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We recently interviewed world-famous video game artist Takehito Harada who works as the character designer on the Disgaea series about the inside scoop on the creation of the characters introduced in the series and on his work as an illustrator.
––Is Takehito Harada your real name? If it happens to be a pen name, could you tell us the origin of it?
Harada: It’s a pen name. It’s a bit of a play on my real name.
––Could you tell us what the origin of you becoming an illustrator was?
Harada: There isn’t a concrete point in time, but I used to want to draw when I was enjoying games, manga, and anime. I began drawing in earnest when I chose to pursue fine arts in college.
––Since Disgaea D2 takes place three years after Disgaea, were they any points you were concerned with when designing the characters?
Harada: Regarding the main three characters, the staff requested me to “completely change their outfits,” and it clashed with what I had already envisioned for their images, so it was quite troubling.
––The Disgaea series is welcoming its 10th anniversary, and since you’ve been a part of the series since the beginning, we’d like to ask you, what kind of presence do you think Disgaea has?
Harada: In the beginning, I didn’t think it would become a series, but when it became a part of my everyday life, that’s when I realized.
––Looking back on the 10 years of Disgaea, which character you designed stands out to you in particular? Also, was there anything special you can remember from when you designed that character?
Harada: If I were to think about it, it would be Prinny, which became the mascot character of [Nippon Ichi Software]. I think the basis of the character came from when I was troubled over how to design the character who would be the servant for the group and I happened to see a huddle of penguins on TV.
––Speaking of the three standout characters of the Disgaea series––Laharl, Etna, and Flonne––which character’s design did you decide on first when you were creating the designs for the first Disgaea game? Also, which character gave you the most trouble?
Harada: The character designs for those three were basically solidified around the same time. The first draft of Etna ended up being similar to the final version. But I had a hard time with Laharl’s and Flonne’s outfits.
––Compared to 10 years ago, hardware capabilities of game consoles has grown leaps and bounds. What kind of impact has such a changing environment had on your job as a character designer?
Harada: It’s a good feeling to be able to properly express things that I once had no choice but to omit because of limits in hardware capabilities. On the other side of the coin, I have to be extremely attentive to details.
––From the viewpoint of someone who works as a professional illustrator, what would you say are the most important feelings or techniques to have?
Harada: You can’t just draw the same thing all the time, so you need to always stock up on new ideas. Maintaining motivation for drawing things even if you don’t want to is also vital.
––Lastly, would you like to say anything to your worldwide fans?
Harada: I’m currently working on another new game, so I look forward to your support.
Nippon Ichi Software Official Site: http://nippon1.jp/index.html
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.
