The First Clash of ACG

That afternoon, Takuya and Suzuki stood outside Tatsunoko Studio. Sunlight filtered through the high-rises, casting mottled shadows over them.

Suzuki kept wiping his forehead. Even his carefully pressed suit could not conceal his nervousness.

"Mr. Suzuki, relax." Takuya patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "We're here to bring them money. They have no reason to refuse."

Suzuki forced a smile, but he still felt uncertain. This was Sega's first venture into animation and manga. Unlike simply promoting game consoles in the past, they were feeling their way across an unknown river. This kind of trailblazing work truly unsettled a conservative like him.

The moment they entered the studio, they were met by a thick atmosphere of creativity. The walls were covered with classic anime posters and design sketches, silently recounting the glorious history of this veteran animation company.

The receptionist politely led them to a small meeting room on the second floor. It was simply furnished, with a long table, several chairs, and posters of Tatsunoko's classic works hanging on the walls.

Takuya walked to the window and looked out over the streets of Musashino City. He appeared calm, but his heart was full of anticipation.

The sound of footsteps broke the silence in the meeting room.

A slightly portly middle-aged man walked in, his hair immaculately combed. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and a professional smile, giving off an air of steadiness and competence.

"Hello, I'm Oba Kotaro." Oba Kotaro took the initiative to extend his hand, shaking hands with Takuya and Suzuki. His gaze lingered on Takuya for a moment, as though he was curious about this young project director.

"I've heard so much about you." Takuya replied modestly. "I'm a huge fan of Director Oba's Urusei Yatsura and Barefoot Gen."

Oba Kotaro smiled and exchanged a few polite remarks. The three took their seats and made small talk. Oba Kotaro showed initial curiosity toward Sega's plan to cross into animation, but he remained cautious. He wanted to know what kind of magic this "fighting game" the young man spoke of possessed that could make Sega mobilize such resources.

"Director Oba, what do you think is the greatest challenge in adapting a fighting game into an anime?" Takuya took the initiative to pose the question, trying to break the deadlock.

Oba Kotaro adjusted his glasses and said slowly, "The challenge lies in turning the simple one-on-one fights in a game into an engaging story. Based on the general gameplay Mr. Nakayama described earlier, fighting game characters could easily become stereotypical and lack depth. If it's just people fighting nonstop, the audience will grow tired of it quickly. The fights must serve the story. Only when the story is complete and the characters are well-developed will the combat not feel shallow. At least, that's how it is in anime."

Takuya nodded. As expected, experience really does make all the difference. He saw straight through to the heart of the issue.

Another set of footsteps sounded, and the meeting room door was pushed open once more.

A tall man with sharply defined features walked in. His side-parted hair looked largely unkempt, and his expression carried traces of fatigue and contemplation. It was Masami Kurumada.

Suzuki hurriedly rose to his feet and respectfully bowed to the two masters. "Director Oba, Mr. Kurumada, this is Mr. Nakayama Takuya from Sega's Game Development Department, the chief person in charge of the K project."

"Mr. Nakayama, this is Director Oba Kotaro, who produced famous anime such as Urusei Yatsura and Barefoot Gen. And this is manga artist Masami Kurumada, who made a tremendous impact in Shonen Jump with works such as Genesis of the Boxing King and Fuma no Kojiro." Suzuki's introduction was concise yet solemn, emphasizing the standing of the two masters in their respective fields while also expressing Sega's importance attached to this collaboration.

Masami Kurumada gave a slight nod in greeting. He had been in a poor mood lately. Otoko-zaka, into which he had poured tremendous effort, had been abruptly canceled, dealing him a severe blow. He desperately needed a new breakthrough to prove his worth.

Takuya stood up with a confident smile. "It's an honor to have the opportunity to work with both of you."

Takuya stood up with a confident smile. "It's an honor to have the opportunity to work with both of you." His gaze fell first on Oba Kotaro. "The issue Director Oba just raised is indeed the key. Audiences will quickly grow tired of simple fighting."

He turned to the two of them, his tone earnest. "Although Sega is a game company, this K project is by no means merely about promoting a game."

"The term 'fighting game' may sound somewhat simple, direct—perhaps even crude." Takuya paused. "But please imagine a world like this." His voice was not loud, yet every word reached their ears clearly. "Wealth and crime grow wildly there, while official order often cannot reach far enough."

"In such a world, there exists a group of fighters who have surpassed the limits of ordinary people."

"They are not street punks brawling in alleyways." Takuya emphasized his words. "Some inherit ancient martial arts schools. Every move they make is a killing technique, but may also carry the will of a legacy. Some temper themselves in desperate circumstances, honing both body and spirit to unimaginable heights. There may even be those who have come into contact with powers that cannot be explained by common sense."

He noticed that Masami Kurumada's eyebrows seemed to twitch.

"Through extreme training, these fighters have mastered all manner of incredible combat techniques. With reaction speed, velocity, strength, and timing far beyond those of ordinary people, they can easily face enemies armed with individual firearms under normal circumstances."

"The key is, what do they fight for?" Takuya looked at Oba Kotaro again. "That is precisely the soul we must give this world. Combat must serve the story."

"These stories are the flesh and blood of the characters. Every punch, every block, should carry their determination, anger, sorrow, or hope."

Takuya's gaze swept over the two men. "What we want to do is not take a simple game setting and ask two masters like you to fill in the visuals and plot."

"On the contrary, we hope to work with both of you to first build the world of this 'dark urban martial arts' setting, create truly compelling, living characters, and weave stories that can seize people's hearts. We want this world to come vividly 'alive' in animation first."

"Then, through the game, we will perfectly present this world, these characters, and the sparks created by their fierce clashes to every viewer and player hoping for passion and emotion."

He paused briefly, allowing his words to sink in.

"The K we want to create is a starting point—a grand stage capable of giving rise to countless wonderful stories. A world where readers and viewers can feel the impact of every blow landing, while also aching for and resonating with the characters' fates."

The meeting room fell silent. Oba Kotaro adjusted his glasses, and the gaze behind the lenses seemed to hold a little more scrutiny now, no longer the polite detachment from before. Masami Kurumada, who had remained silent until then, leaned forward slightly. His fingers tapped unconsciously against the tabletop, while something like a long-suppressed creative urge in his eyes seemed to have been gently stirred.

Suzuki secretly let out a breath, feeling that the air in the meeting room no longer seemed quite so suffocating.

He steered the topic toward the core story of the first Fatal Fury.

Seeing the atmosphere ease, Suzuki smoothly took over, a barely noticeable excitement in his voice. "The world Mr. Takuya has described is something we have actually already developed a preliminary story concept for internally. Perhaps it can serve as the starting point for our discussion."