Industry leaders in Japan recently gathered to honor Tomonobu Itagaki, the creator of Dead or Alive and the 3D Ninja Gaiden series, who passed away in October at age 58. The memorial venue was filled with heartfelt tributes, including copies of his games, artwork, swords, and pieces of his iconic clothing. Photos shared by attendees showed just how much he meant to the gaming community.
Itagaki was a major figure in Japanese game development. He founded Team Ninja in the late 1990s and helped shape modern action and fighting games. At the memorial, Koei Tecmo executive Yosuke Hayashi shared memories of meeting him in 2001. Hayashi recalled being assigned to Itagaki’s team and being told there was no work for him.
“I was assigned to your department as a game planner. You told me you had no work for me. That’s what you told me. Two weeks after I was assigned, I really had no work, haha. At the time, I lamented my bad luck, thinking it was the worst possible encounter,” he said (via a Redditor translator).
Hayashi’s strongest memory was developing Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox between 2003 and 2004. He said the project felt chaotic and sometimes impossible, but Itagaki never gave up. “The two of us spent 12 hours every night checking every adjustment to the game,” he said. When talking about his former mentor, Hayashi added, “You were so pure and cool,” showing how much respect he still held for him.
Itagaki left Tecmo in 2008 after legal disputes, though he had been declared innocent of harassment charges in court the year before. He later reached a settlement with Koei Tecmo over unpaid bonuses for Dead or Alive 4 and went on to create Devil’s Third at Valhalla Game Studios. Before leaving Tecmo, he told Hayashi, “Don’t change the logo,” a message Hayashi remembered for years.
Hayashi also shared the final message he received from Itagaki: “Thank you for remembering our promise. Times have changed … selling a million copies doesn’t earn you much recognition anymore. Please keep making great products from now on.”
After his death, a final note appeared on Itagaki’s Facebook page. “My life was a continuous battle which I kept winning. I caused a lot of trouble for others too,” it read via Facebook translation. “I take pride in having fought to the end, and having followed my convictions. I have no regrets, but I am deeply sorry that I could not deliver new works to my fans. I’m sorry. So it goes.”
