Keiji Inafune
Encyclopedia
is a video game producer
and illustrator. He was the former head of Research & Development and Online Business and Global Head of Production at Capcom
, best known as the illustrator and co-designer of the character Mega Man
, as well as the producer of the Onimusha and Dead Rising
video game series. In most game credits, he uses the name "INAFKING".
not long after graduating in search of a job as an illustrator
. His first assignment as graphic designer
was Street Fighter
(1987), which became a very popular fighting game
series after the release of Street Fighter II
in 1991. At the time, Capcom focused on the expansion of the home video gaming market; particularly the Famicom
from Nintendo
. Previously, most games released to the system were ports (release of a game to a different system). Now wanting to capitalize on the fledgling Nintendo system, Keiji's superiors directed him to create a new video game character called "Rockman
." Capcom's artist and developer teams were still diminutive at that period in time, and so Keiji was directed to be one of the leading artists to the new project.
When it came to the design for the Rockman game (which was later changed to "Mega Man" in North America), Keiji developed all the character art and designs. Due to the small task force, he also constructed the characters into pixel
form, as well as the game's respective logo, package design, and instruction booklet. As the Famicom was an early gaming system, only 56 colours were available for display, the majority of which were blue-tinted. Keiji noted that this affected the decision to colour the character blue (a result, fans have nicknamed the character "the blue bomber"). The designs of Keiji's character was also heavily influenced by Japanese animation, and he notes that he took observations from other video game characters present at the time, such as Mario
.
In development of the game, Inafune incorporated many references to various music genres, such as Rock
, which is the source of the Japanese name of "Rockman." Along with this, the team made a gaming system pertaining to the rock-paper-scissors
concept, one which the various Mega Man series
still revolves around today. The first Rockman/Mega Man game was released in December 1987, after which sales in both countries were competent, but as Inafune later notes, "While it did sell more than we had expected, [Rockman 1] wasn't a huge success as far as the numbers go." Noting this, Capcom superiors dictated that the team begin on a new project called Professional Baseball Murder Mystery, which was only released in Japan
.
However, the team felt strongly about the Rockman series, and urged that they be permitted to construct another iteration in order to amend the previous failings of the original and continue in the light of creativity. Capcom allowed the Rockman team to continue, with the prerequisites of completing the port of Legendary Wings
for the NES and Professional Baseball Murder Mystery as well. The team did so, completing the project on their own time, and on December 24, 1988, released Rockman 2
, with Mega Man 2 being released later in North America in 1989. The project proved to be a huge success, earning more than its previous iteration. Mega Man 2 is Inafune's favorite Mega Man game. Coincidentally, fans widely consider it to be the best Mega Man game, because of its production values, such as graphics and music. Capcom realized that the Mega Man series was a profitable investment, and many ports were constructed along with regular installments released on a yearly basis.
The next game in the "Classic" series was Mega Man 3
, released in Japan on September 28, 1990 and later released in North America in November 1990. Inafune considers Mega Man 3 as one of his least favorite Mega Man games. From an interview with Nintendo Power
in the October 2007 issue, Inafune explained the reason why is because of "...what went into the game and what was behind the release of the game." He also stated that the team was forced to put the game out before they thought it was ready and during the game's production, the developers lost the main planner, so Inafune had to take over that job for completing the game. Inafune concluded, "I knew that if we had more time to polish it, we could do a lot of things better, make it a better game, but the company (Capcom) said that we needed to release it. The whole environment behind what went into the production of the game is what I least favored. Numbers one and two – I really wanted to make the games; I was so excited about them. Number three – it just turned very different."
The success of the Famicom began to fade into obscurity in light of its successor, the Super Famicom
, and Keiji set his sights on the development on a new series called "Rockman X", which continued the plot of the original series, but set a darker tone and took place 100 years after the previous storyline. Keiji developed the characters X, and Zero
, and as before, released yearly installments of the series, beginning with the first game, Rockman X
.
Originally, Zero was meant to be the leading character of the X series, but Capcom executives convinced Inafune to continue with the analogous design from the original game. Ironically Zero became quite popular anyway, obtaining his own game series years later (Mega Man Zero).
During the 32-bit era, Keiji produced the three-dimensional Rockman DASH/Mega Man Legends
series after receiving requests from Sony to develop a new 3D Rockman series exclusively for the PlayStation, he concurred. Although he envisioned high sales and was an ambitious supporter to the development of the game, it was not a massive success. It is one of the series' that has spawned the fewest sequels. For nearly 10 years, it seemed like the series would not ever continue, but a full-fledged sequel for the Nintendo 3DS
was in the works garnering much fan praise. However, in July of 2011, Capcom cancelled the 3DS installment.
Originally, Keiji had intended to end the series' plot at the installment of Rockman X5
, and had begun development on the Rockman Zero series
, in order to elaborate on the character of Zero. However, he had departed to another studio in cooperation with Inti Creates
, and unbeknown to him, another installment, Rockman X6
, was created. This set a slight continuity error in Inafune's intention for the plot, but through some changes in the storyline, was alleviated.
series, which is set outside the continuity of the rest of the Mega Man story lines and introduced RPG and strategy
elements. According to Inafune, he received the basis for creating the series from observing his son. On April 2, 2005, Inafune was promoted from corporate officer to senior corporate officer. Keiji also developed another series, Onimusha, which has spawned various sequels, and focuses on past Japan, Samurai
warriors, and magic. Also, Inafune is involved in Inticreates' creation of the latest Rockman project, Rockman ZX.
Inafune and his team's next creation was Dead Rising
for the Xbox 360
. Dead Rising, released by Capcom in the U.S. on August 8, 2006, is a zombie-slaying game heavily influenced by George A. Romero
's 1978 movie Dawn of the Dead. Dead Rising is the second zombie game Inafune has worked on, the first being Resident Evil 2
.
Inafune's worked hard on the creation of the sequel to Dead Rising, titled "Dead Rising 2", which was released in 2010. In addition, he made his director debut in the movie adaption of his "Dead Rising" game, which is called "Zombrex: Dead Rising Sun".
On April 22, 2010, it was announced that Inafune would be Capcom's Global Head of Production. Inafune stated "I want to end comments that Capcom games made in Europe aren't really Capcom games...basically saying that whether games are created in America or Japan or anywhere in the world, I will be the one overlooking it and so it will have that Capcom flavor that fans know and love." Inafune has voiced various negative views on Japanese game developers, stating that they are behind Western developers in innovation.
On October 29, 2010, Inafune announced on his blog that he will be leaving Capcom at the end of the month with the intention of "starting his life over". He had been with the company for 23 years.
On December 15, 2010, Inafune launched a new company called . The fresh company's first relation to a video game as of late is the upcoming company-collaborative RPG Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2, in which a scanned image of Inafune himself makes an appearance as a summon for the main character Nepgear during a special attack.
and Mega Man X: Command Mission
).
Original Rockman/Mega Man series
Rockman DASH/Mega Man Legends
Other Rockman
Biohazard/Resident Evil
Game producer
A video game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game.The earliest documented use of the term producer in games was by Trip Hawkins, who established the position when he founded Electronic Arts in 1982...
and illustrator. He was the former head of Research & Development and Online Business and Global Head of Production at Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
, best known as the illustrator and co-designer of the character Mega Man
Mega Man (character)
Mega Man, known as in Japan, is a cybernetic video game character, and the main protagonist of what has been referred to as the original Mega Man series developed by Capcom since 1987. The pixel art for the character was created by the designer of the original game in the series, credited under...
, as well as the producer of the Onimusha and Dead Rising
Dead Rising
is an action-adventure, survivor horror video game, developed by Capcom and produced by Keiji Inafune. It was released on August 8, 2006 exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game console. The game was a commercial success. It has been introduced into the Xbox 360 "Platinum Hits" lineup, and a cell...
video game series. In most game credits, he uses the name "INAFKING".
Early projects
In 1987, 22-year-old Keiji joined the corporation of CapcomCapcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
not long after graduating in search of a job as an illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
. His first assignment as graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
was Street Fighter
Street Fighter (video game)
is a 1987 arcade game developed by Capcom. It is the first competitive fighting game produced by the company and the inaugural game in the Street Fighter series...
(1987), which became a very popular fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
series after the release of Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
in 1991. At the time, Capcom focused on the expansion of the home video gaming market; particularly the Famicom
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
from Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
. Previously, most games released to the system were ports (release of a game to a different system). Now wanting to capitalize on the fledgling Nintendo system, Keiji's superiors directed him to create a new video game character called "Rockman
Mega Man (video game)
Mega Man, known as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the first game in the original Mega Man series and the entire Mega Man franchise...
." Capcom's artist and developer teams were still diminutive at that period in time, and so Keiji was directed to be one of the leading artists to the new project.
When it came to the design for the Rockman game (which was later changed to "Mega Man" in North America), Keiji developed all the character art and designs. Due to the small task force, he also constructed the characters into pixel
Pixel
In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled....
form, as well as the game's respective logo, package design, and instruction booklet. As the Famicom was an early gaming system, only 56 colours were available for display, the majority of which were blue-tinted. Keiji noted that this affected the decision to colour the character blue (a result, fans have nicknamed the character "the blue bomber"). The designs of Keiji's character was also heavily influenced by Japanese animation, and he notes that he took observations from other video game characters present at the time, such as Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
.
In development of the game, Inafune incorporated many references to various music genres, such as Rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, which is the source of the Japanese name of "Rockman." Along with this, the team made a gaming system pertaining to the rock-paper-scissors
Rock-paper-scissors
Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people. The game is also known as roshambo, or another ordering of the three items ....
concept, one which the various Mega Man series
Mega Man (series)
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
still revolves around today. The first Rockman/Mega Man game was released in December 1987, after which sales in both countries were competent, but as Inafune later notes, "While it did sell more than we had expected, [Rockman 1] wasn't a huge success as far as the numbers go." Noting this, Capcom superiors dictated that the team begin on a new project called Professional Baseball Murder Mystery, which was only released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
However, the team felt strongly about the Rockman series, and urged that they be permitted to construct another iteration in order to amend the previous failings of the original and continue in the light of creativity. Capcom allowed the Rockman team to continue, with the prerequisites of completing the port of Legendary Wings
Legendary Wings
is a fantasy-themed shoot-'em-up game released by Capcom as a coin-operated video game in . The player takes control of a young soldier equipped with magical wings who must save the world from a malfunctioning supercomputer. A home version for the Nintendo Entertainment System was released...
for the NES and Professional Baseball Murder Mystery as well. The team did so, completing the project on their own time, and on December 24, 1988, released Rockman 2
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 2, known in Japan as , is a platform game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the second installment in the original Mega Man series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, and in North America and PAL regions the following years. Mega Man 2...
, with Mega Man 2 being released later in North America in 1989. The project proved to be a huge success, earning more than its previous iteration. Mega Man 2 is Inafune's favorite Mega Man game. Coincidentally, fans widely consider it to be the best Mega Man game, because of its production values, such as graphics and music. Capcom realized that the Mega Man series was a profitable investment, and many ports were constructed along with regular installments released on a yearly basis.
The next game in the "Classic" series was Mega Man 3
Mega Man 3
Mega Man 3, known as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the third game of the original Mega Man series and was originally released in Japan on September 28, 1990. The game localized in North America later in 1990 and in European...
, released in Japan on September 28, 1990 and later released in North America in November 1990. Inafune considers Mega Man 3 as one of his least favorite Mega Man games. From an interview with Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
in the October 2007 issue, Inafune explained the reason why is because of "...what went into the game and what was behind the release of the game." He also stated that the team was forced to put the game out before they thought it was ready and during the game's production, the developers lost the main planner, so Inafune had to take over that job for completing the game. Inafune concluded, "I knew that if we had more time to polish it, we could do a lot of things better, make it a better game, but the company (Capcom) said that we needed to release it. The whole environment behind what went into the production of the game is what I least favored. Numbers one and two – I really wanted to make the games; I was so excited about them. Number three – it just turned very different."
The success of the Famicom began to fade into obscurity in light of its successor, the Super Famicom
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, and Keiji set his sights on the development on a new series called "Rockman X", which continued the plot of the original series, but set a darker tone and took place 100 years after the previous storyline. Keiji developed the characters X, and Zero
Zero (Mega Man)
is a video game character present throughout the Mega Man franchise. First appearing in the 1993 game Mega Man X for the Super Nintendo, Zero has since been the star of the Mega Man Zero series and has played a supporting role in other game series such as the Mega Man ZX series.First developed by...
, and as before, released yearly installments of the series, beginning with the first game, Rockman X
Mega Man X (video game)
Mega Man X, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the first Mega Man game for the 16-bit console and the first game in the Mega Man X series, a spin-off of the original Mega Man series that began on the SNES's predecessor, the...
.
Originally, Zero was meant to be the leading character of the X series, but Capcom executives convinced Inafune to continue with the analogous design from the original game. Ironically Zero became quite popular anyway, obtaining his own game series years later (Mega Man Zero).
During the 32-bit era, Keiji produced the three-dimensional Rockman DASH/Mega Man Legends
Mega Man Legends
Mega Man Legends may refer to:* Mega Man Legends series, a Mega Man series occurring after the Mega Man ZX series* Mega Man Legends , the first game in the series...
series after receiving requests from Sony to develop a new 3D Rockman series exclusively for the PlayStation, he concurred. Although he envisioned high sales and was an ambitious supporter to the development of the game, it was not a massive success. It is one of the series' that has spawned the fewest sequels. For nearly 10 years, it seemed like the series would not ever continue, but a full-fledged sequel for the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
was in the works garnering much fan praise. However, in July of 2011, Capcom cancelled the 3DS installment.
Originally, Keiji had intended to end the series' plot at the installment of Rockman X5
Mega Man X5
Mega Man X5, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom. It is the fifth main installment in the Mega Man X series. It was first released for the PlayStation in Japan on November 30, 2000 and in North America and PAL territories the following year.Mega Man X5 is set in the 22nd century...
, and had begun development on the Rockman Zero series
Mega Man Zero series
The Mega Man Zero series, known as in Japan, is the series succeeding the Mega Man X story-line, and the fifth series in Capcom's Mega Man video game franchise, co-produced by Keiji Inafune, and directed by Mega Man Legends series director Yoshinori Kawano...
, in order to elaborate on the character of Zero. However, he had departed to another studio in cooperation with Inti Creates
Inti Creates
is a Japanese video game development company formed by ex-Capcom staff in May 1996, best known for the creation of the Mega Man Zero series and Mega Man ZX series...
, and unbeknown to him, another installment, Rockman X6
Mega Man X6
Mega Man X6, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom. It is the sixth main entry in the Mega Man X series. The game was first released on the PlayStation in Japan on November 29, 2001 and was later made available in both North America and Europe.The plot of Mega Man X6 takes place...
, was created. This set a slight continuity error in Inafune's intention for the plot, but through some changes in the storyline, was alleviated.
Later projects and beyond
One of Keiji Inafune's recent creations is the popular Mega Man Battle NetworkMega Man Battle Network
The Mega Man Battle Network series is one of Capcom's Mega Man series and debuted in 2001 on the Game Boy Advance. It is a spin-off series based on the original Mega Man. In Japan, as of the release of Rockman EXE Transmission in 2003, the series has been known as Rockman EXE; prior to this it was...
series, which is set outside the continuity of the rest of the Mega Man story lines and introduced RPG and strategy
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...
elements. According to Inafune, he received the basis for creating the series from observing his son. On April 2, 2005, Inafune was promoted from corporate officer to senior corporate officer. Keiji also developed another series, Onimusha, which has spawned various sequels, and focuses on past Japan, Samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
warriors, and magic. Also, Inafune is involved in Inticreates' creation of the latest Rockman project, Rockman ZX.
Inafune and his team's next creation was Dead Rising
Dead Rising
is an action-adventure, survivor horror video game, developed by Capcom and produced by Keiji Inafune. It was released on August 8, 2006 exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game console. The game was a commercial success. It has been introduced into the Xbox 360 "Platinum Hits" lineup, and a cell...
for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. Dead Rising, released by Capcom in the U.S. on August 8, 2006, is a zombie-slaying game heavily influenced by George A. Romero
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
's 1978 movie Dawn of the Dead. Dead Rising is the second zombie game Inafune has worked on, the first being Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game originally released for the PlayStation in 1998. Developed by Capcom as the second installment in the Resident Evil series, its story takes place two months after the events of the first game, Resident Evil...
.
Inafune's worked hard on the creation of the sequel to Dead Rising, titled "Dead Rising 2", which was released in 2010. In addition, he made his director debut in the movie adaption of his "Dead Rising" game, which is called "Zombrex: Dead Rising Sun".
On April 22, 2010, it was announced that Inafune would be Capcom's Global Head of Production. Inafune stated "I want to end comments that Capcom games made in Europe aren't really Capcom games...basically saying that whether games are created in America or Japan or anywhere in the world, I will be the one overlooking it and so it will have that Capcom flavor that fans know and love." Inafune has voiced various negative views on Japanese game developers, stating that they are behind Western developers in innovation.
On October 29, 2010, Inafune announced on his blog that he will be leaving Capcom at the end of the month with the intention of "starting his life over". He had been with the company for 23 years.
On December 15, 2010, Inafune launched a new company called . The fresh company's first relation to a video game as of late is the upcoming company-collaborative RPG Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2, in which a scanned image of Inafune himself makes an appearance as a summon for the main character Nepgear during a special attack.
About the creation of Mega Man
During a special event at TGS 2007, Inafune revealed that he was not responsible for the creation of Mega Man himself. "I'm often called the father of Mega Man, but actually, his design was already created when I joined Capcom," he explained. "My mentor [at Capcom], who was the designer of the original Mega Man, had a basic concept of what Mega Man was supposed to look like. So I only did half of the job in creating him. I didn't get to completely design a Mega Man [protagonist] from scratch until Zero (Mega Man X, SNES). Back when the SNES was coming out, I was asked to give Mega Man a redesign, so I created this character. But I realized that this design wouldn't be accepted as Mega Man, so I had another designer create the new Mega Man, and I worked on Zero to release him as the 'other main character' that would steal all the good scenes!"Rockman/Mega Man
Note: Keiji Inafune has not been involved directly with some iterations of the Mega Man series (such as Mega Man X6Mega Man X6
Mega Man X6, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom. It is the sixth main entry in the Mega Man X series. The game was first released on the PlayStation in Japan on November 29, 2001 and was later made available in both North America and Europe.The plot of Mega Man X6 takes place...
and Mega Man X: Command Mission
Mega Man X: Command Mission
Mega Man X: Command Mission, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube. The game is a spin-off of the Mega Man X series of titles...
).
Original Rockman/Mega Man seriesMega Man ClassicThe original Mega Man series is the first series of Mega Man platform games from Capcom, which debuted in Japan on December 17, 1987 on the NES with the release of Mega Man.- Overview :...
- Mega ManMega Man (video game)Mega Man, known as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the first game in the original Mega Man series and the entire Mega Man franchise...
– Character designer - Mega Man 2Mega Man 2Mega Man 2, known in Japan as , is a platform game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the second installment in the original Mega Man series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, and in North America and PAL regions the following years. Mega Man 2...
– Character design - Mega Man 3Mega Man 3Mega Man 3, known as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the third game of the original Mega Man series and was originally released in Japan on September 28, 1990. The game localized in North America later in 1990 and in European...
– Character design, sub planning - Mega Man 4Mega Man 4Mega Man 4, known in Japan as , is a platform game developed by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the fourth game in the original Mega Man series and was originally released in Japan on December 6, 1991...
– Planner, special designer - Mega Man 5Mega Man 5Mega Man 5, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the fifth game in the original Mega Man series and was originally released in Japan on December 4, 1992. It saw a release during the same month in North America and in 1993 in...
– Object designer, adviser - Mega Man 6Mega Man 6Mega Man 6, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the sixth installment in the original Mega Man series and was originally released in Japan on October 5, 1993 and in North America the following March. It was included in the Mega Man...
and Mega Man 7Mega Man 7Mega Man 7, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the seventh game in the original Mega Man series and the first and only title in the main series to be featured on the 16-bit console...
– Object designer - Mega Man 8Mega Man 8Mega Man 8, known as in Japan, is a video game released by Capcom. It is the eighth installment in original Mega Man series, and was originally released in Japan on the PlayStation on December 17, 1996. The following year, Mega Man 8 saw a release on the Sega Saturn and was localized for both...
and Mega Man & BassMega Man & BassMega Man & Bass, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Capcom. It is a spin-off title in the original Mega Man series and was originally released exclusively in Japan on April 24, 1998 for the Super Famicom...
– Producer - Mega Man SoccerMega Man SoccerMega Man Soccer, known in Japan as , is a soccer video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . The game is based on the original Mega Man series of action-platform games...
– Illustration (uncredited) - Mega Man 2: The Power FightersMega Man 2: The Power FightersMega Man 2: The Power Fighters, known in Japan as , is an arcade video game, released in Japan in 1996 as a fighting game in the Mega Man series of games. It is the direct sequel to Mega Man: The Power Battle released the previous year...
– Special thanks - Mega Man Powered UpMega Man (video game)Mega Man, known as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the first game in the original Mega Man series and the entire Mega Man franchise...
– Executive producer - Mega Man 9Mega Man 9Mega Man 9, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Capcom and Inti Creates. It is the ninth numbered game in the original Mega Man series. Mega Man 9 is the first, new home console game in the original Mega Man series since Mega Man 8 and Mega Man & Bass, which were released at least one...
– Producer, character designer - Mega Man 10Mega Man 10Mega Man 10, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Capcom and Inti Creates. It is the tenth main entry of the original Mega Man series...
– Producer - Mega Man Battle & ChaseMega Man Battle & ChaseMega Man Battle & Chase, known in Japan as , is a PlayStation racing video game based on the original Mega Man series from Capcom. The game was released in Japan on March 20, 1997 and in PAL territories in April 1998. Although it was not released individually in North America, Mega Man Battle &...
– Producer
Rockman X/Mega Man X
- Mega Man XMega Man X (video game)Mega Man X, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the first Mega Man game for the 16-bit console and the first game in the Mega Man X series, a spin-off of the original Mega Man series that began on the SNES's predecessor, the...
, Mega Man X2Mega Man X2Mega Man X2, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . The game was released in Japan on December 16, 1994 and in North America and PAL regions in 1995. It is the second game in the Mega Man X sub-franchise after the first installment,...
and Mega Man X3Mega Man X3Mega Man X3, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . The game was originally released in Japan on December 1, 1995 and later in North American and PAL regions in 1996. It is the third game in the Mega Man X series and the last to appear...
– Character design, illustrations (uncredited) - Mega Man X4Mega Man X4Mega Man X4, known as , is a video game developed by Capcom. It is the fourth game in the Mega Man X series and the second game in the series to be released on the Sega Saturn and PlayStation. The two versions were released simultaneously in Japan on August 1, 1997...
– Producer - Mega Man X5Mega Man X5Mega Man X5, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom. It is the fifth main installment in the Mega Man X series. It was first released for the PlayStation in Japan on November 30, 2000 and in North America and PAL territories the following year.Mega Man X5 is set in the 22nd century...
, Mega Man X7Mega Man X7Mega Man X7, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 console. It is the seventh main game in the Mega Man X series and the first in the series to appear on the sixth generation of gaming consoles...
, Mega Man X8Mega Man X8Mega Man X8, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 console. It is the eighth game in the Mega Man X series and the most recently released game in that series. It was first released in North America on December 7, 2004...
, Mega Man XtremeMega Man XtremeMega Man Xtreme, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom for the Game Boy Color handheld console. It is a spin-off title in the Mega Man X series of video games that originated on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System...
and Mega Man Xtreme 2Mega Man Xtreme 2Mega Man Xtreme 2, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom for the Game Boy Color handheld game console. It is a spin-off title in the Mega Man X series and is a follow-up to Mega Man Xtreme, released the previous year. Mega Man Xtreme 2 takes place during the 22nd century, between...
– Special thanks - Mega Man Maverick Hunter X – Executive producer
Rockman DASH/Mega Man LegendsMega Man Legends (series)Mega Man Legends, known as in Japan, is the third series in the Mega Man franchise. The DASH acronym in the Japanese title stands for Digouter's Adventure Story in Halcyon Days...
- Mega Man LegendsMega Man Legends (video game)Mega Man Legends, known in Japan as , is an action role-playing game released by Capcom. It is the first game in the Mega Man Legends sub-series of Mega Man games from Capcom, and the first major 3D polygonal Mega Man title released in the franchise. It was released on the PlayStation in 1997 in...
- Producer - The Misadventures of Tron BonneThe Misadventures of Tron BonneThe Misadventures of Tron Bonne, known in Japan as , is a video game that was developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation. Released in Japan in 1999 and in North America and Europe in 2000, the game is part of the Mega Man Legends series and the prequel of the first Legends game...
– Game concept, producer - Mega Man Legends 2Mega Man Legends 2Mega Man Legends 2, known in Japan as , is an action role-playing game released by Capcom in 2000, acting as a sequel to Mega Man Legends. It was released for the PlayStation in April 2000 in Japan, October 2000 in North America and August 2001 in Europe...
- Producer
Other RockmanMega Man (character)Mega Man, known as in Japan, is a cybernetic video game character, and the main protagonist of what has been referred to as the original Mega Man series developed by Capcom since 1987. The pixel art for the character was created by the designer of the original game in the series, credited under...
series games (producer)
- Rockman Zero/Mega Man ZeroMega Man Zero seriesThe Mega Man Zero series, known as in Japan, is the series succeeding the Mega Man X story-line, and the fifth series in Capcom's Mega Man video game franchise, co-produced by Keiji Inafune, and directed by Mega Man Legends series director Yoshinori Kawano...
- Rockman.EXE/MegaMan Battle NetworkMega Man Battle NetworkThe Mega Man Battle Network series is one of Capcom's Mega Man series and debuted in 2001 on the Game Boy Advance. It is a spin-off series based on the original Mega Man. In Japan, as of the release of Rockman EXE Transmission in 2003, the series has been known as Rockman EXE; prior to this it was...
- Mega Man ZXMega Man ZXMega Man ZX, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Inti Creates and published by Capcom for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It is the first game in the sixth series of the Mega Man video game franchise. For the first time in the Mega Man series, the game features both a male and a...
- Mega Man Star ForceMega Man Star ForceMega Man Star Force, known in Japan as , is a Mega Man action role-playing video game published and developed by Capcom for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console...
Biohazard/Resident EvilResident Evil (series)Resident Evil, known as in Japan, is a media franchise owned by the video game company Capcom. It was created by Shinji Mikami as a survival horror game series that was initiated with the eponymous PlayStation title Resident Evil in 1996. Since then, the game series has strayed from its roots to...
- Resident Evil 2Resident Evil 2Resident Evil 2, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game originally released for the PlayStation in 1998. Developed by Capcom as the second installment in the Resident Evil series, its story takes place two months after the events of the first game, Resident Evil...
– Promotion producer - Resident Evil 4Resident Evil 4Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
– Executive producer (PS2 version) - Resident Evil 5Resident Evil 5Resident Evil 5, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the seventh installment in the Resident Evil survival horror series, and was released on March 5, 2009 in Japan and on March 13, 2009 in North America and Europe...
– Executive producer (uncredited)
Onimusha
- Onimusha: WarlordsOnimusha: WarlordsOnimusha: Warlords, released in Japan as , is the first action-adventure video game of the Onimusha series, released first for the PlayStation 2 in 2001. Later it went through many changes and was released as for the Xbox in 2002...
and Onimusha 2: Samurai's DestinyOnimusha 2: Samurai's DestinyOnimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny, released in Japan as is the second installment in the Onimusha series of video games. The plot revolves around a new protagonist, , as he battles a demonic Genma army which is invading 1571 Japan. Nobunaga Oda, a sinister warlord who was slain in the previous game,...
– Producer - Onimusha Blade WarriorsOnimusha Blade WarriorsOnimusha Blade Warriors, released in Japan as , is a multi-player game from the Onimusha series. Similar to Super Smash Bros., Blade Warriors is a simple 2D fighter game featuring many of the characters of the Onimusha franchise....
, Onimusha 3: Demon SiegeOnimusha 3: Demon SiegeOnimusha 3: Demon Siege, released in Japan and Europe as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom. It is the third game of the Onimusha series and was released for the PlayStation 2 on April 27, 2004. It was later ported to Windows on December 8, 2005.-Plot:The game opens...
and Onimusha: Dawn of DreamsOnimusha: Dawn of DreamsOnimusha: Dawn Of Dreams, released in Japan as , is the fourth canonical installment of Capcom's Onimusha series, released in March 2006. Dawn of Dreams focuses on a new protagonist, Soki Onimusha: Dawn Of Dreams, released in Japan as , is the fourth canonical installment of Capcom's Onimusha...
– Executive producer - Onimusha – Writer (2011 film)
Other games
- Street FighterStreet Fighter, commonly abbreviated as SF, is a series of Fighting Games developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own unique fighting style, against one another...
– Graphic designer - Pro Yakyuu? Satsujin Jiken! (Professional Baseball Murder Mystery) – Graphic designer
- Chip 'n Dale Rescue RangersChip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (video game)Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers is a platformer video game released for the NES in 1990. It is based on the Disney cartoon about crime-fighting chipmunks of the same name.-Storyline:...
– Graphic designer - DuckTalesDuckTales (video game)DuckTales is a video game based on the Disney animated TV series of the same name. It was first released in the United States for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Capcom in 1989. In this game, Scrooge McDuck travels around the world collecting treasures to become the world's richest duck. The...
– Graphic designer - Kamen no Ninja Hanamaru – Character design, illustrations
- Capcom Barcelona '92 – Graphic designer
- Breath of FireBreath of Fire-Mobile games:Beginning in November 2003, Capcom began releasing Breath of Fire titles specifically for mobile phone devices in Japan. Each game was developed for use on NTT DoCoMo, au, and SoftBank brand cellphones that use the i-mode, EZWEB, or BREW services...
– Character design, illustrations - Capcom Fighting Evolution, Shadow of RomeShadow Of RomeShadow of Rome is a video game for the PlayStation 2 console. It is a hybrid fighting/stealth game set in ancient Rome and loosely based around the assassination of Julius Caesar.-Gameplay:...
and Black Cat – Executive producer - Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap – Producer
- Shadow of RomeShadow Of RomeShadow of Rome is a video game for the PlayStation 2 console. It is a hybrid fighting/stealth game set in ancient Rome and loosely based around the assassination of Julius Caesar.-Gameplay:...
- Executive Producer - Final Fight: StreetwiseFinal Fight: StreetwiseFinal Fight: Streetwise is a 3D beat-'em-up produced by Capcom, released in North America and the PAL region for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in . It is a spin-off of the original Final Fight developed by the American team of Capcom Production Studio 8...
– Special thanks - Lost Planet: Extreme ConditionLost Planet: Extreme ConditionLost Planet: Extreme Condition is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom for Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 3...
– Producer, Original story - Dead RisingDead Risingis an action-adventure, survivor horror video game, developed by Capcom and produced by Keiji Inafune. It was released on August 8, 2006 exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game console. The game was a commercial success. It has been introduced into the Xbox 360 "Platinum Hits" lineup, and a cell...
– Producer - Street Fighter 4 – Executive Producer
- Bionic Commando – Executive Producer
- Super Street Fighter 4 – Executive Producer
- Dark VoidDark VoidDark Void is a video game developed by Airtight Games using the Unreal Engine 3 and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. In the game players must face an alien threat that humanity had previously banished. The game mixes on-foot and mid-air combat...
– Executive Producer - Lost Planet 2Lost Planet 2Lost Planet 2 is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the sequel to Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, taking place ten years after the events of the first game, on the same fictional planet. The game was developed for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and...
– Executive Producer - Dead Rising 2Dead Rising 2is an action-adventure horror-comedy video game, developed by Capcom in partnership with Blue Castle Games, and was distributed by Capcom. It was released on September 24, 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and September 28, 2010 for Microsoft Windows. The Dead Rising staff returned to create...
– Executive Producer - Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective – Executive Producer
- Asura's WrathAsura's Wrathis an upcoming action video game collaboration between CyberConnect2 and Capcom that was first announced at the Tokyo Game Show in 2010. It is currently in development to be released in Japan and North America for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3...
– Executive Producer - Phoenix Wright: Ace AttorneyPhoenix Wright: Ace AttorneyPhoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, released in Japan as , is an adventure video game published and developed by Capcom in Japan, North America, and Europe, and published by Nintendo in Australia...
/Apollo Justice - Executive Producer - Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 - Special Guest Appearance (Summon Character)