Tekken 8's Roger Jr DLC Trailer Evokes Infamous Kangaroo Punching Meme

During yesterday’s EVO livestream in Las Vegas, Roger Jr. and fan-favorite Bob were revealed as two of Tekken 8’s upcoming season 3 DLC fighters. Fans quickly noticed the announcement trailer nods to a viral 2016 video of an Australian man punching a kangaroo, and remembered that former Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada said in 2017 the same clip contributed to Roger Jr.

being left out of Tekken 7 over “animal activist” concerns. Roger Jr. is a kangaroo, and the genetically engineered marsupial has been absent from playable rosters for almost 20 years, so the crowd’s cheers in the teaser were loud and obvious. In Tekken 8’s take on the viral clip, the Australian man and his dog are replaced by Leroy and his American Bully, Sugar.

Harada’s earlier remarks were blunt: “There was a video of a man’s dog being headlocked by a kangaroo, and he punched it in the face…It turned into a big problem. People were complaining about him punching a kangaroo.

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