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Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden 2004 Creator Tomonobu Itagaki Dies Aged 58, Fans React to Final Message: ‘I Am Proud to Say That I Followed My Beliefs and Fought to the End’

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Japanese video game developer Tomonobu Itagaki has died aged 58.

Itagaki, best known for creating the Dead or Alive series and for reviving the Ninja Gaiden franchise in 2004, had asked a close friend to publish a ‘final words’ message on his Facebook page in the event of his death. It went live hours before his passing was confirmed by friends.

Last Words

The light of my life is finally fading.

The fact that this message has been posted means that the time has finally come. I am no longer in this world.

(I am entrusting this final post to someone important to me.)

My life has been a series of battles. I kept winning.

I have caused a lot of trouble, too.

I am proud to say that I followed my beliefs and fought to the end.

I have no regrets.

However, I am filled with regret that I was unable to deliver a new work to all my fans. I am sorry.

That’s how it is.

So it goes.

Itagaki Tomonobu

Tomonobu Itagaki has died aged 58. Image credit: Tomonobu Itagaki / Facebook.

Team Ninja, the studio Itagaki put on the map with the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden franchises, issued a statement on social media:

“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.”

James Mielke, co-founder of Tigertron and BitSummit, took to social media to say: “RIP, senpai. You will always be a ninja.”

“Today I lost someone who was truly like a brother to me,” Mielke said. “I am gutted to the core. I guess I can say so now that it’s on his Facebook page. He even listed himself as my actual brother on Facebook. Anyone who knows me knows how close we were. RIP, senpai. You will always be a ninja.”

Tekken chief Katsuhiro Harada posted on X / Twitter to express his disbelief at the news.

Born in 1967, Itagaki joined Tecmo in 1992, originally to handle the graphics for Tecmo Super Bowl. Itagaki’s brash nature wasn’t fully seen until he started on his own Dead or Alive series in 1998, which featured female characters with strategically-placed “bounce” physics and more than a passing resemblance to SEGA’s Virtua Fighter, a series he has mentioned being a fan of.

When Dead or Alive 2 arrived for the Dreamcast, the graphical leap shone a light on Itagaki and Team Ninja, and the outspoken developer — who became well known for wearing shades at all times — never shied away from commenting on industry trends. Itagaki’s Ninja Gaiden launched as an Xbox exclusive in 2004, breathing new life into the hardcore action game franchise. He went on to release Ninja Gaiden Black, considered by some to be one of the greatest action games of all time. Nintendo DS game Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, and Xbox 360 exclusive Ninja Gaiden 2 followed.

Itagaki split from Tecmo as part of a heated and very public breakup on June 2, 2008. After resigning from his role, he released a public statement alleging unpaid completion bonuses, with a complaint filed in the Tokyo District Court on May 14, 2008.

He later founded Valhalla Game Studios with several Team Ninja members and released Devil’s Third. Itagaki stepped down from Valhalla in 2017 and went on to form Itagaki Games in 2021. At the time, Itagaki said he had spent the prior four years teaching game development to a younger generation. However, he felt that he wanted to “make a game again and just established a company for that purpose.”

Itagaki’s death comes just days before the release of Ninja Gaiden 4, an action sequel he had no involvement with.

Image credit: Tomonobu Itagaki / Facebook.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].

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