Boxing Kangaroo Roger Is Not In Tekken 7

Roger, the boxing kangaroo featured in past installments in the Tekken series, is not in Tekken 7, producer Katsuhiro Harada has confirmed. But why?

Harada told VG247 that the viral video of the man who punched a kangaroo in the face has something to do with it. "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," he said. "People were complaining about him punching a kangaroo."

Harada went on to say there are "animal activists" today than there used to be. Although these people might not play Tekken 7, Harada said they "would still hear about that," referring to a kangaroo being in the game who is able to be punched. These people "would complain about it," so Roger was left out.

Tekken 7 does feature a fighting animal in the form of Kuma the bear. He's in the game because, according to Harada, a bear is "obviously stronger than a human being."

Harada clarified on Twitter that PETA, which has blasted video games in the past, did not come to Bandai Namco with concerns. Instead, Harada said Bandai Namco has "worries" about potential blowback.

GameSpot has contacted Bandai Namco in an attempt to get more details on this situation.

Tekken 7 launches on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on June 2. For lots more on the game, check out the news stories below and footage of the story mode here.

• PS4/Xbox One Cross-Play Should Happen, Tekken Boss Says
• Tekken 7 Boss Talks Rage-Quitting, Possible Nintendo Switch Version, Guest Characters, And More
• Tekken 7 Has Third-Person Shooting And Quick-Time Events