Katsuhiro Harada, the former director of the Tekken series, has shared a humorous story regarding his early experiences with Western internet slang following the 2019 reveal of fan-favorite character Leroy Smith in Tekken 7.

After the Wing Chun practitioner was introduced to the game, Harada received messages from the American fan community asking if they could "invite him to the cookout" to celebrate the character's design. Despite Harada’s extensive travel history to North America and his proficiency in English, he admitted that the idiom caused him genuine alarm at the time.

A Cultural Misunderstanding

"When I saw that sentence, I had absolutely no idea what it meant," Harada explained in a recent post. "In fact, my very first reaction was: ‘Oh no… I’m finished.’"

Harada noted that he had been seeing the word "cooked" used frequently in online spaces to describe situations where people were "destroyed" or disparaged. Because he had also been reading articles critical of video games, he interpreted the invitation as a threat of physical confrontation, fearing he had inadvertently offended the community.

"For one terrifying moment, I read it as: ‘Hey… we… we… can invite you to a party where we’re going to beat you up and roast you?’" he said. It was only after someone explained the positive cultural context—that an invitation to a cookout is a sign of trust and inclusion among friends and family—that his fears were assuaged.

Reflecting on Influences

The anecdote surfaced after a fan on X shared a clip from the 1985 cult classic The Last Dragon, suggesting the film and broader Black culture influenced the creation of Tekken characters. Harada confirmed that he drew inspiration from several prominent Black figures throughout his career, specifically naming:

  • Michael Jackson
  • Wesley Snipes (as Blade)
  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (in Game of Death)
  • Jim Kelly (in Enter the Dragon)

Harada expressed regret that he never accepted an invitation to attend a community cookout in person, especially after learning about the scale of the equipment used, which he noted was significantly larger than what is typical in Japan. "That really was the perfect opportunity," he added.

Moving Forward

This story marks a reflective moment for the veteran developer, whose career in the industry spans 31 years. Earlier this year, Harada departed Bandai Namco to establish his own development house, VS Studio. He intends to focus on creating a new fighting game project as he returns to his roots in game development.