Meet ‘Shaheen,’ Tekken’s all-new Saudi character

Video-game beat 'em up franchise Tekken is welcoming on board its first Saudi Arabian character to feature in this year's upcoming installment.

Dressed in a white thawb (traditional robe worn in Gulf countries) and a checkered ghutra (a traditional head-covering), “Shaheen” will become the first Arab fighter to join the Tekken family.

He was introduced by Tekken director Katushiro Harada via Twitter.

The idea of introducing an Arab fighter was proposed in 2008 to cater to Tekken’s broad Middle Eastern fan base.

“To be honest, we did have an idea of an Arab fighter since 2008, but since most of the development team members are Japanese and do not know much about the Middle Eastern culture or clothes, we were not able to fully design it back then,” wrote Harada, as quoted by The Independent.

“But in recent years I (Harada) have been visiting places such as Dubai and Saudi Arabia, and many of the development staff members have been learning about Middle Eastern culture and designs.

“The development team likes this design and think that this character is a cool Arab fighter, but if there is something in particular to mention, please do let us know. We would like it if you all do like the character as well.”

Arab fans took to Twitter to express their delight over the news.

Tekken 7, the ninth installment in its fighting game series, is set for 2015.