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Friday, December
12th, 2025
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Tomonobu
Itagaki Passes Away, Tekken's Katsuhiro Harada Delivers Eulogy
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 Tomonobu
Itagaki, the visionary producer and creator of the Dead
or Alive (DOA) and modern Ninja
Gaiden series, passed away at age 58 from a serious illness back
in October 2025. He
leaves behind a memorable and significant legacy particularly in the
fighting and action game genres. Itagaki's death was announced on October
16th through a
poignant, pre-scheduled Facebook message, expressing pride in his work and
passion for gaming. Katsuhiro
Harada, the producer of the Tekken
series, attended Itagaki's memorial service on November 27, 2025, and
delivered a eulogy and provided some beautiful photos showing tributes and
artwork (below).
On social media, Katsuhiro
Harada acknowledged the passing of his friend and fellow game director Tomonobu
Itagaki. Harada attending Itagaki's memorial service on
November 27th was a poignant moment that likely
contributed to his reflections on his own career and future, as the
director recently confirmed that he is departing
from Bandai Namco.
Itagaki was a
prominent figure in the gaming industry, known for his strong personality
and his work on the Ninja Gaiden reboot series. Despite a past rivalry
between Dead or Alive and Tekken, Itagaki and Harada had
buried the hatchet in 2008, with Harada referring to Itagaki as his
"comrade in arms". Harada expressed his disbelief and sorrow at
Itagaki's passing on  , recalling a promise to "grab a drink
sometime".
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| Source:
@Harada_TEKKEN
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Related
News | December 2025
Harada Leaving Bandai Namco
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Katsuhiro Harada, the
long-standing director of the Tekken franchise and a pivotal figure in
the fighting game industry, is set to depart from Bandai Namco at the end of
2025 after a remarkable 31-year tenure. His career at Namco, which began in
1994...
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Related News |
December 2025
Street Fighter (2026)
Movie Trailer
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The
Game Awards 2025 delivered a monumental surprise for fighting game enthusiasts
and cinema buffs alike with the world premiere of the first trailer for
the highly anticipated Street Fighter (2026) movie. The trailer
packs a nostalgic vibe, stunning cinematography and martial arts choreography,
and provides a first look...
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December 2025
Miary Zo Now Available in TEKKEN
8, Official Character Art
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New
challenger Miary Zo is now available in TEKKEN
8
along with the beautiful new Madagascar battle stage. Old school fans should
appreciate her Ogre
and True Ogre references within her moveset and design. Inside, check out
her official artwork...
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Related News |
October 2025
TEKKEN
8 Miary Zo Gameplay
Reveal, Concept Art, Release Date
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At
EVO France '25, Bandai Namco revealed new TEKKEN 8 character Miary Zo's
gameplay reveal trailer and announced
her release date for December 2nd (early access) and December 5th (worldwide).
Miary Zo takes inspiration from her animal...
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Related
News | September 2025
SoulCalibur
III, TEKKEN
3 Coming to PS5 / PS4 via PlayStation Plus
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It
was announced during Tokyo Game Show 2025 that two legendary 3D fighting games
by Namco are on the way to PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 via PS
Plus. No release date has been provided yet but the PlayStation Plus catalog
will be expanded...
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Related TFG Links: TEKKEN
8, Armor
King, Miary
Zo
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