Former Tekken Director Katsuhiro Harada Reveals He Totally Misunderstood What Getting Invited To the Cookout Meant After Fans Loved the Leroy Smith Reveal
Katsuhiro Harada, the former director of the Tekken fighting game series, recently revealed a humorous cultural misunderstanding that occurred following the announcement of Leroy Smith for Tekken 7. Smith, a Wing Chun martial artist character, became an instant fan favorite upon his reveal, earning the affectionate nickname “Grandmaster of Drip” and inspiring cosplays from celebrities including T-Pain.
Following the positive reception from Black American fans, Harada was repeatedly “invited to the cookout” by the community—a popular internet meme and cultural phrase used to express approval and acceptance. However, the Japanese game director was reportedly confused by these invitations, not initially understanding the cultural context or humorous intent behind the phrase.
Harada addressed this amusing miscommunication in a fan interaction on X (formerly Twitter), even sharing clips from the 1985 cult film “The Last Dragon” as part of the exchange. The incident exemplifies how internet culture and gaming communities operate on a global scale, and how cultural references and memes can sometimes create unexpected confusion even among veteran members of the gaming industry.