Last Friday, comedian Shinya Arino of Retro Game Master fame met fans in Los Angeles. Some of those fans contacted Kotaku, retelling their experiences meeting the man behind the powder green worksuit.
A sizable crowd turned out to meet him, with some estimates putting it around 200 people total over the course of the evening. "My wife and I went downtown to see him, and found a sizable crowd waiting for him," wrote reader Mike. "I managed to meet him first, though, as he ended up using the urinal next to me down the hall before the official event."
Mike and his wife, who is from Osaka, are long time Arino fans. He wrote their family and friends were jealous that they were able to meet Arino. Mike got The Kacho's business card for exchanging his.
Others discovered Arino on Kotaku. In Retro Game Master, Arino plays through impossibly difficult old video games until he finishes them.
"Started watching Retro Game Master here on Kotaku when it debuted," wrote Jorge. "Started digging deep and watching all the various fan subs as well." Jorge's roommate even got hooked, and the both of them drove 150 miles to meet The Kacho.
According to reader Emil, fans brought classic games and hardware to be autographed, as well as gifts—some handmade!
"As the Kacho waved goodbye, the remaining crowd of fans clapped and cheered," wrote Emil. "The enthusiasm may have been to bolster their hero for another arduous challenge, or maybe some were like me, thankful for the reminder of my old school gaming memories. That at its best video games are challenging, frustrating, fun, and have something that can't be out grown because they're now and forever part of our story."
You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post, at bashcraft@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.