Harada Reveals He Helped Shape Tekken 8’s Viral Roger Jr. DLC Gag

Bandai Namco’s reveal that Roger Jr. is set to join Tekken 8 in Season 3 DLC has now come with a behind-the-scenes detail: series veteran Katsuhiro Harada says he helped shape the kangaroo’s viral-style gag after seeing the original inspiration.

Harada confirms he helped craft Roger Jr.’s reveal

After Bandai Namco announced Tekken’s martial-arts marsupial Roger Jr. will arrive in Tekken 8 as part of “Season 3” DLC, Harada—formerly the game’s director—stated that he played a role in how the character’s teaser came together.

Roger Jr. first drew attention during EVO 2026, where Bandai Namco showed a short preview. Harada says the moment was built as a clear nod to a viral Australian clip from a decade ago: a man punching an aggressive kangaroo directly in the snout while attempting to rescue a dog that the kangaroo had pinned in a headlock.

In a post shared on his personal social media, Harada explained that when the team decided to bring Roger Jr. back “last September,” he forwarded the reference video to the team.

“Back in September of last year, when we decided to bring Roger back, I sent the team a YouTube link to ‘that famous video’ because I wanted us to recreate it,” Harada wrote. “Some of the younger team members had never seen it before.”

Harada also clarified that he was not directly involved in editing the teaser itself. Instead, he said he only heard afterward that the team had been debating whether to include the recreation due to time constraints.

“I wasn’t personally involved in editing this video, but I heard yesterday that around springtime the team was actually hesitating over whether to include the recreation because they were running out of time. Apparently, [Tekken 8 game director Kohei Ikeda’s] final direction was, ‘We absolutely have to do it.’”

In the same message, Harada admitted he had stopped expecting the gag to make it into the final build.

“I thought, ‘They probably won’t do that gag anymore. They’ve probably forgotten about it,’” he continued. “So when I saw it yesterday, it genuinely made me smile. I thought, ‘Ah, they actually did it!’”

What players already know about Roger Jr.’s return

Roger Jr. previously appeared in Tekken 6, released in 2007, but was not included in Tekken 7.

Bandai Namco’s Roger Jr. teaser is shown at the end of the Bob gameplay trailer. Fans are also told to expect a complete trailer during EVO France on October 11, 2026.

Developer changes and what’s next for Tekken 8

Harada’s confirmation arrives after major staffing updates within Bandai Namco’s Tekken team. He announced his exit from the company in December 2025, after working on the Tekken franchise for more than 30 years.

After leaving, Harada said he formed his own studio, VS Studio, in partnership with SNK Corporation—home to series such as The King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, and Samurai Showdown.

Separately, it was also announced that Kohei Ikeda—another long-time Tekken figure and the game director for both Tekken and Tekken 8—has left Bandai Namco as well. Ikeda spent 20 years at the company.

With Roger Jr. confirmed for Season 3 and a full reveal planned for EVO France on October 11, 2026, the next watch point is how Bandai Namco will translate that teaser gag into gameplay details in the official trailer.

• Roger Jr. is coming to Tekken 8 as a Season 3 DLC character.
• The teaser debuted at EVO 2026.
• A full trailer is expected at EVO France on October 11, 2026.
• Roger Jr. last appeared in Tekken 6 (2007) and was absent from Tekken 7.