Katsuhiro Harada’s involvement with the Tekken series has taken him across the globe, allowing him to connect with fans from various countries. Despite being fairly adept at reading and writing English, he has confessed to occasionally struggling with the slang used in comments and messages from international fans, highlighting a humorous mix-up over a 2019 cookout invitation as a prime example.
Following the reveal of Leroy Smith as a Tekken 7 downloadable character in 2019, a group of enthusiastic American fans extended an invitation for a cookout to Harada. However, he misinterpreted the gesture, mistakenly believing that he had somehow upset his African American fanbase.
It was around this period that Harada noticed the slang term “cooked” gaining popularity online. The word, used to describe individuals or situations in a severely negative state, frequently appeared in responses to articles that seemed intent on criticizing video games. Whenever Harada successfully countered such arguments, fans would often reply with “cooked.”
Armed with this understanding, Harada assumed that “cookout” was an intensified version of “cooked.” Rather than recognizing the fan invitation as a casual gathering, he perceived it as an intention to “beat him up and roast him.”
Eventually, someone clarified that a cookout invitation is considered a high honor within the African American community, equivalent to being trusted enough to join an event exclusive to close friends and family.
Another instance of Harada misinterpreting American slang occurred when fans repeatedly called him the “fxxking GOAT” and flooded his posts with goat emojis. Intended as praise, this was initially perceived as an insult, with Harada thinking people were comparing him to an animal. Notably, when faced with what he initially believed to be “hate” (though it was not in either case), Harada’s first reaction was to educate himself about the culture to avoid similar misunderstandings in the future—an approach that has earned him praise from many fans.