Then, without further ado, Mitsu spoke up with a light, apologetic smile. "Sorry for bothering you on the weekend, Zaboru-san, just for this interview."
Zaboru let out a relaxed chuckle. "Well, it's fine. But are you okay working on the weekend? Don't do that too much, Mitsu-san. Hahaha."
Mitsu laughed along, waving his hand dismissively. "Well, this is actually our first weekend overti. It's only because you said you could do this talk on Saturday, so we made it happen."
Zaboru blinked and acted surprised. "Heh? So it's because of that you're working overti?"
Nigo imdiately grinned, leaning back slightly in his chair. "Absolutely worth it, though."
Kiara nodded furiously beside him, almost too fast, as if agreeing was a matter of life and death.
Mitsu then clapped his hands once. "Alright then—bring in the food!"
Without wasting a second, staff mbers entered the room carrying trays filled with gyoza, tempura, and karaage. The aroma alone instantly changed the mood of the room. Zaboru's eyes lit up the mont he saw the spread. "Damn! You really know what I like, don't you?"
He didn't hesitate for even a second, imdiately reaching out and starting to devour the food with clear enthusiasm. Mitsu burst into laughter at the sight. "How do you even maintain that body of yours if you eat like this all the ti, Zaboru-san?"
Zaboru chuckled between bites. "I work out. And for the record, I don't eat like this that often, you know? Probably twice… or maybe three tis a week?" He paused, thinking for a mont, then continued casually. "Besides, I eat healthy most of the ti. And I need a lot of calories anyway—well, I'm always thinking a lot."
Of course, that was a lie. In reality, Zaboru ate food like this almost every day. But because his Enlightennt body required an insane amount of calories just to function properly, he remained perfectly healthy. His calorie intake never strayed too far from what his body constantly burned, making indulgence less of a weakness and more of a necessity.
Nigo smiled as he leaned slightly forward. "Anyway, while you eat, can you answer our questions first? Let's start with the most simple one. What do you imagine for the future of the video ga industry?"
Zaboru swallowed his gyoza, took a sip of water, and carefully wiped his mouth before answering. A thoughtful smile appeared on his face. "The future of the video ga industry, huh?" he repeated slowly. "Well, first of all, I really don't want sothing like the Atari crash to ever happen again. That period hurt the industry deeply. Hopefully, with everything ZAGE and other developers are doing right now, sothing like that will never repeat itself."
Nigo nodded, following up imdiately. "So, do you think it's a bad thing that almost anyone can develop video gas now? Like what happened during the Atari era?"
Zaboru shook his head without hesitation. "No. It's quite different. I actually think it's a good thing if everyone wants to make video gas—and can. Sure, quality always needs to be questioned, but the important part is that it can be a starting point for soone. A place to learn, to experint, to grow."
He continued, his tone becoming more serious. "What caused the Atari crash wasn't just accessibility. It was the way truly trash, unfinished, money-grabber gas were masked as 'affordable gas' and pushed without standards and also the consur knowledge about video ga are lacking. That's the part I want to avoid the most. For , the more gas, the rrier—but quality still needs a baseline. And that baseline isn't about graphics, gaplay complexity, or story depth. At the very least, it needs to be a proper video ga—complete, functional, and free of bugs."
Mitsu smiled thoughtfully, nodding as he processed the answer. "Interesting… so you want video ga developnt to be open to anyone?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.
Zaboru let out a light chuckle and leaned back slightly in his chair. "That's one of my goals, yes," he replied calmly. "And even right now, at ZAGE, we're already doing that to so extent. We give other developers who are interested in making gas for our console access to an engine, right? Our Unreal Engine Z3—you definitely know it by now."
He continued without hesitation, his tone becoming more confident. "That engine isn't just a tool; it's a foundation. In the future, I want to elevate it even further—make it more flexible, more intuitive, and more powerful, especially for smaller teams or first-ti developers."
Zaboru gestured lightly with his hand as he spoke. "And not just that. ZAGE is also planning to create a proper platform—sothing that makes ga creation and distribution far easier to access than it is now. Less gatekeeping, fewer unnecessary barriers. If soone has a good idea and the passion to make it real, I want the industry to welco them, not shut them out."
Nigo then asked, curiosity clearly visible on his face, "Do you think it's possible for everyone to make gas by themselves? Or maybe in very small teams—like two or three people—well, except you, of course." He grinned as he said it, clearly teasing. After all, it was infamous in the industry that many early ZEPS 1 gas had credits filled almost entirely with the na "Zaboru Renkonan," a quiet legend that those titles had been created nearly single‑handedly.
Zaboru laughed softly at that, shaking his head. "Absolutely," he replied without hesitation. "You see, right now the tools are still limited—even though they're always growing. At the mont, it's still genuinely difficult for individuals or very small teams, say two to five people, to make large-scale gas without burning out. Hardware and software still place real constraints on them."
He leaned forward slightly, his tone growing more thoughtful. "But in the future, hardware and software will definitely stop being the main problem. When that ti cos, it won't be technology that decides who succeeds—it'll be skill , creativity and determination. That's what will matter most."
Zaboru smiled faintly as he continued. "If you look at my own work, even in the near future, I'm certain there will be small studios—teams of just two to five people—that create gas better than big studios. Maybe even better than plenty of ZAGE gas. Size doesn't guarantee quality. Vision does."
Nigo blinked, genuinely surprised by the confidence and conviction in that answer. He leaned back slowly, clearly not expecting such a bold statent—but unable to disagree with the logic behind it.
Then Kiara suddenly leaned forward, barely able to contain herself anymore. Her excitent finally burst out. "Zaboru-sama!" she blurted out—then imdiately froze. "N… no! I an—Zaboru-san!" she corrected herself in a panic, waving her hands. "C–Can you give us so details about ZAGE's next console!?" Her words began tumbling over one another. "I heard there will be a new handheld release this year? And—and will there be a new Pokémon ga!?"
The room instantly grew livelier at her question. Even Nigo and Mitsu straightened slightly, clearly interested despite trying to maintain a professional expression.
Zaboru grinned at Kiara's enthusiasm and let out a small chuckle. "Well, unfortunately, I can't say much," he replied calmly. "Why? Because it would be a spoiler, damn it." He raised a finger lightly, as if drawing an invisible line. "But I can answer just a little bit." He paused deliberately, letting the tension build. "And yes—there will be a Pokémon ga."
Kiara's eyes instantly lit up, sparkling with pure joy. She clasped her hands together, clearly fighting the urge to scream, while the rest of the room filled with amused smiles at her reaction.
Nigo laughed lightly, clearly enjoying the relaxed flow of the interview, before leaning forward again. "That actually brings us to another question about ZAGE IPs," he said. "There are quite a lot of ZAGE titles that people consider underrated—especially titles like Ninja Gaiden and troid. These were incredible gas during the ZEPS 2 era, the 16-bit era, and they left a huge impression on players. But we haven't really seen them appear on ZEPS 3. Are you abandoning those IPs, Zaboru-san?"
Zaboru chuckled softly, shaking his head as if amused by the wording. "Abandoning is a pretty strong word, Nigo-san," he replied calmly. "And no, we're definitely not abandoning them." His tone grew more assured as he continued. "Ryu Hayabusa and Samus Aran are two of our most iconic characters. They're part of ZAGE's core identity."
He paused briefly, choosing his words carefully. "The reason you haven't seen new gas for them yet is simple—it's not the right ti. Not yet. I don't want to bring them back just for the sake of bringing them back. When they return, I want it to an sothing. And yes," he added with a small smile, "in the future, they will definitely return."
Mitsu laughed excitedly, clapping his hands once. "Hehehe, so that ans I can play Ninja Gaiden again in the future, heh!" He leaned forward eagerly. "Alright then, let's move on to the next question. You've designed a lot of great characters over the years, and their designs are always so strong. They're distinct from one another, instantly recognizable. When we interviewed other ZAGE developers, many of them said that you almost single‑handedly design these iconic characters. How do you approach character design?"
Zaboru smiled calmly before answering, taking a mont to think. "First of all," he said, "I always listen to feedback from my other designers. They're extrely talented at what they do, and the final designs definitely carry their touch and refinent." He nodded respectfully, making sure the credit was shared.
He continued, choosing his words carefully. "That said, it's true that most of the initial drafts co from . As for where they co from… honestly, it's hard to explain." Zaboru chuckled lightly. "When I want to create a character, I don't overthink it. I just let it flow. Ideas co naturally while I'm thinking about the ga itself—the world, the tone, the chanics. Sohow, I already know what kind of silhouette they should have, what kind of presence they need to give off, based on the ga they belong to."
Zaboru was telling the truth—mostly. What he didn't say was that, more often than not, those characters were born from mories of his previous life. Familiar faces, archetypes, and designs resurfaced subconsciously, reshaped and reborn for this world. It wasn't exactly a lie… just a truth he chose not to fully reveal.
Kiara's eyes lit up imdiately, shining with excitent. "Ehh! As expected of Zaboru-san, you really are a genius!" she exclaid without holding back. She then leaned forward slightly, clearly riding the montum of her enthusiasm. "Then I want to ask, Zaboru-san… who is your favorite character in all of ZAGE?"
Zaboru smiled at the question, already anticipating the difficulty of answering it. He rubbed his chin lightly before replying. "Well… I honestly can't really say who I love the most," he admitted. "Mario will always have a special place in my heart. He's tiless. And then there's Kirby—he also holds a very special place for ." He let out a small laugh. "So yeah, I don't think I can choose just one character."
What Zaboru didn't say, however, was the truth hidden behind that careful answer. In his previous life, his favorite character had always been Kazuma Kiryu. But the Yakuza series didn't even exist in this world, and there was no reason to bring up a na no one could possibly understand. So instead, he chose familiar icons—answers that felt safe, sincere, and fitting for this world.
Nigo grinned mischievously as he leaned forward. "Then what about your favorite female character in all of ZAGE?" he teased. "Hehehe, they're all beautiful and sexy, right? It's Samus, isn't it?"
Zaboru let out a small chuckle and shook his head. "Nope," he replied casually. "My favorite is I‑No from Guilty Gear."
The reaction was imdiate. The room went quiet for half a second before everyone reacted at once, clearly surprised by the unexpected answer. Mitsu blinked, then laughed in disbelief. "I‑No? Huh… she is cool," he admitted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But why her? What makes her your favorite?"
Zaboru chuckled again, this ti a little more openly. "I just really like her design," he explained. "And her personality too. She's like this crazy witch type, but at the sa ti she knows she's aweso. There's confidence there, mixed with chaos. It's really cool. That's why, whenever I play Guilty Gear, she's always my favorite pick."
Sowhere else, watching the interview from ho, Ayumi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "So… Zabo likes I‑No, huh?" she murmured to herself. She reached up and lightly touched her hair, glancing toward the mirror nearby. "Should I cut my hair to look like I‑No?" she joked aloud, giggling softly at the thought—though part of her clearly seed tempted.
Then Kiara asked eagerly, her voice filled with admiration. "So, Zaboru-san! Until now, you've always won whenever you fought against the champions of the ZAGE Tournant in all ZAGE fighting gas—like Guilty Gear, Street Fighter, Tekken, Mortal Kombat, and so on. We've all watched your triumphs live. But is there anyone… anyone at all… who has really beaten you in a ga?"
The question instantly stirred the room. Even the staff behind the caras leaned in slightly, clearly curious.
Zaboru smiled and let out a relaxed chuckle, scratching the back of his head. "Nope. Not yet," he answered honestly. "I guess I'm just that good, apparently." He laughed again, but there was no arrogance in it—only confidence earned through countless hours of play. "That said," he continued, his tone shifting slightly, "the champions and players overall are definitely getting better. Much better."
He leaned forward a little, resting his elbows on the table. "If they keep growing, keep practicing, keep learning from their losses, I honestly think they'll beat soday. And when that happens, I'll be happy." He raised a finger lightly. "Rember, though—I think they will. It's not guaranteed."
Zaboru chuckled once more, clearly enjoying the mont. Nigo and Mitsu exchanged grins, clearly loving Zaboru's calm confidence and sportsmanlike attitude. As for Kiara, she was completely in awe, staring at him with shining eyes as if she had just heard sothing legendary.
Mitsu then continue he smile and said "Well next questions is quite different as this i will ask sothing unpleasant…" and then the room beco slightly tense
To be continue
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