Tomonobu Itagaki, Creator of Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden 2004, Dies at Age 58, Fans React to Final Message: ‘I’m Proud to Say I Followed My Beliefs and Fighted to the End’

Japanese video game developer Tomonobu Itagaki has died at the age of 58.

Itagaki, best known for creating the Dead or Alive series and relaunching the Ninja Gaiden franchise in 2004, had asked a close friend to post a “last words” message on his Facebook page in the event of his death. It was posted online hours before his death 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 of this world.

(I’m entrusting this last post to someone important to me.)

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

I also caused a lot of trouble.

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

I have no regrets.

However, I regret not being able to deliver a new work to all my fans. I’m sorry.

That’s how it is.

So it goes.

Itagaki Tomonobu

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

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Team Ninja’s first leader, Tomonobu Itagaki. We will continue the philosophy and creativity that Itagaki-san started and continue to create games that many players will enjoy. Our deepest condolences for his loss.”

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

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

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

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

When Dead or Alive 2 came to the Dreamcast, the graphical leap spotlighted Itagaki and Team Ninja, and the outspoken developer – who became well known for wearing sunglasses 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 then released Ninja Gaiden Black, considered by some to be one of the greatest action games of all time. The Nintendo DS game Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword and Xbox 360-exclusive Ninja Gaiden 2 followed.

Itagaki parted ways with Tecmo in a heated and very public breakup on June 2, 2008. After resigning from his position, he issued a public statement alleging unpaid completion bonuses, with a complaint filed with the Tokyo District Court on May 14, 2008.

He then founded Valhalla Game Studios with several members of Team Ninja and released Devil’s Third. Itagaki left Valhalla in 2017 and formed Itagaki Games in 2021. At the time, Itagaki said he had spent the previous four years teaching game development to a younger generation. However, he felt that he wanted to “make a game again and simply started a company for that purpose.”

Itagaki’s death comes just days before the release of Ninja Gaiden 4, an action sequel in which he was not involved.

Image credit: Tomonobu Itagaki / Facebook.

Wesley is news director at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.