On October 16, Tomonobu Itagaki’s Facebook account revealed that the video game developer had passed away at age 58. Tributes to the Dead or Alive creator have been pouring in from fans and fellow game developers alike, especially in his home country of Japan.
The following post was made in Japanese on Itagaki’s Facebook.
“My Last Words:
The flame of my life is finally about to be extinguished.
The fact that this message has been posted means that the time has finally come. I am no longer of this world.
(I entrusted this final post to someone important to me.)
My life was a series of battles. I kept winning.
I caused a lot of trouble for others too.
I’m proud that I fought to the end, following my convictions.
I have no regrets.
Except I am extremely sorry that I could not give all my fans a new game.
That’s the way it is.
So it goes.
Tomonobu Itagaki”
Joining Tecmo in the early 1990s, Itagaki created Dead or Alive, working on seven titles in the fighting series, including its move into beach volleyball. He also played a key role in reviving Ninja Gaiden, with 2004’s Xbox-exclusive Ninja Gaiden reboot and subsequent games. However, he made a dramatic exit from Tecmo in 2008, suing the company for damages in Tokyo District Court, a matter that was eventually settled.
He subsequently went on to found Valhalla Studios with former members of Team Ninja and directed Devil’s Third, which released in 2015. In 2021, he established Itagaki Games, with the aim of producing a new work, but unfortunately this never happened.
Tributes poured in from fellow game developers. On the Facebook post, Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada commented: “No way Itagaki-san- You said to me we’d go out for a drink next time” — which apparently was their last exchange. Harada followed this up with a lengthy post on Twitter / X in English, describing the full history of his sometimes rivalry-fuelled relationship with Itagaki. Despite working for different companies on competing fighting game franchises, Harada recounts that Itagaki referred to him as a “comrade-in-arms.”
Tekken 8 director Kohei Ikeda lamented Itagaki’s passing at only 58 years old: “Rest in peace Itagaki-san, the fighting game legend who shaped an era.”
Team Ninja Studios also posted the following response on X / Twitter in both English and Japanese: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Team Ninja’s first leader, Tomonobu Itagaki. We will carry on the philosophy and creativity that Itagaki-san began and continue to create games that many gamers will enjoy.”
Former Super Robot Wars series producer Takanobu Terada recalled that “although we had no professional connections, Itagaki reached out to me quite a while ago and said ‘let’s meet’ and we ended up having dinner together.” Terada also recounted that Itagaki encouraged him, saying: “please keep on enthusiastically creating things.”
Likewise, former Dragon Quest producer Ryutaro Ichimura reminisced about fond memories of discussing the future of the game industry with Itagaki over food and drink. He recalled Itagaki’s warm words of encouragement, and remembered when Itagaki asked him for his autograph to give to a relative who was Ichimura’s fan.
“I felt Itagaki’s kindness in that moment, which made me even more of a fan of his,” he said. Hearing of Itagaki’s passing, Ichimura noted that “it didn’t feel real at first but once the truth hit me, I couldn’t stop crying. Carrying Itagaki’s words with me, I want to keep pushing forward and continue to create new works without any regrets.”
And Kirby and Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai also took to social media to comment, simply saying: “May his soul rest in peace.”
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
