Dead or Alive creator was once held at gunpoint by LAPD, says former colleague: 'It was a real Dead or Alive situation'

As translated to English by Automaton, Japanese gaming website 4Gamer has published a feature on the late Tomonobu Itagaki, creator of Dead or Alive and the neo-Ninja Gaiden games. 4Gamer interviewed some of the developer's collaborators, unearthing some surprising stories from the colorful developer's life.

In addition to his ultraviolent and occasionally terminally horny games, Itagaki embodied an eccentric, larger-than-life character in the industry. "Gamers who think that Ninja Gaiden is too hard are losers … just fight your best fight!" he told Kikizo in 2005. 4Gamer's anecdotes more than match Itagaki's flamboyant reputation.

A few particularly wild stories come from former collaborator Kengo Aoki, the CEO of Soft Gear. He talked about a time when Itagaki, on a business trip to C...