 7 was revealed. Season Pass 4 was announced, although who the first new brawler will be in the Bandai Namco game is currently unknown.
The update will also see the roster refreshed with new moves, enhanced online play, and a Tekken Prowess metric to give players more details on their overall performance.
