Katsuhiro Harada
Katsuhiro Harada | |
|---|---|
 Katsuhiro Harada at the 14th edition of the Japan Expo in 2013 | |
| Born | June 10, 1970 |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation(s) | Game designer, director and producer, Director at Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Notable work | Tekken series |
Katsuhiro Harada (原田 勝弘, Harada Katsuhiro, born June 10, 1970) is a Japanese game producer and director from Bandai Namco Entertainment, best known as the producer of the Tekken series.
Biography
Harada was born in Osaka, Japan, and grew up within the Nara Prefecture region.[1] He later moved to Tokyo, Japan. During his childhood, videogames were viewed with a great deal of suspicion in Japan. His parents wouldn't buy him a home console, and as a result often sneaked into arcade centres, where he would occasionally be discovered and dragged out. He worked hard and ended up securing a place at Waseda University. He has studied judo, karate and a little bit of taekwondo in the past.[2] He attended Waseda University along with Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki.[3] and holds a degree in psychology. During his university studies, he took a few Chinese language courses, albeit finding it very difficult.[4] After graduating from university, he joined Namco to become a promoter. His parents were initially unhappy with his pursuit in a career with the video game industry, but have since accepted him in his career.[5]
During his first year working in the Namco arcade, Harada smashed the sales record two months in a row, and subsequently received an award of commendation from the president of Namco. Thanks to the award, Harada now had a platform to approach the management and request that they move him into game development. Towards the end of the first year at Namco, they gave him a position on the first Tekken title.[6]
He voiced Forest Law in Tekken 3 and Tekken Tag Tournament, Marshall Law from Tekken until Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, Yoshimitsu from Tekken until Tekken Tag Tournament and Kunimitsu in Tekken. Known for his sense of humor, such as comical friendship and rivalry with Street Fighter director, Yoshinori Ono, and jokes around about the character Leo in Tekken 6 because of her ambiguous gender. Harada is also a member of Project Soul (the team behind Namco's Soul franchise). He makes an appearance in Soulcalibur V as a Bonus Character in a Quick Battle challenge. He uses the Character Creation exclusive Devil Jin style from the Tekken franchise, the Mishima Style Fighting Karate. His BGM is called "Antares" which is also used in Tekken 5 stage Cathedral. In the game, he use his special outfit, the Heihachi Mishima's Tiger Gi. Harada maintains fairly active Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Works
- Tekken (1994) — voice of Yoshimitsu, Marshall Law, Kunimitsu, Project Producer
- Tekken 2 (1995) — voice of Yoshimitsu, Marshall Law, Project Producer
- Tekken 3 (1997) — voice of Yoshimitsu, Forest Law, Project Director
- Tekken Tag Tournament (1999) — voice of Yoshimitsu, Forest Law, Project Creator, Director and Supervisor
- Tekken Advance (2001) — voice of Yoshimitsu, Forest Law, Project Director and Supervisor
- Tekken 4 (2001) — voice of Marshall Law, Gameplay Director
- Tekken 5 (2004) — voice of Marshall Law, Project Producer and Game Director
- Urban Reign (2005) — Contributor and Special Thanks
- Soulcalibur III (2005) — Contributor and Special Thanks
- Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection (2005) — voice of Marshall Law, Game Director: Arcade Original Staff, Project Director, Supervisor
- Soul Calibur Legends — Contributor and Special Thanks
- Tekken 6 (2007) — Executive Producer
- Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion (2008) — Executive Producer
- Soulcalibur IV (2008) — Co-Director.[7]
- Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (2011) — Game Concept Supervisor
- Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011) — Executive Producer
- Street Fighter X Tekken (2012) — Contributor and Co-Director
- Tekken 3D: Prime Edition (2012) — Executive Producer
- Ridge Racer Unbounded (2012) — Special Thanks
- PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (2012) — Supervisor
- Tekken Revolution (2013) — Executive Producer
- Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (2015) — Supervisor[8]
- Tekken 7 (2015) — Executive Producer
- Pokkén Tournament (2015) — Producer
- Lost Reavers (2015) — Executive Producer
- Tekken 7: Fated Retribution (2016) — Executive Producer
- Summer Lesson (TBA) — Executive Producer
- Tekken X Street Fighter (TBA) — Executive Producer
References
- ^ http://gamewise.co/people/43370/Katsuhiro-Harada/Overview
- ^ https://twitter.com/Harada_TEKKEN/status/322903409063755776
- ^ https://twitter.com/Harada_TEKKEN/status/195725905740578816
- ^ https://twitter.com/Harada_TEKKEN/status/320546720238952449
- ^ http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2013/sep/23/haradas-parents-broke-tears-when-he-initially-got-involved-video-games-he-used-psychology-background-boost-sales/
- ^ "Harada was interviewed by the video game magazine Edge". Edge Online Magazine. 2013-09-23. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
- ^ "Katsuhiro Harada Confirms Soulcalibur V Discussion! | 8WayRun.Com - Soulcalibur". 8WayRun.Com. Retrieved 2012-02-11.
- ^ "Harada on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 7 February 2016.