Tomonobu Itagaki, the legendary creator behind Dead or Alive and the 2004 revival of Ninja Gaiden, has died at age 58. A final message he wrote before his passing was shared on his Facebook page, where he said he was “proud to say that I followed my beliefs and fought to the end.” Tributes from across the gaming world have poured in, including heartfelt posts from Tekken’s Katsuhiro Harada and developer James Mielke, who called him “a true ninja.” Known for his bold personality, trademark sunglasses, and outspoken views, Itagaki became a defining figure in Japan’s action game scene. His career spanned from his early work at Tecmo in 1992 to founding Valhalla Game Studios and later Itagaki Games. His death comes just days before the release of Ninja Gaiden 4, a project he was not involved in. #gaming #deadoralive #fightinggame #ninjagaiden