Meet the Saudi Arabian fighter joining Tekken 7's lineup

Tekken 7 will feature a new Saudi Arabian character in its fighting roster, game director Katushiro Hara has revealed alongside an image of the robed Shaheen on Twitter.

You can check out the image in full below, which shows Shaheen in full Middle Eastern garb, bejeweled fist and sword.

If he looks familiar to you, you're right. Harada announced the concept for the new fighter earlier in the year, stating he and his team would turn to the Middle Eastern gaming community for feedback about their proposed character.

The Tekken team sought similar early character feedback last year for Tekken Revolution. Harada and team proposed a number of new characters, including a salmon, a woman sumo wrestler and a version of Paul Phoenix transformed into "a very cute girl." Fans ultimately chose Eliza, a woman vampire with a narcolepsy problem.

Harada pointed out at the time that the Arab character may not wind up appearing in the game, regardless of the reaction. "This is just a concept sketch," he said. "Nothing has been set in stone, so please do not jump the gun and think everything is already fixed and decided."

Bandai Namco announced Tekken 7 at the Evo 2014 fighting game championships. Harada further detailed the forthcoming fighting game at San Diego Comic-Con.