Masahiro Sakurai Compared to Goku by Former Tekken Director Katsuhiro Harada
Veteran game director Masahiro Sakurai remains one of Nintendo's most respected creators thanks to a track record that includes Super Smash Bros.
Ultimate (Nintendo Switch), Kirby Air Ride (Nintendo GameCube), and Kid Icarus: Uprising (Nintendo 3DS).
Sakurai has also expanded his public role as an educator on game design through his YouTube channel, where he posts detailed videos on development techniques and creative decision-making.
In a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), former Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada praised Sakurai and contrasted him with other leading developers such as FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki.
Harada used cultural metaphors to illustrate Sakurai's personality and approach to solving development problems.
Rewriting Harada's observation in journalistic terms: Harada said Sakurai often offers deceptively simple, upbeat solutions in moments when colleagues are stuck — a manner Harada likened to Goku from Dragon Ball.
Harada specifically noted that Sakurai might suggest something like "Why don't you just fly?" in the same affable, matter-of-fact tone that characterizes Goku, leaving others bemused because the suggestion assumes abilities ordinary humans don't possess.
Harada continued the comparison with a second pop-culture image: he compared Sakurai's composed presence among other heavyweights to Muzan Kibutsuji from Demon Slayer casually attending a gathering of elite demon slayers, while insisting he is merely another guest.
That analogy was intended as a compliment to Sakurai's unassuming yet formidable reputation rather than a literal comparison.
The exchange highlights the esteem in which Sakurai is held across the industry.
Super Smash Bros.
Ultimate launched for Nintendo Switch on December 7, 2018, and stands as one of the platform's highest-profile releases.
Kirby Air Ride was released for Nintendo GameCube in 2003, and Kid Icarus: Uprising arrived on Nintendo 3DS in 2012 — each title contributing to Sakurai's long-running influence on Nintendo franchises.
Harada's comments, shared publicly on X, underscore how veteran developers publicly recognize one another's contributions to games and the craft of development.
Sakurai's career, spanning multiple hardware generations and high-profile Nintendo releases, continues to be a frequent point of reference in conversations about design, leadership, and creative problem-solving within the industry.
Veteran game director Masahiro Sakurai remains one of Nintendo's most respected creators thanks to a track record that includes Super Smash Bros.
Ultimate (Nintendo Switch), Kirby Air Ride (Nintendo GameCube), and Kid Icarus: Uprising (Nintendo 3DS).
Sakurai has also expanded his public role as an educator on game design through his YouTube channel, where he posts detailed videos on development techniques and creative decision-making.
In a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), former Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada praised Sakurai and contrasted him with other leading developers such as FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki.
Harada used cultural metaphors to illustrate Sakurai's personality and approach to solving development problems.
Rewriting Harada's observation in journalistic terms: Harada said Sakurai often offers deceptively simple, upbeat solutions in moments when colleagues are stuck — a manner Harada likened to Goku from Dragon Ball.
Harada specifically noted that Sakurai might suggest something like "Why don't you just fly?" in the same affable, matter-of-fact tone that characterizes Goku, leaving others bemused because the suggestion assumes abilities ordinary humans don't possess.
Harada continued the comparison with a second pop-culture image: he compared Sakurai's composed presence among other heavyweights to Muzan Kibutsuji from Demon Slayer casually attending a gathering of elite demon slayers, while insisting he is merely another guest.
That analogy was intended as a compliment to Sakurai's unassuming yet formidable reputation rather than a literal comparison.
The exchange highlights the esteem in which Sakurai is held across the industry.
Super Smash Bros.
Ultimate launched for Nintendo Switch on December 7, 2018, and stands as one of the platform's highest-profile releases.
Kirby Air Ride was released for Nintendo GameCube in 2003, and Kid Icarus: Uprising arrived on Nintendo 3DS in 2012 — each title contributing to Sakurai's long-running influence on Nintendo franchises.
Harada's comments, shared publicly on X, underscore how veteran developers publicly recognize one another's contributions to games and the craft of development.
Sakurai's career, spanning multiple hardware generations and high-profile Nintendo releases, continues to be a frequent point of reference in conversations about design, leadership, and creative problem-solving within the industry.
