Here are the major franchises Inafune had his fingers in at one point or another during his tenure at Capcom, and exactly what role he played in their development. A few just might surprise you.
Street+Fighter
Before we get to a certain blue robot, we need to point out the series that gave Inafune his start. His career began at Capcom, then a fledgling corporation, as a designer and illustrator for a brand new intellectual property. The title made only a small splash to say the least, but its sequel is another story altogether. Its name was Street Fighter, the first entry in a series that is now revered by many as the granddaddy and reigning king of the fighting genre. It was on this game that Inafune showed Capcom what he could do, and his quality work no doubt landed him the gig that would come to define his career.But his work on the original title was not the end of Inafune's involvement with Street Fighter. He also acted as executive producer for the latest incarnation, Street Fighter IV, as well as its update, Super Street Fighter IV. Originally, Capcom believed that a new core title in this series could not be successful, but Street Fighter IV proved that theory incorrect, returning the franchise to its former glory. Hopefully, even in Inafune's absence, future installments in the series can capture the old-school feel he often brings to the games he works on, which is part of what made Street Fighter IV so successful.
Mega+Man
Whenever anyone thinks of Keiji Inafune, there is one game that almost always springs to mind-- Mega Man. Although his first contribution to the Blue Bomber's gaming debut was in providing the now classic artwork and character designs, Inafune would eventually go on to be the executive producer for the multiple iterations that followed. He quickly became something of an unofficial godfather for the series, tasked with watching over it throughout the years.Together, Inafune and Mega Man have seen outrageous success, establishing a plethora of Mega Man branded series. There are now a total of 10 titles in the original series, eight in the Mega Man X series, six core games in the Mega Man Battle Network series, three in the Mega Man Starforce series, four in the Mega Man Zero series, two Mega Man ZX games, two Mega Man Legends games (with another on the way) and many more that belong to various other incarnations of that little robot that could.
Inafune's departure was a huge blow for Mega Man fans, as the series will not be the same without INAFKING (a moniker Inafune often used throughout his career) branded in the credits. But even without Inafune, his legacy will live on through Mega Man Legends 3 for the 3DS-- a game Inafune waited years to get the funding for and finally began work on, but had to leave behind when he left. We can only hope that this game, and all future Mega Man games to come, will still have that Mega Man charm even in Inafune's absence.
Onimusha
Onimusha, which is Japanese for "Devil Warrior," is a somewhat historical action-adventure series in the vein of Ninja Gaiden, although it shares many similarities to Resident Evil as well. For the original title in the franchise, Onimusha: Warlords for the PlayStation 2, Inafune played the role of producer, with Resident Evil 5's producer, Jun Takeuchi, in the director's chair.Like many of Inafune's works, Onimusha revolves around a popular theme in Japan. Only instead of boy robots or zombies, Onimusha is about samurais. Although the theme is an inherently Japanese one, the series is also quite popular around the globe. So popular, in fact, that it is Capcom's sixth highest-selling series, which is pretty impressive for a franchise that many gamers are entirely unaware of. There is even a feature film that has long been in the works based on Onimusha, written by none other than Inafune himself. Let's hope that even though he no longer works at Capcom, his screenplay can still find its way to the limelight.
Resident+Evil
Resident Evil is Capcom's juggernaut. It outsells even the company's mascot, Mega Man. While the series is ultimately the invention of legendary game developer Shinji Mikami, as former head of Research & Development at Capcom, it comes as no surprise that Inafune was involved with the survival horror franchise at several points along the way. His first major role was as promotional producer for Resident Evil 2, but he went on to act as executive producer for not only the PlayStation 2 version of Resident Evil 4, but Resident Evil 5 as well.Inafune once stated that, on his own personal scale, Resident Evil 4 had earned a score of 98 as a game, but a zero as a zombie game. Right or wrong, it's safe to assume that this series must have played a large role in inspiring Dead Rising, Inafune's very own zombie series. In a September 2010 interview with Eurogamer, Inafune stated that, "the goal for Dead Rising 2 is to replace the Resident Evil franchise and become the number one IP within Capcom." Unfortunately for Inafune, it didn't work out that way.
Dead+Rising
While Mega Man may always be Inafune's favorite child, in more recent years it seemed that Dead Rising had become the shiny, modern apple of his eye. A far more comical take on the undead than Resident Evil, Inafune admitted in an interview with Dengeki Online that Dead Rising was largely inspired by George A. Romero's zombie films of the '60s and '70s, such as Dawn of the Dead. The games play more like a cheesy horror spoof than a serious entry in the survival horror genre, as the emphasis is placed on the fun of killing zombies with various weapons rather than the natural human instinct to survive.Inafune stated that the idea for Dead Rising arose from the realization that, in Resident Evil 4, the zombies could run. In his own series, he decided that the zombies would move in slow motion—just like in those old horror movies. Did the gamble work? The short answer is yes, as both core titles in the series sold reasonably well, though ultimately the series was unable to topple Resident Evil to become king of the Capcom hill. With Inafune now out of the picture, let's hope this franchise can still find a way to rise from the dead yet again.
Lost+Planet
An early hit on the Xbox 360, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, like Dead Rising, is one of Inafune's modern babies, as he not only produced, but also provided the basis of the game's story. Inspired by John Carpenter's The Thing, the original Lost Planet was a third-person shooter with action-adventure elements. As such, it's no stretch of the imagination to draw similarities between Lost Planet and Mega Man (especially Mega Man Legends). Both series involve heroic protagonists saving the world from evil threats via run and gun gameplay (Lost Planet is a bit more complex, of course, but that's the basic gist). Similar to the Mega Man X series' wall-kicking mechanic (which allowed the Blue Bomber to explore the world around him like never before), Lost Planet introduced its wickedly cool grapple mechanic, which allowed its protagonist to basically do the same.The original title went on to perform extremely well in the early life of the current console generation. Its sequel, however, which Inafune was the executive producer for, was met with some harsh criticism. With Inafune no longer at Capcom, he will be unable to attempt to give the next Lost Planet (if and when it sees the light of day) the same hands-on treatment he gave the first, leaving him no way to redeem this derailed franchise. Hopefully Capcom can handle the task without him.
Miscellaneous
In addition to the huge franchises already mentioned, Inafune also lent his helping hand to plenty of other classic games and game series, not to mention a few horrendous flops. He was the executive producer for Dark Void, as well as the 2009 reboot of Bionic Commando, two titles that fell far from reaching Capcom's (as well as his fans) high expectations.But for every big-time failure of Inafune's that has garnered attention recently, there is a quiet success from his past that has gone largely overlooked. As an illustrator and graphic designer, his influence reached classic franchises such as Breath of Fire, as well as the classic games based on the hit Disney television shows DuckTales and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. He even got his mole mitts on the Legend of Zelda, producing Minish Cap in conjunction with Nintendo.
The+Future
Recently, Keiji Inafune has become more famous for his controversial role as a self-appointed critic of the Japanese video game industry rather than for making games, and it's a real shame. While his comparisons of the Japanese video game industry to a communist state and his many declarations of financial doom won't easily be forgotten, one can only hope that, in time, we may be able to overlook these harsh accusations that are overshadowing the decades of hard work this man has invested into many of our favorite gaming franchises.While Capcom reportedly turned down his request to remain on as a game creator, rumors have been circulating about something called "Comcept." A new company, perhaps? Unfortunately, only time will tell, and until his next move is revealed, the only way to get some Inafune in our lives will be by reliving his historic contributions to gaming. Until then, Inafune-san, we'll keep on bustin' without you.