Katsuhiro Harada


Katsuhiro Harada is a Japanese game director and producer. He is best known for his time at Bandai Namco Entertainment and for his work on the fighting game series ''Tekken.''

Biography

Harada was born in Osaka, Japan, and grew up within the Nara Prefecture region. He later moved to Tokyo, Japan. During his childhood, video games were viewed with a great deal of suspicion in Japan. His parents would not buy him a home console, and as a result often sneaked into arcade centres, where he would occasionally be discovered and dragged out. He worked hard and ended up securing a place at Waseda University. He has studied judo, karate and a little bit of taekwondo in the past. He attended Waseda University along with Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki and holds a degree in psychology. During his university studies, he took a few Chinese language courses, albeit finding it very difficult. After graduating from university, he joined Namco to become a promoter. His parents were initially unhappy with his pursuit in a career with the video game industry, but have since accepted him in his work.
During his first year working in the Namco arcade, Harada surpassed the sales record two months in a row, and subsequently received an award of commendation from the president of Namco. Thanks to the award, Harada now had a platform to approach the management and request that they move him into game development. Towards the end of the first year at Namco, they gave him a position on the first Tekken title.
He voiced Forest Law in Tekken 3 and Tekken Tag Tournament, Marshall Law from Tekken until Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, Yoshimitsu from Tekken until Tekken Tag Tournament and Kunimitsu in Tekken. He is known within the fanbase for his sense of humor, such as his comical rivalry with former Street Fighter producer, Yoshinori Ono, jokes around the character Leo Kliesen in Tekken 6 because of their ambiguous gender, and for attending EVO 2017 in a shirt that read "Don't Ask Me for Shit". Harada is also a member of Project Soul and makes an appearance in Soulcalibur V as a bonus character.
By 2019, Harada had been promoted to lead the fighting game esports division of Bandai Namco, as well as to being a general manager at the company overall. However, on December 8, 2025, he announced that he would be departing from Bandai Namco at the end of the year.

Works

YearTitlePosition
1994TekkenVoice actor
1995Tekken 2Voice actor
1997Tekken 3Director, voice actor
1999Tekken Tag TournamentDirector, voice actor
2001Tekken AdvanceDirector
2001Tekken 4Director, voice actor
2004Tekken 5Director, voice actor
2005Tekken 5: Dark ResurrectionProject supervisor, voice actor
2007Soulcalibur LegendsContributor
2007Tekken 6Executive producer
2008Tekken 6: Bloodline RebellionExecutive producer
2008Soulcalibur IVCo-director
2011Ace Combat: Assault HorizonGame concept supervisor
2011Tekken Tag Tournament 2Executive producer
2012Project X ZoneSupervisor
2012Street Fighter X TekkenDirector
2012Tekken 3D: Prime EditionExecutive producer
2012Hyperdimension Neptunia VictoryVoice actor
2012PlayStation All-Stars Battle RoyaleSupervisor
2013Tekken RevolutionExecutive producer
2014Ace Combat InfinityProject leader
2015Digimon Story: Cyber SleuthSupervisor
2015Tekken 7Director
2015Pokkén TournamentProducer
2015Lost ReaversExecutive producer
2016Tekken 7: Fated RetributionDirector
2016Summer LessonChief producer
2016Project X Zone 2Supervisor, global marketing general manager
2016Dark Souls IIIGlobal marketing general manager
2017Pokkén Tournament DXProducer
2018Katamari Damacy RerollGeneral producer
2018Soulcalibur VIExecutive advisor
2018Ni no Kuni II: Revenant KingdomGeneral manager, worldwide marketing department
2018Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi StrikerGlobal marketing general manager
2018My Hero Academia: One's JusticeGlobal marketing general manager
2018God Eater 3Global marketing
2018Dark Souls: RemasteredGlobal marketing general manager
2018Black Clover: Quartet KnightsGlobal marketing general manager
201811-11: Memories RetoldGeneral manager of marketing
2019The Dark Pictures: Man of MedanGeneral producer
2019Code VeinGeneral producer
2019Ace Combat 7: Skies UnknownMarketing general manager
2021Tales of AriseGeneral producer
2022Tekken: BloodlineExecutive producer
2024Tekken 8Executive producer
2025Shadow LabyrinthExecutive producer