Shin Megami Tensei and Persona artist Kazuma Kaneko leaves Atlus, uses regular career agent to switch jobs 

Kazuma Kaneko, the legendary “Demon Artist” behind numerous Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series character designs, has left Atlus and joined developer Colopl. Fans are surprised that an artist of his caliber would look for a new employer through a regular career agent. 

A veteran video game artist, Kaneko has been involved in the majority of Atlus’ titles. Over the course of his career, he has worked in the capacities of character designer, scenario writer, art director and even producer. He is most well-known for his iconic demon designs that appear throughout the Shin Megami Tensei series. 

News of Kaneko’s relocation was revealed through a PR interview published by Colopl on April 22. According to the interview, Kaneko joined Colopl in 2023, and is currently involved in the development of a new IP. The artist mentions that he was introduced to the new company by his career agent, and that he ultimately decided to join because he was attracted by the prospect of planning and developing new IPs. “Creating IPs from scratch is my forte, so I felt we were a compatible match,” the artist comments. 

Amusingly, Kaneko mentions that throughout his job search, companies he reached out to would struggle to believe their eyes and ask him, “Are you the real thing!?”  which probably attests to his legendary status within the industry. 

The new project Kaneko is involved in is described as “an original IP that aims to express Kaneko’s worldview while incorporating the latest technology.” Apparently, the artist is currently at the stage of drawing characters and testing them out. Kaneko mentions that his top priority is to “establish a solid IP,” – with its story, worldbuilding and concepts, after which, he comments, “It will also be possible to make an RPG, anime or novel.”