Tekken Director Blocks Top Player on Social Media, Causing Community Uproar

Image: Arslan Ash and Katsuhiro Harada

Katsuhiro Harada, the legendary director of Tekken 8, has found himself in hot water after apparently blocking Arslan Ash on X (formerly Twitter).

The five-time EVO champion and one of the greatest Tekken players in the world posted a screenshot on April 21 showing he’d been blocked by Harada, simply captioned with a string of question marks.

Let’s just say... the FGC (fighting game community) did not take it lightly.

The reaction was swift and loud. Arslan Ash is no random pro — he’s the face of competitive Tekken and a global esports icon. So when fans saw he was blocked by the very man steering the Tekken ship, accusations started flying.

The common theory? Arslan got blocked for speaking out against the direction Tekken 8 has taken, especially the polarizing Season 2 updates.

The sentiment across the community was crystal clear: this isn’t just a PR misstep — it’s a serious disconnect between the devs and their most loyal players.

One fan summed it up bluntly: “Harada and Murray are straight-up sabotaging their own game. Blocking the best Tekken player, zero communication, ignoring real issues. Embarrassing.”

Harada’s Explanation: Just a “Misclick”?

In response to the backlash, Harada took to X to explain. His defense? It was all a mistake.

According to Harada, he accidentally blocked Arslan while trying to report posts in a language that isn’t his native tongue. He even mentioned that he once mistakenly blocked the official Tekken account and Michael Murray — another producer on the game.

“Had it not been a mistake, I would not have blocked my own official account or Michael’s account,” Harada wrote.

He also said he’d since spoken to Arslan via DM and cleared things up. Arslan confirmed the private exchange, posting that “everything is good” between them now. But not everyone’s convinced.

While some are giving Harada the benefit of the doubt, others aren’t buying it. The fact that this comes after Michael Murray previously blocked Tekken creator MrsPlayStuff only fuels suspicions that devs are shutting down dissenting voices rather than engaging with valid criticism.

Some fans believe Arslan went public with the block on purpose, as a way to highlight how disconnected the dev team has become from the top-level community. And honestly? The timing couldn’t be worse, with City of the Wolves and the Esports World Cup around the corner. If someone like Arslan decides to jump ship, that’s a huge L for Namco.