‘Dead Or Alive’ creator Tomonobu Itagaki has died, aged 58

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‘Dead Or Alive’ creator Tomonobu Itagaki has died, aged 58

The creator of the Dead Of Alive franchise Tomonobu Itagaki has died, aged 58.

The news was shared via a statement written by Itagaki before his death and shared on Facebook by a loved one.

“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’m asking a loved one to make this final post),” he wrote (via VCG).

“My life has been a series of battles. I kept winning. I’ve caused a lot of trouble, too. I’m proud to say that I followed my beliefs and fought to the end. I have no regrets. However, I’m filled with regret that I wasn’t able to deliver a new work to all my fans. I’m sorry.”

Itagaki joined Tecmo in 1992 and went on to produce and direct the original Dead Or Alive in 1996. He also worked on three sequels to the fighting game as well as 2004’s compilation Dead Of Alive Ultimate and 2003 spin-off  Dead Or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. He wasn’t involved in 2012’s Dead Or Alive 5 but did head up the Ninja Gaiden reboot, producing and directing 2004’s Ninja Gaiden and follow-up games Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden 2.

The news of Itagaki’s death has been confirmed by BitSummit co-founder and close friend  James Mielke. “Today I lost someone who was truly like a brother to me,” he wrote on Bluesky. “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.”

“I’ve been occasionally breaking down into a mess throughout the day, but I am finding solace in the 4+ hours of conversation I recorded with Itagaki-san last year for a book we were working on together,” he wrote in a follow-up post. “They were his development memoirs, and I will do everything in my power to bring this to life.”

Check out more tributes below:

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