"I don't get much work these days," Tekken joked at a recent press conference for Tekken: Blood Vengeance." That's not entirely true, as he has regular bits on a few shows, such as a once a week appearance on daily kids show Oha Suta.

Advertisement

Earlier this year, he attempted to reinvent himself in an unusual way: He appeared on an afternoon talkshow with no make-up, something he had long refused, thinking that, as this video shows, he couldn't attract fans and attention. Tekken had developed a make-up free face complex.

But his decision to finally show his face without make-up caused a flurry online in Japan, with blog after blog pointing out that Tekken, this weird looking guy who was named after a video game, cleans up well and is "so incredibly handsome".

Advertisement

(ライオンのごきげんよう | FujiTV)

On the show, he talked about how worried he was about showing his face, and yet, how liberating it was. Yet in the world of Japanese comedy, where everything depends on standing out and looking zany, Tekken is back in full make-up, popping up every once and a while on TV and at a press conference. Tekken is an outrageous game, filled with outrageous characters, and Tekken out of make-up, while handsome, looked boring. Once a Tekken, always a Tekken.

Advertisement

For more photos of Tekken, including shots of him gaming with Kayo Satoh, check out this gallery at Kotaku Japan.

Culture Smash is a daily dose of things topical, interesting and sometimes even awesome—game related and beyond.

Advertisement

(Top photo: ニール太平 | Kotaku Japan)


You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post, at bashcraft@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.