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To know Goichi “Suda51” Suda’s work is to also know its reputation.

Simply put, Suda51 creates cult classics.

Travis Touchdown and Bad Man clash in the key art to No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Back

How did Suda51 get here?

Start, as they say, as you mean to go on.

SNES fighters were best known for simplistic victory screens and straightforward stories.

Morio Sumisu approaches the ring in Super Fire Pro Wrestling Special for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System

It would be a shocking ending for a game now, let alone in the early ’90s.

But it was compelling, and remains so even to this day.

Suda51 tells me he still remembers the development of that finale well.

“This scene here, burn it into your eyeballs,” says a detective from The Silver Case

I wanted to make it into more of a story-heavy, story-focused game."

“I ate a lot of shit for the way that I decided to end the game.”

The original concept was to have multiple endings.

A visual novel scene in Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes showing Travis Touchdown and his cat Jeane traveling on his motorbike through the desert searching for the Death Balls

World events affected where he landed with it.

Not everyone loved it.

But it was bold.

Travis Touchdown slashes through four enemies with a beam katana in No More Heroes

“A lot of people were really pissed off.

I ate a lot of shit for the way that I decided to end the game.”

It was a jump Suda51 was keen to make.

Blood spurting out of an enemy as you blast them with a revolve in Killer7 - the background has trippy effects

Shortly after, Suda51 founded Grasshopper Manufacture in 1998.

It’s the studio he leads to this day.

“We were both sort of bouncing off each other with this stuff.”

Travis Touchdown fights Bad Girl, who wields a baseball bat, in No More Heroes in the PC version

It worked, and the text-heavy format allowed Suda51 plenty of creative experimentation.

Weinterview Suda51about the original release!

With the likes of No More Heroes, hyper-violent action has become another constant in his portfolio.

Possessor(s) screenshots showing Luca in conversation and combat

“To be honest, particularly recently, I have thought about it several times.

I kind of do think about it a lot,” says Suda51.

“I’ve always had a real soft spot for indie games.

Vampire Survivors

I like making games on a slightly smaller scale.

Beginning with three employees, Grasshopper Manufacturer quickly ballooned in staff size.

“Part of it was making fun of myself and that sort of genre.”

Naoe drinks a cup of ritual water in Assassin�s Creed Shadows

Suda51 still remembers the infamous scene well.

“It just ended up getting really long!

And I didn’t want to cut it out because it was all really important stuff.”

The Witcher 3 next-gen

But also, he says, “This shit is expensive.

Even back in the Wii days.”

“It was kind of a win-win situation,” says Suda51.

Naoe kills a target with a black and white filter over the camera highlighting the red of blood spray in Assassin�s Creed Shadows, with an On The Radar orange frame

Being self-aware is a large part of Suda51’s work.

Playing in that space, and messing with expectations, is a hallmark of his style.

And it means we never know quite what we can expect next.

Assassin�s Creed Shadows protagonist Yasuke riding through an autumnal forest on horseback, with an overlay for GamesRadar+�s On The Radar initiative

Dragon Quest 11

Fortnite

Baldur�s Gate 3 Drunken Master Monk in the House of Hope screenshot

A screenshot from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, showing a man named Verso covered in dirt and blood, looking into the camera.

A screenshot of the upcoming PS5 game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

A sprite sheet for Hollow Knight Silksong

Oblivion Remastered at night

Lego Mario Kart, Endgame Final Battle, Jango Fett�s Firespray-Class Ship, and Chopper divided by white lines, with a �GamesRadar+ new Lego� badge in the middle

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle screenshot of Indiana dressed as priest, looking over a book

Days Gone Remastered protagonist Deacon running from hundreds of zombies in the rain

PS5 Pro reveal from trailer

The cast of Thunderbolts standing in an elevator during the trailer for the upcoming Marvel Phase 5 movie.

Articulate box, cards, board, and tokens on a wooden table

Logan Kim as Hershel and Lauren Cohan as Maggie in The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2