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Shouzou Kaga: Difference between revisions

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{{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>|name=Shouzou Kaga
{{Person Infobox
|name=Shouzou Kaga
|image=[[File:Shouzou Kaga 1994.png|200px]]
|image=[[File:Shouzou Kaga 1994.png|200px]]
|caption=Kaga in a ''Famitsu'' interview in 1994.
|caption=Kaga in a ''Famitsu'' interview in 1994.
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*Currently retired
*Currently retired
}}
}}
{{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>|It's not a big problem if some of your characters die in Fire Emblem; I want each player to create their own unique story. Don't get caught up trying to get a "perfect ending." Have fun!|Shouzou Kaga<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}
{{Quote|It's not a big problem if some of your characters die in Fire Emblem; I want each player to create their own unique story. Don't get caught up trying to get a "perfect ending." Have fun!|Shouzou Kaga<ref name="shmupulations" />}}


'''Shouzou Kaga''' (Japanese: {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>|加賀昭三|Kaga Shōzō}} ''Kaga Shōzō'', spelled ''Syozo'' on his blog and ''Shouzoh'' in ''Fire Emblem Gaiden'') is a Japanese game designer and writer who was once employed by [[Intelligent Systems]]. During his time at Intelligent Systems, he was the scenario writer for the first five games in the {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}, and is often considered to be the "father of ''Fire Emblem''".
'''Shouzou Kaga''' (Japanese: {{hl|加賀昭三|Kaga Shōzō}} ''Kaga Shōzō'', spelled ''Syozo'' on his blog and ''Shouzoh'' in ''Fire Emblem Gaiden'') is a Japanese game designer and writer who was once employed by [[Intelligent Systems]]. During his time at Intelligent Systems, he was the scenario writer for the first five games in the {{FES}}, and is often considered to be the "father of ''Fire Emblem''".


==Biography==
==Biography==
===Early career===
===Early career===
Kaga first entered the video game industry in 1986, when he participated in a game coding contest run by [[wikipedia:Enterbrain|Enterbrain]]'s ''LOGiN'' magazine. His entry, a "role-playing [game] with hidden romance" called ''Cosmic Fighter'', placed third in the contest.<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span><span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>
Kaga first entered the video game industry in 1986, when he participated in a game coding contest run by [[wikipedia:Enterbrain|Enterbrain]]'s ''LOGiN'' magazine. His entry, a "role-playing [game] with hidden romance" called ''Cosmic Fighter'', placed third in the contest.<ref name="shmupulations">{{cite web|url=http://shmuplations.com/fireemblem/|title=Fire Emblem – Developer Interviews with Shouzou Kaga and Hironobu Sakaguchi|author=Kaga, S., [[wikipedia:Hironobu Sakaguchi|Sakaguchi, H.]], et al.; trans. shmupulations|site=shmupulations.com|published=May 3 2016|retrieved=May 3 2016}}</ref><ref name="cosmicfighter">{{cite web|url=http://zeeksweb.blog120.fc2.com/blog-entry-27.html|title={{lang|ja|懐かしのデビュー作(1)}}|site=D's Notes|author=Kaga, S.|published=May 31 2008|retrieved=May 3 2016}}</ref>


===''Fire Emblem'' series===
===''Fire Emblem'' series===
{{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}
{{sectstub}}
As an employee of Intelligent Systems, Kaga worked on the first five games in the {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}} and ''[[Fire Emblem: Archanea Saga]]''. He was the lead scenario writer on all of these games and the director on every game from {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>|Gaiden}} onward. As a writer on the [[Jugdral]] games in particular, Kaga drew on his fascination with political history and how the course of history is changed by the smallest acts, and aimed to write "realistic" stories reflecting the unpleasant nature of medieval times and how mistakes change the world.<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>
As an employee of Intelligent Systems, Kaga worked on the first five games in the {{FES}} and ''[[Fire Emblem: Archanea Saga]]''. He was the lead scenario writer on all of these games and the director on every game from {{title|Gaiden}} onward. As a writer on the [[Jugdral]] games in particular, Kaga drew on his fascination with political history and how the course of history is changed by the smallest acts, and aimed to write "realistic" stories reflecting the unpleasant nature of medieval times and how mistakes change the world.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kaga Interviews (Page 3/Q1)|url=http://fe-according-to-japan.tumblr.com/post/43745736161/kaga-interviews-page-3-q1|site=Fire Emblem (according to Japan)|author=Kaga, S.; trans. Amielleon|published=January 1999 (trans. February 22 2013)|retrieved=February 24 2015}}</ref>


===Tirnanog and the ''Emblem Saga'' lawsuit===
===Tirnanog and the ''Emblem Saga'' lawsuit===
Shortly before the release of {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}, his final ''Fire Emblem'' game, Kaga departed from Intelligent Systems in August 1999 and founded his own studio, [[Tirnanog (company)|Tirnanog]]. His final contribution to a game for a Nintendo platform was ''[[wikipedia:Trade & Battle: Card Hero|Trade & Battle: Card Hero]]'', published the next February. As the president of Tirnanog, Kaga's first project was a strategy game for [[wikipedia:Sony|Sony]]'s [[wikipedia:PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] console, which was originally titled ''Emblem Saga''; former ''Fire Emblem'' artist [[Mayumi Hirota|Mayumi Hirota]] also served as this game's character designer. According to Kaga, ''Emblem Saga'' was planned to be directly tied to the events of the [[Archanea (continent)|Archanea]] games:
Shortly before the release of {{FE5}}, his final ''Fire Emblem'' game, Kaga departed from Intelligent Systems in August 1999 and founded his own studio, [[Tirnanog (company)|Tirnanog]]. His final contribution to a game for a Nintendo platform was ''[[wikipedia:Trade & Battle: Card Hero|Trade & Battle: Card Hero]]'', published the next February. As the president of Tirnanog, Kaga's first project was a strategy game for [[wikipedia:Sony|Sony]]'s [[wikipedia:PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] console, which was originally titled ''Emblem Saga''; former ''Fire Emblem'' artist [[Artists of the Fire Emblem series#Mayumi Hirota|Mayumi Hirota]] also served as this game's character designer. According to Kaga, ''Emblem Saga'' was planned to be directly tied to the events of the [[Archanea (continent)|Archanea]] games:


{{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>|I've made five games, which took place on three continents. Emblem Saga takes place on a fourth continent called "Forceria" and its atmosphere is the same. In this world, the [[Manakete]] tribe once flourished, and they built a highly advanced civilization. As history went on and they faced destruction, how did they deal with humans, the masters of the new age? The Manaketes... or rather, ancient dragons are involved deeply in this game. As they faced destruction, many of them chose to sleep underground eternally and hide their faces from the world, but there were those among the Manaketes who resented the humans. The story concerns those wicked men who sought to use their strength and the people who opposed them, as well as the shrine's holy guardian dragons who appeared because of a certain pact.|Kaga, in an interview with ''[[wikipedia:Famitsu|Famitsu]]''<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}
{{Quote|I've made five games, which took place on three continents. Emblem Saga takes place on a fourth continent called "Forceria" and its atmosphere is the same. In this world, the [[Manakete]] tribe once flourished, and they built a highly advanced civilization. As history went on and they faced destruction, how did they deal with humans, the masters of the new age? The Manaketes... or rather, ancient dragons are involved deeply in this game. As they faced destruction, many of them chose to sleep underground eternally and hide their faces from the world, but there were those among the Manaketes who resented the humans. The story concerns those wicked men who sought to use their strength and the people who opposed them, as well as the shrine's holy guardian dragons who appeared because of a certain pact.|Kaga, in an interview with ''[[wikipedia:Famitsu|Famitsu]]''<ref name="fe64">{{Cite web|url=http://serenesforest.net/general/emblem-saga/|site=Serenes Forest | author=VincentASM|title=Fire Emblem 64 | retrieved= May 3 2016}}</ref>}}


However, in 2002, Kaga, Tirnanog, and publisher Enterbrain faced a copyright infringement lawsuit from Nintendo over the ''Fire Emblem'' elements in ''Emblem Saga''. Nintendo lost this case, but successfully won a case against Tirnanog for breaking unfair competition laws and were awarded [[wikipedia:Damages|damages]].<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span><span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>
However, in 2002, Kaga, Tirnanog, and publisher Enterbrain faced a copyright infringement lawsuit from Nintendo over the ''Fire Emblem'' elements in ''Emblem Saga''. Nintendo lost this case, but successfully won a case against Tirnanog for breaking unfair competition laws and were awarded [[wikipedia:Damages|damages]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.translan.com/jucc/precedent-2002-11-14d.html|title={{lang|ja|日本ユニ著作権センター／判例全文・2002/11/14d 3}}|author=University of Japan Copyright Center|site=Translan|published=November 11 2002|retrieved=April 17 2015}}</ref><ref name="fe64" />


As a result of the case, ''Emblem Saga'' was renamed {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}} and all direct ties to ''Fire Emblem'' were removed. Even so, the game continued to bear a stylistic, thematic, and gameplay resemblance to Kaga's previous works; while {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}, the first ''Fire Emblem'' game produced without Kaga, simplified the series' gameplay and removed features, ''TearRing Saga'' maintained many of the more complex gameplay traits which the series had abandoned, such as a skills system and a [[weapon level]] stat. It was released on May 24, 2001, and was followed up by {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}} for the [[wikipedia:PlayStation 2|PlayStation 2]] on May 26, 2005. ''Berwick Saga'' featured numerous changes to gameplay, such as a hexagonal grid-based map and a different turn system.
As a result of the case, ''Emblem Saga'' was renamed {{TRS1}} and all direct ties to ''Fire Emblem'' were removed. Even so, the game continued to bear a stylistic, thematic, and gameplay resemblance to Kaga's previous works; while {{FE6}}, the first ''Fire Emblem'' game produced without Kaga, simplified the series' gameplay and removed features, ''TearRing Saga'' maintained many of the more complex gameplay traits which the series had abandoned, such as a skills system and a [[weapon level]] stat. It was released on May 24, 2001, and was followed up by {{TRS2}} for the [[wikipedia:PlayStation 2|PlayStation 2]] on May 26, 2005. ''Berwick Saga'' featured numerous changes to gameplay, such as a hexagonal grid-based map and a different turn system.


===Current activities===
===Current activities===
[[File:Vestaria_Saga_I_logo.png|200px|right]]
[[File:Vestaria_Saga_I_logo.png|200px|right]]
In the years following the release of ''Berwick Saga'', Kaga retired. He started a blog which he uses to share scraps of information about ''TearRing Saga'' and ''Berwick Saga'' which he finds on his hard drive. His first post on this blog was a post about the world setting of ''TearRing Saga'', and a brief history of its nations.<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span> He is not known to have ever discussed his time working on ''Fire Emblem'' on this blog.
In the years following the release of ''Berwick Saga'', Kaga retired. He started a blog which he uses to share scraps of information about ''TearRing Saga'' and ''Berwick Saga'' which he finds on his hard drive. His first post on this blog was a post about the world setting of ''TearRing Saga'', and a brief history of its nations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zeeksweb.blog120.fc2.com/blog-entry-5.html|title={{lang|ja|世界設定&#91;00508&#93;}} (World Setting &#91;00508&#93;)|author=Kaga, S.|published=April 1 2008|retrieved=July 4 2015|site=D's Notes}}</ref> He is not known to have ever discussed his time working on ''Fire Emblem'' on this blog.


In May 2015, Kaga announced that he had begun production on a free strategy RPG, {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}, using the game-making software SRPG Studio. He put out a call on his blog for assistance in producing the game.<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span> After this call, ''Vestaria Saga I'' was released on September 5th 2016, ahead of its planned schedule.<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span> The first part of the game can be downloaded for free from [http://site.wepage.com/vestariasaga/page5-02 ''Vestaria Saga's'' website].
In May 2015, Kaga announced that he had begun production on a free strategy RPG, {{VS1}}, using the game-making software SRPG Studio. He put out a call on his blog for assistance in producing the game.<ref>{{Cite web|quote= On his purported blog, Kaga is recruiting volunteers to assist with an indie game to be developed with SRPG Studio, a recently-released Japanese game-making tool published by SapphireSoft that allows creation of strategy RPGs like Fire Emblem.|site=Serenes Forest|author=VincentASM|published=May 6 2015|retrieved =September 5 2016|url=http://serenesforest.net/2015/05/06/shouzou-kaga-developing-indie-game-srpg-studio/#more-26336 | title=Shouzou Kaga developing indie game with SRPG Studio|type=webpage}}</ref> After this call, ''Vestaria Saga I'' was released on September 5th 2016, ahead of its planned schedule.<ref>{{Cite web|quote=Originally planned for release on 21st September 2016, Vestaria Saga (Part 1) is now available for public download!|site=Serenes Forest|author=VincentASM|published=May 6 2015|retrieved =May 9 2015|url=http://serenesforest.net/2016/09/05/vestaria-saga-world-and-characters/#more-33215|title=Shouzou Kaga developing indie game with SRPG Studio|type=webpage}}</ref> The first part of the game can be downloaded for free from [http://site.wepage.com/vestariasaga/page5-02 ''Vestaria Saga's'' website].


In September 2017, Kaga posted his first, and, as of writing, only English-language blog post, stating that ''Vestaria Saga I'' would possibly have an official localization due to overseas fan demand.<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span> Kaga stated that, if the localization progressed successfully, more details would be revealed some time in 2018. A demo of the English version of ''Vestaria Saga I'' was released on August 16, 2018 on Steam, published by DANGEN Entertainment, with the full game's release date initially listed as "2019".<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span> The English localization of the game finally released on December 27, 2019, narrowly making its announced window.
In September 2017, Kaga posted his first, and, as of writing, only English-language blog post, stating that ''Vestaria Saga I'' would possibly have an official localization due to overseas fan demand.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kaga, S.|url=http://zeeksweb.blog120.fc2.com/blog-entry-164.html|title={{lang|ja|海外向け{{lang|en|(localized into English)}}について}}|site=D's Notes|published=September 14 2017|retrieved=December 6 2017}}</ref> Kaga stated that, if the localization progressed successfully, more details would be revealed some time in 2018. A demo of the English version of ''Vestaria Saga I'' was released on August 16, 2018 on Steam, published by DANGEN Entertainment, with the full game's release date initially listed as "2019".<ref>{{Cite web|site=Steam|published=August 15 2018|retrieved=August 15 2018|url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/694770/Vestaria_Saga/|title=''Vestaria Saga'' on Steam}}</ref> The English localization of the game finally released on December 27, 2019, narrowly making its announced window.


On March 27, 2019, Kaga released both ''[[Vestaria Saga Gaiden: The Sacred Sword of Silvanister]]'' and ''Vestaria Saga Gaiden: Lucca Gaiden (Heroes of Lucca)''.<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span> In June 2020, Kaga announced ''Vestaria Saga Gaiden: Chronicles of the  Norden Civil War''. This departs from the strategy RPG gameplay of the ''Fire Emblem'' and ''TearRing Saga'' series and is described as an "SLG".<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span> Compared to the previous game, it has a simplified map but more tactical depth. According to Kaga, the gameplay was made different because it would be boring to keep doing the same thing.<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span> On December 9, 2021, DANGEN Entertainment announced an official localization of ''The Sacred Sword of Silvanister'' with a tentative "2022" release date.<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>
On March 27, 2019, Kaga released both ''[[Vestaria Saga Gaiden: The Sacred Sword of Silvanister]]'' and ''Vestaria Saga Gaiden: Lucca Gaiden (Heroes of Lucca)''.<ref>{{Cite web|quote=But lo and behold, S_Kaga has just released both of his brand new gaiden (side story) games on the same day.|site=Serenes Forest|author=VincentASM|published=March 27 2019|retrieved=December 3 2021|url=https://serenesforest.net/2019/03/27/vestaria-saga-silverbirchs-sacred-sword-heroes-lucca-released/|title=Vestaria Saga "Silverbirch's Sacred Sword" and "Heroes of Lucca" Released!}}</ref> In June 2020, Kaga announced ''Vestaria Saga Gaiden: Chronicles of the  Norden Civil War''. This departs from the strategy RPG gameplay of the ''Fire Emblem'' and ''TearRing Saga'' series and is described as an "SLG".<ref name="norden">{{cite web|author=Kaga, S.|url=http://zeeksweb.blog120.fc2.com/blog-entry-178.html|title={{lang|ja|地域制圧型SLGのテスト制作}} (Test work for region control-style SLG|site=D's Notes|published=June 24 2020|retrieved=September 29 2020}}</ref> Compared to the previous game, it has a simplified map but more tactical depth. According to Kaga, the gameplay was made different because it would be boring to keep doing the same thing.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kaga, S.|url=http://zeeksweb.blog120.fc2.com/blog-entry-179.html|title={{lang|ja|質問まとめ}} (Question summary)|site=D's Notes|published=June 27, 2020|retrieved=September 29 2020}}</ref> On December 9, 2021, DANGEN Entertainment announced an official localization of ''The Sacred Sword of Silvanister'' with a tentative "2022" release date.<ref>{{Cite web|site=Serenes Forest|author=VincentASM|published=December 9 2021|retrieved=December 10 2021|url=https://serenesforest.net/2021/12/09/vestaria-saga-gaiden-the-sacred-sword-of-silvanister-english-version-slated-for-2022/|title=Vestaria Saga Gaiden: The Sacred Sword of Silvanister English Version Slated for 2022}}</ref>
{{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}
{{clear}}


==Credits==
==Credits==
===''Fire Emblem'' series===
===''Fire Emblem'' series===
* {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}: [[wikipedia:Scenarist|Scenario]]
* {{FE1}}: [[wikipedia:Scenarist|Scenario]]
* {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}: Director, Game Design
* {{FE2}}: Director, Game Design
* {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}: Director, Game Design, Scenario
* {{FE3}}: Director, Game Design, Scenario
* {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}: Game Designer, Scenarist / Director
* {{FE4}}: Game Designer, Scenarist / Director
* {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}
* {{FEBS}}
* {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}: Game Design & Scenario
* {{FE5}}: Game Design & Scenario


===Post-''Fire Emblem'' works===
===Post-''Fire Emblem'' works===
* {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}
* {{TRS1}}
* {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}
* {{TRS2}}
* ''Vestaria Saga: The Seven Sacred Circles''
* ''Vestaria Saga: The Seven Sacred Circles''
** {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}} (Japanese: {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>|ヴェスタリアサーガI 亡国の騎士と星の巫女|Vesutaria sāga wan: bōkoku no kishi to hoshi no miko}}  ''Vestaria Saga I: Knight of the Fallen Kingdom and the Star Priestess'')
** {{VS1}} (Japanese: {{hl|ヴェスタリアサーガI 亡国の騎士と星の巫女|Vesutaria sāga wan: bōkoku no kishi to hoshi no miko}}  ''Vestaria Saga I: Knight of the Fallen Kingdom and the Star Priestess'')
** ''[[Vestaria Saga Gaiden: The Sacred Sword of Silvanister]]'' (Japanese: {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>|ヴェスタリアサーガ外伝 シルヴァビルヒの聖なる剣|Vesutaria sāga gaiden: Shiruvabiruhi no seinaru ken}} ''Vestaria Saga Gaiden: Holy Sword of Silvabirch'')<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>
** ''[[Vestaria Saga Gaiden: The Sacred Sword of Silvanister]]'' (Japanese: {{hl|ヴェスタリアサーガ外伝 シルヴァビルヒの聖なる剣|Vesutaria sāga gaiden: Shiruvabiruhi no seinaru ken}} ''Vestaria Saga Gaiden: Holy Sword of Silvabirch'')<ref name="gaiden"/>
** ''Vestaria Saga Gaiden: Lucca Gaiden (Heroes of Lucca)'' (Japanese: {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>|ヴェスタリアサーガ外伝 ルッカ外伝(ルッカの勇者達)|Vesutaria sāga gaiden: Rukka gaiden (Rukka no yūsha-tachi)}})<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>
** ''Vestaria Saga Gaiden: Lucca Gaiden (Heroes of Lucca)'' (Japanese: {{hl|ヴェスタリアサーガ外伝 ルッカ外伝(ルッカの勇者達)|Vesutaria sāga gaiden: Rukka gaiden (Rukka no yūsha-tachi)}})<ref name="gaiden">{{cite web|url=http://zeeksweb.blog120.fc2.com/blog-entry-161.html|title={{lang|ja|外伝の予定}} (Gaiden Plans)|author=Kaga, S.|published=July 31 2017|retrieved=August 15 2018|site=D's Notes}}</ref>
** ''Vestaria Saga Gaiden: Chronicles of the Norden Civil War'' (Japanese: {{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>|ヴェスタリアサーガ外伝 ノルデン内乱記|Vesutaria sāga gaiden: Noruden nairanki}})<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>
** ''Vestaria Saga Gaiden: Chronicles of the Norden Civil War'' (Japanese: {{hl|ヴェスタリアサーガ外伝 ノルデン内乱記|Vesutaria sāga gaiden: Noruden nairanki}})<ref name="norden"/>


===Other===
===Other===
{{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}
{{sectstub}}
<!--
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==Trivia==
==Trivia==
-->
-->
==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>
<gallery>
Shouzou Kaga 1994.png|Kaga in a ''Famitsu'' interview from 1994.
Vestaria Saga I logo.png|Vestaria Saga I image from Kaga's website.
</gallery>


{{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}
{{refbar}}
==External links==
==External links==
* [http://zeeksweb.blog120.fc2.com/ Ｄ'ｓノート]: Kaga's personal blog (Japanese)
* [http://zeeksweb.blog120.fc2.com/ Ｄ'ｓノート]: Kaga's personal blog (Japanese)
* [http://site.wepage.com/vestariasaga ヴェスタリアサーガ公式サイト]: Vestaria Saga website (Japanese)
* [http://site.wepage.com/vestariasaga ヴェスタリアサーガ公式サイト]: Vestaria Saga website (Japanese)


{{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}
{{NavPeople}}
[[Category:People]]
[[Category:People]]
{{<span class="error">Expansion depth limit exceeded</span>}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaga, Shouzou}}

Revision as of 23:33, 16 June 2022

Shouzou Kaga

Shouzou Kaga 1994.png
Kaga in a Famitsu interview in 1994.

Gender

Male

Nationality

Japanese

Employer
“ It's not a big problem if some of your characters die in Fire Emblem; I want each player to create their own unique story. Don't get caught up trying to get a "perfect ending." Have fun! ”
— Shouzou Kaga[1]

Shouzou Kaga (Japanese: 加賀昭三 Kaga Shōzō, spelled Syozo on his blog and Shouzoh in Fire Emblem Gaiden) is a Japanese game designer and writer who was once employed by Intelligent Systems. During his time at Intelligent Systems, he was the scenario writer for the first five games in the Fire Emblem series, and is often considered to be the "father of Fire Emblem".

Biography

Early career

Kaga first entered the video game industry in 1986, when he participated in a game coding contest run by Enterbrain's LOGiN magazine. His entry, a "role-playing [game] with hidden romance" called Cosmic Fighter, placed third in the contest.[1][2]

Fire Emblem series

This section has been marked as a stub. Please help improve the page by adding information.

As an employee of Intelligent Systems, Kaga worked on the first five games in the Fire Emblem series and Fire Emblem: Archanea Saga. He was the lead scenario writer on all of these games and the director on every game from Gaiden onward. As a writer on the Jugdral games in particular, Kaga drew on his fascination with political history and how the course of history is changed by the smallest acts, and aimed to write "realistic" stories reflecting the unpleasant nature of medieval times and how mistakes change the world.[3]

Tirnanog and the Emblem Saga lawsuit

Shortly before the release of Fire Emblem: Thracia 776, his final Fire Emblem game, Kaga departed from Intelligent Systems in August 1999 and founded his own studio, Tirnanog. His final contribution to a game for a Nintendo platform was Trade & Battle: Card Hero, published the next February. As the president of Tirnanog, Kaga's first project was a strategy game for Sony's PlayStation console, which was originally titled Emblem Saga; former Fire Emblem artist Mayumi Hirota also served as this game's character designer. According to Kaga, Emblem Saga was planned to be directly tied to the events of the Archanea games:

“ I've made five games, which took place on three continents. Emblem Saga takes place on a fourth continent called "Forceria" and its atmosphere is the same. In this world, the Manakete tribe once flourished, and they built a highly advanced civilization. As history went on and they faced destruction, how did they deal with humans, the masters of the new age? The Manaketes... or rather, ancient dragons are involved deeply in this game. As they faced destruction, many of them chose to sleep underground eternally and hide their faces from the world, but there were those among the Manaketes who resented the humans. The story concerns those wicked men who sought to use their strength and the people who opposed them, as well as the shrine's holy guardian dragons who appeared because of a certain pact. ”
— Kaga, in an interview with Famitsu[4]

However, in 2002, Kaga, Tirnanog, and publisher Enterbrain faced a copyright infringement lawsuit from Nintendo over the Fire Emblem elements in Emblem Saga. Nintendo lost this case, but successfully won a case against Tirnanog for breaking unfair competition laws and were awarded damages.[5][4]

As a result of the case, Emblem Saga was renamed TearRing Saga: Yutona Heroes War Chronicles and all direct ties to Fire Emblem were removed. Even so, the game continued to bear a stylistic, thematic, and gameplay resemblance to Kaga's previous works; while Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, the first Fire Emblem game produced without Kaga, simplified the series' gameplay and removed features, TearRing Saga maintained many of the more complex gameplay traits which the series had abandoned, such as a skills system and a weapon level stat. It was released on May 24, 2001, and was followed up by TearRing Saga Series: Berwick Saga for the PlayStation 2 on May 26, 2005. Berwick Saga featured numerous changes to gameplay, such as a hexagonal grid-based map and a different turn system.

Current activities

Vestaria Saga I logo.png

In the years following the release of Berwick Saga, Kaga retired. He started a blog which he uses to share scraps of information about TearRing Saga and Berwick Saga which he finds on his hard drive. His first post on this blog was a post about the world setting of TearRing Saga, and a brief history of its nations.[6] He is not known to have ever discussed his time working on Fire Emblem on this blog.

In May 2015, Kaga announced that he had begun production on a free strategy RPG, Vestaria Saga I: War of the Scions, using the game-making software SRPG Studio. He put out a call on his blog for assistance in producing the game.[7] After this call, Vestaria Saga I was released on September 5th 2016, ahead of its planned schedule.[8] The first part of the game can be downloaded for free from Vestaria Saga's website.

In September 2017, Kaga posted his first, and, as of writing, only English-language blog post, stating that Vestaria Saga I would possibly have an official localization due to overseas fan demand.[9] Kaga stated that, if the localization progressed successfully, more details would be revealed some time in 2018. A demo of the English version of Vestaria Saga I was released on August 16, 2018 on Steam, published by DANGEN Entertainment, with the full game's release date initially listed as "2019".[10] The English localization of the game finally released on December 27, 2019, narrowly making its announced window.

On March 27, 2019, Kaga released both Vestaria Saga Gaiden: The Sacred Sword of Silvanister and Vestaria Saga Gaiden: Lucca Gaiden (Heroes of Lucca).[11] In June 2020, Kaga announced Vestaria Saga Gaiden: Chronicles of the Norden Civil War. This departs from the strategy RPG gameplay of the Fire Emblem and TearRing Saga series and is described as an "SLG".[12] Compared to the previous game, it has a simplified map but more tactical depth. According to Kaga, the gameplay was made different because it would be boring to keep doing the same thing.[13] On December 9, 2021, DANGEN Entertainment announced an official localization of The Sacred Sword of Silvanister with a tentative "2022" release date.[14]

Credits

Fire Emblem series

Post-Fire Emblem works

Other

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Gallery

  • Kaga in a Famitsu interview from 1994.

    Kaga in a Famitsu interview from 1994.

  • Vestaria Saga I image from Kaga's website.

    Vestaria Saga I image from Kaga's website.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kaga, S., Sakaguchi, H., et al.; trans. shmupulations, Fire Emblem – Developer Interviews with Shouzou Kaga and Hironobu Sakaguchi, shmupulations.com, Published: May 3 2016, Retrieved: May 3 2016
  2. ↑ Kaga, S., 懐かしのデビュー作(1), D's Notes, Published: May 31 2008, Retrieved: May 3 2016
  3. ↑ Kaga, S.; trans. Amielleon, Kaga Interviews (Page 3/Q1), Fire Emblem (according to Japan), Published: January 1999 (trans. February 22 2013), Retrieved: February 24 2015
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 VincentASM, Fire Emblem 64, Serenes Forest, Retrieved: May 3 2016
  5. ↑ University of Japan Copyright Center, 日本ユニ著作権センター／判例全文・2002/11/14d 3, Translan, Published: November 11 2002, Retrieved: April 17 2015
  6. ↑ Kaga, S., 世界設定[00508] (World Setting [00508]), D's Notes, Published: April 1 2008, Retrieved: July 4 2015
  7. ↑ "On his purported blog, Kaga is recruiting volunteers to assist with an indie game to be developed with SRPG Studio, a recently-released Japanese game-making tool published by SapphireSoft that allows creation of strategy RPGs like Fire Emblem." — VincentASM, Shouzou Kaga developing indie game with SRPG Studio (webpage), Serenes Forest, Published: May 6 2015, Retrieved: September 5 2016
  8. ↑ "Originally planned for release on 21st September 2016, Vestaria Saga (Part 1) is now available for public download!" — VincentASM, Shouzou Kaga developing indie game with SRPG Studio (webpage), Serenes Forest, Published: May 6 2015, Retrieved: May 9 2015
  9. ↑ Kaga, S., 海外向け(localized into English)について, D's Notes, Published: September 14 2017, Retrieved: December 6 2017
  10. ↑ Vestaria Saga on Steam, Steam, Published: August 15 2018, Retrieved: August 15 2018
  11. ↑ "But lo and behold, S_Kaga has just released both of his brand new gaiden (side story) games on the same day." — VincentASM, Vestaria Saga "Silverbirch's Sacred Sword" and "Heroes of Lucca" Released!, Serenes Forest, Published: March 27 2019, Retrieved: December 3 2021
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Kaga, S., 地域制圧型SLGのテスト制作 (Test work for region control-style SLG, D's Notes, Published: June 24 2020, Retrieved: September 29 2020
  13. ↑ Kaga, S., 質問まとめ (Question summary), D's Notes, Published: June 27, 2020, Retrieved: September 29 2020
  14. ↑ VincentASM, Vestaria Saga Gaiden: The Sacred Sword of Silvanister English Version Slated for 2022, Serenes Forest, Published: December 9 2021, Retrieved: December 10 2021
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Kaga, S., 外伝の予定 (Gaiden Plans), D's Notes, Published: July 31 2017, Retrieved: August 15 2018

External links

People related to the Fire Emblem series
Individuals Shouzou Kaga • Kouhei Maeda • Tohru Narihiro • Yuka Tsujiyoko • Gunpei Yokoi
Staff lists Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light • Gaiden • Mystery of the Emblem • Genealogy of the Holy War • Thracia 776 • The Binding Blade • The Blazing Blade • The Sacred Stones • Path of Radiance • Radiant Dawn • Shadow Dragon • New Mystery of the Emblem • Awakening • Fates • Heroes • Echoes: Shadows of Valentia • Three Houses • Engage
Other Artists of the Fire Emblem series (Artists of Cipher • Artists of Heroes (0–9, A–L • M–Z)) • Voice actors of the Fire Emblem series
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