Tekken 8 Players Keep Asking For A Waffle House

Fans have been repeatedly requesting that Tekken 8 director Katsuhiro Harada add a Waffle House stage to the upcoming fighting game. Harada took to Twitter/X to ask players to explain the reasoning behind this unusual request.

“Ok, I will only ask once about this request. Why do some communities send me requests for ‘Waffle House’?” Harada asked. “Please be sure to explain the basis for the request, including the original story, history and background.”

The Internet’s Obsession with Waffle House Fights

The request to feature the popular 24/7 American diner chain Waffle House as a stage in Tekken 8 stems from the internet’s fascination with fight videos filmed at Waffle House locations. Thanks to short video platforms like YouTube and TikTok, clips of late-night brawls between customers and sometimes employees at Waffle Houses have gone viral.

The more outrageous and absurd the antics captured, the more likely the videos are to attract millions of views across social media. Waffle House fights have become an internet meme and phenomenon in their own right, with videos showing patrons and staff members using coffee pots, chairs, and other dining room items as improvised weapons.

One particularly viral clip from 2022 showed a Waffle House worker in Texas deftly catching a chair thrown at them and twirling it aside with impressive moves that wouldn’t look out of place in a fighting game.

Waffle House: The People’s Fighting Arena?

While Waffle House is just trying to run a legitimate business serving up diner food 24/7, the restaurant chain has inadvertently gained a reputation as a “fight club” venue among certain internet communities. The constant stream of fight footage has cemented Waffle House as the perceived arena for drunken brawls in the minds of many online.

It’s this meme-driven perception that has led Tekken fans to repeatedly request that the next game in the long-running fighting franchise feature a Waffle House stage where established characters like Jin Kazama and Paul Phoenix can face off amid scattered hash browns and broken dishware.

Trademark and Rights Issues

However, in a follow-up tweet, Harada highlighted a major potential roadblock to fulfilling this fan request, getting approval from Waffle House’s corporate leadership. “The restaurant has the trademark and the rights to the restaurant, so if the restaurant refuses to accept my proposal, it will not happen,” he explained.

It seems unlikely that Waffle House would want to associate its branding and image with a fighting game that glorifies the very behavior it likely wants to avoid at its restaurants. But Harada isn’t ruling it out entirely, leaving fans with a glimmer of hope.

If Waffle House somehow did give the green light, it could open up entertaining possibilities in Tekken 8. Imagine a showdown between Kuma and Panda playing out in the dining area, or Tekken forces clashing in an epic battle while hurling plates of waffles at each other.

More Than Just Memes

While the Waffle House request is certainly fueled by internet memes and humor, it also speaks to fighting game fans’ desire for inventive, memorable stage designs that can become iconic. Cult classic titles like the Street Fighter EX series featured absurd but unforgettable stages like an office setting where fighters battled around desks and water coolers.

If done right, a Waffle House stage in Tekken 8 could not only provide a funny nod to online culture, but also join the pantheon of quirky, distinctive fighting game arenas. It would certainly give the game a uniquely American southeastern flavor.

For now though, the possibility seems to rest on whether Waffle House corporate is willing to take a lighthearted approach and give Harada’s team the legal go-ahead. Fans will have to keep those waffle-fueled dreams on the backburner unless the restaurant chain embraces its newfound internet infamy.