Arslan Ash Tekken Game Drama: Director Responds After Blocking Pro Player on X

The Arslan Ash Tekken game saga has taken another wild turn. Tekken 8 Game Director Katsuhiro Harada blocked multi-time World Champion Arslan Ash on X (formerly Twitter), leaving the fighting game community stunned.

On April 21, Arslan Ash posted a screenshot of Harada’s X profile, revealing he was blocked from viewing the director’s tweets. He simply captioned it with a series of question marks, signaling his shock and confusion.

Arslan Ash, known for his critical take on the Tekken 8 game experience, has frequently voiced his concerns, especially after Season 2 updates stirred controversy. Many fans now believe that his continued feedback may have prompted Harada to hit the block button.

Harada has a history of clapping back at criticism. In the past, he accused fans who disliked Anna’s updated look of “spreading toxicity” and “disrespecting” others in the community.

But this time, the FGC wasn’t having it. Blocking a champion like Arslan—widely considered one of the greatest Tekken players of all time—struck a nerve. Fans argued that if the developers are silencing feedback from elite players, the Tekken 8 situation might be worse than expected.

Fans React After Tekken 8 Dev Blocks Champion Arslan Ash

“Harada and Murray are straight-up sabotaging their own game. Blocking the best Tekken player, zero communication, ignoring real issues. Instead of listening, they’re shutting people down. It’s embarrassing—hey Namco, y’all messed up big time,” one fan fumed.

“The face of Tekken being blocked by the head of Tekken? Insane. Arslan could stop playing Tekken tomorrow and probably go pro in City of the Wolves in no time, especially with Esports World Cup coming up,” another chime in.

Amid the backlash, Harada eventually responded on X. He claimed the block was an “operational error,” adding that he had already reached out to Arslan Ash via DM to clear the air.

Still, many in the community remain skeptical. With top-tier players like Arslan Ash openly frustrated, it’s clear the Tekken 8 waters are anything but calm—and they’re not done making waves.