Inspiration can come from the unlikeliest of places, but in the case of Danganronpa and The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy creator Kazutaka Kodaka, that inspiration came from an insult directed at him by a coworker while he was working part-time at a second-hand game shop. During last year’s Computer Entertainment Developers Conference (CEDEC+KYUSHU 2025), where he discussed his approach to creating original content, Kodaka briefly chronicled the “three eras” of his life, from his days as a student to his current career as a game creator (source: Denfaminicogamer).
While Kodaka did have some previous experience working in the video game industry, he spent most of his mid to late twenties making indie films and working multiple part-time jobs. During this time, Kodaka confronted a female university student who was working part-time alongside him at a second-hand game shop. After scolding her for a mistake she made and saying she wouldn’t make it in society, the coworker fired back by commenting that he hadn’t been out in society for quite some time.
As Kodaka revealed in another interview, his coworker’s rather shocking reply made him become anxious about his life going forward. “What am I even doing,” he thought. However, that ended up turning into his motivation to start “living properly.” He contacted one of his former coworkers from his game development days and asked if they had any available work. This led him to start a job hunt, which ultimately landed him a position at Spike, where he would eventually create Danganronpa.
Before working on Danganronpa, and before the argument that pretty much changed his whole life, Kodaka’s first exposure to the video game industry was working on the motion capture production team for Capcom’s Clock Tower 3. Kodaka was introduced to the job by a university professor, and he eventually joined Flagship, a Capcom-owned subsidiary specializing in scenario production, which was eventually dissolved in 2007. Aside from Clock Tower 3, Kodaka also worked on scenarios for Resident Evil 2, Onimusha: Warlords, and even The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.
Unfortunately, the work conditions at Flagship proved too harsh for Kodaka, and he left the company after roughly a year. Eager to create something original, he began making indie films while working part-time at the aforementioned game shop.
Kodaka’s early exposure to movies and anime by his sister, combined with the games he “borrowed” from his part-time job (something he admitted to in the aforementioned interview), helped him create original titles that carry a unique style. Though it took a good reality check from his underclassman to get the ball rolling, the world of video games is now a better place thanks to her intervention.
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