RIP Tomonobu Itagaki, an Uncompromising Architech of Gaming

The gaming world lost a true maverick a few days ago. Tomonobu Itagaki, the founder of Team Ninja, passed away at 58 from a severe illness. For fans of character action games, and for me personally, this is a significant blow. Itagaki was a creator of immense importance, and his work defined an entire genre.

His revival of Ninja Gaiden on the original Xbox in 2004 set the gold standard for what I consider the "stylish masocore" genre - a blend of punishing difficulty, deep mechanical precision, and unflinching style. The game was brutally challenging yet addictive, demanding mastery in a way few 3D action games had before. Its DNA is clearly visible in the countless masocore titles that followed, including Team Ninja’s own excellent Nioh series.

Then there is his other, equally monumental legacy: the Dead or Alive franchise. In 1996, long before it became a common feature, Itagaki and his team made the bold creative decision to implement "jiggle physics" into a 3D fighting game. It was a provocative and unapologetic choice that gave the series a unique identity.

Predictably, this sent some Western reviewers at the time into a pearl-clutching frenzy. Reading old reviews now is a trip. GameSpot's take sounds almost comically flustered, complaining that the designers "went a little too far" with breast motion. IGN was just as condescending; while calling the game a "polished product," the reviewer dismissed its most talked-about feature as something that didn't "contribute to the gameplay except to add temporary novelty and libido frustration to the typical gamer." The review then waves it all away with the line, "The gratuitous sexism aside..." It's the kind of stunningly out-of-touch criticism that shows even back then, IGN could be completely clueless. These outlets fundamentally missed that the over-the-top presentation was the point, and it's amusing to see how they lost their minds over a feature that Itagaki proudly included and even gave its own setting in the options menu.

Whether you see it as fan service or a technical flourish, there's no denying its influence. If you've enjoyed any 3D game that features character physics of this nature, you have Itagaki and his team to thank for popularising it and refusing to back down from their vision.