Kazuma Kaneko is Done

Today we discuss why Kazuma Kaneko seems to have taken a backseat within Atlus Japan's game development.
He was at the forefront of what made SMT an SMT for a while and suddenly around 2009 he kinda just stopped being the face. He had come off of Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey and from there it became bizarre. He contributed art to Devil Survivor, and his scenario draft was used partially as a foundation for SMTIV. That isn’t to say he wasn’t involved with development, he did supervise revisions to the story and the way the game’s world looked but that is it. He did not create new art. He showed up in the credits for Persona 5 as well, as he and Megumi Shiraishi supervised the 3d models of demons, probably because they drew them.
Well my point of reference, what I made this video for is the Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey Reminisce book which includes a lengthy Kazuma Kaneko interview. The last page of the interview is where the meat regarding his thoughts on Atlus and his future is.
Sorry about the super wonky editing Premiere was acting super duper weird and not letting me render and watching what I was doing so this is what it ended up looking like when I couldn't really see what was happening while working on it! Kazuma Kaneko is Done
Tiktok: / didyouknowtensei
Twitter: / didyaknowtensei
Twitch: / larrue
Source:
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www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/chosa...
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#kazumakaneko #larrue #megaten

[@Larrue]

In regards to the title: it best sums up the video. It's a discussion about Kaneko's last big interview for smt and why he's gone from the face of Atlus to a simple credit as the demon designer. That's why the description is there, describing the exact content of the video. I can't think of how else to put in three or so words all of that simply. If you think it's malicious I don't know what to tell you besides that's not my intention. I didn't think so many people would: A. Think I would trick people to watch B. Associate "gone" with dead, I thought it'd be associated with disappeared but that word is too misleading for me to use. So in response I added (Not Dead) to the title, even though the description and first minute of the video made that clear.

[@kqlin34]

Scared the crap out of me, not gonna lie

[@kevin34334]

Gotta be fair & say "gone" can be both ways either disappear, or a soft hearted way of saying "dead" when I read it the first time I thought it was the first one, but knew that to be false considering the context. No worries you're fine.

[@basedsnake]

I think a better title would be "Why doesn't Kaneko do art for Shin Megami Tensei anymore?"

[@Nominal_GDP]

Hmmm what about gone as in disappeared! Gotta add another disclaimer!

[@JayAreAitch]

"Kazuma Kaneko has taken a backseat" would fit a title.

[@DavidCastJRPGs]

As much as I appreciate Doi's work, its still sad to see Kaneko be gone 😭

[@jovif.spemudaindonesia1841]

Yo David

[@faerierose84]

It sounds like Kaneko was experiencing burnout, so he decided to step back.

[@LakituAl]

"Mom! Dad! Kaneko's dead!" "*gasp!*" "Yeah, dead serious about inspiring the new generation of artists and developers! "

[@Larrue]

This is the best comment, I always love a good Simpsons reference

[@ShinigamiNeko92]

I think that Kaneko is content with just being at the backseat, because it certainly sounds like that. He may be 'gone' from being in the frontline of ATLUS, but he's there, always have been -- just supervising and give thoughts and ideas, occasionally draw Demons when he can or asked to. His time is done, and he KNOWS it. He's that kind of guy who allows the new generations to take over and try on things. He's a cool dude. His image being in the flower field will be in our minds forever. Great video, Larrue.

[@Larrue]

He's in the flower field for sure

[@Ecusu]

That title gave me a heart attack

[@KuroeDetectiveAgency]

that fro never ceases to amuse me

[@Larrue]

Yeah it literally served no purpose in the vid besides me wanting to show he wore a fro wig hahaha

[@dantemustdie00]

The original Funky Student.

[@ElevenWAV]

That last quote kinda touched me, I hope someday he realize how much important his work was for so many people

[@Larrue]

I hope so too, he's inspired many people imo

[@JahleelSingh]

This man is the reason I am in art school. I currently making a series of designs of various gods and demons. I had to write the reason for why I should be in the school noted Koneko as an inspiration. Thanks to him, I could become a future character and demon designer.

[@awalludinsyam1500]

in short, he belives in new blood so he step down in production and now being as a supervisor or giving input. while still credited as demon designer. i bet that is what his vision right know. he is not content to create something but giving a space for newer ones so the game could evolve into better product. that is what i call a mentor.

[@seth7726]

I just wish we could hear about him from time to time. Whether it be a casual game devs gathering or his thought on other media (not necessarily Megaten/gaming related). It still feels unreal that someone like him just kinda vanished from the internet, a place which is known for not letting you stay completely away without leaving footprints, and especially for someone who was this relevant in the industry. However, just as with Cozy Okada, vanishing from Earth isn't something impossible at all...

[@MagillanicaLouM]

Yeah, guess at the end of the day all it is is a man that thinks his torch on the front lines of game dev should be passed on, however earlier than a lot of his fans would like lol. Though it's not like he was only around for a short time and he's still involved, just not as much. He's a very skilled industry legend, but ppl just gotta accept the dude wants to kick back and watch his juniors develop their own memories and legacies. Gonna miss the vibes he and the og crews had in interviews and photos though lol.

[@monkakonga4305]

Im glad he left in such a good note with Strange Journey, and now we just need to see how Doi can help in SMTV, even if he is a double edge sword. Kaneko is in the flower fields now.

[@kyriegolden6463]

Jesus christ Larrue I thought he died form the way you made that title

[@MeatOfJustice]

For a sec he did for me, but I was mostly thinking that he left ATLUS.

[@jasonblundelldobebussing]

He died of Bufu

[@KaiMCGRPS]

@@jasonblundelldobebussing what's bufu

[@jasonblundelldobebussing]

@@KaiMCGRPS😁

[@elechain2441]

@@KaiMCGRPS :trollge:

[@Dr0dd]

bro, you gonna make think people this is an eulogy or something. Well, in a way it is I guess? That being said, you expressed basically what I had thought myself, especially reading people's comments about if he is still involved, that he should return etc. Like, he moved on, you should too, even if it's harsh that the person who shaped the franchise is not involved anymore. But SMT isn't exactly a franchise that is about getting attached to the past, is it? Time to create something new. The stuff about his status and the copyright is seriously weird, no doubt. There probably would be less theories floating around if corporate culture wasn't so secretive.

[@Larrue]

Yeah the fact the interview about him moving away from creative development is tucked away in a guide book for strange journey rather than posted anywhere makes me feel they didn't want to scare away long time fans with the revelation. I forgot to even mention he was among the last if not the last member of staff who worked on smt 1 to still be working at atlus creatively.

[@PunchinBag01]

Absolute legend I should still buy his art books just so my eyes can be blessed all the time but let’s see if the next guys can do what he did.

[@Mariesun]

I love to see Kaneko’s art, while his presence is not very present in SMT games anymore, his art is eternal

[@ffxiikd1426]

in persona 5 artbook Creator Commentary on Igor "Kazuma Kaneko originally designed this character, and his uniquely proportioned head. While he was redrawn for this game, he is an unchanging constant in the Persona series, so we did not rework his design. He's probably the only thing we can rest assured will never change." i think next Persona game will not have Igor like new SMT with Mido. of course this is just my predictions this is me just talking what do you think Larrue?

[@Larrue]

I'm hoping it means they won't chang or replace Igor but the voice actor passing away so long ago it's hard to not want to change him

[@ffxiikd1426]

@@Larrue true, Isamu a legendary voice actor. and i liked new voice actor for Igor also Masane is gold 👍

[@KamenKami]

He has fully gone to the flower fields.

[@Tw0tson]

this vid only slightly less depressing than the cozy okada one

[@SimplyDad]

cant believe Kazuma Kaneko is dead

[@ImPyroChad]

_The god you worship is dead_

[@therealcannon711]

One more God rejected...

[@destroyerdan6945]

It's so sad he died of ligma.

[@ImPyroChad]

@@destroyerdan6945 Bufu deez nuts

[@destroyerdan6945]

​@@ImPyroChad But I never got to know who Joe was!

[@canonsprite]

This is why I can't really like any new smt releases. SMT had a very distinct atmosphere from demon design to story, mostly run by kaneko. Without the main person who pushed the vision, anything after feels like a hollow imitation of what once was. This isnt just with SMT. A lot of franchises are being milked without the original people who brought the initial vision.

[@doseybear7920]

Well that was pretty melancholic, especially that goodbye FM. Definitely a p3 vibe.

[@PabloAvilaEstevez]

Give that man his flowers while he's still with us. I love his demon designs and it's awesome that he's at least immortalized in Persona 2 as the demon artist.

[@matteste]

One of my main concerns with him was just how suddenly he vanished. That only tends to happen due to health concerns, and we do know he was a pretty big smoker. Especially with the Jiken books. For some reason he dropped out of doing the art for the final entry. Just seems to strange to not complete something that close to the finish-line. He was just what made SMT what it is. There have just been something missing from the series ever since he vanished. Though one thing I really think he should have done was to more formally and clearly announce that he is stepping down so that people aren't left in the dark.

[@baibiebaibea9740]

he is one of my biggest art idols!! the new artists are great but his works where soo different and striking! i wish when hes ready to make art again he’ll do some independent work thatll be cool 🤩

[@withaneraser]

scared me for a good bit until i saw "not dead"

[@xerontokyo]

Another good informative video plus that last quote from Kaneko is so wholesome.

[@Larrue]

Thanks, yeah Kaneko really isn't like most people in the regards of he was always looking to prop up and nurture talent. Super cool

[@xerontokyo]

Yeah hope all of us will be inspired by his works from his art or his way of storytelling or scenario concepts from games and other media.

[@erisunflower]

Kaneko-Sensei be stylin’ in that Afro tho

[@salsamonkey65]

All good things must come to an end. What a legacy, though. Such a unique talent. I wish him well in whatever he decides to do from here.

[@nicobane]

you do a very good job with these kaneko videos. been trying to learn jp myself for a while and i def think you being able to read proper jp sources and translate them is super valuable. keep up the great work.

[@Darth_Bateman]

Damn you, Light Yagami….you killed another one you maniac!!!

[@BishounenNerd]

I'm saddened to see Kazuma Kaneko leave. He was the definitive SMT experience for a long time, but I'm not surprised, either. If he were to go away who would carry the torch? I think he was wise to let the new faces at Atlus gain experience on their own projects rather than stepping in directly. At first some of Doi's demon designs felt a little bit alienating but I've seen some demons which he worked on in later games and grew to love him as the new designer, in particular Cironnup, so I think on the design front the series is in good hands. I actually once about 6 or 7 years ago drew a sketch of the Jack Bros and it turned out to be really good. I think in some way Kaneko inspired me, I love the really early work he did on the SMT games for the SNES. I think he's reached more people than just the immediate staff of Atlus and even within Japan itself!

[@ffxiikd1426]

Another great video 👍

[@4KGamingSMT]

Larrue I love your videos, always so informative, great SMT/Atlus info. Keep it up bro!

[@Krischenn]

He was a essential part of this team, and I hope he's doing well.

[@Jfoltz39]

Kaneko is legendary. Truly one of my favorite artists

[@nenjutsu1774]

Where's Kaneko? How could anyone not know where he is? He's in a flower field. For eternity and we should be happy he's happy

[@darklordliam]

I’m glad I read the whole title

[@moisescorral8297]

Tomomi Kobayashi! OMG! Thank you for saying her name! I love her work on the SaGa franchise, and she's a huge inspiration to me as an artist. Definitely underappreciated.

[@ironrex6979]

Man I still miss him. I always thought he left because he wanted to pass down the torch. I still hope that’s the case since we are all still in the realm of speculation. After all these years, since I first played DDS and SMTIII on the PS2, I still look up to the guy. He’s been a great inspirational force. Hope he’s doing great in whatever he’s working or not working on.

[@rena4825]

Damn the title made my heart stopped for a while 😓

[@darkraiu]

That last quote really made me shed a tear hahaha I'm an artist myself who create comics and also plan on making a game on my own and he is one of my main inspirations, I can only hope to do my job the best I can to then show and say that he's one of the reasons I keep drawing because I want to do something as inspiring as his work :')

[@unnamedx2]

He also helped design demons in dmc3

[@msvgameschannel5429]

I like kaneko p1-p2 character design, so stylish

[@lc9245]

His character design is not very memorable, distinctive in their facial feature. I struggle to recall a face in his design, nothing comes to mind. The distinctive part comes from their clothing, accessory, hair. In the modern industry, that won't move merchandise. Character's face is the first thing that slaps audience in the face, simply having unique clothing won't work. If they look the same, they should be easy on the eye, that's what sells. Not his extremely unique, beautifully crafted concepts. That's his damn magic. I don't find newer Atlus works to be as unique as they were. The tone of their works were not just in the demon's, environment, story, but also in the characters strange and interesting design. In a way, I look at it as, humans are all born from the same thing, we share that connection with each other. What sets us apart is what we donned on, our clothing, ideology, emotion. His designs set the tone perfectly. Mysterious, occultic, terrifying, enigmatic and even mesmerising. His legacy to me, is his influence on Atlus. They are still recycling the central conflict that they started decades ago, with different context, tone and characters. Yet, the demons, especially their designs, are still essentially his, albeit trimmed down or refined. I don't think I would have fall in love with Atlus if it weren't for SMT3's design putting me in a trance. Later games no longer provides the sort of spiritual experience I had with older SMT, even if I still enjoy them. I hope he's contend with whatever he's doing, and very thankful for his contribution to the medium. It's talents like his that propelled Japanese video games into the territory of art.

[@goleh4044]

It seems like the current area atlus environment is too corporate for creators like him. I mean stuff like Soejima changing design due to the demand that all girls must be cute, or about 3 or 2 rejected concept designs for each demon in IV:A clearly show that the work environment Kaneko work in is no longer present in Atlus. But we can only speculate, He might just want to stand aside and enjoy retirement.

[@dantemustdie00]

Yeah it's true, Doi and Soejima don't have as much freedom with design as Kaneko did back in the day.

[@mizael_7]

the title gives me heartattack for a while lol,anyway great video larrue.

[@weslloyd8686]

Wow maaaan i was so scared !!

[@tomoyaokazaki9593]

"End of an era" sure it is, Shoji meguro leaving atlus, Kaneko sensei secretly handing over to the newer/younger people, which is understandable because they are aging, it's a sad feeling.. knowing we aren't getting their works anymore but such is life, nothing is for granted Thank you for everything Kazuma Kaneko Sensei.

[@Larrue]

Funny enough he isn't that much older than doi or soejima, but maybe he also just wanted to move on

[@zi3aya820]

A legend will never Die!

[@gpmegaman]

Bro Kaneko is such a smart, calm, collected guy. Plus he's a brilliant artist. I wonder if it's more luck than work to be born like that?

[@jackfrostfromsmt3nocturne166]

Hee Ho yeah hes gone Ho im taking over his role Hee Ho all character will be jack frost Hee Ho

[@rickraptornightcore1225]

My favourite artist

[@Larrue]

Me or Kaneko

[@rickraptornightcore1225]

You of course 😊

[@spudsbuchlaw]

It's kinda weird for a MegaTenist to say "Its sad to see the end of an era"

[@Larrue]

Yeah I feel that

[@JustDandyGuy]

Jesus this scared the shit outta me

[@sen9250]

This title was not good for my heart

[@The7threst]

I really like how you end the video with that positive quote! Also, what version is that track of the dream sequence with which you end the video?

[@Larrue]

It's the version from SMT IMAGINE

[@joaovictornascimentopeixot9314]

Megami Tensei inspired me to start working on the story, characters, world and demons of an RPG I wanted to make back then. I gave up on the RPG idea in favor of being an hack'n'slash heavily inspired by another favorite series of mine, Devil May Cry. Still, Megami Tensei inspire me on the way I draw monsters and demons alike, as well as how I think about the world of the game. Im am far, very far away from making this game a reality, but I really hope it can happen someday so I can say "Megaten inspired me to create this work".

[@lobotomizedlunch9395]

I miss him more than you would ever believe.

[@kohphran]

Gone but never forgotten 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

[@SnarfsSoldier17]

Good stuff Larrue 🤙

[@tuskguy361]

Kaneko worked his ass off for a good decade He should rest he deserves it

[@DeepWeeb]

I was already thinking if the reason why we haven't heard of Kaneko for so long wasn't as simple to answer as *him not longer working at ATLUS*

[@jasonblundelldobebussing]

DIED OF LIGMA?! 😱 LITERALLY CRYING 😢

[@Mclucasrv]

I have to say when it showed up in my notifications I did think he was dead lol

[@dongodongo12]

I think that if i end up not liking smt 5, i would also be done with smt, is not like doi's art is bad, but kaneko's art Was the thing that made me love the series

[@jkt3sc]

Honestly If that happens, it would probably mark SMT as a dead series due to the success of persona. The half assed nocturne port alongside the fact that they've announced 7 projects for persona kinda says a lot about where there priorities are, just hopefully V is good and successful enough so the series doesn't die out when it really shouldn't, especially after the bangers of the PS2 generation.

[@Phraqzy]

You're overreacting

[@Pduarte79]

Kaneko is the OP Soul King.

[@haruhisuzumiya6650]

(Not dead) thank the goddesses Satoshi Tajiri also left Pokemon to be a executive of Game Freak

[@karlalexandregarcia7062]

Just a few seconds in the video and I’m frantically reading comments to check if he’s DEAD

[@lucasluna1699]

He's gone? I hope someone find him, poor guy.

[@Larrue]

It'd be funnier if it weren't actually the case, but he's pretty hidden

[@Lonewulf321]

Okay. get some rest my guy

[@keyos1091]

What song is in 8:00?

[@sasamosamo]

I want to mention that the Tales series only recently started crediting Kosuke Fujishima (long time character artist for the series) as a separate entity recently. You can see this especially on Tales of Crestoria, and Berseria. My speculation is that Kazuma may have been operating as a contractor, or commissioned for his work in the earlier days, thus the copyright. But perhaps Atlus simply hired him outright, and perhaps pays him more than the residuals he was receiving for complete ownership of the demons.

[@electrosphere5581]

Honestly, I just wish the humans from IV forward didn't look... so much like generic anime characters (I still do love the Samurai outfit though.)

[@GrayFoxRJ]

But what is he doing now?

[@covids12345]

Is he on any social media that you know of?

[@darkhorse744]

Dude, that title. Wtf.

[@DengueBurger]

Is that Japanese interview on KZbin?

[@zerochill4096]

Kaneko's decision is not surprising, but still somewhat sad. However, he left the MegaTen series in great hands; younger people who have new ideas to contribute to the series are still doing him proud to this day

[@Pichuscute]

Yeah, this has been the conclusion I've come to too. He's in a more supervising role now and seems to be okay with that, so more power to him. Doi is still a great artist, so I don't mind at all.

[@felixvids7238]

so if he's not doing designs for atlus anymore that's fine but what is he doing today? i don't believe that drawing was just a job for him. you don't just produce stuff that's this good that way

[@TectonicImprov]

After watching your other videos about Kaneko and his views on art it was clear to me that if anything happened to him it was that he willingly took a backseat. The man basically spearheaded SMT for twenty plus years. I think it's only fair, and admirable that he would pass the torch to individuals like Doi and Soejima, who have done incredible jobs in his place (imo). That said, this video gives me even more distaste for the litany of disinfo that can be found online. Speculation constantly goes too far and it bothers me that somebody out there just made up a rumor that Kaneko got his art stolen from him, and it bothers me even more that people just accepted that without much research of their own.

[@giannimegaten2352]

NFTs

[@Amutsal]

I just want to say the title played just fine for me and I really don't understand the reaction. I don't think you did anything wrong.

[@Larrue]

Thanks, that actually means a lot

[@marylovesdavidcook]

He's just chain-smoking his cigarettes in a dope ass flower field. My man Kaneko just wants to chill.

[@popcultureoverdosed]

I wish he would start designing his own games instead of erasing himself from existence

[@InvocationOfSebastian]

so no hope for raidou 3...

[@shipovnik89]

As we saying in Russia "gone done"

[@DuranmanX]

Rich people retire, what's so strange?

[@Larrue]

But what makes you think he's rich or retired?

[@Primaeros]

**sigh** Goodbye MegaTen, it's been a good run. **signs divorce papers**

[@Larrue]

Whoa it's wild to see you here, thanks for all th footage you put up!

[@Primaeros]

Glad to have them up and available. Mostly wondering if people are still working on the translation/subtitles for them.

[@enzito_sdf6978]

sounds like atlus in the 90s was a lot like valve, a small studio with a more collaborative approach. i think it's time for atlus to do something different, and they have. spamming the same game over and over would eventually kill them.

[@matteste]

Though that's the thing. Cozy and Kaneko were driven towards innovation. My main worry with the series without them is that it is gonna play it excessively safe, only reusing past ideas rather than creating new ones.

[@Larrue]

Yeah I think Okada and Kaneko went out of their way to try and innovate, they talked about it all the time and it showed in their work.

[@enzito_sdf6978]

yeah that kinda worries me. smt v looks fine so far, but i really hope it doesn't turn out to be a nocturne copypaste aesthetically and story wise, and that it finds a new image for mainline. kinda like p3 did after cozy and kaneko "left".

[@matteste]

@@enzito_sdf6978 Well after Apoc, I ain't holding my breath. Also, the director for V is Yamai and he is already someone known for playing it safe. It was him for instance that introduced that classic Law vs Chaos elements to Nocturne after Kaneko and Cozy were trying to move away from it, seeing them as creative dead ends. He also seems to have been the one responsible for base IV's second half which as you all know, is basically SMT I 2.0. He just comes across as excessively relying on the past. V to my eyes just looks like it is content with being a Nocturne clone.

[@kendicloud]

Persona 3 without Kaneko's art and influence? If true, then that turned out to be the best business decision for Atlus right?

[@charlyj1321]

Bro stop changing the mf title its okay we understand

[@Thanos_Pagkidis]

lmao

[@xerontokyo]

Lmao

[@si-level]

incoming comment about SMT become bad after SMT IV