The idea of seeing Colonel Sanders, the iconic founder and mascot of KFC, stepping into the ring of the renowned fighting game series Tekken has been a tantalizing dream for Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada. Yet, despite his persistent efforts, this unique crossover remains out of reach. In a candid interview with The Gamer, Harada revealed that his proposal to feature Colonel Sanders in Tekken was met with rejection from both KFC and his own superiors at Bandai Namco.

Harada's vision of Colonel Sanders battling it out in the Tekken universe is not a new one. He has previously expressed this desire on his YouTube channel, imagining the KFC icon as a guest fighter. However, his aspirations were quashed when he received a "bad look" from his bosses after his proposal was denied. Consequently, fans of the series should not hold their breath for a KFC crossover in the upcoming Tekken 8.

Game designer Michael Murray provided additional insight into Harada's discussions with KFC during the same interview. Despite Harada's personal outreach to KFC, the company was not receptive to the idea. Murray noted, "[Colonel Sanders] appeared in games after that. So maybe it was just him fighting against someone [that] was posing a problem for them." This highlights the complexities involved in negotiating such crossovers.

Harada's passion for this project is evident in his previous statements where he expressed that he had "dreamed about" integrating Colonel Sanders into Tekken, even collaborating with Director Ikeda on the concept. He believed it would be "really brilliant," but the marketing department at KFC was not convinced, fearing that players might not appreciate such a crossover. Harada humorously pleaded, "Everyone advises us against it at every turn. So if anyone from KFC reads this interview, please contact me!"

While Colonel Sanders remains off-limits, the Tekken series has successfully incorporated other unexpected guest characters, such as Akuma from Street Fighter, Noctis from Final Fantasy, and Negan from The Walking Dead. Harada also considered another food chain, Waffle House, for a potential cameo, but acknowledged that such collaborations are challenging to execute independently. Despite these setbacks, fans can look forward to the exciting return of Heihachi Mishima as the third DLC character in Tekken 8, brought back from the dead to continue the saga.