Thank you so much for all the wonderful games and memories Tomonobu Itagaki –

If there is one game genre that dominated my 90s, it was fighting. I played almost everything, buying multiple versions of Street Fighter II as well as almost everything else. For a long time I preferred two-dimensional fighting, until I came across Dead or Alive.

At first I knew it only as an arcade and Saturn game, famous for its female fighters with particularly well animated breasts, something that was supposedly even customizable by choosing how old you were before you started playing. Released for PlayStation in 1998, I was in the middle of an intense Japan phase, and had a modified console and basic knowledge of the language. I imported Dead or Alive and fell head over heels in love with the glorious fighting system, built entirely around counters, speed, spectacular ring-outs and great rock ‘n roll attitude.

This was around the time of the real breakthrough of the Internet, and there was no Wikipedia or anything like that yet, and everything was still in its infancy. So I had no idea who Tomonobu Itagaki was. All I (didn’t) know was that I obviously liked his games. So when it came time for Dead or Alive 2 on the Dreamcast, I was ready for it, and it became the main 3D fighting game of my group of friends along with Soul Calibur, but I still didn’t know who Itagaki was, there just wasn’t a lot of talk about game makers back then.

In 2001, however, things began to escalate. Microsoft wanted to get into the games business with its own console. All eyes were on Halo: Combat Evolved while I was watching Dead or Alive 3. The first images were just unreal and the way it used lanes where you could knock each other out to continue the fight was revolutionary. I had a very good friend who went to the US, and bought me an Xbox on the condition that he could also buy Combat Evolved – while I was only after Dead or Alive 3.

Somewhere around here, Tomonobu Itagaki began to step out of the shadows. He was something so unique as a Japanese game developer going all-in on Xbox. He knew it was unusual, but he supported the console more than anyone else. With one surprising quote after another, he declared his superiority and loved the X-shaped prototype used during development, something that found its way into his games.

His games were, he said, much better than those of his competitors, something he often commented on. This was very atypical Japanese behavior, far from the humble attitude we are used to. Combined with his long hair and habit of always wearing sunglasses, it created the image of a developer with a rock star attitude. About Tekken, he said: “I don’t play Tekken. I don’t like games that feel like math.”

Although the debate over sexualization in games in the early 2000s was far from the same as it is today, Itagaki was often asked about the female characters in his games, who were always incredibly round with jiggling breasts and minimal alternative clothing. The criticism, however, was something he didn’t care about and responded with things like “Kasumi is strong because she’s beautiful. And she’s beautiful because she’s strong.” and “I don’t care what people say about the costumes. If you don’t like it, don’t play.”

We saw how little he cared two years later, when he released the outrageous Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball in 2003. A sort of dating game in which all the female fighters from the Dead or Alive series spent time on a paradise island playing volleyball in minimal clothing, while you could buy even smaller garments for them by earning money. In addition, there were some other mini-games to play for variety. Some were outraged, some loved, but all had to admit that in terms of gameplay it was pretty good and still looked ridiculously good.

Itagaki’s love for Microsoft seemed to be reciprocated, and for seven years he was hugely important to Xbox. Few others, if any, could show how powerful their console really was. The best proof came with the almost surrealistically delightful Ninja Gaiden, released three years after Dead or Alive 3. It was a reboot of the old classic NES series that Itagaki revived after the volleyball capades, and it showed that he was certainly capable of more than fighting. Ninja Gaiden was also known for its high difficulty, and Itagaki naturally had a point to make about that: “I don’t want to make games that are safe. I want to make games that punch you in the face.”

By the way, Ninja Gaiden got an updated version called Black and today is one of the highest rated games of all time on Metacritic with an average of 94. After Ninja Gaiden came a remake of the very first Dead or Alive, called Dead or Alive Ultimate. Again a great game, but especially memorable for being the first fighting game with a really good and well thought out online component.

In short, Itagai and his studio Team Ninja were incredibly prolific, for a long time averaging more than one game a year with Itagaki as producer and director. They were all top notch, and he really basked in the glory, his interviews were the most fun to read of the era thanks to a rock star attitude that went beyond that.

Thanks to his love for the Xbox, Itagaki didn’t release anything for the PlayStation. Many have wondered if there was some kind of business deal, but there’s actually a lot to suggest that he intentionally kept his games off Sony’s consoles, which he felt were not good in terms of performance. So Itagaki was obviously one of the most important people when the Xbox 360 was to be released.

In 2005, Dead or Alive 4 was ready for release, just as the third installment had been for the original Xbox, and this time it had received full confidence from Microsoft. The game featured a Spartan warrior – but not Master Chief. We can only speculate what the story behind it was, but Itagaki instead introduced a female Spartan warrior named Spartan-458. She looked exactly like Master Chief, however, and we even got to fight on Halo 2’s landing strip in a graphic fireworks display. This was another highlight – and Itagaki’s larger-than-life personality continued to grow. There was great joy on the Gamereactor editorial staff every time he offered a new spectacular statement.

And that’s what we got when Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 was released in 2006. It was the same concept as volleyball, but with more gameplay variety, including jet skis – and even less swimwear. This game faced fiercer debate than its predecessor, something Itagaki didn’t care about, declaring: “This match is not about volleyball. It’s about beautiful women enjoying their vacation.” and continued with “I wanted to make a game that makes people feel good. That’s all.”

Unfortunately, it was worse in terms of gameplay, and Itagaki’s first mediocre title, and that wasn’t the only setback he had. Perhaps Tecmo management was a bit fed up with their rock star, as they had agreed with Sony to release Ninja Gaiden for the PlayStation in a so-called Sigma edition. Itagaki was not involved at all, which is remarkable considering it is his title, and he was openly against it. The game was slightly inferior in terms of gameplay with several odd changes, and he was clear about his dislike by saying, for example: “It’s not my game. I didn’t make it, and I don’t want people to think I did make it.” and “They changed the balance, the difficulty, the feel. That’s not Ninja Gaiden anymore.”

But in 2008, it would get a chance to prove itself with Ninja Gaiden II. It looked terrible in the first few frames (screenshots were still more important than trailers in this era) and many wondered if it was even possible that the Xbox 360 could spit out such graphics, and the violence was seemingly macabre. That Itagaki believed in his title was clear, and he stated: “Ninja Gaiden 2 will be so ambitious that when other developers play it, they will lose motivation and confidence in their games.”

And yes, the game was very good, even today the system stands out as one of the tightest I’ve ever experienced with a Ryu Hayabusa reacting to the slightest hint. However, the design was more supernatural, which for me personally meant that I still preferred the original, even if it was mechanically better.

Unfortunately, this is the beginning of the end for Itagaki. Ninja Gaiden II barely had time to be released before he got into an open fight with Tecmo over large sums of money he was entitled to, while Tecmo criticized him for bad behavior. I don’t know which of them was right, but he left Team Ninja and stepped out of the spotlight for good at the same time. Two of his last big statements were when Ninja Gaiden II also got a Sigma release for the PlayStation, which he absolutely did not like. He complained and said: “I don’t know why they changed the enemy layout. It’s ruining the pace.” And added : “They removed the blood. That’s not Ninja Gaiden.”

Life after Team Ninja seemed difficult. He founded Valhalla Game Studios with other veterans, but it would be seven years before they released Devil’s Third for the Wii U, which was sadly mediocre and is the only post-2008 game in which he played a significant role.

I and many others fervently hoped that one of the gaming world’s funniest personalities would be picked up by another developer or publisher to create more game magic, but that never happened, and game making is perishable. After such a long time, he became less and less interesting to the giants, although he constantly wrote that he was working on things in different constellations.

In recent years, he has kept in touch with fans via Facebook and provided insight into his life. He has had a much more humble personality, but there have been no immediate signs of ill health. It was therefore a real shock when it was confirmed yesterday that he had passed away, aged just 58. Apparently after a period of illness during which he had been preparing and writing a farewell on Facebook (translated with Bing):

“In conclusion
The flame of my life is finally going out.
The fact that this post has been published means it is finally here. I am no longer in this world.
(This last message has been entrusted to someone close to me.)
My life was a chain of battles. I kept winning.
I also caused a lot of problems.
I am proud that I fought to the end, true to my convictions.
I have no regrets.
I’m just filled with sadness that I couldn’t deliver new work to all my fans. I am sad.
That’s life.
That’s how it goes.

Itagaki Tomonobu”

Many have expressed grief, not least Tekken creator Katsuhiro Harada (with whom he was a longtime friend and rival) and Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai, as well as Team Ninja.

Thank goodness the games are still around. Even though he probably snorted at the Ninja Gaiden II Black released this spring and would not have appreciated Ninja Gaiden 4 at all, his digital DNA is still there and we have all the memories. Obviously, the gaming world will be a slightly duller place without him, and I wish his rock star attitude could have continued to brighten an industry that is often rather timid and cautious. As we all know, that didn’t happen, but still, thanks for the coffee, you old ninja master, let me finish with another quote.

“I am not a game developer. I am a warrior who makes games.”