The Shijin

Rashid/Nash SFV, Sean/Elena 3S, DeeJay/Adon SF2/SFA/SF4. Bruce/Josie Tekken, Mitsu SC, Metera/Zeta GBVS, Venom/Axl GG. Beginner Programmer/Developer.

[Guinness World Records @GWR]

All the records broken by Lionel Messi today:

Most FIFA World Cup finals goals by a football (soccer) player - 18

Most FIFA World Cup matches played in by an individual - 28

Most matches won by a player at the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup - 18

Most minutes played in the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup - 2,489

We are witnessing history.

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

@BlazeBinges As long as the portal remains open, YOUR world becomes MY world!!!!

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

@nicholas_whaley @BlazeBinges At least, not so early in the fight.

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

He's absolutely earned the rest. If he did decide to hang it up, I'd applaud him for it. Nothing anyone can say or do will ever take away from what this man has accomplished, and he really has nothing to prove to anyone other than himself, and he's already done just that.

[J I Y U N A @jiyunaJP]

Daigo on stream talking about Kemonomichi. He says he seriously planned on retiring if he lost to Mena. The reason being that since SF6 release he has not felt “strong” or the motivation to improve like in his youth in the arcade days. But after 3 months of training, in the final week before the match he thought, “Wait a minute. Am I strong again? This is what it felt like back in the day.”

He was incredibly stressed the day before the match and couldn’t eat, and said just walking outside felt like he was already in the fight. He thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep due to stress, but surprisingly fell asleep easily - however when he woke up he had tears in his eyes. He doesn’t know why, but he thinks it’s because he had a dream where he quit Fighting Games.

After he lost to Mena, he still thought it was time to retire. But in the taxi ride back to Tokyo, Eita kept bothering him and begging him not to. Daigo agreed just to shut him up, but then he thought back on that feeling of being strong in the last week and thought if he could keep that same motivation and approach he had for Kemonomichi, he could become strong again.

For now he has decided to continue competing, but is taking a short rest after the set.

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

Very underrated game, surprisingly solid.

[SNK JAPAN @SNKPofficial_jp]

【#Anniversary】
本日4月27日で『KOF MAXIMUM IMPACT 2』（2006年発売）は発売20周年を迎えました👊

これまで本作を遊んでくださった皆さまに、心より感謝いたします✨

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

I mean, they gotta be right SOMETIMES.......😁

[GameStop @gamestop]

A Statement from GameStop

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

@pator_x @Xbox_Nostalgia Soulcalibur V also put in Ezio as a guest character.

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

@mend97726 The difference is, you get all of this now with one button press, versus breaking three of your fingers back in the day.

Context matters.

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

@Robotlien_RL @RealMikeHollow The biggest thing I've seen since I started looking at the reactions is that the lack of 6v6 battles, even in private matches, is turning a lot of people off.

[KAMEN RIDER Global @KamenRider_EN]

Exciting news for global Kamen Rider fans🏍️🌏
Past Kamen Rider series will now be streaming on TTWO Youtube Channel (TOEI TOKUSATSU WORLD OFFICIAL), starting with Kamen Rider AGITO and KABUTO.

And this is just the beginning… more exclusive projects and releases are on the way.

Make sure to subscribe to the TTWO YouTube channel and turn on notifications so you don’t miss any updates: https://t.co/OW6i6zToMr

55th GOGO!!

#KamenRider #Tokusatsu #KamenRiderDay

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

THIS energy.......❤️👊🏾

[Tekken Underground @TKUNDRGRND]

Tekken 3 and TTT have ROLLBACK netcode for international play and it's all easy to access through one simple setup. Who's forcing you to play T8? https://t.co/81awQDlX8E

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

@BNE_BNGM @YoshiCookie You might want to update the description on your video. You're promoting 2 hours of music.......but the video is only an hour and seven minutes long.

Just saying.

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

@DeadOrAliveHQ I'm cautiously optimistic. DOA6 didn't leave a particularly good taste in people's mouths, both from a casual and competitive perspective. Hopefully KT and Team Ninja have been paying attention to all of this.

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

@livedoornews

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

@KevOnStage Nothing else like it, bro. Glad you enjoyed it!

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

@anime_ You know Roy enjoyed every bit of that. 😈

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

@Harada_TEKKEN I dig how you looked inward, remembering that you did this yourself when you were younger. It's only natural; we all do it. But it's important to pause and reflect on that regularly as the tides continue to turn.

Well put, Harada-san. Well put.

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

@Harada_TEKKEN And everyone reacting to this response like you set out to cook this guy is missing what you were trying to say completely. You are pointing out how the nuance and context of the original art can get lost in the glitz and glamour of innovation, which happens from era to era.

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

This series is your baby. Without the work you put into keeping it alive and relevant for the past 30 years, we wouldn't even have it right now.

Take your rest. You've earned it. Thank you for everything. 👊🏾

#ReadyForTheNextBattle

[Katsuhiro Harada @Harada_TEKKEN]

I’d like to share that I’ll be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025.
With the TEKKEN series reaching its 30th anniversary—an important milestone for a project I’ve devoted much of my life to—I felt this was the most fitting moment to bring one chapter to a close.

My roots lie in the days when I supported small local tournaments in Japanese arcades and in small halls and community centers overseas.
I still remember carrying arcade cabinets by myself, encouraging people to “Please try TEKKEN,” and directly facing the players right in front of me.
The conversations and atmosphere we shared in those places became the core of who I am as a developer and game creator.

Even as the times changed, those experiences have remained at the center of my identity.
And even after the tournament scene grew much larger, many of you continued to treat me like an old friend—challenging me at venues, inviting me out for drinks at bars.
Those memories are also deeply precious to me.
In recent years, I experienced the loss of several close friends in my personal life, and in my professional life I witnessed the retirement or passing of many senior colleagues whom I deeply respect.
Those accumulated events made me reflect on the “time I have left as a creator.”
During that period, I sought advice from Ken Kutaragi—whom I respect as though he were another father—and received invaluable encouragement and guidance.
His words quietly supported me in making this decision.

Over the past four to five years, I’ve gradually handed over all of my responsibilities, as well as the stories and worldbuilding I oversaw, to the team, bringing me to the present day.
Looking back, I was fortunate to work on an extraordinary variety of projects—VR titles (such as Summer Lesson), Pokkén Tournament, the SoulCalibur series, and many others, both inside and outside the company.
Each project was full of new discoveries and learning, and every one of them became an irreplaceable experience for me.
To everyone who has supported me, to communities around the world, and to all the colleagues who have walked alongside me for so many years, I offer my deepest gratitude.
I’ll share more about my next steps at a later date.
Thank you very much for everything.

【Postscript】
Although I will be leaving the company at the end of 2025, Bandai Namco has asked me to appear at the TWT Finals at the end of January 2026, so I expect to attend as a guest.

For 30 years I kept saying, “I’ll do it someday,” and never once performed as a DJ at a tournament event.
So instead, I will be releasing—for the first and last time—a 60-minute TEKKEN DJ-style nonstop mix (DJ mix), personally edited by myself, together with this announcement.
Listening to it brings back many memories.
Thank you again, sincerely, for all these years.

‘TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey – Harada’s Final Mix’ by Katsuhiro Harada 1 is on #SoundCloud https://t.co/PUFOWt3R6M

December 8, 2025 - The Final Day of TEKKEN’s 30th Anniversary -
Katsuhiro Harada

[日本語版 (Japanese version)]
このたび、2025年末をもちまして、私はバンダイナムコを退職することにいたしました。
長く携わってきた『鉄拳』シリーズが30周年という大きな節目を迎え、ひとつの区切りとして最もふさわしい時期であると考えたためです。

私の原点は、日本のゲームセンターや、海外コミュニティの小さな講堂やコミュニティセンターで、まだ小規模なトーナメントをサポートしていた時代にあります。
アーケード筐体を自ら運び込み、「鉄拳もぜひ遊んでみてほしい」と声をかけながら、目の前の参加者と向き合った日々。
あの場で交わした言葉や空気が、私という開発者の核を形作りました。
時代が変化しても、あの経験が自分の中心にあります。
そしてトーナメントシーンが大きく成長した後も、皆さんは旧知の友人のように私に声をかけ、会場で対戦したり、バーで『一緒に飲もう』と誘ってくれました。
それらもまた、大切な思い出です。

ここ数年間、私生活においては友人達との死別があり、仕事においては、私が尊敬する多くの先輩方の引退や逝去に触れてきました。
そうした出来事の積み重ねが、私に『開発者として残された時間』について考える契機を与えました。
その過程で、私がもう一人の父親のように敬愛する久夛良木健さんにも相談し、貴重な助言と励ましのお言葉をいただきました。
この言葉もまた、今回の決断を静かに後押しするものとなりました。

そして、この4〜5年をかけて私の担ってきたすべての業務やストーリーや世界観、そして責務をチームに段階的に引き継ぎ、今日に至ります。
振り返れば、VR作品（サマーレッスンなど）や『ポッ拳』、ソウルキャリバーシリーズをはじめ、自社他社問わず数多くのプロジェクトに携わる機会に恵まれました。
いずれのプロジェクトも新しい発見と学びに満ち、かけがえのない経験となりました。

これまで支えてくださった皆様、世界中のコミュニティの皆様、そして長年ともに歩んできた仲間たちに深く感謝申し上げます。
次の歩みについては、改めて皆様にお伝えいたします。
これからも、どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。

+あとがき
2025年末をもって退職致しますが、2026年1月末のTWT FINALには顔を出してほしいと会社からお願いされていることもあり、FINALにはゲストとして顔を出すと思います。
これまで30年間『いつかやるよ』と言い続けてやってこなかったトーナメントイベントでのDJですが、その代わりとして“最初で最後のDJ風60分ノンストップ鉄拳ミックス（私による初編集DJ mix）”も、今回のポストに合わせて公開します。

‘TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey – Harada’s Final Mix’ by Katsuhiro Harada 1 is on #SoundCloud https://t.co/PUFOWt3R6M

様々な思い出が蘇ります。改めて皆さんありがとうございました。

2025年12月8日 - 鉄拳30周年最終日 -
Katsuhiro Harada

[The Shijin @TKShadowBlade]

@RealMikeHollow This has to be pure salt talking on his part. Because knowing what he knows about this game, there's no way he honestly believes this. I can't bring myself to accept that.