Today Tekken 7 Director and Producer Katsuhiro Harada announced the newest fighter for the franchise, Shaheen from Saudi Arabia. The fighter was announced via Tweet from the Tekken veteran, and was added after Harada had previously polled the game’s Arabic fanbase back in August as to whether or not they’d like to see a new character in the game.
NEW CHARACTER for TEKKEN 7. “Shaheen” from Saudi Arabia. 鉄拳7新キャラ(のひとり）「シャヒーン（サウジアラビア）」公開。 We’ve more new characters. http://t.co/cPggBVY6hy
— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) January 1, 2015
Fans are somewhat divisive over the new character, whether he represents a shift towards better inclusion of different races in video games, or is merely an Arab stereotype. As Yannick LeJacq at Kotaku puts it, “he looks exactly like one would expect a Middle Eastern man to in Tekken 7.“
While people in the comments of the Tweet debate the authenticity of this Saudi Arabian representation, it is worth noting that Harada is no stranger to criticism when it comes to Tekken characters. After facing backlash over the perceived over-sexualization of the Nyan girl Lucky Chloe, another new fighter in the game announced in December, Harada announced that the character will only be available in the Japanese and European versions of the game. Honestly though, she has nothing on the Dead or Alive girls in their DLC outfits.
What do you think about Shaheen in Tekken 7? Positive representation, stereotype, or are people overthinking this? Let us know in the comments.