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TokuroFujiwara

Tokuro Fujiwara.

Tokuro Fujiwara (藤原得郎) is a Japanese freelance video game designer and producer who formely worked at Capcom. He's best known for creating the iconic Ghosts 'n Goblins series, as well as being producer in several of the company's other franchises, most notably the Mega Man series and the first Resident Evil.[1] Fujiwara has also been credited under the names Arthur and Professor F.

After working at Capcom for thirteen years, he left the company to form his own studio, Whoopee Camp and later Deep Space.

History[]

Tokuro Fujiwara was born on April 7th, 1961.[2]

Career at Konami (1982-1983)[]

Tokuro Fujiwara was attending the Osaka Designer's College when he joined Konami in 1982. Fujiwara was interested in an opening as product planner the company had at the time, and didn't even knew Konami made video games until he did the entrance exam. At first he worked as an artist for stuff such as leaflets and the acrilic boards for medal games.[3]

He directed two games while at Konami, Pooyan and Roc'n Rope, the second being the first game he developed from scratch. Roc 'n Rope was difficult to develop as Fujiwara found himself constantly struggling with the memory limitations. Years later, he'd expand on the rope gameplay mechanics in Capcom's 1987 arcade/NES game Bionic Commando.[3]

Career at Capcom[]

Fujiwara left Konami in 1983 to join Capcom together with Yoshiki Okamoto, although the two were invited to join the company by different people.[3] Fujiwara designed many of Capcom's first arcade games, including Vulgus, Pirate Ship Higemaru, Ghosts 'n Goblins and Commando, the latter two developed concurrently.[3] Around 1986, he became head of one of Capcom's three development groups[4] (the "First Planning Room").[5][6]

In 1988, Tokuro Fujiwara oversaw the development of the Strider three-way project, where he was credited as "Planning Adviser". As Kouichi Yotsui's manager, he picked him as the head of the arcade game side of the project because he had "really good negotiation skills", as he believed such a project would require them.[7] During the three project heads's stay at the Shinjuku Hilton hotel, both him and Capcom's head of development Akio Sakai would occasionally join them and help in building the game's world and main character.[6]

Although infamous for being rather strict to his junior staff, Fujiwara showed a lot of leniency to the inexperienced Yotsui, allowing him free rein to do as he saw fit and ensuring the game would be finished only when Yotsui said so.[7] Strider was developed around the same time as Ghouls 'n Ghosts, both games using the then-new Arcade "CP System" board. Fujiwara felt the board's operational capabilities weren't hard to work with, but the ROM capacity presented a challenge. As the chips were all lined up across the circuit board, they needed to put a lot of effort into the design front in order to make good use of them. To do this they used 30 graphic artists instead of the usual 2 or 3 used in previous projects.[3]

Strider turned out to be the last arcade game Fujiwara worked on.[3] Around the latter half of 1988, Capcom organized itself into two departments, one to handle arcade games and one focused on home consoles. Although Fujiwara expressed his desire to continue making arcade games, he was ordered to move into the domestic division. Once he was transferred, he started work on Mega Man 2.[3]

For the following years, Tokuro Fujiwara was involved as producer in several of Capcom's entries for home consoles, including several entries in the Mega Man and Final Fight series. His final contribution at Capcom would be as producer of the first entry in the Resident Evil series. Inspired by Sweet Home, a NES horror game he developed, Fujiwara determined elements such as the game's setting and the change from a 1st person view to a 3rd person view, leaving out the "actual work" to the game's planner (and future series producer) Shinji Mikami.[3]

Later years[]

Following Resident Evil's release, Tokuro Fujiwara left Capcom and funded his own company, Whoopee Camp. The company, however, only released two titles: Tomba! and its direct sequel, before going out of bussiness. Masahiro Kurokawa and Harumi Fujita (planner and composer of the NES Strider game respectively) rejoined him as staff on Tomba!, Kurokawa filling in as writer for it and its sequel. Although the games were well-received critically, poor distribution led them to underperform in sales and lead to the company's disbandment.

Undeterred, Fujiwara then established "Deep Space" as a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan. Deep Space released two titles before folding as well: 2001's Extermination, a survival horror game taking several cues from his previous work in Resident Evil, and 2003's Hungry Ghosts, which took a different approach to the genre, seeking to provide a more "virtual" experience through exploration.[1]

In 2005, Fujiwara was approached by Capcom to work on Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins, the latest entry in the series he created. Fujiwara was happy, but also a bit apprehensive due to how little he knew about the hardware it was being developed on, the PlayStation Portable. He developed the game as a "pure" sequel with expanded content, a number of new elements (such as branching paths) and a more casual approach in an attempt to revitalize the platforming genre.[8] He was later credited as "consultant" in the 2006 remake of another game he created, Bionic Commando Rearmed.

List of games[]

Konami[]

Year Title Developer Publisher System Role
1982 Pooyan
プーヤン (Pūyan?)
Konami Konami Arcade Designer
1983 Roc'n Rope
ロックンロープ (Rokkun Ropu?)
Konami Konami Arcade Designer

Capcom[]

Year Title Developer Publisher System Role
1984 Vulgus
バルガス (Barugasu?)
Capcom Capcom Arcade Designer
1984 Pirate Ship Higemaru
ひげ丸 (Higemaru?)
Capcom Capcom Arcade Designer
1985 Ghosts 'n Goblins
魔界村 (Makaimura?)
Capcom Capcom Arcade Designer
1986 Commando
戦場の狼 (Senjō no Ōkami?)
Capcom Capcom Arcade Designer
1986 The Speed Rumbler
ラッシュ&クラッシュ (Rasshu to Kurasshu?)
Capcom Capcom Arcade Designer
1987 Higemaru Makaijima
魔界島 七つの島大冒険 (Makaijima Nanatsu no Shima Daibōken?)
Capcom Capcom NES Advise Manager
1987 Bionic Commando
トップシークレット (Toppu Shīkuretto?)
Capcom Capcom Arcade, NES Designer
1987 Tiger Road
虎への道 (Tora e no Michi?)
Capcom Capcom Arcade Designer
1988 Ghouls 'n Ghosts
大魔界村 (Dai Makaimura?)
Capcom Capcom Arcade Designer
1988 Mega Man 2
ロックマン2 Dr.ワイリーの謎 (Rokkuman Tsū Dokutā Wairī no Nazo?)
Capcom Capcom NES Producer
1989 Strider
ストライダー飛竜 (Sutoraidā Hiryū?)
Capcom Capcom Arcade Planning Adviser
1989 Destiny of an Emperor
天地を喰らう (Tenchi wo Kurau?)
Capcom Capcom NES Producer
1989 Willow
ウィロー (Wirō?)
Capcom Capcom NES Producer
1989 DuckTales
わんぱくダック夢冒険 (Wanpaku Dakku Yume Bōken?)
Capcom Capcom NES Producer
1989 Marusa no Onna
マルサの女
Capcom Capcom NES Director
1989 Sweet Home
スウィートホーム (Suīto Hōmu?)
Capcom Capcom NES Designer
1990 Mega Man 3
ロックマン3Dr.ワイリーの最期!? (Rokkuman Surī Dokutā Wairī no Saigo!??)
Capcom Capcom NES Producer
1990 Gargoyle's Quest
レッドアリーマー 魔界村外伝 (Reddo Arīmā Makaimura Gaiden?)
Capcom Capcom Game Boy Producer
1990 Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
チップとデールの大作戦 (Chippu to Dēru no Daisakusen?)
Capcom Capcom NES Producer
1990 Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight
2010 ストリートファイター (2010 Sutorīto Faitā?)
Capcom Capcom NES Producer
1990 Little Nemo: The Dream Master
パジャマヒーロー NEMO (Pajama Hīrō Nīmō?)
Capcom Capcom NES Executive Producer
1990 Final Fight
ファイナルファイト (Fainaru Faito?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Special Thanks
1991 Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
超魔界村 (Chō Makaimura?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Director
1991 Tenchi wo Kurau II
天地を喰らうII 諸葛孔明伝 (Tenchi wo Kurau Tsū ?)
Capcom Capcom NES Producer
1991 The Little Mermaid Capcom Capcom NES, Game Boy Producer
1991 Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge
ロックマンワールド (Rokkuman Wārudo?)
Capcom Capcom Game Boy Producer
1991 Mercs
(戦場の狼 (Senjō no Ōkami Tsū?)
Capcom Capcom Arcade Designer
1991 Mega Man 4
ロックマン4 新たなる野望!! (Rokkuman Fō Aratanaru Yabō!!?)
Capcom Capcom NES Producer
1991 TaleSpin Capcom Capcom NES Producer
1991 Mega Man II
ロックマンワールド2 (Rokkuman Wārudo Tsū?)
Capcom Capcom Game Boy Producer
1992 Final Fight Guy
ファイナルファイト・ガイ (Fainaru Faito Gai?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Special Thanks
1992 Darkwing Duck Capcom Capcom NES, Game Boy Producer
1992 Gargoyle's Quest II
レッドアリーマーII (Reddo Arīmā Tsū?)
Capcom Capcom NES Producer
1992 Mega Man 5
ロックマン5ブルースの罠!? (Rokkuman Faibu Burūsu no Wana!??)
Capcom Capcom NES Producer
1992 Mega Man III
ロックマンワールド3 (Rokkuman Wārudo Surī?)
Capcom Capcom Game Boy Producer
1992 Street Fighter II′ Turbo: Hyper Fighting
ストリートファイターIIダッシュターボ -HYPER FIGHTING- (Sutorīto Faitā Tsū Dasshu Tābo Haipā Faitingu?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Special Thanks
1993 Breath of Fire
ブレス オブ ファイア 竜の戦士 (Buresu obu Faia Ryū no Senshi?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Producer
1993 DuckTales 2
ダックテイルズ2 (Dakku Teiruzu Tsū?)
Capcom Capcom NES, Game Boy Producer
1993 Final Fight 2
ファイナルファイト2 (Fainaru Faito Tsū?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Producer
1993 Mighty Final Fight
マイティ ファイナルファイト (Maiti Fainaru Faito?)
Capcom Capcom NES Special Thanks
1993 Mega Man 6
ロックマン6史上最大の戦い!! (Rokkuman Shikkusu Shijō Saidai no Tatakai!!?)
Capcom Capcom NES Producer
1993 Disney's Aladdin
アラジン (Arajin?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Producer
1993 Mega Man IV
ロックマンワールド4 (Rokkuman Wārudo Fō?)
Capcom Capcom Game Boy Producer
1993 Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2
チップとデールの大作戦2 ( Chippu to Dēru no Daisakusen Tsū?)
Capcom Capcom NES Producer
1993 Mega Man X
ロックマンX (Rokkuman Ekkusu?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Producer
1994 Mega Man Soccer
ロックマンズサッカー (Rokkumanzu Sakkā?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Producer
1994 Goof Troop
グーフィーとマックス 海賊島の大冒険 (Gūfii to Makkusu - Kaizoku Shima no Daibouken?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Producer
1994 Mega Man V
ロックマンワールド5 (Rokkuman Wārudo Faibu?)
Capcom Capcom Game Boy Producer
1994 Demon's Crest
デモンズブレイゾン 魔界村 紋章編 (Demonzu Bureizon Makaimura Monjōhen?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Producer
1994 X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse
エックスメン ミュータントアポカリプス (Ekkusumen Myūtanto Apokaripusu?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Producer
1994 Breath of Fire II
ブレス オブ ファイアII 使命の子 (Buresu obu Faia Tsū Shimei no Ko?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Producer
1994 Mega Man X2
ロックマンX2 (Rokkuman Ekkusu Tsū?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Producer
1995 Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dream
ストリートファイターZERO (Sutorīto Faitā Zero?)
Capcom Capcom PlayStation, Sega Saturn Consumer Staff
1995 Mega Man 7
ロックマン7 宿命の対決! (Rokkuman Sebun Shukumei no Taiketsu!?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Producer
1995 Mega Man X3
ロックマンX3 (Rokkuman Ekkusu Surī?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Producer
1995 Final Fight 3
ファイナルファイトタフ (Fainaru Faito Tafu?)
Capcom Capcom SNES Producer
1996 Resident Evil
バイオハザード (Baiohazādo?)
Capcom Capcom PlayStation General Producer

Post-Capcom[]

Year Title Developer Publisher System Role
1998 Tomba!
オレっ!トンバ (Ore! Tonba?)
Whoopee Camp Sony Computer Entertainment PlayStation Producer, Director
1999 Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return
トンバ! ザ・ワイルドアドベンチャー (Tonba! Za Wairudo Adobenchā?)
Whoopee Camp Sony Computer Entertainment PlayStation Producer, Designer
2001 Extermination
エクスターミネーション (Ekusutāminēshon?)
Deep Space Sony Computer Entertainment PlayStation 2 Executive Producer
2003 Hungry Ghosts
ハングリィ ゴースト (Hanguri Gōsuto?)
Deep Space Sony Computer Entertainment PlayStation 2 Executive Producer, Director
2006 Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins
極魔界村 (Goku Makaimura?)
Tose Capcom PlayStation Portable Director
2006 Bionic Commando Rearmed
バイオニック コマンドー マスターD復活計画 (Baionikku Komandō Masutā Dī Fukkatsu Keikaku?)
GRiN Capcom PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC Consultant
2009 MadWorld
マッドワールド (MaddoWārudo?)
PlatinumGames Sega Wii Original Game Design
2016 Project Scissors: Night Cry Nude Maker Nude Maker PC, PlayStation Vita, iOS, Android Special Support (message)
2021 Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection

帰ってきた 魔界村 (Kaettekita Makaimura?)

Capcom Capcom Nintendo Switch Director, Game Designer

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Hamamura, Hirozaku (July 2, 2003). "The Lair of Hungry Ghosts". Famitsu. Translated by Fox, Fennec. Retrieved from archive.org. Accessed September 1, 2016.
  2. Ohta Publishing (2009). "Game Center CX Complete" (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-7783-1180-3.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Staff (2003). "The Man Who Made Ghosts’n Goblins" (Japanese). Continue (12). Translated by GlitterBerri. Accessed September 1, 2016
  4. Tane, Kiyofume (February 2009). "The Father of Strider Who Made the Game World Explode: Kouichi Yotsui Discography". Gameside (16). Translated by Gaijin Punch for Gamengai. Accessed 24 Oct 2010.
  5. Strider. (Capcom). Arcade. Level/area: End credits. (March 7, 1989).
  6. 6.0 6.1 Scion; Dire 51 (24 April 2010). "Interview with Kouichi "Isuke" Yotsui". LSCM 4.0. Translated by Gaijin Punch. Accessed September 1, 2016.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Jones, Darran (24 Apr 2010). "The Making of... Strider". Retro Gamer (76). pp. 48-53.
  8. "Makaimura Series – Interview Collection" (Japanese). Translated by Shmuplations.com. Accessed September 1, 2016


External links[]

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