Former Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada recently recounted a meeting with several prominent game creators, including Masahiro Sakurai, the longtime director behind Kirby and the Super Smash Bros. series.
The encounter highlights the personal rapport between two high-profile figures in fighting-game development and offers a humanizing glimpse of Sakurai, whose work has defined major Nintendo releases on platforms such as the Nintendo Switch.
Harada — known for his long tenure at Bandai Namco guiding the Tekken franchise since its debut in arcades and on PlayStation in 1994 — told reporters that Sakurai came across as remarkably down to earth.
Sakurai, creator of Kirby (which debuted in 1992) and the Super Smash Bros. series (first released on the Nintendo 64 in 1999), also founded Sora Ltd., the studio that has worked closely with Nintendo on Smash projects.
Smash Ultimate, directed by Sakurai, launched on Nintendo Switch on December 7, 2018, and remains one of the console’s flagship titles.
In Harada’s account, Sakurai’s personality contrasts with his towering industry stature.
Harada said Sakurai behaves like an ordinary guest in social settings: he does not broadcast superiority or act aloof despite his creative accomplishments.
According to Harada, Sakurai often proposes simple, bold solutions to difficult problems in a matter-of-fact way — an approach Harada compared to a fictional hero casually offering an effortless fix.
When others point out real-world constraints that make such fixes impossible, Harada said Sakurai can appear genuinely puzzled, as if he has trouble reconciling the idea that everyone can’t simply do what he imagines.
Harada also used a pop-culture analogy to illustrate the contrast: he likened Sakurai to a character who might stroll into a group of elite figures and sincerely believe he is just another participant.
The point, Harada emphasized, was Sakurai’s lack of pretense — a rare quality in an industry where creators can become almost mythic figures.
Both Harada and Sakurai have left significant marks on the fighting-game scene.
Harada’s work on Tekken helped establish Bandai Namco as a major fighting-game publisher, while Sakurai’s Smash series has been a consistent highlight of Nintendo’s announcements and Direct presentations, with many of its incremental updates and DLC revealed through Nintendo Direct streams and distributed digitally via the Nintendo eShop.
Their public exchange underscores the collegial relationships that exist among veteran developers and the ways personal character can shape collaborative and competitive creative cultures in games.
The encounter highlights the personal rapport between two high-profile figures in fighting-game development and offers a humanizing glimpse of Sakurai, whose work has defined major Nintendo releases on platforms such as the Nintendo Switch.
Harada — known for his long tenure at Bandai Namco guiding the Tekken franchise since its debut in arcades and on PlayStation in 1994 — told reporters that Sakurai came across as remarkably down to earth.
Sakurai, creator of Kirby (which debuted in 1992) and the Super Smash Bros. series (first released on the Nintendo 64 in 1999), also founded Sora Ltd., the studio that has worked closely with Nintendo on Smash projects.
Smash Ultimate, directed by Sakurai, launched on Nintendo Switch on December 7, 2018, and remains one of the console’s flagship titles.
In Harada’s account, Sakurai’s personality contrasts with his towering industry stature.
Harada said Sakurai behaves like an ordinary guest in social settings: he does not broadcast superiority or act aloof despite his creative accomplishments.
According to Harada, Sakurai often proposes simple, bold solutions to difficult problems in a matter-of-fact way — an approach Harada compared to a fictional hero casually offering an effortless fix.
When others point out real-world constraints that make such fixes impossible, Harada said Sakurai can appear genuinely puzzled, as if he has trouble reconciling the idea that everyone can’t simply do what he imagines.
Harada also used a pop-culture analogy to illustrate the contrast: he likened Sakurai to a character who might stroll into a group of elite figures and sincerely believe he is just another participant.
The point, Harada emphasized, was Sakurai’s lack of pretense — a rare quality in an industry where creators can become almost mythic figures.
Both Harada and Sakurai have left significant marks on the fighting-game scene.
Harada’s work on Tekken helped establish Bandai Namco as a major fighting-game publisher, while Sakurai’s Smash series has been a consistent highlight of Nintendo’s announcements and Direct presentations, with many of its incremental updates and DLC revealed through Nintendo Direct streams and distributed digitally via the Nintendo eShop.
Their public exchange underscores the collegial relationships that exist among veteran developers and the ways personal character can shape collaborative and competitive creative cultures in games.
