Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden creator Tomonobu Itagaki dies at 58

Tomonobu Itagaki (Photo Courtesy: Dead or Alive Wiki-Fandom)

The Japanese video game designer, known for the Dead or Alive series and for reviving the Ninja Gaiden franchise in 2004, has died.

Tomonobu Itagaki passed away on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the age of 58. The news of his death was posted on his Facebook page.

Words to leave The light of my life is about to run out. The fact that this sentence has been posted means it's finally time. I'm no longer in this world. My life has been a series of battles. We stayed winning. I've caused a lot of trouble. I stand by my beliefs and I owe it. No regrets. I just feel so sorry to all my fans that I can't deliver my new work sorry. IT is what it is. So it goes. -Banobu Itagaki

Team Ninja offered condolences on social media, which stated, "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. Our deepest condolences for his loss. From everyone at Team NINJA."

Meanwhile, other big names in the video game industry produced separate tributes to Tomonobu Itagaki.

Katsuhiro Harada from TEKKEN posted on social media, "It is hard to believe, but Itagaki-san... my senior from university and my rival as a creator has passed away. The last message I ever received from him was, 'Let's go drinking. Let's make some noise soon!'

Tomonobu Itagaki started with Tecmo in 1992 as a graphics programmer working on Tecmo Super Bowl, a Super Famicom version of an American football video game. Then his career took off in 1996 with his first Dead or Alive game. Tomonobu Itagaki took over as Team Ninja Leader in July 2001. However, in 2008, he resigned from Tecmo and sued the company for 148 million yen ($1.4 million) for withholding a bonus promised for his previous work. He created his own game studio, Itagaki Games, in January 2021.

A list of all Tomonobu Itagaki's works is below:

• Tecmo Super Bowl

• Dead or Alive

• Dead or Alive 2

• Dead or Alive 3

• Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball

• Ninja Gaiden

• Dead or Alive Ultimate

• Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly

• Ninja Gaiden Black

• Dead or Alive 4

• Dead or Alive Xtreme 2

• Super Swing Golf

• Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword

• Ninja Gaiden II

• Devil's Third

• Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time

Tomonobu Itagaki is survived by his wife and his daughter.

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