Tekken excluded/censored chars from major countries for 20 years

Current Fighting Games Fighting Game Discussion
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Digital Apartheid?
After 20 years of Tekken the makers have totally ignored the most populous nations and created characters only from a small part of the world. Are certain people not welcome to the party? Are some ethnicities being censored on purpose?

Amazingly Namco Games has published a MARTIAL ARTS game that has NO CHARACTERS from several countries that are globally recognised if not famous for their martial arts.

Not 1 character from Thailand. Not 1 character from Indonesia or Malaysia. Not 1 character from the Philippines. Tekken has not featured a single South-East Asian character, not ever.

Muay Thai America
Although Tekken has a Muay Thai character, this Muay Thai fighter is not Thai. Of course, that’s not a problem since Muay Thai is extremely popular all over the world. Both the entertainment and self defence industries of many countries have profited largely from Thailand’s national (royal) martial art. (Especially in my country)

However, for 19 years Bruce Irvin has been the only Muay Thai character in the game and Namco hasn’t found place for a Thai to ehm…represent Muay Thai. Even after the Ong Bak films Tekken has no place for Thais.

Imagine a game where Japanese or Chinese arts are exclusively represented by non-Japanese or non-Chinese characters? Imagine the same game not featuring any Japanese or Chinese at all. For 20 years.

BRUCE LEE’S HARDEST FIGHT
Ironically, Tekken has two characters that are clearly based on Bruce Lee. Mr Lee suffered from racism and discrimination both personally and in business. Yes, he was denied a job because of his Chinese ethnicity and the role of a Chinese monk was given to….an actor that wasn’t Chinese. Bruce Lee succeeded in spite of it all and opened doors for many people of Asian origin.

Sadly, 40 years after his death it seems some things still have not changed. Because similar to the Hollywood studio…

full post: tekken.me (cause it’s quite a long text)

No disrespect meant, but couldn’t remain silent while people are cheering for Pokkén. I wish for a positive change, it’s not like Tekken’s a few years old.

#HelpHarada

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theres only been on character based on bruce lee. unless you’re counting both laws as two people. and you are batshit insane.

3

Muay Thai is popular and practical enough that a non-Thai practicioner in the limelight isn’t out of the ordinary. A non-Chinese Kung Fu master would raise eyebrows though. Also, Thai boxers don’t compete internationally much because they make more money at home. How many Thai MMA fighters are there in comparison to the hundreds of thousands of non-Thai MMA fighters who practice Muay Thai?

On an other note, what the fuck is up with people hungry to find some social justice issue to create and fight for?

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I personally wish Shaq-Fu had a proper practitioner within the Tekken universe.
#HelpYourself

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god excluded common sense from major parts of your brain since eternity

#HelpDeezNuts

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I suggest you picket out in front of their building. However, this is meta-discussion of Tekken, and Tekken has its own forum here:

Thanks!