Kazuma Kaneko, also known as Kazuhiro Kaneko, is an artist involved with the Megami Tensei franchise. He is most known for his work on it and has created a majority of the demon designs in the franchise, as well as multiple character designs and designs for Personas in the first two entries of the Persona series.
Biography
Early Life
Kaneko claims to have always been good at drawing, and that his teachers would enter his drawings into contests without his permission.[1]
Career
Kaneko started his career as an animator before joining Atlus after playing Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei.[1] Notably, he was an animator for the American The Transformers cartoon and is credited as Kazuhiro Kaneko.[2]
In 2023, Kaneko joined the company Colopl, Inc.[1]
Personal Life
Media Credits
This is a list of each Megami Tensei media Kazuma Kaneko was involved with.
| Year | Game | Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II | Character designer, demon designer, sprite artist |
| 1992 | Shin Megami Tensei | Character designer, demon designer, sprite artist |
| Last Bible | Coordinator | |
| 1994 | Shin Megami Tensei II | Character designer, demon designer, sprite artist |
| Majin Tensei | Coordinator | |
| Shin Megami Tensei if... | Character designer, demon designer, sprite artist | |
| 1995 | Kyūyaku Megami Tensei | Character designer |
| Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner | Character designer, demon designer | |
| 1996 | Megami Ibunroku Persona | Character designer, Persona designer |
| 1997 | Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation | Character design |
| Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers | Art director, character designer | |
| 1999 | Last Bible II (GBC version) | Character producer |
| Persona 2: Innocent Sin | Character designer, Persona designer | |
| 2000 | Persona 2: Eternal Punishment | Character designer, Persona designer |
| Devil Children Red Book | Graphics supervisor | |
| 2001 | Devil Children White Book | Graphics supervisor |
| 2002 | Shin Megami Tensei: Nine | Demon designer |
| 2003 | Devil Children Light Book and Dark Book | Graphics supervisor |
| Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne | Creative director, character designer, demon designer | |
| 2004 | Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner | Character designer, demon designer, Scenario Draft[3] |
| 2005 | Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner 2 | |
| 2006 | Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army | Art director, character designer, original concept |
| Persona 3 | Original demon design | |
| 2007 | Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine | Demon designer |
| Persona 3 | Original demon design | |
| 2008 | Persona 4 | |
| Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon | Producer, art director, character designer, original concept | |
| 2009 | Devil Survivor | Supervisor, devil designer |
| Persona | Art director | |
| Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey | Producer, character designer, original concept | |
| Persona 3 Portable | Original demon design | |
| 2011 | Devil Survivor 2 | Demon designer |
| 2012 | Persona 4 Golden | Original demon design |
| 2013 | Shin Megami Tensei IV | Scenario drafts, demon designer |
| Persona 4 Arena Ultimax | Original demon design | |
| 2014 | Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth | |
| 2016 | Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse | Scenario drafts, demon designer |
| Persona 5 | Demon modeling supervisor, demon designer | |
| 2017 | Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux | Scenario concept, demon designer |
| 2018 | Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth | Original devil design |
| 2019 | Persona 5 Royal | Demon modeling supervisor, demon designer |
| 2020 | Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster | Series devil design |
| 2021 | Shin Megami Tensei V | |
| 2022 | Soul Hackers 2 | Original demon designs |
Nomenclature
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese
|
金子一広 金子一魔 金子一馬  Psuedonym Post-1992かねこ かずま Shin Megami Tensei no Subete Akuma Fukkatsu-hen |
Kazuhiro Kaneko Kazuma Kaneko Kazuma Kaneko Kazuma Kaneko |
Gallery
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Photograph of Kazuma Kaneko in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building taken for an interview about Shin Megami Tensei if....
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A photograph of Kaneko in a flower field taken for an interview about Megami Ibunroku Persona.
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A photograph of Kaneko in 2023 taken for an interview about JobTribes.
Notes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 レジェンドクリエイター金子一馬が新IP創出にコロプラで挑戦. Published April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024. Colopl.
- ↑ "昔アニメーターをやっていた時代に担当していたアメリカの『トランスフォーマー」にちょっと似てるかな。" Translation: "It is a bit like the American “Transformers” that I worked on when I was an animator in the past." Game Magazine Conference, Kazuma Kaneko. Published by Shinkigensha. Japanese. Vol. 11 p. 6.
- ↑ "Kazuma Kaneko: I contributed to the most important aspect of the system, “eating”, but also to parts of the story from the early days of the project, as well as the basis of the world setting, including the scenario draft; however, after that I ended up in charge of the character design after I entrusted the rest to the current staff." Playstation.com Kaneko Kazuma interview, 2004 Digital Devil Saga. Archived: [1]. Published August 8, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2023. Dijeh Translations.