Brian Ashcraft

Hideo Kojima Shows off Metal Gear Figure With Soft Boobs

Quiet from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a deadly sniper in skimpy clothes. There’s apparently a reason for the character’s sexy outfit. Ditto for this figure. The reason for the figure is, of course, that lots of fans will buy this figure. Make of that what you will! Today, Metal Gear Solid…

This Is Not “Fuck You” in Japanese Sign Language

It’s really not. This is the gesture for “siblings” (兄弟 or “kyoudai”) in Japanese Sign Language. Just like with spoken languages, sign language has evolved differently in different countries (here’s a helpful list of sign languages). So, people who know American Sign Language obviously won’t be able to communicate with people who use Japanese Sign…

Nintendo Says No NX and No Smart Device Announcements at E3

Oh, and no announcements about Nintendo’s quality of life platform. Guess you’ll just have to be content with 3DS and Wii U news! At Nintendo’s recentinvestors meeting, company honcho Satoru Iwata was asked specific details on the upcoming home console that’s codenamed Nintendo NX (for example, the investor wanted to know if the “N” in…

One-Ton Bomb from WWII Temporarily Closing Osaka’s Geek Street

Today, anime retailer Animate sent out an unusual tweet: Its shop in Osaka’s Nipponbashi neighborhood will be closed for several hours tomorrow. The reason? A one-ton bomb. This past March, construction workers discovered the one-ton bomb in Nipponbashi, Osaka’s geek district also known as “Den-Den Town.” According to NHK, the bomb was American-made and dates…

Why So Many Movies in Japan Are Based on Manga and Anime 

Surely, you’ve noticed? Recently, in Japan, there’s a glut of movies based on manga and anime. There must be a reason for this. There most certainly is. It is a rather simple and somewhat obvious reason. But here, let Beat Takeshi tell it. Beat Takeshi, of course, is a famed comedian, actor, and filmmaker—among many…

By March 2017, Nintendo aims to have five titles on smart devices. These will be “carefully” selected. All IPs can be considered.

Yoshimitsu Goes Full Tentacle Monster for Tekken 7

It shouldn’t really be a surprise that Yoshimitsu is in Tekken 7. What is a surprise is how he looks. The characters appearance does change from game to game. Let’s have a look back at some different Yoshimitsu incarnations from over the years: And now… Here’s another screenshot via Famitsu: Below, you can watch the…

Today, Nintendo announced it has shipped 10.5 million Amiibos worldwide. With shortages, some fans might say that’s not enough! In case you missed it, check out Kotaku’s opinionpiece on the Amiibo problem.

Track: Anthem of Shibuya | Artist: Momus | Album: Ping Pong Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment

Nintendo Is Coming to Universal Studios Theme Parks

Think Nintendo Land, but real. Today, Nintendo announced it is bringing its games and characters to Universal theme parks. “The immersive experiences will include major attractions at Universal’s theme parks and will feature Nintendo’s most famous characters and games,” stated an official release. To be clear, this isn’t a full-on Nintendo theme park. Rather, Universal…

Anime Fans Are Good at Spotting Alleged Tracing

Or maybe, I should say train fans. Whichever! Nice eye. Or eyes. On a recent episode of anime Sound! Euphonium, the character Kumiko is shown riding a train—a train that looks very slick. [via Yaraon] Like something you would only see in an anime? Um, no. A train that, as commenters pointed out online in…

An Unexpected Place Where the Wii U Struggles: Japan

Hey, good news! Wii U sales are up many countries. Bad news, they’re down in Japan. In the financial year starting in April 2013 and ending in March 2014, Nintendo sold 1.29 million Wii Us in the Americas. As Nintendo revealed today, that number increased to 1.85 million during the financial year ending March 2015.…

Nintendo is finally making money again, posting a 41.8 billion yen ($350 million) net profit. It doesn’t stop there, because Nintendo is forecasting its profit to double over this year. “A new source of revenue is expected from a gaming application for smart devices which will be released this year,” Nintendo stated.

This Isn’t a Manga Drawing

This may look like a black and white manga drawing. But no, it’s a three-dimensional figure with a custom paint job. Previously, Kotaku profiled Japanese figure maker mumumuno53 (here and here). Those earlier works were in living color, but his latest effort evokes black and white. From nearly every angle, the custom paint job makes…

Phoenix Hall. Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. By Luke Plunkett | Kotaku 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!

The Oculus Rift Will Go On Sale in 2016

The retail version of the Oculus Rift will be released in the first part of next year, Oculus VR revealed today. According to official site Oculus.com, the retail version “builds on the presence, immersion, and comfort of the Crescent Bay prototype with an improved tracking system that supports both seated and standing experiences, as well…

Please, Look Inside Pikachu’s…Vagina?

Oh god. Surely, the people who made this inflatable Pikachu know? They have to. Warning: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable. A few years ago, images surfaced of a Pikachu bouncy house in Japan with the entrance in a rather interesting place. To refresh your memory: Yep. But if you thought that…

It’s Condom Day in Japan, and People Keep Screwing Around

Today is May 6th. Online in Japan, that’s Condom Day. On Twitter, people keep effing around. Glad to see they’re playing it safe! There are numerous unofficial “days” in Japan. For example, there’s Pocky Day. There’s Sushi Day. And yes, Condom Day. None of them are official national holidays. Why is today Condom Day? In…

Found It, My Favorite Studio Ghibli Cosplay 

Look. At. That. A Robot from Castle in the Sky walking around the streets of Osaka. With long arms and a thin neck, the robotic proportions don’t exactly lend themselves to cosplay. I’d imagine coming up with a wearable Robot outfit would be harder than, say, a Totoro costume. It’s certainly not a logical choice…

The Twitter page of missing Japanese game exec Ryoei Mikage has been deleted. It was still online early last month. It’s not now.