Recaps

After waking in 1985 in the body of Sega president Nakayama Hayao’s youngest son, Nakayama Takuya hid his confusion and prepared to meet his father. He sat down with Nakayama Hayao in the garden, awaiting their conversation.

• Nakayama Takuya woke in Japan in 1985 and absorbed the memories of the original Nakayama Takuya, a recent Tokyo Institute of Technology graduate and Nakayama Hayao’s youngest son.
• Nakayama Takuya decided to conceal his transmigration and resolved to lead Sega against Nintendo.
• Keiko checked on Nakayama Takuya, told him Nakayama Hayao was waiting in the back garden, and prepared his usual udon breakfast.
• Nakayama Takuya ate breakfast, went to the garden, and greeted Nakayama Hayao beneath a cherry tree.
• Nakayama Hayao invited Nakayama Takuya to sit across from him, and Nakayama Takuya took a seat.

After graduating, Nakayama Takuya told Nakayama Hayao that he wanted to join Sega and develop games, promising to prove himself. He then asked Ito Ryoji to help him obtain information about the Soviet game Tetris, and Ito agreed to look into it.

• Nakayama Takuya praised the tea before Nakayama Hayao asked about his plans after university.
• Nakayama Takuya said he wanted to join Sega and develop games, and Nakayama Hayao challenged his experience and judgment.
• Nakayama Takuya promised to prepare a surprise that would show whether he was suited to game development.
• Nakayama Takuya met Ito Ryoji at a café and asked about Toshiba's research into Soviet technology.
• Nakayama Takuya asked Ito Ryoji to help him get hold of Tetris, and Ito agreed to keep an eye out for it.

Nakayama Takuya built an MS-DOS version of Tetris with a new competitive battle mode and saw his sister Ayako become engrossed in it. He decided Sega should focus on arcade games first and began considering what genre to develop next.

• Nakayama Takuya programmed Tetris and added a battle mode that sent garbage lines into an opponent’s playfield.
• Nakayama Ayako visited Takuya, tried the game, and demanded another round after losing to him.
• Takuya concluded that Sega should use its arcade strengths to test successful games before supporting the Mega Drive’s launch.
• Takuya considered developing a more hardcore arcade game that could showcase Sega’s technical ability.

Nakayama Takuya obtained and booted an original Soviet Electronika 60 running a primitive version of Tetris, giving him evidence for the game's origins. With his Sega Versus Version proposal and demo ready, he called Nakayama Hayao to move ahead with his plan.

• Ito Ryoji told Nakayama Takuya he had obtained the Soviet machine and arranged for Takuya to collect it from his apartment.
• Nakayama Takuya picked up the Electronika 60, brought it home, and found that its power supply required a converter.
• Nakayama Takuya bought a compatible transformer in Akihabara and successfully started the computer.
• Nakayama Takuya loaded the Tetris disk and confirmed that it contained a primitive, single-player version of the game.
• Nakayama Takuya prepared his Sega Versus Version proposal and demo, then called Nakayama Hayao's office.

Nakayama Takuya joined Sega as deputy group leader of the Third Development Group and introduced himself to his new colleagues. He left them with a promise to prove himself through his work and help Sega defeat Nintendo.

• Nakayama Takuya told Nakayama Hayao that his gift was ready and arranged for department leaders to witness its presentation on Monday.
• Nakayama Takuya arrived at Sega headquarters carrying a floppy disk, a proposal, and an old Soviet antique.
• Nakayama Hayao introduced Nakayama Takuya to the Third Development Department as the new deputy group leader of the Third Development Group.
• Nakayama Takuya acknowledged that his surname might make his appointment seem suspicious and asked his colleagues to judge him by his results.
• Nakayama Takuya declared that he had joined the team to create games that could defeat Nintendo.

Nakayama Takuya presented the Soviet Tetris prototype and his enhanced version to company executives and staff, aiming to prove the game’s potential and rally the Third Development Department. He introduced a competitive versus mode and began a demonstration match between two employees.

• Nakayama Takuya declared that he intended to defeat Nintendo, stirring reactions among the Third Development Department staff.
• Nakayama Hayao called Takuya to a conference room with managers and development team leaders.
• Takuya demonstrated the crude Soviet Tetris prototype on an Electronika 60 computer and explained its origins.
• Takuya showed his enhanced, colorful version with music, sound effects, and smoother gameplay.
• Takuya introduced versus mode, in which clearing rows sent garbage rows to an opponent, then selected two employees to demonstrate a match.

Nakayama Takuya demonstrated Tetris to Sega executives and presented a plan for worldwide exclusive rights and releases across arcades, consoles, and future handhelds. Nakayama Hayao approved immediate copyright negotiations and arcade development, leaving Takuya with the first step toward making his larger vision a reality.

• Nakayama Takuya demonstrated a heated Tetris match that captured the Sega executives’ attention.
• Nakayama Takuya proposed securing exclusive worldwide rights from the Soviet Foreign Trade Committee and releasing Tetris on arcades, consoles, and future handhelds.
• Nakayama Takuya described Tetris as an accessible social game that could attract women and expand its audience.
• Nakayama Hayao assigned the international business department to pursue copyright negotiations and the legal department to oversee the rights.
• Nakayama Hayao ordered the Third Development Group to form a Tetris project team and prioritize the arcade version, while requiring confidentiality.

Nakayama Takuya briefed Tanaka on how Sega could secure Tetris rights from ELORG and won the Overseas Business Department head’s approval. He returned to the Third Development Department, where the team prepared to focus on the project, though one employee remained doubtful.

• Tanaka caught up with Nakayama Takuya and asked for details about the Soviet copyright situation and recommended contacts.
• Nakayama Takuya identified Alexey Pajitnov and ELORG as central to the rights, then advised pursuing exclusive global rights through official channels and moving quickly with a direct negotiating team.
• Tanaka accepted Nakayama Takuya’s advice and said the Overseas Business Department would begin preparations immediately.
• Nakayama Takuya returned to the Third Development Department and proposed pausing new support tasks to focus on the Tetris project.
• Shimizu scheduled the team’s first Tetris planning discussion for Wednesday afternoon, while one older employee showed reservations.

Nakayama Takuya secured the team’s confidentiality before demonstrating his Tetris prototype and leading a discussion on turning it into a successful arcade game. As the team began exploring improvements, veteran employee Sasaki Nozomu offered a suggestion about the colors.

• Team Leader Shimizu warned the team that the confidentiality agreement protected secret copyright acquisition negotiations and required strict compliance.
• Nakayama Takuya had the team sign the agreement before showing them his Tetris prototype and two-player battle version.
• The team tried the game and became absorbed in its competitive gameplay.
• Nakayama Takuya proposed brighter visuals, Russian-inspired music that sped up with the game, stronger sound effects, and enhanced consecutive-clear attacks.
• The team discussed difficulty, scoring, and leaderboards before Sasaki Nozomu began offering a suggestion about color selection.

Sasaki’s technical suggestions helped shape the arcade version of Tetris as the Third Development Department gained momentum and trust in Takuya. Tanaka then reported that Sega had secured exclusive global Tetris rights for four million dollars, and the chapter ended with the improved game passing its final internal evaluation.

• Sasaki proposed optimizing Tetris’s colors and algorithms to reduce CRT afterimages, and Takuya praised him and assigned him to oversee the work.
• Section Chief Shimizu summarized the improvement tasks as the Third Development Department began working in earnest on the arcade version.
• Tanaka told President Nakayama Hayao and Takuya that Sega had signed an agreement with ELORG for exclusive Tetris rights across all existing and future platforms for four million dollars.
• Tanaka credited Takuya’s information and suggestions with helping the negotiations succeed, while Takuya modestly redirected the praise to Tanaka and his team.
• Sasaki’s color optimizations appeared in the finished arcade version during its final internal evaluation, where the team approved the game’s visuals, music, and enhanced versus mechanics.

Team Lead Shimizu persuaded the department heads to prepare Tetris for an arcade release, while Takuya launched plans to develop console and handheld versions. The team began preparing for multi-platform development, including a portable Tetris device with link-cable battles.

• At the regular meeting, Team Lead Shimizu convinced Minister Takahashi and the other department heads that Tetris could attract female players and succeed in arcades, leading them to plan pricing, production, publicity, and a pre-summer release.
• Takuya told the Third Development Department to begin developing home console and handheld versions based on the completed arcade game.
• Takuya assigned experienced programmers to port the arcade experience to the Sega console, with Sasaki Nozomu responsible for optimizing its graphics.
• Takuya outlined a low-cost, portable, power-efficient handheld built around Tetris and proposed link-cable connections for two-player battles.
• Sasaki Nozomu judged the handheld plan technically feasible and said the team would need to coordinate with the Hardware Development Department on its design.

Sega president Nakayama Hayao reviewed Nintendo’s dominance in Japan’s home console market, while Yamauchi Hiroshi focused on preparing the NES for North America. Yamauchi dismissed reports that Sega had acquired the rights to a Soviet puzzle game and ordered Nintendo to press ahead with its launch plan.

• Nakayama Hayao received a market report showing the Famicom’s strong sales, expanding library, and growing lead over Sega’s SG-1000.
• A Nintendo subordinate reported that major Famicom games were selling well and that more third-party titles were scheduled for release.
• Yamauchi Hiroshi reviewed Nintendo’s North American strategy, which marketed the NES as a home entertainment system and used a VCR-like design to counter resistance after the Atari Shock.
• The subordinate mentioned rumors that Sega had paid heavily for the rights to a Soviet puzzle game, but Yamauchi dismissed it as no threat.
• Yamauchi ordered his staff to prioritize the NES debut in North America and closely monitor market feedback.

Nakayama Takuya told his family that Sega’s Tetris versions were nearing release, then joined Nakayama Katsuya in a private discussion with their father about Sega’s business and its struggle against Nintendo. Nakayama Hayao challenged Takuya to explain how Sega could break Nintendo’s dominance, leaving Takuya poised to answer.

• At dinner, Nakayama Takuya told Nakayama Ayako that the arcade version of Tetris had finished testing and the home console and handheld versions were progressing quickly.
• Nakayama Takuya promised Nakayama Maruji a portable version of the game, exciting the child.
• After dinner, Nakayama Hayao asked Nakayama Katsuya and Nakayama Takuya to join him in the study.
• Nakayama Katsuya reported that CSK had secured major clients but faced slow adoption among smaller businesses and competition from local software companies.
• Nakayama Hayao praised Takuya’s progress on Tetris, described Sega’s losses to Nintendo in the console market, and asked how Sega could break the deadlock with a block game.

Takuya laid out a five-front strategy for Sega to challenge Nintendo, including developing a 16-bit console, building a software lineup, securing funds, disrupting Nintendo’s North American expansion, and recruiting dissatisfied third-party developers. Hayao withheld judgment but began seriously considering the plan, then asked Takuya what he intended to do personally.

• Takuya argued that Tetris could buy Sega time but would not solve its long-term problems.
• Takuya proposed secretly developing a 16-bit console and building compatible arcade games to support its launch.
• Takuya called for Sega to secure cash flow, interfere with Nintendo’s North American plans, and draw dissatisfied third-party developers away from Nintendo.
• Hayao questioned the plan’s cost and feasibility, then said he would discuss North America with David.
• Hayao acknowledged that Takuya’s proposed direction might be right and asked what plans Takuya had for himself.

Takuya outlined how Sega could use new games and Tetris to build its reputation and exploit tensions between Nintendo and its third-party developers. Hayao questioned whether Takuya had the experience to lead an original game, so Takuya promised to present a detailed proposal at the company’s planning seminar next week.

• Takuya said his priority was preparing original game proposals that would showcase Sega’s strengths and support its future 16-bit console strategy.
• Takuya proposed using Tetris and rumors of Sega’s advanced arcade technology to provoke Nintendo and worsen its relationship with third-party developers.
• Hayao approved of Takuya’s aggressive strategy but challenged his ability to lead a major original game project.
• Takuya promised to present a concrete game proposal to Hayao and the development department seniors at the planning seminar next week.

Tetris drew a new wave of female players to Akihabara arcades, boosting Sega’s coin sales and improving Takuya’s standing within the company. As executives prepared to scrutinize his upcoming game proposal, Takuya worked late to finish it.

• Young women flocked to Sega First Hall to play Tetris, drawing in skeptical regulars and raising token sales.
• Sega’s arcade operations staff reported that Tetris surpassed Space Harrier in average daily coin insertions and brought more female players into partner arcades.
• Sega employees began praising Takuya for recognizing Tetris’s potential, and some managers reconsidered their doubts about him.
• Senior executives announced they would attend the upcoming development seminar, where Takuya planned to present a new game proposal.
• Nakayama Hayao told the development chief to wait and see, while Takuya continued working late to complete his proposal.

At Sega headquarters, Nakayama Takuya presented a proposal for a new genre, the fighting game, to skeptical executives and development leaders. He introduced the concept and began showing a kung fu film clip to illustrate it.

• Yu Suzuki reported that Hang-On had completed development and entered final testing and mass-production preparation.
• After other teams gave routine project updates, Nakayama Takuya was called to present his new proposal.
• Nakayama Takuya unveiled Project Proposal: K, a fighting game centered on direct combat, precise controls, and competitive skill.
• Nakayama Takuya had his assistant play footage from the Hong Kong kung fu film Drunken Master.

Takuya presented the K project’s vision for a fighting game, contrasting its fluid, competitive combat with the stiff and limited gameplay of Kung Fu. He outlined mechanics and technical systems for creating precise, responsive fights, leaving the developers interested and taking notes.

• Takuya used footage of Jackie Chan’s fight scenes to explain fluid movements, hit detection, and the rules needed to make combat intuitive and deep.
• Takuya criticized Kung Fu for stiff movement, delayed controls, limited attacks, unreliable hit detection, and a lack of competition and mind games.
• Takuya proposed adding grappling throws and projectile attacks to expand the game’s tactical options.
• Takuya explained that a state machine, hitboxes and hurtboxes, and frame-based timing would support the game’s combat system.
• The development team leaders responded with interest, and some began taking notes on Takuya’s technical approach.

Takuya pitched Project "K" as a fighting game with commercial and esports potential, alongside an anime made with Oba Kotaro and Masami Kurumada. Nakayama Hayao approved the project for Development Team Three, and Takuya left the meeting knowing the real work was ahead.

• Takuya argued that fighting games could draw arcade revenue and support competitions ranging from local matches to world championships.
• Takuya announced plans for an accompanying anime and said he had contacted Oba Kotaro and Masami Kurumada.
• Sega’s executives and development leaders praised Takuya’s proposal after his presentation.
• Nakayama Hayao officially approved Project "K" and assigned its development to Development Team Three.
• Takuya watched Tokyo from the conference room window and resolved to face the challenges of developing the game.

After presenting his fighting game project, Nakayama Takuya arranged an approach to animation director Oba and manga creator Kurumada, then visited Development Team Three as its members began preparing for the unfamiliar game genre. The chapter left Shimizu and his team facing the challenge of building the project from scratch as Takuya entered their office.

• Employees discussed Nakayama Takuya's fighting game proposal and its potential collaborators after the meeting.
• Nakayama asked Suzuki to contact Director Oba and Mr. Kurumada through Shueisha and Tatsunoko and arrange a face-to-face meeting.
• Suzuki agreed to make the arrangements while Nakayama prepared to write a detailed project brief.
• Development Team Three members celebrated being assigned the K project but worried they lacked fighting game experience.
• Shimizu urged his team to stay calm, work together, and tackle the new genre's challenges.
• Nakayama entered Development Team Three's office.

Takuya rallied Development Team Three around Project "K" and confirmed the Tetris ports were nearing completion. At home, he began planning the fighting game’s tools, story, characters, and anime adaptation, settling on Fatal Fury as its blueprint.

• Takuya praised Development Team Three and asked Shimizu about the Tetris ports, which were expected to meet delivery standards next month.
• Takuya told the team that Project "K" would define a new game genre and promised to discuss its direction at the kickoff meeting.
• After returning home, Takuya studied Sega’s latest arcade board specifications and conceived a visual tool for editing and previewing pixel hitboxes.
• Takuya chose Fatal Fury’s story as the blueprint for Project "K" because its focused cast and revenge plot suited the hardware and future adaptations.
• Takuya considered Masami Kurumada’s designs and Oba Kotaro’s direction for the characters and anime, while deciding Masami Obari’s style was too unrestrained for the first game.

Yamauchi Hiroshi reviewed reports showing that Tetris was attracting more women to arcades and drawing other customers into older games, but dismissed the trend as temporary and ordered further monitoring. At Sega, Suzuki told Takuya that meetings with Director Oba Kotaro and Masami Kurumada had been secured for the following Tuesday.

• A subordinate reported to Yamauchi Hiroshi that Tetris had increased female attendance and coin revenue at arcades, while also boosting play of nearby games.
• The subordinate explained that some women brought their boyfriends to arcades, where the men tried classic games such as Pac-Man and Breakout.
• Yamauchi Hiroshi dismissed the trend as a minor novelty, ordered expanded monitoring in Osaka and Nagoya, and insisted female players would not shape the home-console market.
• Suzuki told Takuya that Sega had arranged meetings with Director Oba Kotaro and Masami Kurumada.
• Suzuki set the meetings for next Tuesday at three in the afternoon at Tatsunoko Studio in Musashino City, and Takuya promised to prepare thoroughly.

Takuya and Suzuki met with Oba Kotaro and Masami Kurumada at Tatsunoko Studio to discuss adapting Sega’s K project into animation and manga. Takuya outlined a dark urban martial-arts world built around compelling characters and stories, and Suzuki began introducing the core story of the first Fatal Fury.

• Takuya reassured the nervous Suzuki before they entered Tatsunoko Studio for their meeting.
• Oba Kotaro explained that an adaptation needed a complete story and developed characters so the fights would not feel shallow.
• Suzuki introduced Takuya to Oba Kotaro and Masami Kurumada, who was seeking a new breakthrough after Otoko-zaka was canceled.
• Takuya described a world of extraordinary fighters and argued that their combat should express their motives and emotions.
• Oba Kotaro and Masami Kurumada showed increased interest in Takuya’s vision, and Suzuki began presenting Sega’s preliminary story for the first Fatal Fury.

Takuya presented the story of Fatal Fury, in which Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, and Joe Higashi pursued revenge against South Town's ruler, Geese Howard. Masami Kurumada became inspired by the supernatural fighting techniques, while Oba Kotaro studied the story materials with interest.

• Takuya explained that Geese Howard ruled South Town and had murdered Jeff Bogard after stealing a fragment of the Secret Book of Qin.
• Takuya described how Jeff's adopted sons, Terry and Andy, trained in different martial arts and joined their friend Joe Higashi to seek revenge.
• Takuya outlined Geese's tournament, the heroes' battles against his fighters, and Terry's final fight with Geese atop Geese Tower.
• Takuya said Terry defeated Geese, who leapt from the tower, and recovered some pages of the Secret Book of Qin before the heroes went their separate ways.
• Takuya gave Oba Kotaro and Masami Kurumada character designs and finishing-move sketches, prompting Kurumada to sketch excitedly while Oba reviewed the materials.

Takuya secured Oba Kotaro as director and Masami Kurumada as character designer for Sega’s Fatal Fury animation, inspiring Kurumada’s new creative direction. Meanwhile, Nintendo’s attempt to promote the NES as a home entertainment system drew accusations of deceptive advertising, and David Rosen saw an opportunity for Sega.

• Takuya agreed with Oba Kotaro on the animation’s style, audience, and budget, and Oba agreed to direct it.
• Masami Kurumada brought sketches and agreed to design characters for Fatal Fury after Takuya’s ideas inspired him.
• Takuya, Oba Kotaro, and Masami Kurumada shook hands on a preliminary collaboration, while Suzuki watched in disbelief.
• A marketing manager told Minoru Arakawa that media outlets were criticizing Nintendo’s NES promotion as deceptive, and Arakawa ordered him to suppress the criticism and increase advertising.
• David Rosen learned that Nintendo had paid some media outlets to stop their reports and considered the controversy an opportunity for Sega.