Brian Ashcraft

Monster Hunter: World costumes are coming to Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition Unlockable via Extra Battle Mode, there are Rathalos, Zinogre, and Kirin Armor costumes for Ken, R. Mika and Ibuki.

The Buddhist Swastika Becomes Popular Slang In Japan

If you’ve ever been to a Buddhist temple in Japan or looked at a Japanese map, you’ve probably seen swastikas, called “manji” in Japanese, all over. In Japan, the character has become popular youth slang. As Tofugu points out, the manji has long been a holy and auspicious symbol in Japan and throughout Asia. Now…

Winter Is Coming. Mt. Fuji, Japan. By Tatsuya Nomura | Flickr JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Track: A Change Is Gonna Come | Artist: Sam Cooke | Album: Ain’t That Good News

Want to eat rice planted by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi? I should probably say Terra Battle’s creator, because that’s what this agricultural endeavor is for. He planted “Terra Battle rice,” which you can try in Shibuya on February 20 with event tickets costing 2,800 yen ($26) per person.

Japan Is Good At Snow Sculptures

This week, Tokyo was hit with heavy snow. And like every time it snows in Tokyo or other parts of the country, people go outside and make snow sculptures based on video game, movie and animated characters. Via NetLab, here are some of the best ones. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture,…

Japanese TV Show Talks Online Gaming Addiction, Explains First-Person Shooters 

Recently Japan’s AbemaTV did a report on “net game addicts,” discussing those who are racking up long hours online. AbemaTV is an internet television network, which has snagged some famous Japanese celebrities for its shows. The AbemaTV segment was a breath of fresh air compared to the typical way the traditional Japanese media covers gaming,…

Your Name. Suwako, Nagano, Japan. By Evan Largent. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Track: Heroes (Live at the Isle of Wight) | Artist: David Bowie | Album: Heroes Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

If There Was A StarCraft II Anime

There isn’t a StarCraft anime, but if there were, perhaps it would look like this? Created by illustrator AnimatorYu, these StarCraft II inspired images were uploaded on the Inven boards. “Blizzard has a lot of characters I want to draw,” writes AnimatorYu, who is thinking about doing illustrations for the company’s other games. Since Blizzard…

English Phrases For Japanese Duel Masters Players Drop Inevitable F-Bomb

A Tokyo card shop created a list of English expressions for Duel Masters players. It gets interesting at the end. There are some errors (which happens!), but here’s the list: Fxxxking useful! Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in…

In South Korea, Rock Star Becomes A Battlegrounds Pro 

Jung Joon Young isn’t only a regular on South Korean TV, but he’s also the lead singer of the rock group Drug Restaurant. He’s just added a new gig to his large resume: Esports pro. As tipster Sang points out, Jung has signed to Kongdoo Company, which was founded by retired StarCraft legend Hong “YellOw”…

Tokyo’s Giant Gundam Statue Looks Excellent In Snow

Yesterday, Tokyo was blanketed in snow. The bad part that it caused slippery streets and roads. The good part? This. Check out these snowy photos of the giant, 64.6-foot Unicorn Gundam statue in Tokyo’s Odaiba. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and…

Glacial Lake. Jökulsárlón, Iceland. By Jenn Ravenna | Instagram JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Track: I Was Born To Love You | Artist: Queen | Album: Mr. Bad Guy Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

A Good Look At Official Post-Final Fantasy X-2 Character Art 

Square Enix just kicked off a Final Fantasy 30th anniversary exhibit in Tokyo. Among the displays was this Tidus and Yuna character art. The art might look familiar, because black and white versions of these Tetsuya Nomura character designs, as well as ones for Chuami and Kurgum, were included in the Final Fantasy X |…

Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Controllers Make Excellent Grasshopper Legs

If Nintendo is short on Labo ideas, which I doubt, here’s one from Twitter user Colonel Odonger: a cardboard grasshopper. I have no idea what kind of game could be made with it, but putting those Joy-Cons in the grasshopper’s legs is neat. The building level, though, looks high Colonel Odonger has already been running…

Former Sonic Team Head Yuji Naka Has Joined Square Enix

Yuji Naka is not only best known for programming and producing classic Sonic games but also for heading up titles like Nights into Dreams, Samba de Amigo, and Phantasy Star Online while at Sega. He’s recently joined Square Enix. In 2006, he left Sega to start up his own studio, called Probe, which released Let’s…

Pop Team Epic Anime Fans React Accordingly 

If these were any other anime fans, sticking their middle fingers in their air would be considered rude. But these are Pop Team Epic anime fans, so this seems about right. Pop Team Epic’s main characters are famous for flipping the bird. Explaining why these cosplayers are making the gesture. This weekend in Tokyo’s Akihabara,…

Stanley Theatre Backstage. Utica, NY. By Justin Knaperek. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!